Christmas Eve or Boxing Day pamper ideas!

So I know I've not been the best with blogs lately, but 'tis the season to be jolly and forgive me!

I have felt like a little elf lately as all I've done is wrap presents for people, luckily I enjoy it otherwise I might be a tad more grumpy about it!

I thought a nice pamper post could give you all some ideas of what to do either tonight or on boxing day to relax yourself, if like me, you get way too over excited for christmas, then doing this tonight might help you sleep, or maybe to get over the madness that is christmas you could do it on boxing day!

So, first of all you want to remove all your makeup while running a bath, making sure your skin is lovely and clean, you can see my routine for taking off makeup in a previous post if you're interested.

Next, I like to pop a lovely bath bomb in the bath, or my favourite it seems of this month, the comforter bubble bar by lush! It literally smells so amazing and I have had it for quite a while because it's truly a beast of a bubble bar and you only need a little bit!

Then grab a beverage of some kind, and if you feel you need extra calming pop a face mask on! I'm actually loving one from Avon on the minute that helps with blemishes and makes your skin feel super soft and lovely, you leave it on for about 10 minutes then just wash it off, but usually I leave it on for the duration of my bath and wash it off just before I get out!

Once you've had your lovely hot bubble bath, moisturise to make your skin all lovely! Im into using body shop body butter and then any facial moisturiser!

Finally, I like to put a onesie or my comfiest pyjamas on and hop into bed with a cup of tea and a good book to read or my laptop to watch youtube, I simply either read or watch videos til I feel at complete relaxation level and then I go to sleep!

 I hope this gave you some ideas, and let me know if you have your own pamper night and anything you do differently! :)

Leanne
 xxx

My Foundation Routine!..

Seasons Greetings and blah di blah!

Terribly sorry for not blogging for a little while! Coursework for Uni caught up with me and so I had to put away the blog and play uni for a while!

Back to the point of the blog however, I'm on christmas break now so i'll be able to blog again yay! I thought i'd do a foundation routine blog, because although I do use the same kind of strategy I change up my foundation and what not daily but thought i'd share a few favourites with you. So i guess this is my foundation routine/tutorial/favourites but that seemed too long :P

So, I'm actually going to start writing it now and cut the babble!
The first thing I do, which I honestly think is the MOST important, is moisturise! If you're putting a load of stuff on your face you're going to want to make sure your face is lovely and soft and smooth so that you don't dry it out by covering it! I just use Simples moisturiser but any will do as long as it does what it says on the tin!

Next, and optional step I would say is to prime! If you want your foundation to last literally forever or want to create a good base for your makeup, I would definitely prime, you can get all different ones but I would say my favourite is definitely the No.7 Colour Calming Primer, it makes my skin feel amazing and helps tone down any redness because its a green primer. You can see a swatch in one of my previous blogs!

After priming, I usually wait 5-10 minutes to start anything else just to make sure my primer and moisturiser are all soaked in and lovely! Then the next step, for me is foundation. I do concealer last because I always think you see how much extra coverage you need if you conceal after and it stops you just wiping the concealer all over your face along with your foundation! So to pop foundation on I either put it on the back of my hand and blend it into my face using a real techniques stippling brush, or I put dots of it on my face and then use the brush. I just find using a brush makes it look better on my skin and ensures I get a nice even coverage. My favourite foundations at the minute are my Mac Studio Fix in NW10 or an Elf foundation which I ordered from America (if you keep an eye on their website there's usually free shipping or 1p shipping to the UK) It's their flawless finish foundation in porcelain. I kind of forgot I actually had the Elf foundation but when I found it I was over the moon because it's amazing!

After foundation, I make sure all my imperfections are covered with concealer, now it will come as no surprise what my favourite concealer is because EVERYONE raves about it, and it's the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in fair and it just has the most amazing coverage! I use this on any imperfections and under my eyes and then i'll buff it in with a real techniques buffing brush. Another good concealer is Maybellines The Eraser Eye concealer which I use in light!

