August Favourites

Hi everyone, favourites time once again. This year has seriously been the quickest year ever!! I can't quite believe there is only a few months left til Christmas. But enough of that here's what I was loving in the month of August!

 

Yankee Candles - Strawberry Buttercream and Black Cherry

 

 

My non beauty favourites this month have been these two gorgeous Yankee Candles. I absolutely love the scent these give off when burnt together. Strawberry Buttercream smells very sweet, almost like the smell of baking cakes and Black Cherry is just a strong cherry scent. The two together fill my room with a sweet and fruity scent that is absolutely delicious. Neither one overpowers the other and I don't find the scent to be too sickly sweet. Strawberry Buttercream can get a bit much when burnt alone but Black Cherry cancels that out and burning together they are an absolute dream.

 

Essie Eternal Optimist and Barry M Princess

 

 

Another duo I have been loving are these two polishes I mentioned a few weeks ago. Essie's 'Eternal Optimist' is a gorgeous dusky rose colour that is fully opaque with two coats. Its a really lovely subtle colour that would be perfect for an occasion like a wedding or christening. Or even just for work when you don't want something that stands out too much, but still want a nice wash of colour. I have been pairing it with Barry M's baby pink glitter 'Princess' from their Royal Collection using this on just my ring fingers for a glitter accent. The glitters in this are not at all chunky and glide on the nails perfectly. I absolutely love these kind of glitters and would love some more, If you know of any I might like please comment below. All I seem to find are horrible chunky ones that go on the nails in patches. I've been switching up my nail colours a lot recently but throughout August I kept coming back to these two because I think they look so chic and classy together.

 

MUA Undress Me Too Palette

 



Again another product you have seen recently. My apologies but as you know I am at the minute out of a job and looking for work, so I have had to make deal with my current beauty stash because I can't afford any new products. I also think this featured in a favourites way back but that just goes to show how much I do really love it. I reach for this palette every single time I put make up on weather that's for, the eyebrow colour Lavish, a mixture a of a few shades for a complete eye look or just a highlight colour. I always go back to this palette because its just a perfect everyday palette that can be used for so many different looks. There isn't one colour I don't use in here. I have a lot of other palettes and this is not my favourite of the bunch buts its definitely the most used.

 

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

 

 

Last but not least, and the only product that has not yet been featured on my blog is my first ever cleansing oil. I got this in the Summer edition of the Latest In Beauty Glamour Beauty Edit box a few months back. And I have been loving it ever since, although dispensing the oil has been a pain (there's a only a tiny hole for the product to come through when you un screw the white lid) this really is an excellent product. When massaged into a dry face, then wiped away with a muslin cloth soaked in warm water, it really does remove every scrap of makeup without irritating my skin or leaving it oily. The only problem I have with this product, except the dispenser, is the fact it can not be used on the eyes. Let me tell you if you put this on yours eyes it will temporarily blind you! In the products defence it does state to not use it on eyes but I tried it anyway, and although it removes eye makeup like a dream the momentary blindness and fuzzy film it leaves over the eyes is just not worth it!! So all in all a great product that I absolutely love I just wish it was friendly on the eyes. I am wanting to purchase an oil that can be used all over the face so let me know any suggestions you may have.

 

That's it for another month. What were you loving in August?

Much Love

Gemma xo.





My Everyday Makeup Look

Today I have decided to share with you, what I put onto my face on a daily basis. I don't wear makeup every single day, but when I am going shopping, for a casual day with my friends or running other errands this is the look I will go for. It literally takes me about 10-15 minutes and is super simple to create.

 

  (Sorry I forgot to clean the products before photographing!!)

 

For my face I have recently been using Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless, which is a 3 in 1 primer foundation and concealer. The coverage is medium to full and lasts all day on me. My skin doesn't look at all cakey with this, and it blends in easily. I always spend the longest time blending in my foundation (anything up to 5 minutes) to make sure I have a smooth even finish with no harsh lines. I then dot the amazing Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on any blemishes or marks my foundation doesn't cover. After this I use my Sleek Face Form palette, to lightly contour and highlight my cheekbones and add a little bit of colour. This doesn't show up in these pictures because I do it so lightly, I only go for a heavy contour on nights out or other occasion where I like to look more 'done up'.

