Double cleansing

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone has had a lovely bank holiday Sunday! Last one before Christmas yaaasss! I love Autumn/Winter time and everything about it fashion, make up, Halloween.... So much to look forward to! Anyways I've went off on a tangent there so let's get back to what I'm actually meant to be writing about.

So I had heard that term 'double cleansing' a while  ago and hadn't really thought much of it. Then a few weeks ago my skin really wasn't looking it's best, it wasn't the worst it's ever been but it was a bit meh. There was texture on the skin and I had a few spots here and there. I wasn't using anything new on my skin so couldn't blame anything. So one night a couple of weeks ago I was taking my make up off and I had used a wipe and then for some reason I thought I would use some micellar water after it and the amount of make up that was still on my skin was unbelievable. I thought it was all off! That's when I thought I need to start double cleansing and hopefully that would mean my pores would be fully clean at the end of each day and it would sort my skin out.

So at a night I'm using the Lacura Caviar wipes which are only from Aldi and I think they were around about £3.99. So really inexpensive and I follow that with the Garnish Skin Active oil infused micellar water on cotton pads.

The Lacura wipes are not as wet as I would like as I feel like it makes the makeup harder to remove. When I first used these I didn't like them because of them being more on the dryer side and I felt like my make up wouldn't have been removed properly. However, when I went over my face with the micellar water I was so surprised. The wipes had taken all the make up off... I was shook haha! Although I do feel like the wipes are good and remove all the male up I still think it's important to go in with the micellar water after to really cleanse my skin and unclog all the pores and remove any extra make up. I really like the oil infused one and the regular micellar water Garnier do. They are really good at removing make up but do take more effort than a wipe... I'm just lazy I think. The one thing I'm not a fan of is it really stings my eyes when taking off eye make up and it says you can use it on eyes and it's for sensitive skin. I think my eyes might be extra sensitive though as they water really easily anyways and I just make sure to not use too much of it around the eye area now. Apart from that I love it.

And the final bit of cleansing I've started doing is on a morning. Now some people might find this disgusting but I used to wash my face on a morning with just water. However, I have started using the Garnier soothing botanical cleansing milk from the Skin Active range. I really like this cleanser I love the smell of it, how gentle it is and I love how it makes my skin feel. I don't think it would be strong enough to remove all of my make up at night but it is a great morning cleanser.

I have found that cleansing on a morning and the double cleansing at night has really helped my skin clear up and although there is still a bit of texture there, it isn't half as bad as it was.

I would deffo recommend giving these products a try if you haven't already and if you have or you double cleanse let me know below and what you think of it.

Until next time,
Lucy x

Soft halo eye with bold lips

So as promised here is another make up look. Autumn and Winter are my favourite times of year although I love the sun and it makes me feel happy, I love the colours, make up and fashion for Autumn/ Winter. Bring on all of the lace, leather and vampy colours... I cannot wait!

This look is inspired by Autumn with warm shades on the eyes and a dark vampy red lip. So here is how I created this look...

Foundation

Same as always Nyx stay matte but not flat foundation. This colour is too light for me but I just added bronzer on top.

Concealer

Another oldie but a goodie- Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer in the lightest shade. Used under the eyes to highlight and cover those dark circles.

Powder

My ride or die, Nyx highlight and contour palette. I really need to replace those lighter colours. I used the yellow under the eyes and middle two shades at the bottom to contour (after bronzing).

Bronzer

When I first got this Topshop bronzer I thought it was too dark but applied lightly you can really build the colour up nicely. I use this on the outside of my face just to add some colour so I don't look deathly pale. The shade of this is called Mohawk.

Eyes

So I normally use a mixture of brands on the eyes but I used all shades from the Stila In the Light palette. I've never done a halo eye and I didn't set out to do this but half way through doing my make up I decided I was going to try! So I added the lightest shade, Bare to my whole lid to make sure it was an even colour all over. I then started the build up the colour in the crease with a Mac 217 brush (it's amazing) with the light brown shade called Bliss (its the middle shade on the top row). I just used windscreen wiper motions to blend that in the crease. I then went in with a pencil brush to build up colour Sandstone, the end colour on the top row. And I put this in the inner and outer corners of the lid. Once I did that, I just went back in with the Mac 217 to make sure they were blended properly and there were no harsh lines. I then added Bubbly, a really nice golden shade, the first one on the bottom row, to the centre of the lid. A super soft halo eye look- dead easy.

