6.30.2014

Looking Pretty for Afternoon Tea


I haven't shown my face on the old blog for a while so I thought I would show you the makeup that I wore for a cute little afternoon tea to celebrate my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. We went to a very posh hotel and filled our bellies right to the brim! They even made me a special vegan main course: yellow bell pepper stuffed with garlic wild mushrooms, it was absolutely delicious! Please excuse the busy (messy) background in these pics, I had just filmed a partially failed GRWM video. If I can salvage anything from the footage, you may see it pop up on my Youtube channel at some point! If you still haven't seen my recent videos, you can do so, here.

Don't worry, I didn't go to a fancy meal in a sweatshirt, I actually wore a lovely peter-pan collared, parrot print playsuit from ASOS but I forgot to take pictures :-(

Just as a quick disclaimer, some of the below products aren't natural/cruelty-free. As previously mentioned, I'm going through transition so I've still got bits to use up.

Products Used:
Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation 
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Soap & Glory Archery in Love is Blonde (This one is cruelty-free!)
The All Natural Face Diva Stix in Creme Brulee
Silk Naturals Eyeshadows in Virtual, Impact, Link, Raven
Pumpkin & Poppy Oak Bark Contouring Powder
Silk Naturals Sheer Blush in Desert Plum
Silk Naturals Organic Vegan Lipstick in Lois


6.28.2014

Review: Ilia Beauty Lip Pencils


I've been meaning to do this post for aaaaages! I'm always talking about my Ilia Lip Pencils and finally I can share them with you guys. Let me first apologise for the super pasty pics... at least the colours for the swatches are spot on!

Ilia Beauty is such a dreamy company but unfortunately not many of their products are suitable for vegans. I'm so happy that the lip pencils are because they seriously offer some of the nicest unique shades. I own the beautifully bright Karma Chameleon and the muted mauve, Dress You Up. Can we just appreciate the shade names as well? Karma-karma-karma-karma-karma chameleon... *breaks out in dance*.

Karma Chameleon is probably the brightest lip colour I own, which all things considered, is a bit weak for the massive lip product addict that I am. It's a wonderfully bright orange coral and surprisingly, it's super flattering on my pale-as-pale skin. This one glides on a dream and it can be worn bold and bright, or dabbed carefully for a more demure pop of colour. Sometimes it can apply a little streaky, but that's easy to correct with just another coat. I love wearing this without any eye makeup and it is a perfect match for a bright coral fluffy jumper that I own... (see my latest YT vid for that one!). 

Dress You Up is a 'nude' but it definitely leans towards the purple side. It's one of those my-lips-but-better shades and it goes with absolutely everything. My only qualm with this one is that the formula isn't quite as good as Karma Chameleon. This one is slightly more matte which makes it quite dry to apply. It shows up any dry skin or lip imperfections so make sure you give your smackers a good scrub beforehand. Despite that, I probably wear this shade the most. It's a lovely deep colour that can really pull a look together without it looking like you have too much on. I really enjoy it.

These beauties are slightly pricey (I managed to snag mine in the 50% off BeautyMart sale) but I haven't really seen much to rival them in the green beauty world as of yet. They're probably the closest you are going to get to the Nars Lip Pencils. I've currently got my eye on the lovely red shade, 99 Red Balloons and I can't wait to add to my collection! 

INGREDIENTS/for KARMA CHAMELEON LIP CRAYON
Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Trisostearyl Citrate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnuaba) Wax*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Fruit Oil*, Carica (Papya) Seed Oil. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Red 7 (CI15858), Iron Oxide (CI77499, CI77492, CI77491). *Certified Organic Ingredients. Ingrédients Certifiés Biologiques.

INGREDIENTS/for DRESS YOU UP LIP CRAYON
Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Trisostearyl Citrate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnuaba) Wax*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Fruit Oil*, Carica (Papya) Seed Oil. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Red 7 (CI15858), Iron Oxide (CI77499, CI77492, CI77491). *Certified Organic Ingredients. Ingrédients Certifiés Biologiques.


6.26.2014

June Favourites - and YouTube!


So I'm on Youtube! You can watch my first video above, where I'm talking about my June Favourites. I've never really been a 'monthly faves' type gal, I'm more of a talk-about-my-loves-all-the-time blogger. You may have noticed. From today onwards, monthly favourites are going to be exclusive to my channel so get subbin'.
I'm still getting used to talking to the camera, filming with a DSLR and editing. My current laptop situation isn't too great either so I'm doing what I can! I'm hopefully purchasing a Macbook Pro next month so there will be lots of shiny new posts, videos and content to look forward to.
Let me know what you think and leave me some video suggestions below!
P.S. It's my practical driving test today. Eeek.

6.20.2014

#GreenBeautySwap with Liz (Smells Like A Green Spirit)


A couple months ago, the lovely Ria of NatuRia Beauty arranged a special spring/summer Green Beauty Swap! Having watched the magic of the last Christmas-themed swap from afar, I was eager to jump right in this time around. I quickly signed up and a couple weeks later I was given my partner... the beautiful Liz from Smells Like A Green Spirit! I'm sure you all love her blog just as much as me so I was thrilled to be paired with her. We exchanged a few emails and funnily enough our green standards are pretty similar which made choosing her some gifts pretty easy. However, I'm vegan - some of you may not have known - and so this gave Liz an extra little challenge when shopping for me... well, she did amazingly and I love every single item she sent me! Here's what I so gratefully received:

- Primavera Oily Skincare Set: Such a lovely idea and such a lovely brand. Only the other day was I pondering how much I would like to try Primavera... I should really keep this kit for my impending Berlin holiday but it's just so cute not to use! First impressions of the Gel Cleanser are good.

