Most Worn Makeup: February

Last month I did a January Favourites post but this month I decided to do a post on what makeup I've been wearing the most in February. I might do a February favourites post as well because there is a lot of non makeup items that I've been loving this month too.

First of all, the foundation I've been wearing the most this month is Laura Mercier Silk Creme. I absolutely love this foundation, it was in my January favourites and it's still at the top of my list. This month I've been switching between this and my Armani Lumious Silk but I just keep going back to Silk Creme as it gives the most gorgeous finish. I did a full review on this here if you haven't already seen it. I then love to finish off my base with a sweep of NARS Laguna bronzer under my jaw line, on my temples and under my cheek bones for a bit of contouring. I've been using this bronzer every day since I got it in September and I have a back up that I got for Christmas because it's almost finished, definitely couldn't live without it.

Next up is the cheeks, I've been loving Benefit Fine One One and Dior Amber Diamond. Fine One One is just so convenient for those early morning starts, just sweep it onto the cheeks and blend with your fingertips and viola! a gorgeous coral blush with a highlight on the cheekbones. I've had Amber Diamond since November and I still love it as much as I did the first time I used it. If I want more of a noticeable highlight I'll use this on my cheekbones and on my brow bones for a lovely glow. I've done full reviews on both of these products here and here.

I've been using my two new eye shadows, MAC Woodwinked and Naked Lunch almost every day since I got them earlier this month, they're such great colours for every day wear. If you want to see them on, you can check out this post. I can't wait to build up my MAC shadow collection. Benefit They're Real! is one of my all time favourite Mascaras along with Dior Show. I ran out of my full size one but have been using this handbag sized one I got at an event recently until I can afford to buy a new one. I love the way this makes my lashes look, long and full at the same time and it doesn't budge all day.

Along with Creme D'Nude, MAC Angel is one of my all time favourite nude lipsticks (also a firm favourite of Kim K). It's a gorgeous pink toned nude and the only lipstick I've ever used up (three times). It's great for everyday at work and even for nights out paired with a dark, smoky eye. I definitely have a bit of an obsession with MAC lipsticks.

Do you love any of these as much as I do? What products have you been wearing this month?

L'Oreal Paris: Super Liner Perfect Slim

Everyday without fail (ok, unless I'm doing a 7am delivery shift at work) I wear an eye liner flick on my top lid, I feel weird without it and I think it really makes my eyes stand out. For about a year now I've been using the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner but I started to get lazy before work (I'm so lazy I can't even be bothered to dip the brush in the gel) and was just using my MAC Feline kohl pencil which its okay but it doesn't really work on the top lash line, it's better for the bottom and the water line.

When I was hungover and had no makeup on me one day after staying at my friends house, I used her L'Oreal Super Liner and loved it. I've tried a few pen liners before (I really don't like the consistency of liquid liners) such as the YSL and Bourjois ones but found the YSL one dried out too quickly and wasn't black enough and the Bourjois tip was too thick. However, with it's 0.4mm tip, grip zone hold and intense black colour, the L'Oreal Super Liner ticks all the boxes.

The felt-tip pen liner is so easy to use and saves me much more time in the mornings. Also, because the tip is so thin you can go from having a really subtle line to building it up for a full on 60's cat eye. I do like the effect this gives but will always prefer the look of gel liner which I still use when I have time. At £6.99 I think it's a really reasonable price and one of the best felt tip liners I've tried.

What kind of eye liner do you prefer? Have you tried the L'Oreal Paris Super Liner?

Essie: Mint Candy Apple

 

At this moment in time, Essie Mint Candy Apple is my favourite nail polish (closely followed my the new Barry M Gelly nail paint in Lychee). I actually gave one of these away in my 100 follower giveaway months ago but never got round to buying one for myself until the other week. I've been wearing it so much lately and yet again Essie does not disappoint. I also got some new pretty bedding so I thought I'd use it as my background for a wee change.

Mint Candy Apple (as you can tell my the name) is a gorgeous pale mint colour, a perfect pastel for Spring. After a few months of wearing dark colours on my nails, it's finally time to brighten them up and this is the perfect polish to do just that. After only two coats this polish is completely opaque and doesn't take ages to dry (one of my pet hates, I'm too impatient) which is a plus. I really love the quality of Essie polishes and the range of shades is just unreal.

