TAG: My Beauty Firsts

Hello there!

 I know I've been away for a while, I'm drowning in university work and I'm currently ill, but I promise to be back to beauty reviews next week, I have lots of review!!

 I have an exam tomorrow, but this morning Laura tagged me in the ' Beauty Firsts' tag and I immediately though, voilaa....procrastination at it's best!

This was originally done by Lily Pebbles and Anna ( Vivanna does makeup) on Youtube but Laura created the blog version! So thanks for tagging me, here are the questions :

What was your earliest beauty memory?

Believe it or not, I was involved in a few stage shows and I remember first coming across the world of makeup when I was performing Les Miserables or Around the World in 80 days age 10?! Although it was stage makeup, and it was orange, I remember thinking it was really cool and grown up.

What was your first beauty purchase?

Ohh, I remember looking like I've rolled around in a Barry M stand so probably something along the lines of a super bright glittery eyeshadow or a big thick black liner.

When did you first wear makeup?

Probably for my drama shows, I remember looking like a sweaty oompa-lumpa with mad eyebrows.

What was your first beauty disaster?

Tricky, nothing springs to mind, but I remember in my emo days of listening to Fall Out Boy I'd have green glittery eyeshadow with big black winged eyeliner and bushy mis-shaped eyebrows. ( yes my eyebrows were really horrendous)

Who was your first beauty crush?

Probably someone like Ashley Simpson, she was going out with Pete Wentz who was my crush for like 5 years. I was jealous of her dewy skin and doe eyes. Rocking the emo look 2k7.

What was your first beauty brand crush?

I did love Barry M, it was cheap and colourful and also Max Factor. High end, most probably Urban Decay. I remember buying a bright green metallic  liquid eyeliner, wowza.

 What's your longest standing beauty love?

I do love love love the Benefit Smokey Eye palette, because I've used it on my eyebrows for years now. I can't use pencils on my eyebrows and I find it so hard to find colours to match without creating a scouse brow. 

I tagg :

 Nicole

Hannah

Holly Arabella

Recipe : Christmas Sausage Rolls

| Goats Cheese, Sage and Sun dried Tomato Sausage Rolls |

 

These little bite-size treats will go down well for Christmas parties or late night snacks. They are so easy to make and once you've tasted one, you won't want to share! However, I'm going to share the recipe with you!

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g of Sausage Meat
• Zest of a lemon
• Handful of sage
• 150g of Goats Cheese
• 3sundried tomatoes ( they come in olive oil)
• Filo pastry sheets
• Melted butter

 

 How : 

•  Preheat the oven to 180C or Gas Mark 5
• Melt a spoon full of margarine/butter in a pan.
• Grab a big mixing bowl, put the meat in and mix it up with a fork.
• Grate the rind of a lemon and pop into the meat mixture
• Finely chop around 5 sage leaves and pop into mixture
• Cut up the goats cheese into small chunks and pop into mixture
• Mix this all up.
• Get 3 sundried tomatoes in oil and pat dry with kitchen roll, and finely chop
• Add to the mixture, making sure everything is evenly mixed.
• Roll out one filo pastry sheet and pop the mixture along the bottom in a line.
• Put another filor sheet on top of this and then roll from the bottom where the meat to the top.
• Pop some melted butter onto the seal side of the pastry so it doesn't come apart whilst cooking.
• Get a sharp knife and chop into small squares.
• pop onto baking tray with baking paper and leave for 10 minutes
• after 10 mins, change the tray around and leave for another 5-10 mins.
• VOILA, leave to cool for 5 minutes but they are best when crispy and warm!

Hope you enjoy!
 

Revlon Photo Ready Eye primer and Brightener

 REVLON PHOTO READY EYE PRIMER AND BRIGHTENER RRP £10

In the hype of the new Harvey Nichols beauty bazaar opening just around the corner from my flat, I jumped at the chance to buy from the new BEAUTY MART. I picked up this Revlon photo-ready eye primer and brightener for around a tenner, putting my trust in Beauty Mart that they picked it because it's amazing.  I was a little disappointed. I was expecting this powerful pinky brightener with particles of light..... oh how I was wrong. All I got was the pinky bit....