Finally to make sure none of my makeup goes anywhere I powder my face, for this I use an Elf Powder Brush and either my Mac Mineralise Skinfinish in Natural or Rimmels Stay Matte Powder in Translucent (surprise surprise)!

I know it sounds like a lot of stuff but honestly it isn't when you have it on and I find it works for me!

If you have any questions let me know by commenting and I hope you found this helpful!

 Here are the links to the products I mentioned!
Moisturiser
Primer
Mac Foundation
Elf Foundation
Collection Concealer
Maybelline Concealer
Mac Powder
Rimmel Powder

Leanne
xxx

Mac Studio Fix Review..

Not sure how much longer my blogs are going to be posted daily, but hey ho we'll go with the flow!

Thought I'd keep it short and sweet with a review of my studio fix foundation by Mac, I mentioned this in my december favourites blog and told you guys that i'm nw10 and obviously I love it if it's in my favourites :p

The foundation lasts super long, even on its own, so with a primer its basically unstoppable.
There's a wide range of colours and even if one is slightly lighter than your true shade, they do a powder which can naturally bronze you up slightly to make a perfect match!  (clever so and so's)

Although the foundation is quite pricey, it really is worth the money especially when compared to the likes of Chanel and YSL!

All in all its a great purchase, its literally one of the most high coverage foundations I've found and doesnt feel too heavy on the skin which I love!

I don't know what else to say really, so if you have any questions post below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Hope you enjoyed this tid-bit blog!

Leanne
xxx 

Sweater Weather Tag..

Hey there!

Hopefully you don't get sick of tags, but I promise after this it's going to be another beauty blog! Comment below any posts you'd like to read!
Here is the sweater weather tag, I know it's a youtube tag, but I thought I could still answer the questions!

 1. Favorite candle scent?
    Vanilla Caramel Swirl, its not too sweet and just makes everywhere smell absolutely amazing!

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
    Tea, then hot chocolate (but only with squirty cream) then coffee!

3. What's the best fall memory you have?
   I'm not really sure actually, I have the worst memory ever in history

4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner?
    Dark lips, winged eyeliner doesnt look the best on me, sadly :(
 
5. Best fragrance for fall?
    I'm allergic to perfume, but I love the smell of anything spiced apple

6. Favorite Thanksgiving food?
    I don't celebrate thanksgiving, but I love roast potatoes!

7. What is autumn weather like where you live?
    Absolutely freezing and pretty much constantly raining!

8. Most worn sweater?
    A grey knit jumper with black sleeves from new look! I tried to find a link but couldn't :(

9. Must-have nail polish this fall?
    Barry M nail paint in burgundy crush, its a really pretty maroon colour, so suited for winter!

10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
     Neither, leaves are dirty and could have anything in and I dont really follow or like football!

11. Skinny jeans or leggings?
     Leggings, dont get me wrong, I love skinny jeans, but leggings are so much comfier!

12. Combat boots or Uggs?
      Uggs! So fluffy and comfy!

13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
     No! I hate pumpkin spice, sorry if you disagree I just don't like it!

14. Favorite fall TV show?
     Glee, always glee, any season!

15. What song really gets you into the fall spirit?
       The Pogues, fairytale of new york! Such an amazing song!


So there you go, all done! Hopefully you enjoyed reading this, follow or comment if you did!

Leanne
xxx

About me...

Thought i'd do a little tag letting you know some more about me, since all i've done so far are beauty blogs! So hopefully this one will actually be a short read and not a novel like all my others (haha)

So here goes...

