Sunday 19 January 2014

My Cosy Night In Natural MakeUp Look


Wow, what a crazy week!
Had such a busy time, with loads of exams and other bits and bobs on too, so I've only just found time to sit down and blog!

I went out on friday night, so this saturday I just had a quiet night in at the boyfriends house, so I thought I'd show you how I did my very natural, quick, not a lot of effort needed make up look

ENJOY 

So first off I prepped my skin with my all time favourite moisturiser, the AVEDA botanical kinetics hydrating lotion 

I then used the SEVENTEEN phwoarr paint in the colour fair and applied this under my eyes and on any blemishes, also over my cheeks as they were very red, so it evened the colour, and i blended this out with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which I absolutely love for concealer and foundation.

I then used a small amount of my Estèe Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation in the colour INTENSITY 1, and used the same Real Techniques brush to buff this in... I spent a long time buffing to really get a natural finish. This foundation is great medium, buildable coverage, so I just blended for a while to get a natural finish.
Here you can see that my under eye bags are nicely covered and my colour has been nicely evened out and blemishes covered. 

I then moved onto brows, one of the most important steps for me, as I am naturally blonde, I have very very light eyebrows so I tint them this colour you see above or they would be invisible. To fill in any sparse areas I use my very well loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. For the brows i use the colour 'NAKED', the brush I use is the Urban Decay 'Good Karma' brush as I find this applies the product on really naturally, I use a spoolie to comb through then first, then push the product up rather than across to get a bolder effect.
As you can see this palette is very messy, and well loved...

I then took my MAC eyeshadow in 'SHROOM' which is a gorgeous pale creamy colour, absolutely wonderful at highlighting brow bones, and took this on a fluffy brush and applied all over my lid to even out and discolouration and on my brow bone to highlight.
I then took DARKHORSE from the same Urban Decay palette and on an angled brush applies a thin layer to the top of my lash line, I used a pressing technique to make sure the shadow would stay, this was to produce a natural eyeliner without the harshness of a black liquid liner.

After curling my eyelashes with my NO.7 curlers, I applied my Elizabeth Arden Maximum Volume Mascara in Black. It gives a full but not too overpowering look, keeping the lashes separate and looking longer.
Next onto Blusher, I wanted a natural flush so used my NARS Blush in DEEP THROAT, for that natural winter pinched look. I applied a small amount with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.
After I used my extremely old Dream Terra Sun by Maybelline, because it's great for contouring subtly, and then I dust it over the whole of my face for more of a glow. However it isn't very well pigmented, so even with extremely pale skin its very subtle! 
Then I used the same Blush Brush to apply a minimal amount of the Laura Mercier Translucent powder which i absolutely love for setting my make up!

Then possibly my favourite step is highlighting, on cosy nights in I just wanted a minimal highlight, so used one of my favourite products, the Yves Saint Laurent Touche èclait radiant touch in shade 2.
I apply this under my eye to cover any fall down and brighten and on the tops of my cheek bone, and down the centre of my nose. I JUST LOVE IT.




Lastly I wanted a simple colour and moisturising lip product so went for my Clinique Chubby Stick in 04 mega melon, which gives a lovely colour while being really hydrating for the winter time. 
and here is the finished look...

So I took some photos in different lights so you could see properly!
I really hope you like this look, I thought it was just right for a cosy night in, I apologise for the comfy hoody and terrible hair, I forgot to fix those before... oops

See you soon
Love Zoe xx

Sunday 12 January 2014

NO CLOGS ALLOWED! SOAP&GLORY FACE-MASK REVIEW


In my stocking this year, I was lucky enough to receive this SUPER SELF HEATING DEEP PORE DETOX MASK by SOAP&GLORY. 

Now I love a good face mask, for my spot prone, oily-combination skin. I like the feeling of a deep cleanse, knowing I've done my best to rid the pores of any 'clogs'... excuse the pun.


