Now spring is here everything is starting to look so lovely and bright which kinda makes me want to switch up my make up routine a little, so I thought I would share with you my Spring Beauty tools to perfect my Spring look.
Lashes
I mean, we HAVE to start with the lashes! You guys know I am all about the eyes and if you have been reading my blog recently you'll know I did a little review on the Fleur de Force 3/4 lashes which you know I was obsessed with and they kind of made we want to wear false lashes a little more frequently. The only thing is some false lashes look very false (I mean, obvs) and I wanted something that would give more of a natural look which is where these utterly gorgeous lashes come in.
Eye Candy* is a brand I've never really heard of before but look how natural these lashes look, they add such a perfect amount of volume. If you are going for the more natural look don't be scared to cut them to size, after I took these photo's I actually cut them to a 3/4 size so they are more fluttery on my outer corners.
Eye shadow
Spring definitely makes me want to switch up my eye shadow to something with a little more shimmery and this is where my favourite natural eyes palette comes in to play. There are so many beautiful shimmery tones and you don't have to put them all over the eyelid - you can add it just to the inner corners to draw the light into your eye giving you that "bright eyed and bushy tail" look.
Cheeks
When I think of Spring, I think of fresh complexions with just a flush of colour, not quite bronzed goddess yet but more of a bright and soft kind of look. This is when I like to use blusher the most, I think finding the right shade is really difficult because there are lots of pinks and redish tones but I don't think blush has to be you can get some gorgeous nude mauve blushers and even some paler lovely pink blushers that add a much more natural look.
I also think having the right tool for blusher application is super important too, I personally always find that the standard blusher brushes are far too big for the apples of my cheeks. I was recently sent this Blushworks Blush Brush* - which might I add is vegan friendly, I have to admit I really like the shape of it and picks up just enough of the product.
Lips
And finally the last think to complete the spring look, I like to go some something that's a little nudey and natural and my choice is the Sleek MakeUp Matte Me liquid lipstick in Bittersweet. I actually haven't written a review about this one because it's a product I kinda forget about because it's a bit more red than what I am typically used to! The great thing is it isn't too drying for a matte liquid lipstick so it wears really well and is a nice contrast to the dewy, slightly shimmery make up for the rest of the look.
I think spring is the best time to change up your make up routine and try new things, I know that a lot of people change it up for Autumn but I can't help but look the light fresh look in the spring.
What's your favourite spring look?
**PR Sample
It's my little, tiny blogs birthday this week and quite frankly I can't bloody believe it! I mean, it's only 3 years old but for me, writing consistently for 3 years ain't bad. Obviously last year I only managed to write one blog post a week but since moving back I have moved up to 2 and still want to get it back to 3 times a week, when I can! Today I kind of just wanted to write a little post about a few things I have learned or at least became aware of since blogging and be quite honest with it.
It's a numbers game...
The amount of people who buy their followers or use platforms for help grow their audience is crazy and this is purely because numbers do matter! If you want to have a career from blogging then you need to have a substantial following, end of! Don't get me wrong, I'm tiny and still get exciting opportunities thrown my way but in comparison to others they would be considered small. I have to be honest, I get hung up on numbers all the time because I would love to have a few thousand followers on instagram or twitter but after 3 years...it just ain't happening guys!
Affiliate links are everywhere...
I am all for affiliate links in content, I love it! Send me to the page so I can buy the item you're swooning over immediately. However, I have realised an increasing amount of affiliate links being posted on twitter with captions such as "love this jumper" - they of course link to ASOS the biggest online retailer so easily earn commission when you buy regardless of the link they posted. I have seen it done really well such as "love this jumper" but there is an image of the jumper attached and there might even be a #aff or #al added as well just so people can see. I think it's great that bloggers can earn money from sales but spamming links just hoping to drop the cookie on people who are likely to shop at ASOS anyway seems rubbish to me.
Real opinions are rare...
I've read a few good posts lately about how rare real opinion are and Hayley from London Beauty Queen puts it so perfectly but it is so rare to hear an opinion where something isn't "amazing" or "perfect". Don't get me wrong, I am all for positivity and even I tend to like a lot of new things but I think we are starting to forget that not everything is wonderful, not every product is the next best thing. When a brand releases a new product it's like EVERYONE loves it, where have all the other opinions gone? I love seeing reviews telling me that actually this product doesn't work for them, that they really liked one element but the rest was pretty naff or that the item is too expensive for what it is?
The art of illusion...
