'What's Nude' with you?...

I finally have another product review for you today, and I've been meaning to get this up for about the last 2 months so I thought today was a good day before I begin the dissertation reading, so here goes!  I hope everyone is enjoying the summer holidays wherever you may be! Here in London its been so lovely and warm that I've been trying to be outside as much as possible!  I can't believe its lasted so long, its been beautiful.  Today's post is a semi review/I'm in LOVE WITH post of the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff eyeshadow quad in "What's Nude".    

Soap and Glory have produced 3 different quads, all within the same range.  This is the only one I've tried, but I am loving the formula!  Recently I've been wearing a lot of natural makeup, nothing much more than mascara and a covering of concealer over those pesky spots, but some days you just want a little bit more, and to emphasise my eyes a tad, this has been my go-to palette for the last couple of months.  With 3 matte shades and one subtle shimmer, it's been perfect for that natural look during the day, and a touch of glam in the evenings when applied slightly heavier.  With such a soft texture, I'd expected these to last all of a few hours, despite their claims of lasting 8 hours.  However, I can happily say that these have lasted all day, without primer, crease free, and have even looked pretty good after 12 hours of end of year partying and sleeping in (although this is not recommended and I really should have found the energy to take it off before I fell into bed!)  Soap and Glory have really done an amazing job with these, and I will definitely be looking at the other quads to add to my collection. 

I've been wearing these with the pink matte shade all over the lid as a base, the dark matte brown softly through the socket, the white as a brow highlight during the day, with the shimmery taupe  packed over the centre of the lid for evenings or special occasions.  Its made such a nice change from wearing eyeliner to take a look from day to evening, especially as struggle with liquid liner still after a number of years of constantly trying!  As you can see from the swatches below, the lightest shadow is very close to my skin tone, in fact you can only just see it, but trust me it is there!  The swatches below follow the palette clockwise, and from left to right:

Vanille

Pink T

Mudhoney

Aubersheen

These all blend so amazingly that I don't think I can put into words how much I love them!  So if you are looking for a new set of natural eyeshadows with amazing staying power then I thoroughly recommend that you give these a try! I believe that Soap and Glory is only available in the UK in Boots, but you can order it online here, or have a look in store.  This palette is particularly suited to blue and green eyes, as the browns pop the blue, while the shimmer is has slight purple undertones and so would look great on someone with green eyes too.  Anyway, here are a couple of cheesy selfies so you can see the finished look.  I also ran a little of the dark brown under the eyes on the outer corners.  I have found that applying these either just with a blending brush, such as a MAC 217, or packing the shadows on with a flat sided brush, such as a 239, and then blending is the best way to make these last as long as possible, as it sandwiches the layers of shadow onto the eyelid.

I hope you enjoyed this little review, I've realised there are a lot of !!! in this post, I just love this quad so much!  Soap and Glory are really working to become one of my favourite skin care and makeup brands right now.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the sunshine, I don't know how much longer its going to last, lets hope its a few weeks yet!

Love,

Sarah 

xxx

I go to Hogwarts...

So yet again, I have failed at getting another post up before the end of the month.  I've been working on a product review for a good month now and I don't know where the time has gone!  The end of exams was followed by dissertation planning and report writing, which was followed by end of year partying with the GeogSoc Summer Boat Party along the River Thames.  I then moved back home for summer, and immediately started my dissertation research in a couple of local schools, which I finished on Friday.  I really don't know where the last month has gone!  Tomorrow I will have been back home for a month!

So it is now the Summer Holidays, hurrayyyyy! I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather we've been having in the UK lately, I've already been burnt a couple of times so it's definitely time to dig out the factor 30!  Being so fair, I also have the added issue that my eyebrows bleach in the summer sun, so I'm currently sporting half an eyebrow on each eye, where the ends have pretty much disappeared! My Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara has definitely been coming in useful the last few days!

Maybelline Browdrama Sculpting mascara in Dark Blond, available for £4.99

So as I said, the weather here has been lovely the past few weeks, and particularly the final couple of weeks I spent at university.  As I mentioned in a previous post (I think!!) I study at Royal Holloway University, in Surrey.  It's quite a small university, with something like 'only' 9000 students - I say 'only', I have about 140 people in my class, which apparently is small.  However, my A Level Geography class had only 6 so you can see where I struggle to get my head around this being considered small!  While my department building very much looks like the home of Geographers, the original Founders Building never fails to take my breath away on days such as this.  Over the past 2 years I don't think I've ever wished I didn't go here, and a major part of that is to do with this building. Anyway, I thought I would share some of pictures I took over those last couple of weeks of semi-freedom, because I think its just stunning!

