June In Photographs.

I was recently reading Jessica Joseph's blog when I saw a reoccurring post she did once a month, named after each month prior to that one. Last Sunday she uploaded a post called June and it inspired me to do the same! Jessica is the first person to do this (or so that I can find) so I'm giving her full credit for the idea and here is her blog if you want to check hers out: http://www.jessicajoseph.co.uk.

So here is what happened in June that I felt was worth noting in my online space, all taken from my iPhone!

- Walking around the Heather Gardens at Virginia Water.

- Finally getting more blonde put back in my hair!

- Seeing the amazing Little Mix in concert.

- Walking along Basingstoke Canal.

- Starting the second year of learning at Sixth Form.

- Changing locations where I work and LOVING IT!

- Forever taking pictures of pretty flowers at work because we have an amazing florist.

- And Finally... Getting eyelash extensions for the first time courtesy of PrettyMePerfect!

-Abigail x

The Best Highlighters - For That Popping Glow.

Everyone loves having that 'popping' highlighter and the shimmering look when the sun hits the top of their cheek bones perfectly. In my opinion, highlighters have definitely grown in the beauty industry over the past 6 months. I always notice someones popping cheek bones and chiseled nose if i stare long enough... creepy I know. I've been trying to find my favourite highlighter for so long now and I have finally narrowed it down to my top 3, which none the less look rather similar... apart from one being slightly more pink toned.

Champagne Pop by Becca Cosmetics has to be the most sought after highlighter of summer 2016. When I was over in the United States of America, I had to visit at least 4 different Sephora's before I could find one that had Champagne Pop in stock. Let me tell you, it was the best wait I had ever made. The rose gold shimmer and gold speckles, make such a beautiful colour. The highlighter blends so seamlessly onto the skin and is a subtle glow. The colour is definitely buildable and the more of a POP that you want then the more I'd recommend you apply! The texture of the Becca highlighter is so buttery like a cream highlight but is a powder.. it's so confusing but so beautiful so I don't mind. 

(swatches are at the bottom!)

Next has to be the Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm, which is the perfect golden shimmer. Not only is this highlighter the perfect shade it is also the most affordable highlighter I have ever found, especially when it goes on sale practically every month over at FeelUnique.com. The highlight is so powerful and pigmented you hardly need much but I still layer it on and go through so many of them (If you follow me on Instagram you would've seen I keep buying them). Like I said this highlighter is so affordable especially for something of such high quality and its long wearing durability like it is a high end highlighter.

(swatches are at the bottom!)

Dripping in Gold by Anastasia Beverly Hills from the That Glow, Glow kit is also one of my favourite highlighters because of the brightness that is given off. Dripping in gold is on the right hand side above and even though Bubbly has hit pan I never reach for it anymore I tend to go for Dripping in Gold because it comes off slightly warmer and is more golden. The Anastasia highlighters are all so beautiful but Dripping in Gold looks like you have a gold glittery bar on your cheek bones, its so beautiful. If you wanted something slightly pricier than this is definitely a good option but you do get four highlighters so it is worth it if you will you them all. The bright yellowy/gold highlight, Sunburst I only use in my inner corner of the eye for a pop but apart from that I think it would look best on paler skin.

(swatches are at the bottom!)

So if you skipped reading anything I wrote above then here are the swatches for all three of the amazing highlighters. The top photo is without a flash and the bottom is with a flash. As you can see Champagne pop is slightly pinker in colour than the other two however they are all so gorgeous I can't resist the temptation to wear them all.

-Abigail x

Cleaning Your Makeup Brush's Just Got Easier*

Everyday I like to change up my eye makeup because it allows you to be creative. However it is such a hassle, having to keep cleaning your brushes in-between each creation. Well beautyessentials have saved my butt here, all because of their Shadow Switch. The Shadow Switch not only cleans your brushes but it is also eco-friendly, hygienic and reliable! For only £5.99 you can clean your brushes so easily without having to use any water or solution! I tried out two of my brushes below so you can see the comparison.

I use this makeup brush way too often for a brown crease. This week I decided right before college I wanted to have a pink/red crease but all my brushes are brown/black from the previous couple of days. Out I whipped my shadow switch to give my brushes a swirl around. Within seconds of swirling the dry brush, on the dry sponge, it was clean. When I then put the brush into a pink tone there wasn't a single trace of brown so I was rather impressed!

One of my most used brushes has to be there for applying glitter to my eyelid. I wasn't expecting the shadow switch to take out any of the glitter as I struggle when cleaning my brushes with a solution to clear all the glitter but this did a much better job than I anticipated! The brush has no trace of the golden/copper glitter so I can dip straight in to a different crazy colour.

