Make Up wish list.

Next week is the returning of school for me and as I looked in my make up bag yesterday, I realised that I have run out of nearly all my make up at the same time. Therefore, I started to list what I needed, most of it different to what I was previously using as I want to achieve a different look this year for sixth form. This is still however called my 'wish list' as I will obviously not be able to purchase this is in one shop so it is there for me to save up, look on my wish an hopefully be able to tick them all off.

So the first product which I am in desperate need of is foundation. If you read my previous blog post you would know that the foundation I decided to discontinue using the Maybelline Dream Matee mousse as it was drying out my skin. I have since then been looking and reading reviews on other foundations which are more liquid base and after hearing excellent reviews from so may people, I decided I wanted to purchase the Rimmel Wake Me Up Make Up foundation.

#1: Rimmel Wake Me Up Make Up foundation- £8.99, Boots.

Picture from: uk.rimmellondon.com

Another product which has received great reviews and I want to try out is the Collection 2000 Concealer Lasting Perfection. I have never really used a concealer before but know it is a really important essential for covering up blemishes and redness so I added this to my wish list so I can finally have a concealer in my make up bag.

#2 Collection 2000 Concealer Lasting Perfection- £3.69, Superdrug.

Picture from: Superdrug.com

The third product I am in need of is mascara. I found it harder to find one of these which had good reviews and I'd like to use as many people had many different opinions however the one I chose is cheaper than maybe the higher brands but still has a few good reviews which recommended this product so I want to give it a go. The mascara which I did choose then was the Maybelline Great Lash mascara and I am thinking of getting the brownish black colour as my eyes are blue and I think this colour will make my eyes stand out a lot more than the very black.

#3 Maybelline Great Lash Mascara- £4.00, Asda.

Picture from: chemistdirect.co.uk

The next product I have been looking for is a blush. The problem I have had with previous blushed is that they have been too pink, like a fuchsia, which has made my cheeks stand out a bit more than I liked so I was looking for a much lighter shade which would give me a natural finish. The Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks in pink cloud was the perfect match to what I was looking for. It is a nice subtle, pink which would give a nice, healthy glow to my cheeks.

#4 Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks- £1.99, Boots.

Picture from: Boots.com

The next product I have always been a bit wary to use as if it does go wrong it could ruin your whole look and that is eyebrow pencils. I have never really been a fan of using eyebrow pencils as it never seems to look natural on me which is a shame as I always want my eyebrows to look a bit fuller. However the other day I came across the Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil. Soap and Glory have a YouTube account and actually do a demonstration of using this product and it looks so easy to do and gives a natural  look. Although Soap and Glory can be on the higher end of price range I do believe that it is worth it from the excellent comments they receive back about their products.

#5 Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil- £10.00, Boots.

Picture from: soapandglory.com

The final product which I am adding to my wish list is from the same brand of Soap and Glory and it is their Luminizing face powder which is effectively a highlighter. This is another product which I have never had before but always wanted. Obviously a highlighter is not so much an essential but it really does give a glow to your face so it is nice to have. Again I have chose Soap and Glory as I believe their products are worthwhile and this highlight especially does look as though it could last a long time.

#6 Soap and Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder- Boots, £11.00

Picture from: Boots.com

So these are all the main products which I need. I have not listed everything down as the list could go on for a long time but the ones I have included are the top priority ones which I will go out to buy first and then buy the smaller products later on. Hopefully, I will be able to tick many of these off in the next couple of months and do more blog posts where I can review them and say whether they were worth the buy.

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte mousse foundation.

I have had this foundation for about five months now and as I am nearing the end of this it, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to review this product, weighing the pros and cons, and determine whether I would, at the end of it all, repurchase it.

I bought this foundation after hearing some good things about it from my friends and my sister. When in the shop, I was impressed with packaging. It did not feel cheap because of the glass container the foundation was stored in. It felt solid and not easily breakable like plastic usually does. The only thing I had to niggle at about the packaging was that there was no pump or application with it so this mean you had to use your fingers. This means, if your hands are dirty, you could be easily transferring that to your face which could cause a breakout. Therefore, I would recommend you buy a sponge with your foundation or a brush so you can avoid that chance.

I was so eager to try this out and when I had got back from the shops and I was quick to apply it to my face. The first thing I noticed was how soft the texture was. It was so smooth and silky. The foundation was so easy to apply to my face but the problem I had with it was that it stuck to the areas where I had dry patches and made them stand out even more. However, this was mainly my fault as I knew this was for a 'matte' finish so it was aimed at those who had oily skin, not dry like mine. Also, it is so easy to blend into the skin which means it gives a much natural finish and does not leave you with the unflattering foundation lines. Personally, the colouring of my foundation was perfect for my tone and I know that Maybelline has made a wide variety of skin colours so it is much easier to match up and not settle for the next best thing.

This foundation is a light coverage as I don't think it covers you blemishes fully and you would definitely need concealer on as well if you did want to cover up fully. Obviously if you were having a good day, with little imperfections, it would be perfect as, also, it isn't cakey which is good as it means it does not cause you to break out and it feels refreshing on the face. I would say that after applying it, this foundation lasts for about maybe, maximum, four hours before I notice it coming off my face.

