What I use in the shower

Hey Everyone,

So, you've seen my everyday make up routine, now lets see what I use in the shower. 

Obviously, you shouldn't wash your hair everyday, but when I exercise a lot I have to shower (cause I smell, and no one would talk to me!) So, there is my shower and all the products I use. Contrasting to my make up routine, I don't use that many products in the shower. This is because I'm kinda lazy in the shower, and just want to get in and out (cause it's cold in my house!)

I'm currently using the L'Oreal Paris hair expertise Ever Pure Shampoo Colour Care and Ever Riche Conditioner. Now, I know they aren't from the same range, but they contain no sulphates (so shouldn't mess with my coloured hair). My hair feels nourished, smooth and happy when using these two products. Also, the Ever Riche conditioner smells really good! Like honey!
Then, below, you can see the body wash I've been using - Dove go fresh Nourishing Body Wash burst in Nectarine and white ginger scent. This is one of my favourite smelling body washes I've ever used and it lathers up so easily! The smell is just divine and it really wakes you up. My skin feels super soft and smells amazing after use.
Also, in that picture is my razor and I use the Gillette Venus and Olay Razor heads which are awesome. You don't have to use a shaving cream with these as the bars on the razor give that smooth, silky skin feeling. No fuss is what I like when it comes to shaving my legs!

I hope you've enjoyed this insight into my shower and I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
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The Beauty Blogger Tag

Hey Everyone,

So, this is a tag post which my dear friend Allie tagged me to do (also known as livinglifeindocs.blogspot.co.uk) and it looked like fun so...here we go...

1) Name a beauty routine you barely do.
I'll be honest, there isn't much I miss in terms of my daily make up routine, but I am not so good at moisturizing my body. This has never been an issue for me so I almost never do it! But recently, I've been getting better as I've been using the Vaseline Spray & Go body moisturizer in Cocoa radiant. This is the lazy girl's best friend! I love this stuff, smells amazing, and you literally spray it on (rub it in a bit) and then go. As the name suggests!

2) Is washing your brushes something that you regularly do?
I try to wash my brushes once a week ("try" being the optimum word here :/) I'm good at keeping my eye brushes clean but I get lazy with my bigger brushes, such as powder or foundation brush. *Smacks hand* Bad Emma!

3) How long do you last with chipped nail polish?
I'm not great with nail polishes, and I am (again) quite lazy when it comes to taking it off! I can go 2-3 days with chipped nail polish - usually because I forget!

4) How often do you put off buying/replacing a beauty item or nail polish, even if you need it?
It depends on the beauty item - if it was my moisturizer, I'd be running out to buy it even if it meant cutting my food shop that week! But for a nail polish, I'm not that fussed, except may be a top coat. Can't stand it when I wear nail polish with no top coat (it feels so weird!)

5) What is your worst beauty habit?
I can over exfoliate sometimes - it just leaves my skin so soft, so at one point I was doing it everyday! Which I now know is bad for skin!

6) Name something non-beauty related that you tend to put off all the time.
I tend to put off doing my washing, because I don't have a clothes dryer in my house. So I have to hang all my clothes up in my room; which makes the room look messy!

7) When going out somewhere do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not?
If I know I'm going somewhere in advance, then I won't leave getting ready to the last minute. I love getting ready - it's like my ritual (which could never be rushed) However, if it is a spontaneous outing, I am able to dial it down, and just throw on a BB cream and mascara - then go.

8) Can you commit to spending bans?
The only way I manage spending bans is to lock myself in my house and not come out until it is lifted!

9) How organised is your makeup and nail polish?
At present, it is pretty organised; as I have my new Muji acrylic drawers inspiring me to keep it tidy :)! My nail polishes are kept separate in a make up bag, so I guess that keeps them tidy and out of the way.

10) What is the longest time you have gone without writing a blog post?
Well, I'm pretty new to this, but it must be a week. I had a good excuse for that week; I was suffering from mumps so unable to even move (let alone use my brain to blog!)

This was different and super fun! If any of you have any tags you want me to do, let me know!

I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
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#2 Is it worth the investment?

Hey Everyone,

Welcome to another post on investments in fashion/beauty/generally expensive items! 

It was only right that the next investment was a very old friend of mine. I've had her for 7, nearly 8 years!

