Blush Beauty: July 2015

A Few of My Favourite Blogs! (1)

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Tips: Organising Your Wardrobe

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I for one, am currently struggling for space in my tiny wardrobe and have had to do a huge clear out. I'm a little bit of a hoarder when it comes to my clothes and usually just can't bring myself to throw things out, but with literally no more space to store new clothes i've had to be little more ruthless. I've came up with a few tips that I think have really helped me to clean out my wardrobe and to get things a lot more organised. I like to do this every month or so as it helps me to find the things that I wear most and what i've been neglecting recently.

1. Take everything out - I think the best way to begin reorganising your wardrobe is to take everything out, and I mean everything. Pile everything onto your bed so that you can see clearly what you have and later sort through and find the things that your going to keep, and the things your going to get rid of. Now is also a great time to give the inside of your wardrobe a clean, so get grabbing those anti-bac' wipes!

2. Sort into piles of things that are 'definitely staying' and things that are 'ready to go' - Some of the things in my wardrobe are no-brainers, such as my plain tees and my go-to skinny jeans, and then there are things that I haven't worn in months, and sometimes even years! The things that you haven't reached for in a long time should go straight to the 'to go' pile, unless they are things that are saved for special occasions, etc. If there is anything that your unsure of I'd say to keep them and then if you still haven't worn them by the next time you sort through your wardrobe you know to throw them out! A good way to get rid of unwanted clothing is to pop it on Ebay or Vinted and is a way to make a little bit of money too! You could also put them in a bag and take them down to your local charity shop.

3. Decide on a system - I've recently decided to arrange my wardrobe in colour-order in a bid to inject colours other than black, white and grey into my outfits. Within the colour sections I then sub-organise the items into style, so something like tops, shirts, jumpers, etc. If colour co-ordinating isn't your thing then another great way to organise your wardrobe is to simply put them in style order.

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Beauty

Review: Benefit's Hoola Bronzer

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Beauty

Huge Beauty Haul

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This is probably the biggest haul that I have ever posted on this blog before. I guess you could say that i went a little crazy this month and spent a huge chunk of my wages on beauty products though for 90% of the products mentioned I didn't pay full price (does that make it any better for my bank balance though?!?!). Most of the products that I bought this month were skincare related though there are one or two makeup items thrown in as well.

This is going to be a long post so don't want to ramble on for too long, so, onto the haul!

Boots:

Superfacialist by Una Brennan Pore Purifying Clay Mask (£6.66 reduced from £9.99) - I'd heard a lot of great things about the products from this range and whilst reading reviews on this particular product noticed that it was on offer at Boots I jumped at the chance to give this a try. A mask is the one product that my skincare routine is lacking so I'm sure this will make a fab addition to my routine.

Loreal Infallible 24h-Matte Foundation in the shade '11/vanilla' (£7.99 - bought as part of a '2 for £12' offer) - This foundation has had a huge hype surrounding it lately so of course I had to give it a try for myself. I decided on the shade '11/Vanilla' which from first impressions looks as if it'll be a very close match for my skin. I cannot wait to try this out! (£7.99 - 2 for £12 on Loreal products)

Loreal False Lash Architect Mascara (£10.99 - bought as part of a '2 for £12' offer) - This is a product that I've purchased in the past but never got around to picking it up a new one. I do remember absolutely loving the way that it left my lashes looking, both volumised and lengthened!

Maybelline Dr Rescue Gel Effect Top Coat (£2.99)- This is the only product featured in this post that I payed full price for (can you believe that?!) and for £2.99 this hardly broke the bank! I picked this up on a whim as I was looking for a new top coat for my nails and think the gel finish is an added bonus.

Superdrug:

Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum (£1.79 reduced from £2.69) - Whilst on the hunt for an affordable serum I looked to the incredibly trustworthy Sali Hughes who recommended this one from Superdrug. At full price it costs a mere £2.69, but got it for an even smaller price of £1.79 which is absolutely amazing!

