Sisterly Love...

Today its my sisters birthday!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZIE!!!
My sister and I are really close, she is my BFF!!  She has just bought a beautiful new house and she also runs her own business meaning purchasing beauty and cosmetics has had to take a back seat.  So for her birthday I decided to make her a beauty box!!  I basically used an old Glossy box and filled it with a whole new make-up collection of drug store goodies! My sisters beauty box includes:

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in "True Nude" £5.99 from Boots - This is my absolute new favourite foundation!  It does exactly what it says on the packaging, wakes your skin up making you look healthy and glowing.  It is also a total dupe for MAC's Studio Sculpt Foundation!
Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi Concealer £6.99 from Boots - I prefer this to my YSL Touché Éclat!  This stuff is light and hydrating on your skin whilst still having great coverage! 
Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in "Rose" £7.49 from Boots - You can't beat Bourjois for these little pots of goodness!  Just the right amount of pigment to give your cheeks a flush of colour, and they smell good too! Its teeny weeny and fits into your handbag so easily
Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder £6.99 from Boots - A classic bronzer that I always have in my make-up bag, this gives a lovely sun-kissed glow AND it smells like chocolate!!
Maybelline Falsies Mascara £7.99 from Boots - Tanya Burr raves about this so it must be incredible.  Enough said really
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner £7.99 from Boots - The best gel liner you can get, this glides along your eyelids like a dream and won't budge all day.  Its also not too shiny and not too matte, its perfect!
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in "Peach Glow" £3.99 from Boots - This cheapest and most popular translucent powder around!  It sets any foundation to perfection, making your skin look flawless and keeping shine at bay
Rimmel Glam Eyes Quad Eye shadow Palette in "Sun Safari" £6.99 from Boots - Smoky brown eyes are my favourite and this palette as the perfect range of warm toned colours to achieve this!
OH and of course I added a couple of Ferrero Rochers ;-)

I absolutely loved creating my very own beauty box!  I am tempted to do this for all my friends on their birthdays!!!
Have you made your own beauty box?  What would be in your ideal beauty box?

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Birch Box Jan 2013: Fresh Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment

 
Birchbox is here!  I love new things, I get bored pretty easily so Jolie Box changing to Birch Box was a welcome change for me!  I was super excited when a highlight pink box arrived on my desk last week, I literally ripped it open in eager anticipation!  

    So as usual I'm not going to jump in and review every product as I won't try them all right away.. but one thing I did immediately use upon opening was the Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment   This tinted lip balm is totally cute!  I am in love with the packaging, pink, pretty and teeny tiny, perfect for my handbag The treatment contains blackcurrant oil, antioxidant grape seed and vitamins A, C and E which explains why is SO hydrating and yummy!  The balm also contains SPF 15 to shield your sensitive lips from sun damage. As soon as I touched this to my lips I knew I was going to adore it.  The colour is perfect for me, just a subtle hint of coral red to enhance your lips and the texture is so so smooth.  My usually dry lips felt instantly moisturised   Fresh Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment is VERY pricey for a lip balm at £25 but I am a billion percent repurchasing this when my sample runs out as I totally love it!   Have you tried your Fresh Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment yet??
 
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Cheap but Chic: Cheaper Beauty Alternatives

January is a killer for everyone!  You're totally strapped for cash after blowing it all on Xmas presents and probably alcohol over NYE and payday is weeks away.  I don't know about you guys but I tend to hunt for bargains and go for cheaper alternatives where I can to make my pennies last me as long as possible! So here is my list of alternative's to your usual beauty products that you could purchase if your budget won't stretch to the hefty price tags on a lot of cosmetics out there today    

 

   

 

 

 

I'd love to know of any cheaper alternatives/dupes you have found??

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Studded Nails

If you are a regular reader of my blog you'll know I love to embellish things!  My nails are definitely no exception and these were my nails this weekend!  I think studs looks best on black or nude shade nails.  Here is how I achieved this subtle but bang on trend studded nail look
1.  Prep your nails (cuticles, shape, buff, base coat) 2.  Paint 2 coats of your chosen base colour, mine is Models Own in "Peach Sherbet" 3.  Make sure your colour is completely dry before moving onto the next step 4.  Dip the end of a small dotting tool into a blob of clear polish - I used Seche Vite Top Coat - and dot onto your nail where you want your first stud to be.  It is best to start in the middle and work outwards to get them evenly spaced 5.  Using the same end of the dotting tool, which should be a little tacky from your clear polish  pick up a gold bead and place it on your nail 6.  Continue to do this all over your nail/nails and wait as long as possible to let the studs dry onto the nail firmly 7.  Finish with a very light coat of clear polish to really seal your studs in place and give extra shine to the whole look
Have you tried studded nails?
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Korres Lip Butter

Korres Lip Butters were a blogger favourite in 2012 and I loved them as much as everyone else but for some reason never blogged about them!
The only shade I have tried and keep repurchasing is Jasmine, a light nude beige toned pink, which is a really wearable colour perfect for everyday use

The formula of Korres Lip Butter is beautiful!! Its incredibly moisturising  feels smooth and not sticky and looks really lovely on your lips!  Just a sheen hint of colour here but that's what I like most about it most I think!   You can also wear a lipstick underneath and use this Jasmine shade on top to make your own unique shade!

I suffer from dry lips all the time and I don't expect miracles with lip butters and balms as its just my skin type in that area but this 100% helps my situation and does soften the usually dry skin on my lips all day
It also smells so yummy!  As you know I love sweet sickly scents and this is definitely one of those! It also tastes great which is important seeing as you tend to end up eating lip products slightly don't you!

