Valentine's Look!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, we have been right in the midst of all the recent flooding and spent most of the week staying in a hotel!

Today I thought I'd share my (slightly belated) Valentine's look. I really wanted to stick to natural-looking, glowy make-up this Valentine's Day as we spent it at home enjoying a home cooked meal (yum!). For the base I used MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 which I mixed with a little MAC Strobe Cream to give a slight glow. I used my normal concealers (Benefit Erase Paste in Medium and Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois) and dabbed a bit of Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator across my under-eye area and down my nose.

For my brows I used a MAC eyeshadow in Brun. I set the look using MAC Skinfinish Natural powder in Medium, before doing a slight contour using my Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced. I added some subtle sparkle to my cheeks using M&S's Limited Collection Highlighter, and used a small amount of Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in shade 02 on my cheeks to add a light flush.

Now, onto the eyes! The eyeshadows I used were all from the Urban Decay NAKED or NAKED 3 palettes. For the base I used the shade 'Virgin', and then dabbed the shade 'Half Baked' all over my lid (both from the NAKED palette). Under my eyes and in the outer corners I used 'Darkside' from the NAKED 3 palette, and in my crease I blended in 'Smog' from NAKED. I lined my waterline with a white liner from Revlon, and in the outer corners used my No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Gunmetal Grey. Finally, I finished the look with a bit of Benefit They're Real! mascara and a slick of MAC lipstick in Hue (recently purchased in a blog sale for a bargainous £6!).

That's it folks! I hope you like my Valentine's look and please send me your links if you have done your own!

Rosie x

The Autumn Tag

Hi Everyone,

I was tagged to do this post by the lovely Lauren over at Tea and Post (thank you Lauren!). I love Lauren's blog and I would definitely recommend checking it out if you have not already- you can find her Autumn Tag post here, and her tag post is accompanied by some amazing photos that will definitely get you in the Autumn mood!

Favourite thing about Autumn?
I have to admit that Autumn is usually not one of my favourite seasons- it marks the end of Summer and we're still miles away from Christmas! But it's not all bad- I love going for walks in Autumn, the bright colours of the leaves, and of course buying new coats and boots ready for Winter! I've got my eye on these ones from Aldo at the moment.

Favourite Drink?
Apple juice or cider always feel quite Autumnal to me, especially if they're warm! I also love a good, old fashioned hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows- yum! I used to always like to add a spoonful of banana Nesquik to my hot chocolates to make them a bit more special although these days that's a bit of a rare treat.

Favourite Scent/Candle?

I like things with cinnamon or spiced apple scents for Autumn. Although I haven't tried it I love the sound of this Nutmeg and Ginger scent from Jo Malone- it just sounds like Autumn in a bottle!

Best Lipstick?

In Autumn I prefer browner toned nudes rather than pinky colours. One of my favourites is this Moisture Renew Lipstick by Rimmel in 'Nude Delight'- a perfect Autumn nude!

Go To Moisturiser?

I am still using my long-time favourite: Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Day Cream. This is a brilliant moisturiser for oily skin as it's really moisturising without being remotely greasy, and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth all year round.

Go To Colour For Eyes?

Nice bronze and gold tones are perfect for Autumn; something like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadow in On and On Bronze.

Favourite Music or Band/Singer to Listen To?

I'm not sure that it's an Autumn song but I have been listening to She & Him 'I Thought I Saw Your Face Today' quite a lot on my iPod recently and I think it suits the Autumn mood quite well. 

Favourite Outfit to Wear?

I love investing in a good coat at this time of year as that's pretty much what you'll see me in most of the time. I love oversized coats at the moment like this one from Diane Von Furstenberg, and would probably wear it with jeans, ankle boots and lots of layers, preferably finishing the look with an oversized scarf.

Autumn Treat?

Toffee apples! Not exactly something that I eat regularly but I can't say no to a toffee apple and a good firework display in Autumn.

Favourite Place to Be?

Probably snuggled up on the sofa with my boyfriend and a good book or a movie. I would also really like to make a trip to Brighton this Autumn as I've never been but think it would be the perfect trip to make on a cool, dry day.

So there it is, my Autumn Tag! I have really enjoyed doing this actually and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I tag all of you to try this yourself if you'd like, make sure you let me know if you do!

Have a great week all.

Rosie x

Babylips Review!

Hi Everyone!

I am really excited about my post today, as I am reviewing my new purchases from the Maybelline 'Babylips' collection! I have heard so much hype about these little beauties from so many different bloggers that I had to try them out for myself and see what all the fuss was about.

I rarely bulk buy on new products in case I decide I don't like them but there was so much buzz around these that I invested in 3. I bought them from the Boots website at £2.99 each (although they are currently having a 3 for 2 offer on Maybelline products so I got one free!). There are six balms in the collection overall: Hydrate, Intense Care, Freshen, Cherry Me, Pink Punch and Peach Kiss. Maybelline say of the balm 'Our exclusive formula moisturises lips for a full 8 hours. Lips renewed in 1 week'. I am a bit obsessed with using lipbalms throughout the day but as yet haven't found a tinted balm that I really love for everyday use. I was really excited to try these and hoped that they would turn out to be the miracle balms I've been looking for!

I bought the Pink Punch, Peach Kiss and Hydrate balm from the collection. Pink Punch and Peach Kiss are two tinted balms with a 'passion fruit' scent and 'peach' scent respectively, whereas the Hydrate balm is non-tinted with a 'lemon basil' scent. I was especially keen to get the Peach Kiss balm for the peachy tint, which would probably most closely resemble the type of lipsticks that I normally buy.

Peach Kiss comes in a cute purple case with a clear lid- the packaging is fairly standard for a lipbalm but is perfect to throw into your handbag (which is exactly what I've been doing!). The tint itself is quite a brown peach with shimmering particles to give your lips high shine. The colour is really subtle and not quite as peachy as I was expecting, but it is nice for everyday use. If you are a lipstick fan then this one probably isn't for you, as I didn't find the colour particularly buildable and the overall effect is very natural. On the plus side, it did leave my lips feeling gloriously soft all through the day.

I wanted to pick up the Hydrate balm as I was really keen on the description of a 'lemon basil' scent. I haven't ever had a lemony lip balm before and the combination made me think of high end fragrances like Jo Malone, so I knew I had to try it. Although it isn't a tinted balm, it still has quite a high-shine effect to it which I really like, and again it left my lips feeling beautifully soft. It also has a high SPF (it is SPF 20) which is important in this heatwave we've been having!

Finally, the Pink Punch, which actually turned out to be my favourite of the three. All of the Babylips balms that I bought have a delicious, fruity scent and this one kind of reminded me of Fruit Salad sweets. The colour, although it looks quite vibrant, goes on as a beautiful pink gloss that is quite buildable and super shiny, without being overpowering. As with the others, the moisturising effect lasts all day and this one has already wormed its way into my current makeup bag favourites.

Overall, the babylips balms have been a hit. Although initially put off by the bright colour of the product itself, Pink Punch has certainly exceeded my expectations and I'm now keen to try the Cherry Me colour as well. The product has definitely made a difference to my lips which feel moisturised and full, although I will be interested to see whether their 1 week promise really works. In any case, at £2.99 each I would definitely buy Babylips again, although I think I'm fairly well-stocked for now!

Have you tried any of the Babylips balms? What did you think?

Rosie x

From Left to Right: Hydrate, Peach Kiss, Pink Punch