The Eyeliner Guide♥

Basically every single makeup brand sell eyeliner of some sort. Whether it's pencil, liquid, pen or gel, the list goes on. If you're new to makeup or just in the lookout for a new eyeliner, it can be quite daunting as there's so many to choose from. I figured it would be quite helpful if I wrote about each type of eyeliner to help you out when choosing one, or two, or them all.

Pencil eyeliners are probably the easiest of the bunch. They come in all colours possible, and are quick to use. These are the most multi use because you can use them in different ways. They can be used to define your eyes on your waterline or on your upper lash line to make your lashes appear thicker and fuller.

My favourites include No7 Metallic Eyes Pencil, SEVENTEEN Eye Kohl, MUA Intense Glitter Eyeliner Starry Night and Pixi by Petra Endless Silk Eye Pen. They're all black, and really good.

Gel eyeliner is probably the next easiest in line. It comes in a pot and with a brush for application, although, you could use your own angled eyeliner brush. Using this give a more smudgy, edgy look - not as harsh as normal liquid. It's definitely buildable - the more layers, the darker it shows up. You can wear this on your upper lash line for definition, and if you're confident enough, you can wing it out.

The one I use is the MUA Gel Eyeliner. It's simple to use, and the gel is non-drying, black and looks great when on. It appears to look quite smokey and less-harsh compared to black liquid eyeliners.

Probably my favourite eyeliner of the lot. Pen liquid eyeliner. Once you get the hang of how to hold it and use it, it's super simple. This is the most efficient eyeliner for doing winged liner and the tip is thin and precise. A lot of times when doing my makeup, I reach for this to do a thin line on my upper lash line (that takes a lot of practise, but trust me, it's worth it!). 

I used to have the PS.. love liquid eyeliner (£2.50 from Primark) which is great for beginners, however, mine burst, somehow! The one I currently have and love is the Maybelline Master Precise Liner.

There's also liquid eyeliner, like this one here. I don't own one, yet, but I will do soon!

Has this eyeliner guide post helped you in anyway? If you're a fan of eyeliner, which type do you like using?

Lush So White Shower Gel♥

Around Christmas time when Lush bring out their Christmas range, everyone goes crazy, literally. Snow Fairy, a product everyone knows about. Candy Mountain bubble bath, a product which everyone who adores Lush can identify. So White Shower Gel? It was new for Christmas 2014, however, not many people had heard of it nor smelt it when I mentioned it. I had to try it, because, I owned two other Lush Christmas shower gels, plus, I was intrigued. Does it deserve more hype than it receives?

If you can remember back to February this year, I did a post featuring the So White bath bomb, which you can read here. I bought a Christmas gift set in the January Sales, and this little bottle was in it. I can remember reading the description of this on the Lush website and thinking it sounded like a shower gel I'd like.

For a starter, the packaging is cute! There's something about it that I really like. It's only 100g, which means it's small and I think that's what makes it look cute.

Now, the actual scent. It smells like delicious, crisp, fresh apples. The consistency is a lot thinner and runner than the other shower gels that I've tried, but that doesn't bother me. I love using this in the morning, especially if it's early, because it's refreshing and feels like it makes me more awake.

If you prefer sweet shower gels, then this probably isn't what you're looking for. The actual shower gel itself is quite shimmery, and it's definitely one of my favourite shower gels. If it comes back for Christmas 2015, I think I'll be picking it up again and I really recommend it. It definitely deserves more hype!

Have you ever tried So White Shower Gel? If not, will you be picking it up if it returns?

Introducing Halo Wipes♥*

I'll be honest - I hadn't ever heard of Halo wipes until last month. When Tangerine PR got in touch with me and said they'd like to send me some halo wipes to try out, you could say I was pretty curious to this brand. I hadn't heard of them before, so of course I did some research on them. Once they arrived, fair to say I was looking forward to testing them out, and they have such cute packaging.

The first ones are the Halo Hand Wipes*. These wipes are really handy (no pun intended!) They're ideal if you have excess foundation on your hand, lipstick swatches, anything! It removes stains so easily, and there isn't much of a scent to them. They're ideal for popping in your handbag or for travelling on holidays.

For those late nights where you're too tired and lazy to remove your makeup properly, the Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes* are perfect! They're fragrance free, so are suitable for sensitive skin. Of course it doesn't remove makeup as well as micellar water, but they do the job! Also, in the mornings when you need to refresh your face, these are good to use!

Probably my favourite of the lot are the Halo Eye Make Up Remover Pads*. I think you could use these to remove face makeup, but I like these for removing eyeliner and mascara. I find that I need to use one per eye. I was delighted that they don't sting your eye, win win! They're lightly scented so if you have sensitive skin, they may irritate skin around that area.