GeogSoc Rounders on Founders Field

So I took a selfie whilst sunbathing in my back garden...the day of the first sunburn!

I'll admit, some of these were taken back in first year, but as my department is right at the other end of campus, I don't get much time to marvel at it.  I'm very jealous of those who get to live in the halls there, although I did love my little room last year.  It's scaring me to think I only have one more year of this!  Anyway, I just wanted to share these with you, and to apologise for my fail at blogging! But hey, at least I get to go to my own version of Hogwarts!

Hope you enjoyed this random little post,

Love, Sarah 

xxx

Tresemme 7 Day Keratin Smooth Review...

I've got another review for you today.  Over the past few months, I've really been getting into hair care, and trying to make my hair as healthy as possible, which can be tricky on a student budget.  A lot of products which beauty bloggers review and use are often from the high end brands, some that many of us haven't even heard of!  Anyway, the new range from Tresemme, which some of you may have seen advertised, is the 7 Day Keratin Smooth Shampoo, Conditioner and Heat Protection serum type product. 

I used these three products over the Easter Holidays, as I might have forgotten to pack my shampoo!  So I'd been trialling them for 4-5 weeks, and unfortunately I have to say that I was not overly impressed.  However, I have never been a massive fan of Tresemme shampoo and conditioner; I find they make my hair feel quite rough and knotty, even with conditioner, so this is actually an improvement!

Starting with the shampoo (obviously), this I actually really quite like.  I have very thick hair, but I'm very lucky in that it doesn't need washing everyday.  If I'm lucky, and with a little help with my friend dry shampoo, I can get away with only washing it once every 5 days!  However, this shampoo has low sulphates, and so is ideal if you do need to wash your hair more frequently.  It left my hair feeling really clean, but without stripping it, which I find a lot of shampoo's do.  It also didn't make it feel knotty and coarse.   It also has glitter in it, which is a bonus! Overall, I think this is a pretty good shampoo, so I'd give it an 8/10.

As for the conditioner, this is where things start to go downhill.  As I've said I have very thick hair, which is also naturally wavy/curly/frizzy, so I love thick nourishing conditioners.  This conditioner is quite thin, not in a runny way, it just doesn't go very far.  I find I need a lot of this to get it through my hair compared to others I've used, and it takes a long time to work on my hair.  Once I've worked it through, detangled and rinsed it out, I find my hair feels knotty and seems to clump together.  It just gives my hair a really strange texture, it most certainly doesn't feel smooth and silky.  Sorry Tresemme - 3/10.

This is after I'd blow-dried my hair, and for some reason it looks super ginger in this photo!
And yes, this is pretty straight for my hair! 

Lastly, this product.  This has been made out to be a kind of 'miracle product' for those of us with flyaway hair looking for a smooth and sleek style that lasts more than 5 minutes.  The instructions say it can be used on wet or dry hair, but I personally only like using products like this on wet hair.  It also says on the packaging that you need 8-10 pumps of it, which I think is extremely excessive! I've been using about 2 pumps, which have left my hair a little sticky as it is so I don't want to know what it would feel like with 10 pumps of it in!  I've used this as my heat protectant and smoothing serum, so as to try it out properly for you all.  After brushing the product through using my tangle teeser, I've then been blowdrying my hair using my ghd round brush.  

All of these products are designed to be used with straighteners, and as I'm not a fan of my hair dead straight, I just blowdry it.  I have tried these products with straighteners, and I was even more disappointed with the results.  When blowdrying my hair, I did find the style lasted a bit longer, but I wouldn't say it was much different from my normal hair routine, and it certainly didn't last 7 days.  However I did find that there was a slight sticky residue on my hair which meant it clumped in places, and again, got knotty very quickly - not ideal when it's already very curly!  When using the straighteners, this was even worse, and I will definitely never use it on dry hair! 

So Tresemme, you get 2 scores for this product - how I use it - 5/10, and how you say to use it 1/10.

