Beauty Tuesday | July Favourites

Hello! (Yet Another) Belated post here, I really need to get my self-motivation back, because I’ve been on my summer holiday since the middle of May, and I feel like I’m falling into a black hole of Netflix, Assassin’s Creed and Harry Potter. Bad, I know, but I am working on it.

So July is almost over! Where is this year going, I can’t believe it’s only five months until Christmas (I CAN’T WAIT) and I’m TWENTY-ONE in November.

Like. Whut?

I’m still nineteen in my head. I don’t want to be a grown up!

Anyway. Faves.

Skin

I am currently in love with my skin routine. I start out with the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil from The Body Shop and a hot flannel from Primark to take it off with, which adds some really gentle exfoliating action, but won’t rip your skin apart like a scrub will. I then use the Pixi Glow Tonic on a cotton pad, wiping all over my face (careful around the eyes) and attacking those pesky spots and blemishes before they sprout and take over my face. I then finish with a moisturiser, The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Moisture Cream, which I got as a free gift with a purchase at Christmas-time, and I’ve been using it since and I’m not even half way through. I would like to get a facial spray, such as the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, but it’s a little pricey for my liking. I try not to splurge on ‘high-end’ products unless there’s some kind of offer, because my little student budget will only stretch so far.

Make-up

I’ve really been loving my YSL Babydoll mascara. It is definitely not cheap, but I had a Debenhams gift card for £15 so I got this for £9.50 or something crazy, and the really lovely sales assistant gave me a free sample of the mascara, for being ‘such a lovely customer’. This is the person who will not talk to sales assistants because I either feel intimidated or feel like I’m bothering them. I digress. The product is really lovely, it doesn’t clump at all, it doesn’t make your lashes crispy, it keeps them fluttery and soft, and smells absolutely delicious, it’s really fruity and fresh. It also comes in a few different colours; brown, black, purple and navy. Available from Debenhams for £24.50

Hair

I am so lazy with my hair, because it’s so long and ugly and half of it is just split ends, and I’m actually chopping it off next week hopefully! But the one thing that I always use is my Tangle Teezer. My hair is very long and always tangles, and the Tangle Teezer is the only thing that will get through those knots with zero pain. Literally, zero pain. I used to absolutely hate other people brushing my hair because it always hurt really badly, BUT NO MORE! Available from Boots for £10.99 (also comes in different colours, so shop around)

Art

As you may or may not know, I am an animation student, and as such I really like to draw in my spare time. Today I stole some of my boyfriends Copic markers, much coveted by many poor student artists, like myself, and I accidentally fell in love with them. They are markers, that blend easily. SAY WHAT. I will show you.

 

THAT WAS ALL DONE IN A FELT TIP PEN. Too bad they are ridiculously expensive. I will have to wait for Christmas and Birthdays. *depressed emoji*

Game

I’ve recently been replaying Assassin’s Creed, and I’m currently on the second one, and It’s making me want to go back to Italy so badly. I finally finished the first Assassin’s Creed a few days ago, and the ending was just like ‘……what? That’s it?’ But it does tie-in really well with the second one, which makes soooooo much more sense to me now. But the gameplay was really refined in the second one, although Ezio still likes to jump off walls in completely the wrong direction, landing on several people. Ho hum. But my real obsession has been my second playthrough of The Last of Us. I recently found out that they’re making a movie of it, and that they want Maisie Williams (Arya Stark in Game of Thrones) to play Ellie. YES. YES. ALL OF THE YES.

So those are a few of the things I’ve been loving throughout July!

See you tomorrow!

Mia 🙂

 

Beauty Tuesday |Harri’s June Faves

Ok. I need to see A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, it looks amazingly and delightfully entertaining.

Here are a few of the things that I’ve been completely obsessed with this month. (I am aware that two of these items are not beauty related, but still, they make me happy……)

The Body Shop Moringa Cream Body Scrub: Ok, I’m going to be honest here with you….I bought this on an impulse. It was there, on offer for £3 or something for a tiny little tub and I just grabbed it. Honestly could not have chosen a better impulse buy. I haven’t bought anything from Body Shop in years but for some reason I walked in that day. They always seem to have the most amazing deals on, and I can feel that my bathroom is soon going to be littered with Body Shop stuff. Anyway, back to the scrub. It’s so nice! It gently scrubs your skin making it feel all smooth, and the smell is luuuuuush, stays with you all day, it does!

