Meet Milo

 
                                

This is a long overdue post but I kept putting off because I didn't know if anyone would be interested in reading it. More than anything though I just wanted to post a whole bunch of pictures of him somewhere without driving everyone on Instagram insane.
Anyway, this is Milo, my 2 nearly 3 year old long haired chihuahua. He's the most wonderful creature in the world and the absolute spawn of satan all at the same time.

He is a high maintenance, spoilt bundle of joy. Because he's so small and adorable I couldn't be harsh with training and in doing so over the past 2 years I have created a monster. Having said that however he only has a few "bad habits" to his name such as barking at the most ridiculous things. He barks at anything that comes in to a foot radius from him including but not limited to people, food, toys and himself sometimes. He also barks at bugs which I think is my fault. Through my own fear of anything with more than 4 legs I have taught him to also treat any kind of insect with the same hostility but I have no problem with it at all. If I'm up late with the window open and a spider happily strolls in and sets up shop on the wall I'm more than happy for Milo to bark at it so I can whack that mothertrucker with a book. He also up until recently would relentlessly seek out my make up and completely destroy it. Taking blog pictures on the floor was impossible as after a matter of seconds he would have stolen half of it and hidden it from the light of day.

As well as or in spite of all of that he's a truly lovely little animal who is most of the time extremely well behaved and hilarious without being a complete weirdo or destroying anything. When I go out I often find him tucked up in bed with his head on the pillow when I get back. He tolerates all of my many cuddles and enjoys a cup of tea almost as much as I do. He's my furry best pal and I love him a lot.

Would you be interested in anymore dog related posts?
If you have a dog, tell me about them in the comments!

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Clarins Instant Concealer

Clarins Instant Concealer (01) £21.50 - link

I think this is quite possibly the one.

This concealer is wonderful. The absolute only critique I could possibly have is that it only comes in 3 shades which is really disappointing, however that is it's one and only downfall.
Being water based this concealer is light and glides smoothly on to and in to the skin. It's a light - medium coverage but is buildable without caking or creasing. This shade, and the other 2 as far as I know, have peach undertones as it's aimed at cancelling out dark circles and it works beautifully. It has a creamy texture that isn't too thick that sets under the eyes like second skin. It's radiant but not illuminating so flash back isn't an issue which is always a bonus. As it is radiant to some extent it isn't the best choice to use when concealing active blemishes but it is fantastic at covering any scarring, evening out your skin tone and concealing any uneven pigmentation.

I have been thoroughly enjoying using this to make me look somewhat human in the mornings, especially on days where even coffee isn't doing the trick. It is really frustrating that not all skin tones are able to use this product but if one of the shades do match your skin tone, I couldn't recommend it more.


Have you tried this concealer? What's your favourite concealer?

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Nail Favourites #2

Rimmel Salon Pro, Rock n Roll £4.49 -  link

Leighton Denny Maneater £11 - link
Maybelline Color Show, Sidewalk Strut £2.99 - link
Essie, Bahama Mama £7.99 - link

Bahama Mama is one I come back to all the time. It's a berry shade that looks gorgeous, especially in Autumn although I do wish that Essie polishes weren't so streaky - it drives me insane but it is something I'll begrudgingly overlook because of their colour selection. You can't beat Essie if you're looking for variety in your nail varnish collection. 

As for the rest of the shades, they're pretty season neutral with a black from Leighton Denny, a good old red from Rimmel and a classic taupe nude from Maybelline. The formulas of all three are lovely and apply evenly and opaque in one coat. Maneater from Leighton Denny coming in at £11 is a pretty hefty price tag for a plain black nail varnish that I probably won't repurchase but I do love the formula.

If you haven't got any Maybelline color show nail polishes I would highly recommend having a look. They're one of the best formulas I've ever tried and at £2.99 I think they're pretty darn great.

What nail varnishes have you been loving? Do you have a shade that you always wear around this time of year?

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MAC Matte Lipstick - Studded Kiss

MAC Matte Lipstick (Studded Kiss) £15.50 - link

London has been full of rainy days and cloudy skies which means Autumn is practically here and to celebrate I bought a very fitting dark red lipstick.

The shade of this lipstick is beauuutiful! It's a deep red, described as a dark oxblood red, with warm undertones and subtle brown tones running through it too. It has a matte finish, and as we've come to know from MAC's mattes, it's completely opaque but surprisingly not as drying. It has a creamy texture meaning that it's comfortable to wear and apply but doesn't last as long on the lips. It does however dry after around an hour of wear into a truer matte finish. It lasted around 5 hours before I needed to take it off or reapply. It does stain the lips lightly.

