Lips

I thought that I would start off this year going through my favourite of each type of makeup and beauty products, as well as sharing the products that are on my wish list.

Before I started university the only lip product that I would use would be a clear balm, as I was always a bit too scared to try anything colourful. University gave me the confidence to try new things and I now can’t think of my face with plain lips.

These are all the lip products I currently own at my university house…

And these are my top 5…

5) Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me

I have a bit of an obsession with balms, and recently discovered coloured balms like this one are a perfect way to moisturise your lips with a hint of colour. I remember when I was younger that the only options in balms were clear or an awful frosted pink so its nice to have more options these days.

4) E.L.F Lip Exfoliator

Despite my obsession with balms my lips are forever dry. When I was in high school a friend of mine introduced me to lip scrubs, however the only one I used was in a pot and I found it quite messy to apply. I love E.L.F makeup and during a little spree on their site I spotted this lip exfoliator stick so I thought I’d try it. It’s perfect, I love using it before I wear lipstick as it helps get rid of all those nasty dry bits.

3) Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop

As I’ve mentioned my lips are quite dry, and I believe this is one of the reasons I was scared to try colour as I didn’t want to draw attention to them. When I saw these lip butters advertised it appeared that my prayers had been answered – bright colours that moisturise. I thought they would be too good to be true but off I went to Boots in search of the perfect colour. This product glides on extremely well and the colour pay off is amazing.

2) Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

Not necessarily just a lip product but I’ve had this in my handbag for the past few years and it is perfect for when your lips are drying out. One issue I have with it is the scent – its quite distinct and I feel its rather medicinal but this doesn’t affect how great this product is. Although it is quite pricey a little goes a long way so it lasts forever!

1) Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist

This is the latest addition to my lip collection, I received it for Christmas as part of the Girl-O-Whirl Makeup Set. It’s not usually a product that I would have gone for but on first application I fell in love. It’s glossy, moisturising and the colour is perfect for everyday wear. I’m definitely planning on purchasing this product in other colours as it is definitely my new favourite product.

Here are swatches of the coloured products from my top 5 taken without flash and then with flash:

L-R Maybelline Baby Lips, Revlon Lip Butter and Soap and Glory Gloss Stick

How about you, what is your favourite lip product?

I’m back…

I abandoned this blog for far too long, which is a shame as I really enjoyed writing it and finding new products to review. The main reason for abandoning this was due to personal issues however I am overcoming these problems and feel that restarting this blog will help me to focus my attention on something positive. My aim is to spend the next couple of weeks reviewing a lot of new products that I have purchased over the past few months.
Since I last blogged I have had fun experimenting with new brands especially the budget ones, as a student I can’t always afford top end makeup. A friend of mine over Christmas told me about the MUA makeup range at Superdrug and her recommendation was the Undress Me palette which is a dupe of Urban Decay Naked. I purchased this palette yesterday and was really impressed straight away so I looked on their website and saw they have a lot of great products at really cheap prices which is definitely something I’m going to purchase when I go shopping tomorrow.
I’m hoping to do a post per day in order to get through my makeup collection as quickly as possible, just so I have an excuse to get new makeup after I’ve reviewed it!

Pastel Ombre Nails

I’ve been experimenting with different nail art techniques lately and I’ve struggled to find anything that actually looks good.

I found this tutorial and thought I’d give it a try, although I completely forgot to mix the blue colour with the clear which stopped it blending as much. However I’m in love with it and can’t wait to try it with different colours.

Here I used Barry M colours with a coat of Nails Inc Nail Jewellery over the top.

Has anybody got any other nail designs which are simple to do? I’m looking for ideas for my holiday 🙂

Ombre Hair

I’ve been lusting after dip dye for ages, and I’ve been meaning to book an appointment with my hairdresser to get it done so I kept putting it off until I decided to attempt to do it myself at home. After a quick search I came across Llymlrs blog which had a tutorial on it. I followed the instructions she gave with the same product and I’m extremely pleased with the outcome…

To achieve this using the product mentioned in the blog previously I did two applications of the product…once for all the blonde you can see and once for the tips just to make it appear more dip dyed. I originally planned to use a ash blonde hair dye over the top of the bleach but I don’t think I’m going to try that yet as for the moment I’m loving it this colour. I’d definitely recommend this method as it’s so easy and looks amazing! 

Before and After

I’ve decided to do a post based on celebrity’s before and after drastic makeovers….as sometimes I feel those in the spotlight don’t always manage to get it right….

Anne Hathaway:

Before:

After:

My Verdict:Anne has an incredibly classic look which requires minimal effort in order to get her looking fabulous, however after cutting off most of her hair for a film role I no longer see her as somebody I admire as I feel it makes her look frumpy and quite boring. I also think that the cut is too drastic for somebody with such soft features.
Emma Watson:

Before:

After:

Although Emma looked gorgeous before she went for the crop afterwards it was a bit of a shock, however once you get used to the shock you can see how much the style suits her. She has a very striking face and her eyes stand out even more with this style and it has helped her to become the fashionista that she now is and shed the Hermione look. 
Jennifer Aniston:
Before:

After:

Verdict:

I honestly can say that Jennifer Aniston looks amazing no matter what….long hair, short hair who cares she’s hot! Women want to look like her and men want to be with her! What’s not to love!

Katy Perry:

Before:

After: 

Verdict:

There is no denying that Katy Perry is beautiful, however when you compare the different hairstyles she’s had it’s clear to see how amazing she looks with dark hair in comparison to this faded pink style which makes her appear quite washed out and not her usual striking self.

Abbey Clancy:

Before:

After:

Verdict:

She’s gorgeous….but the lip fillers? No need at all…or at least not to that extent! After rewatching an old episode of Britain’s Next Top Model that Abbey was on I realised just how much of a natural beauty she is and that she doesn’t need any surgery…especially not surgery that leaves her with fish lips!

Lindsey Lohan:

Before:

After:

Verdict:

Lindsey was a stunning teen queen…now look at her! Although she might have used just a bit too much fake tan before it suits her a lot more than her new ghost like look teamed with her awful hair! To me she looks like somebody who is twice her age (Mutton dressed as lamb anyone?) Really wish she hadn’t turned into such a mess!