It's an easy applicator, just twist the top of the pen and voila, the liquid comes through the brush at the bottom. I apply over my eyes, under my eyes and highlight my cheek bones and nose with it. But, every time I've used it, I see no different at all? It feels soft and it does keep my eyeshadow on, but no longer than any other eye primer I have such as urban Decay Eye Potent! It was around £10 so it didn't break the bank, but I won't be purchasing again guys. Have you tried it? What did you think?

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

 NARS SHEER GLOW FOUNDATION 30ml RRP £29.50

 Liverpool has now welcomed the new NARS counter into the heart of the city, Liverpool One. Situated in the new Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar, it's in the perfect place to show itself off.

Having never come across a NARS counter, I knew I had to dive into the deep end and get stuck in with testing the products that you all rave about through the blogging community!

I picked up the Sheer Glow liquid foundation that is meant to give you a healthy glowy/dewy look as well as hydrate the skin. Its a high-end product and may burn a little hole in your pocket, however this product goes a long way and will last you a long time! The packing is simple and plain and it comes in a glass bottle. It doesn't come with a pump so beware that if you need one, you can purchase one from a NARS counter for £1.50. If not, you can tip a little out into the lid and use it as a palette. 

Since using, I have received many compliments about my glow-y look and I am super pleased that it's had such an effect! There are 20 shades to choose from and being pale myself, I grabbed 'Mont Blanc' which is the second lightest shade! There is  much variety and you can get matched up at the counter by the lovely staff! 

It also contains turmeric extract to improve skin's radiance and tone which has a luminous effect and it leaves the skin feeling hydrated with a sheer finish! Coverage is up to you, you can build it up to suit you without it looking cake-like and thick!

For those of you looking for a matte-face-look, they have the same shades in a matte foundation!

TIP #1 : It doubles up as a concealer for little blemishes or dark circles under eyes.

TIP #2: Apply with hands and leave the brush aside. Using your hands means it warms the foundation and is more likely to match with your skin tone and texture! You can build up certain areas more easily with your hands I find!

BEST MATCH OF FOUNDATION I HAVE COME ACROSS! 

 

Harvey Nichol's Beauty Bazaar

 So yesterday saw the grand opening of Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool One. 

Well, what can I say, it's truly beautiful. It's a one-stop beauty store designed to fulfill every beauty need including makeup, skincare, nail bar, hair styling, perfumes, treatment rooms and surgical treatments. Oh not to forget the bar where you can relax with a little alcohol to perhaps loosen your nerves about spending!

 The beautiful Olivia Palermo opened the store yesterday alongside other celebrities such as Danielle Llyod and Liz McClarnon. I was eagerly awaiting in the queue and grabbed a free tote bag from Harvey Nichols and also grabbed two free goodies from the ESPA spa including radiance mask and a radiance moisturiser! I was incredibly happy! I also spotted a few famous magazine women- Paula Reed ( style director at Grazia ) and Jo Elvin ( Glamour Editor )....no biggies then?! I felt in awe that they were were stood next to me! I also spotted Lily Pebbles, one of the beauty blogger queens!

The store consists of the famous makeup and skincare counters such as; Chanel, YSL and Estée Lauder,Tom Ford Beauty, NARS, Crème de la Mer, Shu Uemura, M.A.C, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone, Sisley, Laura Mercier, Shiseido, Dermalogica, Bliss and Escentric Molecules.You can have spray tans, your hair done at the Electric lounge, your teeth whitening and surgical treatments to contour shape!

I love it, it's beautiful, and I could spend many hours and many of my pennies in there! I'm so pleased they have a NARS counter, the first one on Liverpool! They also have a 'Beauty mart' which is the best selling beauty products over 100 product names! AMAZING....

Here are some more pictures, I hope it entices you to come to Liverpool, it's a must-see for beauty bloggers!

What do you think??? Want to go? Tempted? I've already spent a small fortune!

GIVEAWAY VLOG!