 

 For my eyes and brows I use the MUA Undress Me Too eyeshadow palette. On my brows I use the shade Lavish which is a perfect match for me. I have severely hit pan on this because I use this constantly instead of my HD Brow Palette that I save for special occasions. On my lids I sweep Wink all over this is a gorgeous shimmery rose gold/bronze colour. In the outer corner and crease I blend in Obsessed a deep brown with shimmer (that doesn't actually show in my swatch). I used to always use black eyeliner on my waterline but I've recently decided to stop doing that, as it can look a bit too heavy and I now just smudge a bit of Obsessed along my bottom lash line. I then use Devotion in the inner corners to make my eyes stand out.

 

 

For my lashes recently I have been swapping and changing the mascara I use on my top lashes to try and decrease the amount of drugstore mascaras I have in my collection. Today I have used the Maybelline Mega Plush Volume Express, which gives me some length and volume but it's not the best I've ever tried. And of course on my bottom lashes I have the Maybelline Big Eyes bottom lash mascara. On my lips I sometimes use a lip balm or gloss, but today I haven't bothered with anything.

 

 

Brush wise I use, Real Techniques Buffing Brush for my foundation, and the Deluxe Crease Brush for concealer. On my cheeks I use the Real Techniques Contour Brush for my contour and blush. And for highlighter I use a Fan Brush from my brush set from my college Beauty Therapy kit. For eyeshadow I use the Crown Brush C417 Chubby Shadow Brush to pack on the colour all over my lid. Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush for the crease and outer corner colour, then Crown Brush C441 Pro Blending Crease to blend the two colours together. For the gold inner corners I use the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush bringing it down onto my bottom lash line and the Accent Brush for the darker colour on the rest of my lash line. And finally the Brow Brush again from Real Techniques to fill in my brows. Wow that's a lotta brushes for such a minimal makeup look!!

 

 

I hope you like my first ever post showing me actually wearing make up. Any feed back will be greatly appreciated. And next time I will let my hair down for the pictures instead of keeping it up away from my face! I can not believe I forgot my hair was up like that!!

Much Love

Gemma xo.



Manicure Monday

I've been wanting a running weekly feature here on my blog for a while now. And I think this is the perfect one! I've always been a girly girl and loved having my nails painted, but working in Cafés for the last 4 years has meant I had plain boring nails for the majority of the time. Painting them on a Friday or Saturday night then removing it again on Sunday seemed pointless and a waste of time and product, so I only ever did it on the odd few special occasions. Since leaving the Café back in May however I have constantly had my nails painted and thought I'd show you what nail colour I am sporting each week.

 

 

I've been loving have a glitter accent nail recently and this week I went for Barry M 'Princess' from the Royal collection on my ring finger. This is a beautiful baby pink glitter with flecks of silver and gold running through it. And Essie's 'Eternal Optimist' on the other nails. The camera doesn't quite pick up the colour but its a lovely dusky rose pink, that I really do not get enough use from!

 

 

My nails seems to be a lot stronger now I'm not in and out of hot water constantly and using cleaning products all the time. And they have actually been growing really well. I love the look of square nails and once mine grew to a decent enough length I squared them off. I absolutely love how they look and I think these colours really complement my new shape.

 

 

I only have two decent glitter polishes, this one and a Topshop one I featured on my blog a long time ago. All the other ones I seem to come across are chunky and horrible so if you know of any brands that do good glitters like this one, please please let me know! I'd love to try this look with the many other colours I own I just don't have the matching glitters!

Hope you like this new feature.

Much Love

Gemma xo.



What's on my bedside table

I saw many of these posts floating around a few months back and now that I'm back blogging I thought today I would share my version. Here's what I keep on the table next to my bed.

 

It's rather over crowded but I like my little set up. First up we have two gorgeous Yankee Candles, both gifted to me by my lovely boyfriend. The medium sized one is Strawberry Buttercream that he bought me for my birthday, this is really sweet so definitely not for those of you out there that don't like sweet scents, it can get rather sickly after a while. In all honesty it smells like all the other cakey scents they do but with a hint of strawberry, I absolutely love it. The small jar, Black Cherry is one he decided to pick up as a little gift when he got paid this month. It literally smells like cherries and it’s gorgeous. The two of them burning at once smells devine, really fruity and sweet, absolutely perfect for a nice relaxing night.