Superdrug Simply Pure Light Moisturiser Sensitive Skin (£1.79 reduced from £2.69) - Another product from Superdrug's own brand is this moisturiser. After reading it's description it seemed like a good day time moisturiser to layer under makeup.

Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Cleansing Water Mini (£1.32 - introductory price) - I love the original version of this, but decided to pick this one up to take away with me when I go on holiday this month.

Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser (£2.09 reduced from £4.25) - I am currently using an oil-free moisturiser from Neutrogena (here) and thought this sounded similar and was worth trying out!

Simple Kind to Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion (£1.59 reduced from £3.29) - This product was actually a repurchase as this is something I've used and loved in the past.

Simple Micellar Face Wipes (£1.95 reduced from £3.99 but came free when buying any other product from Simple so ended up getting two packs for free!) - I don't often use wipes but like to have a pack around for removing things such as swatches or heavy eye makeup before going in with my usual hot cloth cleanse.

St Ives Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub (£2.65 reduced from £3.99) - Another product that my skincare routine is lacking is a good scrub and I had heard a lot of people mention how good this particular one was so decided it was time to give it a go!

The Body Shop:

Aloe Soothing Day Cream (£6.60 reduced from £11) - I first tried this moisturiser out a few months ago and fell in love with it! It's perfect for applying under makeup and instantly hydrates the skin without leaving it looking greasy.

Vitamin E Face Mist (£5.10 reduced from £8.50) - I picked this product up after seeing Victoria from InTheFrow using it to hydrate the skin as well as to set her makeup.

Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel (Free when spending over £10) - This shower gel came free with my order but will come in handy when I go on holiday at the end of this month as it is a mini version!

Congratulations if you made it through the entirety of this post as it was a big one!! Which products do you like the sound of?

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Beauty

My Mac Eyeshadow Palette

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Today's post is dedicated to my beloved Mac eyeshadow palette. I've had a few people ask about what shades are in this palette when I'd featured it in favourite posts in the past so decided that it was about time that I sat down and wrote about them.

As you can see, I currently have a quad (well two actually, but only one is full!) which is made up of four very neutral, everyday shadows. Within this palette I have two matte shades, one of which I use for my brows, and two shimmery shades. For me this is the perfect combination of colours to create a lovely day-time appropriate look and is handy for travelling too!

From top left clockwise - 'Naked Lunch', 'All That Glitters', 'Wedge', 'Omega'.

'Naked Lunch' (Frost) - 'Naked Lunch' makes for a very pretty highlight shade, both for the inner corner and brow bone but is one that I also use on the cheekbones. It is a very light shade though so depending on your skin tone it may not show up as pigmented as it actually is.

'All That Glitters' (Deluxe Pearl) - This is definitely my favourite shadow from this quad. It has become my go-to shades for both day and night as it is so easy to wear on it's own (perfect for those times when I'm rushing out of the door with ten minutes to spare!!). It also looks lovely with 'Wedge' in the crease, also using 'Naked Lunch' as a inner corner and brow bone highlight.

'Wedge' (Matte) - I picked this particular shade up after noticing that the one thing that most palettes forget to add is a warm brown shade for the crease/eye socket. I will admit that this isn't the most pigmented of shadows (does anyone else find this?!) but it looks lovely built up in the crease.

'Omega' (Matte) - This was the first eyeshadow that I picked up from Mac after someone had used it to fill in my brows. It's completely matte, an almost ashy brown shade and is very multi-purpose. As I mentioned, I use this mostly to fill in my brows but it also looks great in the crease, or even all over the lid.

Do you have a Mac palette? What are your favourite shades?

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Beauty

Review: The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

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Anything with the word 'oil' in the name used to terrify me. Whether it was a facial oil or a cleanser, I would steer clear in fear that it would make my already oily skin, even oilier. However, contrary to popular belief an oil in most forms will actually benefit your skin and after researching into oils, the best ones to use for oily skin and when/how to use them, I decided that it was time to finally give one a shot. When experimenting with new products, I don't like to splurge on premium branded products so popped into The Body Shop and picked up their Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. I'd noticed that this seemed to be cropping up a lot throughout the blogging community and I can definitely see why!

