Another Obsession: Highlighters

If you looked at my makeup collection, you would see I have 3 main weakness, lipstick, eyeshadow palettes and highlighters. The most recent of them weaknesses would definitely be highlighters, I can't seem to stop buying them lately. And today I thought I'd share them all with you.

In the drugstore category I have one single highlight, MUA's Undress Your Skin and two palettes, the Sleek Solstice palette and Makeup Revolution's Highlight palette. I have to admit I very rarely reach for these as I tend to favour my high end ones. But after getting them out again and swatching them, I think I will be making an effort to use them more. All of them are really well pigmented for such affordable products, and look lovely when applied. The Sleek palette has four shades in it, a cream champagne pink shade, a pink/purple baked powder highlight, a yellow toned powder and a bronze baked powder. All of them are amazingly pigmented and look gorgeous on the skin. This palette is getting a lot of attention at the minute because Jaclyn Hill has recently talked about it, and I completely understand the hype. I've loved this palette ever since I bought it last year when it was released. My second palette is from Makeup Revolution and is the one that I very rarely reach for, although pigmented in my swatches these powders take a lot of building up on my face and I can never be bothered to use it. In it there is a pink a peach and a yellow/gold highlight. Lastly is the very first highlighter I bought, MUA's Undress your skin its a beautiful well pigmented pink toned highlight that I just don't reach for enough. I adored this when I first got it but like I've said these ones have unfortunately been neglected for my more expensive highlighters.

sleek solstice: ecliptic, hemisphere, sub solar, equinox, makeup revolution: golden lights, peach lights, pink lights, mua: undress your skin.

High end wise I have 5 single highlighters, my one cream highlighter is Benefits, Watts Up this one is a mini from a Benefit set I got, and if I'm honest I've only used it once, I don't really get a long with cream products. Next is the first high end highlighter that I got, which can also be used as a blusher. This is Dior's Rose Diamond and it is still one of my favourite products. This gradients from a lovely white pearly highlight to a pink blush, all the colours can be used separately or swirled together depending on what kind of look you are going for. It transfers onto the skin quite sheerly but leaves you with a lovely subtle glow. Another hyped up product is The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer, the pigment on this is amazing its a gorgeous champagne gold and it looks amazing on the skin, a little goes a long way with this so I can imagine it will last me a long time. Lastly I have two Becca highlights, and these were both 100% purchased because of Jaclyn Hill. First is her collaboration with Becca, Champagne Pop a gorgeous champagne highlight that shows up quite bronzey on me but still looks lovely. And secondly Pearl, this was released in the Christmas palette from Becca and I was devastated that I missed out on it. It's a pale girls dream highlight, a stunning white 'pearl' shade. Being the massive Jaclyn Hill fangirl that I am, I was over the moon when I found out these beauties were permanently being sold in the UK and I bought them both a few days after their releases. These highlighters are by far the best I own, extremely pigmented, long wearing and the softest powders I have ever come across, even my Real Techniques Duo Fibre brushes have made marks in these! Again a little goes a long with Pearl and Champagne Pop so they will last me forever (if they don't break beforehand with their amazing texture)

benefit watts up, dior rose diamond, the balm mary lou manizer, becca pearl, becca champagne pop

So thats my extensive highlighter collection, more shimmer and glow than any girl will need in a lifetime, but I can guarantee I will add plenty more to it. Next up on the hitlist is definitely Anastasia's Glow Kits they look amazing!
Have you got any must have highlighters for me to try, and what are your makeup weaknesses? Let me know :)
Much Love 

Gemma xo.

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette

I am a huge fan of the Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes, but for some reason I have never ventured into any of their other products until now. I fell in love with the Gwen Stefani blush palette the minute the first pictures of it were released and I knew it was something I HAD to add to my collection. So on a recent trip to Newcastle with my other half, I eventually purchased it and have absolutely fell in love with it since.

Housed in a white and gold palette, are 6 beautiful blush shades ranging from a light barbie pink, a bronzer to a champagne highlight. First up we have Cherry a light cool toned pink that has a very slight sheen to it. Easy is my favourite of the bunch, a gorgeous deep rose pink with golden shimmer. The highlighter in the palette is a true champagne colour packed with shimmer. There is also a bronzer thrown in there too Lo-Fi, it is a completely matte medium brown and although it is slightly on the orangey side it is still a lovely shade. That I can get away with using, to warm up my complexion. Hush is another rosy pink that actually shows up as more of a shimmery brown shade on me. OC is the sheerest of them all that took a lot of building up in my swatch. It's a coral shade with a beautiful pink sheen to it. I just wish that it was a bit more pigmented as I've really been wanting a shade like this in my collection.