Hope you like post and found it useful, sorry its been so long since my last one, exams happened as soon as I got back to university and things got a bit hectic! Thankfully they're all over now so it won't be so long between this and my next post! 

Love, Sarah 

xxx

Afternoon Tea for Two...

Today I met up with one of my oldest friends, and as our birthdays are only 2 weeks apart, we always celebrate together by doing something during the Easter holidays.  Normally this involves just meeting up for a coffee in our local (and favourite place in the entire world,) Caffe Nero! Seriously go try their hot chocolate and chicken pesto panini if you haven't already! 

However, this year she is 21, so I decided to do something a little extra special...

I'd booked us in for afternoon tea at the Kensington Hotel in London this afternoon, having researched the perfect place (on a student budget remember!) and this fitted perfectly.  www.Afternoontea.com I couldn't have done it with out you! This is a great website if you're looking for somewhere less busy than one of the more famous places.  They also have some great deals at certain venues at the moment, so go check it out!

We went for their standard Afternoon Tea, which was a selection of typically British sandwiches, a scone each with delicious clotted cream and a mini pot of jam, and a selection of mini cakes, which included a slice each of freshly baked carrot cake and Victoria sponge.  All of the food was absolutely delicious, everything was fresh and tasty and we were so full it took us about 3 hours to eat everything!  

I forgot to take any pictures of my outfit before I left this morning as I was in a rush, so sorry about the lighting but I was so happy with my outfit I wanted to share it with you, especially as I was wearing my new skirt from H&M which I am in love with.  

Denim jacket - Fat Face 

White vest top and skirt (new for summer) - H&M

Nail vanish - Rimmel 60 seconds rose libertine 405

Midi rings - Accessorise 

I also took some close ups of my earrings, which are from People Tree, and my makeup, with a list of products below

Lancôme Teint Miracle Foundation - 005

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - Ivory

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer - Ivory

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder 

Mac eyeshadow - All That Glitters 

Lancôme Art Liner 

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter 

Love Sarah : )

xxx

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Review...

So its been a while since my last blog post, which was almost 2 months ago!  Four essay deadlines and a trip to Malawi later, and I'm back home in London for the Easter Holidays (yay!)  However, revision for my end of year exams starts tomorrow (not so yay).  I had this post in mind weeks ago, but never got around to writing it.  But now I have some time and can use my revision breaks to get back to it!  So here I wanted to share my views on the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer.  This is my favourite high end concealer that i've tried, and is probably my favourite concealer full stop.  I've been using it since I was 16, when I was lucky enough to have my makeup done at one of the counters in John Lewis.  

As the name suggests, it has a creamy consistency, which makes it ideal for covering stubborn blemishes.  Available in 15 shades, this yellow-based concealer is also suitable to covering discolouration of the skin, dark marks, redness and under the eyes (however it does tend to crease easily so make sure you're quick with the powder!)  I personally use it to cover any redness around my nose, and any blemishes which appear on frequent occasions.   

On my skin (combination), this concealer lasts for most of the day when powdered, however, it does sometimes need reapplying onto those annoying spots! A good powder is essential if used under the eyes, and to make sure it stays in place as long as possible.  It is very similar in finish to the MAC Studio Finish Concealer, however, I find these have a much better colour range and consistency to work with.  These blend very easily, and look like skin if applied lightly (a look I love as it gets nearer summer).  As this concealer has build-able coverage, it can look cakey if not properly blended or applied too heavily, so I find it best to start with a little and build up.  I find it best to apply with either synthetic brush (such as the Real Techniques brushes by Sam and Nic Chapman, or Pixiwoo!), or with your fingers. 

I use this concealer on a daily basis, either on its own or with foundation.  On days when I don't have time or don't want to wear a full face of makeup, I find it perfect for quickly evening out my skin tone.  While I was in Malawi, I didn't wear any foundation at all, mainly to give my skin a break and I didn't have time before busy days, but also because you don't always want a full face of makeup, especially in 30 degree heat with very high humidity! This concealer meant that I could hide any spots and dark circles from the long flight without worrying about reapplying halfway through the day!

