Louise Loves #11

H&M Necklace

I bought this necklace a couple of weeks ago from H&M for £7.99.  Now, I am the sort of person who wear the same 2 costume necklaces on rotation so I thought I would mix it up a bit and get some new ones.  I am on the look out for longer ones as the ones I usually wear are short chunky pieces.  I got a lovely one from Topshop but it broke the day I got it so I took it back and didn't bother getting a new one.  This H&M one caught my eye because it looks much fancier than it is.  You can't see in the photo but chains are actually beads which are multi-facetted which makes them really sparkle in certain lights.  I love that I can just wear a plain top and throw this on and it looks like I've made more of an effort!

Gosh Nougat Crisp Lip Liner & Make up Revolution The One Lipstick

I wanted to find a product which would give me the sort of nude/brown 90s style lips that are all over the place at the moment but I have quite strongly coloured lips so I wasn't sure if it would suit me.  I found this combination in Superdrug for a total of about £5 so I could try it out without spending too much money!  The liner is really nice, it's a softer version of the colour of my lips and it applies easily.  The lipstick is a semi-matte nude and works well on top of the liner in the middle to lighten my lips slightly.  I will do a separate post on this with photos of them together on my lips.  I also got another lipstick which is more nude and true matte but I haven't tried this properly yet as I loved the first one I tried so much! 

Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel

I've had this for a while now but I'm going to be honest, it scared me a bit!  I was really excited when it first arrived in the post but when I tried it out I realised you can't just paint it on as you would with a pencil or eyeshadow, so I took to youtube and found some gel brow tutorials and now I am loving it!  I am going to do a post soon to show you how I use it, what tools and other products I use it with.

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Louise Loves #10

Back in 2012 (oh my god *faints*) I did a weekly series called Louise Loves where I just shared a few items that I was enjoying at the time.  I thought I would resurrect this series again - 3 years later... - as it's fun to do and I love reading similar posts.  I'm not sure whether this will be weekly, fortnightly, or what yet, I'll just go with the flow and see what happens!

Once Upon A Time

[source]

Recently Netflix added Once Upon A Time which was a series I started watching years ago on LoveFilm until they took it off so I was really excited to see it!  I've started watching it a few episodes in a sitting, which is the normal way to watch Netflix, right?!  I'm currently on episode 21 and really enjoying it so far.  It sounds quite childish when explaining the storyline to people but it is far from it, it's really quite dark and sinister at times!  I've got 5 series to get through and it's still going so it should keep me busy for a while!

Nando's Creamy Mash

Normally when I go to Nando's I get chips or spicy rice - or both.  However I recently tried the creamy mash for the first time after hearing someone saying it was really good, and oh boy, it's really good!  It's probably majorly unhealthy and full of cream and butter but it's definitely worth it!  I could just eat a whole bowl of it, mmm!!

White Rabbit Lime & Coconut Cleansing Water

I blogged about White Rabbit Lime & Coconut Cleansing Water recently and you can read my full review here.  It smells amazing and feels so fresh and cleansing on the skin.  I will definitely repurchase and look forward to trying other products.  You can get this from the Etsy shop here.

Have you got anything you are loving recently?  Share your links in the comments!

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Favourite Toners

I've always (read: the past 2 years since getting into skincare...) loved toner but until reading Caroline Hiron's blog post, I had no idea what exfoliating toners did and why they were important.  I'm going to share with you the two toners I am currently using and why I like them.

REN Clarifying Toning Lotion

Through Caroline I learned that using exfoliators with little beads are too harsh and abrasive on the skin so instead you should use a toner containing acids (don't freak out, nothing crazy!) as it's a much more effective as an exfoliator.  I use Ren Clarifying Toning Lotion first after cleansing using either a cotton ball or my reusable cotton pads.  I apply it all over my face but concentrate on my nose for blackheads and on my cheekbones where I have milia/milk spots.  I think that some acid toners can be a bit stingy/tingly but I've never felt anything like that using the Ren lotion thankfully.  This toner is not cheap at £18 for 150ml but it's definitely worth it as I find it works well and I've also noticed my milia coming to the surface finally!

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water

Immediately after the exfoliating toner, I use Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water, again, using a cotton ball or reusable cotton pad, all over my face.  I've been using Lush's Toner Waters for ages now and this one is my favourite.  I've not tried the Tea Tree one yet but I find myself reluctant to move away from Breath of Fresh Air!  It contains sea water, seaweed and aloe vera, which sounds weird but it smells so good and refreshing.  I recently used it at a charity pamper night and had lots of comments on how amazing it smells!  Previously, I had been just getting the 100g one but this time I went for the 250g as I am using it every day and I know it works for me, so may as well get go for the better value one at £7.50 instead of £3.95 for 100g.

