Finding The Perfect Lipstick

Finding The Perfect Lipstick

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Have you ever found a makeup product that was just PERFECT for you? That one holy grail product that nothing else could seem to do as good a job as? This product was your go-to item, your favourite thing in your makeup bag, and the one thing you'd just be devastated if it was ever *shudder* discontinued?

Well I have, but no this post isn't a review of a product that's been out for years, this post is about what happens when the company that creates that holy grail product makes a business decision that makes you wonder..."but what do I do now?"

My 30th Birthday Look

My 30th Birthday Look

Saturday, July 08, 2017

I promised on Instagram I would do  a little post about my 30th birthday. A what I wore, what I did kind of thing so here we are. 

This year's soiree was quite a bit more subdued that previous years'-there were no costumes, no crazy themes, no 3 day benders in Newcastle. It was just me and my favourite people, having dinner in my favourite hotel, and drinking into the wee small hours, and it was fabulous! I loved it, and as a reformed party girl I think I might have been missing a trick all these years (who am I kidding I loved every minute of those too)! 

So what did I wear? 

Well my absolute favourite piece of my whole outfit was this last minute addition...isn't it gorgeous 😒

Yeah so I managed to totally bugger my arm the week leading up to my birthday so this beauty is my new accessory de jour! Luckily for my mood the outfit underneath this bad boy was so perfectly me.

 I spent about 20 minutes picking dresses to try on from the sale (ya girl's not made of money you know) rail at New Look only to spy this dream on the way to the fitting room. Honestly I don't think there is a single other item of clothing that sums "ME" up quite so perfectly. Annoyingly this one has actually been added to the sale since I bought it *sob* and can be yours for £24. Thankfully for my bank account the shoes were in the sale when I got em and they are actually surprisingly comfy. Damian picked them though so I can't take all the credit-they aren't online anymore but these are quite similar.

I know as a blogger I am supposed to document everything but I think I maybe took a maximum of 3 photos all night so I don't actually have one of me all dressed up :-/ but I did take this one in the dressing room when I bought it!

Time for Makeup:

I am totally obsessed with my Anastasia Beverley Hills palette that I picked up when we were in Florida so that is the base of every single makeup look I have done recently! If you've never heard of Manny Mua I highly recommend checking out his tutorial for these eyeshadows he's a genius, and even I can follow his videos. 

I love all of these products so much, so imagine my despair when half way through the night Fiona told me that Estee Edit were shutting and I wouldn't be able to get my beloved Flash Illuminator every again :-O! Apparently I don't like to make it easy for myself because my favourite lipsticks are only available from the US and customs charges are a bitch!! 

On birthday night I wore:

• Urban Decay All Nighter in 1.0 (this stuff oxidises about 2 shades darker so shop down a shade or two), I actually like to mix in a touch of liquid highlighter with my foundation to give my face an all over light. 
• Estee Edit Flash Illuminator
• Sleek Soltice
• Modern Renaissance: Golden Ochre mixed with Burnt Orange, Venetian Red, and Vermeer. 
• Kylie Cosmetics Koko Collection 2 Shade Bunny with a dot of Sugar Plum gloss on centre of bottom lip. 

I was going to do a bit about what I got too but it turns out that I was spoiled this year, that I have enough to fill a whole other post! So stay tuned for that if you are into that sort of thing. 

I also absolutely promise that the next time I do my makeup, or wear this outfit I will make a concerted effort to take decent photographs for you all. Or at least take some before I'm drunk! 

What did you do on your last birthday? Did you know that W7 Cosmetics have come out with this amazing dupe for Modern Renaissance? Can anybody find me a replacement for my Estee Edit illuminator 😭?

Summer Makeup Trends 2017

Summer Makeup Trends 2017

Friday, June 23, 2017

It's been a while since I've done a beauty post but I have a couple planned for the next month or two so thought I'd get the beauty ball rolling with a look to the coming season.

Whilst Summer in Britain might actually only last a few days (and may actually already be over-down south anyway, it's not been nearly as hot in Scotland *sob*) it is one of the most inspirational times. Trends are everywhere, and with so many opportunities to show off a look it's a great time to try something new. 

I grew up watching my mum paint her face on every morning, same face every day, and it was classic, and it worked for her. But I think sometimes it's nice to mix it up a bit, so this summer instead of my usual beauty regime I'm going to try out every one of these trends...who's with me?