Benefit Smokin’ Eyes: If you can remember, I bought this in duty free when I went to Belfast (you can read it here). I was really  nervous of using this kit for a while, as someone I met used it on a daily basis, and I’m not gonna lie, but she had a bit of a chavvy panda eye look going every single day. So, as you can imagine, I was a bit dubious about whether I had waisted my precious hard-earned pennies on something that would make me look like a panda. I was proven wrong! I decided to wear it for a lovely evening with my flatmate on midsummers eve, and it goes on so smoothly. The little instruction sheet that they provide for you is an absolute godsend! The colours aren’t too dark or too smoky, it doesn’t crease and the colours last all night! What more could you want…?

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick (320 Funtime Fuchsia): I think this product has been discontinued? I just had a look on the website, and they seem to have upgraded the colours and such. There’s one that looks very similar, but obviously I can’t know for sure because I haven’t seen it in person. I didn’t actually buy this lipstick as such… I think it was accidentally donated in someone’s bag when I was volunteering down in my local Oxfam shop, and as it looked new and we’re not allowed to sell cosmetics, I asked if I could have it. So I did, and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve only recently started wearing it more, as to me its a very summery colour, and I can’t wear any lipsticks while I’m in college because it comes off on my reeds while I’m practising and makes them all mouldy. #oboeproblems. The colour is very vibrant, and it doesn’t dry out on my lips which is an issue I’ve had before with many lipsticks. It lasts all day too!

Bioderma: You put me onto this, Mia. I love it. So much. I use it as a toner after I’ve put my cleanser on, and I feel that it gets rid of the left over dirt that my cleanser didn’t quite pick up. It doesn’t dry out my skin, and it feels like water when I’m putting it on. It’s so good for sensitive skin, because sometimes I feel like products are burning my face. It’s incredible, an absolute lifesaver!

Viyella Classic Perfume: Ok, I haven’t been able to find this for sale anywhere! It was yet another Oxfam find while I was sorting out the donations. It smells amazing. Although, I think it might smell different to different people? As a friend of mine once picked it up and said “eurgh that’s disgusting” which he then followed on with “but it smells good on you though.” Hm… nice save there, mate. He’s the only one I met that hasn’t liked it, I’ve had nothing but compliments and it makes me feel special. To be honest, I feel a little naked when I don’t have it on. ALSO, it has recently changed colour… It’s gone from a yellowy perfume colour, to a lovely rose colour. Does anyone else know of perfumes that change colour? Please write in the comments if this is a common thing!!!

Sex and the City Complete Series Boxset: I know I mentioned this the other day, but I’m hooked. It’s so good! The characters are totally relatable. I personally think I’m a Charlotte, although I took the BuzzFeed quiz, and they thought I was a Miranda! Not true. Seriously though, if you ever find yourself with nothing to watch, the storylines are hilarious, they characters are great, and every single life lesson can be learned from Sex and the City.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales Calla Edition: I had been lusting after this book since January. I finally bought it. I marched straight out of my recital and treated myself. I couldn’t see it on the shelf at first, so I thought I was going to have to buy the Hans Christian Anderson Stories Calla Edition, which was in my hand ready to be taken to the till, when I stood up, and the beautiful book was just on another shelf. I squealed with delight. My word, I was so happy. The stories are just the right length if you have a few minutes to spare. Although they’re not the gruesome tales, like I had hoped, they’re the original stories before the Brothers Grimm went and twisted them. So there are happy endings, and again, they can be applied to all life situations. The illustrations are incredible too. I do not regret a single penny that I spent on this marvellously beautifully bound book of stories.

I look forward to tomorrow!

Harri xxx

 

Foodie Friday | Gabbi’s Head – A lady’s Bene-Pub

Yo yo yo Mia G, it’s been soooooooo long since I saw you 😉

I loved our few days together, so nice to spend time with my bezzie. I currently have my Sweet Potato Almond Butter Brownies in the oven, and I remembered the loooovely lunch we had in London on Wednesday.

I love Benefit make up. I can count on one hand the amount of products in my giant make-up bag is not Benefit. Such a massive fan. I actually can’t put into words how much I love this brand and all that it stands for. So where else to have lunch on a sunny afternoon in London? Gabbi’s Head.

Gabbi’s Head is a woman-only* pop up pub by Benefit Cosmetics just off Drury Lane in Covent Garden. Above the Prince of Wales, it’s basically straight ahead of you if you’re coming from Covent Garden tube station. Of course, we couldn’t find it and spent ages walking up and down the road before realising it was right in front of us the whole time. Standard us. Some things never change….

*(I say women-only… I definitely saw some of the male species while I was in there, however they did have the decency to look like they’d been dragged in by their sister/girlfriend/girl pal!!!)

We walked in and were greeted like old friends! Such a lovely welcome! 🙂 Everyone was very happy and smiley. We grabbed a bright pink corner sofa and took a look at the menu. We decided on sharing the BBQ pulled pork nachos. As a cheese lover, a bbq lover and a general nacho lover, this was a no-brainer. The portion size for the two of us was just right and I didn’t feel bloated or uncomfortably full afterwards, which is something that happens fairly often to me. (Damn you, sensitive stomach!) We also thought we’d treat ourselves to a cheeky drink of the Bene-Mojito. These were so delicious and were served in the cutest little jar-like glasses with a handle. Handy for easy holding!