All in all I really like this palette and although some of the shades could do with a bit more pigmentation, I do think that for once I will actually use every one of them. All the colours blend really well and wear for about 6-8 hours. I think it would be the perfect travel companion because it has everything you need for on the cheeks and is something everyone needs in their make up collection. It seems to be sold out everywhere at the minute except Selfridges, and costs £35.

Much Love, 

Gemma xo.

MAC Lipstick Collection

Hi everyone first things first, apologies for not blogging throughout my pregnancy as promised! The whole thing seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, and as usual life got on top of me and I never found the time to blog. But once again I'm back, this time with a brand new laptop and camera and I am raring to get my blogging game back on track. To ease myself back into this, I thought I'd start with a relatively simple one, and share with you my MAC Lipstick collection. I love reading this type of blogpost and although my collection is pretty small I hope you like reading about it none the less.

from top, left to right - new york apples, girl about town, lady danger, up the amp, candy yum yum, rebel, show orchid, high strung.

I think I bought my first MAC Lipstick about 4 years ago and my collection has slowly been growing ever since then. I love each and every one that I own and have many, many more on my 'to buy' list. I currently own 8 shades and have 4 different finishes, matte, satin, amplified and frost. I really like all the different finishes but 'amplified' is definitely my favourite, because they are so pigmented yet very creamy and easy to wear.

So onto the collection itself. First up is 'Show Orchid' which although isn't my most worn shade I think its my favourite. It's a gorgeous bright fuchsia pink with blue running through it with a lovely pearlescent finish to it making it slightly on the shimmery side. 

Girl About Town, was my first ever MAC lipstick and back then was the brightest lipstick I had, now however it seems quite dull in comparison to some of my other shades. Just like Show Orchid, Girl About Town is another bright fuchsia pink with blue undertones, but its slightly dark and less shimmery, still very beautiful and highly pigmented.

My last amplified lipstick is Up The Amp, a lovely pinky purple shade, which again has cool undertones, that make your teeth look nice and white. It is a very creamy lipstick that glides on easily and wears for a good 3 or 4 hours on me.

My only satin lipstick is the very well known and much loved Rebel, a deep violet colour that is very pinky on my lips. I always imagined Rebel to be a very deep purple, so I was quite disappointed when it turned out so pink on me, but to get that deep look I desired, I pair it with Sleeks lipliner in Venom, which makes it a gorgeous vampy plum colour.

Next are my two frost finishes, High Strung is definitely my most worn lipstick out of my collection, as it is so wearable for everyday. It is a gorgeous rosy pink with a silver shimmer to it, which makes it look slightly metallic which I love. For an everyday basis I pair this with Rimmels Eastend Snob lipliner, for a shimmery version of the cult 'Kylie Jenner lip'.

New York Apple is a gorgeous red with raspberry shimmer and it is another of my favourites. Although shimmery this is a very pigmented lipstick and lasts for around 4 to 5 hours. I wore this on Christmas Day and it was perfect for the festive season, although I do still put it on every now and again, now we are into the Spring/Summer season.

This next lipstick, Candy Yum Yum is one that I absolutely love but I haven't actually wore yet, as it is so matte it settles into every nook and cranny and my lips have just not been in the best condition for it as of late. Candy Yum Yum is another firm favourite with MAC lovers, it is a beautiful bright barbie pink that will look perfect in summer.

Finally I have Lady Danger and although this is another matte it doesn't settle into lines like Candy Yum Yum does and is very creamy, so I have worn this much more. Its is a beautiful orangey red which is again perfect for summer.

show orchid, girl about town, up the amp, rebel, high strung, candy yum yum, lady danger

So that's my MAC lipstick collection, sorry for the lack of lip swatches, but as I've said my lips aren't in a great condition at the minute so they would not be nice to look at, at all. Hopefully that nice arm shot is good enough for you and you can get a rough idea of what each shade looks like. Thank You for reading and I hope you enjoyed my first post back.

Much Love 

Gemma xo.

