Boots Haul

I'm back after a little bit of a break from blogging.. but rest assured, I have still been purchasing a LOT of beauty products!!

Whilst I try some of them out, I wanted to share with you some recent purchases from Boots. We all have those moments (you know what I mean) you go to do your makeup and realise that every product you own has run out!! Typical.. and why it is that they always run out at the same time?

So, a super expensive time for me! Here's a sneaky peak into what I bought.. I highly recommend all of these products and always repurchase them. If anyone has any alternatives for me to try then please please please comment below!

Boots coconut and almond leave in conditioner
This has been my every day leave in conditioner for 7 years now! It's super affordable at only £1.49 and is great for de tangling hair before styling. I'm not sure how protective this product is for heat as I have always suffered from split ends so I would highly recommend using this product alongside a heat protector spray.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
I bought this as Tanya Burr highly recommends this on every tutorial! I have to admit I'd never used a powder before but this is now a staple product for me. The Rimmel stay matt powder lasts all day and provides great coverage against oily skin. It's been a godsend for me in this heat!

Rimmel Natural Bronzer Sun Bronze
Again this has been a staple for me for years. Sun Bronze is the perfect subtle colour for me so if you're hoping for the orange effect then this product is not for you!!. I tend to wait until Boots have a 3 for 2 offer and buy two bronzers and a powder as I find the bronzers run down a lot quicker than the powders.

L'Oreal Million Lash Mascara
This featured in my April favourites which you can read here. All I can say about this mascara is that if you haven't already tried it, then you must! And let me know what you think of it!

L'Oreal MagicLumi ConcealerA fairly new product for me but another product which I'm loving at the moment! I usually use YSL Touché Éclat but have been looking for something more affordable for some time. For me this really hits the mark and provides long lasting coverage under the eyes. I also use it as a highlighter around my nose to remove any redness.

The Lush tea tree products have sneaked into this photo! I'll be reviewing those later in the week so keep an eye out!

Summer Nail Varnish

The last week before payday can only mean one thing - we've all spent far too much money during the month on beauty products and clothes meaning we have only have a handful of cash left!

We're probably all in the same boat on this one and if your anything like me, you'll be scouring the shops, trying to find any products which your last few pennies will stretch to!

We'll... we're in luck. we're now into Summer so it's the perfect time to make sure your nails are in their best condition. I mean trimmed, filed and perfectly manicured. I myself am a little bit of a nail biter, so I need a couple of weeks prep in order to grow my nails to a suitable size to paint!

In preparation for beautiful hands and feet for the summer, I use the Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment and the Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream. I love Clarins products - not only do they make your skin feel super soft after using them, the smell of the products provide you with the setting of being in a spa. Definitely a splurge product but something you'll use time and time again. The great thing about Clarins products too is that when you buy more than two items, they often give away free gifts which are usually mini versions of the products. These are great as they allow you to try products you've never used before. This is usually how I fall in love with a product and always end up buying the full size!

So, onto some Summer Nail Varnish's which won't break the bank - perfect to brighten your week up before payday! This is just a sample of my favourite Summer colours and brands. The colours I have chosen vary from coral to nude and are from a variety of brands. My favourite brand of nail varnish have to be Essie and Estee Lauder. Whilst these are high end brands, the quality is amazing and leaves you with salon finish nails. They're also super hard wearing, meaning you won't need to reapply regularly.

I have chosen these colours as they'll go with any outfit. They're perfect to either compliment an outfit, or if worn with casual clothes, make a subtle statement.

From left to right, they are

1. Rimmel Salon Pro - Soul Session
2. Estee Lauder - Tempting Melon
3. Ted Baker - This one doesn't seem to have a name!
4. 17 - Supreme Shine - Simply Pink
5. Essie - Fiji

I hope you enjoyed this post. I'm now off the start growing my nails so I can wear some of these beautiful polishes!

How I Edit My Blog Photos

 

 

Recently a lot of you've been asking what camera and apps I use to edit my photos. Whilst I use my I phone 5 for a number of photos, I'm also lucky that my Dad allows me to borrow his Cannon. He's really into photography so has a load of different cameras and lenses which I borrow!

Choosing Your Background  

Whilst text makes up the main body of the blog, photos draw the readers eye to the article and therefore need to be really engaging.
A lot of beauty bloggers have white furniture which they use as a background - please do not think you need to go out and buy loads of expensive white furniture! It's easy to find some simple yet exciting backgrounds around the home.
When I'm trying to show off a product, I tend to use a white background for no other reason that it makes the product stand out to the reader. Sometimes busy backgrounds can distract from what you're talking about. My top ideas for a great background are:

1. Simple white
2. Grass
3. Plants
4. Pattern quilt cover
5. Into the sky

Turn a Photo Into a Picture

One of my favourite parts of blogging is to get the photo just right! Whilst a white background makes your product stand out, on it's own it's also rather boring so I try to accessorise the photo as much as I can, without cluttering! For example choosing flowers which compliment your product not only look great, but show how much effort has gone into the set up of the photo. My top 5 favourite accessorise are

1. Flowers
2. Candles
3. Fairy lights
4. Glass bottles
5. Other products if out of focus

My top tip is to be careful to show off too many products in one photo - it's great if you do but try to blur them slightly so you're only showing one at a time. You don't need fancy cameras to do this, this can be easily faked using Instagram.

Lighting
It's hard to get the lighting just right when blogging, especially if your only able to work on your blog in the evenings. Again there is a great app which allows you to brighten the light on your photos. I usually use whiteagram but I'm sure there are some similar apps out there which do the same thing.