Nails

It's summer so of course we're leaning towards brights. This year we seem to have come over all 80s, and I love it! Nail technicians are seeing a rise in requests for neons which we all know go great with a summer tan (be it real or fake). What is new for Summer 2017 is the styles though- at lot of designers sent their models down the runway with negative space, or marble being the focal point of their nails. I'm one of those bloggers who loves a bit of marble as I'm sure most of us are, so why not ask your professional nail artist to create some marble magic using Mambo Beat and Banana Clips from the CND Shellac Collection from https://www.ellisons.co.uk/nails.html.

Top Tip: HAVE FUN. Nails are such a great canvas to experiment on so grab the brightest brights and just play about with whatever takes your fancy this summer!

Neon Marble Nails. Photo Credit: Jenny Nagorski 

Skin

This summer it's all about the glow. Highlighter has been big news for a while now but this summer it's set to take centre stage. It's time to relax your contour, put down the bronzer and make your highlighting palette the star of the show. This look is all about being hydrated so try using things like coconut oil, face mists, and even lip balms to add some shine to your skin. 

Top Tip: add some liquid highlighter to your foundation and dab on with a damp beauty blender! 

Dewy Skin. Photo Credit: Clarins

Lips

Your face isn't the only thing calling out for some shine this summer. Lip gloss is set to make a comeback. After a few seasons of Matte Lipstick running the show (thanks in part to lipkits from a certain Jenner, and amazing drugstore products from Sleek) it's time to pick up the gloss again, and add a little moisture to your pout. I know what you're thinking though "ugh but lipgloss is so sticky!" well Bare Minerals have come to the rescue with their new Buttercream Glosses, all of the shine-none of the stickiness. 

Top Tip: feeling a bit more daring this summer? Try colour blocking your lips. A red on top and an orange on your bottom lip with a touch of gloss in the middle, will really make any look pop. 

photo credit: Getty

Eyes

Hands up if you just can't when it comes to lining your eyes? I am genuinely in awe of everybody with these perfect lines, and flicks, and cats eyes! When I try I always have to have micellar water, and 100 cotton buds on hand to fix my mistakes-and I almost never get both eyes looking anywhere near the same. Which is why I am so excited eye makeup is going a bit grungy this summer. It's all about the kohl and the smudge folks. All you need is a pencil and a finger and you too can nail this summer's biggest eye trend. 

Top Tip: draw a hashtag on the outer corner of your eye, then dab on some vaseline and smudge inwards-perfect addition to any smokey eye, or as a standalone look a la Balmain.

What are some makeup and beauty trends you predict will be big this summer? Are you like me and a bit reluctant to step away from the contour stick? Let me know in the comments OR on Twitter.

Happy Summer 😘

Disclaimer: This post contains collaborative content or PR samples. All thoughts and opinions are true and personal. 

                                                    

Not Another LipKit Review

Not Another LipKit Review

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

I've been thinking about writing this post for a while but then all of a sudden it seemed like every blogger with a mouth and a penchant for expensive lipstick was doing a "Kylie Jenner LipKit Review" so I held off. But then I bought more, and then a couple, more, and then it was "oh a couple more wont hurt" and now I've somehow I've ended up with a collection!
So, no this isn't your typical LipKit review, this is more a "look at my collection" with an added opinion or two :-) Oh and photos of course!!

It's Time for Makeup, Perfect Smile, It's You they're all Waiting For...

It's Time for Makeup, Perfect Smile, It's You they're all Waiting For...

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Hiya!! Whenever anybody asks "what do you blog about?" I always automatically answer with the standard "oh you know a bit of everything really, but mostly fashion, beauty and lifestyle" and this is true it pretty much sums me up. Although I will admit that more often than not it's lifestyle that appears on these "pages" which is a shame because I do LOVE beauty and fashion just as much. It was this thought running through my head when I decided to write a post about my going out makeup. I generally don't wear makeup unless I'm going out for dinner or drinks, or the odd Friday at work when I'm feeling like a pick-me-up, and my husband takes great pleasure in pointing out just how much more makeup I wear now, than when we first met, and that is purely the fault of the blogging community!! I've been introduced to such amazing products over the last year and you'll see my favourites in this post.  FACE It's all about that base! Turns out it's not just an awful judgy song masquerading as a body positive anthem...it is, in fact, an important mantra when doing your makeup. It's taken me years to get it right but these products give me the ultimate canvas for my makeup looks. 