High End Make Up Haul

Hi Everyone. Back with a haul for you today. These are the more expensive make up bits I have purchased over the past few months.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot 

I absolutley adore this product! It was part of Benefits Christmas Collection and I was lucky enough to get the very last one on the House Of Fraser website after hunting everywhere for it. It contains 6 very generous sized blushers, Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola (Bronzer), Coralista and Rockateur. A 1.5g sample of Watts Up Highligher and a teeny tiny brush. All for the amazing prize of just £29.50. The Rockateur blush in here is actaully full size and would cost £23.50 alone so you can see just how great value for money this product really is. I know you can't get hold of it anymore but I couldn't not share it with you all.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

Next up is a old favourite of mine, MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in NC15. I used to swear by this foundation but haven't actually purchased one for a number of years now. The coverage is excellent and the staying power is one of the best I have come across. Many people find this foundation too heavy and cakey but for my combination skin it is just right. The pump is actually one I bought a few years back hence why it looks so grubby but it works, so why buy a new one right? I bought this in the Selfridges sale for around £19 the price it was when I first started buying it!

Urban Decay Naked 2

   

I seem to be working my way backwards when it comes to the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. I started with Naked 3, I then decided this one was a must buy and I'm sure I will eventually purchase the original to complete the collection. Naked 2 is the more cool toned of the 3 palettes and suits my pale complexion perfectly. Since buying this, the 3rd palette which I absolutely adored has well and truely taken a back seat, and rarely sees the light of day. This one is much more wearable and is by far my favourite out of the 2. No.3 is definitely a speacial occasion kinda palette nowadays.

MAC 217

 

It's about time I got my hands on this blogger favourite. Gorgeously soft and perfect for blending eye shadow, I definitely understand the hype now. This brush is an absolute gem. Although I am rather disappointed of how wispy some of the bristles seem to have gone after a few washes, a few of them now point in different directions instead of being nice and straight. Very disappointing for the price of this little thing but I love it all the same, I'm just praying it doesn't get any worse.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

Another firm blogger favourite, The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer is officially one of my favourite highlighters. Its the most perfect champagne highlight that looks great on my pale skin. It's super pigmented, you really only need a tiny touch of this to add a lovely glow to the face. This is going to last me a very long time. I'm still yet to even make a dent in it.

MAC Show Orchid & Rebel. YSL Rouge Pur Couture Le Mats 207

Last but certaintly not least, 3 beautiful lipsticks that I'm sure you have all heard of. MAC's Show Orchid is a very vivid fuschia pink with a somewhat blueish shimmer running through it. It is amazingly pigmented and I am so happy to finally own it after MAC made Pro Products more readily available to us here in the UK, once again I am in love! MAC Rebel is another much hyped product and once again for great reason. As with all MAC lipsticks I own the pigmentation is great and you only need one quick swipe for great colour pay off, and built up it is even more stunning. Rebel is a gorgeous berry colour that leans more towards pink on my lips. It is nothing like this picture that makes it look almost black, my apologies for that. And finally YSL Rouge Pur Couture Le Mats in 207 is a very on trend lipstick shade at the minute. Which I 100% purchased because I saw the beautiful Amelia Liana raving about it. It's a lovely dusky rose colour and is perfect for mimicing Kylie Jenner's famous 90's style pout. Although this is a matte shade it is not drying at all, it glides on and sits on the lips perfectly and feels like any other lipstick. Staying power is excellent and I very rarely need to top this up.

As you can tell I have been treating myself quite a lot since getting my new job and these are the more expensive picks from the bunch.

I hope you are all having a lovely day and enjoyed this post. Please do let me know of any posts you would like to see here on my blog as I am just getting back into the swing of things and would appreciate any ideas you may have.

Much Love Gemma 

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.



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. 



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. 

The Autumn Tag!

  Hi Everyone!! It's been a while!! Unfortunately I'm not here to stay, because I'm still without a laptop! I just thought while this Tag is going round, I'd grab my Dad's iMac for 5 minutes and get something typed up for you all! I've missed blogging sooooo much over these past few months, and I really can't wait to get back to it! I promise I'll try my best to do in the very near future. But for now here's the Autumn Tag to give you something new to read EVENTUALLY and to help settle my craving to blog! I do literally crave it, it's insane!!

For Autumn, what is your...

1.  Favourite thing about it? I love so many things about Autumn, the dark nights mean more cuddling up watching films with my boyfriend, getting all cosy and warm in my onesies, big coats and jumpers! And of course Halloween, one of my all time favourite holidays!!

2.  Favourite drink? In Autumn, just like at Christmas I love the Gingerbread Lattes from Costa :)

3.  Favourite scent/candle? Anything that smells like Cinnamon! 

4.  Best lipstick? Like everyone I like to dig out all my deep dark berry colours at this time of year, my Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 107 made its first outing in months on Saturday! And I'm sure it won't be its last. I really want MAC Rebel this Autumn aswell.