I use the colour Ivory for those wondering

So for those of you looking for a new concealer and have a little more money to spend (or maybe have a birthday coming up!), why don't you have a look at the Bobbi Brown counter when you're next out shopping.  It is on the pricier side retailing at £18.50, but if like me you use it sparingly, the little pot can last you a while.  I hope this review was useful, let me know in the comments if there are any other Bobbi Brown products I should try, or you'd like me to review!

Love,

Sarah

xxx

My Favourite thing from January...

For the last few years, since the take off of the YouTube blogging world, the beginning of a new month always brings the latests monthly favourites videos and blog posts.  However, being a student with a dissertation proposal and an essay due in the very near future (yes I am doing this instead of working, once again), I thought that for now at least, I would write about just one favourite thing from the last month, each month.  

January was a busy, and yet not so busy month for me.  I actually went out for New Years Eve and partied the night away with my best friends, and managed to cover my best friends bedroom in gold glitter which my dress decided to shed everywhere!  But after all the festivities were over, it was back to work, with 2 deadlines for when I got back to university...yay just what anyone would want!  Once they were over, not a lot happened. I moved all my belongings back into my little room, and caught up on what everyone had done over the Christmas holidays.   One of the things that I brought back to my room to make it a little more homely, is this months favourite thing.  And its just a little thing...

Yes.  Mr Ian Somerhalder. aka Damon Salvatore from TVD (The Vampire Diaries for anyone who is not aware of the amazingness which is this TV show).  This is my calendar.  Its hanging on my wardrobe door, and this was the beautiful face I would wake up to everyday for the last month.  And this month, he is wearing a SUIT.  Now I can't be the only one who loves a guy in a suit?!  I mean, just look at this....hotness...

This isn't the photo from my calendar, but lets just appreciate Mr Somerhalder in a suit for a minute. Its just the little things like seeing his gorgeous face everyday which just made those mornings where I just didn't want to leave my bed little bit better, something to put a smile on my face.  So I thought I would share this with you, as a little appreciation post of this amazing actor.  I am yet to watch LOST, as I was too young at the time to really get into it, but I think I might have to watch them all over the next few weeks!

Anyway, I hope this post brings a smile to your face, and that seeing a lovely face like his makes your day just that little bit better.  It certainly helped with Friday mornings hangover...thanks for that RHUL GeogSoc! 

Sarah 

xxx

  

A little bit about me...

Hello, so this is me. I'm Sarah, and I've just started a blog.  This is a bit strange, I feel like I'm talking to myself.  I guess this is how everyone feels when they first enter the world of blogging and vlogging and just generally posting things about their life on the internet.  Anyway, this is a short blog about me and why I've decided to start a blog.  

This was taken last summer, back when we had some sunshine in our lives here in England! And yes, it's a cheesy selfie!

I am currently at university in London, in my second year studying Geography, so only a little different from a blog thats based around the AMAZINGNESS which is the beauty and makeup industry.  As you may notice in future posts, I'm a little obsessed with makeup. And when i say a little, i mean A LOT.  A LOT A LOT!  Is is bad that a fairly large proportion of my student loan goes on makeup each term? No I didn't think so either! 

So this blog.  I've been thinking of start one for months now, since my flatmates began their own, and from following numerous ones for years, and watching hours of beauty videos on youtube instead of doing coursework....On that note, if you're reading this and should be working, go work, and read this later!...So this blog is going to be somewhere where I can post about the AWESOMENESS that is makeup, and about my everyday adventures, if anything particularly exciting happens in my life.  I've made a promise to myself that I will push myself out of my comfort zone this year, and have more life experiences, and this is one of them.  Sometimes I find life can become a tad hectic, and so I thought it would be nice to have something productive to do other than just catching up on the latest episode of PLL and TVD (These have become far too much of a distraction this year!).  I also like to have something to escape to, which is normally books as I love reading, but with the amount of reading I have to do for my course, I reach points where I don't want to look at another book for a month, so I thought this could be a good alternative.  

Anyway, I've rambled on enough, this isn't exactly the most interesting post in the world I'm sure! Basically I'm a bored student who spends far too much time on the internet watching beauty videos, so though she'd join in! So I hope you like my blog, once it gets up and running properly.  It will most likely be makeup and beauty products which I use and love (and sometimes don't love so much) with a little bit of life thrown in on the side, I'm just going to see where my waffly mind takes me.  

And if you made it to the end, then well done! 

Sarah 

xxx