The Halo Antibacterial Multi Surface Wipes* actually have such good uses! Spill a bit of foundation? Wipe it up with these! Accidentally get mascara on your mirror? These will remove it! I like having these nearby just incase of any little makeup accidents like these. You can basically use these on any surface and it'll clean it!

The Halo Deodorant Wipes* are the most appropriate wipes for this season! Deodorant wipes, ideal for warm, sunny Summer days! If you're going out for the day and it's warm, these are just the thing to bring! Even if you're travelling on holidays, pop them in your suitcase and they're there if you need them!

Ever heard of Halo wipes? Will you be trying them out soon?

* PR samples

My Summer Lip Colours♥ || Collab

It's now June, meaning Summer is approaching, well, for most of us! This season is probably my favourite, not only because of the warm, sunny days but it's appropriate to wear a bright lip colour without looking out of place. Last Summer I went a bit crazy when I went shopping, and I bought quite a lot of lip products - I was obsessed! I thought I'd share some of my favourite lip products with you to give you some inspiration.

This Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Hot Plum is definitely the brightest of the bunch! It's bright yet playful, and adds a pop of colour to the look. You could wear it with a natural eye look just to mix things up. Even with just mascara, it can bring a look together. Personally, I love it, however, some people might find it too overpowering. In the Summer, I wear this quite a lot because bright colours are so appropriate therefore I choose this one quite a lot!

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Hot Plum

Sticking with Maybelline, my second one from them is the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Shocking Coral. I was expecting this lipstick to be more orange toned, but when on the lips, it looks more pink toned (Which I actually really like!) Again, it's bright but is more wearable than the previous one. I am a fan of the packaging, and the formulation is very smooth and non-drying. This could easily be an everyday colour if not used to it's fullest colour.

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Shocking Coral

I think MUA lipsticks aren't given the hype they're worth! They're only £1 and are brilliant quality! I like the MUA Lipstick in Nectar. It's extremely creamy might I say! It's quite a bold colour when applied straight on, but I personally prefer applying some in the middle of my lip and blending out. It's quite an orange shade yet is totally acceptable to wear in the Summer!

MUA Lipstick Nectar Shade 16

Of course I had to include some pinks! The Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 13 is stunning! In the tube it does look quite deep and berry, but once on the lips, it's not - it's actually more vibrant than it looks! The Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks smell so nice too! I cannot find it online anywhere, so I'm not too sure if it's discontinued? If it has been, which I hope it hasn't, I'm sure there will be one very similar to it!

Rimmel Kate Moss in shade 13

Lastly is a product that went crazy in both the blogging and YouTube community. Everyone has one and raved about it like mad. It's the Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in Barcelona Nights. This is a consistency of a lipgloss but has a staying power of a lipstain. When applying, it's not thick, it's quite thin. When I apply it, I like to apply either two or three coats, or, apply a light pink lipliner underneath for a base. This lasts on your lips for ages - I wore this once whilst eating and it was still there afterwards! I really do like these, and the colour is gorgeous!

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain Barcelona Nights

This is a collab post with one of my favourite bloggers, Kirsty. When she asked me if I wanted to collab, I was delighted because I love her blog! She recently hit 100,000 pageviews, and she's also showing her favourite summer lip colours!

Which lip colour is your favourite from the ones I featured? Have you got any favourite Summer colours that I show try out?

Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine By Rita Ora♥

Rimmel London 60 seconds nail polishes are definitely some of the best nail polishes out there. They're inexpensive, apply well and have a great colour range. Recently, there was a Rimmel Rita Ora range brought out with Spring colours. I was given one in the shade Oragina for my birthday from Emma.

The colour itself is gorgeous. It's a stunning, pastel orange shade which is ideal for the Spring and Summer. The formulation is good - it isn't too thick nor too runny. It's also very opaque. It's a colour I reach for quite often as it's quick and easy to apply. It's a 60 seconds drying nail polish, and if you apply a thin layer, it does dry quickly. The brush is quite thick, and you could coat your whole nail in three strokes - down the middle, the left and the right.

The packaging itself is cute. It's a basic bottle, but the flowers at the top add some cuteness. It makes it look pretty and girly. Because of the flowers, it makes it stand out more and more noticeable when I look for it in my nail polish box.

It claims to last up to 10 days. Personally, I wouldn't say it lasts that many days, but, on first couple of wears, it lasted about 5-7 days, which I was impressed with as many polishes chip easily. When I first tried it, I applied two thin coats and the colour was quite solid, and I didn't apply a top coat and it lasted ages, no joke!

What do you think of the new Rimmel Rita Ora collection? Do you own any? 

