Hello Lovelies!

Today I thought I would write about my eyebrows. Bit of a strange way to start a post I know but hey  at least it's to the point. I have had quite the battle with my brows in the past and I feel like I have come up with my own budget friendly way of filling them in without the need to draw them on or go into expensive waxing etc. It may not be the most professional way but it works! so that's all that matters.

So, firstly I should probably talk about how I shape my brows. I don't really do anything special other than use a eyebrow plucker from superdrug (or the drugstore). 

I then align my shape by making sure the brow starts in line with the edge of my nostril, the arch begins in line with the edge of my nostril and through the pupil of my eye, and that it finishes in line with the end of my eye and nostril. Anything that's not in line I either pluck of fill in because I don't get it perfect every time.

as you can see, they aren't perfectly inline but they are close enough so I say go with what you think looks best as well!

The product I use to fill them in is sleek's oh so special palette and the colour on the bottom on the of the palette third from the right. It's a kind of mid toned brown with grey tones as my eyebrows are naturally pretty dark. The problem I have with using a pencil is they can create harsh lines and wear off easily, so that's why I choose to use eye shadow. I believe this colour is quite similar to charcoal by mac but I don't own that eye shadow so I can't say for sure but the sleek pallet only costs £7.99 so it's less money than a single mac eye shadow anyway and in my opinion (on eyebrows) works just as well.

  

I then use a kind of feathering technique of filling in the sparse areas and finishing off the shape by using an angled brush. My Favorite is from cosmopolitan that may not be a well known brand for makeup brushes but this one really is a great angled brush, that I prefer to my real techniques one..and that's saying something. I think I got it in a set that was around £4 so again doesn't break the bank. As the shadow stays on so well I don't really ever finish them off with a setting gel or clear mascara, but if I am planning on keeping them the same all day and night then I sometimes go over with urban decay's setting spray or elf's clear brow gel, but only very occasionally as they really do stay in place  well.

I hope this helps anyone who is looking for a new cheaper way to do their brows, whilst gaining a new lovely palette by sleek. I really do think brows can make such a difference to your face and overall look so I'd love to know how other people do their brows and whether there are any holy grail products out there? Thank you for reading!

Love Becky xx

(before and after ^)

Favourite Lush Products and Christmas Ideas!

Hello Lovelies!

Today I thought I'd tell you all about some staple Lush products that I absolutely love whilst giving perhaps some Christmas ideas to go along with their new collections.

My First favourite is a product I wrote about not too long ago. Their Lip Scrubs! These are perfect for the winter season when things a getting a little colder and lips are a little dryer. Lush does these especially well because their flavours smell and taste soo good! They have a Mint flavour which taste like after eight's, a popcorn flavour for salted caramel lovers like myself, Bubblegum which is so sweet and liked by most and finally for the festive season there is Santa, which smells like coca cola and is again liked by most. Any of these make great stocking fillers but I feel like Santa is such a good little present for xmas.

Next up is their jelly's in woosh and sweetie pie! I remember falling in love with these when I was 14, they are so fun and smell so lovely. They are also multi-taskers as you can use them for your hair, body or use as soap for your hands. If you hadn't heard of these they are basically shower gel's in the form of jelly or gelatin. For Christmas they have come out with the snowman jelly, which admitidly I can't really describe how it smells because I only smelt it in the shop once, but as it's lush odds are it's going to smell lovely and be good for your skin.

The Next is their shimmy shimmy body bar. This is literally what it says on the label, a body bar that smells like sweet vanilla with shimmer for a glowing appearance. I love using this body bar, it's for one of their best smelling products and if you have the time after a bath, just melts and glistens onto your skin. As far a christmas is concerned there is no special xmas shape for this body bar. However, as it is in the shape of a heart you could give it to someone you love as it tis the season to be jolly!

Finally is a standard lush products for me, which is there bohemian soap bar. A light citrus scented soap that when used forms a beautiful lemony lather that doesn't dry out my skin and leaves it feeling so soft! Most lush soaps will have the same effect and do a good job but this particular soap is one of my favorites because it's just got such a clean nice scent that is really for anyone regardless of age or gender. This on it's own would make a great xmas present but if you're looking for something a little more xmas themed I would go with the christmas penguin bubble bar as you it had that same lemon scent but as it's a bubble bar you can break it off to use as a soap or you can use it as a bath melt.

Finally a special mention for the charity pot as this is the season of good will to all and everything. The charity pot is a body cream in a pot that is luxurious and lovely but they great thing is that 100% of the retail price paid by customers buying the product (minus the VAT, which has to go to the Government) is given away to charity! They fund mostly small organisations that include grassroots organisations working on animal protection, human rights organisations and organisations that support environmental issues around the world. Therefore, not only is it a great present for xmas but you are doing a good deed.

