Billion Dollar Brows - The key to perfect eyebrows!*

Hello lovelies!

Today I wanted to talk about something that has become quote big in the beauty industry over the past year or so and that is eyebrows. Eyebrows are now seen as the facial feature that can change the overall definition and shape of your face. Everybody wants to have their eyebrows done now to have the best... on 'fleek' eyebrows! I personally get my waxed and tinted, but others may pluck them themselves or have them threaded! I have found an amazing product to make your brows stand out on your face a bit more and not seem so washed away. The two products help to enhance and define your brows amazingly.

The brand that creates these products is called Billion Dollar Brows and they used to only be used in salons, however they have now branched out into Boots! The two products that I am going to talk about are the Best Sellers Kit (£49.50) and the 60 Seconds To Beautiful Brows Kit (£24). I am going to talk to you about both products and say which I feel is the best to help give you eyebrows that look like they have been done professionally and cost you a billion dollars!

The first item I am going to talk about is the Best Sellers Kit. Inside the kit there is a brow pencil. At first appearance I thought the pencil looked rather dark, but as soon as I swatched it and started to play around with it I realised it actually came out a lot paler but was easily buildable. This is because the pencil is formulated to work with most hair colours. The pencil flows on so naturally and you hardly have to touch your eyebrows for it to work. On the other end of the pencil is a spoolie brush so you can brush your eyebrows into shape before and then after at the end to even out the colour in your eyebrows.

Also in the kit is a Brow Duo Pencil, which has a highlighter on one end and a universal concealer on the other. The highlighter is the perfect shade for enhancing your brow bone, giving it even more definition.

In the best sellers kit my favourite product had to be the brow gel. That might sound silly because it isn’t adding any colour, but it was just amazing. It held my brows in place for the whole day and not a single hair moved out of place. It isn’t wet to the touch so if you touch your eyebrow after application then it won’t be all sticky or wet. I applied this after the Brow pencil and it helps with the definition and the shape.

The final product in the box was the Smudge brush. It said on the packaging that it can be used for blending out the eyebrow pencil but I used it instead for smudging out the highlighter slightly. I thought this helped create a more defined look because it wasn’t such a harsh line.

Moving on to the 60 Seconds To Beautiful Brows Kit. The main item in this kit is the Brow Powder in Taupe. This powder is so highly pigmented it works for light to dark brunette eyebrows. The powder is also highly long lasting so it isn’t going to leave your brows halfway down your face in the next hour or so. You can apply this powder with the brush that is also included in the kit. On one end is an angled brush which helps to define and sculpt the perfect eyebrow. On the other end is a spoolie which is vital to help create the shape beforehand and then to help blend the product afterwards. Due to the product being so highly pigmented it means that you can create a thin brow with little colour or a fuller thicker looking brow.

Both kits do as they say. They both help to create, sculpt and define the perfect brows. If I was to pick one kit it would have to be the Best sellers kit because not only does it do more but I believe it helps to create more of a defines brow because it does include the highlighter and gel. If there is one thing or maybe two you like from one of the kits then it can all be bought separately as well on the boots website. Feel free to go and have a look online or go down to your local boots store because they are already out on the shelves! I’m never going back to what I used before to achieve the eyebrows I desired because the Billion Dollar Brows kits are simply amazing.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post and let me know in the comments below what you use to create your ideal eyebrows?

-Abigail x

23rd, 24th & 25th: The end... *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies!

So as you can tell I failed the last few days of Blogmas because I fell out of my routine and just got awful at it… oops!

Anyway I don’t know when this is going up on the 25^th because it all depends when I sit down and open my laptop, but wither way I hope you have/had a lovely day surrounded by those you love.

See you in 2016!

-Abigail x

22nd: I tried to give some sort of advice? *Blogmas 2015*

So I was watching a film on Netflix until 1am last night (well really this morning) and it really got me thinking. 

You can't let anyone dictate your life. They shouldn't be making your decisions for you it should be entirely you. If there is one thing that you want to do but someone else wants you to do the opposite, what will you do? Do what you want. If in you it feels right go for it. No one should stop you. 

It's like picking whether to have an apple or an orange. Say your mother wanted you to have an apple but you wanted an orange. What would you go for?

