My First Beauty Haul

Hello Everybody,

I am extremely excited about sharing my first haul post! So I have been on a recent spendy spree and have collected a few new products over the past few months, I just can't help myself when I see a sale sign. I began with Sephora which is my all time favourite online outlet. Then I headed to my temple of drugstore products, Boots. And ended with some spending at the Body Shop, MAC and Feel Unique.com.

So lets being with Sephora..

Over the past year I have become a huge admirer of Tarte products. It began with their adorable packaging, but after purchasing some items I realised that the quality of their make-up is amazing. I purchased two Tarte products, the first being the Tarte Coloured Clay CC Undereye Corrector in light-medium. I had seen one of my favourite Youtube vloggers review this product and she only said good things about it, so I thought I would try it out. I was slightly worried that the salmon colour would be too orange for my very pale skin tone, but once I applied the corrector it blended perfectly. The colour covers my dark circles perfectly and leaves me looking a lot more awake in the morning. You don't need a lot of product either to achieve this coverage, I like to apply it with my ring finger. I swipe my finger through the corrector once and that is enough for one eye. Even though the packaging is very small, a little does go a long way. Amazing product.

Tarte Coloured Clay CC Undereye Corrector
$24

The second product is the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in the colour Natural Beauty. A beautiful deep, rich pink which is perfect for this wintery period. The powder in very strong in colour so apply with a light hand and build it up slowly. This blusher will give you a beautiful flushed look. I found that dabbing the blush on rather than dragging also allows you to focus on the apples of your cheeks. Plus, isn't the imprint in the powder just gorgeous!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush
$26

The final item I bought from Sephora was the Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in the colour Framboise. The description is in the name really, a beautiful bright pink/purple with a matte yet moist texture. This crayon is actually made from orange peel wax, so it smells divine and irresistible. The formula has amazing lasting power and is very easy to apply, plus this colour is perfect for the slow movement from winter to spring. Bite beauty have an amazing colour range in this particular product, so go take a look.

Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon
$24

Next up is my favourite make-up palace... Boots.

I live very close to a huge boots store and the temptation to go and pop in every week is huge. I can literally spend hours in their debating wether to buy something or not, and more than likely I always do. This months purchases consist of products for the whole face. I began with a foundation. I ran out of my favourite Estèe Lauder foundation about a year ago and since then I have only been using BB creams. After a very cold season I was left with a lot of blemishes and I went out to look for something with a lot more coverage. I had heard amazing things about the L'Orèal Paris True Match Foundation, and decided to pick one up. Trying to find my own shade was particularly hard as there are so many to choose from and the L'Orèal lady was on her lunch break. After about fifteen minutes of swatching I went with the colour Ivory, which has worked out perfectly. All I need is one pump of foundation and I can cover my whole face, eliminating all redness and blemishes. This foundation is so amazing and gives my face a flawless finish.

L'Orèal Paris True Match Foundation
£9.99

I also picked up a new concealer, the Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer. I wanted a concealer which I could apply quickly and all over my face, if I am not in the mood to wear a full face of make-up, which this concealer is perfect for. A few twists of the bottle and I can run this all over my skin, with the spongey applicator. In a few seconds my concealer is applied, I blend the product in with my fingers and I am ready to go. Light, easy, quick. A must have for your make-up collection. I think I picked up the colour Nude, which may be a bit to yellow for me so I may have to try out the Light shade.

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer
£7.99

 I have been using the Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder for as long as I can remember, but more recently I have been into having a more dewy look, so I have been looking for something with a little less power to it. I picked up the Bourjois Healthy Balance Compact Powder in the colour Vanille (52), and I think I have found a winner. This powder will still give you a matte finish just not as intense. I have found that if I apply this powder with a fan brush the product will look even more natural.

