Wednesday 2 December 2015

Life update: A new little sausage.

So just less than two months ago, a beautiful little doggy passed away and left a hole in our hearts. The house was so quiet, and after just a week we realised something had to be done. After ringing so many different breeders, we drove to Barnsley in search of a new friend. When we saw him we just couldn't say no to his little face.


Say hello to Frank the Miniature Dachshund. Also known as Frankie sausage or sege for short. I have wanted a little sausage dog for many a year now. I can guarantee every birthday or Christmas, the majority of my gifts are sausage dog related as everyone knows how much I love them. Now I have one of my own, or should I say Hutch and I have one of our own!

He is around 16 weeks old and he is stubborn, crazy and naughty. So it's a good job we love him so much. He loves kisses and food, but hates going out in the wind, rain or dark - so he of course loves it outside at the moment.. not! I still can't get over how big his diggers/paws are and his symmetrical little face. Our life has been basically been flipped upside down since he came around, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Actually I'd have preferred more sleep in the first couple of weeks but hey ho!

Welcome to the family Frank!



Libi xx


Monday 26 October 2015

New Things: October


So there's many advantages and disadvantages to working full time. But one advantage is spending more money on makeup. I mean, I don't need any more lipsticks, but do I buy them, of course I do. Most of my purchases are usually influenced by bloggers or youtubers and they go onto my little wish list for a while until eventually I give in and they come home with me!

First up is a lipstick (of course!) this is Mac All Fired Up from the Retro Matte range. This is a colour that I've wanted for about 2 years and always pick up and swatch in store. I've held off by thinking I didn't really need it, however when I got chance at a Back to Mac freebie it went straight in my basket. It's a beautiful combination of a bright pink and red, a good bold lip.

Also from Mac, a new brush for my collection. This is the Mac 266 Small Angle Brush. As you may have seen from my New York haul in March. All I've been using for my brows is the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade and I've been using the same old thick cheap brush since I first started filling in my brows, so this was a sneeky little treat for myself. It has definitely improved the precision in which I apply product so hopefully no scouse brows in sight!

I've never seen so much hype about a concealer like I have for Urban Decay's Naked Skin. I've never really been fussy with my concealers as long as they cover. However, recently I've needed something to help brighten my under eyes. Due to my (desceivingly) pale skin tone, I've never really found anything to do this and help highlight my face. But this has completely done the trick, so much so I'm considering buying it in a slightly darker colour for the rest of my face.

Finally some cheeky Space Nk purchases. I'm not afraid to say going into store intimidates me slightly. The staff to customer ratio is a bit off and I always feel a little judged. So I tend to have an idea of what I want before I go in.

One of which was Emma Hardie's Amazing Face cleanser. I was stuck over this or the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, but in the end this reigned triumphant for the fact it seemed to have a much creamier consistency for dry skin. This has been in my possession for just over a week and it is most definitely love. This has completely changed my skin for the better, it is no longer as dry and using it as a second cleanse has meant that my skin is much clearer!

The other purchase: one of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes in Dim Infusion. This is a beauty, cue the love heart eyes emoji! The colour is a beautiful coral with a lovely glow to it and no sparkle in sight. Due to it being a combination of a blush with one of the Ambient Lighting powders, it's ridiculously blendable and I love it that much that I may have made a cheeky order for the new Ambient Lighting Edit palette so I can try two more colours and one of the bronzers. What can I say Hourglass have just sucked me in.

Well then, I'm now a bit skint. At least I have lots of pretty things! Until next time..

Libi xx


Monday 5 October 2015

My First Jo Malone Experience



Let's just start by saying I absolutely love perfume. I love that a memory can spark from a quick whiff of a certain scent and I'm not gonna lie and tell you that I didn't try use this to my advantage at University. Dousing myself in the stuff for revision then hoping I'd sit down in my exam and all the knowledge would flood in.

It's also something quite personal, which is why it surprises me that it's probably one of the most bought gifts ever. Not for myself however, I have a perfume collection comprising of two perfumes. Juicy Couture's original fragrance and this little beauty I picked up the other week.