The Righteous Butter vs The Righteous Butter Body Lotion♥

The Righteous Butter has to be one of the most popular body butters out there, as well as one of Soap and Glory's most popular items. I hear many people rave about it, and I must admit, it really is great. Alongside it is the Righteous Butter Body Lotion. I own both, and really love both of them, therefore thought I'd compare the two.

The Righteous Butter

Perhaps one of my favourite body butters ever. It's intensely moisturising, minus the greasiness. It leaves your skin feeling super smooth, as well as smelling delicious (Did I add how gorgeous the scent is?! It smells like marshmallow!) It contains shea butter which is sure to leave your skin in good condition. It is a butter, meaning it is a little heavier on the skin, therefore I prefer to apply it in the evening and go into my pyjamas! The packaging of it is adorable - the pink is sure to catch anyone's eye! Whenever I'm wearing this, people always say how amazing it smells! Also, a bonus for people with dry skin - it helps with any dry patches of skin! The odd few times I've had dry patches of skin, this has helped with them.

The Righteous Butter Body Lotion

This is a lighter formula to the butter. It has the same scent as the Righteous Butter so still smells gorgeous! I have a mini size one as I got it as a gift, although, there is a larger size one available. It is lightweight but still feels moisturising at the same time. I feel this one is more wearable for during the daytime as it isn't as heavy at the other one. I love using this on my legs and arms, and it leaves them feeling silky. It isn't oily nor greasy in anyway, which I'm so glad of!

Which is best for dry skin?

Definitely the Righteous Butter!

Do you need to use a lot each time you use them?

Not at all. They're both really rich!

Roughly, how long do they last for?

I reckon that; the mini size of the Righteous Butter lasts between 4-6 months, the full size Righteous Butter lasts between 7-12 months and the mini Righteous Butter Body Lotion may last about 2-3 months. Of course, it depends on how often you use them too.

I've been through many Righteous Butters because I adore them. I think I have to say that I prefer the Righteous Butter to the body lotion, mainly because I would rather use a butter to a lotion as I feel it works better on my skin.

Have you tried any of these two? Which do you prefer?

Extra : Thank you so much for 20k pageviews! That's amazing!

Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit♥ || Collab

With such a variety of makeup brands and products out there, it's hard to pick out just one makeup item. If you've just got into makeup, it can be quite daunting to find some good quality products. I've picked out my favourite drugstore makeup items to share with you, whether you're new to makeup, or just looking for some new products. 

For face makeup, I wouldn't exact say it's essentials for a full coverage foundation. Of course, you can get light coverage BB creams and CC creams, but they aren't always necessary. If you feel like you need to cover up a few problem areas, I highly suggest the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. This is great for using on spots, or redness. It's creamy yet covers up everything.

For us people who have been blessed with oily skin, I'd recommend using a powder. I've been using the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. Not only does this hide shine, but it also sets any other makeup you may be wearing, such as the concealer. There's a translucent one, as well as one's with colour.

Eye makeup is either a hit or a miss. You might find an eyeshadow which looks stunning in the pan, yet is very chalky and not pigmented. It can either make or break your whole makeup look. A natural eyeshadow palette which is pretty, and inexpensive, is the Barry M Natural Glow Eyeshadow Palette. The colours in this are gorgeous, and can create multiple eye looks. It even comes with a lovely blush shade too.

Something every makeup brands sells is mascara. If I could only wear one makeup item, it would be mascara. It just defines your eyelashes, making them look longer or thicker. I've tried many, some great, and some not so good. One I recommend is the Maybelline Volum Express Colassol Mascara. This makes your eyelashes look great, and the wand is phenomenal. 

I know for sure that I absolutely love lip products; lipstick, lipgloss, lipstain, the lot. There's just loads of different formulas, colours, brands and everything in between. For lip balms, I must say the Maybelline Baby Lips. These are a balm and tint in one. I have the shade Pink Punch, and it gives a slight hint of pink. I used to love this at one point, then never bothered much with it but have been loving it lately. It's not extremely moisturising, but it keeps your lips from going dry.

Some days, I feel like wearing lipgloss. I like the Barry M Lip Gloss Wands. Mine is a light pink colour, so looks natural. They're not sticky at all, and give a nice shine. They smell sweet but not sickly. Mine has hints of glitter, but when wearing it, you don't tend to notice it. To be honest, they're great!

Something that hit the blogging world a few years ago, and everyone went crazy, is the Revlon Lip Butters. I actually adore these! I bought one ages ago, but wasn't keen on the shade, so I decided to give them another shot, except, buy a different one. They have great colour pay off, as well as feel hydrating! They're like a lipstick and lipbalm in one. I have the shade lollipop, which is basically the colour of the packaging, but it's a stunning pink/berry colour and looks great with natural eyes.