I would like to try another exfoliating toner once I finish the Ren one, I think Pixi do one so I might try that next.  Has anyone got any cruelty free recommendations?

What is your favourite toner/s?

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Summer Favourites

Some of the items I've been loving this summer!

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Favourite Book

This week we are talking about our favourite books, mine is The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Favourite Bath Product

A short video about my favourite bath product which is Dorothy from Lush!

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Favourite Shoes

I'm a bit behind as Blogger was playing up but I've finally managed to sort it out by embedding the html coding from the 'share' tab on Youtube which was suggested by the super smart Sarah from Sugarpuffish!  So here are my favourite pair of shoes!

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Favourite Author

This week we are talking about our favourite authors.  Mine is Jodi Picoult and in the video I'm explaining why she's my fave and going through the books I've read by her telling you a little bit about them!

Please rate the video and subscribe if you enjoy - we appreciate any feedback!!

Who is your favourite author?

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Current Beauty Favourites

Here is my third video for Paperbacks & Beauty Facts!  Our topic this week was Current Beauty Favourites and mine included:

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

No7 Radiance Serum

Nars Trio with Orgasm, Laguna and Albatross

Watch the video to find out why I'm loving these items!  If you enjoy please rate, comment and subscribe, thank you!

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Louise Loves #8

I have had quite a busy week.  I had my tattoo covering project to hand in for Monday but couldn't actually do the work for it until the Friday before (my concealers didn't arrive!), was babysitting 3 kids on Saturday, then on Monday I had a singing rehearsal - my friends and I are singing at the last Christmas concert in my old high school before it gets pulled down!  Anyway, I passed my tattoo project - yay! - and I am going to do a basic tattoo covering guide on here too which should be up tomorrow.  I mentioned last week that we are now onto Fashion Makeup at college, so we started with a smokey eye, and I'm pleased to say my model did not end up looking like she'd been punched!

I'm afraid this week's favourites are fairly boring but never mind, enjoy!

River Cottage Veg Everyday! Cookbook

I bought this book from The Works a couple of months ago as someone (maybe my auntie?) had said it was really good.  So far we have made quite a few things from it.  Last night we made a spinach spoufflé (soufflé with pasta in it!) which was really tasty and you can also replace the spinach with courgette for a different flavour.  The night before that we had tomato and mozzarella risotto.  I noticed that beside some titles there is a V and it took me a minute to realise that that must mean vegan, so it will be interesting to try out some vegan dishes (my dad will be disgusted!).
[£12.50 from Amazon]

Lush Northern Lights Soap

I did a short post on this along with my Lush soap storage a while ago, but I think I will do a review of it quite soon by itself.  This is probably my favourite soap full stop, I just love the smell and the colour of it, it's so bright!  Oh and apologies for the stock photo, I tend to avoid them but my one is not looking attractive right now haha!
[£3.25/100g from Lush]

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Louise Loves #7

I had this week off and I'm so glad, the weather in my area was horrendous on Monday and Tuesday, I would've hated the 40 minute journey driving to college!  Next week we start fashion makeup so that should be pretty good, although I'm glad we started with basic it was starting to get rather tedious!

Neve Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Noblesse

You may have seen this in my Neve Cosmetics swatches post here.  I only got this a few days ago but I really like Noblesse and I've been wearing it quite often (although I'm still trying to finish up a crappy Covergirl one which just seems to last forever!!!).  I am going out for lunch today - Wagamama, soo excited! - and I'll be wearing it for that :)
[£10.50 from cutECOsmetics]

New Look Ankle Boots

I actually bought these off my friend Ashleigh for £7 (bargain) as she bought herself "proper" ones and wanted these to go to new home where they would be worn!  They are from New Look a good wee while ago.  At first they weren't very comfy and the zips were playing up but now I've broken them in and they are pretty much my everyday boots (for when minimal driving is required!).  The heel is fine as it is really thick so it's not uncomfortable.  I think these were about £20 full price, however as it was age ago they're not available online but I did find these similar ones reduced to the same sort of price.

Face Off

In case you haven't heard of it, Face Off is a programme on Syfy which takes a group of prosthetic and special effect makeup artists and gives them various challenges to compete against each other.  I didn't love it to start with but now I am really enjoying it.  Although that is not a side I could see myself doing (it's far too creative and they are all amazing at art!), I do find it really interesting and it might even give me some tips for if I ever need to do anything like that.  Face Off is on Syfy on Mondays at 9pm.