I think probably has the most impact l so many people because we all live our lives on social media, we become obsessed with the images we are seeing and think that everyone's lives are perfect apart from ours. The illusion of a perfect "instagramable" life is a tricky one because it is so damn aesthetically pleasing but it's heavily curated! People don't want to see the boring parts to our lives that everyone has and that's fine. People see these huge bloggers with all these designer handbags but they don't know that the item is actually borrowed from the retailer for pictures, they don't know that the bag was purchased using a high value giftcard in exchange for content to be produced - I have to say this is fine but it's easy to just assume that they are buying these items when they aren't.
I don't want to be a career blogger...
I read a great post by Becky at www.bkyrouncefield.co.uk about why she doesn't want to be a career blogger and oh my god! Finally someone else who is perfectly happy to just write! I think it is a wonderful thing that careers can be formed out of a blog but I don't think everyone should just assume that we all want to make money and be a full time blogger! I like my job, I have worked hard in my career and I will carry on having this little blog as an outlet to do on the weekends! I do have a journalism degree and whilst at some point I would love to get back into it, right now, making money from my blog just isn't a priority and that is ok.
I hope this post hasn't come across ranty, I just wanted to share my honest thoughts on blogging over the last 3 years!
What things have you learned since you started blogging?
Today I am talking about a lip product that I so desperately wanted to love which is the Kind Natured Nourishing Manuka Honey Lip Balm that I picked up in my local Boots.
There were two main reasons why I wanted to love this Kind Natured lip balm, first being it's honey...I mean what can I say, I am drawn to bees and bee products so if it's got honey in but best believe that thing is added to my basket quicker than you can blink. But I also loved the fact 97% of the ingredients are natural. I'm trying to be more aware of what is going in and on my body so if I can find something that is more natural or has less additives or chemicals I wanna try it out. Another thing to be aware of is a lot of lip balms contain salicylic acid which is an ingredient used in acne treatments to dry out the spots...why would you want to use a lip balm that has ingredients to dry your lips out? Kind Natured doesn't contain this ingredient so I was super excited to try it out.
I only wear lip balm at night because there is less chance of me licking my lips and having to keep reapplying it, this really gives me a chance to see if a lip balm can make a difference over night. The first thing I noticed was the INCREDIBLE smell, if you like honey this is just like rubbing a spoonful over your lips only way less sticky but quite runny. You can see it's in a tube and I was expecting it would be thicker but when I squeezed it I had a bit of a disaster because it just went everywhere. Anyway, I put it on and went to the land of nod with very high hopes.
When I woke, I was actually really disappointed as it literally didn't do anything to my dry lips. They didn't feel softer, they didn't feel nourished it was like I went to bed with a lipgloss. One thing to note is that my lips were quite chapped, like this little balm would have really had to go some to make them perfect but I was expecting at least a little improvement.
I think that this product is probably better used under matte liquid lipsticks as a primer but not really that great for actually repairing chapped/dry lips. So it's back to my beloved Burts Bees Lip Balm.
What products have you been left a little disappointed with?
Oh yes, I have only gone and joined a gym again after having a full year away from my workouts! Some of you will know I went through quite a big transformation and dropped a lot of weight in 2015 however I moved to Italy and that's when things started to change.
When I moved to Italy, I actually lost weight! Shock! Horror! I know, in the land of carbs how they hell did that happen? I have narrowed it down to two main reasons reasons, the first being loss of muscle mass, like I was doing weights 5 times a week, a lot of legs and butt work outs too so I got kinda flabby which I found really hard. The second reason I believe is the lack of processed food, the quality of the food in Italy is fantastic so even if I was eating pasta every day, I didn't really snack and I wasn't having processed food like I do back home. I made the conscious decision not to join a gym when I moved there purely because I didn't want my memories to just be of a gym, I wanted to experience life.
However in the last 3 months I have gained a lot of weight in a short amount of time, it's disgusting and I'm frickin' gutted! That being said, the quick weight gain doesn't scare me too much because I don't feel like it's real, I have to work hard but it WILL come off again. This means I have joined a gym and I've joined the Xercise4less in my town and have started getting my butt into gear! This isn't gonna be easy, I know that but I know my own mental strength and I will sort myself out there is no doubt.
I'm currently working from home which means I want to eat EVERYTHING in the cupboards so I have a meal plan written down so I know what I am having each day and my body knows what to burn etc. However, I will allow myself one cheat meal a week, whether that's going out for dinner with my geek or dinner with a pal and I have already cut back on the amount of chocolate I eat.
My aim is to go at least 4 times a week but ideally I want to go 5 times a week, this actually fits with my schedule fine so it's definitely achievable. I'm back to using my beloved kettle bell weight even if I walk like a cowboy for 2 days after and I need to start upping my cardio which I am doing in the form of the stairmaster. I love the gym, I always have and I think having a positive attitude will help you to achieve most things so I just need to keep focused.
Are you a fan of the gym or prefer to workout at home?
