March favourites!

Hey guys!

I can't believe that March is over already, it's flown by! It's been such a cold month, I can't wait for the summer. It's also been a tragic month in many places across the world, I think it's important to remember those who have suffered or are still suffering. It's quite saddening to think that even in the 21st Century, such horrible incidents still exist :(. So just remember to love, be happy, live without regret, enjoy each day and take each day as it comes, we never know whats around the corner. 

On a lighter and less 'deep thinking' note: I bring you my March favourites!

Rimmel London Match Perfection Light Perfecting Radiance Foundation (shade 103 True Ivory) -

This foundation and I go way back, I used to be obsessed with it, but I wore it that much I think I fell out of love with it. I have taken a solid ten months away from this foundation and money is tight right now - a lot of students out there will know this feeling - so this was such a bargain buy for me. I just love how it sits on your face, it makes my skin look so flawless, I never have to wear powder when I wear this foundation. It smells so fruity, which makes me love it even more! The Match perfection goes onto my skin lovely and I barely have to blend it in. This foundation literally does what it says on the bottle - 'Match perfection light perfecting radiance'. I would highly recommend this to anyone, it's affordable, long-wearing, the bottle lasts ages, flawless... the list goes on.

Rimmel London Salon Pro Kate Moss nail polish (237, Soul Session) - 

I ummed and ahhed about this colour for a good couple minutes in Boots, in the end my friend Jade chose this shade for me. What a good decision that was! I would best describe it as a pink/purple nude. It's quite a flattering shade. Again, it's cheap in price - it's long lasting on your nails, it creates a gel like finish and it looks great in the bottle and on your nails so what more could you want? I love the names for the Salon Pro nail polish range! I was basically looking for an another item for the 3 for 2 cosmetics deal at Boots, but I am so glad I searched properly and got this polish! It's not a shade that's 'in your face' either so it's ideal for work which is another bonus! 

Benefit Cosmetics Browzings (Medium) - 

A gift from God

Now, this is my most favourite product this month, my favourite eye brow product of ALL TIME. This product has it's own blog post on my page. That's how much I love it! I don't think I will be converted to another brow product, if I do - it will take a lot of persuasion!  If you want to know more about this product, then check out my blog post: 'Browzings: love at first sight!' It'll tell you all you need to know about this product and why it is so damn good.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien -

Now, I'm a massive fan of the films, but I've never got round to reading the books. This seems silly since I'm an English student but it's never crossed my mind until last year to read the trilogy. I enjoyed them so much, I've decided to do it for my dissertation! So now I'm re-reading the novels and falling in love all over again.  I'm just fascinated with the world Tolkien created, it really amazes me how one person can imagine such things as Lord of the Rings. It must take some real determination. I find the way in which Tolkien writes very enjoyable and interesting. I love the poems and songs throughout, I love the messages in TLOTR, whether Tolkien intended them or not. The characters are so intricate and complex, I want to know more and more about them. If you get the chance to read The Lord of the Rings, please do. They're brilliant.

L'oreal lipstick: Collection exclusive by Eva (Eva's nude) -  

How gorgeous is this?!

<3

This was a very last minute addition to my March favourites because I only purchased it last Thursday. I had heard a lot of great reviews about the new collection so I wanted to give it a shot for myself. I was torn between Eva's nude and J-Lo's nude, but again thanks to Jade - I went for Eva's nude! Maybe Jade should become my make-up advisor, she always makes good decisions for me! :')  Eva's nude is a rather dark nude in comparison to other nude lipsticks, there is a shimmery/satin finish on your lips which I love! (How it looks on my lips <----) I've had so many compliments from people when I wear this lipstick which is great. It also lasts forever! Even through eating and drinking it still sits on my lips perfectly! 

MAC Studio FIX Fluid Foundation (NW20) - 

This is a little on the pricey side, so if you want MAC make-up, then save up for it and make sure you won't put yourself out of pocket before you buy. But, I highly recommend this foundation. This tends to be my 'going-out' foundation because:  it is impossible to get off your face (maybe it's because I'm too drunk to do it properly), the price, the flawlessness, smell, final look and durability of it. If you've never tried MAC before, I would recommend you really research the shades or go to your nearest MAC counter to find out your shade because it can be very deceiving. Again, similar to the Rimmel London Match Perfection - it does the job wonderfully, but if you're wanting to feel that little bit extra in quality then go for this. I would say Rimmel London is the high street foundation version of the Studio FIX. So they're both equally as good as the other! This also lasts forevever, it just never seems to decrease inside the bottle. 