HELLOOOO! Just a quick reminder vlog about my GIVEAWAY to win two ESSIE POLISHES!

Hope you like the prize, enter by the 05/11/12 and UK entries only!

GOOD LUCK!

Here is the link.... GIVEAWAY

Lauren x

October Haul!

OUCH!

Firstly, sorry about the size of the picture! Glasses on.

So, I went and did a little bit of shopping this month, and here is what i bought! Less beauty than usual, but focusing on SALES and of course HALLOWEEN! (BEWAAAAREEE)

If you fancy a bargain, head to WHISTLES and WAREHOUSE who still have sales going on! My Black warehouse dress is my cat dress for Halloween alongside my tail, cat shoes and cat ears! 

My favourite item has to be my Topshop boots, my hefty buy of the month, but these beauties are a statment for your winter wardrobe, and with student discount, it wasn't too steep for some boots that will last a long time!

Cheapest buy; the MUA heaven and earth palette, amazingly cheap for 12 eyeshadows, I've reviewed it in my last post, have a look!

How cute are my cat pumps from ACCESSORIZE !

Have you got any of these items? Which ones do you like most?

Lauren x

Rimmel 'Kate' Lasting Finish Lipstick

 

Rimmel KATE Lasting Finish Lipstick

Shade #19 RRP £5.49

So, as someone who doesn't really EVER wear lipstick, I took the brave step to buy this one from the Kate Moss lipstick collection within Rimmel. There are 11 shades available, from nude colours to peachy colours to violet colours. I love the design of the lipstick, very classy with kate's signature on the top.

 I picked up shade #19 which is a dark pink. I tested it on my ten hour shift in John Lewis and It lasted around two hours, which isn't too bad. Thankfully, it didn't fade in the middle of my lips leaving a dodgy lip liner look! 

They also smell divine, the smell of melon lasts forever!

I think next stop is to try the new matte collection, but for now, I'll keep to my new Moss lippy, for £5.49, you're not breaking the bank!

What shades do you like?

Make sure to check out my GIVEAWAY!

Lauren x

 

MUA 'Heaven and Earth' palette

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette RRP £3

I've heard amazing things about MUA products and the amazing prices that go with them! My local superdrug had one little stand for MUA and the products were all messy and there was no stock which put me off. However, I went back in yesterday and VOILA! They have an amazing new MUA counter with lots of cheap goodies! The 'heaven and earth' palette caught my eye instantly! It's beautiful array of colours boast creamy shades, burnt orange shades, light browns and dark browns with a hint of purple. They are beautiful!

Really useful for a soft and simple daily look without breaking the bank! There are 12 shades and it includes an eyeshadow brush with dual ends.  Simply amazing for £3, you can't argue with that can you?!

You might be around £30 for four shades in a high end shop, however, although the pigment isn't as strong in this palette, £3 for 12 shadows is pretty impressive! 

I love using the lighter shades with a hint of brown on the lower lash line for an Autumn daily look!

Have you tried any other MUA products?

REMEMBER: I have a GIVEAWAY going on to win TWO ESSIE varnishes! Ends 05/11/12 , UK only, GOOD LUCK!

Giveaway! Essie Bikini nail varnish!

Hello!!

My blog is around three months old now and in that time I've had a lovely time meeting the beauty blogging crowd  and I've finally reached my first milestone.

It may be small, but it makes me smile and I'm happy to know that there are people out there who read what I post! In celebration, I am holidng a little giveaway competition powered by Rafflecopter to win two beautiful Essie Bikini So Teeny nail polishes!

 Essie Bikini 'All Tied Up' and 'Mojito Madness'

Simply enter below using Rafflecopter and the winner will be announced on the 5th November!

(Bonfire night)

UK entries only!

Hope you enjoy the competition, and most importantly...

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clinique Even Better Foundation

CLINIQUE EVEN BETTER FOUNDATION (30ml) RRP £23

Although I have quite fair skin, I do like a good coverage, something to hide the big old bags under my eyes and to even out different skin tones across my face. I have combination skin and with nearly an hour with the Clinique lady at Liverpool Debenhams, I picked my foundation to match my skin map. Benefits to this liquid foundation is that it's a fairly good coverage, anti-ageing, mineral enriched, long wearing and equals out uneven skin tones. It has SPF 15 protection to help prevent future hyper-pigmentation and uneven skin tones.

