My going out make up

Having just moved back to uni, I've been on a couple of night's out and I thought I'd share with you my usual night out make up.

I start with a moisturiser as a base and then use Benefit Porefessional as a primer, which makes my make up stay on all night. 

Then I apply Rimmel Stay Matte foundation using a brush and use Soap& Glory's Kick Ass concealer and then the Setting Powder all over my face.

I then use Benefit Eye Bright and Lemon Aid from my Confessions of a Concealaholic kit to brighten the eyes and prime the lids. Then from the Elf Smokey Eye book I use the lighter shade in the bottom left corner, then the grey next to it on the lid and the darkest powder on the crease.

I then use MUA Liquid Liner on my lash line and Blow Out Jumbo Eyeliner on my water line underneath.

Once the liquid liner has dried I apply the black cream eyeliner in my Elf Smokey Eye book with a slanted brush to soften the look. I finish this with lots of Blow Out Mascara!

Finally I apply Rimmel Blush and lipgloss. If you're wondering which gloss I use I'd struggle to tell you as It's a lovely dark plumping gloss I always have in my handbag and the label has worn off! I think it's Boots 17, but not sure.

 I'm stuck in a bit of a smokey eye rut as I like that it's quite dramatic. I need to experiment with other colours but I'm not really a nuetrals fan for a night out.

My Uni Room

I'm now all moved into my final year uni room with four other house and I'm loving it! I thought I'd show you some pictures of my room. I love reading these kind of posts as I'm very nosy so I thought you might too!

My bedside table

The top of my draws with my jewellery box, teacup vase, wax tart burner, Disney Wonder diffuser and my Italy collage.

My desk and make up station!

Too many folders :(

Cushion, Hot water bottle and scented Dumbo :)

If you're really nosy, my wardrobe!

and my toiletries storage (I'm obsessed)

What's in my handbag?

I've seen a few 'what's in my handbag posts' and find they interest my nosey side! So for all my nosey readers I thought I'd do one. I think you can tell a lot from a person  by what's in their handbag, so let me know what you think it says about me!

So firstly, my handbag. This is a Jasper Conran satchel from Debenhams which I have used everyday since I got it for my birthday. It's a good size to stop me carrying around things I don't need! I also have a Lush Emotional Brilliance badge from when I had my reading.

Contents:

My Purse- from River Island, shown in top picture properly, sorry.

iPhone headphones

Chewing gum

No7 High Shine gloss in Smile- reviewed here, my current favourite. Only problem is I need a mirror to use it!

Soap&Glory hand maid- a handbag must have, it smells much better than most sanitisers too!

Soap&Glory hand food- a nice little hand cream 

Accessorize union jack sunglasses- I love these but haven't had much chance to wear them this summer, this week I replaced them with an umbrella!

Tissues

Vaseline- for when I don't have a mirror!

Nail File- accidents happen :(

Pen

and then my Keys with Mr Pricklepants, blockbuster card, uni trolley thing and a bottle opener. My phone would normally be in my bag too but that was taking the pictures.

What's in your bag? I think mine is pretty minimalist, don't you?

Betty Bouche Lip Scrub Review

The lovely people at Betty Buff sent me a prototype lip scrub to review. This isn't the final product because they wanted some feedback first. 

First Impressions: My first impression was that I like the little tin, handy for throwing in my bag whilst it also carries a lot of product as it was full to the top. The tin seals well and with the intended waterproof sticker I think it's perfect. I got strawberry sauce but a honey flavour is also available. The smell was nice but not too overpowering and certainly not a fake smell.

I love that the ingredients list is so natural, I had no worries about putting it on my lips or eating it! The product has a use by date of six months which I can foresee will be plenty of time as it's pretty addictive!