Editing Using Apps 

If you've read my blog before, you'll notice that I love to add sparkles to my photos! I think it adds something extra and also makes the photo look super pretty! My favourite apps to use are

1. Whiteagram

2. Instagram

3. Afterlight

4. Repix

5. A Beautiful Mess

I don't want this to be a really long blog post but I want to show you the process of one of my images from start to finish and how you can completely change the look of an image.



Whiteagram, Repix, Afterlight, A Beautiful Mess

 

It's great to make our photos look better but be careful not to change the colour too much. If you're reviewing a product we want to know what it actually looks like!

And now for a little glimpse behind the scences of my blogging pics! I mentioned earlier that you don't need to spend loads of money on expensive white furniture. I'm currently in the process of redecorating my dressing room. I bought some shoe shelves from Argos for £11 each and they're just sitting in the room waiting to be put in my new wardrobe. And here's the secret.. Every time I want to take a blogging photo, the shoes all come off, the flowers/fairy lights/candles go on and there you have it... My very own backdrop for blogging! All for £11! Here's a photo of what it looks like behind the camera - the part which you never see!!

 

 

I hope this has answered some of the questions you had plus inspired you to take some photos for your blog! With Summer on its way, I can't wait to get out there and take some photos outside!

Happy snapping!!

Well we're halfway through June and I'm now writing my May favourites! But better late than never hey! It was hard to chose just a few this month, but these really stood out. I try to do a variety of favourites, makeup, hair, you tuber etc.

Urban Decay Naked Pallette 2
I love all of the naked pallets but this month I have been loving naked 2. For those of you who don't own one (where have you been) there are three options to chose from:

Naked 1- 12 gorgeous bronze shades in a suede case
Naked 2 - 12 neutrals in a tin case
Naked 3 - 12 rose neutrals in a hard tin

The reason why I chose Naked 2 over Naked 1 (I don't have 3) is because I've been on a couple of holidays this month and the tin case provides extra protection whilst travelling. I know what your thinking, do I need to take 12 eyeshadow a on holiday. Well the answer is yes. The naked pallets are all designed to beautifully compliment each other - which means you can mix and match different colours every night if you're on holiday! They do a smaller travel version but the colours are all matt and I like a little bit of a shimmery shade!
My favourite colours in naked 2 are 'chopper' for all over the lid 'busted' for the outer corners and underneath the eyes and 'bootycall' as a brow highlight.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
I have really been loving my real techniques expert face brush this month for applying foundation. Although it's much smaller than some of the foundation brushes I have used previously, it's actually great at buffing foundation into the skin - providing an ultra flawless look. When I went from using previous foundations brushes to the expert face brush, not only did I notice the difference but my friends noticed the difference too. I think I purchased this for around £12 (they're usually in boots 3 for 2). £12 for a foundation brush is towards the lower end of the market in comparison to companies such as Mac and Bobbi Brown, but this product is nothing like low end! I have been using this for 4/5 months now and the bristles remain exactly as purchased. I often find with Mac brushes that the brush sheds after a couple of weeks - this doesn't happen with Real Techniques.
I previously used the Real Techniques stippling brush which was a close second favourite but I managed to ruin mine washing it!

Molton Brown Pink Pepper Pod Body Wash
No there's a mouthful! I actually had this as a Christmas present but tried to keep hold of it as long as possible before using it in order to proudly display it in my bathroom (yes I'm that sad!). I love Molton Brown products - from the gorgeous slick packaging to the brightly coloured liquids. The great thing about them is that the scent is so strong that you only need to use a small amount of product.
I have had the pink pepper pod fragrance before and I have to admit it may not be for everyone! It's made from ground pink pepper pods so the scent is spicy! It smooths your skin leaving it hydrated and smelling yummy!
The Molton Brown body washes are prices at around £18 - a high end product but great for a night of pampering. I would recommend people to try this product before buying as whilst this scent may not be got you, they have loads to chose from. I actually double this up as a bubble bath - not sure if i should do that hmmmmmm let me know!

TRESemme Split Remedy Treatment Mask
My hair is extremely dry and I mean split ends on split ends. This has been caused from years of taming my wild hair which GHD's. I wanted to try a cheaper hair product which is not only great for my hair, but that I wouldn't worry about the cost when applying it thickly.
I have used a couple of Tresemme products before and seen great results and the Expert Recovery hair mask did not disappoint! It claims to recover parched, dried out ends and lengths.
I apply to the ends of my hair after washing and leave on for 5-10 minutes before washing. Immediately after washing my hair is noticeably smoother and much more manageable when trying to brush through. Whilst I still have split ends (it didn't work miracles) after a couple of uses they appeared visibly repaired.
I use this 1-2 times a week as a treat to my hair.

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel
This stands out to me as my number 1 favourite product of May. This seems so much more than a cleansing gel. You put if on your face as a gel, it's then turns into an oil, removing makeup and dirt along the way. When you wash it off, the consistency is much more milky and you'll notice the gel has turned white in colour. Again I use this 1/2 times a week as a treat to my skin. I love the smell of Clarins products, it reminds me of visiting a spa so great for a night of home pampering.

Favourite You Tuber
I spend a lot of time watching You Tube videos!! I have around 10 favourite You Tubers but my favourite of all time and for the month of May is...... Funforloui.

For those of you who havnt watched his channel (you must, must, must, watch it!)  Loui vlogs every single day!! That's like a whole new soap opera but without the drama!

Loui is super down to earth and vlogs his every day life.. You'll mostly find him skateboarding to a coffee shop of hanging out with his friends.. His vlogs also follow him travelling around the world, on meet ups and charity projects. Funforloui is a breathe of fresh air in the world of vlogging. If you haven't seen him.. Click here now! It's great viewing whilst applying your makeup in the morning!