Essie is 100% my favourite nail polish brand, a couple of my favourites are Fiji and Ballet Slippers, are there any other shades you recommend? I'm looking forward to building up my collection and at £7.99 they're definitely worth the price. What do you think of Mint Candy Apple (and how pretty is my bedding)?

Benefit Glamouriety Roadshow

First of all sorry I haven't been blogging this week, I really haven't felt up to it and have had a lot on my mind...but I'm back! Also my sister, Rebekah is getting all the credit for these photos as I was too busy holding (downing) free champagne to take any photographs.

On Tuesday, the lovely Scottish Beauty Bloggers Lori, Ruth and Rebekah along with myself attend the Benefit Glamouritey Roadshow. The event was exclusively for Benefit staff but we were very lucky to be invited to join them. Glamouriety is a film that tells the story of Jean and Jane ford, the co-founders of Benefit cosmetics and we were invited along for drinks, nibbles and to watch the movie.

The event was held in the the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow's Merchant City, Benefit made the venue look absolutely stunning with fairy lights and gorgeous center pieces. The first thing I thought when I walked in was wow, I'm so under dressed! Everyone was dressed so glamorous in amazing cocktail dresses and I was in quite a casual red dress (I immediately ran to the toilets to apply more makeup and backcomb my hair). We were greeted with pink champagne that was flowing all night long (free champagne and a 7am start in work do not mix well) as well as wine and some Marc Jacobs Diet Coke (obviously put a can in my bag). 

After we all had a bit too much bubbly, we were seated to watch the movie. All I have to say is it's one of the craziest films I've ever seen and I actually really enjoyed it. There was also a performance from a comedian who was hilarious and then the british founders Ian and Gail made a speech. We were also lucky enough to be introduced to and have a chat with Ian and Gail (pretty sure I just slurred something about how much I love Brow Zings and They're Real!) who were lovely and really interested in what we had to say.

Finally, it was time for some food (I hadn't eaten since 11.30am, it was now 8pm) which was delicious! Mini bowls of fish and chips and Thai green curry to start and some chocolate torte and meringues for dessert. The rest of the night was spent chatting to everyone and drinking some more, it's safe to say we were all feeling a bit fragile in the morning. I always have such a great time at Benefit and the girls (and guys) that work for them are just the nicest people ever. There's one of my fave Benebabes Claire in the bottom picture with the lovely Andrew - who recognizes that Mulberry?!

Overall, it was a really good night and I'm looking forward to the other amazing events I know Benefit will hold.

MAC Naked Lunch & Woodwinked

(L-R Naked Lunch & Woodwinked)

(L-R Naked Lunch & Woodwinked)

I thought it was about time I started to build my MAC eye shadow collection since my lipstick one is well on its way to becoming out of hand. I do own a few single MAC shadows already but I really want to start properly and fill up some pro palettes (preferably one neutral and one coloured, like my sisters).

So when my friend Emma offered to buy me something from MAC for taking part in her focus group for uni, I decided it was the perfect chance to start. With the help of my sister, I chose Naked Lunch and Woodwinked, two gorgeous neutrals and the perfect start to my collection. I started off my getting a quad palette, but eventually I'll get the x15 one. Emma bought me Naked Lunch and I bought myself Woodwinked to go with it so it wasn't lonely in the palette.

First of all, Naked Lunch is described as a 'minimal pink with shimmer' and has a Frost finish which is perfect for all over the lid and also as a highlight on the brow bone. Woodwinked is described as a 'warm antique gold' and has a Veluxe Pearl finish which I love in the crease for a natural look or all over the lid with a dark brown for a brown/gold smoky eye.

I created a makeup look to show you how they both look on together with Naked Lunch on the lid and Woodwinked in the crease. I think they look amazing together and it's the perfect look for day time or even night time if you're going for a bold lip and don't want too much going on with the eyes. I love how pigmented MAC eye shadows are and how easily they blend on the lid. I'm definitely happy with my choices.

MAC shadows cost £12 individually or £10 for the refill pans. What are your favourite neutral MAC eye shadows? Do you have any recommendations for me?

What's in My Handbag: February

WIMH posts are definitely my favourite to read, especially the lovely Michaela's from Fashion Habitue (her blog is amazing and her photos are gorgeous - go check it out). I've done one of these posts before but thought I'd do an updated version this month.