Bourjois Healthy Balance Compact Powder
£8.99

Speaking of that fan brush, I picked one up from the Smashbox counter. Using this brush for powder is amazing. A whole new experience. I have said goodbye to my big dense powder brushes for now, this is my new companion. There is no need to tap of excess powder and the hairs can glide across all areas of your face including the hard to reach places (around the nose).  This particular brush is quite expensive but its the only one they had in boots. I am on the look out for a cheaper alternative.

Smashbox Fan Brush
£14.50

Now I'm sure you readers have heard all about these brushes already so I'm sorry to bore you but I just couldn't resist. The new Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes, I was drawn to these from the minute I saw them online, (unfortunately they have not been stocked in my local boots yet). I picked up the 100 Arched Powder Brush and the Tapered Blush Brush. The reason for my purchase was honestly the metal handles and colours. My all time favourite colour is rose gold so when I saw this blush brush my jaw dropped. I also picked up the powder brush which I have been using as a foundation brush, and I love it. I like to see what different uses I can get out of brushes and I think the powder brush has worked wonders for applying my foundation. They are fairly expensive, hence the reason I only picked up two.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Arched Powder Brush
£25
Real Techniques Bold Metals Tapered Blush Brush
£24

Onto mascara, I had run out of one of my drugstore favourites, the Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara. For the price that it is, this product may be the best mascara I have ever come across. The applicator gives my lashes so much length and volume, and in my opinion it tops a lot of luxury brand mascaras that I have tried. So thank you to my housemate for introducing me to this wonderful product! I suggest you all go and pick one up right this minute.

Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara
£1.99!!!

Another mascara that I picked up from boots was the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. I have always had trouble applying mascara to my bottom lashes, because if I apply too much I look ridiculous. So I either have to leave them naked or spend 5 minutes dabbing product onto my lashes. This however, is the one item I was waiting for my whole life. The tiny applicator gives the perfect results that I want and need, and for me is totally worth the price.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
£13

Ok, the final product I purchased from boots was the Rimmel London Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick. Wow thats a mouthful. I got this in the colour 30, (come on Rimmel a name wouldn't hurt). I love to lightly dab this colour onto my lips to give a red wine stained look, which has been perfect for this season. This lipstick is extremely long wearing and pigmented, even when the colour fades it doesn't leave your lips looking patchy. The lipstick leaves a stain which still looks pretty. A great product.

Rimmel London Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick
£5.49

Now for a new favourite of mine the Body Shop...

I have only just fell in love with the Body Shop products in recent months, one reason being this bronzer. Not only is Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder packaging stunning, the actual bronzer is amazing. As I have said before I am fair skinned and I have never found a shade that has fitted me better. I use (01) Light Matte, even though this bronzer is light it is still very pigmented so that it doesn't take a lot of building for the product to show. My perfect Bronzer, (and no bloody glitter HURRAY).

Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder
£13

The next product I bought was the Body Shop Radiant Highlighter, a perfect shimmer to your everyday make-up. I love to mix this product in with my foundation for a glowing affect, however it also looks beautiful when applied to the cheekbones. Either way, a beautiful product.

Body Shop Radiant Highlighter 
£12

I love working on my eyebrows when I apply make-up to help them stand out, but sometimes I am too lazy and just want them to look neat and tidy without doing anything. This product fixes that problem, the Body Shop Brow & Lash Gel. I have yet to try this product on my lashes as it has been working perfectly for my brows. A few swipes of this gel and my eyebrows are in the perfect place, looking so neat and tidy. This product is a work of genius. No fuss, perfect brows.

Body Shop Brow & Lash Gel
£10

My final Body Shop purchase is the Body Shop Baked-To-Last Blush in Petal. I feel that my make-up collection is lacking in the blush department, so I am always looking for a new product to add to the family. This combination of blush and highlight is gorgeous when applied to the cheeks, either swirling them together or applying separately they are lovely. The pigment isn't too strong, so you can build and build the blusher without it overpowering your make-up look.

Body Shop Baked-To-Last Blush
£12

MAC...