Eyebrows

Same as usual, I used Illamasqua's brow powder in Thunder. Mix it with a bit of water and it is literally the best brow product I have ever tried!

Highlight

MUA's Shimmer Highlighter in Iridescent Gold, it's still my favourite one that I own. I still think it is very gold toned, hence the name, which I am a bit unsure about but you do get a good glow with it!

Lips

Nyx again, I bet you are all sick of hearing about this brand haha! This is the Nyx Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Cherry Skies. I don't find these drying at all or sticky which I actually prefer when they feel stuck on. This does come off quite easily but is a lovely dark color. I lined my lips using Mac's Currant lipliner. Love this colour slightly more purple than the liquid lipstick I used but you couldn't tell.

Hope you liked this look and I hope you enjoyed reading this and it was easy to follow! I'll be back soon until then I would love to know what your favourtie looks for Autumn are.

Lucy x

Sunday Funday

Sundays are usually a day where I will sit in the house in my jarmies all day with not a single piece of make up on, eat too much and have at least 2 naps. However, today we decided to go out for a Sunday dinner so I decided I would put a bit of effort into getting ready today. I thought I would do a slight bit of colour in my eye make up and nude lips.... nothing crazy it is a Sunday after all! 

So I decided on an orangey smokey eye as I really like the way orange eye make up looks on blue eyes, compliments them well. I also used a full coverage foundation to make my skin look flawless although some nasty little breakouts still did pop through. I always wear a full coverage foundation as I feel like that's what looks best on my face. Now I did take photos of all the products that I used but I do apologise for the state some of my make up is in,it's embarrassing! I probably don't take as much care of it as I should!

So for my foundation I used Nyx Stay Matte Not Flat foundation in Ivory. I absolutely love the brand Nyx and now that we can get it in a lot of Boots stores in the UK it's like my current favourite brand, I'm obsessed! I do really like this foundation I feel it offers a lot of coverage and does last a long time. The only con is I have went through two tubes of this and I am normally the shade Porcelain but when I went to get another tube that shade was all sold out so I had to get the shade Ivory which I feel is slightly too pale, even for me! However, with some bronzer it works.

I then used my favourite concealer, Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair. I got this after hearing Shaaanxo raving about it. It offers really good coverage whilst still being light enough to highlight under the eyes. You can tell this is well loved :).

To set everything I used the Nyx Contour palette. I got this for my birthday and literally I don't know how I survived without this. As you can tell some of the pans are going to need replacing soon, mostly the light shades but I can honestly say I love every colour in this palette. I think they are all great, nice and pigmented and make your skin look perfect. I also find that the contour colours aren't too dark for me which I have had issues with in the past. I would definitely recommend this palette to everyone! I set my undereyes, my face and did my bronzer and contour with this palette, so versatile!

For brows I used what I have used for the past year or so now which is Illamasqua's brow powder in Thunder. I mix this powder with a little bit of water as I think it makes the brows look much sharper and more defined. I don't really use the rest of the palette, I used to but not so much anymore.

For my eyes I mainly used most of the oranges in the 1st edition BH Cosmetics 120 palette. I absolutely love this palette for creating colourful make up looks. It's really affordable but you still get a really pigmented palette. I used most of the oranges in the crease and under eye area and blended well. I then used the gold shade "bubbly" from the Stila palette on the lid. I then finished off by adding black winged eyeliner, standard.

For highlighter I used a combination of Benefit's high beam and Make Up Academy's shimmer Highlighter.  I used both as I like the effect it gives super glowy, which I would have once not wanted any glow on my face, I was like matte all the way, however now, the more glowy the better! I also used the MUA shimmer highlighter on my brow bone and inner corner to brighten the eyes. Unfortunately, after doing my highlight I dropped the powder and it smashed, absolutely devastated! But I am looking for a good white based highlight, if anyone has any suggestions please leave below because I am lazy and can't be bothered to look for one! Possibly Becca may have one?! Let me know!