First of all, I keep all my junk in my gorgeous Mulberry Bayswater that I got for Christmas. I use this bag almost every day, it goes with everything and I genuinely miss it when I don't have it with me. I still can't believe it's real sometimes.

Next is Vogue, my magazine of choice this month as it has the amazing Cara Delevingne on the cover. I've been loving her so much recently, shes gorgeous and quirky and definitely one of my favourite models at the moment. I also bought Elle this month, Victoria beckham looks amazing on the cover but she still doesn't beat Cara.

I always have a few lip products floating around my bag and one my favourites this month is MAC Lady Danger, a bright matte orange/red that's really flattering on, one of my all time favourite MAC lipsticks actually (perfect if you're going straight out after work). I also like to carry around a nude lipstick as it's great for every day wear and this months choice is Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse. I also like to carry my MAC Blotting Powder and Real Techniques Blush Brush for quick touch-ups during the day.

My favourite nail polish this month is of course an Essie one, Mint Candy Apple to be exact. It's such a lovely mint green shade and it's making me really excited for spring. Pastels and spring are the best.

Then there's there boring things like my train pass and work swipes. My Mum picked me up this cute little holder for my train pass which is from Oasis, I love it!

If you've done one of these posts recently please link me to it in the comments.

Little Pretties Necklace

Last week I was sent this gorgeous customized necklace by Jade from Little Pretties. Little Pretties is a Jewellery company run by Jade Ventris that offers personalized and custom made jewellery. I came across Little Pretties when they followed me on Instagram a while ago and was really excited when Jade offered to send me a complimentary piece.

Little Pretties offers cute, vintage inspired jewellery such as necklaces, bracelets and charms that come in both antique gold and silver metal. I went for antique gold as I rarely wear silver jewellery and chose to personalize it by having my name on it (suggested by Jade). When it arrived it was wrapped so perfectly in pretty pink tissue and ribbon that I didn't want to open it and ruin it! The little 'made with love' stickers really give it such a special, personal touch too. I love it, especially the little bow and have been wearing it loads already. The jewellery is also so reasonably priced considering the amount of work and time that goes into making them. I think these would be a great gift for a friend as well, especially the personalized ones. I'd also love to get my hands on one of the necklaces with the little sewing machine and scissors (even though I hated sewing at uni).

If you fancy having a peek at this lovely jewellery check out the Little Pretties Instagram and Facebook, they post worldwide which is amazing! Also, keep your eyes peeled as the Little Pretties Etsy shop will be coming soon. Thank you very much, Jade :)

Girls With Attitude Lashes

 Double Lash* - £6.00

 Voluptuous* - £5.00

 Swept Away* - £5.00

 Diva* - £5.00

As you all know I'm a huge fan of false eyelashes, I refuse to go on a night out without them on. I usually always go for Eylure 140's or Ardell Demi Wispies as they're my favourite, but I recently got contacted by Girls With Attitude to ask if I'd like to try theirs and I jumped at the chance. I was asked to go have a look on the Girls With Attitude website to see which styles I'd like to try out. I was overwhelmed with all the different ranges and styles of lashes that it took me ages to decided! I finally settled on Diva, Double Lash and Swept Away as they were all different styles and they also kindly threw in a pair of Voluptuous lashes too.

When the lashes came I was so excited as they all looked gorgeous, I couldn't wait to wear them. I also loved the pink, girly packaging they came in. On Saturday I wore the Diva lashes to my friends 21st Birthday party, you can see them in my post here. They were absolutely gorgeous on and really easy to apply as they came with a small tube of glue with an easy applicator. I just applied the glue along the vein of the lash, let it go tacky then sat them as close to my own lashes as possible and pressed them down with the end of a makeup brush. I also applied mascara over the top to blend them in. They fit my eyes perfectly and I didn't even need to trim them, which I sometimes need to do with other makes. Although I did find it a little tricky to get the inner corners to stick, but they eventually did and lasted all night.

In my opinion, Girls With Attitude have a much wider range of lash styles that other makes which is great for me as sometimes I like a natural look (Swept Away) and also I love going all out and going for full on glamour (Double Lash). I will definitely be repurchasing these as I love every single pair and there are so many more on the website. Also at £5 a pop, they're actually on the cheaper side. You can buy these amazing lashes on the website here. Have you ever tried GWA lashes? What do you think of them? I think they're my new favourite lashes!