 Use: The first thing that struck me is that the product is very compacted and getting some on my finger for the first use was a little harder than expected. The mixture comes out as sugar granules which I found a little messy to use. However, once on the lips it distributed well and left a lovely soft feeling afterwards from the shea butter. I will say I think that it may be better to be a stickier substance so it's easier to pick up. The sugar is the main ingredient, giving a powdery texture, rather than being suspended in a liquid.

The product tasted yummy, sweet and subtly of strawberries. As someone who'd never used a lip scrub before I was worried about it feeling harsh and making my lips sting but it didn't they just felt smooth.

 One of the main things I noticed about this product was that it made my lips redder. The product claims to smooth, plump and give an even tone to the lips. I would agree with all of these as my lips felt lovely and looked a lot darker and redder in colour. I would even say I would use this on the go when I don't have a mirror to apply gloss or lipstick as it was effective and left them feeling lovely.

Before use

After use

This product will retail at around £2.99, cheaper than other lip scrubs and I think a very reasonable price for the amount you get.

This is perfect for using before I go to bed and throughout the day to refresh my lips. I will definitely be reaching for this in future as it's much more effective to solve flaky lips than my trusty vaseline.

Lush Soft Coeur Massage Bar review

I've been tempted by this for ages, sniffing it when I go into Lush. I normally end up going for a bath product instead, but as I've had more indulgence time recently I decided to finally give it a go!

Lush have a range of massage bars but I went for this one straight away, it's a nice little heart shape and has a chocolatey, vanillaey scent. There are actual chunks of chocolate in every one!

I've used the bar on most of my body three times so far. Initially, I was surprised that it took a while to start to melt in my hands (granted I have colder hands than most) so I needed to do it when I had plenty of time, maybe after a bath or shower would be a good idea. This bar was perfect for it's intention- massaging. I was, however, using it as a moisturiser before bed. It felt lovely on my skin but did stay greasy for a while and didn't absorb into the skin very quickly. I also noticed that the chocolatey bit didn't actually melt, it went a bit gritty and flaky when I was massaging the skin and sometimes left a brown residue. Nice idea, but I don't think the chocolate did much.

after 3 uses (the chocolate chunk is exposed!)

This is a lovely treat and I still smelt lovely in the morning but I'm not sure it did much for my skin in terms of moisturising. Great for a romantic massage session for couples though, but not me, sigh.

#bbloggers secret santa swap?

Ciao lovelies,

I know that it's Way too early for this but I had a brainwave last night that I wanted to share with you! I've had an idea and wanted to get feedback on who'd be interested and whether it's feasable.

My idea is a #bbloggers secret santa swap

How would it work?
1.Well, you'd let me know if you'd like to be involved
2. You'd be assigned someone to send a gift (once i'd matched everyone up) and someone would be assigned you!
3. You'd check out their blog and buys some things that they'd love. There would be a budget, thinking maybe £20 (cuz some of us are students!)
4. There would be a deadline to send them off so everybody had their package in time for Christmas.
5. Hopefully people would share the lovely things that they sent and recieved on their blogs.

What do you think lovelies? It may have to be UK based for the first attempt but if you'd be interested and you're outside the UK, do let me know.

Please comment my lovelies and let me know what you think and any problems you forsee.
Also follow me on gfc for updates.

How exciting? Also be sure to take part in the #bbloggers chat to meet new #bbloggers.

Lissele Jewellery

The lovely Lessele runs a jewellery website with many earrings only £1. She is currently running a free earrings offer for twitter and facebook users and guess what I got? Nope, I got a ring!

I was so pleased when I got this because I love the colour and it's just awesome!

How it works is you make a wishlist on the website then send it off, I put three pairs of earrings and a ring on my list and they chose the ring for me. Although something that did confuse me is that it's only open to UK residents yet my package said airmail from Thailand.

It's just chance that it matches my nails, thanks Lissele!

Check out Liselle's website here.

Lush Lusts

I just love Lush and I wanted to share with you some of the products I really want to try.
I'm really sad that my uni house for my final year doesn't have a bath! I don't know how I'm going to get through my final placement without a lush bath to calm me.