Evidently, this foundation does last for a long period of time, however, as I know from others, liquid foundations can last up to two months longer so there are better ones out there but the price of this product is cheaper than those others. I paid just over £5 for it so it did last for it's worth.

Overall, I would give this product a two out of five. This product is not terrible however it does have it's main faults which downgrades it and means it does not reach it's full potential. I can say after reviewing this product, I will not be buying this foundation again and instead, I am wanting a more dry skin friendly foundation. If anyone does have any suggestions please comment below.

DIY Ombré hair

During my summer holidays this year, I have been debating whether or not to get a change to my hair. After having many disasters with hair, I was quite wary of dying it and had actually promised myself never to dye it again. However, after having the same hairstyle and colour for nearly a year and a half, I decided I needed a change before starting sixth form in a couple of weeks.

I had always liked ombré hair but never really thought really thought about having it myself until I began watching some YouTube videos and blogs about it (mainly ThePersianbabe, cinnamonjulesbeauty and Zoella.) After this I fell in love with the style and decided it would suit my long, brown hair.

The kit which I had seen most people use whose hair I adored was the L'Oreal Paris Perfect Highlighting kit and so I decided to be safe, I would pay the money to get the more expensive kit than a slightly cheaper alternative which may not work.

I bought my kit from Amazon from the company Chemist247 for £8.38. The kit contains bleach and I want to stress that if you want this style then you must use bleach, blonde hair dye will not work.

Sorry for the unflattering background, it was a towel which
I had placed down!

Inside the kit I had purchased, included: one pair of protection gloves, a spatula and brush, one bottle of developer créme, two sachets of Lightening booster powder, one bottle of Nutri-ceramide conditioner and a tray to mix everything in.

The main reason I decided to write this blog is to go through my personal process with ombré to help people as when I was deciding to do it there was some things which I was still unclear on and therefore I wanted to help people out if they wanted to also get this style. I also wanted to do a slight review as well on the L'Oreal highlighting kit just to give you an idea on my thoughts of it and the final results.

The first thing I did before opening the kit was brush through my hair, making sure there is no knots, as this made it much easier later on when applying the bleach to my hair. After this, I read through the instructions. I know everyone says this and some people take in the advice and others don't but it is really important you do because, one, it is for your safety and another, is so you don't mix anything wrong or do the wrong procedure and waste your own money.

Next thing I did when I was sure I had familiarised myself enough with the instructions was to mix the products inside the tray which was provided.  Before slapping all the bleach onto my hair I decided to test a bit out on just a few strands of my hair, firstly to see whether it was going to go the correct colour and  how long was required for my hair for it to change colour. I was really surprised and impressed by how quickly the bleach turned my hair to blonde and how nice the colour came out, especially on my dark hair.

To make the process easier, I sectioned my hair into six sections, three sections on each side and began working front the back. To get the 'gradual ombré effect' I put the bleach on the bottom of each section of my hair, folded each section in foil and then continually checked it for 30 minutes until I was happy with it and then, without washing it off, added more bleach going further up my hair as this would make the bottom much lighter. My tip is to not use the bleach all in one go as, what I did, is wash off the initial lot of bleach with the conditioner provided and decided from there whether you want more bleach or want to go higher. Also, with the bleach on the hair, it can come across as a different colour. I didn't use the brush which was provided until going back over it as it was mainly for precise bleaching, which made sense as it is for highlighting, and ombré is meant to look natural, therefore I mainly used my hands.

The before and after shots.

The kit was really useful and worked so well. I am so pleased with the results and would totally recommend this to anyone who is thinking of doing the ombré style. Although at first it looks like there is little bleach, you actually need little for each section and therefore you plenty to go over and alter it. The instructions are so easy to understand and is presented out well. For me, I did not think it damage my hair as much as I was expecting so that was a real bonus, my hair still felt soft and wasn't too dry. A problem I did have however was the conditioner provided was very small so that, although it says only use half the bottle for the first wash, I actually used it all up but with every hair dye I have experienced this is the same so it is not just L'Oreal's problem.

Overall I think that this hairstyle and process is so easy to do. Anyone who is wanting a new style this would be the perfect to do as it is not too out there, it looks so natural. You do not have to have dark brown hair for this style, it works in exactly the same way for blonde hair too.

If anyone does have any questions on this, please feel free to comment below and I will do my best to help you out! :)

thirteen personal questions.

I have seen quite a lot of Bloggers do this tag so I thought this would be the perfect second post to complete as a way to introduce myself a little more.

Question 1: What do you order at Starbucks?
I have never actually had a Starbucks before but for a long time I have been meaning to go in there and get one. Although, I don't particularly like coffee that much so I am not sure whether this will mean I will not like Starbucks as well. However, I have been into Starbucks with my friends before while they were ordering and I saw one drink which I was tempted to buy called Cookie Crumble Frappuccino which looked really nice. Not sure if it will taste like coffee at all but next time I am in Starbucks it will be the drink I will order.

