EOTN: Nars Paramaribo Duo

As promised here is how I've been doing my eye makeup for most of the Christmas nights out I went on earlier in the month.  It is nice and quick as it only uses a couple of products so it was handy for my college night out where I stayed at my friend's; I could just throw the few extra items into my everyday makeup bag.

So all I used for this was my Urban Decay Primer Potion, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (both of these are optional, but my eyes crease like crazy), Nars Paramaribo duo, Nars Albatross (as a highlight, any will do but I like the gold tones in that one), a gel liner and mascara.  On my brows I used Une Brow Pencil in B04.

Sorry for the cropped photo, it was a full face but my eye bags are just so bad, ahhh!  I will be so sad when my Mac concealer runs out cos it works really well but obviously I can't repurchase... No idea what I'll use!  If anyone has any industrial strength dark circle concealer recommendations which are cruelty free and I can get in UK, please let me know!!!

Also my secret santa at work (no idea who it is, still on the hunt!) amazingly gave me loads of BUAV Approved makeup!  So I can't wait to try it out and let you know my thoughts on it.  I've never heard of it before but it's called Clubworks and it must be pretty cheap as the limit was £10 and I got those 3 sets!

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EOTD: Christmas Day

I got a bit carried away doing my makeup for Christmas Day seeing as the only time I left the house was to pick up my grandparents, and it was only them coming round!  I wasn't even going to blog this makeup but then my mum complimented it so I thought, oh why not!  However because I waited until later on, (and because I didn't use a primer as I didn't really need it to last...) it has gone all creasy, soz :(  I might redo it later on and change the photos to better ones!

On my eyes I used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk and then what I like to call my 'earthy palette', which you can see in full here.  I used the Too Faced duo in Lucky Charm (the green one...), and then the lightest Avon shadow, which is the tiny one above the duo as a highlight.  Then I just lined my eyes with black gel liner and added mascara to top and bottom lashes.  On my brows I have Une Brow Pencil in B04.

On my cheeks I have MUA blush in Shade 6, and on my lips is my new Illamasqua Lipgloss in Boost which I love.  I will definitely do a separate post on that alone at some point - it's so pretty!  I only put this on towards the end of the day out of sheer curiosity!

Base

Eyeshadows

Blusher

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2012 New Year's Resolutions

Wow, I can't believe this year is nearly over!  At the end of 2011 I decided to set myself some resolutions for the first time in a long time.  In this post I am going to have a look over them and see how I got on, whether I actually managed any!

• Get back into reading, been slacking so bad recently!  My new Kindle will help though I think :D

I was aiming to read 40 books this year and I'm very close to my goal, not 100% sure if I'll manage it but I am pretty pleased with this nonetheless!  It was harder than I thought, even though I love reading I am quite slow haha.

• Get to bed before midnight on uni nights.

Hmm...  This didn't really happen, I've been much better though I think! I am usually settled down by 1am which isn't too bad I don't think :)

• Try to be more motivated for uni and read my notes etc. at the time…

We can pretty much veto this one to be honest hahah!  Although I did pass the two exams I sat in August so that was good going!

• Be able to give blood, uch, I will at least try!

I am still underweight, I don't think I will ever be able to because I don't want to put on weight unless it's in muscle!  I am quite short and small built so I'm physically not meant to weigh much without being/feeling unhealthy!

• Get back to callanetics and pole dancing and go to at least one kettle bells class!

Yes, yes, yes!  I joined my local leisure centre so I have unlimited access to classes, I've tried lots of new things as well and feeling great!  I love exercise!

• Be better at saving again even if only putting a little bit away every month.

When I cut my hours I could only afford to put £25 away, if that - better than nothing though!  I've increased them again now though and I put the majority of my birthday money away too so it's looking good.  Hopefully I can use it for a holiday or something next year.

• Continue to cut down meat consumption.

Only eating fish now!

• Ironically - spend less time on social networking sites….

Nooo... Although probably using Facebook and Tumblr a lot less.  I'm still as addicted to Twitter as ever though haha!

I also did update of these back in March which you can find here if you're interested!

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Recently Read: The Gift

I bought this at a car boot sale earlier in the year a long with a couple other books of this genre.  Car boots and charity shops are the best places to get cheap books!  I really like Cecelia Ahern for some easy reading; her stories are always sort of fairy-tale-ish, sometimes involving magic and things like that which are a nice escape from reality.