They are all my drugstore favourites which are ideal for a makeup starter kit. I've tried many items from the drugstore, but these are the ones I like most. This post is a collab with Alana, who will be posting her collab on Wednesday.

What products are in your ideal makeup starter kit?

A Skincare Routine For Oily Skin♥*

Oily skin can be a nightmare to handle. I have an oily T-Zone, and it can drive me insane. I've tried everything possible, I mainly look out for oily skin products, but they tend to not work with me. However, I've been trying out a few products which help keep oils at bay.

In the morning, all I do is wash my face with the Skin Therapy Sensitive Face Wash* (which actually isn't pictured above, must have forgot about it). It is fragrance free, and just cleanses your skin, leaving it smooth and clean.

I use a few more products in the evening as there may be dirt or makeup build up throughout the day.

Before any skincare routine in the evening, it is essential to remove any makeup you might be wearing. Micellar water is exceptionally good at removing everything, I reviewed the Garnier one here. Anything that removes makeup is all that's needed, but it's best you don't skip this step.

After doing so, I wash my face with the Skin Therapy Tea Tree Face Wash*. I like this as it contains tea tree, which is good for oily and spot prone skin. It feels cooling on the skin, and very refreshing. It does have a scent, which doesn't bother me much, but it might not be good for sensitive skin.

Once my skin is nice and clean, I take a cotton pad and use the Skin Therapy Dry Sensitive Toner*. This just removes any excess makeup or dirt. This is one of my favourite steps as I find it quite soothing. Again, it's fragrance free, and just does the job.

The Skin Therapy Dry Sensitive Cleanser* just finished off the cleansing part for the skin. This closes the pores, blocking any dirt from entering. I use a cotton pad again and just wipe it all over my face, focusing mostly on my T-Zone.

On my nose, I use the Skin Therapy Blemish Serum Tea Tree*. The only reason I use this over my nose is because I often suffer from spots there, and by using tea tree, it helps dry spots out. It's a thick yet runny consistency and is quite moisturising. It doesn't leave you feeling oily, and isn't drying either.

For moisturiser, I use my usual, the Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Moisturising Cream. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll have heard about this before. It's not too thin, thankfully. It's quite moisturising. Sometimes, I get strange dry patches on my forehead, and this just keeps them from getting too flaky. 

I've been doing this for about a month now, and it has been helping my skin. There's days where I'm feeling lazy, tired or cannot be bothered, but I know it needs done. 

Is there any good skincare products for oily skin that you've tried?

* PR samples

Worth The Hype? - Hollister Body Sprays♥

Hollister body sprays. I remember years ago, everyone had them and they were everywhere. Everyone raved about them. I didn't own any until February, when I went shopping with Emma and we just happened to have gone into Hollister to have a look. We were astonished when we discovered they were only £5 each, yes £5, instead of the RRP of £11 (they were selling them off as they were bringing out new packaged ones). I jumped at the chance and bought two, I couldn't choose between the two. But the real question - are they worth the hype?

If you've been a reader of my blog since it started, then you'll remember I reviewed the Hollister Silver Strand Beach Body Wash and Lotion here. I absolutely loved the scent, so I grabbed a body spray version. Crescent Bay is one which is adored very much, and a lot of people I know own it - whenever someone sprayed it, I was always asking them what they were wearing.

Crescent Bay is a light fruity scent. It has notes of watermelon, poppy and sugary woods. I love spraying this on days where I don't feel like wearing a over-powering perfume and just want a light, girly scent. Personally, I wear this on warm, Summery days as watermelon reminds me of Summertime as it's a typical Summer fruit. I'd describe this one to be very sweet but not too sickly.

Silver Strand Beach is my Summer scent. It has notes of sparkling mandarin, mango and coconut. It literally reminds me of a beach. It's quite a citrus scent, and it's stronger than Crescent Bay. Even though the notes in this are fruits, it isn't too fruity, surprisingly. On days where it's warm and sunny, I will reach for this. I've obviously used it, but I've been keeping majority of it for the Summer, and days where it's warm as this is perfect!

Are they worth the hype though?

Well, I think these are ideal for an alternative to perfume or for a lighter scent. They have cute packaging, although, it's now changed (the new packaging is a similar idea to Victoria's Secret body sprays). I think they are lovely products, and I'm glad I got two of them on sale but I don't know if I would pay the full price for them. Once sprayed, you can smell it on you, and you can do for a few hours at least. I mainly spray it on my neck and wrists.

I would recommend these to anyone looking for a light Summer scent!

If you're looking for a long lasting perfume, I suggest you check out their perfumes.

Have you tried any Hollister body sprays? Do you think they're worth the hype?