Bikini Body Time!

So it's about that time of the year again, when we want to look that extra special for summer body exposure! Hehe, so I decided to start a summer body series on my YouTube channel giving tips on getting ready for summer. I've so far uploaded two videos on how to get rid of cellulite and tips for sticking to your diet. I believe that you can't go wrong with a continual healthy lifestyle as not only will you always be feeling your best every summer or any time you'll be exposing a bit more skin, but your mind, body and soul will thank you in the long run! But to start the topic off on my channel I decided to do these videos especially for anyone who is wanting to start a healthier lifestyle.

How to get rid of cellulite!

There is no way of literally banishing cellulite unfortunately, we can reduce its appearance. If you follow some of these tips (even better, all!) you will definitely see a great improvement! 

Tips for sticking to a diet

Dieting is hard, even harder if you think of it has that! 'Arghh I'm on a DIET, can't eat this or that...' It's harder if you make it some sort of self punishment / torture. This is why I enjoy living a healthy lifestyle (more or less healthy! hehe) rather than always being on a 'diet' or dieting for certain occasions. I do not consider the way I eat as following a 'diet'. Anyway, before I start rambling, as I said these initial videos are to help anyone who's looking for tips and advice in beginning something that could possibly progress to a healthier way of living.

I hope you enjoy the videos and find them useful!

Review | Me Me Me Eye Inspire Catwalk Quad Collection

I'm a sucker for gorgeous metallic, vibrant eyeshadow, so when I cam across these quads while browsing the Me Me Me Cosmetics website I had to have them! Just look at those intense colours! I love these quads but I initially was really put off when I first tried one of them, so much so I hadn't tried the rest until quite recently. The first time I was going to use any of the quads I opted for Fire Eyes, I was in a rush and was going to quickly update my day make-up to a more dramatic night look. I grabbed my brush and went to pick up some colour and to my annoyance absolutely nothing transferred on to the brush! So I tried using my finger and I only got some colour pay off using quite a bit of pressure. I was so put off I didn't even try the other quads. I googled for reviews but didn't find that much at the time. I found one review that complained about the same thing and another saying really good things, so I thought maybe I got some dud quads so I left them aside for some time. Anyway, one night when I was doing a green smokey eye  I decided to give the quads another go since I hadn't really tried all of them out, this time the colour transferred properly to the brush and gave me the results I had expected before! Highly pigmented metallic gorgeousness. 

These quads aren't cheap (each one costs £6.50) so it's pretty bad that the Fire Eyes quad had extremely bad colour pay off, and since I had seen that bad review talking about the same problem I suspect that it isn't rare someone gets a dud quad (or more than one.) However, when the eyeshadows work as they should they are absolutely gorgeous.

There is a possibility that Me Me Me became aware of this problem and addressed it as when I bought the quads they were called Eye Inspire Baked Eyeshadow where as now they are called Inspire Catwalk Quad Collection. Have you tried these quads? What are your favourite intense metallic eyeshadows?

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

I dedicate my first Sleek blush post to the oh so pretty Rose Gold! I picked up a few Sleek blushes a while a go and have been absolutely loving them. They are such great quality for an affordable price! I thought I'd do my first post about Rose Gold as I came to discover it is an almost exact, (if not almost exact, complete exact!) dupe for MAC's Springsheen. I discovered this when I was with a friend when she repurchased Springsheen, I tried it to compare the two blushes and the similarity is definitely uncanny! Anyway, regardless of this discovery, Sleek's Rose Gold is simply gawwgus. It's a lovley soft pink colour with an underlying gold hue to it. I don't bother with highlighter whenever I wear this blush.

This is definitely on my favourites list!

The finish is quite sheer leaving your cheeks with a gentle luminous hue. This blush, as all my other Sleek blushes, applies nicely and has great lasting power. Overall I highly recommend! I'll be posting more Sleek blush reviews in the future as I think every single one is well worth the mention!

Outfit of The Night | Mango Navy Racerback + Colour Block Sandals

OOTN time! If you saw my previous OOTN video you'll notice that once again I'm wearing a pair of Jorge Bischoffs. I can't get enough of JBs! Hehe Check out the video below or click here for more info on the outfit.

Kitchen cupboard favs! Apple Cider Vinegar for lucious skin!

So I'm back with another kitchen cupboard favourite and this time it's the wonderful apple cider vinegar! I've been loving ACV and cannot do without it now. It's become a staple step in my routine. I've found that it's helped to diminish those pesky bumpy white heads (not pustules) that are so hard to shift as well as prevent breakouts.  The natural acids help to keep pores unblocked resulting in smoother, clearer skin. Some people claim that it helps them with hyperpigmentation but I didn't see any results in that department unfortunately. Check out the video above or click here to see my full review. Have you tried ACV on your skin? If so, how did you find it?