- French Girl Organics Nourishing Facial Oil: I love how Liz included some Etsy brands in her package! I'm looking forward to trying this luxurious oil which has equally luxurious packaging. I know what I'm slapping on my face tonight...

- Crazy Rumours Leaping Bunny Lip Balm: I love Crazy Rumours, and seeing so I only own one flavour (Candy Mint FYI), this plum-apricot edition is most certainly welcomed! To make matters more awesome, a portion of sales from the Leaping Bunny lip balm go directly to the Leaping Bunny Programme!

- Blossom Valley Minty Fresh Soap: Another gorgeous Etsy product which smells absolutely divine. And check out that sweet owl silhouette! My current shower gel is nearly gone and I haven't purchased a replacement, so maybe I'll get some use out of this little guy soon - if I can bare to part with him that is!

- Everyday Minerals Eye Blending Brush: Everyday Minerals is another brand that I've wanted to try for a while and I've only ever heard great things about their brushes.

- Lavera Orange Feeling Hand Cream: A girl can never have too much hand cream. And we all know how much I adore Lavera's products... this one smells zingy, like orangeade.

- Go & Home Fresh Melon Hand and Body Lotion: I've never heard of this brand but I'm loving the ingredients, loving that it's Vegan Society certified, and I'm loving the fruity scent. Fruits FTW.

- Lavera Beautiful Mineral Eyeshadow Quad "Purple Fantasy": My first Lavera makeup product! I really like all the colours in this palette and I'm excited to use it! Maybe I'll use it in a makeup-of-the-day type post.

I also received samples of the Rahua Shampoo, Aurelia Miracle Cleanser and the Priti NYC Soy Nail Polish Remover Wipes. I've used the Rahua sample already and unfortunately for my bank balance, it's love.

Overall, I just want to say a big massive thank you to Liz for sending me such amazing gifts! Hopefully she likes everything I got her just as much. If you'd like to see what I sent to Liz, check out her post on her blog.

P.S. Sorry but I'm way too lazy to link all these products x





6.11.2014

Falling Back In Love?


When I was many years younger, I read a lot. I would stay up till the early hours getting my Harry Potter fix and spend ages reading Jacqueline Wilson in the bath while getting considerably pruney. However, since going to big school/college/starting work, I probably read the grand total of about 0.5 books a year, if I'm lucky. It makes me extremely sad (especially as I credit my decent academic record to a childhood of reading), and recently I've forced myself to fall back in love with the written word. It seems silly for me - as a to-be English Lit student - to not be reading as much as I can. I have so many books laid about my room, and a reading list as long as my arm, but I'm still struggling to get back in to reading.

Despite the dwindling love, I have actually been reading some pretty great books lately. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey is, for example, is the first book that has really grabbed me in years. I read it over the Bank Holiday weekend and I was truly sad when I reached the final (digital) page. It was also the first book that I have ever bought on Kindle and having it readily available on both my iPhone and iPad probably contributed to the sheer speed in which it was devoured. I'm looking to do a full book review on this at some point, as a little practice for uni, so let me know if you would be interested! And thank you to Annabel for the awesome reading recommendation. 

A few things to get me more motivated about reading again:
  • Being 'practised' for university. I'm going to be studying a lot of books.
  • The wonderful reading posts on The Private Life of a Girl.
  • Being able to do further research it things I'm passionate about, e.g. veganism.
  • Having something productive to do on warm sunny days and boring voids between lectures.
I'll be posting a reading list soon and then we will see how this venture goes...


6.09.2014

Melt-Proof Makeup


So the sun is starting to shine on gloomy ol' England. And although there isn't any blistering Miami heat in these parts, there's just enough humidity to get that mascara melting. If I'm honest, I probably don't wear enough makeup on a daily basis to experience any major breakdowns (if it's really hot I just forgo makeup completely) but I do like to keep the weather in mind when putting on my face. And here are my top picks for summer-safe slap.

The number one, most important step is applying a good SPF. Remember that the sun is just a big ball of fire and what kind of damage is that going to do to your skin? A lot. We all remember to put sun cream on our limbs so don't be forgetting that beautiful face. My favourite facial SPF is the Andalou Naturals Un-Tinted Beauty Balm with SPF 30 but you can also find great ones from Kimberly Sayer and John Masters.

Base-wise, I just tend to apply concealer to any redness/dark circles/blemishes and then blend out with a fluffy brush such as the Real Techniques Expert Face Blush. I set this with a light dusting of my favourite Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation which not only offers a tad more coverage, but ups the sun protection factor with a little SPF 15. This combination creates a even complexion without drowning the face in foundation or powder -  leaving a lovely summer glow. Colour cosmetics come in the form of my new obsession, the Silk Naturals HD Cream Blushes. Designed to be long-wearing, these beauties come in some delicious bright shades that instantly brighten the face. My picks are 'Shaker' and 'Top Shelf'. Finish with a slick of tinted lip balm and leave out any potentially dangerous mascara or eyeshadow. My favourite at the moment comes from Hurraw! in the form of their Black Cherry Tinted Lip Balm.