Myself and Hutch decided to go for a little day out in Liverpool, we wandered around for a while and then I dragged Hutch into the Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar store to have a browse. After I stopped by at MAC, he fancied looking at Jo Malone.

Up until this point I had no idea he liked Jo Malone scents. I could just be very sexist, but I have always just associated the brand with women. It was not until I'd sprayed approximately 30 fragrances on myself, did I realise a lot of them were very unisex and quite musky, especially the Cologne Intense ones.

After taking so long to settle on my favourite, we went to the till armed with two 30ml bottles. Hutch chose Pomegranate Noir - one of Jo Malone's most popular fragrances and I chose Nectarine Blossom and Honey, one I had never heard many people talk about but loved how sweet it was.

The lovely lady serving us told us all about mixing different scents together to find a unique fragrance. For Hutch she suggested Pomegranate Noir combined with Wood Sage and Sea Salt, I can't begin to describe the end result but all I remember is it smelt divine. For myself, Nectarine Blossom and Honey combined with Blackberry and Bay. This was one of the scents I enjoyed anyway and toyed with purchasing. The combination of the two smelt like a Blackberry cocktail of some sort, I was tempted to buy the other on the spot but I resisted. It's now on my payday wish list.

After looking for some cologne samples but to no avail, we settled upon some lovely body wash samples so we could test our combined scents and layer them together for greater lasting power.

Overall, we had such great service in Jo Malone and as always their gift presentation and wrapping was so lovely. I'll definitely be back!

Have you tried Jo Malone before? What is your favourite scent? What would you like to try?

Libi xx

Monday 14 September 2015

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector - Champagne Pop


I'm back! Sorry for the large gap in posts. I really didn't realise how long it would take me to settle in to full time employment and how much it would exhaust me. For anyone that doesn't know, I graduated university in July and moved back home to start a new job and join the big bad world. Every minute I've had spare I've wanted to go out for the day and make the most of my free time. However today I've been laying around in various positions recovering from my first half marathon yesterday (more details to come!) and decided I just needed to put up this post just incase this limited edition product is stopped being sold soon.

I first began watching Jaclyn Hill about a year ago and quickly became slightly obsessed. Her makeup is always flawless, she has such great sense of humour and is so easy to watch. She even coined the phrase "Highlight on fleek.". So when she announced she was bringing out a highlighter with Becca cosmetics, I knew I needed it there and then. I present to you Champagne Pop..


A really beautiful highlighter with a peachy gold undertone. I was initially quite scared at first that it was going to be quite warmed toned and therefore would look quite weird on my pale skin, but as she designed the product with her sister (also pale skinned) in mind it shows up beautifully.

I would say if you like a natural highlight, this is definitely not for you! Due to its ridiculously amazing pigmentation this would be what most people would use on a weekend or a night out. I would personally wear it during the day with a lighter hand as its just so lovely.

It has almost a cream to powder formula which means it doesn't feel drying and gives almost a blurring quality to the cheeks, whereas some other powder highlighters would just make your pores look larger and you would end up with big chunks of glitter all over your face!

At a price point of around £27 it's quite an expensive one, however it is definitely worth it. I find highlighters are not something I buy a lot of either, so they end up lasting for a long time.

The biggest downside to this beaut powder? It is limited edition and only being sold in the US through Sephora. Luckily I had a lovely friend who just happened to be making a cheeky order. If you are thinking of ordering some American goodies anyway, partner up with a friend, split the shipping and pop one of these into your basket!

Till next time..

Libi xx

Monday 10 August 2015

New Things: Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

Urban Decay Naked Smoky
Urban Decay Naked Smoky

All hail Urban Decay. They always know how to suck a girl in. They created the first Naked palette in 2010 and everyone rushed to buy it. It sold out everywhere. Since then they have to continued to churn out releases in the Naked range every year with beauty lovers highly anticipating their release.

I only have one Naked palette, Naked 2 which is probably a bit of shock to a lot of makeup lovers out there. However it had satisfied my eyeshadow needs and I hadn't felt the need to buy any of the others until Naked Smoky was released recently.