Finally to finish I used the Nyx Lip Lingerie in Lace Detail. Now I know liquid lipsticks are all the rage now and I absolutely love them, the thought of ever wearing anything else or a normal lipstick I just cannot see myself doing. I say that then I'll be rocking lip gloss in a years time!  But yeah I love the colour of this one its a lovely nude colour without looking like a foundation lip, not a good look but one everyone used to love! It's also not too drying and doesn't feel sticky.

I hope this has been helpful/interesting to read. I had fun creating this and was a nice way to start off my Sunday.

Lucy x

Look who's back

So yes it's been a while, I don't even know what to title this post! So where have I been?! I feel like life takes over sometimes and things you like to do maybe get left behind for the things you have to do and I know that may seem the worst excuse ever but it's true.

So I was sat at home the other day thinking about my blog, do I close it down or do I leave it up?! But I was sad at the thought of closing it down as I did really enjoy posting on it and sitting here now I love just sitting down and writing down my thoughts so I decided that I would leave it up and start posting again. Not for anything other than a creative outlet and the fact that I enjoy doing it! So what I post about will still be all things beauty, fashion and life related, everything that I enjoy basically! And I know I have talked before on not pressurising myself and setting a target for how much I should post on here but I do like organisation and being consistent so I am going to set a target! So I aim to post on here at least once a week, and if I am having a good week it might be more but for now at least once a week is what I am aiming for!

So a few months back I decided trying to post more make up looks on my Instagram because it was sort of blogging the looks I created but in a quick and convienent way and I kept thinking I needed to put them on here and I just never "found the time". So, if you have read parts of my blog before you will know that I love make up and love trying new looks and just being creative with it- that's essentially what I created my blog for in the first place!

So I want to get back into doing that as that is my true passion it's what I love to do and it's what I enjoy doing. I'll be posting new looks on Instagram again as soon as I can and I will be putting them on here talking about what products I used, what I liked what I didn't, all that good stuff! Of course I'll still do reviews and hauls etc but expect to see a lot more makeup posts! I think why I didn't do this originally is because I doubt myself a lot and thought mainly what if people didn't like it or thought it wasn't good but now that I'm older I really couldn't care less. If I like it and am proud of what I have done why shouldn't I put it on my blog!!

So as it was a while ago I will just put some of my favourite looks below. Let me know what ones you like in the comments below ☺️

Lucy x

Eyebrows on point

So I would never say on point in real life but thought it would make a good blog post name! I'm currently lazing on the sofa with a food baby after visiting a carvery and fancied blogging. So anyway my eyebrows are something I feel quite strongly about and cannot leave the house without having some sort of product in them. Now I feel eyebrows are a very personal thing so if you don't like the way I do my brows that's absolutely fine we are all able to have our own opinions but I do like how I do them... it would be boring if we all liked the same thing!

When I was 13 that's when I first ever had them waxed and since them I've went through periods of getting them waxed regularly and then periods where I will just pluck them myself. I personally find waxing a lot less painful but saying that I have had a few waxing disasters. One of the worst was when I was about 15 and I was left with a few strands of hair on each eyebrow I may as well have had none left, I looked like a crazy person! I mean they both have their pros and cons but I'm currently going though a plucking phase as it's convenient and quick and cheap as you don't have to pay to get it done. But I am wanting to go get them waxed as I like the finish it's neat and you don't have to keep plucking which hurts so much more! So if you live in the north east any suggestions on good places to get them waxed would be much appreciated :)!

One technique I've never tried with eyebrows is threading, which I've heard mixed reviews on and I've never tried HD brows which I would like to try but seems like such a long process when I fill them in daily any ways I don't know if there would be much point!

I would love to know what you do with your brows or if you leave them au naturale.

Speak soon :)

Lucy x

My Mac Wishlist

Hi lovelies,

Seeing as I go on holiday in less than a week (yayy!!!!!) I'm trying to be 'good' with my money but I keep finding myself on the Mac website. So easy to do right! So I've made a mental note of what items I need (definitely not a need haha) to add to my collection once I've been on my hols!! 