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Louise Loves #6

This week has been rather stressful as my first two portfolios were to be handed in on Tuesday!  We had a bit of a panic as the printer broke, and then ran out of ink the night before it was due and I hadn't printed it out yet... yes very disorganised, I know haha!

Pritt Stick Glue in Pink

This was the only one they had, I swear!!  I've not used glue since about 5th year when I did Higher Art!  This thing has been very handy especially on Tuesday morning when I was cutting and gluing about 45 minutes before I needed to leave for college!  I also used this to cover my eyebrows when I did a Hallowe'en makeup practice, but I didn't bother doing it on the actual night.

Rory the Kitten!

A week ago this little bundle of fluff (and claws and teeth!) moved in with us.  Although he is very bitey and scratchy, and isn't quite litter trained yet, there is nothing cuter than a tiny little kitten cuddling up to you and purring away!

Gym Class Membership

Last week my friend and I decided to join our local gym as they do unlimited classes for £25/month and it covers 3 of the leisure centres in our area.  So far we have been to Hips, Bums & Tums, Boxercise and Kettlercise!  My favourite was definitely Boxercise, it was so fun!  I also want to go to yoga as I've not done it since the 8 week block I did a while ago.  Ideally I'd like to go to three classes a week, one being yoga, but life gets in the way!  This week we only managed one, never mind!

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Louise Loves #5

I totally forgot to do this last week, OOPS!  I knew that would happen haha, never mind.  Anywayy here are some favourite bits from this week :)

Phone Cover

I got this phone cover from eBay, it's so cute!  It also comes a few different pastel colours too but I went for the mint green one.  I don't think it will last very long though as the lace is real and will probably fray and get dirty.  I've already had to cut some bits off and seal the edges with clear nail polish!  The wee flower is also from eBay if you just search for 'dust plug', I think it cost £1.29.
[£2.99 from this seller]

Pretty Little Liars Book Series

I love the TV series and I was quite curious about the books as some of my friends have read them.  Instead of buying them I've been getting them from my local library as they are £4.99 each and there's about 11 of them!  I have just finished book 7 and it is starting to get really interesting - yes it took 6 books haha.  It is different from the TV series which can get very confusing if I watch an episode one day then I'm reading the book later!  They have actually killed off or cut out half the current TV cast!

Kit Bag

The bag I was using was getting too small so I bought a bucket bag which is a cheap alternative to the professional Charles Fox or Wigs Up North bags.  It came to just under £20 including P&P.  It's really nice and spacious and has little pockets all the round the outside - which does make me slightly paranoid about people stealing stuff from it!

Inside I have two clear bags, one for skincare, one for my palettes; another bag for tools such as sponges, spatulas, spoolies (lots of ssssss!!); my brush belt and then a few loose items which don't fit in the pockets.  The only thing is that the strap is squint... like it's been stitched on the wrong way??  I'm not sure if there's anything I can do about it, might try email the seller and see what they say.
[£16.80 from this seller]

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If anyone is interested I could do a post on what I have in my kit at the moment but unfortunately as the college basically forced us into buying Bobbi Brown the majority of it isn't cruelty free, however I have added in a few bits of my own.

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Louise Loves #4

I wondered how long it would be before this post went up late...  I was really busy yesterday as I went into Glasgow to spent some of my vouchers then that evening I had the Scottish Bloggers Quiz which was organised by Paula!  So it was a great day, however I did not plan in advance so the post wasn't ready to go up...

Vivienne Westwood Orb Earrings

Multi-coloured nails haha!

I got these from a few of my friends for my birthday.  I had wanted the middle sized ones but they seem to have discontinued them!  I just said to my friends to pick me some nice ones instead and they chose very well!  I have been wearing them almost everyday since I got them on Thursday!
[£50 from Vivienne Westwood]

Harry Potter

In case you didn't know, my actual birthday was on Friday and we went down to the Harry Potter Studios for the tour which was amazingg!!  I nearly cried so many times but as I was with my parents I held back haha!  Also a few of my other friends got me a Harry Potter boxset with all the books in it, with pretty covers!  So I am totally overwhelmed by Harry Potter - in the best possible way!

Grey's Anatomy

I started watching Grey's from about series 4 or 5 I think??  I decided that over the summer I wanted to start from the very beginning and catch up, but this didn't happen!  However Lovefilm have got series 1-7 on Watch Now, so I have started getting obsessed :D

Have you got any obsessions favourites this week? :)

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Louise Loves #3

It's my birthday tomorrow :D It's my 21st and my parents are taking me to the Harry Potter Studios for the day - I'm such a big kid, but I really can't wait!

