I ❤ Drugstore Makeup Tag

Hello! 

So I haven't done a tag in a little while and I've been meaning to get around to this one for a long time. The world and his wife have done this task so I'm going to dive straight in and add mine to the bloggersphere. 

So first up: 

1. What is your favourite drugstore makeup brand overall?

This just HAS to be Maybelline. They're absolutely taking hold of makeup by the horns this year and with their mid-range pricing I find myself just gravitating towards them when I'm in Boots. Plus, they're lipstick range looks pretty impressive on display; there's just so many! 

2. What are your favourite face, cheek and lip products?
  
 My face products are constantly changing as my skin battles the classic British weather. My old favourite isn't going anywhere. I always try to find a foundation that I love more than my MaxFactor Xperience Weightless Foundation. The colour range always seems to match me and it really keeps that matte finish going all day. After all the hype I finally caved and swapped from my Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch Concealer to the Lasting Perfection Concealer. At the moment I'm loving them both for different reason, I may just have to have both! That's when my spending ban is over. (Which is going well by the way!) And lastly I've jumped on the Rimmel Stay Matte powder bandwagon as well. 

For cheeks I'm going crazy over the Topshop cream to powder blushes, more on those here: From Comfort Food To Comfort Face. 

For lip product I'm going to be terribly boring and say Burt's Bees lip balms. They smell divine and make my lips feel ridiculously hydrated. 

3. Least favourite product?

I know I'm probably going to be showered with shocked faces but it has to be the Revlon ColorStay Foundation. I just hate it. No matter what I apply it with or how I apply it I just cannot get it right. It's far too thick and considering it only had an SPF of 6 it smells so strongly of sunscreen that I can barely stand to have it near my nose. It's an expensive drugstore product to go in the bin but for me it is by far the worst, over hyped product out there at the moment. 

 

4. What is the best makeup bargain?

By a mile the best bargains out there are coming from MUA. Their blushes for £1 are just amazing. They're very pigmented with a slight shimmer. If you need a blush on the go, then these are your best bet. 

5. What is your favourite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)

There is definitely not enough hype out there for Natural Collection Eye shadows. I love their texture. Their eye shadows have a matte finish but if I look really closely I'm convinced there is a minute glitter in them. I especially love the eyeshadow duo's.  

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?

I would say that Soap and Glory's lip glosses seem a little pricey. Perhaps I'm being stingy, but I would always expect to pay less for a drugstore lip gloss than I would a drugstore foundation. Soap and Glory's most expensive lip gloss is ten pounds. I think their far too sticky plus for an extra two pounds I could get my favourite Urban Decay lip gloss. They're on the wrong side of the price line for me. 
 

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!

So my dupe is the most obvious one out there but it has to be Revlon Just Bitten lip balms as a dupe  for... you guessed it, Clinique Chubby Sticks. Let's face it, they're the same product. 

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?

Other than the Revlon ColorStay as I said above however, what is all the craze about Maybelline Fit Me Foundation? Firstly, I followed Maybelline's match guide to the very letter and it doesn't match very well. I think their foundation shades are a bit off and last but not least, it oxidises like a crazy thing after you've had it on for an hour. 

I'm not going to tag anyone to do this because there isn't anyone who HASN'T done it already. My word, I am behind!

Christmas Tag.

Merry Christmas!

It’s December! Yeah, believe it or not, it’s here. Christmas is a pretty busy time for the blogger, what with Christmas hauls, Party Season Tutorials, even some yummy Christmas decorations, just to name a few. However I can’t let Christmas go by without a Christmas tag so to save time I’m getting mine in quick so I can keep up to date with all of the festive events as they happen. So, you may notice that this isn’t the big 2012 tag, it’s not the winterlicious either – I’m a sucker for tradition so I thought I’d go for a tag that circulated a few years ago, just to give you all a bit of variety. 

Onwards and upwards we go:

What is your favourite holiday movie? 

The cool part of me – if there is one - wants to say The Nightmare Before Christmas because it’s just magical, and a little bit crazy. But, as is unfortunately true, I am no such ultimately cool person so the truth is it’s the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34^th Street because let’s face it, Mara Wilson was soooo cute when she was little and it’s just such a ridiculously festive film.

What’s your favourite Christmas colour? 

Red. Just red. Red everything. Oh, and some green, Christmas tree green…. And a bit of gold. Christmas is just a very colourful time of year for me but I can’t pick just one colour. Red, green and gold – that’s a combo that makes me feel traditional and festive.

Do you like to stay in your PJ’s or dress up for Christmas? 