So these are what I need ;)

1) Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

So I'm kinda getting into looking dewy (never thought I would say that!) obvs soft and gentle has a lot of hype over it but seeing as I'm super pale I think this shade might suit me more.

2) and 3) Mac Lipliner and Lipstick in Stone

This colour.... Just amazing!

4) Mac Fix+

Since I'm after that dewy effect this seems like an essential :).

5) Mac Pro Sculpting Powder in Shadowy

Once again as Im so pale I feel when contouring I need something that is more grey toned as opposed to bronze. After searching high and low this looks like it might do the job!

Let me know what's on your makeup  wishlist :).

Lucy x

Long time... No blogging?

Hi lovelies,

So yes I've taken a little break from blogging lately not for any particular reason just my bad time keeping and organisation... or lack of! So I'm back and I've tried to work out a schedule which should allow me to post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday so let's see if I can stick to it! 

So much has happened since I last blogged like the Race for Life and I've been practically living at the gym haha but I'll save all of that stuff for Wednesday and ease back in with a nice little review :).

I'm pretty sure last year I did a review on the Beauty Blender and before that, I really didn't like using a sponge to apply my foundation but that one changed my opinion. I love my Beauty Blender, I think it applies foundation amazing and gives a great finish so much so that I never use a brush ever now. 

However, to be totally honest I really do need a new one now and although they are easy enough to order online I would prefer to just pick one up in a shop rather than wait for it to be delivered. I know it wouldn't take much longer, I'm just quite impatient! So anyways im rambling, last time I was in Boots I decided to pick up the Real Techniques Miracle Sponge and give it a try, it's also a good thing to make a post about...thinking ahead haha. So here's my thoughts on it :).

Like the Beauty Blender this grows when you dampen it. I dunno if it's because it's a different shape or because it's a different brand maybe, but this one felt a lot more firmer than the original Beauty Blender which at first I really didn't like. It didn't feel as soft on my skin or didn't blend out the foundation as easy. The more I'm using it though the softer it is becoming so I am liking it more.

Also as im a creature of habit it took me a while to get use to the different shape, I know that probably sounds ridiculous but I just wasn't comfortable using it at first haha. Again though the more I've used it the more I've gotten used to it!

One of the really good things about the Real Techniques sponge is that it has three different sides (I guess) that you can use. So it has the rounded edge like the Beauty Blender, it also has a tip again similar to the Beauty Blender but it also has a flat edge too. I would normally use the tip to blend out concealer as it's nice and precise but the flat edge does blend out concealer quite well too... Bonus! 

On the packaging it also states you can use this either wet or dry and I'm not sure if you can do that with the beauty blender... Maybe you can. I think this is a plus because some people might not want to use it damp and at least this way you get the best of both worlds. I haven't tried using it dry as I really like the finish it gives when it's damp. If you use it dry comment below let me know what it's like :).

Anyway to wrap this up I do really like both and I am currently using the Real 

Techniques sponge on a daily basis but if I'm being one million per cent honest I do prefer the Beauty Blender just a little bit more. Obviously, I did use that a lot longer so this might change in the future! If you are impatient like me though I would suggest picking up the Real Techniques sponge and trying it out as it does give a lovely finish to your foundation.

Let me know below which you prefer and why :).

I will deffos be back on Wednesday with another post (I've already started writing it, organised haha).

Until then,

Lucy x

What I got for my birthday 2015

Hi lovelies

Hope you're all well. Sorry I didn't post last week just had a lot of stuff going on and at the beginning of the week it was my birthday!

Now that I'm officially 23 everytime I think about it all I think about is Blink 182's song 'What's my age again?' and the bit where the lyrics are 'nobody likes you when you're 23' haha. Makes me quite sad actually... I'm getting old!!!! 

Anyways one of the great things about your birthday is the pressies you get! So I thought I would show you some of the things that I got for my birthday. Now before I do, I just want to say I'm not doing this post to show off or brag about what I got, I know some people like posts like these and I know I do because I'm a little bit nosey!!! So here's what I got.....