I went out to look for a perfect lip liner and lipstick duo, for when I wanted to do a dark and defined look. I first pointed out the colour lipstick I wanted and then the shop assistant chose the perfect lip liner to go with it. I chose the MAC Lipstick in Rebel, a beautiful plum colour. I was then shown the MAC Lip Pencil in Burgundy, a brownish colour.  The very helpful lady then offered to apply the duo on for me, and they looked gorgeous together. I was sold.

MAC Lipstick
£15.50
MAC Lip Pencil
£12.50

 Last but not least, Feel Unique...

After finding the perfect liquid highlighter, I was in the search for the perfect powder highlighter. I found this in theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer. I love to apply this highlighter to my cupids bow, my brow bone, inner corner of my eye and down my nose. The light will hit this powder perfectly for a lovely nighttime look.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer
£17.50

Finally I will end with some cream eyeshadows, a new favourite of mine. The Maybelline New York Color Tattoo 24Hr Gel-Cream Eyeshadow. I purchased the shades 'On an On Bronze' and 'Metallic Pomegranate', two beautiful shimmery colours. These shadows are perfect for an everyday look, they are so easy to sweep on with your finger or a shadow brush. The pigments are not too strong either so the colours can be built up, they can also be used as a base shadow. There are so many beautiful colours in this collection too.

Maybelline New York Color Tattoo 24Hr Gel-Cream Eyeshadow
£4.99 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to ask me any questions or to share your own thoughts on these products.

Hope to see you again!

Emma xoxo

2014 Beauty Favourites

Hello everybody,

So 2014 is the year when my love of make-up grew from a fling to a long term relationship. My life was revolved around watching make up videos on Youtube and buying recommended products. My make-up collection tripled in size throughtout January to June, and it has been growing ever since. 

Today I would like to show you all my favourite beauty products of 2014, my absolute skincare and make-up must haves for the year. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on these products and please let me know what your favourite beauty products of the year were. 

Lets dive in...

1. This is what I like to call my secret ingredient in my make-up routine. For a girl with extremely oily skin this is the reason my make-up doesn't slide off my face. The L'occitane Angelica Ultra Matte Fluid. This product hydrates my oily skin without the heaviness of a moisturiser. I don't tend to like using moisturisers as I love the feeling of freshly cleansed oil free skin, and I feel like that disappears with moisturiser, but this products keeps that fresh oil free feeling. I use this on make-up and no make-up days.

L'occitane Angelica Ultra Matte Fluid
£29

2. After wanting to visit the store Sephora for a very long time I was able to on a trip to New York in early 2014 here is where I discovered the brand Tarte, and fell in love with all their products. Not only is the packaging adorable but the quality of their products are amazing. My favourite product of the year is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (very wordy I know). For a girl with very oily skin powder foundation is a must. I apply this foundation with the Tarte airbuki brush, and the duo give you an airbrush finish that lasts a bloody long time, which is rare with my oily skin. I wear the shade fair-light neutral.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation
$36

3. To use damp or dry this beauty blender will change your life. This Models Own Make-up Applicator will blend your foundation / concealer to a flawless finish. On the odd day when I go back to a regular foundation brush all I see now on my face is brushstrokes. I immediately go back to my beauty blender. The egg shape allows you to reach all areas of your face even the hard to reach inner corners of my eyes. So get rid of those foundation and concealer brushes and pick up a beauty blender, it will cut your foundation routine time in half.

Models Own Make-Up Applicator
£8

4. My skin type is the unfortunate mix, oily and blemish prone. So I'm am always accompanied by my pesky spots. My best companions are the forehead and chin zits, so because of this I need a full coverage concealer which will hide these bad boys all day. I found this in the Revlon Photoready Concealer. I must use one of these sticks every two months because I love it so much. I can just dot it all over my face and blend it in to hide my spots and acne scars. I wear the shade 002. 

