The Lexicon Bracknell - Fashion Trends for SS18*

Three weekends ago now I was invited to the new shopping centre over in Bracknell called 'The Lexicon' for brunch and a chat about the upcoming Spring/Summer 2018 Trends with some lovely bloggers.

We sat in Coffee Barker, the coolest place I've ever eaten in to have coffee and a chat. I learnt all about what the fashion trends are going to be such as the pastel colours on EVERYTHING! Imagine mint choc chip ice-cream or strawberry ice-cream colour on a little t-shirt. Already I want all of these clothes! One item of clothing I already have that will be perfect for an England spring is the trench coat. It is light enough for the potential warm weather but also keeps you dry if it rains. There are many other fashion trends too such as tailored denim, sheer tops/dresses.. sheer everything, slip dresses, pencil skirts and lots of primary colours! I also learnt all about how plastic is going to stay with us until SS18, ready for the festivals. We chatted away  about how to style all of these items and what would work best together. My favourites definitely have to be the pastel colours, the primary colours and definitely the pencil skirts because I love wearing skirts in the summer! We were given a voucher to spend called the 'Lexicon Gift Card' which can be used in pretty much all of the shops. There are so many different stores to chose from including the big department store Fenwicks which contains everything high end that your heart could desire! I picked up a few pieces from Topshop ready for spring focusing on the primary colours because I knew I could then pair these with bright items another time. 

I somehow stuck to blue and picked up a gorgeous Checked Frill Waist Mini Skirt* which was predominately white but had blue and red lines throughout to make it checked. It also as two gorgeous buttons at the top of it, which adds that little bit of extra detail. To go with this skirt I picked  out a blue (surprise surprise) cropped top*, which also had a slight frill in the sleeves and along the hem line. This featured the word dreamer across the left of the chest which was embroiled in some bright colours. After doing some shopping in Topshop I couldn't not head home without at least looking around Fenwick's. 'Accidentally' I picked up a new tube of my favourite Urban Decay Concealer* and finally the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation* so that I can try it out. 

The Lexicon has such a variety of shops that it would suit anyone and anyone. There is also lots of things to do there while you shop including: dining out, cocktails (Coffee Barker serves them in the evening, I need to go back!!) a cinema and so much more! 

At the moment there is a game over in 'Princess Square' called Beat The Clock where you have the chance to win from over 5,000 different discounts and prizes, to spend in all of the shops that they have available. If you are at The Lexicon then make sure you check it out because you never know what you might win, meaning you can head home with something amazing!

I am definitely going back to The Lexicon for my shopping now because of the wide variety of places to shop. If you want to find out more about The Lexicon you can find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I couldn't not have a Peach Bellini as a pitstop drink before heading home!

- Abigail x

So-Eco Brushes*

I am 'that' someone who always reaches for the same brushes every time they do their makeup. Adding new brushes into my routine is silly right? Especially when I know which brush does what and which brush goes in which colour? Well today was the day I tried out some new eyeshadow brushes to see if they could take over my everyday (probably overused) ones.

The two brushes I tried out were both from So-Eco who promote that their brushes are from eco friendly sources as well as being cruelty free - hence the name 'So-Eco'.

The first brush was the Eye Shading Brush* which is perfect for applying a base colour all over the lid and for cutting the crease! The bristles are so very soft that they glide across your eye without scratching or taking away any product. The brush I find, works better with powders than a cream eyeshadow but works very well with concealer. I don't know what it is but whenever I cut my crease with this brush it works perfectly every-time!

The second brush I have been using is the Angled Eyeliner Brush*. I struggle as it is to use a liquid eyeliner with a pen-like tip so I was curious to see how I would do with a liner brush. I sucked. I was terrible at applying liquid eyeliner with the brush because I don't have a steady enough hand. However, as soon as I swapped to a black eyeshadow it looked amazing. The bristles are packed together to create a small line which is angled and positioned in a way that means you can see what you are doing. 