H&M Bucket Bag

I asked my mam and dad for this because I needed a new bag (well needed might be a bit extreme haha!) It's just such a lovely shape and I like how you close it with a tie. I got this nude peachy colour as I always get black bags and just fancied something a little different.

Necklace 

Sorry I have no idea where this is from and I think it's a bit rude to ask! My brother got me this because he knows that I love me a statement necklace. This is beautiful and it's that nice gold that doesn't look cheap or brassy if that makes sense!

Jayda Ethic Necklace by Smashglam

I got this off my lovely boyfriend, I have to say I did ask for this. I had seen it on fellow blogger Sophie Hannah Richardson and I fell in love with the necklace. It's by an online company called Smashglam and all of their pieces are beautiful, I want them all haha! I would definitely recommend you checking them out though! I'll link their website here! 

MAC Amber x9 Palette

Another one from my boyfriend and yes I did give him a little hint about this palette! Since I have blue eyes I tend to wear a lot of ambers/coppers/orange eyeshadows to try and make them stand out a bit so when I saw this palette I thought it would be perfect! I am going to do a review on this palette either this week or next week, so keep an eye out for that but so far I'm loving it! 

Jimmy Choo Exotic Perfume

I've never had this Jimmy Choo perfume before only Flash but it smells lovely. It's very florally so if you like that in a perfume you should give it a try and I love the packaging- some things never change haha! 

Champneys Citrus Blush Mini Treatment Collection

I love this brand so when I opened this I was so excited! So in this you get the body scrub , shower gel, body lotion and a body polisher (that's what they call it I don't know if that's the actual name of those things I don't know what they're called haaha big sponge type thing :))! I can't wait to use this!

Benefit Do the Bright Thing

So as you can probably guess by the name this kit includes things that will give you brighter, glowy skin. I used to be all about that matte life but I have to say I am starting to like a little bit of dewyness, dunno what's got into me! So this is perfect for helping me achieve that effect. In this you get the That Gal Primer, High Beam, Dandelion blush and a little brush (it's so cute), a mini They're Real mascara and a mini Bad Gal eyeliner. I love Benefit's products, or at least the ones I have tried anyways, and I can't wait to try these! I will be doing a review on this too but I haven't tried it yet as I don't want to waste the products on just a normal boring day, does anyone else think like that about things?!

So I did get a few other bits and bobs like chocolate and wine but these were the main things. I'm very lucky to have such lovely family and friends that spoilt me and I had a lovely day with them.

I will be back this week so make sure you come back! I'll talk to you soon!

Lucy x

Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub Review

Hi lovelies,

Hope you're well! Seeing as it's my birthday tomorrow I took the opportunity to pamper myself tonight and one product I used to help me do this was Lush's Rub Rub Rub.

I got this at Christmas time and I totally forgot that I had this so when I saw this tonight I thought I would give it a try.

I used this both on my hair and my body as you can use it on both. Here is what Lush says about this product- 'An exfoliating shower scrub that can also be used to wash, volumise and add shine to hair. Packed with mineral-rich sea salt, Rub Rub Rub can be used as a gentle scrub on wet skin, or on dry skin for a really good buff before you get in the shower. Sea salt, a natural antiseptic as well as exfoliant, is combined with lots of lemon juice to leave your skin feeling rejuvenated and it also adds shine and volume to hair.'

This scrub smells divine and I love the colour of it, it's an amazing blue colour! I didn't know whether to use this instead of shampoo or after shampoo so after deliberating I decided to use it after shampoo. When I put it on my hair it didn't lather up as I expected I dunno why I thought it would haha! When washing it out it took some effort but eventually I got it all out! 

I then used the scrub on my body. When using exfoluating scrubs I like them to be quite rough and have lots of texture to them which this one definitely does. Also a little of this goes a long way.

After drying my hair I feel like my hair does feel thicker and very soft but apart from the thickness I wouldn't say there was a massive difference. However, my skin feels soooo soft! I can't stop feeling my arms because they feel soo silky smooth! I will most definitely be using this on my skin again but I don't think I will use it on my hair again. This is one of my new fave Lush products!