 I do love the coverage, but as every day wear, I'm scared I might run out very quickly, the bottle is smaller than expected! It does give a bright healthy glow! I think I might have to invest in the Clinique 'brighter eyes' to correct my dark circles as the foundation doesn't cover them alone. *sighs*

What I like most is that you can use it for light or heavy coverage depending on what you want. Using more doesn't make it more noticeable at all. I love the light weight feel and it lasts me all day!

There are 26 shades to choose from but make sure you go and try with the help of a Clinique professional! They are always happy to help!

Have you tried any Clinique foundations?! Let me know what others ones you have tried!

Lauren x

REN MINI ROSE TRIO GIFTSET

REN MINI ROSE GIFT SET RRP £17

I was kindly given this as a present from my beautiful friend Zena whom I ventured to Japan with, so thank you! First of all, how pretty does this look please? The three goods come in the most amazing little box which Is now taking it's proud place in the bathroom, it stands out amongst my normal beauty products because it boasts pretty colours with an oriental touch. The pretty design comes from the Japanese and Korean Collections of de Gournay’s exquisite, hand-painted wallpaper designs. In the box contains three beautifully rose-scented goods.

Firstly, the Moroccan Rose Otto body wash (50ml); the smell is the first thing you'll notice, the rose-infused gel smells light and delightful and it smells like a luxury product. This product had won the InStyle beauty award for ten years running so I was ready to use it! It's gel based so I found it didn't lather as much in comparison to other drugstore body washes but it's sleek feel spread easily and left smooth skin behind. The pump was a little difficult to use at times, especially when you have slippy hands from being in the shower!

Secondly, the Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil (50ml); again it smells amazing. I am usually a little wary of using bath oils for conditioning my skin. I'm picky. This stuff is goodness in a bottle. It's a little pricey if bought full size on it's own (£30) but maybe worth buying if you're looking for something that will last you a lot of baths. You only need a little for it to go along way. The Rose Otto extract is one of the purist and reserved oils in the world so you know it'll do good. Use a couple of capfuls to put into the bath. It will dissolve into the bath water and will make you feel relaxed and leave your skin feeling beautiful! Ahh, bliss.

Lastly, the Moroccan Rose Otto body cream (30ml); I really do like this, it's a really beautiful motisturiser that helps balance out moisture barriers and now that it's winter, It helps those little patches that get left alone under tights and jumpers! It's really good  for continued hydrating and I think the cream will last a good while. The scent is yet again completely natural and it smells amazing!

This is a great idea for a gift for christmas and I know you organised bloggers are already shopping so consider this! Definitely worth a look! Let me know if you've tried any of these!

Lauren x

Laura Geller Spackle Primer

LAURA GELLER SPACKLE PRIMER FOR UNDER MAKEUP RRP £20

Hello fellow beauties, I'm back to beauty reviewing, but for those who had a look at my Japan posts, thank you and I hope you enjoyed the series!

 I was kindly given this from my boyfriend's mum, so thank you if you read this! If you aren't familiar with Laura Geller, it's a makeup brand formed in the US and has big connections with QVC shopping channels across the world. I'm always looking for a primer that will make my skin a blank canvas, which is something I find that most high street primers are poor at. 

This cute little squeezy tube comes in at around £20 and it's 59ml of primer will last you a good while so it may be worth buying a more expensive primer as those are the ones that tend to last. You only need a little bit of the primer and it goes a long way, a couple of finger tips worth! 

I wasn't expecting the primer to be as liquid-based as it was.  I always find it harder to create a new base with liquid or gel primers, do you? I found I was rubbing it in for a while and I'm not sure whether it really sunk into my skin that well. I do find though that applying a moisturiser before the primer will help to create a more even base. It gives off a smooth finish but I found it didn't even out everywhere with the same degree, for example, under my eyes.