Yuzu and Cocoa bubble bar- I got through quite a lot of this last year and I just love the smell, this is the only thing on the list I've tried.

Vanilla Fountain bath ballistic- oh, how I wish I had a bath :(

Vanillary gorilla perfume- I really need to try this, because if you hadn't already guessed, I LOVE vanilla!

Creme Anglaise Hand and Body lotion - another vanilla product. 

Cupcake face mask- maybe face masks could replace my baths this year to pamper myself, who wouldn't want to put chocolate on their face?

Bubblegum lip scrub- I've never used a lip scrub, but if I'm honest, I just want to eat this!

9 to 5 cleanser- I've never tried a lush cleanser but would love to!

Emotional Brilliance lip colour in Strong- I'm sure this would make me want to take on the world!

Emotional Brilliance eyeliner in Drive- love this purple colour.

The contents of my lush lusts comes to £94.62. Oops! Anyone feel like treating me?

All images courtesy of lush.co.uk.

Essie instant dry oil protector- My First Use

I purchased this from The Original Factory Shop and it cost me just £3 instead of £10.50! I wanted a top coat that I could rely on as I constantly repaint nails after smudging or denting them. This isn't exactly a top coat, it's an oil.

I didn't really know what to expect from this but the application was interesting! It went on as an oil, it was thinner than I expected and ran down the sides of my nails and down my fingers (as shown in the picture below). After waiting a few minutes, my nails and fingers showed no signs of drying so I gave in and touched them, I found that the oil just wiped off and my nails were dry! Magical!

 

The feeling of the oil on my hands wasn't unpleasant and just felt like it was moisturising. I went on to wash it off and my nails remained intact! Then I moved onto the other hand and had issues. Because I was using the accessorize polish shown here, it was thin and water-like. Because I was too impatient and reached for the essie oil too soon, the stiff brush smudged the smooth coat of polish. This was my fault, I'm inpatient but this is the sort of thing that wouldn't happen with a thicker polish. 

'Not a problem' I thought and repainted over the mistake. NO! Do not paint over the oil because of course, the polish doesn't set and becomes bubbly (shown on second finger here). But I learnt from my mistake, I started again on those nails and the oil worked perfectly again.

I've learnt from my mistake and will be using this product again as it really does help my nails dry faster. The deception is that the oil doesn't soak up and you don't feel you can get on with things with wet nails but you can, it's just the oil coating. I feel that I may actually be able to have an accident free nail painting one day....maybe!

The most perfect my nails have been for ages!

My Everyday Make Up

Ciao bellissime,

Today I thought I'd show you the products I use on a daily basis for my everyday make up. 

In order of use-

Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion- I actually love this little sample bottle I was given because it fits in my make up bag! I'm rubbish for forgetting to put moisturiser on but it's a good reminder before I start.

Benefit the Porefessional- This is also a sample size which fits in my bag nicely but I think I'll have to buy the bigger one as I love it! It makes me make up stay on so much longer and makes me skin feel matte and soft.

Rimmel Stay Matte foundation in Ivory- I've used this foundation for ages now and keep repurchasing, this colour is one of the only ones pale enough for me and it does stay matte!

Soap&Glory Kick Ass concealer- I use both shades of this concealer as intended and then the setting powder to finish the base.

Brushes- Ecotools concealer and blusher brush- love these, I use the foundation brush too but for everyday make up I tend to use my fingers.

 

Rimmel Blusher in Coral Rose- I'm currently using this but am not a massive fan, I'm looking for something a bit pinker.

17 Blow Out Mascara- Again, not taken with this, I'm using it for now but I've had better. Reviewed here, see what you think.

No7 High Shine lipgloss in Smile- I love this! Reviewed here.

And my make up bag, If you're interested....

I love this, got it as a birthday gift and it's from Object D'Art, just from a gift shop I think.

How much is my face worth?