Can you guess? No

I know what you are thinking - but it's not the bike! Sorry guys, that belongs to my best friend, but I am talking about my LEATHER JACKET! (I just thought the bike added to the Rock/Biker look)

 As I mentioned, I have had this Jacket for a very long time! And in fact it was my first leather jacket I ever bought! I remember that day so well :)! Me and this jacket have seen it all together, from nights out with my friends to first dates!
As you can see from these photos, she's looking pretty worn and tired! I just don't have the heart to throw her away, even with all the tears in the sleeves and discolouration. I don't care! So, because she is so old, you cannot get her anymore :(! But I purchased her from River Island, and I think in general, they do good quality leather jackets! So I would recommend checking them out - www.riverisland.com

Leather Jackets are always an investment worth spending money on! I mean they don't even have to pricey - I remember getting this one in the sales for 50% off!
Leather just instantly adds an edge to any look, whether you are wearing a dress or leather trousers! You can easily layer underneath them, though I'd recommend getting a size bigger than what you normally would so you can do this easily.
They come in all colours and styles - it's about finding the one for you! I'd always say shop around and try a few on. Another brand that does amazing leather jackets is All Saints!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
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Make up essentials for your hand bag!

Hey Everyone,

In my opinion, I don't think you need to carry around endless amounts of make up in your hand bag on a daily basis. I mean, I have enough stuff to carry around for uni, such as folders, my laptop, my lunch etc. So, I really don't need any useless products floating around in my hand bag!

 This was a very exciting free gift with purchase with Chanel! I could not believe my luck and it was the last one! This contains all the make up I tend to carry around with me :) I also love the fact its bright red, so I can't miss it! 

The most important thing to carry in your bag is a powder! Especially for us oily skin girls! I'm currently using the Laura Mercier Matte Translucent powder, which is just beautiful and light. It takes away my shine without adding too much coverage, so doesn't look cakey! Then, you might be looking at that sad excuse for a brush to the right! It was an old MAC face brush I had from the Wonder Woman collection, like 3 years ago! And sometimes I don't want to use the sponge so I use my brush (travel size!)

Finally, I always carry the lip combo I'm wearing that day! This does change regularly for me, so I literally took out what was there at this point in time! Firstly, there is my Chanel Rouge Coco in 40 Charme. This is a gorgeous natural pink shade, which actually has good staying power for a pinky lipstick. The gloss is Buxom Cream Gloss in White Russian, this is quite a thick gloss and can be a little sticky (but not as much as MAC lip glosses)

My beauty checklist for the day -
Powder
Lipstick/Lipgloss

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!

Emma
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#1 What's on my nails?

Hey Everyone,

So, I thought I'd start by saying, sorry about my lack of blog posts at the start of this week. I've been really ill with mumps these past 5 days! Though I'm feeling a lot better now and my swollen face is almost back to normal! This is all just in time for 2 deadlines I have next week for my course :/ so I've been frantically trying to get those finished! No rest for the wicked :P!

Anyway, I'm better now and will hopefully get on top of my blogging! So there might be a few extra posts this week to make up for the ones I missed!

This is going to be a nice short one and my first - What's on my nails? Honestly guys, I'm pretty useless when it comes to painting my nails! I always forget to do it and when I do them it is usually a rubbish job, so don't expect too many of these kinda posts! But I painted my nails yesterday, so I thought why not!?

 So even though I'm not good at doing my nails and contrasting to many people's opinion of Chanel nail polishes - I am just obsessed with them! I don't know what it is, I love the packaging and to be honest, I've been lucky with the colours I have chosen (as I've had no trouble with them!) This is the most recent to my collection and my first nude nail polish ever. This is the shade 565 Beige.
This picture doesn't quite do it justice! In harsh lighting, it can look a little on the yellow side, but under normal lighting I think it looks like a "foundation" for your nails! Which is pretty cool I think! It's not a total matte colour, it does have an iridescence to it, which is pretty. It is a quite a thin polish, so 2-3 coats will get it opaque.  

I use the Sally Hanson Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat, as base and top coat (as the name suggests!) I really like these 2-in-1 products, especially for my nails as I can't be bothered to buy a separate base and top coat.
The wear time (with the Double Duty Strengthen) of this polish tends to be 3-4 days without chipping (this is on me anyway). So, same as most nail polishes!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
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FX Make up for amateurs!

Hey Everyone,

It is 7 days until HALLOWEEN!! Something you will learn very quickly about me is that I LOVE to dress up!! I am one of those people that gets far too into any themed party/event.

Just a few examples...

  Then, last Halloween, I created this....

I was just so tired of the average female dressing slutty with some form of animal ears on their head! I think Halloween should be scary and remind you of that "Saw" film that left you sleepless for weeks! 