Picture by: blogsbylatinas.com

Question 2: What's one thing in you wardrobe you can't live without?

This was actually a really hard question for me, not because I was like, 'Oh, I couldn't live without it all' but because nothing in my wardrobe really stands out for me that I wear all the time. If I had to choose though it would be my skinny jeans due to the fact that they are simple and go with every outfit I wear. They can be used for casual wear or used on a more smart occasion with a nice top.

 Question 3: What's one thing that most people don't know about you? 

I have lived in two countries in my life so far which is always a cool thing to say.

Question 4: What's one thing you want to do before you die?

Before I die, I have always said this, I want to travel around the world. I think it would be interesting in seeing the most popular tourist attractions and learning about different cultures but also to go to the small, not-so-well-known places and find out a little more about them.

Question 5: What's one food you can't live without?

This may sound slightly strange and not the first thing you may think of but I love toast and jam. It is one of my favourite foods and I can just eat it and eat it and not get sick of it at all.

Question 6: What's one quote that you live your life by?

'Everything happens for a reason.' I truly believe in this and I do think that if something bad happens to you in your life, it is not entirely terrible. It happens to show you something or maybe lead you to a different path in life. I don't think things happen and that is it, there is always something else to it so you shouldn't worry about certain situations or things which are going on, if they are meant to be, it'll happen. If not, don't stress, it is suppose to be.

Question 7: What do you like and dislike about the blogging community?

I have only just recently joined the 'blogging' community but one thing I would say I liked about it is you get to learn about so many different people through their blogs and find out things you would not necessarily find out if you just met them on the street. What I dislike is hard to say as I haven't really been blogging long enough, I'll come back to this question maybe another time when I believe I am more qualified to answer, haha.

Question 8: What's your number 1 song on your iPod/iTunes?  

Wonderwall by Oasis. It is such a classic and every time I listen to it, it is great. For me, I don't think it will ever become boring

Question 9: What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?

This is hard to say, as I don;t think I have a particular style. I would love to say I do, and I have this really out-there, interesting style but unfortunately I don't. I think I am very simple (if that is a style at all?) and my style changes a lot depending on my mood or the season.

Question 10: Favourite number? 

19

Question 11. Two hobbies?

I am actually a huge fan of sport and I do follow it quite a bit, this is mainly because of my family who are VERY sporty so it has kind of influenced me. I play badminton and do gymnastics- I have done these sports for probably 5 years now and I love them. My second hobby...is harder to think of. Not sure I am a very interesting person but probably reading (see not very interesting!) I love good books. At the moment I am reading a book which my friend recommended to me called 'the fault in our stars.'

I am about halfway through it and so far I am really enjoying it. I am looking forward to getting to the end- sure it will be a good ending.

12: Two pet peeves?

This one is hard to answer too. I think mainly because I do a lot of the 'typical' pet peeves so it is hard for me to think of anything without me becoming hypocritical. 

Ok, one of my pet peeves is when people sing the wrong words to a song. If you don't know the words don't continue to sing, just stop and join in when you remember words again. No one is going to scream at you for not knowing the words. It is even worse if I know the song and I can hear you saying the wrong thing because it just doesn't make sense most of the time. 

Another pet peeve is when people wake me up early. People who know me well, know I love to sleep so when I am woken I am always in a bad mood.

Question 13: Your guilty pleasure?

I'll probably go for the obvious one and say chocolate. I love chocolate and I literally eat it everyday, which is not healthy at all but it's chocolate..

summer and school!

OK so I am from Britain and if you are here or have friends here you will know that lately we have been experiencing a heatwave, which is very unusual for us Brits, we are not usually able to cope with the heat that much but it is a nice change for our summer. I am really surprised at how long we have had the sun out but yesterday was the exception to this however, and it was the day I decided to go out with my friends which was just unlucky for us as we all got completely soaked!

This is a picture which I took yesterday to show the sudden
change of weather, however today it has switched back
 again and is now hit about 32 degrees! :)

We went to town, just to meet up really as we hadn't seen each other for about two weeks which I guess isn't a huge amount of time, but it is a real change from seeing each other nearly everyday at school. That's another thing I was going to talk about is that I have finished school, and have been finished for nearly two months, but I am going back to sixth form next year at the same school I was studying at. I pick up my GCSE results in three weeks exactly today (just quickly counted!) so I am really excited to be finally finding out what I have got. If I get all my predicted grades then next year I will be studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths and History. I have decided though, and made a little pact to myself, that for the next two years I want to make the most of school life because, as I realised st the end of year eleven, even though at the time you hate it and want to get out as soon as possible, I know how much I am really going to miss it. Hopefully the next two years will be fun and I will enjoy it!

I just wanted to say a little about my blog before I finished it as it is my first post. I want my blog to be mainly about beauty/ lifestyle so that is what I will be mainly posting about.

Please follow and comment if you enjoyed, thanks for reading! :)