Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual Review

Hello everyone!

I know I have only just done my Christmas post, but I said on twitter that I was going to do a review of the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual that I got for Christmas, and here it is! This is the first book review I've done, but it is a book on makeup, so not too outside the comfort zone!!

I got this book for Christmas from my other half, and started reading it that night! It's split in to 12 chapters, that range from the basics of makeup application, right through to professional equipment and advanced looks (such as bridal makeup). It includes an introduction to every chapter, step by step guides with pictures, and helpful little tips that are relevant to everyone who loves makeup. It is useful for those who already know quite a lot about makeup application and have been a makeup lover for years, to those just starting to use makeup who want to know how to get a good everyday look. 

It is a book that is easy to refer back to, and I know I will be going back to mine for quick tips and ideas for a long time. It is not the most in depth makeup book out there, and I've read some reviews from people who say it was not at all what they were looking for, but for those who want a simple and easy to use reference book on makeup application and ideas, it is a must have. I love mine, and am very happy with it. 

It includes tips for all kinds of skin types, and even has a little section at the back on the history of makeup which I found interesting! 

The only downside is that some of the tips are things that anyone who uses makeup a lot will already know... For example how to apply foundation, and ways to wear eyeliner. However, there are still a lot of tips in there that are interesting, especially in the advanced makeup chapters. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves makeup, or for anyone thinking about wearing makeup for the first time. Mine is the hardback version, and cost around £16 from amazon, so it's not too expensive either. 

(reading this back, I've just realised how often I use the word makeup, but can't really replace with anything, so sorry!!) 

Have any of you read it, and what were your opinions?  

Love to you all x

Christmas 2013

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, filled with food, family and presents :)

Sorry for the lack of posts recently... it's been majorly hectic over the holidays and I haven't had a moment to myself to get on the laptop and write. I now have a free night before New Years Eve to sit and catch up with all things blog related!

Firstly tonight, I wanted to do a quick Christmas post. I have been so lucky this year, and feel so privileged to have the most amazing family and friends. Here are a few pics of our day...

Sorry about the quality of the pics, I may have had a bit too much wine with dinner and the pics I took got progressively more blurry as the day went on! But over all I had a lovely day, and am planning to do a few review posts over the next couple of weeks of a few of the things I got (book/outfit/make up posts), so I promise the pics in them posts will be a lot better! 

Thank you for reading, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I would love to know how all of you spent your day? 

Comments always appreciated! 

Love to you all x

Christmas Outfit

Hello everyone!!

Aahhhh Christmas is almost here! Are you all as excited as I am?

I know the last post for #TheWnterProject is an OOTD post, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do the post on Christmas eve, and I've had a load of issues with scheduling posts, so I thought I would show you all now the outfit I'm going to wear on Christmas day. It's a new dress that I chose and my parents ordered for me from asos.com. I will show both the picture and the link below.

I'm planning to wear it with heeled black ankle boots and a statement bracelet. I will post pics if I can get them after Christmas, but at the min I don't have a camera and am hoping to get one from the other half as my Christmas present. Hope you like, and I'm sorry I won't be able to do the final post for the winter project. Have loved doing every moment of it, and will post a round up post after Christmas!

(Link here)

Merry Christmas!! 

Love to you all x

A Little Christmas Treat....

Hello again!

Just to rub it in a little bit (sorry) I now have nothing but free time up until Christmas! I can actually feel the jealousy from here! No work to do, no Christmas shopping left to buy, I'm finished. Nothing but wrapping (which I actually love), seeing family, and Christmas baking left for me to do.

This year, I actually shocked myself in finishing my Christmas shopping under budget! So, as a treat for doing so, I've decided to buy myself a little present. A well done for being good this year :P But what to choose! There a lot of stuff I really want but I kinda know I'm getting it for Christmas, so I want something I cant treat myself with to accompany them... and join my ever growing make up hoard! I officially can't decide what though.... So I need your help. Should it be:

1. The Urban Decay Fun Palette 

I LOVE Urban Decay palettes. I have asked for the Naked 3 palette as I know I need it in my life, but I think the shades in this little palette are just so... well.... fun! The brighter colours would make a nice change to the large collection of nudes and browns that I have. 

2. MAC Lipstick in Candy Yum Yum 

I am a self confessed lipstick hoarder. I have way too many already, but I lack a bright girly pink colour, so I think that this would actually fill a gap in my make up collection. I think MAC lipsticks are really good, and they don't dry out my lips too much in the colder weather either. This is a shade that I could see becoming a firm favorite as the weather warms up and it turns to spring... so its kind of like a investment. Right?? 

3. NARS Multiple Bronzer 

I think NARS do lovely blusher/bronzer palettes, and I love their eyeshadows, but this is something that a few people have said is really good, but I've never really paid much attention to. The idea is that its a bronzing stick that you can use on your cheeks, eyes and body. I like the idea of it being versatile, but I honestly can't believe that it would look right on anywhere but your cheeks... I want to try it for its uses as a bronzer alone, as I love their powder ones, and at the same time could investigate whether it does actually work elsewhere or not. 

So come on then people.... help me?! Which one should I buy myself for Christmas...? Lets put it to the vote :) 

Love to you all x

The Winter Project Week #6: Christmas Make Up

Hello everyone! Wow, I can't believe that #TheWinterProject only has a couple of posts left! Must mean it's nearly Christmas though, yay!! This week, we are posting about our favorite make up looks for Christmas. 

