November favourites

As we are scarily near the end of the month, I thought that I would share with you what I have been absolutely loving through out November! 

Skincare:

There's two products I have been using a lot this month and so impressed with them! Firstly, I decided to purchase the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask as I had heard a lot of great reviews about it. It certainly didn't let me down; I use it once a week and it makes my skin feel cleaner, fresher and much more healthy. It is a great product for unblocking your pores and the results are noticeable straight away! I purchased the smaller tube as I wanted to see how I got on with it but I will definitely be going back to purchase the full size one when I've ran out! 

The second product I've been loving is Lush's Grease Lightning. Once again I've heard so much about this from bloggers and youtubers so I knew it was worth trying. I am spot prone and I find it difficult to find a spot treatment that works for me but this one has really been effective! It is a gel like formula which I put on my problem areas at night and it works a treat, it has ingredients in it such as tea tree, organic aloe vera and witch hazel which really agree with my skin. Just some advice, I would use this in the morning as it creates a film over the blemish which makes it then hard to apply make-up! Overall, this product is my new saviour, I love it! I also love the packaging and the name! 

Make-up:

This month I purchased a few more Real Techniques brushes to add to my collection and found a new favourite. I absolutely love using the buffing brush to apply my powder, the softness of the bristles along with its density makes it hold the right amount of product. It really helps to give a flawless finish to your make up and I'd definitely recommend it! 

Over the last couple of weeks, I haven't been able to stop using the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow stick in Bluffing. It's so perfect for every day casual make up and is a great base product to help create many different looks including evening ones. The creamy consistency makes it easy to apply and blend which is what I love about it. I have purchased 2 more shades which I'm excited to try! 

Perfume:

I've recently ran really low on perfume so I wanted to find a slightly cheaper perfume that I could use every day. Whilst doing some Christmas shopping in Massimo Dutti, I noticed that they have brought out a small line of women's fragrances. This perfume stood out to me straight away, the packaging is gorgeous! I love the colour scheme of pink and black. I also love the name of it 'In Black' as a classic outfit of mine consists of all black! The scent is flowery yet dusky which is what makes it great for every day use as it isn't over powering. 

Clothing:

Clothes wise, there's two items I've been loving this winter! With it being the classic party season, the colour scheme that is right on trend is black and gold and both these items ticked these boxes! I love a piece of clothing that is really versatile so naturally this Dorothy Perkins jumper caught my eye. The quality is lovely and it has just the right amount of 'sparkle' to it; it's the perfect Christmas time gold! This jumper would look great for a casual day with jeans, a fur gilet and boots but can transform into an evening outfit by adding a pair of heels and a black fitted leather skirt. Great for Christmas drinks! 

The heels I think would look great with this jumper are these ones from New Look. At £24.99 they're ridiculously affordable considering they resemble Valentino's iconic studded heels! These heels also look amazing with a petite femine dress as the studs give an outfit some edge! They are available in both black suede and patent nude, I opted for the black suede as I love the contrast of the shiny studs against the texture of the main heel itself. 

TV programme:

About a month ago I started to watch the TV programme Gossip Girl. It's a few years old and I've heard so much about it so once I saw it on Netflix I had to give it a go! If you're a typical girl who loves relationships, drama, gossip and fashion then you will definitely love this! It has a great portrayal of 'Manhattans elite' and you also get the pleasure of viewing some flawless actors/actresses (Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively)! 

Book: 

This month I have been reading If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. The movie of this book was recently out in cinemas but I never got a chance to see it so I decided to read the book. I don't want to give away the storyline but it is a beautifully and delicately written book. It was powerful, emotional and heart wrenching, it really makes you appreciate life and all that you live for. An excellent read! 

Album: 

I can not stop listening to Taylor Swifts newest album 1987!! I have been a massive fan of Taylor's for years now so was really excited when this got released! It's very different to her other tracks, the country feel has been replaced with more of a pop vibe and she certainly pulls it off! The songs are more upbeat and happy yet still her theme of love exists, exactly what I enjoy! 

I hope you enjoyed hearing what I've loved this month and I'd love to hear some of your favs! 

Katie x 

Everyday Winter make-up look

During the Winter months I tend to steer towards shades of brown when it comes to make-up and I like to keep it looking quite natural. I thought I'd show you my everyday winter make up look and the products I use to achieve this look every morning. 

In the morning I cleanse my face with the Clinique 7 day scrub cream. I love this product as as well as cleansing, it also gently exfoliates your skin. After this I then moisturise my face using the Simple oil balancing moisturiser. I only use this one in the morning as I feel it's a great base for my make-up and it is also really good for sensitive skin. If I have any problem areas, I then apply a blemish treatment. 

For my base, I blend in No7 beautifully matte foundation in Deeply Ivory with a stippling brush. This foundation is excellent at giving an even coverage and really is very mattifying which is great as I have oily skin. Under my eyes I use Rimmels wake me up concealer in Classic Beige which I apply with a pointed foundation brush. This concealer is the best at hiding dark circles and is definitely one of my go-to products! For my blusher, I use Macs sheertone shimmer blush in Sunbasque. The colour of this is perfect for the Autumn/Winter time of year. To set my make-up in place I use the No7 mineral perfection loose powder in New Ivory. As it's a powder foundation, I only use a small amount and dust it over my face with a large powder brush. 