The Gift is set at Christmas so I had been waiting until this time of the year to read it.  The story is about a workaholic called Lou who is very well off but he ignores his family: his wife and two young children.  He often cheats on his wife with women from work and avoids spending time with his 5 year old daughter and baby son.  However one day he helps out a homeless man who sits outside his work building, and slowly Lou's life is changed.

The first thing I found unusual about this book was the male protagonist!  Usually these sort of chick-lit books are female so this was a nice change.  Also I found Lou to be such an infuriating character and I think that you can always tell a good writer when you actually feel angry at a character!  For example Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, ahhh, she actually drives me crazy!

Without revealing too much about the actual plot, the development of Lou's character through the story is really interesting, and Gabe (the homeless man) becomes more and more intriguing.  On a separate note I actually cried at a bit in this which is rare!  I hardly ever cry at books - the last time was when Hedwig died (second Harry Potter mention, obsessed much?)!

Although it was set at Christmas, it wasn't particularly Christmassy which was a bit disappointing but overall the story was really good.  I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads!

Have you read any good books which are nice and Christmassy?

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EOTD: Basic Neutral Eye with Liner

This is a very basic eye look - clearly! - but I thought I would show you it anyway.  The good thing about this makeup is that it's great for everyday but then it is also a perfect eye to pair with a matte red lip, add a flick and you've got a vintage 50s look.

Unfortunately as I didn't use a primer or base my eyeshadow had worn off a bit before I took the photos, so it was more defined when I left my house!  You can also vary the depth of the crease by using more or a darker shadow.

I just used Virgin all over then Naked in the crease, then lined my eyes with a black gel liner.  Apologies for my gross glasses marks haha oh the joys of being short sighted!

This is really random but I just thought I'd mention that I rarely put mascara on my bottom lashes because it always transfers onto my skin :( I've been meaning to buy a cheapo waterproof one for using on them but I just keep forgetting.  I think it looks kind of unfinished so for nights out and such I wear it but for everyday I don't bother!

I will probably do a 50s total makeup look quite soon as that is what we've been doing in college, so look out for that!

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NOTD: Bad Fairy

I got this ages ago along with Formidable! when the Venomous Villains Mac (not CF) Collection was out.  It is a shimmery pink with an orange duo-chrome.  It is so pretty but inconveniently 2 coats wasn't enough for my camera - it looks opaque in real life!  It was so hard to capture the orange duo chrome, I had to adjust the lighting and colour balance in the photo but I think it's roughly accurate!

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Louise Loves #9

I finally finished college for Christmas, yayy!  We had our night out the week before and it was actually amazing; we went for dinner, had giant cocktails, did karaoke, had too many Jägerbombs then had to attempt some compact spooning with 4 of us on the one couch! We had a class at 9am the next day but didn't make it in...  I didn't want to risk driving at that time anyway, the police are really cracking down on people driving 'the morning after' this year - terrifying!

Sadly now I need to concentrate on studying for my Linear Algebra exam on 14th January, the thought it just so depressing I can't even tell you!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

I have been using this every time I wear eyeshadow, which has been a lot more often than usual due to all the Christmas dinners and nights out!  It just creates such a smooth, even base for you to apply eyeshadows on top of.  It also really intensifies the colours in the shadows as well.  You can get these from a few UK stockists such as Amazon, Cocktail Cosmetics and Love Makeup which is where I got mine from, they also have their own UK website which I have linked below.

[£4.50 from NYX uk]

My Christmas Decorations!

I love my little light, I got it last year from Dobbies, it gives the room a lovely warm glow.  On my wardrobe I've got all my cards, advent calendar and a candy cane.  I've also got a tiny real Christmas tree with lights to go in but we haven't go a proper base for it yet :(

Nars Eyeshadow Duo in Paramaribo

I actually bought this in a blog sale for about £10?  I can't remember how much exactly, but much cheaper than the full price anyway!  This is in my favourites because it has become my go-to eyeshadow duo for going out, it's so quick and easy to apply.  Also because of the colours it is very versatile.  The only thing I'd say is that for some reason the gold/olivey one has a weird texture and sort of seals itself as if I've got it wet - which I haven't!  I'm not sure if this is a one off or if they all are a bit funny, I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it!