Silvery Lilac nail varnish by Barry M 

This was the first time I'd worn it and it's so pretty!  However, the main reason it's in my favourites this week is that I painted my nails on Friday night and it was still going strong on Tuesday when I took it off - I only took it off because I wanted a different colour on!  This is verging on a miracle for me!  Nail varnish literally lasts about 48 hours on my nails, I've no idea why but I have just accepted this fact and it doesn't really bother me now.  So when it was still intact after two days at work, I was very impressed, and it continued!

Obviously I used base and top coat and I doubt very much that this would have lasted that long by itself but I used exactly the same products I always use!
[£2.99 from Boots or Superdrug]

Asda Duo Chocolate Spread

Although I'm sure this will be a long-term favourite for me, I thought I'd add it in anyway as I got a new tub this week!  This is another really good vegetarian treat.  After finding out that Nutella wasn't vegetarian (although they did email me to tell me that now it is, however I won't be happy buying it until the packaging states that it is!) I went hunting for an alternative.  A lot of the main brand's spreads are not vegetarian though, Asda included I'm pretty sure.  Tesco's are veggy so I tried them, they were alright but not amazing.  Then randomly I decided to check Asda's and it now states that it is vegetarian!  I got this flavour and the normal chocolate hazelnut, which was nowhere near as nice.  The duo one is a winner, it's really sweet, but not too sweet.

I am a massive weirdo and eat it with sliced apple - it tastes amazing!  But it would be good on toast or however you usually have spread.
[£1.54 from Asda]

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Louise Loves #2

Here are some things I've been loving this week...

Bdellium Tools Vegan Tapered Blending Brush

I bought this for my kit as I needed a blending brush, it only arrived on Monday and I love it already -  I've only used it once!  Great CF/vegan dupe for Mac 217 albeit slightly more tapered but does pretty much the same job.  I also love how it's green, makes it stand out from all my others!  I would really like to try out more of their brushes.
[£7.50 from cutECOsmetics]

Busy Bee Candles - Crisp Red Apple

This photo is from before I lit it obviously...  I have been using this one more than my Yankees!  I love apple scents and this is no exception.  I also have the Watermelon Explosion one but saving that for later!  I am going to do a full review once I've used it for a bit longer.  Also I'd like to point out that this company uses soy wax so I'm pretty sure they would be vegan friendly, although double check about specific candles before you take my word for it!
[Small candle £7.95 from Busy Bee Candles]

Downton Abbey

I've been meaning to catch up on this for ages, a lot of my friends watch it and always get a bit obsessed.  So when it came up on Lovefilm Instant and I decided to take the plunge and start watching. I'm now halfway through the second series and really enjoying it!  Maggie Smith is hilarious as Granny (Dowager Countess)!

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Louise Loves #1

I have decided to try and do a series of weekly favourites, which will include a few things I have been really liking, but not specifically beauty or make up items.  I'm kind of scared about doing this incase I will feel pressured to do it religiously and get myself all stressed if I forget (which is silly!)... Anyway I'm going to just go for it, I guess if it ends up not being weekly it's hardly the end of the world :)

Dorothy Perkins earrings

I won these earrings from Jen at The Big Burd's blog giveaway and I love them!  They're not something I would have picked up myself so I'm really pleased I got them.  They sort of look like small stretchers but obviously the actual pierced bit is just a normal earring size!
[Price unknown from Dorothy Perkins]

Tesco Jelly Sweets

I had heard about these through Karris I think?  But where I live we don't have a Tesco nearby, however now that I have to commute to college a couple of days, it takes me past a huge Tesco Extra.  So every couple of weeks I pop in to get my fix of vegetarian jelly sweets! They also come in cola flavour, and the ones which look like multi-coloured astrobelts are veggy too!  Morrisons also do fizzy strawberry sweets but they're not as nice as these ones.  I am totally addicted!  According to this website, they appear to be vegan too which is amazing.

[3 for £1 from Tesco]

Butter London Disco Biscuit

I've been really loving this polish recently, in the photo it is layered over a neon pink which you can see in a NOTD post here.  It's so bright and pink, with a subtle blue shimmer.  My gran disapproves hahah.
[£12 from www.cutecosmetics.co.uk]

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Scottish Bloggers: Top Cruelty Free Nail Varnish Brands

I have written a post on my top cruelty free nail varnish brands over at Scottish Bloggers which is a collaboration of Scottish beauty bloggers (funnily enough...) ran by the lovely Karrisx!