Beautyessentials have recently changed their packaging (this being the old packaging) to have something a lot more simple, that can also have more added to it. Make sure you head over to the amazon page so you can see what new exciting things they will be releasing!

The Shadow Switch would also be really handy if you are going away on holiday for at least two weeks. You could easily keep up with the cleaning of your brushes, without having to worry about a liquid solution running all over you clothes in a suitcase.

-Abigail x

#SEVENTEENBLOGGERNETWORK Event!

Yesterday I headed up to London with one of my good friends Poppy from the youtube channel PoppyLinehanx to attend the #SEVENTEENBLOGGERNETWORK event. 

During the course of the event we where able to listen to guest speaks such as Kate Snooks (YES I WAS FREAKING OUT INSIDE AND WE GOT A PICTURE !!), Rollo Goldstaub who works at Google/Youtube and celebrity make-up artist Vanessa Guallar. I may be partial to say so but I loved all of the tips Kate shared about her beauty blog and I am hoping to put them to use over here on my site! 

I was ever so grateful and felt so fortunate to be invited to such an incredible event where I genuinely came away feeling like I had learnt something really useful! All the products featured in this post were gifted in a goody bag which I wasn’t expecting at all and there will be a more in-depth review of them to come!

I also 'vlogged' the day to try it out and it may have turned out miserably but hey, you have to start somewhere...

Outfit:

Playsuit - Newlook

Sandals - River Island

Jacket - Espirit

Bag- Mango

(I can't find links to the playsuit or the sandals so I have tried to find similar for you!)

-Abigail x

Beautiful Summer Bouquet!*

England’s weather is pretty awful. Today especially, it is supposed to be sunny yet it is peeing it down with rain and has been since I woke up however many hours ago! One thing that can make any room seem a lot more like summer is flowers. I love the smell of flowers *sneezes* even if the pollen count is high, effecting my hay fever but it’s okay right... because flowers are pretty! 

I got sent the most gorgeous bouquet from Prestige Flowers called the Grandeur and also added in was a pink vase and some incredible mini praline chocolates. When you order flowers from them they also send a care guide telling you how to look after the flowers which for someone like me who managed to kill a cactus was really helpful! There is also a card telling you a little bit about all the flowers which also was helpful as I know about four.

The flowers arrived really quickly which shocked me because I thought it would be at least a week but really it arrived the next day! One thing that makes me nervous about ordering flowers online is that they will arrive damaged and id has to throw them out but my order from Prestige Flowers came secured in a tall box and wasn't damaged at all! There was also the quote above attached inside and it made me chuckle so I thought I would share it with you as well!

My bouquet has lasted over two weeks and is still going strong. The guide that it came with definitely helped because otherwise they would be dead the next day! If you want to order this bouquet then it is currently reduce from £49.99 to £34.99 so get it while you can at the lower price! The bouquet would be a lovely gift for a birthday or an anniversary! 

Thank you Prestige Flowers for such a beautiful bouquet I love it to pieces!

-Abigail x

Mini Selfridges Haul!

 

 

A long long time ago... really only about a month, I ventured into London with my Mother for the day where we did some shopping before I treated her for afternoon tea at the Waldorf Hotel (Read my review here!). Before any of this even happened we had to go into Selfridges… Okay we didn’t have to I insisted we went. I only picked up two items but I thought that since they are both so pretty to photograph I couldn’t not share them with you!

The first makeup item I picked up was this Mac Lipstick. Prior to this trip I owned at least one lipstick from every finish apart from frost. That was soon to change when I noticed the gorgeous colour Angel. I am normally drawn towards either end of the spectrum, neutral or bold. I have one subtle pink but never found an interest in pink colours. When I picked up Angel I did so because of the way it glistened in the light (that sounds so corny and strange I’m sorry) but it literally does. The colour like all mac lipsticks is highly pigmented and I can’t possibly fault it. If I could why would I keep buying them! The lipstick isn’t drying on the lips at all and I find the formula very moisturising and I think that is down to the finish which allows the product to be like this.

After visiting Mac and also getting a sample of a foundation that I wanted to try I headed over to the Nars counter. I had never owned an item from Nars as I couldn’t bring myself to spend so much money on a product. Well this day was all about changes and so I had to buy the most raved about product… the blush in Orgasm. Let me tell you... I mean let me tell you… if you can justify the amount to spend on this product then do it. The pigmentation of the blush means you can easily build up how much you want it from a subtle rosiness to a clown if you wished. The colour is similar to the highlight in the Urban Decay Naked Flushed because of its sparkle and shimmer. Also if you are strange like I am and smell your products that you are putting on your face then I’ll let you add this one to the nice smelling list. It doesn’t smell fake or artificial it smells like baby powder and fairy dust. It’s hard to explain but it just smells nice!

-Abigail x