Bloglovin ...

Just a quick post to say I thought I would allow people to follow my blog with bloglovin so here goes ... 
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5058423/?claim=y8yew6d2mt9">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>  

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My Eyebrow Routine ..

Filling in my eyebrows used to be something I was never really interested in, but over time it seems to have wormed its way into my essential make up routine. I get my eyebrows tinted and waxed at my local Benefit counter every 6-8 weeks for £18, and I normally ask for quite a subtle tint as I like the well groomed but natural look. At the moment, I am coming up to about 8 weeks since I last had them done so apologies if they are looking a bit untidy. 

These are my eyebrows without any make up on and as you can see they are quite sparse. The products I like to use are Mac Omega with an angled brush (I can't even remember where my one is from but it was just a fairly cheap standard one from either Boots or Superdrug), and Maybelline's Browdrama in Medium Brown. 

I like to use Mac Omega first, and then Maybelline Browdrama afterwards to set everything in place but give my eyebrows a bit of colour as well. Mac Omega is an ashy brown, matte shade that in the pan looks quite light for me as I have dark brown hair but personally  I think it is just the right shade when my make up is finished. One thing that I really like about the Maybelline Browdrama is the brush which is a small circular brush at the end of a more typical mascara brush which makes it really easy to apply accurately. I also really like the colour as it is not too obvious. Generally, my eyebrows tend to stay in place all day and the eyeshadow doesn't become chalky so overall I am really happy with my current routine. 

The Maybelline Browdrama brush

With foundation and eyebrow make up on just the left hand side

With both eyebrows finished

With all of my make up finished

 What's your eyebrow routine?

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My Every Day High Street Face ...

So I thought I would write a blog post on an every day face with products from just the high street. I personally love the high street for make up, especially because I live in Manchester city centre so there is a really big Boots on my way home from uni (very dangerous) so they have a really good range of everything. Although the branch of Boots closest to me has high end brands available as well, I thought it would make sense to only include the brands you would normally find in a high street shop. 

Well that's attractive! Haha 

In the picture above I had just cleansed using a face oil, toner and moisturiser. I started off using the L'Oreal  Lumi Magique Primer, which I have really enjoyed using. It's the second time I have bought it now and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for glowing skin. I used it under my foundation here but it is nice mixed in with foundation as well. I then used the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in 52 (Vanilla). Foundation colour range is probably where I struggle most with high street foundations. I am just too pale! However, I really like this foundation. It is really lovely to apply, and blends well. It provides light-medium coverage, and leaves a funnily enough really healthy finish to the skin with, in my opinion, a moderately dewy finish (although it says semi-matte on the packaging). I then used the Maybelline, Browdrama, scuplting brow mascara in Medium Brown, lightly through my eyebrows. I haven't used many eyebrow gels so I can't really say if this is amazing or not, but it does the job quite nicely for me. 

I then moved onto my eyes, and as I don't have a high street eye primer, I jumped straight into the eyeshadow. I used a recent purchase, the Revlon quad in Moonlit Clair de Lune, which is a lovely combination of browns in a satin finish. I have to admit that eyeshadows are generally things that I tend to stick to high end brands with because the quality and the lasting power just seem to be so much better, even if they are more expensive. However, I was really impressed with this quad, and even though they might not have as much pigmentation as say the Urban Decay or Mac eyeshadows they were still good. I used the lightest shade all over my eyelid, and then used the shade below it over the 
 rest of the eyelid, with the darker two blended into the outer corner and underneath the eye. I then used my Rimmel Scandaleyes precision micro eyeliner in black on my top waterline and eyelid. I really like this eyeliner, and find it really easy to use and manipulate. I then used my Masterpiece Max mascara from MaxFactor, which I have loved for a really long time and is especially good if you want a heavier mascara look. I then used my No7 Natural Blush in Honey (I'm hoping that No7 count as high street but sorry if you feel it doesn't) for a subtle contour, followed by the L'Oreal blush in True Rose on my cheeks. I love this shade! It is a really lovely subtle colour and is great for a naturally flushed look. I then used my Soap & Glory Glow All Out face powder to set my face, and then another new addition to my make up collection, Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipstick in 010 Womenswear, which I really love! It stayed on for so long, and was really creamy but slightly matte as well.
 I think I will definitely be looking at more of their range! 

Although it sounds like a lot of products, the finished look isn't too heavy because I have used most things sparingly! In some cases, it is definitely worth spending the money on higher end products, but the high street has some fantastic products too!

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Photoshopping Photos for Facebook

Recently I went on a night out in Manchester with my boyfriend, his sister and her friend. We hadn’t met her friend before but we all had a really good night (we went to Walrus in the Northern Quarter which I really recommend).  However, when the photos were put on facebook the next day I noticed that some of them appeared to be heavily edited.  A lot of my friends liked or commented on the picture saying how nice I looked, but to be honest I feel a bit annoyed that someone else has gone to the effort of editing a photo of me to make me look better. It feels like I’m being dishonest and insecure about how I look, when actually I’m quite happy with the imperfections. Obviously I edit photos that I publish on my blog but that is to show products at their best or to improve lighting, not to make myself look better. I am probably being oversensitive but I wondered what other peoples’ views are on editing personal photos for things like facebook. Do you edit your own photos or would you mind if someone else edited photos of you? Recently, there have been a number of articles on how much editing can change images portrayed in the media and I feel that it is a shame that people are changed to such a degree to display a ‘perfect’ image that is completely unreal, and I think it is a real shame that it has infiltrated our society to the extent people edit what they look like in personal photos. 

