Maybeline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation Review

First of all I must start off by apologizing for my serious lack of posts recently. My life is literally just all day everyday at the library occasionally finding time to go to the gym. Not very exciting and not a lot to share with you guys. But as part of my procrastination tonight I thought I'd give a quick review of the foundation I've been using and loving recently.

(The fact that I'm letting myself walk around with chipped nails shows how busy I am!) 

This is the Maybeline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation, which you've probably guessed by now. I have the colour 21 Nude and I have really been enjoying it. I've been using it for about five weeks, hense why it's so messy, and it does seem to be my go to everyday foundation of choice. I find the colour blends lovely both at the beginning if the week when I'm tanned and at the end when I'm paler. I mainly use fingers to apply this, though when I need slightly more coverage or I have the time to make myself look better I use the Real Techniqes Buffing Brush. I find that the coverage is enough that I only need a small amount of concealer over it and on good skin days I can get away without any concealer at all! 

As you can see it gives a lovely even coverage. 

This photo, though less flattering, is probably a better picture of the skin with the foundation on it. 

The verdict? Well I picked this one up because it was the cheapest liquid foundation they had at the time in Boots and I'd heard good things about it. Good coverage without being too much, and an all week long colour match, I don't think I could ask for anything more from an £8.00 foundation. 

Happy Birthday To Me

If you hadn't guessed from the title of this post, today is my birthday! So I thought I'd show you a couple of things I had today and what I wore for my birthday meal out this evening. 

My 'main' present was from my mum and it's something we picked out together a few weeks ago when we were in London. It's from the world famous Liberty scarf hall and just feels so beautiful. 

I also had a scarf from my housemates, this one is from accessorize and is navy with flowers on it. It's been a very scarf-y birthday. They also got me an Estée Lauder shimmering body oil spray. 

Today marked the end of my teenage years and it's a day I have not been looking forward to. And so I did something a little rekless. 

I got my first tattoo today! I've wanted one on the inside of my ankle for ages, but the idea of getting a wave is very new to me and so I impulsively decided to get it done today. I'm really pleased with it and I think it's so cute, but it is definitely the only one I'll be having done (probably). 

This is what I wore out for dinner tonight. Noteable mentions are my birthday scarf, my Mulberry and my fur coat. 

This has been my first ever birthday away from home (it fell during Easter holidays last year) and it's been an odd day, but a good one. Now to start planning the big one next year! 

Mother/Daughter Haul

As promised yesterday, here is my haul of the many things I bought when my mum came to visit this weekend.

Let's dive straight in with the good stuff, the makeup. 

This is yet another NARS eyeliner, this time in the colour Khao San Road and it is a new realse. Along with a bright green, this blue is part of the spring collection which I really do think I might need more pieces from... 

It's a beautiful blue colour, and though I've only worn it once, I'm already thinking about the green that was launched with it too. 

Next is another NARS product. This is the soft touch shadow pencil in Holywoodland, a very pretty godly/champagney shimmery colour, perfect for an all over lid or inner eye corner application. 

Onto clothes. This bomber jacket I was undecided about, I wasn't sure if I could justify it, but it's so pretty and the colours are gorgeous and it's in a size small! My first ever buy from Zara in a small. 

As stated it is from Zara and was £45.99, but hurry they're selling quickly and I can see why, the perfect spring jacket. 

The next clothing item is this navy jumper which I picked up in the sale from Crew Clothing. I really like the stripes on the cuffs and the neckline and this was reduced from £58 to £45. 

To me spring means buying a new pair of sandles. I hadn't realised until I had a root through my extensive shoe collection that I threw out last years sandles and as I'm going away in three weeks I needed to find a new pair and fast! These are from Office and the blue straps are leather, I can't remember the price exactly, but they were either £20 or £25 then add on student discount and you've got a bargain. 

These were also another replacement buy. My current mocosins have been worn down so much that there is barely a heel left on them. These are from Fat Face and it's where my old pair are from so knew they would be good, they were £40 and then knock off the 10% for student discount and they come in at £36. 

The last perchance were perhaps a little impulsive, I have been after a new pair of Converse/Vans for quite some time and when I saw these I though 'I don't care how impractical they are, I want them' they were £45 and the shop I got them from does 20% student discount and so they came in at a fantastic £36! I absolutely love them, I actually changed into them the day I bought them and I just couldn't stop staring at my feet. 

Needless to say I spent far more than I meant to this weekend, but what is mother/daughter time for eh? 

Tanya Burr Little Duck Review

First of all I apologize profoundly for my absence. I've been away in London again and I also had my mother come to stay with me in Cardiff. I plan on doing somewhat of a haul of what we picked up over the weekend, but today I'm going to talk through what I've had on my nails over the last couple of days. 

I find that the finish itself doesn't wear amazingly, after applying late Friday night it had already started chipping by this morning. The first time I wore it I found the same problem, this is the second time I've applied it. I'm going to give it a third go, but so far I've been disapointed. 