Last year's concept is going to be hard to beat...

Don't worry I have something planned....you'll have to wait and see :P

Though here are my must haves when you are first "playing" with special effects make up.

 I wouldn't have been able to create my last Halloween look without my trusty Ben Nye Liquid Latex and Nose and Scar Wax. I've used these products for so many looks - joker, zombie, Edward Scissor hands etc. (to name only a few possibilities!) And as a side note, they honestly weren't that expensive, for such a good brand of make up! I can't remember the site I ordered them from last year but I'm sure they wouldn't be hard to google!
Tip for Nose and Scar Wax; make sure your hands are slightly damp when using the wax; as this stops the wax from sticking to your hands. I use a cheap moisturizer or you could use face/hand wipes.

Another Halloween must have is White face paint! The dead don't tend to have rosey pink skin :P You can get this from almost any party/fancy dress shop! I love this one in particular from Snazaroo because it is so true to colour. Just add a little water, and mix with a sponge or brush, then apply in even strokes.

Then here are some more fun extras!

 I've never been a character who needed fangs before so this should be interesting! I bought these off eBay, they were like £2.99. I got these ones specifically because they came with 'putty' which will hopefully make them last a lot longer than a full set of teeth! Can you guess what I am going to be? Not as obvious as it appears!

 Then, finally, I bought some coloured contact lenses! Again, never used these before so should be interesting to say the least :) I feel coloured contacts will just make my costume that little bit more creepy! They are pricey at £17.99! But I reckon it shall be worth it!

I now know what you are all thinking - Where is the fake blood? Not to worry, I believe in homemade fake blood as it gives a more "real" effect and I know it is safe to ingest. It is essentially, just lots of syrup and food colourings! Only downside is you become very sticky!

What are you going as for Halloween? I'd love to know! Remember, it's all in the little details!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
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Eyeliner Queen - MAC Fluidline

Hey everyone,

This is going to be another installment of my eyeliner obsession! :P This post, however, won't be a long one. MAC Fluidline is the choice gel liner of so many people! It is a true classic! I have had my personal one for over a year (should be getting a new one soon :D) 

So as you can see, mine is well loved! Not just for eyeliner purposes - it's also great as a base for stronger eye shadow looks! 

Please excuse my tired looking eyes :( I honestly can't tell you how easy this product is to use! I use it with a MAC 210 by the way, which is a very fine eyeliner brush. 

It's so nice to work with as it is so fluid and doesn't flake at all! In terms of longevity, it lasts very well and doesn't transfer! :) It has great colour pay off (Black Tracks) and does have a slightly wetter look, not quite as much as a liquid liner though! 

This is it in the finished look! And you can get all these products from www.maccosmetics.co.uk

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!

Emma

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Beauty isn't just about Make up...My Fitness Routine

Hey Everyone,

Yes. "I am a blogger about all things Beauty and Fashion related" - the key word here is beauty. Beauty doesn't have to be about what make up you are wearing or the clothes on your back. Sometimes it's about you doing what makes you feel good! I know that is cheesy but it's as that famous quote goes "the best thing a girl can wear is her smile...."

So, what makes me happy is to exercise! Just a disclaimer, I am no way a fitness expert. I just watch a lot of YouTube videos and read a lot of advice columns.

I really got into my exercise routine when I started training for an event called Tough Mudder. It is an 11-13 mile race with 20-25 obstacles in between. I won't go into too much detail but it was the best and most challenging experience of my life!

But to get that finish line - I had been training for 6 months 3-4 times a week (give or take). Since that training process I have basically become "addicted" to exercise and I have to somehow fit 3-4 training sessions in a week to make me feel good :).

Here is a run down of my exercise plan -
Monday - I am currently doing two sessions back-to-back. Firstly, I just started pole fitness this term at uni. This is really all about strength and stamina. So far I'm really enjoying it and I can't wait to progress. Then, I go on to do British Military Fitness (BMF). I started this as a way of training harder during the summer for tough mudder (which is a military-style race) so it seemed appropriate. I love it now as much as I did during the summer months - even in the cold!

Tuesday - is a gym day. I am a member of Virgin Active, it is a lovely gym and also has really nice showers! I like to mix it up either with a leg/arm focused day, I feel it is good to keep the body guessing.

Wednesday - this is my day off at uni so I should probably do more work but no, I go to the gym again. This time, however, it is a full body day! I try to work every muscle in my body by doing a combination of different exercises. I can do this in more detail if people are interested :)

Thursday - I kinda play this day by how much uni work I have to do (or catch up on!) If I am on top of my work then I will go to gym. Again, this is another hard focus day, when I focus on one particular set of muscles.