Dermatique- Recuperating Cream (miracle product that I reviewed here) Benefit- "That Gal"-Brightening Face Primer Collection- Illuminating Touch-Brightening Concealer ELF Cosmetics- Tone Correcting Concealer Bare Minerals- Complexion Rescue- Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream in Opal 01 Freedom- Pro-Contour Shaped Stick Rimmel- Natural Bronzer in Sun Glow 025 Stila- Illuminating Powder in 40 Watts Benefit- High Beam- Luminescent Complexion Enhancer BROWS Who knew brows would become the most important thing ever! 2015 saw the rise of the Delevigne brow and I for one was bloody grateful. Personally, I've been rocking a bushy brow since I was knee high to a grasshopper (they are in fact a family trait)- I loved it when Brooke Shields originally made them a "thing", I tried my best when all of a sudden body hair of any kind was the enemy and we waxed, plucked and threaded any natural shape out of them, and here we are again where suddenly I'm uber-fashionable again and I don't have to drop £12 every month to allow someone to wax my face! Woohoo!!

Makeup Revolution- Focus & Fix- Eyebrow Shaping Kit (great for on the go but I mostly just use the tweezers if I have everything else with me) Maybelline- Brow Satin- Brow Pencil in Dark Brown Urban Decay- Naked Basics- Eyeshadow in Faint L'Oreal-Brow Artist Plumper- Clear Shaping Gel EYES I'm a huge advocate of natural eye makeup, don't get me wrong I would totally love to carry off all these BIG makeup looks that some of you beautiful people are rocking but I think my face is too small and too much makeup overpowers my face. I prefer to just make what's underneath look slightly better than normal. 

Makeup Revolution-Iconic Pro Palette- Shades: Paper, Chase, and New Day.

Rimmel- Soft Kohl- Eyeliner in Jet Black 061

Dior- Diorshow Blackout- Waterproof Mascara

Max Factor- False Lash Effect- Mascara

LIPS

Now my lips are ridiculously dry because of this stupid cold weather so whilst I would normally be rocking a punchy/vampy deep purple or bright red lippy, I have been resigned to a much more natural look for this at the moment too. That being said the brands don't change just the colours so this is still pretty accurate. 

Carmex-Moisturising Lip Balm- Strawberry (now I'm kind of allergic to this but it's so good I can't stop using it lol)

MAC- Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice "n" Spicy

Bare Minerals- Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Spark Plug

Clinique- Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry 07

Bare Minerals- Marvelous Moxie in Hypnotist

As you can probably tell there is a lot of layering that goes on when I do my lips *haha*

ANYWAY!! I know you are all probably thinking "holy cow AJ that's a shit ton of makeup!" but I promise it is all needed and it doesn't look that much when it's done, in fact, see for yourself...

EXCUSE THE JUST OUT THE SHOWER REDNESS!

NO FILTER NO EDITING JUST GREAT MAKEUP

Hope this hasn't been too boring for you. Would love to hear if there are any products out there you guys think I would love. As always either leave me a comment or come chat with me on Twitter. 

Save My Face // Skincare // Dermatique*

Save My Face // Skincare // Dermatique*

Monday, August 10, 2015

Hi guys!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...all through high school I was called Frosty. Not for my ice queen-like disposition, or the fact that I refused to drop my knickers for all the "popular" boys (although I'd like to clarify that those things were both also true) but no, the awfully imaginative bullies (who shall henceforth be known as twatty-bastards) had decided that because I had dry skin I deserved to be teased mercilessly. Apparently flaky skin makes you a snowman...who knew?? Anyway, as strong as I am the twatty-bastards did get to me, so I made it my mission to "cure" my dry skin. It took me until I was 18 to realise that there wasn't really a miracle cure for something that is so prevalent and that you have no control over!! Of course, there were creams out there that managed to give me some moisture but I never actually found one that lasted all day, or for that matter for as long as it took me to add my makeup on top.

Photo Credit: ME! Thought I'd draw the little guy for y'all. 

THEN I discovered blogging, and alongside that a whole community of people who have the answers. I took to Twitter and asked the all-important question: What cream is best for extra dry and eczema prone skin? The resounding answer was La Roche Posay Toleriane Fluide-and do you know what I thought it was perfect...until I tried wearing it under my makeup. But hey, I was one step closer. La Roche Posay works on those days when I don't want to wear makeup, and I would highly recommend it. I settled into my almost perfect skincare routine and was quite content until one day everything changed...the day I was contacted by Dermatique.

Dermatique are a Scottish skincare company, and by that I mean SCOTTISH SKINCARE GENIUSES!! They very kindly sent me a tub of their Recuperating Cream to try out and I can't stop using it and recommending it.