For 100ml, and only needing a small amount, I'm pretty certain that this mask would last you a while, so even though the price isn't ridiculous, (although a lot more than those £1.00 masks) it is definitely worth the money. 
This mask is originally £11.50, but you can get it on offer for £8.50 here. This will last a limited time only, but Boots always have great deals on. 



So as you can see, this is a weekly mask, and gives you easy directions to follow.
And even though it says use a 'grape sized dab', I recommend about 3 'grape sized dabs' for a fairly thick coverage all over the skin.
When you start massaging this product into your skin with dry hands, you really do feel a super heating effect, it's not at all painful, but you can really feel the heat. There is also small, soft grains t help exfoliate while you rub, to get rid of dead cells, and help clean.
Then you slightly wet your hands and rub further, the product will then turn a pale blue colour and you know the mask has been activated.
Even though it says keep on for 5 minutes, I lost track of time and probably had it on for 10.

No this is not an alien, this is a delightful picture of my face. Please excuse the red eyes due to a sleepless night, sob.
I used this mask when I had just woken up to refresh my face.
I really enjoyed it as well. Because I have only used it once, I haven't noticed a great difference in skin condition, but it did feel soft and deeply cleansed.


After use, I followed up with my favourite moisturiser, the AVEDA botanical kinetics hydrating lotion, and then my skin was fully prepped for the day.

So, all in all I really liked the mask, I will continue to use it weekly, and in a month or so, I think I will blog a 'MY FAVOURITE FACE MASKS' blog, to compare what has worked best for me.

I really recommend this mask if you want a quick, but deep fix, leaving your skin with a nice refreshed and replenished finish.

I hope this was useful
See you soon,
Zoe xx

Monday 6 January 2014

House Of Holland False Nail Review

As I live with the awful habit of biting my nails when stressed, my hands aren't the prettiest. As well as the fact I live with the most temperamental kitty cat, who loves to play fight and destroy my hands, I wear plenty of little playful scratches, so I apologise for the condition of my hands.

I would love to have perfectly manicured nails all the time, as I think good hands and nails look so elegant and feminine. SO, I decided to treat myself to some false nails as a new year treat. I love false nails as they don't damage your nails as much as acrylics do, I have only had acrylics once, and when I took them off after 4 weeks (so they lasted well) my nails were weak and discoloured, and just felt unhealthy. False nails however, do not damage my nails, as the glue is very different to acrylics. They last around a week/a week and a half.
In Boots, they sell a range of brands, but the House Of Holland collection really caught my eye. They are all so different and sophisticated, with gorgeous and crazy designs.

I went for the 'DOTTY' style.
The is the second set I have worn from this box, as they contain 24 nails so that I could properly review them for you! So that is why the box looks tampered with.
I absolutely loved the look of these. The nails are mostly matte black with a few statement 3D coloured dot nails. And i just thought they were amazing.
Inside you can see that they provide you with an instruction leaflet, a nail glue and a nail file.


This is the finished product.
I think they look classy and natural, not to long and strong enough for everyday wear.

The colour does not chip, and coloured dots do not fall off, however the matte black does wear to show a shiny black under layer after about 5 days. The nails lasted 8 days without falling off, however you can just re-glue the fallen nail back on. I would suggest not doing this for longer than 2 weeks.

Overall, I think the House Of Holland collection is very good quality for the price which I payed £8.99 for, but other styles have varied prices.


I hope this was useful,
See you soon,
Love Zoe xx

Saturday 4 January 2014

Resolutions... Hmmm

'ELLO 'ELLO 'ELLO,

Every year I give myself 4/5 resolutions, stick with them for 4/5 days and then give up.
Brilliant.