PJ’s. I’ve been known to have a shower, and then put my pyjamas back on. If there’s one day of the year I’m allowed to be lazy its Christmas. Sometimes we go for a walk after lunch; I’ll get changed if we go out, but mostly its pyjamas, hot chocolate and maybe even a hot water bottle.

If you could only buy one person a present this year who would it be? 

Me! Only kidding.  A toughie! Seeing as I’ve already bought half my presents I’m going to act like I was asked this back in January or something. Seeing as I’m signed up for the Secret Santa, I guess to be fair to my friends and family, because I love them all equally I would probably just buy for my blogger, whoever they may be.

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? 

Well I don’t know about you but Christmas is just way to exciting to open presents and then go to bed! We’ve always opened our presents on Christmas morning… well except when I was little and I just couldn’t wait until the next day so my Mom would let me open a little one early. Or there was the year that my Mom thought I wouldn’t find my Christmas presents if she hid them... wait for it... UNDER MY BED! Needless to say, Christmas definitely came early that year.

Have you ever built a gingerbread house? 

No! I want to though, every year I say I’m going to make one, but then the Christmas chocolate kicks in and we all know how lazy that makes us. I am however making gingerbread Christmas tree decorations, which of course you will be making with me. Recipe and some baking pictures hitting TopKatTV on December 23^rd. Don’t miss those!

What do you like to do on your Christmas break? 

Walk. A lot. I usually have a lot of work to do over Christmas (Santa’s little elf, you see.) revision for exams tends to keep my indoors so anything to get outside when the weathers at that really crisp but sunny stage is a huge treat. I also love attending the big light switch on and the Christmas fairs. Unfortunately work has meant I had to forgo most of the festivities this year. 

Any Christmas wishes? 

Well I’ll be boxing up my mistletoe that’s for sure! I prefer wishes that actually will come true so I usually just hope for a good Christmas day, because it’s the one day you can just be happy without thinking about how much the whole holiday is costing and whether you’ll get snowed in.

Favourite Christmas smell?

Cinnamon and that mulled wine spice smell. I also love those dried oranges with cloves stuck in them. We’ve just bought a mulled wine fruit tea and it smells divine. Anyone wanting to join in with that should head over to Whittards... to make Christmas truly special.

Favourite Christmas meal or treat?

Well, the meal is clearly Christmas dinner! Treat wise I think Christmas pudding because you don’t really have it any other time of year so that makes it really special and indulgent. Plus you end up eating it with cheese for months to come.

Which holiday do you celebrate? 

Erm, Christmas?

What are you doing for the holiday this year? 

Same as per really. Christmas with the family, my grandparents are spending Christmas with us as they have been for the last few years. I really like a big family Christmas, although I do feel sorry for poor old Mom who, despite our attempts to help, still somehow ends up running around after us all.

What’s your favourite holiday drink?

That has to be Baileys. It’s just so warm and makes you want to snuggle up in front of a fire, even if it is served on the rocks. If you’re not a liqueur person then try adding a splash of Baileys to your festive hot chocolate.

Candy cane or gingerbread men? 

I haven’t actually noticed if we have more gingerbread around at this time of year in England. We tend to have candy canes in the house because my Mom doesn’t like ginger but I would prefer gingerbread. Hence why I’m making some. I’m also going to be making an orange version of the decoration for Mom, I will include that recipe with my gingerbread one.

What’s your favourite Christmas song? 

If I’m feeling a vintage Christmas then it’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I can’t deny though that I grew up with All I Want For Christmas so I can’t ignore that either. I don’t usually like Christmas songs that are released now but I did really like Train’s Christmas Time last year. Dare I say it as well, I wasn’t completely horrified by Justin Beiber’s offering to the Christmas scene either, but don’t hold it against me!

What’s the weirdest gift you’ve ever received? 

Hmm, for Christmas I don’t actually know. I’ve received things that seem weird now, like a wizard cookery book, but at the time I was really into Harry Potter- not that I don’t still hold a love for it – and cooking. My Mom bought me a mixing bowl I really wanted once, which she broke! And I have also noticed since it is the same bowl used in Downton Abbey (It’s from Sainsbury’s. Yup, all that vintage magic ruined.) She wasn’t very happy when she asked me what my favourite present was, looking at the pile of CD’s and a new pair of curlers and I said my mixing bowl. Moral of the story, never become a chef.

Have you ever made a snowman? 

Of course. It wasn’t a very artistic snowman and I usually get too cold to finish it by the time I’ve done the body. It’s about then that I realise the carrots are all being used for Christmas dinner, the stones are buries under the snow, and in the modern age, not many people have lumps of coal lying around that are just perfect eye size.

What is your favourite winter fragrance? 

