Haul #1 | Smashbox

I have been looking out for a new eye-shadow palette for a little while now, and when I was wandering around Boots on pay day last week I found myself stopping to look around the Smashbox counter. There didn't seem to be a sales assistant around who worked directly for Smashbox so I was left alone to swatch colours and take a good look at their gorgeous cosmetics. I had heard a lot about the Full Exposure palette and I was very curious so I took a look and swatch the colours from the tester palette. I loved how the colours were lovely and neutral as well as half being shimmer formula and have matte. I decided to take the plunge and purchased the beautiful palette along with a gel formula black pencil liner. I immediately instagrammed the purchase and sent a picture to my best friend who was thrilled at the purchase too. I was doing make-up for a photo shoot on the following Sunday and decided to leave the palette along until then and try it out on myself as well as others to give it a true test out. 

At the shoot I used this palette a tone, the colours are gorgeous and pigmented as well as being very easy to blend. Everyone was in love with the gorgeous shades I used to do smoky eyes on the models, and wanted to know which products I had used. The only problem I had was with the large amount of fall out there is in the shadows, especially with the glitter shades. I ended up spending a lot of time cleaning up under the models eyes after applying the make-up on the eyes. 

All in all I was super impressed with the palette and I have only used the liner once but so far so good. I am sure I will have a review up on that as soon as I have played with it a bit more. If you are looking for a gorgeous neutral palette at a good price then this is the one for you. It great for day looks with the pale shimmer and matte shades, but is fantastic for evening smoky eyes with the super glittery shades. The palette is available from larger Boots stores for £36.00 and you can also purchase it online which I will link bellow. 

I would love to know what you all think of this palette and the liner and mascara I haven't had a chance to try out yet. 

Full Exposure Palette on the Smashbox website  - £36.00

Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner on the Smashbox Website  - £16.00

Films and TV for Fashion && Beauty Inspiration

I often find myself drawing blanks on where to find inspiration for my blog, Instagram, make-up looks, photo projects etc. I will lose hours going through different pages on Tumblr and searching for boards on Pinterest, but sometimes I feel like the best form of inspiration for me is on screen. This is a bit of a different post for me but I thought I would list some of my favourite TV programmes and films for beauty and fashion. Every girl or guy who loves reading fashion and beauty blogs really has to check these out, as there are hours of footage of amazing looks and outfits for anybody's taste. Characters in these iconic films and shows have set trends worldwide, and have had such an influence on my personal style my entire life. Let me know in the comments if you think I have left anything out!

ATM #5 & Update 06/14

Date: 27/06/2014

Time: 19:30 PM

Location: My brothers bedroom borrowing his amazing desk top. 

Fashion Pick: My comfy as hell purple & grey new balance trainers. 

Beauty Pick: My brand new Smashbox Full Exposure Palette LOVE IT! (Review to come next week)

Music Pick: Ghost - Ella Henderson

TV Show: Obsessing over Keeping up with the Kardashians again.

Book: Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

Food: Granola & Rachels Vanilla Yoghurt.  

Drink: Back on the San Pellegrino Limonata YUM

 FaveBlog: http://www.clothesandcamera.com/ 

I have grown to love this blog on mornings when I go through my bloglovin feed bored on the way to work. Carmen lives in Germany and has such an eclectic mix of posts on her fabulous blog. She features all sorts of beauty, fashion & lifestyle posts, and each post is always interesting and very informative. She is definitely someone to get subscribing to on bloglovin. 

Fave YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/shaaanxo

Shan is a beautiful Youtuber from New Zealand and is definitely one of my fave channels for beauty tutorials.  She uploads amazing and almost always wearable tutorials for the every day beauty obsessed girl. I especially love her clubbing and night out tutorials so I can perfect that gorgeous smoky eye. Subscribe today!

This Month I'm Excited For: T in the Park!