BUT 2014 WILL BE DIFFERENT I CAN FEEL THE MOTIVATION INSIDE ME

Lets get to it then:

Numero 1 ~ Be healthy. This includes trying to gym 3 times a week, juicing daily (WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING GUYS), cutting carbs down, eating less chocolate because the amount i ate over christmas is literally unbelievable... I want to physically get fitter, not lose weight, but really tone up for that - ergh - ''summer bod'' (however I am the palest ghostly person so I look like a glowing milk bottle in summer and should be shipped off to the North Pole which is just fabulous as I hate the cold)

Numero 2 ~ Be cleaner. NOT MYSELF BTW, I am very together on the personal hygiene, just want to make that clear! What I mean is keep my room in a better state, get all my make up, clothes organised. Get college work and revision notes organised and yeah... we'll see about that one.

Numero 3 ~ Start a blog. Tah-Dah... I've been ready blogs, watching vlogs pretty much addicted to youtube vids as well for years and just really wanted to do it. So here we are.

I thought these three were enough to keep me going, they are actually do-able so I'll probably get back to you in February and tell you how I'm doing (gahh)...

See you soon,
Love Zoe xx

Friday 3 January 2014

JUICE JUICE JUICY JUICE and bronchitis *weep*


HELLO!

Yes, another lazy day due to the fact I have have developed bronchitis *insert many sad faces here*
I AM HOUSEBOUND and this really frustrates me! No gym pics today unfortunately.

And even though I woke up to a delicious fruit salad I have to confess, I did tuck into some chocolates, can you really blame me though?

Anyway, I have tried to make up for it by making myself a juice so here we go...

WACK OUT THE JUICER
GET YOUR VEG OUT 
WAZ IT ALL UP

For my juice today I used: 
Kale
Watercress
Cabbage
1/2 Cucumber
2x Celery
4x Carrots
An Aubergine 
An Apple
A Lime

And then my Dad came along and added a whole ginger ( I DO NOT RECOMMEND. ADD A THUMB SIZED PORTION. THUMB SIZED)

So thanks for that Dad...

Anyway, I will sip on that killer tonight after my very exiting veg dinner... CANNOT WAIT, er...

FYI, I will be adding some beauty, skin care and more fashion blogs soon, when I feel a tad better.

See you soon,
Love Zoe xx

Thursday 2 January 2014

1st day of cleanse... poorly girly

Hey guys,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So, I entered 2014 pretty sick and coldy (boohoo) and tissues have become my new best friend, which is not exactly how I planned to start the new year, ooh well

CONFESSION: So my first day of cleansing didn't go to well on the 1st, I woke up feeling pretty rough due to my cold and had a camomile tea and two eggs (without bread) which was a good start, however I spent most of my day in bed and when I got home from my boyfriends, my mum wanted all the left over Christmas food eaten, so Dad (who is also 'dieting') and I decided to delay until the 2nd, and we finished off the meats, chocolate, and other unhealthy festive treats.. oops

ANYWAY, today is the 2nd, and I hoped to get down to the gym this morning however i'm really not feeling up for it, so i'm really trying to rest today and get some work done so I can head down tomorrow when/if I feel better.
I started the day with a sweet juice to get me ready for the daily (horrible) drinks. For my juices I use my Sage Juicer by Heston Blumenthal and this is a really fast and efficient juicer which I really recommend.

The juice I went for this morning: (for one person)
2x medium apples
1x orange (peeled although you don't need to on this juicer)
2x medium bunches of grapes
2x celery sticks
1x chunk (around 6'') of cucumber 
and half a lemon

... It turned out like this 

This is green drink is very sweet so I wouldn't recommend for any other meal other than breakfast, and I think next time I would substitute the grapes and one apple for some kale.
TIP: For a more savoury juice, try adding an apple/lemon/ginger to make the juice more palatable.


Moving on to lunch now, and I was so very very exited to crack into a gorgeous smelling Moroccan soup that my Mum had bought, however I went to the fridge to find that my old father dear had eaten it... cheers Dad. Anyway, i made myself a simple green salad and as a substitute for dressing (Pizza Express House Dressing is a god send, honestly I could bathe in that stuff, well probably not but you get what I mean) but unfortunately it is very calorific, so instead I drizzled some balsamic vinegar, you could also add lemon too or instead.