Like the other Naked palettes the colours are quite neutral but Naked Smoky has (you guessed it!), a few darker smoky colours. Now I've never been drawn to the classic silvers and blacks of a smokey eye but just recently I have really got into purple eyeshadows so Smolder in this palette is definitely my favourite along with the dark navy blue.

These eyeshadows are, like all Urban Decay eyeshadows, incredibly pigmented and buttery. The palette consists of 4 metallic, 4 satin and 4 matte shadows. I've provided swatches so you can see how the colours look when applied.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky
Urban Decay Naked Smoky Swatches
From left to right: High, Dirtysweet, Rador, Armour

Urban Decay Naked Smoky
Urban Decay Naked Smoky Swatches
 From left to right: Slanted, Dagger, Black Market, Smolder

Urban Decay Naked Smoky
Urban Decay Naked Smoky Swatches
From left to right: Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen

The palette also comes with a double ended brush and a card to guide you through 4 different types of smoky eye. It retails for £38 (almost £3 per eyeshadow!) and is available now from Urban Decay Stockists - House of Fraser, UrbanDecay.com, FeelUnique etc.

This palette did not disappoint me and I have already got so much use out of it. A definite win again for Urban Decay. I'm sure this wont be the last Naked release!

Have you tried any of the Naked palettes? Will you be picking this one up?

Libi
xx

Thursday 30 July 2015

Top Five: Skincare Items



I love skincare. I’ve always been one to look after my skin, even from a young age. My mum always told me to cleanse, tone and moisturize, even before I’d started wearing makeup. So off I’d trot to my school sleepovers with my little Simple skincare pack. I don’t know whether it’s due to that, but I had impeccable skin all the way through school (even through my extremely heavy makeup phase!).

Nowadays I seem to have got all my teenage spots all in one go! My skin is rarely without a breakout and the years of heavy makeup have taken their toll. As a result I’ve been left with extremely dry skin. I’ve tried so many skincare products since I got into beauty. Some raved about by bloggers and some that I’ve tested alone. I’ve realized not only is my skin dry, but it is very sensitive and things that may work for someone else definitely didn’t work for me. So bare that in mind!

Any who, here is a rundown of my favourite skincare bits and bobs that seem to keep my skin relative spot and dry patch free..

Even though I used a toner for so many years I did wonder what the point of them was. I basically used it after my makeup remover to see how much gunk was still on my face! After hearing on blogs that the “new” way to exfoliate was with acid toners I searched for a budget friendly option and came across this one. It basically helps to exfoliate and unclog pores to remove dead skin allowing the skin to renew. It definitely helps my skin look more glowing and helps to calm down redness and those pesky under the skin spots. One that I will always repurchase.

This is my absolute favourite skincare/makeup removal I’ve ever found – no lie. To my knowledge there isn’t anything out there similar and in my opinion - that even compares to this. It’s pricey for an eye makeup remover at £17, but its creamy milky formula removes eye makeup so well, without having that oily residue that most other eye makeup removers have. It also lasts me a good 6 months, maybe more. I’ve tried a cheap olay version, (trying to save myself some money!) but it just wasn’t as good. Leading me to have repurchased this at least 5 times. Spot on.

Cleansing waters changed my life, they helped me stop using makeup wipes and I now know my makeup is 100% off before I move on to doing other things. It started with Bioderma the French pharmacy brand. Although hard to track down I ordered one from Ebay in my first year of university and was amazed. Before I knew it they were popping up left, right and centre in Boots and I thought I’d try a cheaper alternative, this being it. It’s just fantastic at removing makeup and doesn’t dry my skin out.

Moisturizers are one of those areas where I’ve had the least luck. As I’ve mentioned my skin is so very dry, which is always surprising as I don’t have anything like Eczema. Up until finding this the other year I’ve probably tried over 20 moisturisers, oil and serums and all have either felt too light and I’ve still been left with very dry skin or have broken my out. This is a godsend in winter especially and again, another product I’ve repurchased a handful of times.