5. I am also blessed with having very dark blue veins that sit right under my eyes, so because of this I wanted a high coverage liquid concealer. Say hello to Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer. My under eyes don't necessarily look tired in the morning they just look dark, but this concealer works for me anyway. I apply this so my inner comers and in a triangle shape under my eyes to my upper cheeks. My dark circles are then put to bed for the day and will only return in time for slumber. I wear the shade Ivory.

6. A setting powder that I love is the Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder, I use this to set my under eye concealer. This powder came in a creamy concealer kit so I have run out fairly fast, so my next investment will be a full sized pressed powder. I never ever set my under eye concealer until I found this, and I am never going back. This will keep my dark circles away much longer. I wear the shade Pale Yellow.

Revlon Photoready Concealer
£6.49

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
£5.49

Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder
£24.50

7. I never knew the importance of setting powder until I discovered Rimmel's Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder. I began with Natural Collections Loose Powder, but that never worked for me like the Rimmel's matte powder did. Rimmel's will keep my oily skin at bay all day. I can also apply it over all my make-up throughout the day if I see a few shiny areas, it is just perfection. I wear 001 Transparent.

Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder
£3.99

8. My ultimate favourite make-up tool is my Tweezerman Great Grip Eyelash Curler. My eyelashes are not natually pretty. First of all they are invisible (or blonde) so it takes a lot for them to be seen. They are very straight with no curl and they cross over each other at all different angles. However, this eyelash curler changes all of that and gives me perfectly curled normal lashes. It makes me very happy, and with the right mascara they will stay curled for may hours.

Tweezerman Great Grip Eyelash Curler
£15

9. Speaking of mascara I happen to have two favourites. One is for an everyday look when I am just going to uni or shopping, the other is for get togethers, nights out, and parties. The first is an old classic, the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (in Very Black). This product just gives my invisible eyelashes the colour, curl and lengthen that they need. The second mascara is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, which make my lashes go from meh to WOW! Ultra thickness, lengthen and curl all in one. Although it may be a bit to thick for my bottom lashes it is a dream for my upper lashes. But no worries I can still go in with a couple of coats of Great Lash on my lower lashes.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
£4.99

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
£19

10. My first liquid eyeliner love was the Benefit Magic Ink Eyeliner, but I always used to have a problem with the hairs on the applicator. The hairs would always get bent whilst going in and out of the pot which would ruin the precision on the liner. I then began to look for another liner worthy of my eyes, and I came across L'oréal's Ultra Precision Super Liner. A felt tip like applicator which provides the perfect cat eye, I think I am now on my third bottle.

L'oréal Ultra Precision Super Liner
£6.49

11. Good looking brows were never my thing until an american Youtuber introduced me to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. I luckily picked the perfect shade when ordering from Sephora and now I don't go a day without using it. With a spoolie on one end and a very thin coloured wax pencil on the other, my brows now take some sort of shape. This pencil perfectly fills in the bald spots and gives my brows the perfect arch. LOVE. I wear the shade Caramel.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
$21

12. Eyeshadow was another product that I came to love this year, I started off my obsession when I went to a sale and found the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Creme in Pink Pearl. It is a beautiful rose gold colour which was my colour of the year, and is easy to apply and suits any look. I wear this colour on its own for an everyday look, and as a base colour for an evening look. My other eyeshadow love of the year is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour. I got a mini set of four for christmas 2013, and they wear my signature colours all year. These sticks glide so easy over the eye and I love to colour my inner corners with them. I have the colours Amethyst (Crease Colour), Pink Opal and Rosegold, (Base Colours) and Sugar Frost (Inner Corner).

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Creme
Sale Price £9

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour Set
Around £20

13. I still haven't mastered the art of contouring, but I am slowly getting there with Nars The Mutiple in Lamu. Easy to apply as it is in stick form rather than powder and can get right in the hollows of my cheeks. I prefer to use this bronzer with an evening look at is contains glitter, but I love how easy it is to blend. I feel that this year I will find the perfect powder bronzer and will become a contouring pro. Finger crossed...