Yes, I do realise that it looks pretty bland and rubbish, but I really couldn't be bothered to spend a lot of time on a quick snacky lunch, I promise to make some more exiting lunches soon. Just incase you're wondering, I simply used a packet of mixed salad leaves, chopped some celery and cucumber and that was it!

As I am still feeling very under the whether, I thought I would run a nice bubble bath and watch David Blaine's 'Real or Magic' on 4od, if you're into magic, or love being wowed by magic, I highly recommend! 
So I ran a beautiful bath and I'm very annoyed at myself for forgetting to take a picture of it before, dang! Anyway I used my favourite Badedas bubble bath, lit a candle and relaxed for a while.


Although I hadn't been wearing make up all day, I still wanted to use my Liz Earl Hot Cloth Cleanser, as I've been using this product for over two years now, after my Mum took me to a Liz Earl skin meeting in London and I've been hooked ever since. It removes make up instantly, even tough eye make up, and has a fresh scent too, you actually can notice the change in your skin after a week or so, and I love the muslin cloth to scrub at any problematic areas of skin. I would say it's my favourite every day skin cleanser.
I shampooed my hair with the Aussie awesome volume shampoo, which I purchased because I generally love Aussie products, I think they mostly have the most wonderful scents and make my hair feel fresh and cleaned without causing build up. However this scent of 'Australian Hops' really isn't for me. It smelt like a bar of soap, and left my hair feeling dry in my hair, so I won't be repurchasing that particular type again, though it really hasn't put me off the other Aussie products. I then used a Herbal Essences conditioner which is really nourishing and leaves my hair soft and silky, and it smells good too. When the ends of my hair are feeling particularly dry, I add a few squirts of the L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil, this ones for coloured hair even though mine isn't, but still works really nicely, giving a soft shiny finish without looking or feeling at all greasy.

P.S that bar of soap is the L'occitaine grapefruit soap, which I think has now been discontinued (sorry) but it smells literally like heaven.

Using one of my personal favourite body scrub, the St Ives apricot invigorating scrub to quickly buff my skin, an absolute winner for dull looking skin, however you do need to clean out the tub after as it leaves sand grains on the bottom; and then my Satin Care radiant apricot shave gell to shave my legs, this gell is a pretty colour, nice smell and does what it says on the tin... bottle.


After that well needed bath my dinner was ready and well...


You cannot go wrong with an M&S steak now. I like mine medium rare, and i'm glad mum cooked a to of veg as well. 
The rather interesting looking sauce is a mustard and pepper ready sauce and was actually lovely! 

This has turned out to be a rather long blog, I'm hoping to blog twice a week, but as college work builds up it may be just the once, but i wanted to let you all see my first cleansing day, so there you go, hope you enjoyed

See you soon
Love Zoe xx

NEW YEARS EVE OUTFIT

In my first post I mentioned that I would be posting some fashion blogs as well...

One of my lovely friends lent me her Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy red cut out dress for our NYE party...



I think this dress is absolutely gorgeous, I love the bright red, my friend and I are both pretty pale so I think (hope) it suited my skin tone.
The dress is size 6, however I am mostly a 8/10 so it was a bit of a squeeze. The thick material is double layered and stretchy but firm, so once I was in it sucked in all the wobbly bobbly bits and as long as I kept the tum stucked in, actually looked a pretty good fit.


 I wore my Lacoste wedge black suede boots, as they have a small, comfortable rubber wedge which was perfect as I needed to be able to walk home in the wind and rain so couldn't wear anything ridiculous. I also think these look so cute with a pair of frilly ankle socks. 



For my hair, I simply curled it all over using the Babyliss Perfect Curl (also my friends), and secured the top section on hair behind in a small ponytail after that section of hair had been backcombed to give some volume.

Hope you like this look and all had a great NEW YEARS EVE AND DAY

Love Zoe xx