Update

In May I went on a mini tour of Europe, I visited Prague, Berlin & Amsterdam. It was absolutely incredible and the photo above is from Amsterdam at the canal. I just wanted to write a little update explaining my new schedule with my blog and also telling you about different things that I will be featuring shortly. This month I will posting about my trip as I have tones of photos to share and some recommendations on hostels, places to visit, food, shopping and night clubs to visit. I will also be doing a few reviews on new products I have purchased recently and a few MOTD etc. I also hope to squeeze in another photo project with the help of my little project crew, maybe something summery to go with the gorgeous and irregular weather we have been experiencing in Edinburgh.  Finally in August I will be reviewing a lot of theatre & music as we have the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in my beautiful city next month which is incredibly exciting. I also wanted to state that I have decided to put myself on a blogging schedule and have decided I will be uploading on a Monday/Sunday, Wednesday & Friday. I have chosen these days as usually they are my days off and they are the best days for me to get things done. I think that is everything I have to update you guys on today so thanks for reading and let me know what you all think. :)

Dry Skin Drama #2

As I have mentioned in a previous post I suffer from chronic dry skin tied in with bouts of eczema which in the past have been a complete nightmare for me. My skin can be randomly and without warning very sensitive too, a product you would expect to break me out or make me come out in a crazy rash is totally fine, then the most natural, gentle product turns my skin into a huge mess. Sometimes I feel like I really can't win whatever I try out. I have decided to talk through my fail safe skincare favourites that I know will not break me out and do wonders to improve the dry and dehydrated nature of my skin.

After I come out of the shower I find that my skin feels tight to the point where I feel it might crack to pieces and for years I have been trying to find something to use in the shower to combat this. Finally after going between a variety of cleansers and washes that claim to hydrate I stumbled across the Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Creamy Cleanser. I was on 2 for 1 spree in Boots and picked it up on a whim along with a clay mask and I am extremely glad that I did. The formula is beautiful and when you apply it on a damp face it melts into the skin and instantly brings a feeling of hydration to your skin. I feel like using this product is almost like a relief to my skin especially after a heavy weekend. I have found a huge difference in the hydration and dry state of my skin since using this product over the last month. The surface of skin is smoother my dry patches have all but disappeared, it may be a combination of this product and others but I must admit I have noticed the biggest difference since switching to this cleanser. As an added bonus it smells gorgeous, it has a fresh rose scent which is lovely in the evenings.

Another cleanser I swear by especially when my skin is at its worst is the Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion. This is probably the first cleanser I ever purchased and it has been a skin care staple of mine for years. It doesn't give amazing results and isn't life changing but it does exactly what it says on the bottle. It is gentle on the skin, cleanses beautifully and doesn't irritate or dry out skin in the slightest. When I have a skin nightmare after using a product my face doesn't get on with the Simple cleanser is what I turn to as I know it will do nothing but cleanse my skin gently. I really think everyone should have this in there stash for emergencies.

Another type of product I love to use are toning waters I find these sprays help to reduce the drying feeling make-up can have on your skin throughout the day. On an extremely hot day while I was in Berlin last month, I was on hot pursuit of this type of product to offer my face some relief in the stuffy weather. I stumbled into Lush with another beauty obsessed friend and we scoured the shelves for a Caudalie Beauty Elixer Dupe. The kind assistant guided us towards the Eau Roma Water which I purchased with no questions asked. This was obviously pretty reckless of me but I am happy to report that this is one of the best toning waters I have used especially at the cheap price. It is only £7.50, comes in a handy purse size bottle and is so refreshing and gives a lovely hydrating feeling to your skin.

Hydraluron is literally my holy grail skincare product. When I don't use it for even a single day I feel as if my skin is screaming out for it and it genuinely has had that much of a positive impact on my skin. It is a serum that you apply before your moisturiser day and night, it is sort of like a glue that moisture sticks to and helps any product you put on after absorb into the skin better. It has a strange almost plastic consistency but you get over that once you see the amazing results it gives. I concentrate the product on my t-zone and under my eyes which may sound strange but that is where I get the worst of my dryness. I feel like my skin feels as if it is taking a big drink and I just don't know I would do without this product.