For my eyes, I've gone for a bronzey-brown look. I first prep my eyelids with Nars pro-prime smudge eyeshadow base which helps my eye make-up last all day. At the moment, I'm loving eye shadow sticks/crayons. I find the pigmentation great and they're so easy to blend out. I applied Rimmels scandaleyes eyeshadow stick in Bluffing all over my lid and into the crease of my eye using a base shadow brush. I then blended the crease out with a delux crease brush to make the look appear more natural. I next used the eyeshadow shade 'snakebite' from the trusty Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. I used an angled brush to apply and build up the colour to my lower lash line. Once again, I blended this out with the delux crease brush (blending is so important!!). To add more definition, I lined my waterline with Maybellines masterdrama kohl eyeliner in Dark Brown. During the day I prefer to use a brown eyeliner as I feel it looks more subtle and natural. To complete my eye look I applied a coat of Cliniques high impact mascara to my upper lashes and used Cliniques bottom lash mascara on my lower lashes. I don't do much to my eyebrows so I just comb through then with a brow brush and then set them into place with Rimmels brow this way brow styling gel in Dark Brown. 

To complete my look I added a small amount of Vaseline to my lips and then applied Revlon colorburst lip butter in Pink Truffle. This shade is a gorgeous nude which is perfect for an everyday look as the product is very moisturising. 

And that is my winter everyday make-up look! All brushes used are Real Techniques :-) 

Have a great day! Katie x 

Real Techniques collection

Every single make up lover out there will definitely have Real Techniques brushes in their collection and I am no exception. The excitement and satisfaction of clean, brand new make up brushes is a feeling that us make up fanatics love to experience! Real Techniques is a brand made by make up artists and sisters Sam and Nic Chapman (Jim Chapmans sisters!!) and they have created brushes that fulfil every beauty need! They sell various single brushes as well as 'collections' which consist of several brushes and come with a case/stand. The brushes are cleverly colour coded into three catergories: base (gold), finish (pink) and eyes (purple). The brushes are affordable and very well made and I'd highly recommend them! The brush itself has super soft bristles which have a great density allowing it to hold an appropriate amount of product! I thought I'd share with you my Real Technique brush collection which include various different brushes I use on a day to day basis (some have been used so excuse the fact they are a bit dirty). 

L-R: Powder brush, buffing brush, expert face brush, contour brush, pointed foundation brush, detailer brush. 

L-R: Blush brush, stippling brush, setting brush. 

L-R: Delux crease brush, base shadow brush, accent brush, fine liner brush, brow brush. 

Hope you enjoyed this post, 

Katie x 

Fav AW14 nail polish shades

There is nothing more therapeutic than relaxing and painting your nails, especially in the winter when you're all snuggled up indoors! I tend to wear dark nail polish all year round but these are the shades that I never part with during the autumn/winter months! All the nail polishes that I have chosen are great to apply and are very opaque which helps to show the true beauty of their colour! 

~ Chanel Le Vernis // Vertigo 

~ Chanel Le Vernis // April 

~ Tanya Burr // Penguin Chic 

~ Tanya Burr // New York Night 

~ Claire's Gel Nail Polish // Black 

~ Rimmel Salon Pro // Celebrity Bash 

Revlon review 💄

Besides a few things, I've never really branched out to try Revlons make up range. I'm not sure why I've not tried their products before as I have heard a lot of good reviews about them so when I saw that Superdrug had a 3 for 2 offer on, I decided to take the plunge! Naturally I went for some lip products (I might have a lip product addiction...) and I was so impressed by the variety of shades and finishes they had within their lipstick/gloss collection. 

I decided to go for 3 different products and 3 different colours. I picked up the Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle (left). This product literally is buttery soft and super moisturising. This lipstick is the perfect nudey-pink 'your lips but better' shade which is very wearable. I know for a fact that this product is going to live in my handbag as it is so perfect for everyday use! 

I wanted to experiment a bit and go for a more girly (but not Barbie) pink shade so secondly I chose the Colorburst Balm Stain in Honey Douce (middle). Back in the summer I purchased the matte version of this product and although I loved the colour, it dried my lips out so I assumed the lacquer version would be a lot better for me. Once again, it feels very moisturising and glides onto your lips effortlessly! This one is also great for everyday wear as the colour is subtle but also buildable! 

I couldn't resist the darker autumn shades so I opted for the Colorstay Moisture Stain in Parisian Passion (right). These are Revlons newest lip products so I was really excited to try this one out! The pigmentation of the product is great and the colour it leaves on your lips is gorgeous! I love how glossy and moisturising it is yet isn't sticky at all! It's so pretty on its own but is also perfectly compliments many dark red/purple lipstick shades! 

Also, I can't forget to mention that top marks go to Revlon for their gorgeous sleek packaging! 

Cruise - Le Harve & Bruges

On the 28th October I went on a short cruise to Le Harve, France and Bruges, Belgium. I felt like such a tourist and absolutely loved both destinations, both felt so rustic yet chic and Parisian! The cruise liner I went on was Royal Carribeans Indepence of the Seas and it was such a remarkable ship! It's so crazy to have absolutely everything under one roof; your cabin, restaurants, bars, pubs, theatre, shopping mall, gym, ice rink and so much more! 

As I enjoyed myself so much I thought I would share some photos! 

When me and my boyfriend were exploring in Le Harve, we came across a shopping centre and we were both in our elements! (I'm lucky to have a boyfriend who loves fashion as much as me). In the centre there was a Kiko store which one of my YouTube favourites (ThePersianBabe) has spoken about lots of times! As far as I'm aware the nearest Kiko store to me is in London so I haven't had a chance to try their products yet. I purchased 2 lip products which I have been extremely happy with and I'm also a massive fan of the packaging. 

~ Kiko Kiss Balm // Vanilla (left) 

~ Kiko Velvet Matte Lipstick // 612 (right)