 

Behind these I have my red Guess glasses, I have two pairs of these, red leopard print ones for when I'm in the house and a nice cream neutral leopard print for when I'm out and about, that I keep in my handbag. Then there's a load of beauty products. On the left hand side I have all my perfumes and other smelly's. I have my Dove roll on deodorant, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle perfume, Elle by YSL perfume, Lady Gaga's perfume, along with a few other bottles, and a ton of testers from beauty boxes, gifts with purchases etc. I've also got a mini L'occitane shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion and soap that I took from a hotel I stayed in (probably shouldn't admit that online but never mind) Then there’s just a few body sprays from Soap and Glory and Lynx. And a room spray from Avon.

 

 

On the right hand side I have all of my skincare products, minus my cleansers and exfoliators that live in the bathroom. My everyday skincare items in here are, my Garnier miscellar water, Nivea eye makeup remover, Liz Earle toner, Clarins HydroQuench moisturiser, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, YSL eye cream and a Clearasil spot cream. I also have a load of others I use from time to time including products from L'occitane, Simple, Nivea, Coola, Monu Spa, L'Oreal and loads more. I really do not know why I have so much. Lastly there is my full size Soap and Glory Hand Food and Heel Genius, and my boyfriend’s No7 moisturiser that I practically forced him to buy and he only ever uses once in a blue moon. Oh and that piece of card you can see with a baby’s head on it. Is my gorgeous invite to my goddaughter's christening, which asks me to be godmother, I intend on keeping it forever.

 

 

So that's what my bedside table looks like; organised chaos. Like the majority of things in my life. Thanks for reading, and if you haven't already done this, I tag you all :)

Much Love

Gemma xo.

My Favourite Lipstick

Hi Beauties, Today I am going to be talking about one of my favourite pieces in my makeup collection. My gorgeous Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Diva. As you may or may not know I am absolutely obsessed with Chanel, I think it's such an iconic and beautiful brand, and I want nothing more than to own buckets loads of the stuff, including of course a Classic Flap Bag. Unfortunately at the moment my Chanel collection only consists of my all time favourite perfume, Coco Mademoiselle and this lipstick. Let's all pray for a lottery win to buy some more!!

 

 

La Diva is a bright candy pink colour with blue undertones, that has be likened to MAC's Candy Yum Yum. (As I've never owned CYY I can't compare them I'm afraid.) It's definitely the brightest lipstick I own and is absolutely beautiful. I always get worried when purchasing a matte lipstick that it's going to be really drying on my lips, but that isn't the case with this lipstick at all. It's really creamy and doesn't make my lips look dry in the slightest. As long as I exfoliate well before using this it sits really nicely on the lips, settling into a lovely semi matte finish. It lasts for around 5/6 hours, leaving behind a bright pink even stain. If I'm eating however it does tend to wear off easily, starting in the middle then working its way out.

 

 

Chanel Rouge Allure lipsticks retail for £26 but I saved up my Boots points and bought it with them. I did buy this offline without seeing it in person first which was a really massive gamble, but I am so pleased I decided on this one because it really is gorgeous. I did a lot of research into this beforehand and knew it would be prefect for me, and it is a very welcome edition to my ever growing lipstick collection. And will be the start of a Chanel makeup addiction I'm sure.

I'm so happy to be back blogging and I am hope you guys are too. Thank you very much for reading, and I'll speak to you soon.

Much Love

Gemma xo. 