[£24 from NARS]

Eyeliner Brush

I've been using this for ages but again, I've been wearing eyeliner a lot more over the festive period.  This is actually a paint brush (hahah) but it applies gel eyeliner like an absolute dream, I love it!  I got this from The Art Store in Glasgow and it's an oil painting brush, number 0.  It probably didn't cost more than a few pounds as well.

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WishyWashy Soaps | Strawberry Sparkling Santa

This is the second product I've used from the lovely bundle I received from Alex at WishyWashy Soaps, see them all here!  Again like all her other items, this soap is cruelty-free, paraben-free and SLS-free!  As the name suggests it is a strawberry scented festive soap, with a coating of glitter on the top.  I absolutely love the smell of this, it smells like strawberry jelly, like the really concentrated stuff you dissolve in water first...  I don't actually eat jelly because it has gelatine in it and to be honest I never really liked the taste, however I do love the smell!  This guy costs £2.

The layer of glitter on the top also acts as an exfoliant for the first couple of times you use it which is an added bonus.  It's only one on side so you can just use it on specific areas then use the other side as a normal soap.

There is also a Lavender and Chamomile Twinkling Angel soap in the Seasonal collection.  I've only just started using this one but it's got the same formula as Santa and it's got a nice relaxing scent.  I do prefer the Santa one, only because I prefer fruity smells in general anyway.

These are my ones that I was sent, they're just the cute wee sample sizes!  I would definitely buy the Strawberry Santa one for myself or as a present, they're such lovely stocking fillers for anyone who likes bath and body goodies.

[link]

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What's In My [Kit] Bag?

As promised here is a breakdown of what is in my makeup kit bag for college at the moment.  You will notice there is a lot of Bobbi Brown in it which is because that is what they made us buy for our starter kit - don't even get me started, I think it is ridiculous and horrendously overpriced, especially for practicing on each other!!!  I would not buy Bobbi Brown ever again, it was only because we were basically forced to... This pile of shit skinned me £350 *deep breaths*

Anyway, enough moaning and onto the kit!  To make things easier I have put (CF) beside items which are cruelty free as there are a lot in here which aren't.

I got the bag from eBay for about £17 but I kind of wish that I just splashed out for the £30 Charles Fox one as I feel like this won't really last and the strap is actually sewed on squint...  Joys of eBay!

In The Pockets...

1. Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15 in Golden 6 
2. Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation SPF 15 in Warm Sand 2.5 
3. Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation SPF 15 in Porcelain 0
4. Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer in Medium

1. Bobbi Brown Lip Color Sandwash Pink 22
2. Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Ruby 8
3. Bobbi Brown Lip Liner in Ballet Pink

1. Benefit They're Real Mascara
2. YSL Touché Eclat
3. ELF Eyelid Primer
4. Surgical Spirit in a recycled Lush bottle!
5. Victoria Jackson Show Off Lip Compact

On The Inside...

I've got a few smaller bags inside to keep everything nice and neat, then bigger things just float about loose in the bag.

1. Bobbi Brown Oil-Free Even Finish Compact Foundation in Beige 3 
2. Bobbi Brown Oil-Free Even Finish Compact Foundation in Warm Ivory 1
3. Bobbi Brown Bronzer/Blush Duo - Bahama Brown & Pink Peony
4. Coastal Scents 10 Blusher Palette (CF but their brushes aren't)
5. Kryolan Loose Setting Powder (CF)

In this bag I have my powder puff (I use this when resting my hand on people's skin when doing eyeliner to stop me smudging their base), mascara spoolies (I clearly need some more haha!), spatulas, pointy cottonbuds and a pencil sharpener.

In the other bag I have makeup wipes (CF), lip balm (CF), eye makeup remover (CF), cleanser (CF), toner (CF - it's Lush!), eye cream, moisturiser and hand sanitiser. 

I've not labelled these are there's just so many!!  Most of them are just my own which I've got in sets at Christmas and never use...  If there's one in particular you're wondering about just let me know in the comments and I can tell you what it is! 

1. The Body Shop Shimmer Waves (CF)
2. Bobbi Brown Blush in Slopes 17
3. Kryolan Classic Lip Mini Palette (CF)
4. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Powder Pink 6

Lastly I have Kryolan Dermacolor Mini Palette in Fair (CF) which I used to do a tattoo cover-up in this post, and a very cheap and cheerful MUA light pressed powder (CF).