What's your fave Lush products? 

Much love, 

Lucy x

Which shape is best?!

Hi lovelies,

Hope you are all well :). So I thought I would do another nail post today and look at what shape is best. To be honest, I have had all three shapes that I'm going to talk about in this post at one point, obviously all have been done using nail extensions! Since getting fake nails I have found that certain shapes go in and out of fashion or some become more popular which has influenced my decision at times but I have never had a shape that I hate or have hated. So if you want to find out which shape I think is best, keep reading....

Square 

So when I first started getting my nails done I loved having them square. I didn't get them as long as I have them now as I think really long square nails reminds me of episodes of Footballer's Wives and that's not my fave look, although if you like them that's fine :). I did love this shape but haven't had it for quite a while now, doesn't mean I won't go back though!

Stiletto 

I got these for the first time last year and it was when the shape first became really popular. I love this shape, I have to admit however when you first get them done I would recommend being careful as they can cause some damage as they are sooo sharp haha! I think these always look on trend.

Ballerina

This shape is the one I have currently and it's the first time I have had it. It is becoming more and more popular and I would recommend trying this if you want really long nails as I don't think this would look as good on short nails. These are probably the longest I've had my nails so things like typing and texting have become a bit of a challenge but I'm managing! 

So which one do I think is best? Truthfully I love them all and I believe I will in the future get them all again. I have to say that at the moment ballerina shape is my fave but I don't think any one is best, in my opinion :).

I would love to know your views, which shape do you think is best? Let me know in the comments below!

Much love, 

Lucy x

Acrylic VS Gel

Hi everyone,

So if you follow me on Instagram you will know that I love fake nails.... I always post when I have got a new set on! This obsession has been ongoing for about 2 years now. I know a lot of people say that fake nails ruin your own natural nails but that doesn't really bother me as my nails have never been strong ever even before having false nails. Also another thing that annoys me about my natural nails is before I would have fake nails I would spend so long painting a base coat then 2 coats of colour and then a top coat, let it dry then an hour later my nails would chip! Nothing more annoying haha!!

So that's my reasoning for having fake nails. So over the last 2 years I started with gel nails with extentions but I have went over to the dark side and now I get acrylic with extentions. So I feel like I have enough info about this to let you know the pros and cons of each different type if any of you are debating about what type to get.

GEL

Pros                                                                                                                                                       

-Do not "ruin" your natural nails as much as acrylics do

-Last for up to 3 weeks although I did use to get about 4 weeks as I would put a clear coat on them each week to make them last longer

- The colour does not chip at all 

Cons

-They don't last as long as acrylics in my experience anyway

-Snap a lot easier than acrylics

-Can't change the colour yourself, you can paint over the gel but can make your nails look "thick" and a bit untidy

ACRYLICS

Pros

-Last a very long time I sometimes can get 5 weeks out of my set if I am lucky!

- Can change the colour yourself just make sure you use an acetone free nail varnish remover as if you don't the acetone can ruin them and affect the longevity of them

- The colour doesn't chip as easily as it does on your own natural nail

Cons

-There has been a few times when I have caught my nail and nearly pulled it off and the pain is excruciating it hurts with gel nails to but I don't think as much

-Can ruin your natural nail, mine aren't strong anyways but they are really bad now but that doesn't really bother me

Over Christmas I did have a break from fake nails and although it did save me money I hated how my nails looked and how easily they would chip. So last month I got my beloved acrylics back on! Yesterday I got a fresh set on and it is a lovely feeling. I don't really struggle with mine and I do have them longish but typing this is a but harder with them on hahaha!

I hope this post has helped anyone who is thinking about getting fake nails and for any of you around the North East I go to Glam n Glory Nail Bar in Newcastle and I couldn't recommend them enough. It's only £22 for a full set of acrylics with a normal colour painted on (by this I mean not a gel colour as you can have both acrylic and gel). They also have a loyalty card, which I do have, I think it was £8 for a year but it means you get  a full set of acrylics for only £18! Bargain!

Let me know what you prefer acrylic or gel? Or natural?

Much love,

Lucy x