I was hoping to get my eyebrows done, as there were complimentary services being offered: eyebrows, skin-care, makeovers… you name it, it was there! They asked to donate a minimum of £5 for Refuge – a domestic abuse charity. But still! £5 to get your eyebrows done! Bargain!! Unfortunately, there was a queue of girls ahead of me, and there was a half hour wait. On any other day, I would have gladly waited to be pampered and such, but we were on the way to see Wicked so we had to rush off, which was a shame. 😦

There was also plenty of opportunity to buy some of their products if you wished to after having taking advantage of the beauty services there. As well as all of this, you could sit and enjoy the footie (the tennis was on when we visited) and they organise some fabulous-sounding evenings – including stand up comedy and an 80s theme night.

Seriously, I would recommend to anyone who has any free time to pop in and visit. Even if it is just for half an hour, the atmosphere and the service makes it so worth it! I only wish I was up in London again before they disappear (13th of July) to spend some more time here.

 

 

 

 

Love you lots, see ya tomorrow!

Harri xxx

P.S. My brownies were minging. I threw them in the bin.

Beauty Tuesday | Airport Benefit Haul!

Ok so I’m currently sat on my bed trying so very hard not to give in to the chocolate cravings that my body is insisting upon, cowering from the thunderstorm that’s occurring outside AND trying desperately not to worry about my recital tomorrow. AARGH!!

I went to Belfast last week, and one of my absolute favourite things to do is to wander around duty-free and see if there are any bargains. Neither Manchester airport nor Belfast airport disappointed me! Ok, they did a little, but that was only because I was hoping to get the Urban Decay Naked Palette, which wasn’t there, but never fear!

 

I am a massive Benefit fan. Like, MASSIVE. Almost all of my make up is from there. I love the packaging, it’s so different to the usual high-end cosmetics brand. It just gives off the fun impression. And the workers are so so lovely!

Anyways, this is what I picked up in Manchester Airport.

Pretty POREfect Set – I have used the POREfessional before, and I completely adore it. It makes an amazing base for the rest of my make-up and it seems to eliminate all visible pores from the face, giving a lush flawless look.  So when I saw it there in duty-free, I simply had to get it! It has a RRP of £24.50, but without tax it came down to £19.50! THEN while I was looking at the rest of the shelf, I found this gift set, for exactly the same price!! Included is a little sample of It’s Potent! Eye Cream and That Gal primer. I haven’t had a chance to use them yet, but I’m so excited!

Boi-ing – I bought this because I needed a new concealer. I’ve been a little touch-and-go with them recently, I’m using Benefit’s Fake Up at the moment, and I’m determined to get to the end of the stick, even though I’m not completely 100% happy with it. I’ve heard some good things about this one, so I thought I’d take a chance with this one.

Smokin’ Eyes – I. Am. Addicted. To. Eye. Make. Up. I think it might be an issue. I don’t really have any shadow colours to make the smoky effect that I’ve been lusting over recently. Also, I’m pretty sure that this is going to be discontinued soon, as it’s all based on their old shadow colours, but don’t quote me on that. I may be incorrect. But I bought it with that in mind, so I thought I’d snap it up quickly!

In Belfast airport, there was a huge Benefit section, with practically every single one of their products. It was torture not to buy EVERYTHING. But I still came away with two products…

Hello Flawless Pressed Powder – I just cannot express my love for this. It’s so smooth to apply to the face, such an even covering. I use this now, and bought it because I’m going to run out in the next week or so, but if anyone is looking for a powder, then I can highly recommend this one!

World Famous Neutrals, Easiest Nudes Ever – I already have the other two World Famous Neutrals eyeshadow kits (Most Glamorous and Sexiest) and I’m not going to lie to you, I did buy this is complete the set. But I love it, although the Most Glamorous box is my favourite, with it’s gold shades, but I think this comes in a close second. I’ve only used it twice, but I love the colours, and I can’t wait to experiment and mix the sets together and try out different looks!

Although I’ve read some negative reviews about Benefit products, there are very few that I have been disappointed with. I know each of the products practically inside out and all the prices (I think I should just get a job with them now…..). It is my complete downfall. If I go out shopping for clothes, I will most likely not come back with clothes, but with Benefit. I find that when clothes fail me, and I feel disgusting and nothing seems to fit, make up is always there for me. To help me transform my face, and to give me confidence for the day.

So there you have it, my little duty-free Benefit haul!

Harri xxx