Ciao bellissime,

I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and do a 'How much is my face worth?' post. I already know that It's going to be a lot less than everybody else's, you see I don't use eyeshadow and eyeliner on a daily basis and stick to a simple look most of the time.

For more info check out my everyday make up post.

Benefit Porefessional sample(estimated value)- £7.80
Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion sample (estimated size and value) £6.20

Rimmel Stay Matte foundation £5.99
Soap&Glory Kick Ass concealer £10.00
17 Blow Out mascara £6.29
Rimmel Blusher £3.99
No7 High Shine Gloss £8.50

Total: £48.77

A lot more than I thought! I did some estimated calculations of the value of the sample sizes to give a rough idea, however, if both were full sizes it would give me a total of £77.77! 

Bad Nail Day

Ciao bellissime,

I'm the first to admit if I don't like a product, and you probably know by now that I don't have a large collection of beauty products, I have lots of testing out to do to find my favourites!

So, Today I got out my whole collection (this is it) and decided which to wear. I felt like experimenting so started off with the primark turqoise colour reviewed here, and if you read that you'll know I didn't like it much! To remedy the finish on this I paired it with a glitter coat. The glitter coat of choice (the only one I own) was a 17 christmas one which needed a couple of coats to add enough glitter. For the accent nail I used the Natural Collection varnish that I've used a lot but It's got old and a little sticky so I think I need a new one, but still it's brilliant for the £1.89 price tag.

But the problems then escalated by Sally Hansen Double Duty base and top coat, I don't get on well with this as a top coat, it is tacky for ages. This means that the whole nail painting process takes about an hour before I can do Anything. Today, like many other attempts ended in three nails being scuffed and they now have a rough surface that gets caught on things.

The final product could have been much worse, but it's still annoying! Any recommendations for a decent top coat?

The Beauty Bloggers tag

I saw this on Best New Beauty Reviews blog and thought I'd give it a go!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Curly, very curly! I tend to straighten it or blow dry it. It's that annoying curly, bushy and frizzly without being defined!

2. What is your natural hair colour?

Light brown with a blonde/auburn tone in the sun.

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I've done it myself a couple of times but last time I went to the salon to dye it close to my natural colour to sort the roots problem. It's currently growing out subtly so it did the trick!

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Every 2/3 days, I wash it when it gets greasy and try not to do it too often.

5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it?

I'm ashamed to say I normally stick it in a bun when it's half dried and just straighten my fringe. If i feel like it i straighten it and wear it down and only really wear it naturally curly on holidays.

 6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do my own mani and pedi. I have had gel nails and loved them but I'm avoiding spending the money at the salon again!

7. How often do you change your nail polish?

I tend to change it pretty soon after it shows any chips. Maybe twice a week, I love doing them but I do get impatient if it takes a while to dry.

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter too or just in the summer?

I paint the summer and tend to be lazy enough to let it grow out as it never chips off! 

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

Everyday make up has taken me a lot longer since becoming a blogger because I've discovered new products! I'd say about 15/20 minutes and 30/40 for a night out.

10. What do you do first, face or eyes?

Always the face. Then I mess it up with eyeshadow and touch up!

11. Do you 'collect' makeup, or just buy what you need when you need it?

I normally just buy what I need but recently have been too excited and bought new things. I try to finish something or stop using it before I start another, for example I wouldn't have two mascaras open.

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

I've only worn them once on my birthday night out, I liked them but found them fiddly to get on.

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

Most days I will wear foundation, concealer and mascara. I only tend to wear eye make up on special occassion.

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

No, not really. I only put make up on if i'm going out.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Never without mascara. I will go out without a base but don't like to. 

16. How many high end products do you have?

Not many at all, only Benefit products from my birthday. I can't bring myself to spend much on make up.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

I can't say I ever have as I used to just buy new ones! I intend to start though.