Beyoncé's perfume: Wild Orchid - 

Initially, this was a Christmas present from Kayne, I wore it a couple times but I felt that it was to floral and Spring-fied for the Winter. So I put it to one side and came back to it this month, after all it is supposed to be Spring time now! I have fallen in love with the smell. It's a sweet floral smell, it reminds me of Battenberg cake ft sweet shop ft flower beds. They all compliment each other so nicely it's a great match. I get compliments when I wear this too. It's not an overpowering smell either way which is always good if you're like my Dad who can't even walk past the fragrance section in a store! I'm using it that much now I'm well below the half way mark, my birthday is coming up in a couple weeks - hint hint Kayne :'). 

So, there you have it! My favourites for March. I hope you enjoyed reading them I know that sometimes I get too into what I'm writing and get so passionate about it... I will try to control that in future. I also apologise for the length of this blog post! I have a tendency to babble. Thanks so much guys! I now have an Instagram account for my blog : lifebeautylove_km   <---- go check it out! 

Katie x  

Urban Decay Naked2 palette review!

Hey guys!

Soon I am going to start doing a variation of posts, but whilst I get my foot in the door, I'm going to do a couple more make-up/hair kind of stuff, the next blog post will be about University and why it can be the best time of your life! But today I am doing a review on the much raved about Naked2 palette! 

First things first, this is an expensive piece of make-up. So make sure you you either 1. Can definitely afford it and you won't make yourself short of money. 2. Ask it as a gift - birthdays, Christmas etc. 3. That you definitely want it and that you will definitely use it, the reason why I say this is because the amount of times when I have purchased high end make up products and not even used them, then you regret buying them because you haven't gotten your moneys worth from it!

Now onto the real reason why I am blogging this. I absolutely adore this palette! I know now why it is raved about so much, the colours are lovely and pigmented, the names of the shades are brilliant, theres a nice variation in the shades - from neutral to smokey, matte to shimmer; this palette really does have everything you could ever want in eyeshadow! It is beautifully presented:

You can see here how it is presented.

How beautiful?!

There are 12 shades, from left to right:  Foxy, Half baked, Booty call, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YKD, Busted and Blackout. It comes with a mirror in the lid and a brush which applies the eye shadow wonderfully, but I tend to use my Real Technique brushes for applying, blending etc! My favourite shades are Booty call, Tease, Snakebite and Busted. I find these go really well together if you want to create a brown/taupe smokey eye look. I'm very hesitant to try Blackout properly because whenever I apply it on myself, I end up looking like I have black eyes! Everyone is different though, but I think that Blackout is not the shade for me unfortunately :( For an everyday look I like to wear Half baked with Tease or YKD. (As you can tell, Tease is my upmost favourite). What I like about this palette as well is how well the shadow stays on when you apply it, how easy it is to blend in and stuff! One swish across the lids and you're good to go!

Swatch of the shades on my skin (you can't really see Foxy but it is there!) 

As you can see on the picture, they're very pigmented like I've said previously. That was with just one swipe of the brush. They're all very flattering shades, with brilliant names. It definitely makes the palette more memorable. I also have the Naked3 palette (which I will do a review on if you guys want me too!) and the quality of the Naked3 palette is as equally good as the Naked2. All I need to do now is to get the original Naked palette and I'll be sorted for life! Another reason why I love the Naked2 palette is because it really suits my eyes, maybe this is because I have brown eyes so it suits me more than other colours would (I can't pull off much colour on my eyes unfortunately) but whenever I wear Naked2 on my eyes, I will always get compliments, which is a real confidence boost for me.

Overall, if you can get your hands on an Urban Decay Naked palette, then I would definitely recommend you give it a go, because it honestly is a beautiful palette sent from make-up heaven to show us the ways of the future (slight exaggeration I know, but you get the general jest of how good these palettes are). I don't think I could ever wear another brand of make-up for eyeshadow, because this is the best I have found so far! If you could see the amount of eyeshadows I own, you would see why I have said that. I think that's all I wanted to say, please give Naked2 a shot if you can, I love it so much <3.  Thanks for reading guys and I'll write again soon!

Katie x 

My favourite everyday lip shades!

Hey guys!

Do you have something you can never leave the house without? Mine is lipstick. Whether it's lipstick, lipgloss - you name it! If it goes on the lips, then it will sit! I thought it would be a good idea to show you my favourite everyday shades. They are all dependent on my mood and outfit choice for the day. I will be showing you:  MAC - 'Faux' (Satin), Revlon Colour burst 'Elusive', Tanya Burr's lip lipglosses in the shades 'Chic' and 'First Date'.

Top to bottom:  MAC - Faux
Revlon shade 205
Tanya Burr - First Date
Tanya Burr - Chic

As you can see from the photo, they're all similar in colour. They are all very pigmented (which I love). They all vary in price. MAC being the most expensive at £15.50, Revlon pricing at £7.99 and Tanya Burr's lipgloss at just £6.99 from feelunique.com or selected Superdrug stores. You can always find a shade thats right for you and for your budget! There are different reasons why I like these shades. When I want to be super nude and natural, I go for either 'Faux' or 'Chic' or when I want a little bit of colour on my lips but not an overly obvious colour, it will be either 'Elusive' or 'First Date'.  To give you a rough idea of what they look like on lips, I've created a little collage for you all to see!