My Heartbreak

Hi Everyone, a very personal one today. I said in my last post I'd be back to regular posting again, but unfortunetly life got in the way once again! Back in May I was told the one thing I had been waiting for my whole life. After two at home tests my doctors finally confirmed the most amazing thing, I was pregnant!! I was absolutly over the moon with happiness! I wanted to scream it from the rooftops, since I was a little girl I have ALWAYS wanted to become a mother. For as long as I can remember all I have ever wanted was a baby and a family with the guy of my dreams. And finally that was about to come true. I started reading countless pregnancy blogs and watching YouTube videos to prepare myself for what was to come over the next few months, I started writing down every single sympton I had, all my feelings and any important dates, preparing to start writing my own pregnancy blog posts. My first midwife appointment went really well. I was given my pregnancy notes which was so exciting to me, if you don't know what they are all it really is is a booklet that you take to all your appointments, scans etc for the doctors and yourself to fill in. At such an early stage I only had a few pages to fill in with my personal details and the usual health questions. But I was so excited by it all! When I came out of the doctors surgery that day I was over the moon, I felt like I was floating down the street because I was so SO happy! Me and my boyfriend went straight into town after that, I bought lotions and potions for stretch marks and also some pregnancy vitamins, we looked at all sorts of other things we'd need in the coming months on the baby aisle in Boots, I even signed up to their Parenting Club. We started planning this amazing future we were going to have together and started looking at books we could get to help us on this journey we had just started. To say we were excited was an absolute under statement! We told a few close family memebers and friends and everyone was so supportive and happy for us. I was on cloud nine and would never in a million years had thought that my perfect dream was about to be shattered and turned into a nightmare in just a few short days! One Saturday afternoon I noticed a few spots of blood, to begin with I was terrified and began to panic but then remembered spotting was very common in early pregnancy and I calmed right down. To be on the safe side I contacted my local hospital and got checked over, they did another pregnancy test which came up postive within seconds and the Dr assured me, that all was probably well, but booked me in for an early scan first thing on the following Monday morning just incase. Going to that scan I was so so nervous but had so much hope inside me, praying that everything would be ok. And it turned out everything was just fine! My baby was ok, it had a tiny heartbeat and everything was normal. I wasn't as far along as me and my midwife first thought. And the bleed was completey normal and sonething that occurs in a lot of women. The relief I felt that morning was so overwhelming, I can not even begin to describe it to you! Once again I was over the moon with happiness and I started to imagine that future I'd been longing for, all over again. Me, my boyfriend and his parents spent that afternoon in the Lakes having a lovely lunch and talking non stop about babies and all the amazing things that were coming our way! I never for a second thought that it was all about to go horribly wrong. Without getting too personal and gross, that night I bled, alot, and had what felt like period pains. Once again I found myself on the phone to the hospital explaining in detail everything that had gone on in the last 3 days! The Dr explained to me that I was probably experincing a miscarriage! That word still rings in my ears, the one thing I have always feared was happening to me. I was honestly in a state of shock, the next day the hospital confirmed my fears, there was no longer a baby.

I really can't begin to explain the pain I felt from hearing that and it will upset me for the rest of my life. Now I know I wasn't far along in my pregnancy and the baby wasn't fully formed (technically it wasn't even a baby) but my heart honestly broke that day. I couldn't function properly, I stayed in my room with my boyfriend for days, just locked away hiding from the world, we didn't want to see or speak to anyone and just wanted to be alone to cope with our grief. We both took time off work and spent time together to come to terms with what had happened. Slowly coming to terms with it and getting on with life as best we could. My heart (more so than ever) really does go out to anyone that has lost a child, or miscarried later on in pregnancy, I can not even begin to imagine the pain that must cause! My situation was bad enough and some may say I had it easy, but lets not get into that. So really that's all I have to say and now you know why I haven't been around on here or Twitter much in the past month or 2. I'll eventually get myself back into the swing of things I'm sure. But for now I just thought I'd explain to you all where I've been. Oh and by the way, to top things off I have just lost my job aswell (I wasn't fired or anything, the shop I was working in closed) so now I am pennyless (NOT a good thing for a beauty blogger) and looking for a new job. Which may mean with more free time I might post more but we'll see. Thank you for baring with me and reading this awfully long post, that probably doesn't even make sense. I just needed a place to vent my emotions, and I'm sorry that place was here!

Much Love Everyone 

Gemma xo.

April Favourites

Today I am back with my first favourites post since I took a break from blogging. I didn't really try out too many new products in the month of April therefore there are only a few favourites but here they are anyway.