The cream is a lovely thick body butter type consistency, which reminds me of good old Astral, and much like a proper good thick cream it really doesn't take much to cover my whole face. It is a lot heavier than I am used to, but whilst this bothered me the first couple of days I soon got used to it and I stopped even noticing the difference. 

Oh and can I just mention the smell.. some other reviews I've seen have said the smell is horrible but these people are crazy! I couldn't quite figure out what I was smelling at first but one day, when I got the sudden urge to lick my own face, I realised that it's OATMEAL!! My face smells like breakfast, and I love it!!! I'm guessing this unheard of smell (for a cream) comes from the fact that this cream is completely natural- NO PARABENS, NO ADDITIVES, NOTHING!

I put A LOT of faith in Dermatique because their products are specifically formulated for people with eczema, dry skin, psoriasis etc, and boy did they deliver! Are you ready to see the results? First up I give you my pre-Dermatique face (fully made-up)...

You see all the dry, flaky bits across my brow line, and tip of my nose?

Wait for it...

GONE!! Completely fucking GONE! My skin is so clear, and practically glowing. 

I give complete credit for my skin transformation to Dermatique and their Recuperating Cream. I know that £29.50 may seem a bit steep for a tub of cream, but seriously look at the difference! This isn't just a moisturiser, this is a miracle CURE for a "Frosty", "Flaky" "Weather-beaten", "Bully Fodder" complexion!

If you suffer from any skin complaint like eczema, psoriasis etc, then please do yourself a favour and head over to Dermatique and grab yourself a pot! And if you still aren't quite sure then you can now pick up a sampler size for just £4.99...don't just take my word for it, try it for yourself. 

Let me know what you think, or what your miracle products are in the comments. I'll just be sitting here licking my face, and taking wonder in the softness.

Much Love 

AJ 

xx

p.s. This product was gifted to me, but all opinions are my own, and 110% honest. 

OOTD // BIG FLOOPY FUN // ENGAGEMENT PARTY

OOTD // BIG FLOOPY FUN // ENGAGEMENT PARTY

Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Heeeeeelo!!

It's not often I get to dress up and have fun nowadays so I was super excited to raid my closet and come up with the perfect outfit for my brother (from another mother's) engagement party. Before we get to the nitty gritty I would just like to say a huge "congratulations" to Dave and Fiona, and wish them all the best for their upcoming nuptials and the future. But hey y'all just really wanna see what I wore don't ya?!?

OOTD

Excuse the unmade bed, I was too busy trying on half my closet!!

It even sits right when I'm sitting down! Just wish my necklace wasn't back to front :-(

I freaking love this bag! Ted Baker is my go-to guy for night out clutches. 

What I wore:

Ruched polo neck, cropped sleeveless top- Primark (old as the hills so no idea how much it cost)

Bonded Full Midi Skirt- Topshop (£20 in store sale, get it before it's gone!!!)

Black croc effect courts (not pictured) - New Look (24.99 I think)

White PVC Quilted Ted Baker Clutch- Cruise (£51) 

I managed to keep my face out of all these photos which is rather surprising!! Lucky for you I took a "getting ready" mirror selfie (because my front facing camera is buggered) and here's a massive close up of my face just for all you special people :-p...

FOTD

Oh My God...what colour do my eyes look to you?? Answers in the comments if you please!

Are you guys ready for this, because it takes a lot to make me look human...

What I wore on my face:

Recuperating Cream- Dermatique (£24.50 ON SALE!! Usually £29.50 for 100ml)

That Gal Brightening Primer- Benefit (£22.50 for 11ml)

Complexion Rescue in Opal- Bare Minerals (£26 for 35ml)

High Beam Highlighter- Benefit (£19.50 for 13ml)

Bronze Glow Shimmering Powder- Collection 2000 (£2.19)

Brow Satin in Medium Brow- Maybelline (£5.99)

Focus & Fix Brow Kit in Medium/Dark- Makeup Revolution (£2.50)

Iconic Pro 2 in Silk & One Way- Makeup Revolution (£6.99)

Soft Kohl Kajal Pencil Eyeliner in Jet Black- Rimmel (£2.99)

Diorshow Black Out Mascara- Christian Dior (£25.00) 

Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice'n'Spicy- Mac (£15.00)

Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Hypnotist-Bare Minerals (£16.00) 

WOW!! Does it seriously look like I have that much on my face? I bloody hope not, do you people see what blogging has done to me. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a fucking brow kit until I joined the blogging community!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed a peek at my outfit and face for the night. I'd love to know what your go-to products are, and if  your "natural" face takes as much as mine lol.