Friday - again it depends on how much work I have to do whether I go to the gym or not :) Oh uni life...

Saturday - is another BMF day, but it starts at 8:45 a.m. This can at times be a struggle for me, so depends on how determined I am to actually go. This is about 70% of the time (or 65%)

Sunday - this is my official rest day! Yay! I have a lie in and sort myself out for the week to come :)

As I mentioned at the start of the blog - I am going to be talking mostly about make up and fashion, but fitness is a big part of my life and I feel like I want to share it with you :)

Here is another picture of me doing Tough Mudder! I find it motivating to have a goal - whether it's an event or a weight loss goal. Pick something and you'll find it easier to train!

This was different and I hope you enjoyed it! Have a lovely day,

Emma
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Is it worth the investment?

Hey Everyone,

So, I was thinking the other day - life is really expensive! (especially, if you are like me, and you have expensive taste :P) There are trends that come and go every year, but you really have to ask yourself - is it worth it? I am going to do a little series answering that question with some of my own personal investments.

Starting with....Boots!

More specifically, flat everyday boots. Everyone needs shoes, right? These you can pretty much wear with ANYTHING! Whether it be jeans and a t-shirt, or you want to dress them up with a dress. I am currently at uni and living in a student house, so I am limited on space. I had to be very strict with myself when choosing which ones to bring with me :/

These are probably the most comfortable shoes I own at the moment, they are a classic Chelsea Boot. I got these from Topshop about a month before I came back to uni and they are just a dream. I always wear black so I chose them in a Taupe shade so as to break up an all-black outfit.












I also love the fact that they have a slightly higher heel

than most of the other Chelsea boots I have tried, as this means I don't feel so much of a penguin when walking in them!
Also, for all you students out there, I did get student discount off these which was 10%. So that makes them even more awesome :)! I can't remember the price but they were no more than £60 - money well spent!!
As I said, I bought these from Topshop but I can't find these ones specifically :(. Though they have some similar ones online.

Finally, my babies....

These are the classic Dr Martens 1460 Boot in smooth Black Leather. I did get these as a Christmas present last year and I would totally recommend the investment! They priced at £100, and I was able to get student discount on these as well :) I have a love, hate relationship with these boots as they are sized quite large as a shoe. I am normally a size 6, but these are a BIG size 6! So, a part of me wishes I had got these in a size 5, but I was worried I wouldn't stretch them far enough.

But having said that, these were a life-saver when it snowed in Brighton last January. I could not have walked home without them! I am currently in the "love" part of our relationship and am finding them extremely comfortable. And as I said they are a classic boot that will last you so many years.

Here is a link to the Dr Martens Website.



I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day,

Emma
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Everyday Make up Routine

Hey Everyone,

Remember how I said I would do one post a week minimum, I believe that will very quickly turn to 3 or 4 times a week hehe :) I'm just so excited about what I want to talk about! :P I apologise for the quality of the pictures, I shall be sorting out my lighting soon!

I thought the next logical post would be to show you my every day make up look, so you can get a feel for my style. Though having said that, my day and evening looks can be very similar - I'm not shy when it comes to make up ;)

This is where I do my make up every morning before uni, and just for you, I made sure it was relatively tidy. And yes that is a fridge on the end - I have to have somewhere to put my fresh face masks and eye packs ;)

Don't I just look so "fresh" at 7:45 a.m. (excuse the sarcasm :P) As you can see my daily face is pretty natural (apart from the eyeliner) and I like to let my natural skin show through a bit :) 

Primer is essential for me; I have combination skin with an oily T-zone. So, I find a primer really helps my make up last all day. I'm currently using the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Oil Free, I got this as a gift for my birthday in January and I haven't looked back since. It is an amazing primer, just wish it had a better price tag - £28 :/ but having said that I will definitely be repurchasing. Then for eye primer I've actually been using the MAC paint pot in Soft Ochre. Now, I was never a fan of these paint pots until I tried this one, I believe it's because this is more matte so provides the perfect base for my eye shadows.

My every day foundation for the past 2 months has been the Laura Mercier Tinter Moisturizer - Oil free in the shade Nude. Don't let the name fool you! This is not your average tinted moisturizer, I would definitely describe it as more of a light coverage foundation. It hasn't broken me out and I would say it is a natural finish, letting your skin show through. Then for those problem areas (nose, chin and odd blemish) I use Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in the shade Light 2. Again, this has been a staple in my make up collection for over a year and I wouldn't be caught without it! Then for those under eye bags I use Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque. I know these are very obvious choice concealers (seeing how much they are talked about on the internet) but they are honestly amazing, and do their job so well! Though with the Bobbi Brown concealer, you only need a very small amount and remember to powder it or it might crease a bit!