1. Do you have a middle name?
    Yes, its Rachel
2. What is your Favorite subject in school?
    I'm at uni, so it would have to be law
3. What's your favourite drink?
    Cherry Coke, I drink it practically by the gallon
4. What is your favourite song at the moment?
    Headlights by Eminem ft Nate Ruess
5. What would you name your kids?
    I haven't even thought about it, way to far in the future!
6. Do you participate in any sports?
    Nope, except for the occasional jog I guess
7. Favourite book?
    The Morganville Series by Rachel Caine
8. Favourite colour?
    Maroon!
9. Favourite animal?
    TURTLES
10. Favourite perfume?
      Unfortunately, due to my skin sucking, i'm allergic to perfume :(
11.Have you ever been out of the country? If so, how many times?
     Yes! I've been away 4 times, 3 to Turkey and once to Greece
12. How many sibings do you have?
     I have one sister called Tegan
13. What is your favourite shop?
      Mac!
14. Favourite youtuber?
      Zoella!
15. Favourite movie?
      Gangster Squad
16.Favourite TV show?
     GLEE!
17. What kind of phone do you have?
      I have an iPhone 4
18. How tall are you?
      5"3 - super short!
19. How old are you?
     I am 18 :)
20. Do you have any pets?

       Yes I have two cats! Called Narla and  Munchkin!

So there tou go! I hope this was interesting! Comment and follow please! 

Leanne

xxx
      

Sleek Palette Review..

Another day, another entry!

Basically today I'm going to review a sleek palette I got not long ago! The story goes something along the lines of me being addicted to makeup and getting over excited at seeing a sleek stand in superdrug so having to buy something.

I own countless eye shadows in palettes and as singles so didnt need another, but who thinks about that stuff when makeup is involved?

So, getting to the point...I wasnt exactly impressed with the palette as a whole. I didnt swatch in store as it was there was only one of each palette and I sure wouldnt buy a palette people have whacked their fingers in. Reflecting on this, I kinda wish I had swatched. The pigment is just awful, now i'm not in any way saying sleek is awful, just letting you know my opinion on one product. I happen to love sleek blush, just not a fan of the palette I got!

i'll include a picture lower down with swatches of the colours and heres a picture of the palette so you see what I mean!

Even using an eyelid primer I found on some colours I still couldnt get a good colour so I have now given up! I thought rather than just slate the product I could offer maybe an alternative? So I recently bought an MUA palette, it was super cheap and I just thought 'oh go on then!' (excessive and un-needed i bought it non the less!). My train of thought was that even if it sucked, it was cheap so I could validate only using it rarely!

After trying it, I realised it was absolutely amazing! I now use it ALL the time and actually use one of the colours daily to fill in my brows! So if you maybe are just getting started with eyeshadow and dont really want to splurge on Mac or Urban Decay (just examples!) then I would definitely suggest these!

I'll include links to both eyeshadow palettes at the end (some of you may prefer pale eyeshadow!) and here are some pictures, the sleek palette is the 12 shadow one on the right, then MUA is 10 shadows on the right!

              (without flash)                                                                (with flash)

Please follow if you like this blog and feel free to comment with any suggestions or what not!

Leanne xxx


Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with any of the products or brands mentioned, these opinions are my own and any items bought were from my own money bought by myself.

December/Christmas Makeup Favourites..

Being the eager beaver I am, I am posting again the next day woo! However I doubt this will last as I have a tonne of coursework and what not to do, but hey ho!

I thought a favourites blog might come in handy, that way you might get some gift ideas for others or yourself if you feel like you deserve it (or not)!

The first, and my most recent is my Mac Studio Fix Foundation! I've pined after Mac foundations forever so decided to just go ahead and get one already! I went for this one inparticular as its a very high coverage and is good on oily/combination skin which is the skin I have, fancy that! I got colour matched and as i'm pale as a ghost I got the shade NW10. The lightest shade they do! As soon as I got home, naturally I had to redo my make up just to see what it was like, and it is amazing! £21.50 seems alot for foundation but I can honestly say it really is worth it! It stays on the skin for a good 8 hours, gives high coverage from a minimal amount and leaves your skin looking lovely!

Second of my favourites is a primer from No7. Now it might just be me, but I think the No7 brand is quite overlooked as a brand, and in some ways underestimated. I think we all look to a lot of other drugstore brands first. So basically, I needed a new primer, so had a look at the No7 range in Boots, purely and simply because of the fact if you bought 2 products you got a free gift set and well, who wouldn't want that? I picked up the Colour Calming Primer as its green so is good for redness. I have to say I'm very impressed, it goes on smoothly, (although admittedly I was startled at my tinged green face at first) but I immediately saw a difference when I applied my foundation and it kept my makeup on and where it should be perfectly!