I hope you've enjoyed this post on Lush with a few Christmas ideas thrown in. I hope to be doing more xmas posts soon and really start blogging a little more often. I'd love to know what products from lush you love? and whether you have seen any of their xmas collection yet? Thankyou for reading! 

Love Becky xx

Hopping on the Hoola Bandwagon!

Hello lovelies!

Recently I have been watching rather a lot of Ru Paul's drag race. This is basically what I would descrive as an american programme like america's next top model but for drag queen's. If you're wondering where I'm going with this and how on earth it's relevant, it's because these drag queen's are absolute..well queen's of contouring. Whilst I don't quite want the same extreme look they're going for it made me really want a good non orange bronzer colour, and so began the search. after a while of testing products such as Nars' lagoona bronzer. I finally found a matte bronzer with no orange and no shimmer whatsoever. Thus I finally purchased Benefit's all famous Hoola Bronzer!

Firstly I absolutely adore benefit's packaging, seriously whoever is in charge of packaging design is a genius! it's always so cute and actually so practical. For example because the Hoola bronzer is packaged in a box, you don't end up getting fall out of the product on you jeans or makeup desk when using it, and you keep all the product in the box.

Okay now I'll get on to the actual product. it is honestly worth the hype! obviously I cannot talk for all skin shades as I have only tried it on myself, but as a neutral toned pale skinned girl I can tell you it goes very well with my skin tone and is really easy to build up colour or just use for a very slight everyday contour. as said earlier it's very matte as it has no shimmer and it's the perfect non orangey shade. I really can't think of much that is wrong with this product or where to fault it, all that annoys me is that I didn't buy it earlier. A definite holy grail product for me that I just wish was a little cheaper, but at £23.50 it's not too bad. 

So there you have it. my little review on Benefit's ever popular Hoola bronzer, to conclude..it's bloody amazing. I'd love to know everyone's thoughts on this product as it's probably not for everyone but as you've probably gathered by now, I love it! Thankyou for reading!

Love Becky xxx

Top 3 Must Have Budget Palettes

Hello Lovelies!

I love a good bargain as much as the next girl and seeing as I'm currently trying to save money :\ (not going too well if I'm being honest) good budget make-up is definitely my friend at the moment!..So I thought I would do a little post on my favourite 3 budget palettes that are all under £10 :).

The First is a palette that has been spoken about quite widely in the blogging world and that is the MUA heaven and earth palette for £4. MUA have created a neutrals palette with both shimmers and mattes that comes with an little applicator in pretty sturdy packaging, although it doesn't contain a mirror :(. I must admit although I don't use this palette as much as I should it's a really good neutrals palette with pretty good quality eye shadows (for the price). I think the shades would be really flattering on a lot of people as they are neutral shades, so whether you have a pink undertone or yellow undertone, green eyes or blue eyes, you will be able to create a look that will look lovely on you for everyday and evening wear. Now although there may be some fall out and creasing problems with this palette, it is only slight which for a low budget palette is great really! also it's a problem that can be fixed with a good eye shadow primer (I suggest Urban Decay's or Nars' but there may be cheaper alternatives).

The Next palette is a matte palette from a relatively new brand Revolution. It's there essential mattes palette. This is a palette with a perfect blend (no pun intended) of colours and neautrals (all matte shades). I perhaps would prefer less light colours I feel like 4 is a little excessive but nevertheless still a decent palette and at £4 can you really complain? well okay I can complain a little it does have a slight problem of creasing and leaving a kind of unblended looking line but once again nothing an eye shadow primer can't solve.  The palette contains 4 light colours that remind me of some of urban decay's lighter shades such as foxy. It then has two Browny shades and a couple greys. There are also a few purple toned shades, a light blue and a dark blue so although there are no crazy electric colours, there are still some subtle colours that are pretty easy to work with.

The Final Palette is probably my favourite! mostly because of it's multi-function as it has a prefect shade for eyebrows. It's the 'Oh so special' palette from Sleek, which is a nice mix of colours and neutrals. If I'm being honest I don't really use the pinks or blues in this palette as I hardly ever use these colours on my eyes anyway and pink doesn't really suit being on my eyes despite them being hazel coloured. However I have been trying them as blushes because they are so bendable and I definitely think for me this is a better use for those shades. Now onto the reason it is my favourite, it has a brown shade that is my perfect colour (bottom row third in from the right) for my eyebrows so it has saved me a lot of time and money searching for an eyebrow pencil or perfect mac shadow for my brows, plus this palette is cheaper than one of their shadows anyway (£8). 

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my favourite budget palettes. I'd love to know what your favourite palette's are and if you have tried any of these palettes yourself? Thank you for reading!

Love Becky xxx

Mac Red's!

Hello Lovelies! 