Top left: REVLON COLOURBURST 'Elusive'
Top right: MAC - 'Faux'
Bottom left: TANYA BURR - 'First Date'
Bottom right: TANYA BURR -'Chic'.

You can see from the picture that they are all so flattering, whether you want a matte, satin or glossy finish! They are all really pretty colours and last a long time on the lips! When I go to uni, I put one of these on before I leave, and it's still on my lips perfectly hours later! These are all available in various stores and websites online. As I have said many times already, they are all beautiful in their own unique ways and definitely are my go-to everyday lip shades! 'Chic' has an orange undertone to it, whereas 'First Date' has a pink undertone and highlights your lips more, 'Chic' is more natural because it just blends into your lip colour so nicely!

Just an extra photo I've thrown in there so you can see the packaging and stuff! Thanks for reading guys.

Katie x

Browzings: love at first sight!

Hey guys!

So my eyebrows recently have been in need of some major TLC. I was finding it difficult to try maintain them myself. I could never get the right brow shape and when I tried to fill them in, I looked fresh off the set of a horror film (a bit dramatic, but you get the general idea). I decided to take matters into my own hands and treat myself to an eyebrow wax session at the Benefit counter in Debenhams.

Firstly, the price of an eyebrow wax is really good value for money, taking into account that Benefit cosmetics is high end beauty products and services, I was surprised at how cheap it is. For a brow arch the price ranges from £11.50-£12.50, and for a tweeze: £12.50-13.50. I paid the full amount because they needed some serious miracle work doing to them. They also have the option of brow tinting at approximately £18.50, but I didn't want to risk a tint incase I hated the turn out or if I had an allergic reaction (my skin never knows what it wants to do, even though they do reaction tests prior to the tinting and waxing - I didn't want to risk a tint to be safe). Alongside this, they have other services such as facial waxing, beauty applications - the list goes on. It's best to check your local benefit counter prior as every counter is different!

Secondly, the staff were so lovely and friendly. They made me feel so welcome, I've had my eyebrows done before in other places (I won't name names) and I did not get the atmosphere like I did at Benefit. They certainly left me with an inflated ego throwing compliments at me left, right and centre - which I am not complaining about! I found them really easy to talk too and relatable. There was never an awkward silence. In general, there was a lovely, chilled and laid back atmosphere. This is crucial for me, because I hate bad customer service as does anyone but Benefit really went above and beyond. 

Thirdly, they did an INCREDIBLE job! My eyebrows have never looked so good (that sounds big headed, I am aware). I enquired about 'Browzings'  as I had read a lot of reviews about how good the product is, so I asked the lady who did my brows if she could try it on me, so I could see for myself the results. It was love at first sight. 'Browzings' comes with a pigmented wax, that you apply first which shapes and defines your eyebrows (they define my arches straight away). After that you apply the powder to fill your brows in. It's literally as easy as learning the alphabet. You get some tweezers, a hard-angle brush (for defining) and a blending brush (for filling in). The photo below is what 'Browzings' looks like. It's in a lovely case, it's really compact and light which makes it great for when you're travelling!

'Browzings' is my best friend <3

Although, 'Browzings' for me, was a luxury item, because it is £24.50. Being a student meant I had to make a sacrifice, even though it was so worth it because I feel so much better about my eyebrows and I feel incredibly confident. It's amazing what one product can do for your self esteem in it's own little way. But beware - the shades can be very deceiving! I got 'medium' and that is relatively dark itself, so unless you have extremely dark hair or you want a more dramatic look, then I would steer clear of the darkest shade. There are three shades - light, medium and deep. I could rant and rave about this product all day long. Whenever anyone asks me what is the best eyebrow product - every time without a doubt I will now say 'Browzings'. To give you a rough idea of the magic it performs: 

Left: Before I got my brows done at the Benefit counter (my arch was horrific)
Right: After I got my brows done and using 'Browzings'.

I think that's everything I wanted to say in this post! If you do get the chance to have waxing done at a Benefit counter or you're thinking about it, please do. The results are brilliant, like I've said a thousand times already, they did an amazing job on my brows and I have never felt more confident with them! If you're debating 'Browzings', again - go for it! I would recommend that you go to an actual counter, rather than purchasing online if you're unsure of which shade is for you.

Thanks for reading, I'll post again in a couple days!


Katie x  

Hey guys!

I'm starting my blog back up again - starting with a clean slate, I've decided to delete all my old posts because I'm cringing so bad at them and starting fresh is always the best thing to do I find.
I will post a variety of things on here from books, issues surrounding the everyday, reviews (make up - anything) and more!
If there's anything you guys request as the time goes on, just let me know and I'll do my best for you!
I can't wait to start this again! I hope you join me on this journey,

Katie x