For my everyday moisturiser I have been using the Loreal Paris Triple Active Multi-Protection Moisturiser for dry and sensitive skin. I first of all love the scent of this product and generally just found this product does the job really well. It sinks into my skin quickly and doesn't leave my skin too wet or sticky. I find in combination with the Hydraluron it leaves my skin feeling smooth, soft and very hydrated. It maybe isn't the best moisturiser in the world but for the cheap price tag and to use on a day to day basis it is perfect for me. 

This last product the No7 Instant Illusions Rapid Radiance Balm is also a new find of mine. I wanted a sort of primer product that would be illuminating and distract from the dehydrated state of my skin on its dryer days. I apply this product on top of moisturiser and under my base, I find it sits really nicely on my skin and adds an amazing glow. It makes my skin feel really smooth all day and definitely helps my foundation last and stops my skin drying out too much throughout the day. 

My Favourite Summer Lip Colour | Sheer Shades

In the Summer months I like to add a pop of colour to my make-up look and go for bright pinks and corals on my lips. I decided to put together a mix of my favourite sheerer lip products for those of us who want a gorgeous bright lip but aren't the bravest. 

Firstly I have Bourjois Colour Boost Lipstick in Fuchsia Libre which is a sheer, glossy but still lovely and pigmented hot pink. It comes as a crayon applicator and is super easy to use on the go. I love this product for a quick and no fuss burst of colour to a simple, low profile make-up look. 

Then I have Loreal LExtraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche in Rose Symphony. It is a gorgeous so glossy it looks plastic liquid lipstick that comes in lip gloss packaging. This colour is glossy and can transfer a bit, but the colour underneath creates a gorgeous stain on the lip that lasts long after the gloss has disappeared. A gorgeous every day shade to brighten up any look.  

A higher end version of the Loreal liquid lipstick is the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain

in 15 Pink Lollipop. I love this colour with a plain outfit in Summer evenings. I pair this with a little black dress and a coat of mascara and its a gorgeous look for the warmer months. The colour will also last on your lips all day and night giving a beautiful glossy finish, worth the extra money for pigment and staying power alone.

My first lipstick of the group is Maybelline ColorSensation Lipstick in Coral Crush, I am obsessed with this shade and as you can see I have used it to death. The colour is pigmented and bold but not too in your face. It is probably one to wear on a braver day but I think its sheer enough to wear day to day. It has great staying power and even if you just add one coat and blot it out it adds a gorgeous pinky peach stain to your lips. 

Finally I have Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple, this is queen of sheer but still bright red. If you are a red lip virgin then this is the product for you, it is glossy, sheer but has aplenty of pigment to give you that dash of red you are after. The products staying power is also pretty great and it is nice and moisturising on your lips. A great transition lip product for a day to evening look. 

Photo Project Focus - Head Shots

To set the scene for you, myself and my two best friends drove out to the outskirts of Edinburgh on a surprisingly sunny day armed with cameras, step ladders and unfocused energy. Between the three of us we scouted a beautiful spot in the gorgeous Vogrie Park, not without plenty of cartwheels, hunger games quotes, snap chats and general immaturity from the three of us. 

We had decided to tackle head shots and wanted to take some photos for my blog and for Chelsea to give to her agency to advertise her singing gigs. At the best of times the three of us struggle to complete the simplest of tasks without messing about so a photo shoot was quite a stretch really. Somehow though we did muddle through and the results are rather beautiful if I do say so myself. 

Big thanks must go to Laura for her photography expertise and general ability to make things look better and somehow making things run more smoothly. Also the light that day was stunning so that was a huge help, and of course my model Chelsea who takes a lot of scathing abuse on these shoots but always delivers and we always produce some beautiful shots.

I thought I would link to my two lovely friends
Instagram and YouTube accounts down here as they are both singers and you should definitely check them out.
Laura: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ5PIAtRx-1-JrnAnkjINAg
http://instagram.com/laura_connolly
Chelsea: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkg9hVa9jWHJsbOdbcXrHQ
http://instagram.com/chelseayoungson