How I got rid of my severe cystic acne

Cute thumbnail eh?! Haha, anyway as the title suggests this video is about how I managed to get rid of my severe cystic acne. I've always had acne prone skin ever since I hit puberty and I went through stages where it would get better and worse, then better then worse... but at one stage it got reaaally bad. It got to a point where it was even painful to simply touch my face. Thankfully I managed to find a solution! Watch the video above or click here to see what I did to get rid of my acne once and for all! Keep strong acne sufferers, there's a solution out there it just has to be the right one for you.

My top tips:

Be patient when trying a new routine; acne cures usually do not work quickly. You need to give whatever you're trying a good test out before you conclude that it does not work for you.

Try not to squeeze really bad lesions like cysts/nodules. They're more likely to leave scarring if you do. I do have to admit I could NEVER leave any lesion alone! If it looked like it could be squeezed allowing me to get the 'core' out for it to hurry up and heal over I would get popping ASAP, and those nasty popped cysts are actually what caused any scarring on my skin. 

If you really want to squeeze a spot then make sure you do it properly! It has to be ready to be squeezed or your failed attempts will just worsen the flareup. The squeezing has to be done in a certain way so as not to aggravate the lesion or push the bad stuff deeper into the blocked pore. There are plenty of videos on YouTube demonstrating how to to do extractions correctly, definitely take a look if you need to brush up on your technique!

To help improve the appearance of scarring stay true to a good and consistent skin care routine that includes regular exfoliation. If you feel exfoliants with granules are too harsh for you opt for gentle exfoliants such as the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant or natural exfoliants rich in AHAs/BHAs such as lemons, strawberries, milk, apple cider vinegar and so on.  

As I mention in the video, I recommend calamine lotion and aloe vera for highly irritated skin. They definitely helped to calm my skin down at times when it got really uncomfortable.

If you suffer from acne and haven't found a solution yet I hope this video helps! However if you have suffered from acne and have found a solution do let us know what that is in the comments!

Make-Up Haul: Bobbi Brown, Bourjois, MAC & Maybelline

Believe it or not this haul includes my first ever MAC lipsticks! Yep, up until not that long ago I was a MAC virgin. Before getting to know the beauty blogging world and beauty community on YouTube, I had never tried any MAC make-up at all. I have to admit I hardly even used that much make-up. I only ever used foundation, some clear mascara and a bit of blush or bronzer! I'd probably still be rocking that routine had I never stumbled across the marvels of the online beauty world! Nowadays there can never be enough on my make-up wish list, haha. Anyway, let's get to it..

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner Set

This was a great deal I could not ignore! I already had the black gel eyeliner but it some how vanished in my house. I was so annoyed as other than the fact that it is quite expensive(!) this gel eyeliner really is amazing! So this was on my 'to-get-list' for a while. It is quite pricy but it's so good I'm willing to part with the cash for it. Now I came across this set while I was on an international flight and unfortunately it is unavailable elsewhere, not even in the duty free shops! It costs around $40 which is a steal considering each eyeliner pot alone retails for £17! I can't praise this gel eyeliner enough, it stays put right up until the moment you take it off not matter how long it's been on.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

I had been really itching to try this foundation after hearing only good things about it everywhere. It took me some time to find shade 56, which I believe is the darkest shade, but unfortunately it doesn't work that well for me as it is quite pinkish. I'm really interested to see if I can make the shade work better for me by setting the foundation with something like the Ben Nye Banana Powder. For now I've been mixing it with my Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation.

MAC lipsticks in Jubilee and Hot Tahiti

I initially had my eye on Blankety for a nude shade for quite some time but when I when I went to buy it and tried it on I felt it did not work for me at all, I thought it looked quite terrible on me compared to how lovely I thought it looked on everyone I had seen wearing it on blogs and YT! So, I chose Jubilee instead. It was a lucky find as someone asked for it while I was trying to find something to get in Blankety's place. I love it! It looks dark but it doesn't appear like that on the lips. One of my favourite nudes at the mo! Bear in mind that it may be a bit dark for lighter skin tones.

I also wanted a red lippie, the sales lady suggested Hot Tahiti and I'm so glad as I love it too! It's a gorgeous tropical but muted dark red tone, it's name is just perfect for it! Because it's a glaze lipstick it glides on to give a subtle sheer finish. Don't let this make you think the colour doesn't show that much on the lips though, the finish is sheer but still well pigmented.

Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder 

From the first time I saw the Maybelline Fit Me line ad on TV it looked so inviting I wanted to try the foundation as soon as I could get my hands on it! But all the reviews I had seen for it did not have that many good things to say about it particularly for oily skin types. The pressed powder on the other hand had quite a few favourable reviews so I thought I'd give it a try. I have to say I am glad I bought it, it's a great pressed powder. I've only used it to set foundation as it gives very sheer coverage. I only ever really used my trusty Corn Silk translucent loose powder to set foundation but my Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder has become a close favourite. It gives a very natural finish to the skin, not at all powdery. I got it in the shade 315.

Well that's the lot, hope you enjoyed this little haul! Have you tried any of the mentioned products? If so what did you think? Hope the new year has been treating you well, see you in the next post! x 

Review: No7 Stay Perfect Foundation

Let me start off the post by wishing everyone a very happy New Year! May we all achieve all our goals and aspirations and may this year be full of love, peace, happiness and success for us all!

I've had No7 Stay Perfect Foundation for quite a few months now and have been thoroughly enjoying it. It gives light to medium coverage and leaves a lovely natural finish to the skin. I have to say it's one of my go-to foundations at the moment! Wish I had a better thumbnail for my video rather than the not-too-impressed expression I had to settle with! Haha, check out my full review above or here.

Review: Me Me Me Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base

A few months ago I took advantage of a Groupon deal that Me Me Me had going on and this primer was one of the products that I purchased. I hadn't really heard that much about Me Me Me other than brief mentions in  one or two YouTube videos. I checked out their website first to have a look at the products and the Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base sounded like a really nice product to use, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. In Me Me Me's words this primer is a ''Moisturising facebase enriched with Shea Butter, Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene to prep & prime skin.'' Sounds good huh? I wasn't really sure what results to expect due to my oily/combination skin but a few reviews I had seen convinced me that this 'facebase' would smooth over my skin nicely and not leave it feeling greasy or like there's still something sitting on top of it. 

Texture: The texture of this primer is goooorgeously luxurious! It's thick and smooth though still light in a way, it doesn't feel heavy at all. It glides really nicely over your skin and leaves it soft and ready for foundation application.

Scent: I love the scent of this primer, it's exactly how I described L'oreal's Hydrafresh Active Day Ultra Hydrating Gel-Crème in the review I did a few posts ago - fresh and zesty! I think it has a very grapefruit-y scent to it.

Results: I've been loving the finish my skin gets when I use this primer. In my opinion it preps the skin perfectly for foundation. It leaves your skin with a sort of velvety finish while at the same time leaving the skin soft, supple and moisturised. I would say it is almost as good, or just as good as the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer in helping to reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines. I wouldn't say this primer helps your make-up stay put for hours on end, I believe it performs just as well as any other good primer in that aspect. But what I love about it is that it it feels like I'm using a really nice moisturiser. As I said, the finish is velvety though moisturising and nourishing so it's still great for oily skin types but also good for people with drier skin types that want a primer that feels lovely to use and doesn't over matify the skin. I've used this primer in both cold and hot conditions and can confirm that it did not make my skin any more oilier at any time! Definitely a repurchase for me, another 10/10 product for Luxe'n'Lush!

A point I want to make is that when I bought Me Me Me's Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base I think it was around £12 if I remember correctly. The price has now slightly gone up to £15, however it's currently on promotion on the Me Me Me website for £12.50.

Leggings Wish List

I'm currently obsessed with leggings so I thought I'd post a leggings wish list as a kind of 'part 2' wish list thing (in relation to my last post which was my blog's second wish list post) to share what I've been lusting over, with you hehe.

1. Topshop Moonshine High Shine Leggings

I love the 80s futuristic symmetric print on these. Reminds me of Blade Runner or something!

2. River Island Black Contrast Panel Leggings

You've gotta have a pair of black panel leggings right? I don't own a pair yet but these could well be a contender for my first pair!

3. [eBay] Dress Factor Baroque Leggings

Love the pop of aqua teal on these pair! The colour is a gorgeous compliment to the baroque pattern.

4 & 5. American Apparel White Black Afrika Leggings /  American Apparel Red Black Afrika Leggings 

I actually want the high waisted version of both of these. I've seen people wearing these and they look great with a bralet or cop top teamed with a cropped denim sleeveless jacket / waistcoat. The quality of the leggings are nice but I do think £25 for a pair is a tad expensive.

6. eBay High Waisted Faux Leather

Another high waisted choice, I like that these have the wet but matte look. I prefer them to the shinier looking ones.

And so that concludes my leggings wish list for now, hehe, no doubt it will most probably grow!