Today I am having a little chat about some things that I honestly forgot how much I loved. Any Beauty Blogger knows that we all just end up buying the newest products all the damn time so we end up with way more than we actually need which means we just forget what we actually have. So I have started to get rid of some of my out of date products or stuff I just never use which means I am actually finding all these hidden gems in my own stash. Let's get started with something I just used every damn time...
The Beauty Blender
Technically not a product but a tool, I got the beauty blender in a Birchbox bloody ages ago and I probably used it a couple of times and then it kind of went to the back of my shelf and never used it again until a few weeks ago and oh my god. It really just blends everything so effortlessly, even on my neck. I don't use heavy foundation only Sleek Make Up CC Cream (massive fan) which admittedly is a light coverage kinda foundation thang but it looks so nice. I haven't tried the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge but I'm pretty tempted just to see IF there is a difference between the two.
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
Now, this little concealer I have not used for YEARS! I used to use it all the time but I kinda moved onto more expensive things and forgot all about it. I'm trying to reduce the amount of money I am spending on make up and when I was in Superdrug I saw the Lasting Perfection Concealer and thought I may as well give it a go and I remembered not only why I loved it so much but also why all the bloggers are still banging on about it. Seriously fantastic coverage, glad this little think is back in my stash,
Highlighter
A bit of a broad term I know but I think I just got out of the habit of highlighting my face, I mean in the last two years contouring is like a MUST for me but highlighter was always a bit hit and miss and only really when I could be bothered but I found my little Blushing Hearts blush/highlight and thought oh I'll just whack a bit of highlight on today and it completely change my face! All of a sudden my face just looked bright and full of life. The only thing I would say about this highlight is it's rather sparkly so I have got my eye on the Makeup Revolution Highlighter Radiance Palette - so we'll see.
Clay Face Masks
Until recently I kinda forgot about the wonderful things a clay face mask can do, I kind of became obsessed with the exfoliating face masks which of course are great but can be really harsh to your skin. You guys will know that I have already bought the L'Oreal Purity Clay Mask and to be honest it has kind of swayed me back into using clay masks again!!
Setting Powder
I bought the travel sized Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder from Sephora for no other reason than because it was bloody cute...yes guys, I am that kinda girl I like miniature everything! Once I bought it I kinda didn't know what to do with it as the puff thing it comes with just wasn't working for me, so I used it a couple of times and it found it's way to the back of my make up stash. Recently I spotted it and just though oh I'll give it a whirl with my A04 Spectrum Brush and my god what a difference it makes. This powder has the most wonderful finish an almost blurs out all your little pours, just fab! I'm glad I have rediscovered this little gem again.
What products have you fallen back in love with?
I kinda thought I would just have a bit of a chatty kind of post and more of an update I guess. I have now been back in the UK for nearly 3 months and it's gone so quickly it's actually a bit odd. I seem to have settled back into my routine really quickly in fact it's almost like I never lived in Italy at all like it was one big dream, it's a little surreal.
The first few weeks of being at home was just around Christmas so it felt really nice to just chill and faff around and considering I didn't have a job I didn't feel too stressed because it just seemed like I was on a Christmas break or something. I think the hardest part was looking for a job, because I was back at Christmas, a lot of companies didn't come back until the new year or your email just gets lost among the chaos. I had a mild panic before i got my job, but even finding a job I was fortunately in the sense I found one quite quickly and even had a couple of options so that part of my life fell into place quick nicely actually.
Moving back home is always nice because I'm back to being in a home where there is always someone in so I'm definitely less lonely but of course it's always hard to move back in with the parents a little because you kinda wanna do things your way but you have to remember it's actually their home so I just need to shut up sometimes - I can be just a fusspot about how things are done!
I love being close to my pals again, just the way we can meet up whenever we want now means so much to me. I'm not the type of girl to go out every weekend with a huge group of pals, you know I have my cherry picked pals but now I can sporadically meet up with them. Also being in the same bloody country, let alone the same town as my bf is the best! We can spend a night in just watching a movie and I'm pretty damn happy in all honesty.
I'm still thinking about the goals that I had set in place right at the start of the year but some probably aren't realistic like looking for my own apartment after 3 months of being here, there are so many factors to consider so I think staying at home and saving money for a bit longer may be more beneficial in the long run.
There we have my little life update! How is your year going so far?
It's been a while since I've talked about eyelashes on the ol' blog and that's because it's been a while since I have actually worn fake eyelashes that was until I saw the Fleur De Force - Fleur Loves Lashes Eylure lashes.
The thing that really drew me to the Fleur Loves Lashes was the fact they are actually 3/4 length, so not a full strip lash but just a bit shorter which I though would actually fit a little better on my eye. I hate it when you whack on a pair of lashes and half way through the night the inner corner of the lash starts to lift and which just makes you look a bit drunk in all honesty! I also really like the way the lashes get a little longer on the outer corner.