If you are a Scottish beauty blogger and want to do a post for the blog then all you need to do it get in touch with Karris - contact info on her blog.

Below is a little sneak peak of the brands I've mentioned, but there are loads more, just click on the link above to read it!

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My Current Favourite Highlighter

When it comes to highlighters I am a little bit obsessed...  I am just drawn to their glowy goodness!  However I have acknowledged and accepted this obsession and have stopped myself buying any more for the time being.  The one I am going to talk about today is a rediscovery, my auntie brought me is back from Florida a few year ago (yes, years, I'm not good with these make up use before things haha) and it just sat in my drawer for rather a long time.  In January I had a good look through all my make up and decided to start using some products that I had been ignoring - this was one of them - I sat it out with my brushes and things in an effort to make me use it, but it didn't really work until very recently!

The main thing that has put me off using this product is the packaging, it's got one of those horrid brushes on top which dispenses out an uncontrollable amount of powder.  Why it's got this brush I have no idea because I hope to god people don't use this all over their face!

The product I am going to talk about is Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Illuminating Veil in the shade Nude Glow.

With a lot of highlighting products I find that they have a heavy gold shimmer, NARS Albatross for example, which is really pretty, but it can be rather obvious if you are heavy handed and go over the top with it.  What I like about this one is that is has more sort of pinky/peachy coloured shimmer in it.  I feel that Nude Glow is quite an appropriate name for it, it just makes your skin look very naturally glowy!

With flash

Natural lighting, no flash

Instead of using the brush which comes with it I use a small tapered powder brush, specifically Sigma F35, I also have the Real Techniques Contour Brush which is a similar shape and would be good too.  However this can be quite messy as you need to unscrew the top and just dip it in!  It does have a filter but the holes are quite big and mine has a lot of powder sitting on it at the moment.  Then I apply it to the tops of my cheekbones and sometimes just under and above the arch of my eyebrows.

As a comparison I have applied it beside (from left to right) Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether and NARS Albatross, with Nude Glow at the end.  You can definitely see the difference in colour, although it does still have a slight gold element to it is more pinker than the other two.  It is also quite buildable which is good for if you were going out at night and wanted a heavier highlight!

I adjusted the highlights in this photo to bring out the colours in each powder

With flash

Unfortunately this was bought in America so it's not available in the UK, I think there is some Physicians Formula on Amazon but it is just silly prices!  Here is a link to the item on their website anyway, where it costs $12.95.  However, I think I will have enough to keep me going for a while, it's so huge!

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P.S. If you are a follower, remember to enter my giveaway [link] - it ends on Saturday! :)

Favourite Perfume

I am going to tell you a wee story about my favourite perfume, enjoy!

I first bought this when I was on my way back from a skiing trip in Austria in 4th year and I had some euros left over.  I didn't even like it that much at the time to be honest, I just bought it for the sake of it!  However after having smelled it a few times and now I love it!  It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, it smells kind of masculine strangely but it's so yummy!

Unsurprisingly it ran out quite quickly and I had no idea where to get it again.  I've never seen it anywhere other than that airport in Austria!  I tried to find it on the internet but to no avail.  So I forgot about it for a few years until one day I got a whiff of it - no idea where it came from, probably just my brain making it up! - and it set me on a mission to find it!  I finally found it for a really quite good price, about £29 for 100ml so I bought it.

Then... oh god, what a nightmare, first they emailed me to say I hadn't paid even though the payment had already come off, once I got that sorted it had been ages and still no sign of it so I went back onto the website and it WASN'T THERE!!!  I genuinely thought I'd been scammed!  However, apparently they are just very shit and after about 7 weeks my perfume finally arrived!  So I wouldn't recommend that website, it's called 'Buy My Makeup' I think.  But I will say that they were very good at emailing me back and seemed really friendly but it all just seemed so dodgy at the time!  One good thing was that  for whatever reason the £29 actually came off as $29 so I got it for nearer £20 :)

The bad news... Jil Sander is owned by Coty who are not cruelty free which I didn't realise at the time so I won't be able to repurchase this - assuming I ever managed to find a decent website to buy it that is! I am cherishing this bottle!!!

Has anyone else come across this perfume?

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PS it is exam time at the moment so I won't be blogging as much as I'd like to, this is post I wrote up a few weeks ago but just hadn't posted it yet 'cos it's not the most exciting one in the world!  I am still photographing my nails for NOTD but just not had to time to edit and make them into a post!  It will all be over at 11.30am on 22nd May.......