Alongside the gel being Aloe-Vera based, Spackle is made with plant extracts, anti-oxidants, white Tea and Centella Asiatica Extracts. You do feel like your skin has been refreshed and revitalised and it's lightweight, meaning it's not heavy on your face and it doesn't clog into deep pores. 

As what primers should do, It did make my makeup last a little longer than without a primer. Now that I'm back at university, my makeup needs to last longer and I will definitly be considering this for daily use, however, I do prefer a more thicker substance to create a smoother new base. afterall I want a blank canvas, I think this product is more about cooling and refreshing the skin with it's rich ingredients.

Let me know if you have tried this brand, really intrigued!

Lauren x

Japan #3 Tokyo and Kobe

Konnichiwa!

So, here is my last post in the series, and I'm taking you on a quick but insightful tour of my happenings In Tokyo and Japan. I spent the first two days of my time in Japan in Tokyo, in a monsoon. It was crazy, and overwhelming, and I had horrendously bloodshot eyes from jet lag. But still, It did impress. The lights, the smell of the food, and the noise of the constant traffic was a little overwhelming for a small town girl like myself.

So have you ever heard of Shinjuku? It has the busiest train station in the world and the biggest pedestrian crossing underneath the huge bright boards of advertising and the busiest starbucks in the world. It's an amazing sight and I remember just staring from a train station above for a few minutes and taking it in. I went at night so I could appreciate the bright lights and that city feeling. Shinjuku mainly consists of huge department stores, restaurants and hotels but it's also the central hub of Tokyo businesses. It's densley populated and you can see this just walking through the little streets.....

I visited other famous places such as Harajuku, the centre for Harajuku girls who dress up in costumes. (Remember Gwen Stefani's Harajuku girls? Well this is Gwen's favourite place to be, unfortunately, she was not there,boo). Again shops, shops and more shops.... I also found a Japanese Topshop!  Anyways, one of my favourite places was the meiji jingu shrine near harajuku, it's beautiful... here are some pictures. I won't bore you with the history but I just want to convey how pretty it all is....

Kobe, having only just recovered from a horrendous earthquake in 1995, is moderately new looking. Posh clothes stores line the streets such as Gucci and Dior and the place looked very Western...I also found a red phone box. Kobe has a large amount of Western expats and this explains the Western feel to it all. It has Western style houses that dates back to 1868 including a picturesque English house for tourists to visit. There is a China town which is pretty much tourist-based and Kobe port offers great views of the Kobe landscape and boat trips across the harbour. Zena and I braved the rope-way which travels 1,083 metres above Kobe. (pretty impressive)

Here are some of my pictures....

Although this is my last post in the series, I thought I might do a general post with all the general pictures I took? I know everyone like to nose around blog photos and I'm guilty of it myself. PLEASE let me know if you want to see more of this?! Anyways, I know my descriptions of Japan are brief, but I don't intend to make it uninteresting! Hope you are inspired to go.....

Lauren x

Japan #2

So here is my second post of my time in Japan! 

As time went on, I traveled further and my confidence led me to master Japanese train maps!Kyoto was one of my favourite places to visit, it's scenery was astonishing.There seemed to be a refreshing balance of warm-coloured Autumn  leaves and the crisp Autumn breeze rustling the streets.

Kyoto was my favourite place to be, so scenic and natural. It was lovely to get away from the hustle and bustle of normal every-day Japan life. Kyoto was originally the capital of Japan and many Japanese films such as 'Kurosawa' and ' sisters of the gion' were filmed here in the village of 'Gion'. This was one of the most important geisha districts in Japan although they prefered to call themselves 'geiko' which means 'a woman of art'. 

The narrow streets of Gion reflect a lot of history and the beauty of it remains still an attribute to Japan, a place where tourists can learn for themselves what once went on at Gion. There are chances to dress up as geishas and to visit temples and beautiful parks. If you head up to the huge 500 ton Buddah at the top of Gion, you will find a war memorial for those that died in World War II and spectacular views across Kyoto. Breathtaking.

Lots of pictures below to nose at! 

Lauren x