When I put them on, I immediately fell in love because they looked so damn natural, even my best dear Vernia was seriously impressed and that girl knows lashes. The Fleur Loves Lashes added a lovely amount of volume to my lashes and I must admit I kind of want to wear them more frequently than just on nights out because they are THAT pretty! They didn't lift at all or feel too heavy.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm definitely gonna buy more because I have a feeling that I may start wearing them a little more frequently than for just a night out! If you are looking for some false lashes that will give you the right amount of fluttery volume then you need to check these out.
What are your favourite false lashes?
Beer...on Honeypot Blogs..,are you sure? Well basically, I bought the Meantime Brewery Tour for the geek for Christmas and we only just got around to booking it in. I love a little drinky tour and whilst I'm not the biggest fan of beer I wanted to say I actually really enjoyed it and thought I should share my experience with you guys.
Meantime Brewing is actually based in Greenwich and other than the O2 there is naff all there but don't you guys worry, because the Brewery has their own pub, right outside so if you do rock up an hour early they've got you covered. I have to mention that the tour is a pretty hefty 2 hours long so it isn't for the faint hearted, but there is a rather wonderful reason why. The structure of the tour is firstly, they talk you through a variety of different beers before showing you how they actually brew it all and this is the main bulk of the tour at an hour and a half. Our tour guide Tom is clearly so passionate about the beers and really knows every minute detail as well as being extremely funny.
As you can see, we really did have a variety of different beers, starting with a London Lager which I must admit I was a bit indifferent about tasted like most lagers from an uneducated pallet like mine, I can't remember what the second one was but again I wouldn't say I had a very big opinion of it. Moving onto a rather cloudy wheat beer this is where I started to actually taste the differences, Tom advised that not everyone likes a wheat beer and I totally get why he would say that. It's quite odd because it's a little thicker in taste than some of the others and perhaps a little drier really unusual but I actually quite liked it. This was followed by the Meantime Stout which I bloody hated, it's just not my kinda drink.
The fifth one was easily my favourite called the Yakima Red, which is a deep red in colour but has like a citrus zesty taste to it, being someone who has never ordered a pint of beer in any pub in her life, I could happily order this one again I just found it really light and loved the fruitiness of it! The last one was another "love it or hate it" kind of beer and again, I can't remember what it was but it was hella malty and fruity - think malt loaf in a drink form. I was actually surprised how much I liked this little guy! As you can see the beer measurements were ample, I'd said probably a 3rd of a pint in each glass and they just kept coming.
After we drank all this booze, the last 30 minutes of the tour was when you had to put on your little goggles (not the beer ones, I definitely already had them on) and had to walk around the different machinery learning how it all works which is pretty interesting stuff. Even down to bottling the beer, I was really impressed by the sheer volume of beer their produce daily.
I think overall it was a great tour, a very British laid back tour that I really bloody enjoyed and even though I am not a beer drinker it was fantastic, if you love beer or know someone who does the tickets were only £20 per person it makes for a great gift so just book it in.
Are you a fan of beer?
Ok, Max Factor Creme Puff Blush is nothing new, in fact I even wrote a little review on the Lovely Pink Blush which I am still a huge fan of! However, I was looking for a new product that would actually work as more of a powder and not just a blush.
I was obsessed with my Hourglass Ambient Light powder in Dim Light, I got the mini size and I even bought the big version, I just adored the light it brought to my face but unfortunately I hit the pan a couple of weeks ago and I can't bear to buy it again because let's face it they are bloody expensive. This leaves a great big hourglass sized shape hole in my heart I must admit, so I had a little look in my local Superdrug to see whether there was anything similar on the highstreet. The problem is the Hourglass powder is just so beautiful and not glittery at all it makes it so easy to use as a setting powder and the high st just offers highlighters and that's kind of it.
Just as I was leaving the store I spotted the Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Nude Mauve and thought...could this work? I gave it a quick swatch and the thing about this particular shade, is when all blended together it's not THAT different, it's certainly not to sparkly but it is a bit darker than my actual skin tone. In my pictures Nude Mauve definitely looks more pinkier than it actually is, anyway I thought it's worth giving it a go.
The results, it's a bit of a tricky one because I have used it like I would my beloved Hourglass powder but you definitely can't use it in the same way! It does add a bit of depth to my face but because it is darker than my skin it's kind of like a bronzer, so I have to treat it as such. This being said, I do really like the product, it's not sparkly or glittery like many of the highstreet blushers/highlighters. It's a really good purchase and I will definitely continue to use it, but I'm still on a hunt!
What are your favourite highstreet dupes?