I just sat and thought to myself, that you only have one life. Make every decision that has the outcome you want. Everyone else can make their own decisions. They can dictate their own lives, but they should not yours. 

I just wanted you to think about it and realise if there was one decision you have made recently, was it down to you wanting that to be the answer, or did someone else do it for you. 

What one decision would you change? I know a few that I would happily go back on. 

Live your life the way you want to, not how others want it to be. 

I'm just rambling sorry!!

- Abigail x

21st: Benefit Advent Calendar! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies,

So I have opened another door on my benefit advent calendar and I have fallen in love with what is inside.

Behind the door was a lipstick in the colour of the Benefit Hoola bronzer. It creates a simple natural lip that adds gloss and shine to what appears to be your natural colour.

The lipstick is slightly sticky, but after wearing it for a longer period of time it loses this and ends up adding a shiny look.

The lipstick isn't very pigmented but I had imagined it wouldn't be because it is meant to be just a natural lip. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a simple lip that goes with any eye look.

-Abigail x

20th: Benefit Advent Calendar! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies!

So today's blog post is another door on my advent Calander. Having so few doors left means Christmas is just around the corner!!

Under Today's door was the Benefit Bad Gal Lash. When I first opened the bottle I was rather sceptical. This was because the brush wand was so large. I was worried about putting this too close to my eye because I'd lose my eye. 

  

Anyway I did. That's use it not lose my eye!? One coat of this mascara is all you need. I literally blinked on the wand head and bam I had these bold looking lashes!

I love the name of the mascara because it is so bold it isn't allowed at school. I don't know if that's just me over thinking it and being weird or realisation hitting me. 

I love recommend this mascara to anyone who wants something that is easily applicable and makes your lashes extended and thicker with a blink of an eye. 

Leave a comment below on what mascara you use!

-Abigaik X

18th&19th: Dyeing my hair! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies!

So yesterday I sat down with Lauren and Annie to dye my hair. I used the L'Oreal Paris Casting Crème Gloss in the shade 603 Chocolate Caramel. 

I filmed the whole thing in a vlog style video with the help of Lauren which you can check out below to see how I turned my mousey brown hair into dark brown/auburn. There is also images!

Before:

After:

-Abigail x 

17th: My One Hundredth Blog Post!!! *blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies!

Today is my 100th blogpost. I can't quite believe this.

Over the past year I have set my self a lot of goals. Goals which to many people are silly, unachievable... however you want to view it. Yet to me, these goals are what have powered me. By believing in myself, pushing myself to get there I wouldn't be in the position I am today. Not only in school but online, here on my blog.

One major thing in my eyes this year was re-branding my blog, changing it from what now seems cringey,  to something more personal. I put myself out there and put a face to my blog. I didn’t really like to tell people about my space on the internet before because I was embarrassed by what I did. Then when I finally did  and I started doing incredible things this year, I never imagined I would ever have the chance to do.

If you have read my blog for a while then you will know of the incredible opportunities I've had. I’m not trying to brag by telling you this in any shape or form, but I’m so unbelievably proud of myself I couldn’t help it. This year I was able to work with some incredible brands and companies such as nickelodeon, so…? Fragrance, Ahava beauty, Glad Skin and work with some incredible authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Jaqueline Wilson, Holly Smale, Katarina West as well as many more.

This year’s achievements don’t stop here though… I have also written pieces on other websites such as www.quinceanera.com. My absolute favourite memory of this year was when I was allowed the opportunity to write an article on teen life for a magazine. A MAGAZINE. One of those things everybody reads. I can’t quite believe any of this has happened to me. How many 15 year olds do you know whom have done this alongside their last year of school?
 

I wanted to write this blog post to thank every single person who reads my blog, comments, favourites my tweets, you name it… All of these things make me smile. Knowing that I have support behind me in what I do makes me feel so warm and bubbly inside.

When I’m having a bad day I can log onto my computer and see a sweet comment or email from someone that has viewed my blog. I can’t sum up into words how insane this year was, I’m just forever eternally grateful.

Thank you.