Both brushes also have a precision comfort grip, which I think definitely helped with me being more accurate in where I wanted the brush to go each time. The Eye Shading Brush I have moved into my 'everyday makeup brushes pot' as it is so good at applying the perfect base! As much as I have loved getting to experiment with the Angled Eyeliner brush I am going to save that for going out instead of everyday use for now as I'm still not good at getting it perfect... after all practice does make perfect.

You can purchase So-Eco brushes from many places but the easiest is probably Amazon as they are available on prime!

-Abigail x

Spring Makeup Look!

Hello Lovelies,

So I have just uploaded a video on youtube showing a spring makeup look. I didn't talk through the products or mention any of them over there so i thought to share them here!

Face Cream: Benefit-Daily Moisture

Primer: Benefit-Porefessional

Foundation: Estee Lauder- Double Wear Light-Intensity 1.5 and Mua Matte Perfect-Fair (They've just rebranded and changed the name but Ivory linked here is closest)

Concealer: LA girl Cosmetics-Natural

Bronzer: Urban Decay Palette - Naked Flushed- Naked

Blusher: Benefit-Rockateur

Highlighter: Benefit-Highbeam

Powder: Rimmel-Stay Matte Pressed Powder-05

Eye Primer: Benefit-EyePatrol

Eyeshadow Pallets: Mayeblliene-Blushed Nudes and Live Love London

Mascara: Bella Piere-Volumizing Mascara

 

 

 

-Abigail x

4th: Winter/Christmas GRWM! *Blogmas 2015*

Helloo lovelies!

So about a week ago now I posted a video onto a small place called You Tube.

For ages now I have wanted to work up the courage and do this, I've never had enough confidence.. worried about how people around me are going to act. I then told myself to stop being silly and think that I can get out of my current school in less than 6 months. I then stepped out of my comfort zone and recorded an outfit and makeup get ready with me.

Without further or do I present to you... my first ever video:

I apologise for the poor quality and minimal editing it was my first attempt and I'm sure I can get better if I continue.

Let me know what you thought of the video below also if you'd like me to make any others?!

-Abigail x

Autumn Make-Up Look!

 

 

 

 

 

Hellooo Lovelies!

Today I wanted to do an autumnal make-up look for you! I decided it was easier to write the steps with a few pictures of the final image! I love this look and think that it is perfect for autumn! While doing this I realised my lack of skill in taking selfies! Come back to my blog on Friday to find out about the clothes I wear with this look eeek!

My primer that I used I used is the Benefit Porefessional. This is amazing. It shrinks the size of your pores, practically making them invisible! I find applying this under my foundation helps it stay longer but also it glides on. It is the best purchase I’ve ever made!

After my primer I obviously applied foundation. The foundation I choose to use is the Rimmel Lasting perfection. I have owned this since the beginning of the year and have never had the right shade of skin to wear it (Back then I just gambled with my make-up and slapped on any bits and bobs!). This foundation has quite a high coverage meaning I need minimal concealer. A hint in the name 'Lasting' is true! You can sometimes buy products that don't do what it says on the tin, but this defiantly does!!

After this is go in with my concealer which is the Estee Lauder double wear. This concealer is practically cement. I dab it in with my beauty blender by Real Techniques and it does the job. It has a high coverage and will cover even the reddest of spots... even the dreaded under eye bags!

Then I applied my bronzer and blusher. The bronzer I used is the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer. I have raved about this before because not only is it amazing but it also smells like chocolate... So it is to die for! Then I did my blusher with the Make-Up Revolution blusher in the shade Sugar. I really blended it out with my setting brush because I like a subtle colour.

After this I applied my eyeshadow Primer. My primer was a sample of the Benefit Air Patrol! This is as amazing as the Porefessional... Not only does it prevent creasing but it creates an even toned base that can then be blended into eyeshadow. For eye shadow I used the Urban Decay Naked 2, which is my ultimate favourite! I used the colour Chopper all over my lids and then blended through the crease with the colour Snakebite.