So there you go!  I think I will also do a post on sanitising products as that is a very important part of being a makeup artist and also helpful for your own items, especially if you are prone to breakouts.

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Christmas Giveaway! [CLOSED]

The last giveaway I did was when I hit 100 followers on GFC and as I've not done one since I though it would be nice to do a Christmas one!!  Unfortunately this one is just going to be UK only as I think it will be heavy to post and also as it's close to Christmas the post gets rather manic!  Items included:

- Lindt Santas Sleigh

- Candy Cane

- Models Own Jack Frost nail varnish

- Linea Christmas Berry candle

- Lush North Pole soap

- Lush Northern Lights soap

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!!

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OOTN: Ashleigh's 21st Dinner

Dress - Topshop

Blazer - H&M

Necklace - Primark (current)

Wedges - New Look

If you've followed me from the beginning you'll know that fashion is not something I am an avid follower of!  However if I do wear something I think is quite nice (and if I have time!) I like to share it on here.  These photos were taken at the end of the night when I got home - hence flat hair and scabby lips!  

We had gone to an Italian restaurant called Il Pavone in Princes Square, Glasgow, for dinner which was really good!  We were supposed to be going out after but unfortunately poor Ashleigh has a bronchial infection so we decided to postpone it for another night when she's feeling healthier!

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail of the makeup as I didn't take any close ups of the eyes or anything but here is my face via instagram (LooweezBx) haha!  As you can see my hair was curly when I left the house :(

Base - Benefit Healthy Mix in 51 + Illamasqua Skin Base S03, 

Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 (not CF)

Blusher - Neve Noblesse

Eyes - Nars Paramaribo duo, Nars Albatross, black gel liner, 

Clinique High Lengths mascara sample (not CF)

Eyebrows - Une Brow Pencil B04

Lips (see first photo) - Topshop Inhibition 

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WishyWashy Soaps | Minty Skulls Peppermint Sugar Scrub

This is first item I've used from my lovely little collection of WishyWashy products (see them all here)!  As the title says it is a peppermint 'flavoured' sugar scrub - it is super cute and smells amazing!  All WishyWashy items are vegan, cruelty free, paraben free and SLS free!

These lovely scrubs are only £1.95 and I would say you could probably get up to three uses depending on how you use them.  I tend to use sugar scrubs on cellulite areas so upper thighs and bum, then as I'd ran out of my foot scrub I used it on them too.  I got two uses out of mine but I think I would have been able to get three if I'd split it accordingly before getting in the shower!

The scrub is quite squishy (I'm wanting to say chewy?? Maybe not eat it to find out though...) so you just need to run it under the warm water to get it into a nice paste which you then just rub into your skin.

I have found this a lot more user friendly than my normal Lush Sugar Scrub which I've basically given up on - it's so solid and takes a lot of work to break it down into something which won't take the top layer of your skin off...

[£1.95 from WishyWashy]

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EOTN: Callanetics Christmas Dinner

On Friday I make a cheeky wee purchase in the House of Fraser brand event, I picked it up at work on Saturday and wore it out that night!  This is the Nars Duo you might have seen in my Christmas Wishlist - Kuala Lumpur.  I was going out for dinner with girls from my callanetics class just to local restaurant, it was so good.  My friend Jenny didn't like any of the starters so I had hers; I had tomato, onion and mozzarella bruscetta, then her goat's cheese and caramelised onion bruscetta - oh god it was so tasty, and I don't usually like goat's cheese!  Then for my main course I had seabass with a herby breadcrumb topping served with baby potatoes and salad, and for dessert I had vanilla cheesecake with chocolate sauce and strawberries, mmmm!!!  This was all (well 3 courses...) for only £19.95, what a bargain!

Okay I think I have rambled about food for long enough... Here is the look I created with the Nars Duo.  I did not wear anything on my lips as I find it pretty pointless when going for a meal!

For the eyes I used NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk, then Nars duo e/s in Kuala Lumpur and also the paler colour from the Nars Hungry Hearts duo as a brow highlight.  I lined my eyes with Mac Blacktrack Fluidline, Benefit They're Real mascara (both not cruelty free) on my lashes and filled in my eyebrows with Une Brow Pencil in B04.  On my cheeks I have MUA Blush in Shade 6 and this Physician's Formula Highlighter.

Eyeshadow

Blusher

Brow Highlight

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