I don’t really have one. I usually get a bottle of Christina Aguilera for my birthday and Christmas but the most festive scents I have are Ed Hardy’s Hard Candy and La Perla. I have recently added my Roberto Cavalli perfume, which I will be reviewing soon, along with many other scents in my perfume collections.

What is top of your Christmas list? 

Curlers! When mine broke I brought some new Remington ones but they’ve never compared to my beautiful Mark Hill ones. They’re also on sale in Boots, hint hint to Santa.

What is the most important thing to you about the holidays? 

Time off? No, in seriousness it’s what I said before; it’s just that one day a year where you can put everything aside and enjoy the day. No fuss. Just family.

I’ve just noticed that this tag is over a thousand words. If only it were so easy to write my thousand word English essays… oh well.

Happy holidays everyone. Wherever you are I hope you’re enjoying whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year. Have fun.

Merry Christmas!

Feliz Navidad!

Joyeux Noel!

Frohe Weihnachten!

Buon Natale!

P.S. Yeah, I may have run out of ones I can do on an English keyboard.

Why I Wear Makeup Tag.

How I feel wearing mascara :) Well, not quite.

 Hello Amigos!

After doing my It's Only Makeup post I wrote up my answers to the 'Why I Wear Makeup' tag. At some point it got saved in a blogger file somewhere whilst I was looking for some photos or something equally unimportant and I forgot to upload it, so here it is. Why do I wear makeup?


1. When did you begin wearing makeup?

I started wearing makeup when I was about thirteen. Now, when I say wearing make up I do not, by any means, mean wearing it well. For example, this picture. Now ignore the glasses, the red eye and the freakish pale glare I'm getting of that flash. Look a bit closer, oh yes, that is red eyeliner! All over my lid. I think for me wearing makeup was just a natural part of growing up but also a weird way of expressing myself when I got to high school. That age is pretty hard to figure out who you are and makeup was my way of saying 'look, I'm a grown up' even if I wasn't.




2. How do I feel without makeup?

How  I feel without makeup really depends on who I'm with. If I'm at home with my family I don't even think about the fact that I'm not wearing anything on my face and it's shiny with moisturiser. With friends I actually prefer it that way (Monkey-Mouse is revealed :)). If I'm going out then I feel quite awkward without it, you never know who you're going to meet and a lot of people, however wrong to do so, do judge on first impressions. I definitely feel more confident when I'm wearing makeup, especially for an evening out.



3. What do I like about makeup?

Buying it. As much as I love makeup I also really love buying it. Now maybe that just because it's of my shopaholic tendencies but there's just so much of it and everything is so colourful. Plus, unless I'm being really extravagant it doesn't cost half as much as a new dress. Makeup is the one think I can buy and KNOW that I'm going to wear it, unless I hate it of course. Makeup, whether it's buying it, putting it on, or just wearing it is an experience and it's the experience I enjoy.

4. My 3 Holy Grail items:

Wow, that is difficult. I have thinks that I'm loving at the moment but holy grails! I think I'll have to start with my foundation. I'm a bit of a foundation whore but I always end up going back to the Max Factor Xperience Foundation it's just so light and matt that I end up going to the mirror to give my makeup a touch up and then thinking, 'oh, it's not even shiny.' My second holy grail is my Collection 2000 Multiplier Mascara. This mascara is sooo cheap and so amazing. It thickens, lengthens and curls all at the same time and it's the perfect consistency formula. Lastly, my No.7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour in the shade Melon. It's an older blusher that's changed since No.7 went through their major revamp but Melon is pretty close to the shade I have. It's the perfect buildable, pigmented and matt blush that I have and I feel like I can wear this and nothing else because it just makes me look alive.


And that, my friends, is why I wear that colourful makeup stuff. What about you? Why do you wear makeup?


Bye!

I ♥ Fall Tag!

Hello Beauty Addicts!

As you can see in my Seven Shades of Autumn post I'm feeling very Autumnal and let's face it, it's been a while since I did a tag. A quick reminder that Fall is just Autumn in America although, quick fact, 'Fall' was originally English and taken over to America during the colonisation. As the English language evolved Fall became Autumn but was kept in it's original form in the US to keep American English 'pure'. Geek moment for you there.

Anyway, the 'I ♥ Fall Tag' has become almost an obligation for any beauty addict this year so therefore, here it is.


Okay, so here we go:

1. Favourite Fall lip product?

    My favourite fall lip product was a chance find in my local Sainsbury's in the sale. It's a typical autumn shade, a deep purple and smells like palma violets. Again this is another discontinued shade so I can only get it on Amazon now, which is a shame, but I love it. The Loreal Paris Color Riche in shade 712.


