Elle March 2015

                     

Just a quick post for any Benefit fans out there! If you are like me and you're obsessed with beauty products and beauty blogs you will have heard about the new Roller Lash mascara launched by Benefit this month! I couldn't wait to get my hands on a new mascara from Benefit as I am such a big fan of the They're Real mascara, and I didn't have to! In this months Elle Magazine  you can try a free mini version! So if you want to be the first to try out Roller Lash (and believe me you do, I am loving it already!) then why not treat yourself to this months Elle, which is a really lovely issue by the way. Just in case you needed a little more convincing!

Happy Reading! (and mascara-ing)

♥

Face of the Day

So technically, this isn't actually my "Face of the Day" as these pictures were taken on Saturday evening. I am spending today researching for my dissertation (bleugh), my face is really not suitable for the internet right now and I quite liked how my make-up turned out on Saturday, so I won't tell if you don't. 

I love wearing a dark lip at this time of year and I cannot recommend this YSL Rouge Volumpté Perle lipstick enough. It really is the most beautiful lipstick with the silkiest consistency you can imagine. I have wrote a review on this lipstick previously if you want to hear more you can read about it here.

On my eyes I swept a wash of the shade Mugshot from my Naked 3 palette and blended the shade Factory into my outer corner and crease. I also want to give a shout out to the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara Ultra Black which I have recently discovered and I am absolutely loving it! It really reminds me of the Benefit They're Real mascara in both packaging and results.

Products Used

Face

♥Benefit Porefessional primer

♥Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer

♥Mac Studio Fix Fluid foundation

♥Benefit Rockateur blush

♥Benefit Brow zings brow shaping kit

♥The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder

Eyes

♥Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, shades Mugshot and Factory

♥L'Oréal Super liner

♥Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara Ultra Black

Lips

♥YSL Rouge Volumpté Perle lipstick in 112 Spellbinding Violet

Let me know if you guys like this look and if you would like a review on any of the products mentioned as I would be happy to write one. Hope you all are having a fantastic 2015 so far!

♥

Christmas on my fingertips!

Nails from Primark.

Christmas is getting closer and closer which means that lights are getting twinklier, shopping is getting more regular (yayy), creamy mugs of hot chocolate are becoming a necessity and I am very, very OK with all of this! But this also means you have the perfect excuse to start adding some extra touches of glitter and festivity to your outfit. If you are not a fan of the wonderfully ugly Christmas jumpers that are back and more 3D than ever this year, I have discovered a more subtle way to embrace some Christmas cheer into your look. I picked up these cute press on nails at Primark for just £1 recently and I have been so impressed with the results! There are a range of different sizes available in the packet which fit nicely onto my nails. The quality of these are not amazing and they do tend to snap off quite easily. However, for just £1 I really recommend these as a cheap and cheerful little pinch of Christmas and I am really enjoying glancing down at the teeny Santa hats on the tips of my fingers. 

Happy Holidays!

♥

Special Little Statements

Fedora: River Island

Tee-shirt: Zara

Leather Jacket: New Look

Satchel: Urban Outfitters

Skirt: Topshop

Boots: Liverpool Markets

There are so many different ways to make a statement with what you wear. A lot of the time it is great to wear something really special and keep the rest of your look simple so that all the attention is on that one statement piece. In this look, that would be my black and white Tee from Zara. I found this slick white shirt while I was browsing the shops on Fifth Avenue, New York City on my first trip to the "Big Apple". Not only did I love the Tee itself, but I thought it would be a lovely little memory of a day in the concrete jungle as it says "Fifth Avenue, NYC"on it. So even though I am back in Liverpool for my final year of University, I still have a little bit of the incredible city with me to make a "Special Little Statement".

For the rest of this outfit, I added a bit of edge with my acid wash skater skirt from Topshop and my leather jacket. As a stylish twist I added my fedora and a Rimmel red lip from the Kate Moss lipstick Collection in number 107 and let's face it, a big hat and a red lip never gets old. Am I right?

What is your Special Little Statement?

♥

A Taste of Travel: Los Angeles!

