Monday 26 May 2014

045 : Motivational Monday #1


Hey Lovelies, this is the first post of my new Motivational Monday series. I don't know about you guys but Monday is always the hardest day for me to find any motivation to do anything whatsoever. I really love this quote, I spend a lot of time resting/napping/procrastinating and not getting things done. I'm sure I spend about 80% of my day daydreaming about all the things I'd love to achieve and aim towards in life and around 20% actually doing anything about it. I've finally come to realise that while its great to have dreams and goals, you're not going to get anywhere sitting on your butt watching Nothing to Declare & Here Comes Honey Boo Boo with a bag of popcorn and a glass of wine. I'm really going to try and start utilising my time a little better, getting to bed at a good time, waking up nice and early and having super productive days. For me, organisation is key. I write list after list of all the things I need to do every day, and even if I only get through half of it, its an achievement! 

We all have things we'd love to achieve in life, whether its having a big house in the countryside, the freedom to travel, a large family or material things like a Chanel 2.55 (ahem!) - but these things don't get given to us (unless you're incredibly lucky!) - we have to work for them and we have to work hard, think of all these things last thing at night and first thing in the morning and go chase your dreams! 

What keeps you motivated on a Monday morning?

Lots of Love
Heidi 
xxx
View Post
SHARE:

Wednesday 21 May 2014

044 : Spring Beauty Haul

Hey Lovelies! Hope everyone is enjoying this amazing sunshine, I have to admit, I do find it really hard to get motivated when it's so beautiful outside! So, over the last five months I've been collecting various products ready for the Spring/Summer season, like a lot of beauty bloggers, I like to switch up my shades and products as the weather changes, for lighter, more delicate options.. please note, I didn't buy all of this at once and some of it was birthday gifts!



 I bought this on a bit of a whim around a month ago and I'm so glad I did. Before bed I tend to cleanse, tone and moisturise but my skin looked tired and felt dry in the mornings. I heard amazing things about this serum-in-oil and really wanted to try it out. Applying just a few drops before bed, my skin looks and feels refreshed in the morning. I look more awake and my skin feels hydrated and fresh, this is definitely a product I can see myself purchasing again and again! 


Being a lover of the original Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance, I couldn't wait to get my little mitts on this, I did buy it with birthday money as it is quite pricey, but its one of the most beautiful fragrances I've ever whiffed. Fruity, light & floral, its perfect for daytime & in the evenings if you don't like anything too heavy. It has a really soft, feminine scent and the bottle is just to die for! A staple for every girls dressing table, no?


Another naughty perfume buy, I bought this in Superdrug a while ago when it was only £10. I'm not a massive fan of celebrity fragrances but this is one of those perfumes that gets a lot of compliments and people are always pretty surprised to hear its Gaga's. Of course, it wouldn't be Lady Gaga if the fragrance fluid itself wasn't black, which turns clear when sprayed. The bottle has had a little controversy but I quite like the gold claw! It has a fairly light, floral fragrance which smells quite sweet. Its not one I'd use religiously but its definitely a nice option for the daytime!


I always get really excited for the new Essie collections, as a devout Essie collector, I'm always anxious to see whats coming next. I picked up three of these shades in the Boots 3-for-2 deal. I opted for Style Hunter, a bright pinky-red shade, Romper Room, a baby pink, Spin the Bottle, a nude and Fashion Playground which is a duck-egg minty shade. I decided not to go for the two blue shades as I never really use blue polishes. I have to say I was kind of disappointed at the consistency of these shades, with Romper Room and Fashion Playground its really hard to get a nice, even coat. Although when Fashion Playground is on, its a beautiful shade, I think it makes a perfect alternative to Mint Candy Apple. I love Style Hunter and Spin the Bottle, Style Hunter is a vibrant magenta shade, the perfect mix of red and pink and makes for a pretty, bold nail. I was a little skeptical of Spin the Bottle as it looks like quite a strange colour in the bottle, but its actually beautiful when its worn on, its the perfect nude, its classy and elegant and gorgeous for daytime wear.


Another Boots 3-for-2 buy, Madison Ave-Hue is a shade I've been pining after for such a long time, but always seems to be sold out at my local Boots. I'm so glad I managed to pick this up, its a stunning shade of pink and looks gorgeous on. A really girly, flirty pink which is different to all of the other pink polishes I have. I think its really underrated as its so utterly gorgeous, perfect pink shade for summer!


Another 3-for-2 Boots buy (am I the only one who'd have to be physically restrained to stay away?!), I saw these House of Holland Nails and fell in love, they're so utterly adorable. House of Holland have really outdone themselves on the nail front this year and have some really stunning designs out. I'm yet to use them, but can't wait to try them out. I'm a sucker for anything remotely cute, I'd have loved to have seen some House of Holland Cupcake nails!


Over the last year or so, Sleek has become one of my favourite brands, I love their eyeshadow palettes and their products are so affordable. I'd seen amazing things said about this little palette on Twitter and really wanted to give it a go. It has three shades, Icing Sugar (left), Macaroon - a cream blush (centre) and Pink Mint (right). I really like Icing Sugar, its a rose-gold, light, delicate pink which looks really pretty against my pale skin. I found Macaroon a little hard to blend in, but its a gorgeous, brighter pink shade. Pink Mint is more of a coral based blush, which I find is a little harsh on my skintone. All of the shades are really long lasting and have amazing pigmentation like their eye-palette sisters!