Nars The Multiple
£30

14. Now for my last make-up product, the Mac Mineralize Blush in Petal Power. This was given to me by my sister for my birthday back in March, and I have used it everyday since. The perfect colour for my pale complexion as it is not too pigmented. It gives the perfect highlight and gives me a super glow. Thank you Sophie for this perfect blush and for recognising my make-up obsession.

Mac Mineralize Blush
£21

15. I know you thought this was the end... But no, I will now share my favourite skincare products. Don't worry this won't take as long as my make-up ramble. Moving on, my favourite deodorant is the Dove Maximum Protection in the scent Cucumber & Green Tea. I used to have a long work to university which would end with me being smelling and annoyed. I would sit with my arms by my sides all day. But then this came into my life and sorted the problem. This will keep me smelling fresh for 42 hours, which is just lovely. Now I can flail my arms around like no one cares.

Dove Maximum Protection
£4.99

16. The perfect shower duo, Dove's Advanced Hair Series Pure Care Dry Oil Shampoo & Conditioner. I used John Frieda products for many years and still dealt with greasy hair. I was needing to wash my hair every single day. But now I can go two days without washing. This duo gets rid of the grease, the frizz and gives my hair a glossy shine. Its the whole package. Don't let the oil part scare you, I am anti oil, but my hair has never felt better.

Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Shampoo & Conditioner 
£5.99 each

17. I have used this same eye make-up remover for about 6 years now and I have still never seen any beauty blogger / vlogger mention it. It is the Olay Essentials Eye Make-up Remover. This remover is designed for all skin types and is a creamy consistency. I apply a small bit to cotton pad and within a few seconds all my eye make-up is removed, even waterproof mascara. There is never any black residue left and you are left with a clear clean eye. It's amazing!!! Great for people with sensitive eyes like myself.

Olay Essentials Eye Make-up Remover
£2.99

18. Along with oily and blemish prone skin, I am also blessed with very large pores and blackheads around my nose. I have found the perfect product that fixes these mishaps and leaves my skin looking pore free. The GLAMGLOW Supermud Clearing Treatment, is an incredibly thick drying face mask which will suck all the grime and dirt off your skin leaving you feeling baby soft. It has worked wonders with my problem skin. I usually use this face mask twice a week. Grab it quick on sale at feelunique.com!

GLAMGLOW Supermud Clearing Treatment
Sale Price £ 31.99 (from £44.99)

19. Ever since I heard about the clarisonic movement I have always wanted one, but I never seemed to safe enough money to get one. So I tried to find a cheaper alternative, and boy did I! The Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Cleansing System is the brilliant dupe that I use. I add my cleanser to my face and then spend a minute with the cleansing system. Ever since using this my skin has been clearer and I notice that I have a natural glow when wearing no make-up. Devine! I managed to buy this with all my boots points too so I got it for free, so collect those points and save them.

Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Cleansing System
£29.99

20. Now last but certainly not least the St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse. This is my side kick for life! I am so pale all year round and it's a bloody nightmare, but this product gives me that perfect summer glow that I need. It produces a perfect olive tan without any orangeness. I will spend around 5 minutes applying it to my whole body and then I'm done. Even thought it says it will come off in the shower I feel that it will last a few days with showering. I LOVE YOU!

St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse
£20.50 / £30.50

Thank you so much for reading this post loves. I'm sorry it was a huge ramble but I just adore beauty products and could talk about them all day. I would love to hear about your favourite products of the year and any recommendations. So leave me a post in the comments I would love to hear from you!

Thank you for letting me express my love for all things beauty!

Hope to see you again!

Emma xoxo

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. I'm Emma, a 21 year old obsessed with all things beauty. This blog will house all my loves including beauty, fashion, film and lifestyle. Hopefully including a few Youtube videos every month.

Thank you for coming and taking a look at my blog and I hope you have enjoyed your visit.

Hope to see you again!

Emma xoxo