-Abigail x

16th: Sixth Form?! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello Lovelies,

Blogmas is obviously meant to be about things around the Christmas period and Christmassy fun. But if you are around my age or younger then it is still filled up with school! One thing that my age group will be doing is applying to sixth forms and going for interviews. I have now been to two and both have been incredibly eye opening. I then thought why not share some information with you, it might help or you might sweep it under the carpet… either way I don’t mind!

My one top tip would be don’t follow your friends. I applied to 4 different sixth forms so that I had a wide range and the one I am most interested in none of my friends are going to. I want to get my head down and concentrate on my education because those friends aren’t going to be there every second of your life and I feel like I need to grow and become more independent.

Another thing that I would say is pick something that is reasonably close. What I mean is if you live in London don’t apply to one in Scotland because you will have to travel every day. Obviously you wouldn’t but what I mean is don’t pick somewhere an hour and a half away when somewhere twice as good may be 30 minutes away. The further the distance the more it is going to cost you to go back and forth.

Finally I would also say when you go for your interview be yourself. When filling out the application form make sure you write down anything interesting or different that you might do compared to others. This helps you to stand out. When you are asked questions make sure you take a second to think of an answer, before rushing into it. By rushing you may stumble on your words or confuse yourself, I would find this more embarrassing than if I had taken 2 or so seconds to think about what I had wanted to say.

Let me know below in the comments if you have any tips for others or if you just want to share anything!

(P.S IT’S ONLY 9 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS EEEEK!!)

-Abigail x

15th: Benefit Advent Calendar! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies,

So today's blog post is going to be about the benefit watts up. Everyone normally says don't judge a book by its cover, but this product looks amazing from the outside. I love how there is a string of fairy lights around the outside. I feel like it makes the product look a lot more festive. It probably wasn't even intentional but I love it nonetheless! 

The highlighter itself is amazing. I much prefer this to the Highbeam by Benefit. The Watts Up is extremely pigmented and I dabbed over the top of my cheek and it lasted much longer than I originally thought it would!

The stick itself is a nude colour filled with sparkles! I rubbed the tip of my finger on the top and then dabbed this on. It blended into my foundation really well and left the shimmer effect on the top. 

This is officially my new favourite highlighter by far. If you are looking for a product that will add a dewy glow, then deffinatly the Benefit Watts Up!

Leave a comment below on what your favourite highlighter is because I'd love to find new ones to try!

(p.s I apologise for the poorer quality photos, I had to take them on my iPhone due to my camera being flat!)

-Abigail x

14th: Winchester Christmas Market! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies!

So because I’m rather strange as many of you know, I was washing my hair in the shower about 5 minutes ago contemplating what I should do on today’s blog post when it hit me! I decided to do a day out with Abigail!

A few weekends ago now my American family were over to see everybody and buy British Christmas presents of course and see/go to different British places. Around Christmas time everybody loves to go and drink mulled wine, freezing their bottoms off while trailing around the stalls.

Winchester Christmas market which is where I went was, in the grounds of Winchester cathedral, so it had a beautiful setting. We got some mulled wine and started the walk around.

For an early Sunday morning it was rather busy, but that didn't bother us. As well as mulled wine we also got some caramelized nuts. These are officially my favourite nuts now. The flavour was incredible it is like so sweet then nutty and it is like I can’t even describe. AMAZING.

I also picked up some chilli jam which is the best thing in the world!

I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into my day out, leave a comment below if you have ever been to a Christmas market!

-Abigail x

13th: Benefit Advent Calendar! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies,

I’ve only just realised the time, I was too engrossed in one directions last live performance (basically sobbing to myself). When I realised I hadn’t written today’s Blogmas. I decided not to pre-write anything because I felt like it then wouldn’t be a blogpost every day in a weird way?! Anyway it has proven to me how much I procrastinate and how much more time I should spend realising the real world oops.

Anyway today in my benefit advent calendar I got the POREfessional which a primer that is supposed to minimalize the appearance of your pores obviously.

Which it does! I am a big fan of the POREfessional and I bought one back in February which still hasn’t run out! I’m happy to have a travel sized one though for going away.

The texture is like a cream that is tinted to a light/medium skin tone. I simply rub it in circular motions over the area and then apply foundation etc.

What primer do you use? Leave a comment below because I always love to try new products!