Then I applied my mascara which was the Benefit They’re real! This mascara has been my favourite since it was released! I love the volume it is the most amazing mascara invented! If you go back and stalk me you will be able to read it!

Every bloggers favourite powder was then applied which is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 002! This powder is fabulous. That’s all I can say. It is so cheap and affordable everybody needs to try!

Finally I applied my lipstick. I used an H&M Lip Pen in the Shade Cherry. This colour is so autumnal I love it! It is buildable so you can easily make it darker!

I hope you have enjoyed this different post! What is your favourite make-up item that you never leave the house without?

  Follow my blog with Bloglovin -Abigail x

 

 

My Holiday Make-up Bag!

 

Hellooo!

It is finally the summer... Well in terms of school now that it is the summer holidays everyone is going away. Therefore I thought that I would show you what I take in my make-up bag when I go away. I normally go to hot countries with lots of sunshine so rarely end up wearing foundation but I still wear mascara etc. My Make-up bag is from the Zoella Beauty range in superdrug! I love these make-up bags because they are the perfect size and they are wipe clean on the outside for any make-up spillages!

 

One thing that is always in my make-up bag is the current nail varnish I am wearing. In the summer I swap between Essie'Watermelon', Essie 'Sunday Fun day' and BarryM Gelly Hi shine 'Pomegranate'. At the minute it is 'Pomegranate'. I love this collection that BarryM do because it looks as though it is done very professionally once dried, however it was done by me! The colour is a red with subtle pink through it. I always take my nail varnish away with me because it can either chip in the pool or the sun, so just for touch ups.

 

A necessity I take everywhere no matter what but especially on holiday or public transport is hand sanitizer. This is because I become a bit of a germ freak and because I have a habit of biting my nails this means I’m not digesting any bacteria (tmi I’m so sorry). The one I’m currently using is the Bath and Body Works Fresh Sparkling Snow PocketBac. I find these super handy as they fit in everything! This scent is now longer available to purchase due to it being a Christmas special, but they have many others!

 

Another necessity to take is a make-up remover obviously. However I really love the Estee Lauder Take it Away Make-up removerLotion. I find this is super easy to use and moisturisers your skin at the same time! I like this as well because it fits nicely in my make-up bag as well as being the only moisturiser lotion to take off benefit they're real mascara!! I hate having to buy the matching remover to the mascara so I love when I find one just as good!

 

Furthermore another item that is always in my make-up bag is a moisturiser. Normally I would take my eczema cream, however I have recently been using a new cream that has cleared it all up yippee!!(Blog post soon all about it!!) Anyway my moisturiser is currently the travel size of Bath and Body works Oahu Coconut Sunset Aloe Gel Lotion ( I couldn't find the gel on the website but this is the link to the normal body cream). I prefer for my hands/body to use a gel lotion because it not only helps with dry skin but also burnt skin. It really soothes the skin creating a cooling effect. This Aloe Gel Lotion was sent to me by my best friend who lives in America Chloe (https://instagram.com/chloe_matthewss/) she is very beautiful, so I recommend you go follow her ;)

 

 

Underneath any makeup I wear a primer. My primer is the same as I’ve always used and it is my love. This is the Benefit ThePore-fessional. This in the image is the travel size and that’s because it is much easier to take on holiday with you so I like to buy this size.

 

Like I mentioned above, I hardly wear foundation on holiday however, for the first day or two I do. I will wear the Estee LauderDouble Wear Light foundation in intensity 0.5. This foundation is like concrete. Once I have it on and powdered it doesn't move. It lasts until I wash it off at the end of the day! The Double Wear light is an easily buildable coverage. I normally day to day build it up a lot however only wear a thin coating on holiday just to have an even skin tone and to cover any smaller blemishes.

 

If on holiday I don’t wear foundation I normally apply a CC cream. I love the Clinique version of this. It is very longwearing and the shade matches my skin very well when I become a bit darker. This also has a buildable coverage.

