My Brow Kit

I was probably the last person to start filling in my brows.

They seriously needed it, but I was petrified! It’s taken a while, and many a Morticia Addams gone wrong, but I’ve finally settled on what I prefer: a mixture of pencil and powder.

I started off with Urban Decay’s Brow Beater in Dark to create my shape, with small, light strokes throughout, and then I’d brush the product through with my Anastasia Sable Duo Brow Brush #7.

Then, I’d use my Real Techniques Brow Brush to add a little bit of Faint from my Naked Basics palette over my brows. I use very little powder and stick to small strokes to avoid a mess.

Rimmel’s Brow This Way clear gel does a great job of holding everything in place, without leaving me with crusty caterpillars. I can swear it’s long- lasting, because my brows have made it through sweaty concerts without sliding off. Well, until I got kicked in the face!

The more I watch brow tutorials, the more I see how natural brows look when you can see hairs through them. I didn’t use my Urban Decay Brow Tamer, in Dark also, for a long while, but now I go over the top of my brows and lightly catchy some of my hairs, to brush them upwards. I also do the same on the hairs at the beginning of my brows. How many times have I said brows so far?

I was really happy with this lot, until I realised the Brow Beater was causing me hair loss! As in noticeable patches! That’s so not a good look, especially when you have sparse brows to begin with. I didn’t use the Brow Tamer until recently and the patches are in parts I don’t use it, and Faint and the Rimmel gel I’ve used for nearly a year without problems. It’s a great pencil though, and this didn’t happen until I was on my second.

I’ve realised I prefer a less waxy pencil, and a smaller brow brush for my powder. Maybe I can finally manage a consistent shape if I change my tools.

What do you use?

Tartelette 2 In Bloom Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette

By now, I’m a little obsessed with tarte eye shadows.

I mentioned the first Tartelette Amazonian Clay Eye Shadow palette in my 2015 Beauty Favourites roundup, but there’s a new kid on the block and it’s dreamy looking!

I will always be pro matte eye shadows, and I’m glad tarte are largely sticking to that idea with the new Tartelette 2 In Bloom palette. There are three lustres in this palette, but I can live with that.

The muted warm tones I love, but the lighter shades aren’t pigmented enough. If like me, you like a subtle wash of something for everyday wear, then you might enjoy them more. But the lack of pigment means that this palate isn’t something you need, and you might be happier with just the first Tartelette palette.

They’re still buttery in texture, more so with the darker shades, but they’re not as chalky because they’re not all strongly pigmented. I’ve also noticed tarte eye shadows look more vibrant and last longer when I use an eye shadow primer.

QVC UK is selling this palette right now for a really good price. It also comes with a weird double-sided brush for packing on shadow and blending. The side for packing on shadows is a little too scratchy for my liking, but I can work with it. For £31, minus delivery, I think that’s a pretty good deal. You know, if you just fancy owning it like I do!

Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Defence Serum

I picked up Caudalie’s Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Defence Serum on a whim, because I’ve decided I need a serum I can use in the morning.

I’m twenty-five now, the fine lines have kicked in and the fear is real!

This serum has a milky consistency that feels kind of strange, but not in a bad way. It doesn’t feel particularly hydrating at first, but it’s not drying. Its pipette could also function better. I’m not selling this well am I? Let’s rewind.

I really like the grape extract aspect of Caudalie’s products, and this serum is packed with antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, and olive extract. I picked it up more for the idea of prevention, because antioxidants are meant to protect skin from free radicals that cause damage to our outer layer over time.

Considering it seems a very lightweight formula that doesn’t leave a residue, it does a fantastic job overnight, and I think it’s better off used before bed. I wake up with my skin looking plump, clearer, and healthy, and with a visible boost of radiance. The results last for days too, so it’s not just a placebo effect.

Although I planned on this being a morning time serum, and it made me glow so beautifully when I used it underneath makeup, it eventually veered off course to the oil slick looking side, and my makeup barely lasted the day because of it. If you have dry skin though, this might be a good option to consider, but I’m an oily skinned girl so I can’t afford said glow going oh so very wrong!

Do you know of any good morning serums?