5.  Go to moisturiser? I don't change my moisturiser when the seasons change. I probably should but I don't!

6.  Go to colours for the eyes? They don't usually change as I'm not that adventerous when it comes to eyeshadows, I have been using bronze and golds a lot recently though. I really want to try out some berry colours aswell, I found this on the beautiful Kayleighs blog from last year and would love to try it out! If I ever get the courage to buy the colours!

7.  Favourite music or band/singer to listen to? This stays the same as well, I listen to all types of music all year round! LOVE Christmas songs as soon as December comes round though! 

 

8.  Favourite outfit to wear (i.e. boots & a scarf combo)? Skinny jeans, boots and a big thick jumper :)

9.  Autumn treat? I usually buy a new coat and pair of boots every year! I'll do the same this year and hopefully buy the MAC items I have mentioned above aswell!

10.  Favourite place to be? Cuddled up in bed or on the settee watch TV and Films with my boyfriend!

There we go then, My first blog post in months. Sorry it was very short and sweet but i hope you enjoyed it non the less! I tag you all to do this, and be sure to tell me if you do! Hopefully I'll be here again soon. Thank You all for your continued support when I haven't been here, every single comment, follow and view means the world to me! 

Much Love Gemma xo.

How I Clean My Make Up Brushes

Hi Everyone. Today I thought I'd share with you how I clean my make up brushes. I don't do anything special with them and in all honesty I am down right lazy when it comes to brush cleaning! Only doing it every so often when I finally remember! It's pretty disgusting and shameful I know. I'm sorry!

All I use to clean my brushes is a cheap baby shampoo and a sponge.

To be precise I use this Wilkinson's own baby shampoo and a cheap Wilkinsons bath sponge. In total they probably cost less than £2 to buy. So you really don't need buckets of money to keep your brushes clean and hygienic! This is what I do every month or so to get my brushes nice and clean. I know I should really do it once a week but like I said I'm lazy :| -

Step 1 - 

I run the brush under luke warm water. Not hot! Trying to only wet the bristles so I don't remove any of the glue holding the brush together which could potentially ruin the whole thing.

Step 2 - 

Wet the sponge and apply a blob of shampoo on to it. Swirl the brush in it and rinse, continuing to do so until the water runs clear, and all make up is removed.

Step 4 - 

Finally I re shape my brushes and lie them flat on a towel to dry over night. If I need my brushes in a hurry. Eg, I'm going on a night out and decide hours before leaving the house, I need to clean my brushes. I will clean them as normal and set them out on a window sill where the sunlight can dry them! Which probably isn't good for my brushes and isn't always possible. So I need some kind of spot cleaning product to help me out in times like these and to also keep my brushes cleaner and more hygenic! If you use a spot cleaner please let me know which one you use so I can take a look at them. I'm thinking of buying the MAC Brush Cleanser so please give me your opinions on that.

For reference the majority of my brushes are Real Techniques, which I absolutely adore!! I also have a brush roll of around 24 brushes from when I did Beauty Therapy at college, these are the pinky/purple handled ones. I only ever use them when I am desperate, because they really are pretty rubbish! Hence why there's only 4 of them here. And that little black brush is the brush that came with my Maybelline Gel Eyeliner! I love it. I'd love to know your favourite brushes, because I am looking to buy some new ones.

I hope you enjoyed this post and some of you may have a better idea of how to clean your brushes now.

Much Love Gemma xo.

MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette

Hi Girls, once again my apologies for not posting anything for such a long time! I still haven't got a new laptop charger so can only get on my laptop when I can get hold of my brothers charger!

Today I'm going to show you the ever so popular MUA Undress Me Too Palette. That I picked up sometime last month.

This palette is famous for being an amazing dupe for the Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay, having never owned a UD palette I was really excited to try out this much cheaper alternative. After looking in Superdrug countless amounts of times and not coming across it I gave up hope of ever finding this beauty in town. Then one day I found the whole Undress Me collection tucked away on the side of one of the aisles! WHY have you done this Superdrug?! Instead of putting the collection with the rest of the MUA  make up its hidden away! I just do not understand it. Anyway enough whinging and on to the actual product! I was over the moon to eventually get my hands on this product and couldn't wait to try it out (not before I had took pictures of course! brownie points for being a good beauty blogger for once :P I resisted using this for days so I could get you guys some nice clean pictures!) I haven't got any swatches but here are some pictures to give you an idea of the shades.