-Abigail x

12th: Books I want to Read in 2016?! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies,

So now that it is only 13 days till Christmas I’m already thinking of the New Year. I know I’m ‘wishing my life away’ as everyone says but I want next year over but to also never end. Of course next year I have my exams which I am incredibly nervous about already... I can’t stop thinking about them.

But I also don't want next year to end. By taking exams it means embarking on a new adventure to sixth form. That in my mind I was thinking about my New Years resolution's and seeing as I want to be more prepared I decided to plan now. 

If you know me you know that I love to read books. So one of my goals is to read 100 books. I have constructed a list from various different websites and now I can't wait for the year to begin. 

One of the websites I used was the BBC because they have a Big Read top 100! The link is below!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

If you could only read one book for the rest of your life what would it be and why? Leave a comment below!

-Abigail X

11th: Benefit Advent Calendar! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies,

So of course the time has come ­­to do another door on my benefit advent calendar. This means it is getting nearer to Christmas... only 14 days eeek!

Anyway in today’s door was the Benefit Lollitint in the shade Candy Orchid. This is a lip and cheek stain in a rosy pink colour. The colour is easily buildable as well as highly pigmented. You can simply add a stroke to your cheeks blending out with your fingertips.

On top of this you can also apply two or three times to the lips to add a pop of colour. This has to be one of my new benefit products by far.

What is your favourite lip or cheek stain?!

-Abigail x

10th: Absoloute Truth, For Beginners. *Blogmas 2015*

Hello Lovelies,

So one incredible thing I have been able to do this year was interview Katarina West as well as review her book! The book review is first and then is the interview in this post! I hope you enjoy!

Katarina's newest book that she has released is called 'Absolute Truth, For Beginners'. The book is the second written by Katarina and I have to say I loved it! Elisa Mancini is the main character whom I was easily able to relate to. She is very insecure and has little confidence in herself. She is also like me, a book nerd. She much prefers them to people.

On the other hand we have the popular. Judith Shapiro is intelligent and the ruler of everyone around her. What will happen when the two worlds collide and Elisa realises that she is truly, madly, deeply in love with Judith... who is the same gender as her.

I don't want to spoil too much of the story for you, but you can read the book following the journey of the two girls becoming who they are. Will it be okay in society for them to be together? Will Judith's social status be ruined? Like I said I don't want to give away much of the book but I am giving it 5 stars out of 5. The books written exceptionally well and I love how the story evolves. Anyway I will leave my review there.

The book will be officially published on the 15th of December however you can currently pre-order it on amazon. For the first two weeks it will only be £0.99 however it will be £3.99 from then onwards.

So as I said above I was able to also ask Katarina some questions which I felt extremely privileged to do! You can read all about it below.

Who was your inspiration off for Elisa Mancini? (Or did you think of it all on your own?)

This novel grew really slowly. In the first versions it was a fantasy story about a school for talented children, and Elisa’s predecessor was one of the students. She was some ten years younger then. Then I decided to make her older, and get rid of the school. It really was a slow process, making this story come alive.

Where did you come up with the idea for your book (inspiration)?

Well, I was fascinated with the notion of time… I knew I wanted to write about it, but I didn’t know what. So I kept collecting material. And then I started to create characters, and think what might happen to them.

What is the hardest thing you have come across when writing a book?

Maybe there isn’t any single thing that is hard, but rather the fact that you are creating an entire world all by yourself, and at times that can be overwhelming, and confusing, and even lonely. Having said that, this is also one of the best things about writing a novel. It’s a double-edged sword!

Whenever I write a blog post I like to be in a quiet environment normally my bedroom. Where is your preferred place to write?

I have my study. I can write elsewhere too if I must, but without doubt that’s where I work best. It’s almost as if I feel the presence of my characters when I enter my study.

When did you realise that you wanted to become an author?

I was about twelve years old. I actually solemnly vowed, to myself and to all higher powers present at that moment, that one day I was going to write stories. Later on, when there were difficult periods with writing, I always came back to that decision.

Are there any writers whom you looked up to as a child?