I purchase my little pot of pink good'ness for £6.30 for 6g of product from Feel Unique.  This is the cheapest I can find it as they do free delivery.  Pricey for a lip balm but you really are paying for a great product!
Do you use Korres Lip Butters?

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December Favourites

1         Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Buttercream £10.50 for 300ml here – Heaven!  This stuff smells divine!! If you love sickly sweet smells – think pancakes, syrup and milkshakes – you will LOVE this body butter!  The scent stays on your skin all day and the butter formula sinks into skin instantly leaving you hydrated not sticky.  Its not the cheapest moisturiser but the pot is huge and will last you a good long while even when applying every day.  An absolute must for dry winter skin

2         Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer £6.99 here – I picked this up on a mad dash to Boots after running out of my beloved Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and I am so glad I did!!  A total dupe for YSL Touche Eclat this is a really creamy, medium coverage concealer that is great on blemishes and fantastic under the eyes.  What a bargain and my new favourite.

3         Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser £57 for 50g here - Surprisingly  I have been opting for less coverage on my skin this winter which is totally out of the norm for me.  I’ve had good skin recently with no need for heavy products at all so a blob of this all over has been perfect.  I cannot praise Chantecaille’s Just Skin enough it is the best tinted moisturiser I have ever come across.  It seems to have a light coverage whilst still cancelling out any red patches and making my skin radiant and glowing.  I have almost ran out and I am so upset as this stuff is not cheap but I will 100% be repurchasing it on payday

4         Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream £14.72 for 125g here – I received this for Christmas with my Bliss Spa Gloves (review coming soon) and it’s the nicest smelling hand cream I have used in a long time!  Its very citrus’y and refreshing and the cream is super hydrating leaving my hands lovely and soft.  The only thing is this is quite a greasy one so you need some “hands free” after using to let it slowly sink in but it’s really lovely so is def a December Fave

5         Skin Art Nail Tattoos £5.99 for 60 stickers here – These were my saviour over the Christmas period, I was so busy I had no time for elaborate manicures so I quickly stuck a few stickers over a base colour and my nails looked fabulous!!! I have done a review of some of the range here if you want to see what they look like on and how you use them!  They also have a fantastic price point, great value for money

6         Bourjois 1 Second Gel Formula Nail Polish £5.99 here – My lovely friend bought me 2 colours from the Bourjois Gel Polish range and they are amazing!  The brush is thick, the polish is opaque after 1 coat and the consistency and finish is very gel like and shiny!  My fave colour has to be Blue Moonlight as it’s the darkest blue I own with just a slights metallic finish.  Its gorgeous

7         MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Compact £20.50 for 15g here – I can’t get enough of this at the moment!  I’m not usually one for applying anything other than translucent powder but I have found that that the Studio Fix Powder really sets my foundation perfectly and gives just a slight colour enhancement to my skin.  It’s so natural looking and will leave you looking flawless.  It also doesn’t dry out my skin or wear off during the day.  This has become a staple in my makeup bag

8         Milkshake Conditioning Whipped Cream £12.15 for 200ml here – It’s not often that I fall in love with something from a beauty box subscription.  I usually like or dislike the samples but I often don’t ever repurchase the products again.  However, I don’t think I could live without this leave-in conditioner!  I have done a review of this here, but at the time of that review I didn't realise how much I actually love this product!  I only really noticed when I didn't use this for a few days and my hair just didn't feel the same, it felt dry and tangled and a little brittle.  It was only when I used this again that I realised this stuff hydrates my hair SO much!  It feels really soft and is very easy to run a brush through after using and it smells lovely! (I have a thing for smells in these favourites!!)  I said in my previous review I wouldn't repurchase this due to the price tag but I have now changed my mind and will be repurchasing this again and again because its super-duper and worth every penny!

So there are my favourite products from December 2012.. What were your favourites, I would love to know!?

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Twenty 13

A new year means time to make some resolutions, plans and more memories! I cannot believe its 2013, I remember celebrating the millennium in my Adidas poppers and hair slicked back in a ponytail!! Where has the time gone...
So here are some things I would like to achieve in twenty 13:
Spring Clean I love to keep things, it terrifies me to throw things away in case I might need that hideous halter neck top "in case it comes back in fashion" !! I've just ordered loads of vacuum pack bags to have a proper good clear out and organise the things I do really need to keep! I shall be ruthless 
Write things down I have an amazing little book called One A Day The 5 Year Memory Book which I will dedicate 2 minutes to everyday to write a memory, comment or something I have learnt. I cannot wait to fill it up and look back at what I have written in five years time! I have a rubbish memory too so it will be nice to record a few moments in life that I would otherwise forget
Be More Confident I'm not shy and I am generally really outgoing but I lack a lot of self confidence. I constantly doubt abilities and never think I as good or as clever as others and this is something I would really like to change. 
Become A Vlogger This is something I have been wanting to try for sooooo long but I am super scared to give it a go!!! I am addicted to watching other vloggers fabulous videos and I know I can make some videos just as good myself, but something is stopping me from taking the plunge!! I absolutely love blogging and I will definitely expand my blog by starting a YouTube channel this year.. I WILL!
Save money This is my biggest resolution this year! My lovely boyfriend and I are determined to buy our own little house and we all know how much that costs these days so its save save save!! I won't be restricting myself by cutting back on every single luxury or outing but I will definitely be buying less clothes and food and things that I really waste my money on! As long as life is still fun and I'm not missing out then I am happy :-)
What are your New Years resolutions? 

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