For £10, you get a good sized 200ml of product which comes in this clear plastic bottle, and with a very handy pump. Although I love the fact that this comes with a pump, the pump itself tends to shoot the product out (quite literally!) so be sure to point it downwards into your hands to sae whatever it is your wearing. I tend to use two to three pumps of this for my entire face, then remove using a hot cloth/flannel.

As I said, I usually use two/three pumps of this then massage it into the skin concentrating on the areas of my face where I'm wearing the most makeup. At first, I was slightly worried about how this would work around the eye area worrying that it be too harsh, but I was completely wrong! You can really work the product in around the eye area without it stinging like some cleansers, then remove with a hot cloth. This works very well to remove products such as waterproof mascara or eyeliner so there is no need to use a separate cleanser specifically for removing eye makeup.

I've been using this for the past month or so, almost every night and have definitely seen an improvement in my skin. My usually combination/oily skin (that is also dehydrated and acne prone) has become a lot clearer, smoother and less dehydrated, although that may have to do with the combination of products I have been using but this cleansing oil has definitely benefitted my skin.

Have you ever tried out a cleansing oil? Which ones would you recommend?

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Beauty

Makeup Tutorial: Day Time Pink Lip

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Today I’m back with another makeup tutorial. I really enjoyed making my last one so decided to make another though I apologise that the photographs aren’t the best (I’m still getting the hang of taking close up photos of myself!). Today’s look is one that I’ve been wearing an awful lot lately, it’s subtle enough to wear in the daytime but still looks like I’m wearing makeup. I particularly love the lipstick in this look and find that it goes with a lot of outfits too!

1. I began by prepping the skin with my usual skincare routine then applied The Body Shop’s Instablur primer to the areas where my pores are largest.

2. Next I applied my foundation which today was a mix of Revlon’s Colour Stay (for combination/oily skin) and Loreal’s True Match foundation. I find that this combination is perfect for this time of year as they are both very long lasting and give a lovely satin finish on the skin. I then concealed my under eye area, any redness/discolouration and any blemishes using Maybelline’s Fit Me concealor which I then set using my Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder.

3. Using a Real Techniques Blush Brush I added some warmth to the face using Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer which I only recently got my hands on, and am absolutely loving it! I then applied Sleek’s blush in ‘Icing Sugar’ (from their Pink Lemonade blush palette) to my cheeks which works very well with a bronzed look.

4. I then moved onto brows and filled them in using the Soap and Glory Brow Archery in the shade ‘Blondeshell’ and set them in place using Maybelline’s Brow Drama in clear.

5. For the eyes, I began by applying Mac’s Paintpot in ‘Painterly’ as a base then applied the shade ‘Strange’ from Urban Decay’s Naked 3 palette all over the lid. In the crease I applied Natural Collection’s ‘Milk Chocolate’ single eyeshadow, which is a lovely warm brown shade, using the Zoeva Luxe Petit Crease Brush taking the shadow slightly above, and out of my natural crease. As a light wash of colour I then took the shade ‘Liar’ (again from the Naked 3 Palette) and applied that all over the lid. I finished off the eye with two coats of Benefit’s Roller Lash mascara.

6. Lastly, onto lips. I applied Rimmel’s lip liner in ‘East End Snob’ then a layer of the lipstick ‘Snob’ by Mac which on it’s own is way too light for me, but looks lovely paired with this lip liner!

Swatches (Top left to Bottom Right) - Rimmel lip liner in 'East End Snob', Mac lipstick in 'Snob', 'Strange' from Naked 3, 'Liar' from Naked 3, Natural Collection eyeshadow in 'Milk Chocolate'.

Let me know what you thought of this look? What kind of makeup tutorial would you like to see next?