Just in case you have been wondering why I haven't been writing any posts lately, I thought I would fill you in and share some of my experience in the US with you! If you read my last post you will know I was lucky enough to work at a Summer camp in the states for three months and then have a little taste of travel afterwards! You can read my last post here if you would like to see some pictures and hear a little about my trip to the amazing New York City! But now, were going to talk all things Los Angeles!

I flew out to LA straight after finishing work and was greeted off the plane by palm trees, glistening buildings and the most huge and fancy cars I have ever seen! I went to stay with a friend who I met in the states, caught up on some sleep and then woke up to the scorching California Sun in Santa Monica! It was such a beautiful area right by Santa Monica beach and the beautiful shops (a necessity for me). I spent the next week soaking up as much of the gorgeous sunshine as I could, exploring LA, going to see Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Disneyland (of course) and pretty much wishing I lived in LA.

Picture 1: The palm tree paradise that is California!

Picture 2: Driving into the city to do some Downtown shopping.

Picture 3: One of many evenings spend on Santa Monica beach, I never wanted to leave!

Picture 4: Me giving the "Skater Chick" thing a whirl. Roller blading in the sun along Santa Monica and Venice beach. Floral shorts and tee both from New Look in case you were wondering.

Picture 5: A roller blading selfie. Life on wheels makes me happy! My love heart sunnies are from Claire's Accessories.

Picture 6: One of my favourite nights spent catching some waves while the California sun set!

Picture 7: I couldn't not go to Disneyland. Sorry not sorry.

Picture 8: I insisted on a picture with the Minnie Mouse ears, she is my favourite! My top is from Urban Outfitters and my skirt is from Hollister, I love the pretty florals. 

Picture 9: Some of the gang on our trip to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. My top is from Forever 21, neclace from Topshop and my shorts are my vintage Levis. 

I feel so lucky to have had the chance to have such an incredible Summer this year. I have hundreds more pictures and stories I could share on here but that would mean a LOT more posts and probably boring you a little? I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of my time traveling and I will warn you that I am now addicted and hope to travel some more after my third and final year of University (yikes where did time go?!). 

Have you ever been to Los Angeles?

♥

A Taste of Travel: New York City!

So my Summer this year has been a bit of a whirlwind! A few days after arriving home from University I got a job working at a Summer Camp in America and three weeks later I was on a flight out to the States to move into my new home for the next three months and begin my new job! It was as fast as that! Without boring you of all the details, I'll quickly sum it up and tell you that I got the chance to make new friends from all over the world, teach dance classes everyday, get to know kids and notice the difference I was making for them and push myself out of my comfort zone for an amazing Summer in the States! 

After working for three months, I set off on another adventure and got my first Taste of Travel. I have hundreds of pictures of this part of my Summer, but again, I narrowed it down for you and shared a few of my favourites from my four day trip to the amazing New York City! If you have never been, the city is everything you imagine it is going to be and more! The buildings are huge, the streets are packed, the lights make the night become day, tourists are everywhere, the shops are fantastic and the people are stylish. Can I live there please? Absolutely incredible city!

Picture 1: Waiting for my flight to the states, feeling nervous, excited and hoping my case isn't overweight. (It wasn't, Phew!)

Picture 2: The first picture I took in New York and I think it captures so much of what the city is like!

Picture 3: I was too excited to be in a yellow cab after a trip to Times Square one evening. It felt like I was in a movie!

Picture 4: A spot of shopping on Fifth Avenue one morning. It was inevitable! My dress is from Topshop and my shoes are from T.J. Max in case you were wondering.

Picture 5: Off to see Wicked at Broadway! So glad I got the chance to experience this, it was outstanding! My top is from Topshop, the skirt is from New Look and I got my little bag at a Thrift Store in the states, I love it.

Picture 6: Did anyone recognize this famous doorway? I couldn't have possibly gone to New York without visiting Queen Carrie Bradshaw's apartment!

Picture 7: The view of Manhattan from a quick sail on the Staten Island Ferry to see Miss Lady Lib.

Picture 8: A breathtaking trip to the 9/11 Memorial. What a beautiful place for such a sad moment in history.

Picture 9: Possibly the biggest building I have ever seen, The Freedom Tower.