OOTN & FOTN: 21st Birthday Party

 Dress - Motel

Belt - ASOS

Shoes - New Look

Rings - H&M

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

NARS Laguna Bronzer

MAC MSF Medium Dark

Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter

Benefit Brow Zings

MAC Snow Season Eye Shadow

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette

MAC Feline Kohl Liner

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Girls With Attitude Diva False Lashes*

MAC Diva Lipstick

Sorry this post is so late, I've been working long hours this week! On Saturday it was my friend's 21st birthday party so I needed something new to wear. I've always loved all the dresses on the Motel website so that's the first place I looked and fell in love with this off the shoulder skater dress as soon as I saw it. Also, if you sign up to receive the Motel newsletter, you get £10 off your purchase. The only annoying thing was that you had to spend £39 to get it and my dress was £38!! The cheapest thing on the website was a very ugly £3 pair of fishnet socks (yes, fishnet) and since I wanted the dress so much I ended up getting them too (they are now in the bin). The dress was as gorgeous on as it was on the website! I also added my sister's gold belt at the waist to finish it off.

For my makeup I really wanted to wear my new favourite MAC lipstick, Diva. Since I went for a dark, statement lip I toned down my usual black smoky eye and went for a more neutral look. I also added some gorgeous lashes that GWA kindly send me to try, I love them!! 

I hope everyone had a good weekend...even though it's almost the weekend again!

40 Random Facts About Me

Me & Rebekah

Over the past few weeks, I've really enjoyed reading everyone's random facts posts and watching everyone's random facts videos. I didn't think I would be able to think of any about myself but I've gave it a go and managed to get 40! If you've done this tag please leave me your links, I think it's such a good way to get to know everyone better.

1. My middle name is Williams because I was born on both my Dad and my Great Uncle's birthdays and they're both called William. They added an 's' to the end to make it a bit less manly!

2. I have an HND in Makeup Artistry.

3. I have a degree in Fashion Business.

4. My natural hair colour is really dark brown.

5. My hair has been dark brown, light brown, black, blue, red, bleach blonde, ombré and how it is now.

6. I got my first tattoo when I was 15 and now I hate it.

7. I've lived in 8 different houses since I was born.

8. My cat is named after Miley Cyrus.

9. My rabbit is named after Phoebe from Friends and Phoebe from Charmed.

10. I'm obsessed with Harry Potter.

11. I don't like tomato ketchup.

12. I wish I looked like Cheryl Cole.

13. I work at H&M but I'd love to work in PR/marketing.

14. My favourite holiday was when I went to Florida because I got to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

15. I have lots of family in New York and I really want to live there, I love it.

16. I love reading, I always need to have a book to read.

17. I hate washing my hair! I only wash it once or twice a week.

18. I know every single work to 'Bring it On.' I even know the dances to the cheers.

19. I can't leave the house if my nails aren't painted, I feel naked.

20. Probably because I bite my nails and they are disgusting, such a horrible habit.

21. I find it hard to trust people.

22. I don't like dogs one bit, I'm a cat person.

23. I sat and read the second Hunger Games book in 7 hours, only putting it down to make food.

24. I've been abroad every single year since I was 3.

26. Cyprus is my favourite place to go on holiday.

27. Last year I lost almost 2 stone.

28. I'm terrible with money. If I'm down to my last tenner ill probably spend it on makeup.

29. I'd rather sit in with lots of food and watch TV at the weekend than go out and drink (boring).

30. Although I love getting ready for a night out - I will NEVER go out without fake eyelashes and hair extensions.

31. Being a beauty blogger is the only hobby I've ever stuck with.

32. My dream job would be working for Elle magazine as a beauty editor (in my dreams).

33. I'm far too laid back which stresses put my Mum and Sister.

34. I can ski.

35. I can't get into my bed if its not made. Ill even make it then get straight in to it...

36. My favourite TV programme is The Vampire Diaries.

37. I'm the least fussiest eater ever, ill eat everything and anything.

38. I hate being pale, I alway have fake tan on.

39. If I had to eat Japanese food everyday for the rest of my life, I'd be ok with that.

40. I would love to meet every single beauty blogger I speak to, I feel like I've met some genuine friends through this.