(naked, devotion, tranquil, exposed)

 (shy, fiery, reveal, wink)

(lavish, dreamy, obsessed, corrupt)

In all honesty I haven't used every single shadow in the palette, but the ones I have used I am really impressed with. The pigmentation is exceptional for a £4 palette, if you do the maths that comes to just over 33p per shadow, amazing huh?! The staying power is also really good, weather I use these for during the day or a night out I never have to re apply and that's without using a primer! So I imagine with one they will be even better. The palette has a mix of both matte and shimmer shades, which is perfect for me because I love to use both finishes depending on my mood and the make up look I am wanting to achieve. I believe this is the first MUA palette that has named shadows, which I really like, there's nothing worse than trying to explain a product to someone when said product doesn't have a name! The shades I reach for most within in this palette are - Naked and Lavish for a soft matte smokey eye for a neutral day time look, and Fiery, Obsessed and Corrupt for a more dark smokey eye for a night out, I have also used Devotion in the inner corners of my eyes for a lovely pop of golden highlight. If I ever get the confidence and camera skills to show you any of my make up looks I will definitely use this to paint you a better picture of this amazing product. But for the time being a hope this post has given you a nice insight into this much loved product. If you haven't got it already and have £4 going spare, I strongly suggest you go and pick it up. It really is brilliant value for money! Weather it's as good as Urban Decay Naked 2, I obviously can't comment but it's a fabulous palette all the same!

Much Love Gemma xo.

My First Ever...GlossyBox!

Hi Everyone. I know you have probably all seen the April GlossyBox by now, but I just had to show you what I got in my box, because it was my very first and I absolutely love it!

Like I said this is the first ever GlossyBox that I have got. And I am still really excited about it. I love all of the contents and as for this special one off design, it's lovely! I am so pleased I eventually got round to subscribing and I can't wait for my next box to arrive. On to the contents:

Essie Nail Polish in Eternal Optimist - 

As well as getting my first ever Glossybox, this was my first ever Essie Polish. I was over the moon when I opened the box to find this little beauty staring back at me. I've wanted an Essie for such a long time but with the price tag it carries and the fact I don't have a counter where I live, meant I have been holding back. When I first saw Eternal Optimist, I wasn't exactly blown away. But after trying it on I fell in love, its a gorgeous dusky rose pink and it looks lovely even on my small broken work worn nails! I'm very impressed!

Sleek Blush in Flamingo - 

Once again my town doesn't stock Sleek. Superdrug did have it years ago but I wasn't as into make up back then so I only ever tried out the Kajal Eyeliner, which by the way I loved. Since falling more in love with make up, I am devastated that I didn't try out more Sleek products when it was so easily available to me and I've been wanting to get my hands on quite a few of their things, the blushers being one of them! I received this one in the colour Flamingo which is a gorgeous bright bright pink. I haven't tried it yet but it looks super pigmented and I can't wait to wear it. It reminds me of a Barry M blusher I had years ago, which I think may have been called Raspberry! Non of my pictures did the colour any justice so I advise you to look for swatches online or try it in store yourself if you are interested.

A-Derma Intense Repair Lip Balm - 

This lip balm is gorgeous! It's made with a 100% natural active ingredient, Rhealba Oat Milk, which leaves your lips incredibly smooth. It is meant to provide your lips with a long last protective film that leaves them nourished and soothed, and it definitely does! I apply this every night before bed and wake up with really soft lips. It's slowly knocking my beloved Carmex off the top spot!

Nip + Fab Dry Skin Fix Body Butter in Coconut Latte - 

I haven't actually used this body butter yet so I can't really comment on it, but the smell is delicious!! It has a coconut smell to it which for some bizzare reason reminds me of Play Dough from when I was a kid! I can't even stress how much I adore the smell of Play Dough so I loved this as soon as I smelt it! I have high hopes for this product, its look really thick and moisturising. I will get round to using it one day and let you know my thoughts.

Yves Rocher - So Elixir Purple Perfume - 

I'm so rubbish with scents its untrue, so I will give you the description provided in the leaflet you recieve with your GlossyBox - 'an intoxicating and magnetic fragrance, which boasts a unique infusion of Tuberose, Vetiver and Patchouli culminating in a floral-woody elixir' in all honesty that makes no sense to me whatsoever! All I can say is, it's a rather deep dark smell that I wouldn't usually go for. But in actual fact I really like. It would be perfect for a night out!

So there you have it my very first GlossyBox. I absolutely loved it and I am so excited to get my hands on next months in the next few weeks! What day are they usually delivered does anyone know?? I have very high hopes for it! And am definitely sticking with my subscription for the foreseeable.

Much Love Gemma xo.