However the colour is gorgeous, yesterday whilst out shopping I received compliments from two girls from different YSL counters. It is the perfect minty greeny/bluey colour and absolutely lovely for this time of year. 

Overall, the colour is amazing, but thoughts so far on the finish are not brilliant. Further testing is needed to decide on the final verdict, watch this space... 

NARS Larger Than Life Eye Pencil

As I'm sure you're all fully aware by now, I love anything brought out by NARS. I would definitely go as far as to say they're my favourite makeup brand, though they may not have the biggest representation in my collection, they're are my favourite pieces (apart from the extra special YSL Chanel treats).

So anyway, last summer when out shopping in Liverpool with my mother (she features a lot on here doesn't she) we spotted a couple of eyeliners on the NARS counter of John Lewis and after much humming and haring we came to the decision I would pick one out to go in my stocking for Christmas. 

The one I picked was a gorgeous turquoise colur called Abbey Road which I've mentioned before as a favourite of mine for night out makeup. I particularly like the combination of MAC Woodwinked eyeshadow all over the lid and slightly lining the lower lash line and then using this in the waterline and the tight line. 

Now these eye pencils have not been without their dramas. First of all was the devastation that I had to wait until Christmas for my first. Secondly, and rather more embarrassingly, the first ever night I wore this, I lost it. I wore it on a night out and decided to take it out with me incase I needed to top up, unfortunately when I stumbled through the door at 3am my eyeliner was no longer with me (though of course I didn't notice until the morning after). 

The worst part was breaking the news to my mother who was almost as devastated as I was, though I told her I would replace it out of my own money and I have not looked back. In fact the last four times I have been out I have used the eye look described above. 

Now going back all of those months to where we first spotted it in Liverpool, it was a toss up between Abbey Road and Barrow Street which is a pretty pale mint green. After I had been reunited with my beloved Abbey Road and the weather started to improve I decided that next occasion that seemed worthy I would treat myself to Barrow Street for the upcoming spring and summer months. Such an occasion presented itself a couple of weeks ago when I had a job interview in London, after the nerve wracking interview I decided to pop into the Space NK I knew to be just down the road from the building and buy myself the eyeliner as a treat. 

Absolutely buzzing from my interview and pleased with my purchase I practically skipped back to the station with my little Space NK bag in tow ready to tell everyone in Cardiff about my day out in the city. This is when the second disaster struck. So keen was I to get off the train to go and see the rugby boys performing a dance my friends had choreographed for them in AU's Got Talent (don't ask) and so distracted by a certain Cardiff Blues rugby player allowing me to walk down the aisle of the train first (Rhys Patchell if you're reading, remember me?) that I left my little Space NK bag under my chair. 

As soon as I realised what I'd done I was out of the station and I knew that the train would be well on it's way to Swansea. After chatting with some useful, if not sceptical, guards I was reassured that if my bag was found they'd ring me and allow me to pick it up from Cardiff Central. Devastatingly when they rung me back it was not good news.

After informing my mum of my latest disaster with a NARS eyeliner she quickly became the best mother in the world by ordering me a replacement. Little did the two of us know how awkward Space NK's delivery service would be. Long story short it finally got delivered today (after a week and a half and after I'd spotted said eyeliner at the NARS counter in town) but all those facts aside, these two pencils have now been massively promoted to some of my most prized possessions and I have promised to chain them to my dresser. 

This is the box it came in?!

There was so much stuffing in it I thought at one point that the eyeliner wasn't even in there. 

But inside it was, along with a sample of a cleansing oil. 

The long awaited Barrow Road. 

Goodbye 6 Nations

Today the 6 Nations came to a close, and although England did not manage to take the title, Ireland and Brian O'Driscal got the victory they deserved. I always feel very flat after the 6 Nations have finished and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my weekends anymore, I suppose I'll just have to do more shopping.

What I won't miss is the crowds in town. 

This picture was taken 4 hours before kick off this afternoon when I was on my way home from the gym, kilts and beer everywhere. It is seriously impossible to navigate your way through Central Cardiff on match day without being approach to be asked if you are buying or selling tickets, if you want a scarf or face paint, or if you know where the nearest toilet/pub is. 

England may not have won, but I'm proud of the boys nontheless and I even contemplated going out in my England shirt tonight because I couldn't find anything to wear. I have fortunately found a last minute outfit but I still have my patriotic nod in my beauty routine. 

It's a thumbs up from me boys. 

Makeup Setting Sprays

I've never been sure whether or not setting sprays actually work, but I enjoy using them for long makeup days and nights out.

For a couple of years now, I've been working my way through MAC Fix+ and just spritzing it over my completed face of makeup before a night out. I'm not entirely sure if it makes that much of a difference, though the few very naughty times I've gone to bed in my makeup, I've woken up and still had residue to remove over 12 hours after application. 