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Affordable Skincare

Affordable Skincare: The Tools

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As I've been really getting into skincare at the moment, and noticed that there aren't a huge number of products from the drugstore that actually work, I've decided to write an 'affordable skincare series' over the next few weeks were I will talk about the skincare products from the drugstore that I love and use regularly. I've decided to start with skincare tools as I've been reading a lot of reviews lately about new cleansing brushes and realised that I've never spoken about the one that I have from Olay on my blog before.

Olay Regnerist 3 Point Cleansing System - Although I have nothing to compare this to, I feel like this particular face brush is brilliant at what it does, especially when considering it's price (£39.99 but is usually on offer so make sure to look around). It has two speed settings and comes with one brush head, but you can purchase replacement brushes if needed. I tend to use this around 3/4 times a week with a face wash such as Soap and Glory's Foam and Moisture Face Wash.

Flannels/muslin cloths - The majority of the time I use a hot cloth to remove my makeup and cleanse my skin. For this I just take a flannel or muslin cloth, soak it in warm water and massage the skin in circular motions to remove my makeup. You can get these pretty much anywhere and don't have to spend a lot of money on them, these ones from Ikea are great and cost £1.10 for 4!

Cotton pads - Cotton pads are very handy to have around. I use them with a micellar water to break down my makeup, especially around the eye area where products such as mascara or eyeliner are harder to remove. My favourite cotton pads are from Aldi as they cost 99p for a pack of 200.

Cotton buds - These things are a life saver for touching up any mistakes that you make when applying your makeup. I don't know about you but I always seem to get my mascara all over the lids so use a cotton bud to remove it without having to start over. I find that if you pick these up from the baby section they always seem to be a lot cheaper!

What do you think of this 'affordable skincare' series? Let me know what you'd like me to focus on in my next one.

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Lifestyle

5 Things To Do Now That Exams Are Over + It's My Birthday!!

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Now that exam season is well over I sometimes find my self unsure of what to do with my free time. Of course the first few weeks of freedom are the best, but after a month or so things can get a little boring and you may be running out of productive things to do. I always seem to find myself in this situation around this time of year but this year I am determined to get up and do something worthwhile. Also, today is my birthday, and it's a pretty special one too, so as your reading this post I'm probably out for breakfast with my family (which i'm so excited for!). Plus, you know what a birthday means? Of course there will be a birthday haul coming soon if you'd like to see what I was lucky enough to be given, just let me know below if you would!

1. Find yourself a job/work more hours in your current job - A great way to spend your free time is to find yourself a job, or if you already have a job, work as many extra hours as you can. This is not only a productive way to use up your free time but will allow you to gain extra experience and earn money whist doing so. Think of all of the new things you could buy?!

2. Volunteer/start an internship - Another great way to use up your spare time is to sign up to a volunteering programme or an internship. Again this will gain you experience and looks great on a CV or Personal Statement.

3. Catch up on tv shows - Although a little less productive than the last two another good way to use your spare time is to catch up on the tv shows that you may have missed whilst revising. If your anything like me then you'll know what a struggle it is to miss your favourite tv shows as there are so many that I'm obsessed with! At the moment I'm loving Pretty Little Liars (of course!!) as well as Sons of Anarchy but would love to hear your suggestions as I', always looking for something new to watch.

4. Focus on your blog - Now is the perfect time to get to work on your blog. You could start by making a plan of the posts you'd like to write, then take photographs in bulk. If you use your time productively then your blog could really benefit from it!

5. Take some time to spend with friends and family - Exam stress can often isolate you from your friends and family s now that they are finally over you could meet up for a coffee or go out for lunch sometime.

What will you be doing now that exams are over?

Empties: Makeup & Skincare

Tips: 25 Ideas for Blog Posts

A Few of My Favourite Blogs! (1)

Tips: Organising Your Wardrobe

Review: Benefit's Hoola Bronzer

Huge Beauty Haul

My Mac Eyeshadow Palette

Review: The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

Makeup Tutorial: Day Time Pink Lip

Affordable Skincare: The Tools

5 Things To Do Now That Exams Are Over + It's My Birthday!!

Review: Fashionista Blushes

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