Agatha Christie, for example. I read the children’s section in our public library rather quickly, and continued reading adult books, especially suspense. And then I started to write murder stories à la Agatha Christie. I was probably about ten years old. The problem was, I was so afraid of my own stories that I couldn’t get any sleep at night. That was my first creative crisis!

Did you enjoy English when you were at school?

Oh, absolutely. But I must admit I was a bit lazy with languages. I come from a bilingual family – my father speaks Swedish and my mother Finnish – so I got used to the idea that you don’t have to sweat that much to learn languages. Till I started to study French in my teens, and couldn’t understand a word of it! French is still my weak point. I just can’t figure it out. Sometimes when my writing isn’t going well, I take a pause and read irregular French verbs. It actually helps, you know.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Read, read, read. Plus, write daily – a thousand words a day keeps the writer’s block away! There are so many wonderful tips for writers, but I think these two are the most important ones. Because if you read and write regularly and as much as you can, you have to get somewhere.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post! I would like to thank Katarina for giving me this opportunity, and you can find her at all the links below!

Website

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

-Abigail x

­

9th: Benefit Advent Calendar! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello Lovelies,

Today’s blogpost is going to be another review from my benefit calendar. Today’s door contained one of my favourite benefit products of all times, that I used to constantly rave about and was my go to mascara.

The Benefit They’re Real in black which is an amazing formulae made mascara. You can easily build up the amount of mascara that you are wearing by applying a few more coats. This is beneficial to me because I will wear very subtle amounts to school with more on weekends. You can easily thicken and lengthen your lashes with one mascara.

Many people that I have spoken to have said that they found the brush very scratchy and that it wasn’t comfortable to use. I however completely disagree with this. I think it is quite soft and very easy to use!

What is your favourite mascara?

-Abigail x

8th: My top 10 christmas films!

Hello lovelies,

Today’s blog post is going to be my top ten recommendations of Christmas films. As soon as school has finished I spend my days laid in bed eating celebrations with all my favourite films on repeat.

 

Because I obviously have enough time to watch them all I thought I should let you all know my favourites!

1.       Love Actually

2.       Elf

3.       Santa Clause

4.       Mickeys twice upon a Christmas

5.       The Polar Express

6.       The Holiday

7.       Home Alone

8.       The Muppets Christmas carol

9.       The nightmare before Christmas

10.   Nativity

Let me know in the comments below what your favourite is and if you have ever watched any of them!

 

-Abigail x

7th: Benefit Advent Calendar *Blogmas*

Hello lovelies, 

Today I opened day 4 of my Benefit Party Poppers calendar. Under this day was the ULTRA PLUSH in Sugar bomb.

The ULTRA PLUSH in Sugar bomb is a perfect nude colour. It adds a small pigmentation of colour with a large amount of gloss. I love lip-glosses like this because they go with any other eye makeup look.

The packaging is very simple yet looks super cute! I love the fact it is in a squeeze tube (is this a thing?!?!) because it reminds me of older lip-glosses without a brush!

The smell and taste of the product is amazing. I have no idea why but I love lip glosses that smell good because they are under your nose for a long time!

 What is your favourite lip-gloss?

-Abigail x

6th: Benefit Advent Calendar *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies!

Today’s product which was under door 3 was the Benefit Highbeam. I have always wanted to try this highlighter because I have seen lots of bloggers share the hype about it.

I applied the Highbeam today with my everyday make-up look, and at first it looked really good and was making my face look more defined. However I found it quickly faded and wasn’t noticeable.

I am a major benefit fan and I love to use quite a few of their products everyday but I found at first the pigmentation was amazing and then it just went. Maybe I didn’t put enough on or it doesn’t suit me, but I won’t be buying this again.

I have to be honest and I wouldn’t be buying this again. It is not worth the money.

-Abigail x

5th: Christmas Wreath Making! *Blogmas 2015*

Hello lovelies,

Today I was going to post another day of my benefit calendar, however I have spent the whole day at a Christmas wreath making workshop and having got home late there is no natural light to take pictures and I'm not going to have time to review and upload a post tonight. However I did take a lot of photos today (but on my iPhone so the quality isn't as good sorry!) so I thought I would share them with you below!

 

That is it for Blogmas day 5… I hope you had a lovely day, feel free to leave a comment below telling me what you did!

-Abigail x