Maybelline Big Eyes Volum'Express Waterproof Mascara

First up we have this mascara I received in my February GlossyBox. I really don't like the side that is meant for your 'upper lashes' because it just doesn't seem to do much for me. It gives hardly any volume or length to the lashes what so ever, nor does it hold a curl very well. The one for the bottom lashes however is really impressive! The brush is super tiny and thin so you can get right into every single lash, even the ones right in the corner! I have used this every single day since I got it, to leave my bottom lashes nice and defined, without any clumping or smudging.

Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder

  

Definitely my favourite discovery so far this year. I had been eyeing up this 'super-translucent mattifying powder' for months, after seeing countless raving reviews of it online. Everyone claimed that it kept their make up in place and their skin shine free all day. And being a sufferer of an oily t-zone myself, I do not know why I held off buying this wonder product for so long! Since buying it at the begining of March I haven't used any of my other setting powders. Before using this, my make up used to disappear from my nose within 3-4 hours of applying, but now it stays put for much longer and I usually don't have to touch up until the late afternoon. If and when I do touch up, this doesn't leave a cakey look mess on my face like many other powders I've tried. Instead it just blots away any shine and my make up looks as good as new. It doesn't cover my open pores, but it doesn't accentuate them either, which I am really happy about. So I am now on the look out for a primer that will give me the smooth, flawless complexion I long for!

Sleek Face Form Palette in Light

 

I bought this palette along with the powder I mentioned above, in one of Boots' many '3 for 2 events'. And it is another product I have been after for a while. I love contouring, and this palette is perfect for achieveing really defined cheekbones. The contour powder is the perfect brown for me, its not too dark or muddy looking and it isn't at all orange. It's completly matte, leaving a nice shadow that gives me great cheekbones! The highlighter is a gorgeous champagne colour, with just enough shimmer to make the skin glow without looking like a disco ball. I like to apply this to the tops of my cheekbones and along my brow bone for a lovely subtle highlight. Lastly the blusher is a beautiful pink with a gold shimmer running through it (apparently very similar to Nars Orgasm blush) that gives cheeks a nice flush of colour. All three powders are extremely pigmented, meaning this palette is going to last me such a long time. Only one or two swirls with a brush is needed in each powder to create a stunning look. This palette is great for travelling also, because everything you need for chiseled cheekbones is althogether in one place big enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Perfect for any girls makeup bag.

 (my first ever swatch photo apologies for quality!!)

Crown Brush Make-Up Brush Cleaner

I have only used this brush cleaner a few times but I really do like it. I used to only ever deep cleanse my brushes every few weeks. But now I like to spot clean them after most uses. This has cleaned my foundation brush like nothing else I have used before. It's  perfect for cleaning eyeshadow brushes too. Once you've created a look just spray a tiny bit of this onto the bristles, wipe it off on a piece of kitchen roll or tissue and it's as good as new. Ready to use the next day for a complete different eye look, without messing it up with colours from previous days. If you are ever in a hurry to use a brush but its dirty, you literally can use it again with in seconds of cleaning with this. It's so quick and easy and dries almost instantly. No more waiting around for brushes to dry over night!!

So there we have it my 4 favourite products from April, hopefully there will be a few more this month.

Thank You so much once again for sticking with my blog while I have been absent. And hi to any new readers that may have stumled upon this. Regular posting will now resume :D

Much Love Gemma xo. 

I'm Back!!! :D

Hey Dolls, long time no speak!! I am eventually back in the land of blogging :) And I couldn't be happier about it!!

 You may or may not know that a long long time ago I broke my laptop and had no choice but to take a step back from my blog! The weeks turned into months and I just could not save money to replace my smashed laptop. I was beginning to think I would never get another until last night when my absolute hero of a boyfriend very kindly decided to buy us one to share! So I'm back and I intend to stay here. Please bare with me though, this post has took me such a long time to type up, because I just can not string together a sentence!! I am very off practise. I promise once I have my mojo back I will be back with my regular beauty posts! But in the mean time, let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see here on my blog and I'll do my best to make it happen! 

Thank you at all you lovely people who have stayed with me and continued following and viewing my blog while I've been away I really do appreciate it. 

 Hope your all ok.

Much Love Gemma xx