March favourites.

FINALLY we seem to be getting in to spring! The nights are getting darker later, the weather is somewhat a little warmer and Easter is just around the corner.

I love this time of year. 

March was a funny old month for me, I started a new job at the beginning and haven't had much time to myself and I've really struggled health wise...but here are a handful of my favourite things!

Let's start off with the h&m plastic hair bobbles. 

I haven't used these an awful lot as I only got them last week but these are already a firm favourite of mine. They're a similar sort of concept to the Invisibobble, but I believe these are a little thicker than them. I didn't really know what to expect from these as I've got really thick hair but my sister actually gave me one of these to try out. I've recently been suffering with quite bad headaches and I've not really been able to wear my hair up as it tends to make them worse. However, since wearing these, I've been able to wear my hair up, headache free. I actually want to grab a couple more packs when I go in to town this weekend! 

The next favourite of March was something I've always wanted to try, and that's ice tea.

Ohhh boy haven't I just fallen in love with this stuff. I actually tried the Lidl peach iced tea first, and absolutely loved it. I only tried Lipton recently and I don't know which one I prefer! I love how refreshing it is to drink this stuff...I've been dubious for years about iced tea, it just didn't seem normal but actually...I think I might just prefer it to "normal" tea! I'm actually going to pop back in to Lidl tomorrow to get a case of this stuff - the 1L bottles are only around 98p! 

Can someone tell me who doesn't love getting snuggled up in a dressing gown? 

This is quite possibly the most comfy thing I have ever put on my body. I bought this from Primark for £10 a couple of weeks ago and I've worn it every day since...it's actually well overdue being thrown in the washing machine! I actually wanted one from New Look which was slightly more expensive but I think this one feels so much nicer. And it has ears on the hood, how adorable! 

My next two favourites come of no suprise...they're from Makeup Revolution. 

Firstly these little things have a firm place in my makeup stash until they're no longer manufactured.

I really love the nude colour in this collection (second from top) as it's a nice alternative to the MUA lip laquers, for the days I want something a little more moisturising. These have SUCH great pigmentation, they're long lasting and to be honest they really don't break the bank. I just love MUR, their products are spot on all the time and to be honest, I love the fact I've found a brand I keep coming back to time and time again. I'm pretty sure these were only around £3.00 each too. 

And last but not least, the final favourite of March was this...

I went to London! This might not seem like such a huge thing for everyone else but for me, this overcame so many obstacles that I thought were standing in my way. If you know me personally, you'll know I'm not terribly outgoing, I'm quite a nervous person and to be honest, I never thought I'd see the day I got on a train and went to London, by myself. I booked these tickets the last weekend my sister was down and ever since I had a horrible feeling in my stomach, a feeling of worry. I didn't know how I'd cope being by myself, going on a train by myself and to be honest, I didn't know if I'd trigger my IBS by making myself like this. I have never been so proud of myself...I sound ridiculous but I really am proud! I loved this weekend just gone, I've not felt this happy in such a long time. It was lovely to go and see my sister rather than her coming back to Worcester to see our family. I definitely plan on doing this more often, I really enjoyed myself and I've been in a good mood ever since I came back, I'm already planning my next trip! I'm also really happy to say I'm the first person in my family to go and see my sister since she moved to London, because I know it meant as much to her as it did to me. 

I had to put that in my favourites as at the start of the year, this was one of the things I promised myself that I'd do. (Link) I just cannot believe it took me this long to overcome my fear of travelling alone. 

I'm welcoming spring with open arms, I'm looking forward to the next couple of months as my family get back into the habit of get-togethers, I definitely plan on doing more exploring of London and I cannot WAIT to get this blog in to full swing!

♥

What's in my makeup bag - March 2015.

I've not done one of these posts since August last year and I thought I'd just do a quick update. (Link to previous post) I'm still using the same makeup bag (Cath Kidston) but some of my makeup items have changed. 

Let's jump right in to it! 

1. Nivea Pearl Beauty roll on deodorant. This was in my previous post however this is actually a new tin as I use this daily. Again, I repurchased this for £1.00 from Lidl which is where I tend to get my toiletries from nowadays! 

2. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Foundation in Light Porcelain. I've been swapping between two foundations recently as my skin cannot decide whether it wants to be dry, oily or a bit of both. This is a perfect colour match for my skin and although my face does get greasy after about 6 hours, it is still a very good foundation. I actually picked this up from B&M bargains for about £2.00! 

3. MUA kohl eyeliner in jet black. I finally replaced my eyeliner a couple of months ago!! This is just your standard black eyeliner. This lid actually has a sharpener built in which is SO handy. Not particularly long lasting, but then again no eyeliner is on me! It's a very creamy eyeliner so is great for smudging. This was only £1.00 from Superdrug, so I'm pleased! 

4. I Heart Makeup Lip Lava in Forgiven. Oh my god I LOVE THESE THINGS. I've wanted these since they were released but only just got round to purchasing them. These are so pigmented, long lasting and such great quality for the price. This is such a handy sized tube, I keep this in my makeup bag all the time now. I purchased this off the MUR website for £2.99. 

5. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I should really get a new one of these as my cat got hold of it...it now has tiny little teeth marks in it! I love this sponge, I was really against the whole beauty blender hype but now I would never go back. I have been switching between this and my duo fiber brush this month because I found that some days a brush just does not want to work on my skin. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this does...I bought it from Superdrug for around the £6.00 mark. 

6. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in translucent. This has been a staple in my makeup bag for years. It's the powder that I keep going back to time and time again but it just works on my skin so well. I very rarely have to top my powder up when I'm using this, it really does keep me matte! This powder has been around for years, I remember using it when I was about 16 years old! You can purchase this from Rimmel stockists for around £4.00.

7. Essence Get Big Lashes Vol Curl Mascara. If you've read through my top mascara post, you'll know that this is my firm favourite. I picked this up a couple of months ago when my local Wilkinsons store started stocking Essence. Now I'm really picky over my mascaras...they have to make my lashes look false, full and pretty much never flake off. This mascara does all 3 and for the price, I think that's pretty friggen amazing. I picked this up from Wilkinsons for £2.30. 

8.  Essence all about matt! oil control makeup base. I've never been a huge fan of primers however as soon as I hit my 20's, my skin has gone a little bit crazy. I suffered with acne in my teenage years but lately I've been suffering with oily skin. It's weird, one day I will have really dry skin, the next will be oily. I picked this up from Wilkinsons and really didn't know what to expect, however I was quite impressed. I wouldn't say it makes my makeup any more matte than it normally would be but it definitely keeps in it place longer! I notice if I ever forget to put in on before my foundation. For some reason I can't find a link to this on Wilkinsons but I'm pretty sure it was only about £2.00. 

9. Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in dark brown. Good god I've had this for as long as I can remember...I've actually got a new one waiting to be used in my makeup stash and to be honest I think I'll swap this over pretty soon. I've used this eyebrow pencil right from the point of when I started filling my eyebrows in as I find it really easy to create definition with this. I do find, however, that when I use the brush it tends to actually wipe this product off? I don't know if it's because it's old but I do have to go back over with a powder. I picked this up from Superdrug for £2.99 but you can also get it from good Rimmel stockists. 

10. Makeup Revolution Foc & Fix Eyebrow Shaping Kit in medium/dark. Okay I know I'm not the only person that's head over heels in love with Makeup Revolution but seeeeriously this brand has me hooked. I love this mini palette, it's the perfect match for the eyebrow pencil I use but it just creates that little bit more definition which I need. It comes with 3 shades varying from light brown to dark brown. I have to say, I haven't actually used the wax as of yet because I find the powder has such good staying power in my eyebrows anyway. I picked this up from Superdrug for £2.50 but you can also pick it up directly from the Makeup Revolution website. 

11. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily skin in Ivory 110. This foundation is one that I just keep coming back to. I previously used the Normal/Dry skin formula in my teens and found it was literally a perfect match for me. Now I've got more oily skin, I've opted for the combi/oily formula and I have to say I'm in love with this foundation again. I love the finish this leaves on my face, it's almost powdery? I know some people won't like that but I very rarely get oily skin from this foundation. The only time I do is if I put too much primer/powder on with it. This foundation has serious staying power on my skin, I can wear it for a good 14+ hours without it budging (yes, I really wear my makeup for that long!). Needless to say, I will repurchase this foundation time and time again for as long as it's made. I picked this up from Superdrug for £12.45 but you can also get it from Boots for the same price. 

12. Superdrug Compact Puff. These come in a pack of 3 and I've always used these to apply my powder. I have never found a technique as of yet that's more effective in applying my powder. Again, these were from Superdrug for £1.89 but you can pick them up from almost anywhere that stocks makeup sponges/tools. 

13. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade Fair. Who in the beauty universe doesn't like the concealer? I'm going to admit, I've literally only started using it this month and it's safe to say I'm yet another person that loves it. It really does live up to the hype, however I find it a little too thick to use under my eyes as it can feel quite heavy if not blended out enough. I get extremely high coverage off this concealer and yes, it has incredible staying power. I picked this up from Boots for around £4.00 however you can also pick it up from Collection stockists such as Superdrug. 

14. Primark hair bobble. A statement in my makeup bag, alongside bobby pins. I'm forever searching for something to tie my hair up with as it really irritates me sometimes! I picked up a huge pack of these for £1.00. 

15. Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black 1. This is another product I keep coming back to time and time again, I even have a stash of these waiting to be used! I don't use as much liquid eyeliner any more as I tend to opt for a toned down look however this is one that I find works the best for me. Some people say this burns their skin but I have never found it to have done that on mine. It lasts all day on my skin until I take my makeup off. I picked this up for around £2.00 from Superdrug. 

16. Primark compact mirror. I've had this in my makeup bag for a while now, I find it really helpful to keep in there in case I have any issues with my contact lenses or if I need to have a quick look at something. Considering this was only £1.00, this has lasted so well! It seems pretty robust and doesn't seem like it's going to break any time soon. 

17. Boots Precision Grip Straight Tweezers. I actually keep two pairs of tweezers in my makeup bag purely for the fact I always lose one. I love the feel of these, they have a slightly rubberised texture to the grip so they're really easy to hold. Also, I find the straight edge helpful when taming my brows! I picked these up from Boots for £3.80. The second pair I keep in my makeup bag are from Superdrug for £1.80. 

18. Superdrug Eyebrow brush and comb. I only recently purchased this as the brush on the end of my eyebrow pencil has gotten a bit grubby. It's a basic eyebrow comb, but it does the job. I picked this up for £1.99. 

19. Wilko Premium Stippler Found Brush. I actually really like Wilkinsons when it comes to makeup accessories because even though they're quite cheap in price, the quality doesn't lack. I've used this brush so many times and washed it out time and time again, I'm yet to see one bristle fall out. Seriously, this has to be the only brush I've had where the bristles haven't fallen out! I didn't want to spend a lot on a duo fiber brush as I wasn't sure if I'd like one or not but I was pleasantly surprised. I purchased this for £4.00. 

My god, this makes me realise just how much I carry around with me, no wonder I get backache so often! I hope this has been an interesting post to read! 

♥

Makeup Revolution collection.

First of all, let me apologise for the absence from this blog lately. I've had so much going on, I've left my job, I've been quite poorly, I've been doing Insanity and to be honest, my heart just hasn't been in blogging lately. However, I'm back! I'm back with a positive attitude.

So without further ado, let's actually get on with this post! Today I'm going to be showing you my Makeup Revolution collection. It's a small collection but I felt it was worthy of posting, and  I felt as MUR is firmly earning it's name in beauty, it's time to add my two pence. 

On the top row we have the Focus & Fix eyebrow palette, Conceal and Cover palette and the much sought after (well...not this one!) I Heart Makeup Death By Chocolate palette. 