 

To go with my foundation I always take a powder. I try to take a translucent powder because this means that even when I am tanned I can just apply some of this to reduce any shiny patches. The powder I find works the best at doing this is the Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder in 004Sandstorm. 

One thing that I believe everyone should take with them when in the sun is a lip balm. I love the E.O.S Lip balms because you don't have to dip in your finger and then be left with it all sticky when you are done. They are super easy to transport and last a long time. This is 'Summer Fruits' which I would have to say is my second favourite behind mint. However it is nice in the summer because it is a subtle smell. 

 

 I am very partial to wear liquid eyeliner. I love to create make-up looks all the time with liquid liner, yet I’m not brave enough to ever go out wearing it. However once I have a tan for some reason I also gain a lot of confidence which clearly, was never there before. I like to use the Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner. Now this really does what it says on the bottle. The nib is so fine I can create the thinnest or thickest wing simply by moving up the nib line. 

 

As well as this I like to alternate to a simple black eye pencil. The eye pencil I use it the Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12HRWear, Waterproof in the shade 01 Black Lace. The black is very matte with a smooth application. I find this pencil easily glides on, yet never leaves.

 

 

When going on holiday I like to take 2 different lipsticks as well as a lip gloss. This is because I like to alternate depending on what I’m wearing or what kind of make-up look I have chosen to wear. I take my Mac Cremsheen lipstick in the shade Hot Gossip as well as the Estee LauderPure colour in the shade 26 Nectarine. These colours are very different from each other. One is a subtle pink, the other being bright red! The lip gloss is also by Estee Lauder in the shade 11 Passion Fruit, which is a gorgeous Pink shimmer. (Both the Estee Lauder products where free gifts with a purchase so they cannot be purchased.)

 

One necessity that I wear everyday no matter what is mascara. Now the mascara I take everywhere with me I have raved about in previous blog posts so I won’t write too much here but it is the BenefitThey’re Real. This mascara has been my favourite since it came out and still is. The only problem I have with it is the fact it’s so hard to take off!!

 

With me everywhere I go I take my favourite palette. The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palhttp://www.sephora.com/naked2-P302916?skuId=1393636ette is my all-time go to palette because it has all the necessity colours. I love Tease and Half-baked, and they both go amazingly together. (I did a review of the palette and you can check that out here!)

 

As well as make-up you obviously need utensils (not a whisk and spoon!). I always take eyelash curlers with me because they help to open up my eyes, because my eyes are a darker colour. My eyelash curlers are from The Body Shop UK and are amazing. I absolutely adore the colour of them.

Finally of course take make-up brushes. I own a lot of the Real Techniques brushes. Here in the photo is the Powder brush and the Buffing brush (Which come in the core collection). These two brushes are extreme essentials to me because the Buffing brush is for my foundation or bb cream! However my all-time favourite brush is the Powder brush because it is so big and soft. It applies my powder so smoothly and doesn’t create much fall out, as in the product doesn’t fall off.

I hope you have enjoyed this longer blog post and that you aren’t asleep by the end of it. Have a lovely summer!

<3

 

Naked 2 swatches!

 

 

 

 

 

Heyoo everyone!

 

 

Today I thought that I would do a simple post of one of my favourite products in the world. I love the Naked 2 Palette because all the colours are very me?!

 

I love the fact that there is simple base colours like Foxy and Bootycall that can then easily be blended with any of the other more sparkly colours?! I also love Tease because it is quite a paler colour than the others and I normally use it through  my crease as well because it can really help to define your eyes and make them appear to be more awake than you actually are!

 

I find that all of the colours bar one are very pigmented. I think that Verve never comes out as clear as you would think it would in the concept as its very pale and is just sparkly. However once I have the colour on I love it!

 

Im sorry that this post was a bit short but today is my dads birthday so I was quite buy...so therefore I didn't have a very long time to type up a blog post, because I wanted to spend it with him.. im sorry:(

 

If you live in England have a lovely bank holiday Monday and enjoy the time off!!

 

<3

NYC make-up haul!

Hellooo!