I love this colour and I will absoultely be living in it as soon as the days get shorter and the nights get colder. I'm so excited for endless hot chocolates and oversized jumpers, roll on Autumn!


What colour do you wear a lot when the weather starts getting colder? Do you like matte lipsticks?

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Ankle Boots Wishlist

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

I bloody well love a good pair of ankle boots. You most likely won't see me without them as soon as the leaves change to magical shades of yellow and brown. They are the perfect addition to an A/W wardrobe and here are a few of the ones that are currently sitting pretty in my wishlist. 

I have 6 pairs already but variety is the spice of life and in an ideal world I would love to have a pair for every outfit in my wardrobe. 

Do you share my love of ankle boots? What shoes do you opt for most in A/W?

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Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

L-R: High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanted, Dagger, Black Market, Smoulder, Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette £38 - link

The packaging of this palette is truly beautiful and I'm utterly obsessed with it and I'm also a big fan of the colour selection too. Packed full of cool tones and wearable blues and purples with a couple of warmer toned neutrals makes this a very versatile palette and perfect for Autumn. I was however quite disappointed when I actually started using the eyeshadows.

These eyeshadows don't seem to have the same texture as previous palettes from Urban Decay. I wouldn't say they were necessarily dry and powdery but they lack the creamy texture I had come to expect from a naked palette. I found that the matte shades in particular were some what harder to blend and all of the eyeshadows seem to move and fade relatively quickly if I didn't use a primer. I'm not sure if that's because I have oily eyelids or if other people with different skin types are experiencing similar things. It's also quite difficult to get the pan colour to transfer to the skin, especially with some of the shimmery shades. Using a flat brush and packing the product on my eyelid still left me with only a percentage of the shade shimmering in the pan.

The 12 shades are ordered from most shimmery all the way down to the most matte, 

starting from L-R:

High - Light peachy champagne with micro glitter and warm undertones. It has a metallic finish, good colour pay off and a wear time of around 7 hours.

Dirtysweet - Warm toned medium golden beige shimmer with a metallic finish. It has a decent pigmentation but applies thinly and wears for 7 hours.

Radar - Medium brown shimmer with gold micro glitter. It has warm, yellow undertones and is a shimmery frosted finish. Significantly less shimmery/glittery than the previous 2 shades despite having larger flecks of glitter running throughout it. The texture is hard to work with and is one of the least pigmented shades in the whole palette, giving you a wash of colour when applied. Wears for 4-5 hours.  

Armor - A cool dark greyish taupe shade with flecks of silver glitter. It is a similar finish to Radar but slightly more glittery. It also shares the same quality as the previous shade in that it's a wash of colour and takes time to build up the opacity. It had some fallout during application but relatively easy to work with otherwise. Wear time is 4-5 hours.

Slanted - A muted medium grey with strong blue undertones and a metallic finish. Very chalky and dry even in the pan and there is a lot of fallout when applying. It's a really hard shadow to work with and applies noticeably unevenly which is hard to correct when you lose some each time you touch a brush to it. Wears for around 6 hours.

Dagger - Deep charcoal shade with strong blue undertones and a light wash of cool, silver micro glitter. It has a satin finish and a decent colour pay off. It's soft and blendable but needs to be patted on for best results. It has some fallout but nothing major and wears for around 4 hours before it begins significantly fading.

Black Market - A deep black shade somewhere in between a semi matte and a satin finish with cool undertones. It feels soft and is easy to apply and blend but much like Dagger takes patting on to get a more intense look. It has a wear time of around 7 hours. 

Smoulder - Dark plum shade with subtle warm undertones and a semi matte finish. It has good pigmentation and again feels soft but is somewhat challenging to blend when not using primer. Wear time was 6-7 hours.

Password - A matte medium-deep taupe shade with cool undertones. It's soft, yet quite powdery and easy to blend but does blend out really sheer. It lasted 4/5 hours on me without primer before it basically completely faded.

Whiskey - A muted dark brown matte shade with warm, red undertones. It feels a little powdery in the pan and I had some fallout when applying it. It has good pigmentation but again takes work to build it up to get the full potential of the colour. It looked better on me the longer I had it on before it started to fade at around 6 hours.

Combust - Medium dirty pinky taupe with cool undertones and a sheer matte finish. It feels and looks chalky when applied and is perhaps my least favourite shadow in the palette. It has a lot of excess powder when trying to get the product on a brush and has a very sheer colour pay off. Lasted 4-5 hours and then faded entirely.