2. Favourite Fall Nail Polish?
    During fall I actually tend to rock some summer nail polishes. Some corals and mint greens all year round for me usually. However, I do love a good deep blue and Wet n Wild Wild Shine nail polish has that sheen that makes it look so deep and pool-like it's just beautiful. intense colour in one coat, especially with my favourite blue - shade Denim Chrome. 
   

3. Favourite Starbucks Fall Drink?
    My Starbucks coffee doesn't really change throughout the year, I'm actually more of a Costa girl anyway. Although, I am more likely to order an ice tea in summer I guess but my coffee of choice is always a Mocha whether I'm at Starbucks or not.


4. Favourite Fall Candle?

    Surprisingly my favourite fall candle is actually a summer scent. I brought it during the summer clear out and I talked about this in my Fallen of the Waggon post. It's the Yankee Candle Bahama Breeze scent. The smell of this candle makes me reminiscent of summer as it's so refreshing but always makes me pleased for the change in scenery. Even in the rain and mist I can come home and go back to my summer scents for a little while to recover.

5. Favourite Fall Scarf or Accessory?
    My scarf! Definitely, it's just a plain cream wool from Republic but I really really want a deep purple one from Monsoon :)


6. Haunted house, haunted hay ride, or haunted corn maze?

    Well here in England we only really have haunted houses and those are at theme parks, but I'm a pretty easy scare so I would say I'm not a massive fan of those either. The Blackpool Pleasure Beach  I think I'd like a hay ride if I'd ever been on one.

7. Favourite Halloween movie?

    I'm always up for a good scary movie on Halloween but I do prefer the classics. The original Halloween is good for me!


8. Favourite candy to eat on Halloween?

    Toffee Apples! Okay, so it's not something you get when trick or treating but it's the bit that I love about Halloween.


9. What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
    Whilst I'm not dressing up this year I got a bit creative last year and went as a walking version of the cult classic A Clockwork Orange. When I was little I was always a witch, however I think I was Death for a few years... 

10. What is your Favourite thing about Fall?
       Fallen leaves and bonfires. Can anyone say smores? 


 What are your Fall Favourites? I tag everyone.

Bye Addicts.

I've fallen of the waggon!

^^Click me!^^

Hello Beauty Addicts!

Remember this? Yeah, that's over.

 "So I know that there is a bit of a challenge going around about spending bans well I'm doing it! EEEEKKK!"

    I am there bearer of bad news. I have fallen of the mythical, magical, deeply satisfying saving band waggon. It is true, I know, I couldn't believe it myself. It started with a half price Yankee Candle (I the scent Bahama Breeze, I mean, what was a poor girl to do?) but it escalated to the replacement of a concealer and bang! before I knew what was happening, wages were in the bank and burning a serious hole in the hypothetical pocket.

   What can I say? I may not have completed this challenge but I certainly have learnt from it. Lesson number one: I simple do not have the will power to quell such an obsession as mine. Two: I should listen to my friends more often, especially the ones who thought I was crazy for doing this. 

    So that's it, failure. I'm going to go and lick my wounds now.

Bye Addicts.

What's my face worth?

Hello Beauty Addicts!

So I’ve seen this tag a few times and became – rather foolishly – convinced that my face doesn’t cost that much. In protest I decided to go ahead and tot up all the products on my face (make up wise) and lets just say, I’ve been beaten by this tag! My face is officially expensive. Well at least it is on a student budget! However in comparison to others that I’ve seen at about £200 pounds but baring in mind that this list includes cheap products that i don’t really like but can’t afford to replace with the more expensive ones that I love.

I know that this tag is all over the place at the moment but I’ve been absolutely hooked and amazed by how much money we spend on our face. I’d be so rich if I didn’t care… *sighs*
Let’s go:

• 17 Photo Flawless Primer – £4.99
• Max Factor Xperience Foundation in Raw Silk – £9.99
• Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch Concealer – £3.99
• Collection ‘Fix Me Up’ Long Lasting Makeup Fixer – £3.99
• MeMeMe Flawless Loose Powder – £5.99
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion – £14.50
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette – £36.00
• Jemma Kidd I-Glamour Define Eyeliner in Black – £14.00
• Rimmel Scandal’Eyes Show Off Mascara – £6.99
• Maybelline Illegal Length Waterproof Mascara – £8.99
• Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow in Beige Rose (used as a highlighter) – £6.49
• Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in Rose D’Or – £7.49
• Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Tint in Endless Blossom – £6.99
• Lip Smackers Lip Balm Coca cola Cherry – £2.55

Grand Total: £133.45

That’s a big hole in a students bank balance, ouch!

Bye Addicts!