Let's face it (pun intended), one of the focal points of my face are my eyebrows! I've been blessed with caterpillar-like brows, which can be slightly scary at times, BUT I love them! So I show them some love with the Make Up Forever Aqua Brow in shade 30, I know people say I don't need this but I have a bit of sparseness through the arch of my brows and then to set that in place I use MAC clear Brow Set (another must-have for those with thick brows!)

So, for eye shadows I've been using Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette - which is AMAZING and so cute :P I use the third shade (I always go from the left), Walk of Shame, all over the lid. Then, I use the fourth shade, Naked 2, through the crease and then I use the tiniest about of Faint (fifth shade) in the outer corner. To finish off, I used the first shade, Venus, as an inner corner highlight.

Then, I go onto eyeliner! My favourite part :D I'm currently using the Stila Stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner. I did an in depth review on this product if you'd like to check that out :). To finish off the eyes I used Maybelline the Rocket Volume Express Waterproof mascara. As you can tell I like waterproof products, because I just feel they last so much longer on me and I do tend to get oily eyelids.

Nearly there - I promise ;)

When I started writing this post I had no idea actually how many products I use on a daily basis! And to make it worse I use 3 cheek products! The first is to contour, I use MAC Harmony blush which is a matte neutral shade, it's a little bit warm for me I think but I do really like it.  Then for blush I'm using Daniel Sandler Watercolour fluid blusher in Cherub, which is a really pretty pink shade. To highlight I'm using the Balm Cosmetics Mary-lou Manizer (such a cute name!) and it honestly is the best powder highlighter I have EVER used! If you need a highlighter I totally recommend this one! 

To finish off the face, I set it using MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in the shade Medium, this is a cult make up product. It's a lovely face powder, with a bit of extra coverage and a natural soft finish. Last but not least...lipstick. I love a good nude/pink (always on the look out for new lip products) and I love the Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani in the shade 103, which is just a stunning nudey pink. Moisturizing to the lips, not very long lasting but what nude lipstick really is?

I know that was a very long blog post but it appears I use A LOT of products :P

I hope you have a lovely day,

Emma 

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Eyeliner Queen - Stila "Stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner"

Hey Everyone,

This is my first official blog! Yay! My name is Emma and I am just obsessed about make up and all things beauty related. 

                                                   ^This is me by the way :)^

I hope to post once a week minimum at the beginning, I need to work it around uni work. I will be writing reviews, face of the day, outfit of day etc. You know the drill :P! 

So, I hope who ever is reading this is ready to jump in!

....Eyeliner Queen? I thought my first few blogs should be about my favourite beauty item...Eyeliner!

I seriously never leave the house without it, whether it be on my waterline or top lash line. I am known by my friends to be always wearing a "cat-eye flick", it is my ultimate beauty staple!

I am always trying out new and exciting products to make eyeliner application easy and quick (as it can be quite time consuming!) And I recently have been getting into the "pen-style" eyeliners. 

Here is the one I've been trying for the past few days.....

I bought this four days ago and already can't get enough of it! I am all about quick and simple application of eyeliner at the moment. This is great for working girls who only have 15 minutes to "get your face on" in the morning.

 As you can see (sorry about the quality of photos, I currently using my iPhone camera :( ) the packaging is sleek and simple. And another thing I love about these eyeliner pens is that they are so portable and travel friendly.

 The other thing I particularly like about this pen is that the nib is so fine and makes it so easy to get that nice sharp, crisp line that is so important for the perfect cat-eye look. It is very reminiscent of the Japanese calligraphy pens which makes it so effortless.

   Again, sorry for the bad picture quality, but this is just a close-up of my eyeliner. As far as the longevity is concerned, I have had no problems with smudging or fading through out the day. Also when they mean water-proof, they mean water-proof. To remove this you need a good oil make up remover. The colour is called Intense Black and I would totally agree, the colour pay off is excellent.

I bought this at boots, but you can get it online at stila.co.uk. It comes in 9 shades (I can't wait to try more colours - the moss green colour looks to die for! ) Price is £13, which in my book is totally worth it! 

So I hope you reached the end of this blog post and enjoyed it. I promise the next one won't be so rambly :P

I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma 

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