On the bottom row we have the Flawless 32 eyeshadow palette, Iconic 1 eyeshadow pallette, as well as Iconic 2 and Iconic 3

I didn't actually take a single photo of the eyebrow palette as it's literally a standard trio of eyeshadow shades with a wax. I normally use the colour above the wax as I find this suits my skin tone the most, it lasts all day and yeh, it's a basic eyebrow palette!

Let's have a look at the Conceal and Cover palette. I purchased this for £6 and I bought this thinking that yes, I'll use every shade and I'll love it and be converted to this. Sadly, this wasn't the case. I've only used 2, maximum 3 shades out of this palette because the staying power just isn't that great and the further down the palette, the more orange the tones get. Now I actually swatched these in the shop to see what the payoff was like and what the colours were like and I thought they were a good match. Maybe I just have a dud? I don't know. I'm more than likely going to pass this on to someone who has darker skin than me, but if you're someone with multi toned skin then this would be perfect for you. 

 The I Heart Makeup Death by Chocolate palette is the newest in my collection and I LOVE it. I've worn shades from this palette every single day since I bought it. I'm pretty sure this was £7.99? I wanted the white palette for so long and I've not been able to find it anywhere and it has been out of stock on the website for as long as I've been checking so I finally bit the bullet and bought the Death by Chocolate palette. Firstly, I love the packaging and I know this is one of the things that has caused a divide in the beauty world, some love it, some hate it. Personally, I love it. It makes the palette chunky, something that I really like. And a bonus with this palette is that is has a full size mirror in the lid which is actually very handy. When I opened this, I don't know if it's psychological but I actually thought it smelt quite...cocoa power...y? Please tell me I'm not going insane and other people have smelt it too? Either way, this palette has a gorgeous mixture of mattes and shimmers which are super wearable, the colour payoff as expected is absolutely amazing and the longevity again, as expected, is extremely good. I'm still on the lookout for the white palette but seriously don't over look this one, you'll be surprised. 

The Flawless palette is one of the largest palettes I have and for the money (£8) I thought the quality of these eyeshadows wasn't going to be so great. My god, wasn't I wrong! I love this palette, it's got such a large mixture of colours and again, it's between mattes and shimmers. I've created so many looks with this palette, it's a firm favourite right now. Colour payoff is to be expected, quite pigmented and long lasting. However, I find these shadows work best with an ever so slightly damp brush to really get that shimmer to show. The packaging is the standard MUR black, slimline palette with the full size mirror, which I really love. I'm surprised that such a budget brand has this type of packaging to be honest but I'm pretty sure it's not just me that likes it. The shades in this palette are such a warm tone, apart from the few at the top which I use as either a base colour or a transition shade. I especially love the second to last row, the colours make my eyes look so green when I use them. I'm pretty sure there's another palette called Eyes like Angels (or something along those lines) but I wasn't too keen on those colours but again, I'm not going to overlook it as I may change my mind in the future. 

 Ahhh, the Iconic palettes. These were the palettes which have lead to my obsession with MUR, as I found out they were a very very good dupe for the UD Naked palettes (which I refuse to part with my money for!). I'd never heard of the company before so after doing a little bit more investigating, I've grown to love them. Even though the packaging on these are a little different to the newer palettes, I still don't feel let down. I purchased these at £4 each which in my eyes, is SO cheap! These palettes are absolutely amazing payoff, again with most of the MUR palettes these are a mixture of shimmers and mattes but in the most gorgeous warm tones. These have taken a bit of a back seat in my collection as it's expanded but after looking at them this morning, I definitely need to start using them again. 

If you're one of these people like me who become addicted to Youtube, watching people buying all these new MUR palettes and raving about them, as soon as you get one you will understand why. I'm not sure just how long Makeup Revolution has been around for but their products are a firm favourite of mine and thousands of others. I don't know how they release so many new palettes so frequently (I've even heard that it's possibly MUA repackaged...I don't believe that!) but this company have certainly taken the beauty industry by storm and for good reason too. I'm slowly going over to the I Heart Makeup range too with their lip lavas (omggg!) but I thought I'd give you an insight in to my collection that I have at the moment. 

Have you tried anything from Makeup Revolution or from the I Heart Makeup range? If so, what are your opinions? 

♥