I have two more favourites, but I feel i'm babbling, so i'll pop them in together since they're just small! In the free No7 gift amongst other things, was a felt tip liner. Now I hate felt tip liners, they dont go on properly and dry out far too quickly without giving the precision you want from a liner (or so I imagine you would want precision). I am however, quite the curious mind so had a go of it, and I am so very glad I did, now I haven't tried it for long enough to let you know if it dries out quickly, but in terms of precision and pigment, bravo No7. Finally is a lipstick from collection. s £2.99 I didnt expect much when I picked up Gothic Glam shade 1 Seduction, but it is my favourite Winter shade. Its a deep pink colour with a hint of plum (swatches below) and right now I can't live without it! It feels lovely on the lip and is extremely pigmented, lasting hours before reapplication is needed!

I've included a picture with a swatch of the products below, I think you've figured it out, but from top to bottom, its foundation, primer, eyeliner and lipstick! Sorry about the awful quality, i'm not sure what happened, the foundation looks yellow and the green has yellow edges! Remember i'm new!

Comment below your winter favourites!

Leanne
xxx


Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this blog are my own and I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned. I bought all the products myself with my own money.

My Skin Care Routine..

I've been sat here twiddling my thumbs for a while trying to think of something to post that anyone who reads might actually find helpful. I thought if I did my skincare routine it might give some people an idea of maybe what to use on their skin if their own routine isn't working out, or maybe if you dont use any sort of routine then this will let you know how I do it and then maybe you can try it or build your own based on similar stuff!

My skincare routine is mostly the same brand, but thats just because I have sensitive skin and I think it works best for my skin. I also think its really affordable compared to some brands, which is always a plus! I'll try to find some links for the products so you know where to find them, what they look like and their cost!

So actually getting to the routine now, the first thing I use is Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Makeup Remover. I literally love this stuff, all I do is take a cotton pad, squeeze the bottle over it until the cotton pad is covered but not absolutely soaked (this is bad and you'll end up with eye make up remover all over your face...speaking from experience). Then I just rub the pad gently over my closed eye until I think i've got the majority off, then I wipe under my bottom lashliine as usually some of the product just dances on down to there. I do this for both eyes then check to make sure i've got it all with maybe one more wipe of each eye!

Once my eyes are sparkling clean, I move onto the rest of my face, if you dont wear makeup either on just your eyes or at all you obviously dont need to do step one, and you're best starting here! The second product I use is Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Lotion. I pop a bit more than a pea size amount on my fingers, and then spread this all over my face. The next step is something I know some of my friends to a bit differently but you can do either way, I then take a cotton pad and wipe most of the product off, taking my makeup with it. However you can just move straight to step three which I know some people do!

Step Three is Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner.I usually use two or three cotton pads completely covered in this on my face, just pop the product on the pad and wipe my face in circular motions to make sure all my makeup is gone and my skin is completely clean.

If you have clear skin, and shower in a morning, then you can probably stop here! If however,  you're like me you and have some problem areas and get breakouts you could do what I do and use a facial clearing scrub!

I usually get a shower or bath in the evening so this is when I use my facial scrub but its just as easily used in a morning! I use Neutrogenas Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Scrub. You basically wet your face and whack this on rubbing it all over your face in circular motions. You can wash it straight off, but I tend to leave it on til the end of my shower just to let it work its magic.

After I shower I moisturise which is a MUST, i can't stress enough, especially in winter, hydrating your skin is super important! Any moisturiser will do but I use Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser(simple again surprise surprise!) I dot this all over my face then blend it in! It works for 12 hours so is good to use in the morning and the night to make sure your face is always hydrated!

So there we go, if you're still reading well done, I know this is quite the hefty post but hopefully you find it helpful. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments box or put any suggestions for things you'd like to hear about!

Leanne xx

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned, all of the products mentioned
 I have bought myself with my own money.

Where to get the products!..

Eye Make Up Remover 
Cleanser
Toner
Facial Scrub