This was another birthday buy, I really love the Mac Mineralize blushes as they're always so shimmery, Azalea in The Afternoon is no exception, a pretty blue-toned pink shade with a hint of shimmer. This is a really gorgeous shade for the spring, it suits my pale skin perfectly but I think its such a versatile shade it would suit all skin shades, I have to say though, I don't feel as though as I've got much bang for my buck, £20 makes this little blush on the pricier end of the blush scale and the longevity isn't that great, I do find myself having to re-apply every few hours. For a limited edition blush, its pretty but definitely hasn't lived up to the hype!


I picked up this pretty little compact on a recent trip to Boots (they need to start charging me rent, seriously..!) Its so, so beautiful. Its a blush I've received loads of compliments on, it has shades of blush, highlighter and bronzer, when they're all swirled together on your brush it looks gorgeous. Its so shimmery and light, I can definitely see this blush being my spring/summer staple, its long-lasting too and well priced for what you get. Soap & Glory cosmetics are ones that I'm finding myself opting for more and more frequently, they've never seemed to fail to impress me lately!


I picked this up after seeing it on Fleur's instagram feed, it looked gorgeous on Fleur so I figured I had to have it. Described as having the colour intensity of a lipstick, magnifying shine of a gloss and softness of a balm & being available in a total of 9 different shades, its a really gorgeous lipstick, it doesn't feel at all sticky, my lips feel beautifully soft and hydrated, it definitely lives up to the hype and was a good investment, however... I just don't like the shade on me, it looks so dark on me, being a fan of lighter lipsticks I wish I'd opted for a lighter, pinker shade!


I picked up this little beauty on a trip to Cambridge months and months ago and I really wish I'd blogged about it sooner. It's gorgeous. I usually opt for the Mineralize lipsticks as I find them less drying, but over a good lip balm this lipstick is perfect. A beautiful coral shade, which works perfectly for both daytime and evening wear and one that I find to be really flattering, I think its one of those shades that absolutely anyone can get away with! Its become my staple lip colour over the last few weeks and I don't see it changing anytime soon, it is a little pricey but I think its definitely worth the price tag!


Divine Choice was another birthday purchase, its a gorgeous hot pink shade which I've had tons of compliments on. I love the softness and richness of the Mineralize lipsticks, it glides on really well and lasts all day. I always find the Mineralize lipsticks way more moisturising, non-sticky and easy to apply, this was no exception. I have my little peepers on Dreaminess - a gorgeous pale pink! The Models Own polishes were a couple that I picked up over easter and are yet to use, I saw them all over instagram and thought they were a great alternative to a texture polish or nail wrap. I love how these look on & their a definite cheaper option to the Illamasqua alternative!


Another Soap & Glory product I wish I'd blogged about sooner, I've had this gorgeous highlighter over a month now and have fallen head over heels for it. I had been looking for a liquid highlighter for ages and had failed to find one anywhere, I'm so glad I stumbled across this little beauty. I started using it just on my cheekbones to give my skin some definition and a little shimmer, to make my face look less 'flat' so to say! I mix a little in with my foundation now and it gives me a perfect dewy glow. I absolutely, love, love, love this. Cannot rave about it enough!


I'm really loving Soap & Glory products at the moment, I've been using them on a daily basis. My eyes are a really problematic area for me, no matter how much sleep I get I always suffer with dark circles in the morning, its something I feel really self conscious about and having tried a multitude of products I still haven't managed to solve the issue. Trick & Treatment is a light concealer, its yellow pigmented which claims to neutralise purple tones under the eyes. For me, this just didn't work. It added a little coverage but not enough, I find it works much better for covering imperfections! I think it was a little bit of a letdown considering the price! Puffy Eye Attack is a gel cream, which is applied at night and in the mornings, I pop it on under my eyes and brow bone before bed and before applying make-up, I've definitely noticed that my eyes look less tired, but again it hasn't done much for my dark circles, I've used this daily for around a month now and not noticed much difference at all. Bit of a let down!


Drink Up Intensive has been a product I was pining after for a really long time, having heard amazing things about it flying around the bloggersphere and on twitter, I finally picked it up a few months back and I don't know how I've lived without it! It's a beautifully creamy mask, which you just pop on before bedtime and bobs your uncle! I tend to use this after a hot bath when my skin feels dry and during the summer months when I feel like a need a moisture boost. In the mornings my skin feels beautifully hydrated and absolutely loves me for it. I love Origins products, and being all natural, you know that whats going on your face is all good! No nasty chemicals needed! I bought the L'Oreal Gel Liner on a bit of a whim, having used the Rimmel one for a really long time and absolutely loved it, I felt like I wanted to change it up a little. The L'Oreal Liner has really impressed me, its long lasting and super pigmented, it never needs touching up during the day at all and stays put. I was a little skeptical about the brush that came with it as I never find them to be that good, but the one with this liner was actually pretty decent, I apply mine using an angled brush from Mac for a perfect cat-eye flick! A definite keeper!

So that wraps it up! Sorry for such a long post today! What have you guys been investing in lately?

Lots of Love!
Heidi 
xxxx 
View Post
SHARE:
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
© Blush and Belle. All rights reserved.
MINIMALIST BLOGGER TEMPLATES BY pipdig