So I thought that it was about time I posted my make-up haul, from Sephora, MAC and Victoria Secret! When in NYC I spent a lot, and I mean a huge amount of my spending money in these shops on make-up and body sprays!

Sephora- $54

One of the many things I wanted to buy on this trip was a Naked Palette by Urban Decay. This is because I am in love with doing eye-shadow and experimenting, so I thought it was about time I upped my game and bough quality eye-shadows!! So I bought Naked 2... and my oh my! It is absolutely amazing, already I have created so many combinations and have favourites such as Pistol and verve. All the colours in this palette are very pigmented, and last at least 8hrs! I would defiantly recommend this product to anyone because it not only is all of the above but it is also well worth the money!

Mac Cosmetics- $18 each

 How can you go to NYC without going into a Mac store! I went into a Mac every time I went out shopping, which really wasn't good for me! I ended up only buying two lipsticks, (l-r) Damn glamorous which is a matte finish and Hot gossip which is a Cremesheen finish. I adore both of these lipsticks and they both have such long lasting colour. Mac is always my go to lipstick for if im going out, or just in general really!



Victoria Secret- $12 each

Now one shop that I did spend a lot of money in was Victoria secret. This was because I bought a lot of underwear as well as body sprays!  On the left is pure seduction which is a fruity pungent smell, and for some reason I find it quite a soothing scent! I like to wear this in the day because it makes me feel fresh! Now when im going out I wear Strawberries and Champagne because a lot of people smell it and say that it smells good, then when I tell them what the scent is they think it sounds quite posh and it makes me feel special!

 

Walmart- $3.97

I finally caved in and bought myself the Stay matte powder. I know it is very cheap and by this I was wondering that maybe it wasn't so good as everyone said and raved about. However now I have tried it I am never going back to my old powder because I am in love with this one. It can be easily built up with more and more layers and it really does apply a matte finish. This powder will last on my face for the whole of a school day so about 7/8 hours a day!

Sephora- $29

This mascara has always been my go to, ever since it was released. I love the size of the brush because it gives lots of volume and builds up very well. Many people fins that this brush is scratchy however I haven't found this once! I think the application is very smooth and it literally glides on. Like I said it can easily be built which means I can apply more at the weekends and when I go out than the amount I wear to school!

Sephora- $12

This is the Sephora contour eye pencil 12hr wear waterproof in the shade Black lace! That's a bit of a mouthful to say! This eyeliner I was contemplating buying. I had read many reviews about it online and I needed a new eyeliner so I decided to get it. Now because I am a very emotional person most of the time and cry when I laugh I decided it was best to get waterproof and may I say... it is the best waterproof eyeliner I've ever had! Not only does it not come off with tears or rain but I struggle with my eye make-up to remove it, but after a bit of pressure and scrubbing it coms off! I apply this on my waterline and even if it is slightly damp, it still apples nicely with a buildable cover.



Sephora- $10

I have always bought in the past the smash box foundation in the past, which I have always sworn by. However I am slightly obsessed with benefit at the moment so I decided to buy the mini version of the Pore fessional primer. And may I say, benefit has not let me down. This product works wonders at not only keeping my make-up on for a longer time but also it really does minimize my pores a heck of a lot. This is one purchase that I know I am defiantly buying in the bigger version next time!





Elle Magazine-£4

Now this was purchased in the airport through ELLE magazine, because they were giving away free travel sizes. So being a Benefit lover I bought it! This is one of the best mascaras I've tried and I've tried many. It really does curl and lengthen my lashes. However I also think that it really lasts a long time, because once my lashes are lifted they don't drop, they hold all day! I would definitely recommend it to any one who wants a good mascara that is defiantly worth the money!

(You can now buy the full version from Sephora at $29)

 

 

I hope you liked this post as it was a bit different. I apologise for not posting in a while but I have gotten so caught up at school with my work I felt that was more important to go first! But now im past all that and able to blog weekly again!

 

I have also started a twitter that is about blog updates e.t.c which is: @_absterhamster

 

 

<3