Stay tuned my blogger buddies, there are more pictures coming soon of the rest of my traveling adventures this Summer! 

Have you ever been to New York City?

♥

Benefit Make-Upper

If your anything like me, you will know all about Benefit Cosmetics and their adorable vintage style packaging combined with lovely quality products that adds a feminine touch to any make-up bag. I always find that I gravitate towards Benefit when I feel like a make-up treat as the more high-end price tag means I don't regularly purchase from the brand, although I know that the pretty packaging and finish will always tickle me! As an attempt to cure the "Monday Blues" a couple of weeks ago, myself and a friend (a.k.a fellow Benefit lover) arranged to try out the Benefit Make-Upper. The Benefit Make-Upper is available at most Benefit Beauty Bars and provides you with a full make-over from the Benefit make-up artists (or "Benebabes") so that you can test out the products and decide what works for you before you purchase. Or, if you just want to take advantage of a completely FREE Benefit make-over like I did!

The ladies at the Beauty Bars were super friendly and chatty making me feel very welcome and free to ask plenty of questions and requests. I have very sensitive skin that can be irritated quite easily and happened to be slightly dry during my make-over. The lady who served me was able to provide me with nourishing and gentle products from the Benefit skincare range to soothe and moisturize my skin before the make-over. I was asked a lot about my make-up preferences during the experience and the products were chosen accordingly to create the look that I described, which was a natural and dewy base, a soft bronze smokey eye with cat flick (gotta have a cat flick!) and a defined brow. 

Base, Cheeks and Lips:

To create a dewy base, the lady used That Gal Brightening Face Primer which left my skin feeling smooth, gave it a healthy but natural glow and made my make-up last longer, which was exactly what I was hoping for and I fell in love with this product straight away. Next, the lady applied the Fakeup Hydrating Crease-Control Concealer and the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation. Both these products I found to be hydrating and left a dewy glow which I like however these are both quite light coverage and I would prefer something slightly more full especially under my eyes!

For my cheeks and lips I tried out one of the cheek and lip stains in Posietint. The poppy-pink shade is a beautiful light rosie flush which adds a hint of colour and has a lovely creamy texture (not to mention the cute name). This shade would suit a lot of different skin tones and I would definitely recommend this tint to give your cheeks and lips a rose pop this Summer!

Eyes:

Ahh eye make-up! No make-up lover can deny the pleasure that is eye make-up. For this look I wore the World Famous Neutrals Kit in Most Glamorous Nudes Ever which contains two perfectly creamy creaseless creams and shimmery bronze shadows to compliment these. I have always loved the World Famous Neutrals kits from Benefit and these shades were no exception, providing shadows for highlight and darker crease shades making eye make-up simple! 

For my lashes I wore my absolute favourite mascara which is They're Real . This mascara gives your lashes a false lash effect and is a jet black colour that stays on all day. If you want lusciously thick lashes with an uplifting curl, this is the one, you won't go back!

After all the eye excitement, I was even more thrilled to hear about the new They're Real Gel Liner Pen coming soon to Benefit. I love to line my lash line with a cat eye effect however I was not very impressed with the Magic Ink liner. So I am looking forward to this new release from Benefit and as I'm sure you can tell I love the They're Real mascara so I am expecting good things!

Brows:

For my brows I got to try out the new Gimme-Brow Fibre Gel which uses fibers to thicken and volumise your natural rows to create a fuller natural brow look. This is a great product for those who strive to enhance their natural brows instead of filling them in for a more defined shape.

As my natural brows can be quite sparse, the lady also used the Instant Brow Pencil to create fullness and add shape. I do think this pencil has a nice colour match to my own brows and skin tone however I am a bit unsure about the shape as it is more thick than what I am used to! What do you think?

So if you have a long week ahead why not call into your nearest Benefit Beauty-Bar and invest in some "you time" (or even a sneaky new purchase?) with this completely free Benelicious treat! I know I will...again. All the products mentioned have been linked throughout the post. Phew! I think that was the longest post I have written in a while! 

Have you had a Benefit Make-Upper? What are your favourite Benefit products?

♥