I feel like a red lip is something that is almost feared. It is seen as perhaps seductive, attention seeking, daring, and just generally something that smudges everywhere and is a pain to get out of clothes. Alas I don't feel like a red lip is something to be scared of, yes it can look over the top in certain situations but I think it can also make you look like you've made an effort when you haven't really, can make blue eyes, green eyes and well most eye colours pop! and whether it's a classy evening out or and everyday shopping trip, a red lip can work for almost anyone. So here are a few different red's to try out for different occasions that in my opinion are all great reds. 

Warning this post contains bathroom selfies because..well it just has the best lighting haha

The Dark Red- Mac's Dubonette is a seriously underrated colour in my opinion. It is an amplified finish (one of my favourite) so it is highly pigmented but still glossy on the lips. It is a dark red with almost purple undertones. I would wear this for either an evening or night out (or potentially Halloween as a vampire). The lipstick smudges slightly as it's not matte but whenever I wear this I always feel like it makes me look more sophisticated so the last thing I want is to rock up with lipstick on my teeth. However, as long as you keep an eye on it smudging shouldn't be a problem.

The Classic Red- Mac's Russian Red is a very blue toned Matte red, which is a very classic red..but what does this mean. To me a classic red means the kind of red that is Marilyn Monroe old classic movie star like that makes your teeth look Hollywood white. I would wear this kind of red mostly whenever I felt like making my look a little more glamorous in the evening or just for everyday wear. My favourite time to wear this is during the winter as with my pale skin it adds a bit of colour and looks all snow white like.

The Everyday Red- Mac's Brick O' La is such a light red it's almost not a red but in person it is still a relatively a bold colour as it's an amplified finish, without it being too in your face. That's why it's the every day red because it's a very wearable colour that people wouldn't see as being too bold, yet it's still a red that can complete a look whilst being suitable for work or possibly an office if you wanted some colour on your lips but without going overboard.

The Orangey Red (my favourite)- Mac's Chili is a Matte orange toned red, that I think looks soo lovely on people with dark and olive skin even though I am neither of those and I still like how it looks on me haha. I fell in love with this when the makeup counter assistant tried it on me and it's my go to red! I will wear this morning till noon as it's just so flattering and I think it one of the easiest colours to wear because it goes with a lot of outfits and as it's matte it doesn't smudge and stays put for a while without being too drying. Side note.. This lipstick can look amazing with a black dress or dark green shirt.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about a couple of my favourite Mac Red Lipsick's. I may do a drugstore/highstreet version but for now I hope this post has given you some idea's on how to wear a red and not be afraid to wear one and which one's to buy.I'd love to know what your favourite red lipstick's are and how you wear a red? Thank you for reading! 

Love Becky xxx

New York Baby!

Hello Lovelies!

To follow up my London Baby! post I thought I would do a post on my time in New York (yes this is why I haven't posted in over a week :L *slaps self on the wrist). I was there for a competition in America called Empire Mock trial (here is their blog). We may not have won but as the only UK representatives I thought we held our own in an american court and most importantly enjoyed every minute!

However, I'm sure most of you won't enjoy reading me warble on about law and get on to the good stuff, NYC! if you follow my instagram you will have already seen me post a few photo's from my trip but I thought I would post a few photo's and what it was like to actually go there.

First is the empire state. People often ask, is it worth it? at $29 I would most definitely say it was worth it. I've heard there can be large queue's but when you go off peak you can go straight up and the view is 'BREATHTAKING' I really cannot describe it in any other way. I must say though it was very windy and hard to get a good photo. However, I did manage to get this one of me stood by the railings looking rather tired and windswept.

Blazer (New look) Top (Primark plain T

We then proceeded to ride in a limo on the way back (as you do).

Next up on our sight seeing was the cruise going past the Statue of Liberty and riding an actual school bus through New York. It was such a nice moment to see us ride past and rush up to the top deck to try to hurriedly change our camera's to night mode and get the best shot as well as coping with the temperamental wind >:(. Here are photo's of me and my friend Safae and my friend Evonne (Vonnie) doing our exited faces.

After two grueling days of competition to which we could not take photo's :(. We had a day of sightseeing! Our first stop was across Brooklyn Bridge towards Ground Zero. I must say I did not appreciate how emotional I would be upon visiting ground zero, the site of 9/11. They have created a memorial I didn't know existed that is lovely and is a essentially a waterfall with what looks like a bottomless pit where the names of the victims are written in bronze round the edges. It's a lovely memorial but when I got to one name that was followed by..and her unborn child I just balled and probably looked mental but I found it so sad.

Next we went on the subway to central park where we had a slight kerfuffle, which resulted in half our group being stuck behind the turnstile and unable to actually get onto the subway, so we laughed at them...and eventually helped them out.