Honest blog: I don’t know where I’m going, only that I must go

I was one of those people who couldn’t write a New Year’s Eve message. One of those reflective posts about 2015’s ups and downs and what I was looking forward to in 2016. I couldn’t, because I was weighed down by how overwhelmingly unhappy I’ve felt about my life for the last two years. Although I was already trying to make changes by then, I felt entirely hopeless. Then something happened a few days later that catapulted me into a greater unknown, but it wasn’t a hopeless place.

I’ve been miserable at my workplace for two years now. I’ve experienced some very unpleasant things there, and I’m better off not giving too much detail about it all. Suffice it to say, it’s been a difficult time, and I’ve lost my sense of self so incredibly much.

Aside from the fact that I work a weekend day every week, or other week, I’ve also been more distant from my family and friends. I’ve missed so many social gatherings, opportunities to travel, and time I could have spent with my family who all live abroad.

In a state of constant exhaustion, I’ve also fallen out of touch with the things that I love, and the things that have always defined me. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a short story, or finished a book, or took time to make something, or draw. When I get a chance to meet with friends, it takes every ounce of strength to step out of my front door.

Worse than all of that, is that in the last four years my OCD and Anxiety have spiralled, and I’ve had more panic attacks in the last three months than I’ve had in the last three years. I barely sleep or eat, I’ve lost so much weight in the last month alone, and my hair is falling out due to stress.

A lot of things pointed towards me leaving my job, more so in the last few weeks. I spent time with two of my best friends, and we talked about how negative a person I had become. I talked to my sisters and my parents, and they said the same thing. But until then, it had never been so clear to me.

So I made the decision to leave my job. And today, I quit.

I have a lot of fear in me, and doubts about what I’ve decided. But I also feel a sense of relief I haven’t felt in years. I feel like I can breathe. I don’t believe I’ve made a bad decision, and it wasn’t a spontaneous one either.

I recognise my own responsibility in all of this. The more I truly listen to my own fears and feelings, I realise I’m as much at fault for letting things become this bad. I’m responsible for my own happiness. I might not be able to control circumstances but I can control and influence my reactions and how I cope.

I came across an interview the other day of Hannah Pixie Sykes conducted by Sophie Eggleton, and Hannah said, “it’s not about the pursuit of happiness, it’s about happiness in the now.” I’m going to try to keep that thought close at hand.

There’s always a silver lining. For a little while I hope, I’ll have more free time to dedicate to my blog and networking. 

Because in all of this, it’s been one of the few things that has kept me sane.

2015 Favourites || Makeup

So I’ve shared favourite skin care products of 2015, and now it’s time to talk makeup favourites!

Of the lot, tarte’s Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette takes the top spot! Just look at it! How can anything look so beautiful and be so great?!

Still on the subject of eyes, I’ve pretty much used only Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Mascara and Bourjois’ Twist Up The Volume mascaras all year. It took me ages to try the Bourjois blogger favourite and I didn’t like it at first, but I think that’s just something I do, you know? Both are seriously awesome at lengthening and volumising, exactly what I like in a mascara!

Maybelline’s Age Rewind Concealer turned things around for me this year! I get the hype, finally I do! It’s the nicest brightening concealer I’ve ever tried and it’s the first concealer I’ve tried since Double Wear, one of my life necessities.

I have an oily T-Zone, but I’ve not had to worry about that for so long since I started using Givenchy’s Eclat Matissime Fluid Foundation, and Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder. Claire Marshall always talks about the latter, and after trying it I understand why she’s ride of die for it too! It just makes my skin look ultra HD while still natural, and it keeps shine in check. I can’t remember the last time I had to touch up during the day, it’s that great!

Like I wrote in my November Every Day Face post, I’ve loved using the combination of Bobbi Brown’s Bronzing Powder in Natural and tarte’s Amazonian Clay 24hr Blush in Exposed. Essentially, I achieved my cheek goals this year!

For tools, although I wanted to try other makeup brushes this year, I ended up buying some of the Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes. They’re ridiculously beautiful! The Oval Shadow Brush and the Tapered Blush Brush have been the ones I’ve used most. New to the fray, and oh so very late, is Sigma’s F35 Tapered Highlight Brush. It’s a mandatory favourite though, let’s be honest.