To be honest, when it comes to Christmas day, I don't tend to do much with my make up. I'm more excited about opening presents and eating way too much food to spend too long looking in the mirror, so to me, Christmas make up should be simple but still bold and festive. That's why I always turn to a statement lipstick, and bold festive nails (which I can do the night before)! That's why, instead of posting a whole make up look, I'm going to show you my favorite lipsticks and nail polishes for this time of year :) 

As you can see, I love my pinks and reds. I think reds are more festive, but pink tones tend to suit my skin tone more. As you can see from the top picture, all of these lipsticks look well worn. That is because I love them all, and have had 2 or 3 of them for a couple of years now (only tend to bring them out in winter)! In order from left to right, we have: MUA - Shade 3, Shiseido - Perfect Rouge, Astor - Rouge Couture and Avon - Smitten Red. 

Not only do all of these lipsticks give you a big bold sweep of colour, but they are all very moisturising too, which makes them especially perfect for this time of year. I find that the one by Shiseido looks especially bold and glamorous if worn with a layer of clear high shine lip gloss over the top. But as I tend to eat my own weight in turkey and pigs in blankets on the day, I think lip gloss would wear off pretty quickly! As lipsticks on their own, they are very long wearing (after doing the swatches earlier I have actually stained my arm a pinky red colour... Oops)!

When it comes to my nails, I normally tend to go for a metallic colour at Christmas. The Barry M Gold Foil Effect nail polish is a firm favorite of mine, and I have blogged about it already. Its like it was meant to be worn on Christmas day. You only need one coat, its quick and simple to apply, hard wearing, and instantly glamorous. Then we have the polish by Astor in Tonic Orange. I'd never heard of the brand Astor until recently, when a friend of mine received some Astor products as an unwanted present, and so gave them to me to try. I will be doing a full post about what I got when I have finished trying everything, but this orange nail polish and the lipstick mentioned above have both been brilliant. It's branded as being long wearing, and it really is. I put it on to try about 5 days ago, and its only just starting to chip at the ends. That's amazing for me as I have my hands into everything all the time and usually need to re-paint after around 3 days. It's bright, bold, and is a twist to the usual red nails of this season. 

So there we have it, some of my favorite make up for Christmas. Thank you for reading, and all comments are appreciated. MERRY CHRISTMAS! :) 

Love to you all x

Argan Oil Shampoo Review

Hello :) Hope you're all good, and have exciting plans for the weekend! 

Today, I thought I'd do a quick review on this shampoo and conditioner. I've reviewed the hair oil before, and went on about how good it was, especially considering the price. I don't have particularly dry hair, but found it made my hair feel healthier and more conditioned. So when I saw these for only £1 each in Tesco, I had to give them a try. I've used them a few times now, and am ready to tell you what I thought....

Ok, firstly, can we just take a minute to talk about the price.... £1 each!!! For that you get a 150ml bottle, which isn't huge but is still amazing for that price! Plus, the product is quite thick, so you don't need as much as you would with some other brands. A small bit really lathers up in your hair and does the job. 

The product is thick and creamy in texture, and as I said, lathers up really well. It doesn't have a strong scent like a lot of shampoo products now a days, but it does smell clean and fresh which I like. I was worried that it would end up making my hair a bit too greasy, as I don't really have dry hair, and thought maybe the oil would be a bit too much. I was wrong. It leaves my hair feeling clean, shiny and in amazing condition. It does say on the bottle that it is suitable for any hair type, and I really believe that to be true. 

When you put the conditioner on, it does feel a bit thick, almost like rubbing butter through your hair. This concerned me slightly, but once I realised that it wasn't going to leave my hair greasy, I got used to it. It feels like doing a deep conditioning treatment every time.

I tend to wash my hair every other day, but one time after using it, I was feeling lazy and left it an extra day, and it didn't look greasy at all. It's like it makes your hair fresh for longer than normal. I am a big fan of this! I still wash it every other day, but now even on the second day my hair is thick and smooth and doesn't look limp like it tends to with other brands. 

As you can tell, I am VERY impressed with this product. I honestly can't think of any downsides to it! Plus, I actually can not get over how much of a bargain it was! Have pretty much converted my whole family to using now as well :) 

My review... 4.5 stars!! LOVED it :) 

Thank you all for reading, any comments are appreciated!! 

Do you have any bargain beauty loves?? 

Love to you all x

The Winter Project #5: Christmas Accessories

Hello everyone! Firstly I would like to start by saying sorry for my lack of posts recently, and I am gutted that I missed last weeks post for #thewinterproject! Was down in Berkshire for my friends wedding and forgot my laptop, then was really ill when I came home and just looking at the computer screen was making me feel dizzy! Am getting better now though, so am happy to be back!!

This weeks post for the winter project is all about favorite Christmas accessories. This should be a fun one, as I LOVE accessories in winter. Christmas is also a good time to wear novelty things that look really cute but that you couldn't get away with at any other time of year. People are in a good mood and everyone is all for having a bit of fun. Here are the accessories I'm loving at the moment for the festive season. The bolder the print and the more glitter the better I say! So bring on festive hats, gold and glittery clutch bags, and socks that would make you cringe at any other time of year :) ......

So there we go, a lot of red patterns and gold accessories for the festive season. Thank you for reading and cant wait to read everyone's posts!! All comments are, as always, appreciated! 

Love to you all x