Here comes the big one. The cheapest product of the bunch is E45. Being specially designed for those with dry skin this is a big favourite for me. I tend to use this at night when my skin gets flakey (I know, pretty gross) and by morning it looks nice and moisturized again. It can be used all over the body so also makes a great hand cream during the winter months!

That was a lot to take in. I’m still eyeing up potential cleansers to make it into my favourites, none have quite fit the bill. Let me know if you have any favourites you think I should try.

Thanks for reading,


Libi xx

Thursday 9 July 2015

New Things: Mac Lipsticks

From Left to Right: Ruby Woo, Craving and Diva.

I'm the first to admit it, I have a lipstick addiction. When I see an offer on something I was willing to pay full price for, it goes straight into my basket. 

After a long period of time not having any interest in stopping by a MAC counter, towards the end of university every time I went into town I was swatching away at their lipsticks. Each time I'd walk away wanting Diva - a matte dark vampy red shade. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I was still thinking about it, so I headed back into town and it came home with me.

Next thing I knew Student Money Saver were advertising a deal through wowcher - a £10 Fragrance Direct voucher for £5, it didn't sound like much but I spotted they stocked quite a few MAC products including two lipsticks I had on my list: Craving, a creamy berry pink and Ruby Woo, a popular matte bright red colour. They were already discounted in price at £13.75 instead of £15.50. I ended up purchasing two vouchers and got these two lovely lipsticks for £8.75 each which is a real bargain!

So after those lovely treats I definitely don't need any more lipsticks for a while! Although I probably will buy more.

Is there anything that you've treated yourself to lately? I'd love to hear in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Libi xx




Tuesday 30 June 2015

The Wishlist: June + July

Any one that knows me will know that I'm currently in the early stages of an obsession with anything copper.

Now that I've moved in with Hutch, I am living within one of the most beautiful florists and gift shops of all time - The Hedgerow. Wendy sells so many beautiful gifts such as copper bowls and frames, with some similar to the one I've linked below and I basically want/need everything! Also moving in to a new home means I want to buy lots of homeware in general, even if I already have heart shaped furnishings coming out of my ears ha

Check out a few of the homeware bits I've been lusting after and the more pricier items I want to buy once I start my new job, below:


1. University Graduation Print | Not on the High Street
2. Canon EOS M | Amazon
3. Ray-Ban Round Folding Flash Lenses Sunglasses in Copper Flash | Ray-Ban
4. Hanging Copper Frame | H&M Home
5. Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia Fragrance | Jo Malone
6. Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm | Feelunique
7. Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Aria | Feelunique

Friday 26 June 2015

Saying goodbye to university


I'm currently sat at home after having left my little uni house 3 days ago. Let's just say it feels weird. Having being used to a full house consisting of 5 other girls and myself for the last three years, I'm now living at my fiancé's house with his family and it feels quite quiet all of a sudden.

University has been the best 3 years of my life. Although being in a long distance relationship through those 3 years has been difficult, being only 2 and half hours a way from home has made it that little bit easier. I've made such fantastic friendships at university that will last forever and my flat mates being the best of that bunch. So when exams came to a close we decided we wanted to spend as much time together as possible before we left our little house. We compiled a list of all the things we had wanted to do in Newcastle, places we wanted to visit, restaurants we wanted to eat at but had never got around to and then we got straight to work.

I have to say, most of the things on the list were completed. Some were not. However I know I'll be back up to the Toon very soon as I have my graduation on the 14th of July and to round off my time in Newcastle, The Great North Run, all 13.1 miles of it.

Two trips where I happened to take my camera along, were to the seaside at Tynemouth Beach and to the Angel of the North. Where the latter consisted of taking a bottle of prosecco and conducting a small photo shoot. Finally the last picture is one together in front of our door for the last time. I just think these were some great photographs and wanted to share them.

Hope you enjoy!

Libi xx

Tuesday 16 June 2015

A Repurchase: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation


A repurchase in any persons life is quite a big deal. I mean, you've liked something enough to stick with it for the long haul. For me however, using the same thing day in day out is even more of a big deal. Anyone that knows me knows I can't even commit to eating the same cereal every day, it all gets a little too boring for my liking. So to find a foundation I wanted to purchase again, it was a bit of a shocker.