Much Love 

AJ

xx

Fashion Friday 2

Fashion Friday 2

Friday, March 07, 2014

So as promised on twitter this post is all about how I challenged myself to get everything I wanted, in town today, for under £30! This may not seem difficult to some of you but I'm an unashamed spender, I like nice things and I will sooner pay for quality before I buy discount (so sue me). But today-on payday no less I set myself a budget AND I nailed it!! 

First things first as those that read my latest Wish Wednesday post will know I was after a BB Cream to trial and despite my worries I gave in and bought the Garnier one, because it was the cheapest brand name version available and because I wouldn't feel right writing something off without first trying it myself. 

So I purchased the Garnier BB for Sensitive Skin in light-here's hoping it works! I'll let you all know over the weekend. 

Secondly I really wanted a black nail varnish, feeling kind of vampy at the moment ;-). As luck would have it Miss Sporty are doing a two for £3 deal in Superdrug, which means my trial and error doesn't have to break the bank. I did want a matte black but settled for glossy. Like I said TWO for £3 so I also grabbed at nice cornflower blue shade (cos it's my favourite against my skin tone). 

The black goes on really thinly and I needed three coats to give a proper black coverage- and I have tiny nails. So I probably wouldn't recommend it, however the blue is very pretty and went on quite easily. If I had one gripe I'd say it's a bit too bright for your usual cornflower shade (but pretty blue is still pretty blue). 

Next I headed over to Waterstones to pick up the must have book of the month- John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. There has been a lot of hype around Mr Green- and I usually don't buy into that kind of stuff- but I had a sneaky read of the first few chapters while lazing about in Waterstones Costa a couple of weeks ago and I was hooked. So into the  bought pile it went :-). 

Onto the clothing...I was after a simple tee, nothing in particular in mind just something cute I could tuck into all the high-waisted skirts I seem to have accrued. So a jaunt round Primark ensued. And I found TWO that I thought were totally cute. One was a baseball style tee with a Barbie motif (who doesn't love Barbie??) and the other was a navy tee with a Bulldog wearing rockstar shades and retro headphones! And the winner is.... 

Just look at that face!! Lol this one won because it fit best, the Barbie one was only available in 8 and above and was just a bit on the unstructured baggy side :-(. This one however is from the kids section, fits perfectly AND was in the sale -bargain! 

While perusing said kids section I stumbled upon a cute little skater dress, and I'm a sucker for a skater dress so onto the pile that went. It's totally pretty too, look... 

Waist clearly not to size ;-). 

Finally just as I was packing up for the day I stumbled upon a nail art pack featuring MATTE BLACK nail varnish! It's actually like blackboard paint and comes with nail pens to draw on said blackboard so going to have some fun playing with that. The paint goes on easily and is very black, does turn out matte and seems grand so far. The matte topcoat however is tacky and overly gloopy so I'd suggest using a different one. 

I know you're all thinking "there's no way you got all that for less than £30" but dear readers let me tell you something...I have change...

Garnier BB Cream- £6.46

Miss Sporty Varnish x2- £3

The Fault in Our Stars- £7.99

Bulldog Tee- £2

Blue Spotty Dress- £8 

Blackboard Nail Art set- £2 

Grand total £29.45 :-). 

Anyone else challenged themselves like this? Share your best budget buys with me on twitter, or down in the comments. And don't forget it you like what you see here you can follow me on Tumblr and Bloglovin too. 

Much Love

AJ

xx

Wish Wednesday 2

Wish Wednesday 2

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Happy Wednesday guys and gals :-). 

My Wish this week is totally superficial but I think a girl is allowed to be superficial once in a while right??

I wish I had better skin! My whole life I have had dry, horrible skin that just doesn't like me :-(. I can't wear make-up because it causes me to come out in a rash (which is more than annoying cos this face needs make-up!), and I can't wear a skirt without tights because my skin is so dry and white, on my legs, I just look awful -which sucks by the way because my legs are like totally my best body part!! 

Anyway so I have this special moisturiser from the Doctor that works really well for a grand total of maybe an hour if i'm lucky :-(. So yeah I'm kind of at the stage where I am wishing for the perfect moisturiser. 
Neat little trick idea though...if you have really, really dry skin like me then Nipple cream for expectant mothers and the like works quite well (however it is really heavy and if used for too long it will start to clog things).

I was considering trying a BB Cream but have no idea where to begin!! 

Like seriously WHICH ONE???

So if you guys have any suggestions please let me know, either in the comments or on twitter :-).

Much Love
AJ 
xx