A new one I've started using is the Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray. When I saw my mother a few weeks ago she gave me this and said she'd baught it for me to test out and I can say so far I've enjoyed it. 

To be honest with you I don't see much of a difference between the two, and on days where my makeup has to last a long time or nights out I also use a primer underneath my tonne of face makeup. 

So as I said, I'm not entirely sure they work, but I like the feeling of spraying my face when I've finished my makeup and the glow it gives me. 

My Love of Purple

When I was younger if anyone asked me what my favourite colour was, my instant response would always have been purple. As I grew up I grew out of my love of purple and the colour of my bedroom changed from lilac to teal.

Even now my bedroom at home and university (and even my laptop) is teal, though the past few months I have been rediscovering my love of purple. 

It all started a few months back when I found this beautiful blouse for £4 in a vintage shop. 

 It's actually 2/3 sizes too big for me, but I like how baggy it is and it can be worn over leggins or tucked into a skirt. 

Over the winter months I was enjoying using this lipstick from Illamasqua. It looks terrifying in the bullet but it comes out in a beautiful dark purple that is very wearable. 

As you can see it's not that scary. Lovely classy photo in Glam toilets here. 

From there this Christmas I received a Christmas jumper that was purple and a purple eyeshadow pallet. I think my mother had cottoned onto my new colour obsession. 

The eyeshadow pallet is the NARS Fairy's Kiss pallet. It has six shades, one black and two neautrally kind of shades. There is then a lilac, a purply grey colour and a dark purple. I've really enjoyed experimenting with the mixture of colours and as you can see it gets good use. 

As we're finally beginning to move into spring I am moving away from purple and into lilac. The other day on a trip into town, where I naturally ended up in Boots, I took advantage of the 3 for 2 on makeup offer and picked up this Essie Polish.

It's called Play Date and it's a lovely lilacy purple, perfect for this transitional weather we're having. 

As well as the NARS pallet, I have a very pretty MAC lilacy purple shade, not too dissimilar to the Essie Play Date colour. I bought this at some point last year and I'm not sure I've ever actually used it. Needless to say my 'colours quad' is unfortunately the one that gets the least use out of my MAC pallets, but I do try and be brave with them, and they just look so pretty! 

Searching through the archives I also came across this picture on my Instagram from last May. 

This is Illamasqua Velocity and is a slightly darker purple than the Essie nail polish. As we move more into spring I intend to invest in a pastel lilac nail colour to add to my ever growing collection of purple beauty products. 

MAC Fabulousness Warm Eyes Review

This pallet has recently become one of my most reached for makeup products. I got it Christmas 2012 and didn't actually use it that much as first, but since I had a play about with it during the autumn I've found a combination from it that works for me.

This is the MAC Fabulousness Warm Eyes pallet. It has five lovely warm autumnal shades that I like for those 'nicer everyday' occasions. The five shades starting from left going right are Glamour Lights, Retrospeck, Honesty, Cognac and Sketch. 

These are the colours individually. 

Glamour Lights.

Retrospeck.

Honesty. 

Cognac. 

Sketch. 

Swatches of the colours. 

The way I like to wear it everyday is sweeping Honesty all over the lid, using Cognac in the crease, Glamour Lights as an under eyebrow and inner eye highlighter and Sketch as a liner on my lash line. 

The picture doesn't show the colour effect very well, but it comes out as a nice shimmery golden brown colour that is still wearable for everyday. I add a little bit of black eyeliner and plenty of mascara to make this slightly more dramatic. I'm so glad I've found a good way to wear these colours as the pallet itself (although dirty) is so pretty. 

Spring Has Sprung

Here in the UK we are having the most glorious weather. It's obviously not baking hot summer conditions, but the sun is finally shinning again and spring is here.

Today's I was all over the spring clothes and beauty tends like a rash from head scarf down to my nails I was embracing the welcome return of the sun. Can you tell I prefer S/S to A/W? 

The Mulberry is back! My Mulberry tends to go into a semi-hibernation during the winter months and only comes out for special occasions, let's face it a Corel Mulberry doesn't scream Christmas does it. My shirt is from M&S, the jeans Crew Clothing Co and my shoes from Fat Face. My head scarf was once my granny's scarf. 

My nails are Barry M Gelly in Papaya which is a new find and a lovely peachy orange colour. 

Next is my lip duo which I am delighted to be able to crack out again. It's a lovely orange but I find it very wearable in the day. 

This is Maybeline lip stick in shard. As lovely as this is on it's own I find it too orange for everyday wear. 

And so I add a gloss over the top to make it a more wearable daytime look. 

This is Benefit Coralista lipgloss in a tester size. I find it the perfect colour to tone down to Maybeline lipstick. 

This is the result of the two combined. 

I really hope this weather is here to stay and I can continue to post about my extensive beauty and clothes wardrobe.