To start with I'll talk a little about my skin type. I have severe dry skin and I am prone to spots most of the time. I am quite pale and in most drugstore foundations I wear the lightest colour. I like a foundation that has a medium coverage but also sits on the dewy and glowing side of the spectrum.

I purchased Nars Sheer Glow for the first time in summer last year during an ASOS 20% student discount promotion. After reading lots of reviews I decided it was worth my money and bit the bullet, purchasing it in the shade Mont Blanc which is the second lightest shade! Since then I have used this non stop. This foundation gives create coverage (it is by no means sheer!), doesn't cling on to dry patches of skin and leaves the face with a radiant glow. The bottle looks tiny but ended up lasting me almost 10 months. Although this is taking into consideration that I sometimes mix it with Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation to give me a slightly lighter colour. I apply it with a damp Beauty Blender as using a brush tends to leave my skin dry looking. It has no spf, meaning it isn't great as a summer foundation, you would have to use sun screen or an spf moisturiser underneath but it is great for flash photography so is a good one for evening wear.

The only catch? It doesn't come with a pump. Unlike Nars' newest foundation this one requires you to purchase a pump separately. It doesn't cost alot, I think it was around £3 but it is an extra expense when you think you are spending £31 on a foundation. However now I've repurchased the foundation I can just re-use my old pump!

Overall, I think this is a great foundation for those with dry skin and for day to day wear with an impressive shade range. I can see myself continuing to repurchase it. Hope this helps anyone!

Libi xx

Tuesday 26 May 2015

A New York Sephora and Walgreens Haul


It's been a solid 2 months since I came back from The States. You get back from a holiday and quickly settle back into old routines as though you had never been away. I came back to university and got distracted, only to realise now during my exams I never posted a good old beauty haul.

Now there had been quite a list of things I wanted to purchase whilst in America and I knew the drugstores and Sephora would be my first port of call. After a few days of sightseeing and an evening in the big apple free, we decided some shopping was in order.


In Sephora I knew I had to head straight for the Anastasia Beverley Hills counter. Although many online stores in the UK do now stock the brand, it is still much cheaper in the US and I also had chance to see the shades in person. 
After hearing a lot about the Dipbrow Pomade I picked up the shade Chocolate which matches me exactly. I love the texture of this product and after using a powder for so long it's definitely different. Another thing from the brand I wanted was the Contour Kit in Light/Medium. This constantly sells out online and I picked it up for $40 as opposed to £40!
Other great finds include the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette which was also a bargain, a Beauty Blender and sat just next to the tills as though to entice me, a double ended mini BITE Beauty lipstick. These are so creamy and pigmented.


After leaving Sephora happy with my new buys, I headed to Walgreens picking up two Wet n Wild lipsticks for a combined price of $3 (around £1.90). These are so great for the money and I definitely wish I had picked up a couple more. I also bought an Essie nail polish in There's No Place Like Chrome, a colour I had never seen in the UK and the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso which is not pictured.

Lastly I headed to MAC to see if I could pick up Velvet Teddy lipstick which is never in stock on the MAC website or at my local counter. To my surprise they had lots of them and after realising how much cheaper everything was compared to home I picked up a 15 pan palette and two shades to accompany it - All That Glitters and Amber Lights.

That just about rounds of all of my beauty buys from NYC. I'm still upset I couldn't get my hands on the Lorac Pro Palette whilst I was there, but there is always a next time. I'm sure I'll be back soon!

Libi
xx

Saturday 28 March 2015

NEW YORK IN PICTURES

Warning: Picture heavy post!

So it's crazy to think I jetted of to New York City 2 weeks ago today! Oh how time flies. After having the urge to get away, particularly to go to the US. I haven't been since I was 13 and Hutch has never been before. We decided to book a trip in early January for 4 days away in the city that never sleeps at a bargain price and the countdown was on! It seemed to come around ever so quickly. So on the 14th the journey began.