Thirteen - A very light beige with a semi matte finish. The pigementation is good but I had quite a lot of fallout. The texture is soft but slightly powdery and very blendable. It has a wear time of  6-7 hours.

Like I said before the colours are gorgeous but prove to be difficult to work with and in my opinion this palette is not up to the same standard as the previous palettes. Having said that, I do still really like the palette and I'm happy to have it as part of my collection. 

What's your opinion of the Naked Smoky Palette? Have you bought it or are you going to?

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My Red Lipstick Collection Part #2 - Classics

Classics
L-R: Nars Mysterious Red £18 - link, MAC Russian Red £15.50 - link, Rimmel Lasting Finish Shade 10 £5.49 (similar available in shade #37) - link, Charlotte Tilbry  Red Carpet Red £23 - link, Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Shade 111 £5.49  - link, MAC Ruby Woo £15.50 - link, Topshop Hazard £8 - link


Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil - Mysterious Red
A crimson red with deep, warm undertones. It's dreamy to apply with the pencil format making it easy to stay within the lines and the smooth texture means it doesn't tug and is opaque in one light sweep. This is without doubt one of my most favourite lipsticks I own even if it's not completely matte, and trust me that is saying something. It's called velvet matte for a reason and is semi matte/velvet finish although it does dry over time. It lasts for around 4 hours and then gradually fades. For more details I did a review you can read here.

MAC - Russian Red
Do I even need to write anything about this lipstick? This should and must be in your collection - along with Ruby Woo but we'll get to that in a minute. This is my second one of these lipsticks because, without fail, I always come back to it. The blue undertones make it extremely flattering and the true red shade is a winner in every situation. It's smooth and somewhat creamy on application and then dries to a completely matte finish after a few minutes. It is eventually drying and uncomfortable but that doesn't bother me at all. It lasts for 4-5 hours or 6+ with liner. It's totally opaque although has applied unevenly sometimes when I've tried to build the intensity with more than one coat. Overall it's an incredible lipstick, go and buy it if you haven't already - you've been missing out.

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate - Shade 10
A beautiful classic red that applies creamy with subtle blue undertones to accentuate a glowing smile. Considering it's not matte and that pretty much means I should be allergic to it, I get a lot of wear out of this lipstick. It's a satin finish that lasts around 3 hours. I can't find this shade available anywhere in the UK as I bought mine in America a couple of years ago but the shade '37' (linked above) is a pretty close match. There are some other shades from this range that I am dying to get my hands on and plus it's 2 for £10 at the moment at Boots, what could be a better excuse?!

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick - Red Carpet Red
A deep, blue toned red. I almost considered putting this in with the dark reds of my collection but it seemed more suited here. In my opinion it's still a classic red shade, especially with the cool hue it has, but it's deeper than any of the other shades in this part. It's a semi matte finish, extremely creamy and comfortable on application and in wear throughout the day. It does tend to move slightly and almost feels like it never sets. It lasts for around 3-4 hours. You can read about this in a lot more glorious detail here.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate - Shade 111
A warm, rich red. It's dry on application and tugs a little but it's still comfortable to wear and stays put for 3-4 hours. This shade is definitely a true classic red and pretty much suits everyone and for £5.49 it's a winner on all fronts.

MAC - Ruby Woo
Perhaps the queen of the matte red lip. As with Russian Red this is a classic, true red with vivid blue undertones. It has a retro matte finish or an uncomfortable as all hell matte finish but it's a trillion billion percent worth it. This bad boy isn't going anywhere. It lasts for 6-7 hours with no priming or lining unless you're using your mouth a lot (I'll save the inappropriate jokes for another time) and when lined and primed, it's staying put for 8 hours and then some more. This lipstick looks great on everyone I've seen wear it and has definitely earned it's crown. If you can overcome the dry aspect of this lipstick, it'll be your greatest make up companion.

Topshop Lipstick in Hazard
I still will never understand why Topshop make up doesn't get the recognition it deserves. The lipsticks are my second favourite after MAC and consequently make up almost half of my whole collection. They are wonderful and if you haven't already I'd recommend getting your hands on one.
The finish of this one is a semi-matte/velvet finish. It applies creamy and opaque but requires blotting or you'll end up with red smudges everywhere. It dries out the longer you have it on so if you can keep your hands away from your mouth for about an hour you shouldn't have a problem with it transferring. Despite it drying it never becomes uncomfortable as it never dries to a true matte but that also does mean it's prone to a bit of movement. It lasts for 4 hours before it fades and it doesn't leave a stain.