 Now onto Central park! An absolutely beautiful garden in the centre of  New York that we were incredibly happy to explore on such a lovely blue sky day. We also walked past Bloomingdale's and pottery barn! (any friends fans out there?)

Jeans (New Look) Check Top (New Look) Bag (River Island) Coat (oasis)

Finally before leaving was time to go round time square and of course into Sephora and Macy's where I bought Russian Red by MAC and Hoola Bronzer by Benefit. Times Square was soo busy and crowded that although I liked it, I don't know whether I could cope for too long, it did leave me slightly anxious, but one day I really want to spend NYE there! because I think it would just be amazing.

I hope you've enjoyed this slightly different post! I will resume to beauty soon but felt like someone may be interested in my experience of New York, whether you are thinking of going of if you have been. I loved my experience so much and if you have the opportunity to be a part of a university or school's Bar/Empire mock trial team I would strongly suggest it as I have met so many amazing lovely people though doing it (genuinely haha I'm not being told to say this). I'd love to know if anyone reading has been to New York and what their thoughts are? also what are you're top places to visit? as I'm on a gap year I may as well make the most of it! Thank you for reading :)

Love Becky xxx

Autumn Favourites!

 Hello Lovelies!

Today's post has been inspired by the sudden change in weather and while most chose to complain about it, I have decided to accept that the colder months are upon us and to embrace the autumnal outfits and makeup as well as other bits and bobs that make me happy to accept that summer and my my tan has now faded. Side note, prepare for to write autumn a lot in this post ...

So here are my autumn favourites.

Sanctuary illuminating moisturiser

Retro satin mac lipstick

Flushed blush by sleek.

Real Techniques Blush Brush (Nic's Picks)

Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Naked Palette

Warm Drinks

The first is an illuminating moisturiser from sanctuary, which is an own brand from boots. The reason this is in my Autumn favourites in particular is because in the autumn when everything is just that little bit more dull as the weather starts to get greyer, I like to have a moisturiser which is bright and doesn't make my skin look grey and dull, almost to combat the dreary weather. This moisturiser is lovely for that, it has a lovely lemony smell that reminds me of a spa and makes my skin glow like no other that I've tried before. However, it does have a slight greasy texture to it that I don't particularly like but this is still a product that gets thoroughly used through autumn and winter.

The second in my autumn favourites is a mac lipstick in Retro (satin finish). This was in my New Mac Lipsticks Post! so a new addition to my collection. However, I absolutely love this colour for the season. For some reason I really cannot wear purpley, blue toned lipsticks as they just don't suit me and look rediculous, so when going for berry toned autumn lipsticks I have to go for the reddy, brown purple's. This may sound silly but that's exactly what this lipstick is a purple/berry lipstick with red and brown tones. 

Next is a blush by sleek in the colour flushed that I mentioned in my 'Sleek Blushes' blog post. This is a really berry toned blush, which does indeed make you look flushed (if you use too much) but when used sparingly can add a really nice pop of colour to your cheeks. If you've tried sleek blushes before you will know the pigmentation is great of these blushes and they have decent staying power, they arn't the easiest to blend but if you have a decent brush it's never a problem. This is why I have included a brush in my favorites. The real techniques blush brush is just the perfect size for application and feels so soft like all the real techniques brushes.

Next up is a Lush Lip Scrub in bubblegum. To be honest any of their lip scrubs could have been in my favourites, They all smell so good! You may be wondering why this is in my autumn favorites in particular, well it's because this is the time on year where my lips start to get really dry and chapped because of the cold, but also due to the berry toned lipsticks I'm wearing. So I need something that can really get rid of all the dead skin on my dry lips (sounds gross I know). These do the job so well whist tasting soo yummy..If you have not tried these yet I highly recommend.

Finally on the makeup front is the famous 'Naked Palette' from urban decay. We all know how much this palette and it's respective others is raved about but this is especially my favourite for autumn. The blue and brown toned colors are absolutely perfect.It includes one matte brown shade I belive that is called 'Buck' and this is just a loevly autumn shade to blend all over the lid for an everyday look. I don't think I need to rave about how good the quality of these are but if this palette is a little out of your price range, the undressed palette from MUA or Iconic 1 from Revolution are perfect cheap alternatives at £4 each I believe.

My final Favourite is not a product but just a general love of mine in Autumn. Whether it's a pumpkin spiced latte or honeycomb hot chocolate, I adore I nice warm drink on a cold autumn day to make me feel all cosy and warm even if it''s ust your bog standard PG Tips.

I hope you'v enjoyed reading about my autumn favourites, i'm definitely still mourning the loss of summer but am more than stocked up on my woolly socks, boots and coats  ready for the colder months. I'd love to know what your favorites of the month are? and whether you've tried anything I've included in my favourite's. Thank you for reading!

Love Becky xxx