An afternoon drive to Manchester Airport, a flight to Heathrow, food and some duty free shopping and we were ready to board our American Airlines flight to JFK. The flight was fine, not being able to sit next to each other was not great but didn't ruin the journey too much.  I watched a film, had a nap and it was time to land. After arriving at JFK we were guided towards the transfer bus I had booked beforehand. First things first, New York driving is crazy. Drivers weave in and out of each other, I felt lucky to arrive in one piece. After an hour and a half journey in the crazy traffic and another hour and half waiting to check in to our hotel, it was time to get in some beauty sleep for the next day.


Our first day - Sunday the 15th was an early start at 7am. Being a Sunday the streets were so quiet compared to weekdays! We started with a trip to Grand Central grabbing some breakfast there. Then headed to the Chelsea markets, which were lovely. Grabbing a coffee on route from my favourite place Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, we walked along the high line. The high line was nice, although I can see how beautiful it would be in the summer. We then browsed around some shops for the afternoon and I took a trip to Sephora and Walgreens (Post coming soon). We then strolled back to the hotel to get ready to go out to dinner, we decided on Red Lobster as it looked pretty busy.We were not disappointed! I tried lobster for the first time which was delicious and the service was excellent! With full tummies we headed to the Empire State building. I wanted to see the view at night as I had heard it was beautiful. We were kindly given two free tickets by some girls in the lobby which made it even better (apart from the almost 2 hour long queue to the top!). It was freezing at the top and we stayed up there for about 15 minutes before deciding to leave and get some sleep.


On Monday I knew the mister had plans for the day so let him take control. After some lovely breakfast of pancakes and bacon at Tick Tock diner we headed north up to Central Park. After taking some pictures and having a look at this lovely little hut called the Cop Cot, I turned around to find he was down on one knee with a beautiful ring! Without letting him speak I gave him a huge hug and said yes! We then looked down the hill to see a little huddle of people at the bottom of the hill clapping. It was so lovely. We rushed to the nearest Starbucks to tell all our family and friends. Only to later realise how much time had passed and how much we needed to do! We headed to the Metropolitan Museum (The Met), so I could fulfil my need to sit and have some lunch on the steps like Serena and Blair in Gossip Girl. Then for a browse round some shops: The apple store, FAO Shwartz, Tiffany's to name a few. After some recommendations we walked down 5th avenue to Rockefeller and went to the Top of the Rock, a beautiful view that I think I prefer over the Empire State, as you can see it captured in the distance! Afterwards we went for a walk down 5th avenue back to the hotel to have a little nap before our dinner reservation in the the evening. At 9pm I flagged down a taxi (Go me!) and we headed up broadway to Ouest as a special engagement treat. Hutch informed me the restaurant was in a scene in P.S I Love You! It was a lovely atmosphere and I ordered Grilled maple glazed pork chop, it was huge and I think Hutch had a case of food envy! After a champagne celebration we headed home for the evening.

After a late night on Monday, Tuesday saw us have a lie-in, only leaving the hotel at 9! After having such a lovely breakfast the day before we headed back to Tick Tock diner. We then had the pleasure of watching the St Patricks Day parade march up 5th avenue and everyone was dressed for the occasion! Afterwards wandering down south to Union Square and then on to the 9/11 memorial and museum. The museum was really interesting and emotional as you would imagine, but I would definitely recommend it. After a couple of hours there we wandered down to the tip of Manhattan to see the Statue of Liberty, then to Wall Street, ending our day with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and sitting in Brooklyn for a while admiring the view.

Our last day in the city was a chilled one. Checking out of the Pennsylvania Hotel (not so great rooms, great location), enjoying an american style breakfast one last time and indulging in some more retail therapy before jumping in a cab and heading back to JFK for our plane(s) home!

This trip will always hold special memories for me now, however it hasn't diminished my need to travel around the US, I just want go even more now!

Thanks for reading the end of this, sorry it has been so long but I hope it gives you some travel inspiration and if you are heading to NYC in the future: some idea of things to do.

Libi xx

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