Do you have any of these lipsticks in your collection? What do you think of classic reds?

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Bobbi Brown Blush - Nude Peach

Bobbi Brown Blush (Nude Peach) £19.50 - link

I'm fairly heavy handed with blush, no matter how much I help I get from the Real Techniques blush brush I still end up looking severly embarassed, but there is no chance of that happening with this gorgeous pale peach.

It's pigmented but not intense and applied, it creates a gentle wash of colour. What is more noticeable is the beautiful sheen due to very, very faint shimmer running through it which means it's great to double up as a subtle highlighter. It adds a wonderful peachy glow to the cheeks but is buildable to create a more opaque and dramatic look.
It wears wonderfully and stays noticeable on the skin for around 5-6 hours before it settles into the rest of your make up.

I'm starting to enjoy using blushes more and more. I wasn't a fan of them for years and always turned to bronzer and highlighters before I would even consider adding any other colours to my cheeks but the Bobbi Brown blushes I've picked up recently (you can read another review of a Bobbi Brown blush, try and say that 3 times fast, here) along with some MAC ones have made me start to understand why they are such a beloved step in people's make up routines. If you have any recommendations for blushes I'd love to hear them, or just tell me what your favourite blush is so I can buy it immediately!


Have you tried any Bobbi Brown blushes? What shades of blushes do you tend to choose?

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Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara £23 - link 

It feels too long since I reviewed a mascara, so long that my eyelashes are almost twitching. I usually buy a bunch of them every 3 months and this time I've left it at least 6 as I've still been in love with the YSL Shocking mascara but it's most definitely time to try something else.
I had heard quite a lot about this mascara a few months ago with a fair few people saying it was one of the best from Bobbi Brown. I haven't tried any other mascaras from the brand (yet) but this seemed like a pretty good place to start.

This is one of the greatest mascaras for lengthening I've ever tried. In one coat my lashes seemed to double - it's incredible. It does however lack in adding any thickness or definition but building up layers soon fixes that problem. The formula is slightly dryer so clumping absolutely isn't an issue and you could go to town on coats and coats of this and be left with beautifully separated, completely un-spidery lashes. The brush is made up of bristles and is fairly small which makes it easier to be more precise and avoid the mascara on your eyelid fiasco - especially when you already have eyeshadow on (God help me). I'd say this mascara is the the perfect balance between natural and dramatic with the capabilities to make it look more like either end of the spectrum.

Around £20 is what I expect to pay for a higher end mascara and I usually do my research first so I won't be disappointed. I was a little surprised that this comes in at 2ml less than most mascaras in the same price range or even those that are £10 cheaper but I do think it's worth the money. I'm absolutely going to be trying more mascaras from the brand and if this is anything to go by, I can't wait.


Have you tried this mascara or any other from Bobbi Brown?

Are there any mascaras that you'd like to see me review?

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Autumn Fashion Wishlist

- Grey Boots - Khaki Utility Shirt - Boyfriend Blazer - Dress - Suede Skirt - Burgundy Bag - Tan Boots -

I don't know about you but I couldn't be happier that September is finally here. Not only does that mean that Christmas is only 3 months away but we are soon to be overwhelmed in choices of ankle boots and hundreds of shades of burgundy.

I love everything about Autumn, but the fashion in particular. Dark colours make up most of my wardrobe all year round anyway so when stores are stocked full of them, I'm in absolute heaven. 

These are a few of my choices I've found on my annual hunt for my winter wardrobe. I'm really in love with these button up skirts, I've seen them in lots of variations of brown but I think this black one would go with more, especially from my wardrobe. You can't go wrong with a bit of monochrome!

What's your favourite thing about Autumn? Have you started shopping for any Autumn additions to your wardrobe?

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Being Yourself With Blogging

I found it extremely difficult to overcome the barrier that presents itself when you first start blogging. I'd say it took me a good year to get past that and write as I would if I was typing an anecdote to myself or telling a friend about something - terrible puns and over the top descriptions included.

I think it took so long for me to find my blogging voice because it's hard to open up straight away. Just like when you meet someone for the first time, you try to be the best and most pristine version of yourself but that's not what makes people want to spend time with you. It's all the things that make you different from everyone else that makes anyone interested in you and that is what your blog is - it's you and that can be hard to put on the internet for a bunch of strangers to read.