18. do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

I tend to decide when I'm getting dressed unless it's a special occassion.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

I'll use the same one all the time unless I'm going on a night out and I use a smaller one.

20. What time do you get up and go to sleep?

On average I'd go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 10am, however, when I'm at uni probably 10.30pm until 7/8am.

21. How often & when do you work out?

I don't, I occasionally swim or go for walks.

22. Left-handed or right-handed?

Right-handed.

23. How tall are you?

around 5ft 6. I'm not sure!

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

I did french and spanish at school and learnt Italian last summer, I want to continue with Italian.

25. How many pets do you have?

I don't have any.

26. How often are you on Blogger?

Too often! A few times a day at the moment but I'll settle down when I'm at uni.

27. Do you read the comments posted on blogs?

If I'm interested in the post I might, I always read my own!

28. Do you keep a list of prodcuts to try as you see other posts?

I do, a wish list!

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

I wanted to think of something original and as a fan of Bellini and all things Italian, I searched for others because I wanted it to be unique. Does what it says on the tin.

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

My iphone! I'll invest in a camera at some point but I think it'll be ok for now.

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

At home, I don't tend to clean but tidy a few times a week. At uni I clean the bathroom or kitchen every couple of weeks and my room on the go.

32. What is your favourite colour?

Purple, i love it!

33. What is your favourite beauty/fashion magazine?

I've just subscribed to Glamour and read it regularly.

34. Do you swear?

Around friends it often slips out but not purposefully.

35. what are you doing with the rest of your day?

A friend is coming round for coffee, I'm waiting for a man to come and fix the dishwasher and may sort my uni folders, exciting!

Hope you enjoyed that, I did! Who else is going to do it?!

September Wish List

 So before I get onto my September wish list, an update on my August wish list. I didn't purchase many of the products due to available funds! However, I did buy Soap&Glory hand food and Lush Soft Coeur massage bar. Although I didn't buy the essie nail polish I bought an accessorize pastel blue shade instead!

Onto the September Wish List: 

Burt's Bees Lip shimmer in Watermelon- I've been loving purpley shades and Burts Bees are renowned for being moisturising and lovely.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush- Again, a purpley shade and I really want to try these giant pencils!

Lush Vanilla Dee-Lite Body Lotion- My vanilla body lotion is running out and I just love lush and vanilla so would love this!

Stila One Step Corrector- I've heard good things about this as a moisturiser, highlighter and primer. Most of all I love the colours and the swirly bubble effect and would love to try it!

Burt's Bees Milk and Shea Butter Body Wash- My shower gel has ran out too and I love the sound of this, not smelt it though.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner- I currently use this but need a new one, I love how thin the brush is and haven't found another one as good so far.

Ruby Bee's Candles- My mum has these in lots of scents and they are just lovely, so scented and burn really well. I feautured these in my bedroom decor post on my other blog, here.

My guide to Spot Free Sensitive Skin

I have sensitive skin and anything too harsh can leave me with a rash or just really dry, sore skin. I also suffer from spotty skin and have done for a few years. I find it pretty hard to find products that work to fight spot but are gentle on my skin. All these products are also brilliant value.
These are my recommendations:

I featured this in my August favourites and i'm using it almost daily. This face scrub feels cleansing with the many beads but is also gentle and doesn't dry out my skin too much. This is the only face product i've ever used that does not sting my eyes! Will definitely continue to use this. Boots price: £3.09

Another product from my August favourites, I actually suffer from acne on my upper legs but harsher exfoliators tend to make it worse. This shower smoothie has less beads than most so moisturises my skin but also dries out my spots. I think this would be good for anyone who suffers from acne on the shoulders or chest too.Wilko price: £1

 

I swap between moisturisers but when I'm having a breakout I swap to this one as it's the only one I feel doesn't make it worse. Boots have actually discontinued this but in the new range they have products for sensitive skin and oily skin so I'll be trying those.

Hope this helps for people suffering from both sensitive skin and spots.