The edited full body version

The edited face version

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Skincare Review ... Algenist 'Firming and Lifting Cream'

When I was in Space NK this September spending some of my birthday money, I received a free gift because I have a Space NK card and I just happened to mention it was my birthday! I had no clue you get a gift when it’s your birthday so I’m very lucky! I received a moisturiser from a brand called Algenist. I had never really heard of Algenist before but I’m always happy to try new things and before I knew it I’d used it all up!

                Algenist is a brand from San Francisco that focuses on skincare based on micro-algae and Alguronic acid. The sample I was given was their ‘Firming & Lifting Cream’ and I’m not going to lie I was shocked at how much a full size pot costs. The sample I received was 15 ml, however a 60ml pot from Space NK will set you back £76! I finished my pot within 2 months so it could become quite an expensive habit!

                Moving on from the price, I actually really enjoyed using this moisturiser. It is really light and non-greasy and feels lovely to apply. My skin is dry so I definitely needed something heavier for night time but during the day, especially before the weather got colder, the consistency was lovely. After using it consistently for a couple of weeks I also felt a change in my skin, with it feeling softer and less dry. However, I have used other moisturisers that have made my skin feel the same for a much cheaper price. I also do not necessarily feel that it fulfils the ‘firming and lifting’ title, although it made my skin feel softer and more hydrated, I don’t think it particularly made my skin look firmer or any younger. There was also a slight smell to this moisturiser but it was very subtle and inoffensive.

                The packaging of the sample looks very similar to the full size product, and I wasn’t particularly impressed. If it was under £20 I wouldn’t mind about the packaging but at £76 I want it to look expensive. The packaging is plastic with a simple grey and white design, inoffensive but nothing special. Also, I’m not particularly keen on jars for moisturisers with all the finger dipping etc. However, that would never be enough on it’s own to stop me from buying it.

                Overall, I was very happy to receive and use this product for free, however I would not recommend it to a friend or repurchase it myself. I just don’t think it is special enough for even half the price. However, I don't think I am the target market, although I won’t turn my nose up at anti-aging products they might not make the maximum difference on my skin, and also they are not what I am ultimately looking for in my skincare at the moment (give me a few more years of night shifts and I’m sure they will be though)!

Life update and beauty review ... Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub

I know it has been so long since I last posted anything but I have been super busy. I really enjoyed writing my blog and I have really missed it so I am going to give it another go for a while. I have decided to start by writing more reviews on beauty products because recently I have been looking for specific products and been really stumped as to which one to go for, and realised how useful reviews are when you are on the hunt for something. I’ve just had a quick peek at when I last posted anything and it was way back in March so I thought I would give you a quick update as well.

                I am now getting married in less than six months!! Almost everything is planned, which is making it a lot more enjoyable and I’m now starting to really look forward to it. I’m also now in my second year of midwifery and have delivered 15 babies myself! In total I have seen about 50 babies being born and it is such a huge privilege!! I’m still playing rugby and am really enjoying it, and other than that everything is pretty much the same.

                The product I would like to review today is one I have just finished, the Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub. I purchased it in the summer because I was looking for a good scrub to use before tanning and my friend recommended it, and it was not money wasted. I bought it for £11.50 from Boots, where it is still available. Although this is more expensive than other body scrubs that I have tried for the quality of the product I think it is a fair price. I also really liked the packaging and thought it made it look more expensive, even though it was plastic. It reminded me of the old jars my mum put sugar and tea in. The size was also a good size at 650g and it has lasted a good 3 months, during which time I did use it regularly and I’m not good at using scrubs sparingly. I have found that a good way to tell if you like a product is if you finish it which I have just done so although I haven’t found myself rushing to repurchase it, I did really enjoy using it and will most likely repurchase it in the future.

              Described as a ‘sumptuous blend of skin polishing dead sea salts wrapped in moisturising coconut, jojoba and sweet almond oils to refine and resurface the texture of the skin and leave it super smooth'’ on the Boots website, I completely agree with this description. Although I found it to be quite a heavy duty exfoliator it was very moisturising and I really felt a difference in my skin after using it. Although I wouldn’t use it daily, it was perfect for preparing for and aftercare of fake tan. I also really loved the smell of the product, and felt that it was light but recognisable after use.

               One other point that I think really shows how good this product is, is that I found out my boyfriend had been using it as well so if he has bothered to use something repeatedly you know it works. Now that this has finished I am now trying a new body scrub from the Body Shop and after one try it is definitely not as exfoliating as the Sanctuary scrub but it may be suited for more everyday use. I will keep you posted. Finally, I have tried several scrubs before and I’ve had to think hard about this but I’m pretty sure it is my favourite and I would definitely recommend this to a friend. So future me, if you are reading this thinking about whether or not to repurchase it … DO IT!  

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OOTD ...

So I thought I would do a quick OOTD post because I haven't blogged in a while but an OOTD always seems like a nice easy way back in :) I've been so busy on placement recently, but I'm just in uni now for a while so I'm hoping that I will have a bit more time now :) I also decided to film my OOTD instead of just photograph it so forgive my awful editing etc. I actually really enjoyed filming it! 

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