It feels unnatural to put your uncensored personality, your stories and your life on the internet for anyone to find it. It can sometimes feel intrusive and you have to decide if that is a feeling you can overcome or not. Of course writing about make up products doesn't really give all too much insight into your personal life but the words are yours and for me, I still felt the need to put up a little barrier by trying to be as vague as possible in the way that I wrote a review.

After a while of reading back through my posts I just found them boring, they had no life and I didn't want to be represented that way. So, I made a decision to let go of all the apprehension and write which ever way came naturally to me. I  had so much more pride in what I was pressing publish on and I enjoyed writing so much more and I think that absolutely came across in my posts too.

I actively seek out blogs with personality because that's what is the most interesting to read. I know it is a very common cliche among blogging advice to say 'be yourself' but that is the best piece of advice I have ever received. Having beautiful pictures, a well presented blog and a million followers are obviously great assets to have but engaging with readers and giving them an enjoyable experience when they're reading one of your posts by being completely and truly yourself is much more important to me.

I wrote this in response to email I recieved the other day asking for some blogging advice. I have only been doing this 2 years and I don't have a wealth of experience or advice to give but helping someone is something that I will always happily do, so I hope this helped you in some way.


What blogging advice do you have to give?
Have you struggled with being yourself on your blog?

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My Red Lipstick Collection Part #1 - Brights

Brights
L-R: Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate 110 £5.49 (link), MAC Damn Glamorous £15.50 (N/A), MAC La Vie En Rouge £15.50 (N/A), MAC Dangerous £15.50 (link)

Hello and welcome to my ever growing collection of red lipsticks!
I have a truly unhealthy addiction to red lipsticks, matte red lipsticks to be specific, and I've been collecting them and slowly growing my stash over the past couple of years. I don't quite know why I love them so much to be honest, I guess one of the more reasonable excuses I have is that they just look good on everyone, with every outfit, in any season or at any time of day - that and they're pretty to look at.

So I'm starting this 3 part series off with the smallest branch of red lipsticks I own, the brights. I've only recently started picking up more vibrant shades of red with more pink, orange and coral tones as I was never brave enough to wear a lipstick that almost seemed like it was glowing on my lips, and then I came to the realization that life is way too short to spend an hour debating your lipstick choices.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate in 110
This is a semi matte finish, coral toned red. It's almost just a coral lipstick but the warm tones through it accentuate the red, therefore in my opinion, giving it a place here. For a drug store matte lipstick (which are almost impossible to find - trust me) this is pretty good. The texture is quite dry but it applies evenly and is opaque in a couple of coats. It doesn't last that long at 2-3 hours before it starts separating on the lips (it's not pretty) but for the shorter of adventures it's great. I haven't found a similar shade in any other brand which is the main reason I like it so much. It's a really beautiful balance of red and coral and looks wonderful in the Spring.

MAC Matte in Damn Glamorous
I bought this last Christmas without even knowing that it was limited edition. In all honesty from the swatches online I thought this was much more of a classic red than what it actually is but I think that has just made me love it more. It's a bright pink red with subtle blue undertones, it has a creamy matte finish and is completely opaque. If you want to know more about this lipstick you can have a look at the review I did here.

MAC Matte in La Vie En Rouge
A stunning vibrant coral toned red with warm undertones. This is without doubt the brightest lipstick I own. The finish dries to a true matte but is creamy on application and when it sets, it seems brighter still. I wore this a lot this year to my surprise (I definitely thought I'd chicken out) and I really love it. It's one of those lipsticks that makes me feel like a better version of myself when I have it on - is that insane? It sounds insane as I'm typing this but it's true! It's a lovely shade and all round lipstick and I've already done a review on this one too which you can read here.

MAC Retro Matte in Dangerous
The newbie. This is my only full on orange red. After hearing someone say once that paler skin tones should stay away from orange reds I did, but it turns out that whoever said that was completely wrong and you should wear what ever the hell you want to. Anyway enough with the tacky life quotes, the lipstick is a true matte finish. It's dry in texture and uncomfortable to wear, which is what I've come to love with MAC matte lipsticks. I have also done a review of this one too (surprise, surprise) yesterday actually, so if you missed it you can find out all you need to know about this lipstick here.

Part 2 will be up next Friday where I talk about all my classic red lipsticks, my favourites. I hope you enjoyed this kind of post and having a look into my collection.


What's the brightest lipstick you own? And do you have a lipstick that makes you feel different or more cofident or am I just completely mental?

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