NYX Newness: Review

So my local Boots in Leeds has recently put in a massive NYX display, and I mean massive. They have pretty much every NYX product a girl could want, and as everyone has been raving about the Soft Matte Lip Creams, I thought I would give in to the hype and try them out. The shades I got were Moscow (navy blue) and Prague (blue-toned pink). A lot of the more neutral, popular shades were sold old but that didn't bother me too much, because I have plenty of nudes.

So I'll start off with the shade 'Moscow' because I've been wanting a navy matte lip cream ever since seeing the Kat Von D version look so good on so many people, but I didn't want to fork out too much money for it in case I didn't like it on me. I saw that NYX did one in that shade, so I grabbed it straight away, and at only £5.50, it is a bargain. However, I found that it came out quite patchy and took forever to dry down to a matte finish, and even then it smudged very easily on my lips. The applicator also isn't the best, and feels kind of spiky when you apply the lip cream. I am going to continue to play around with it though, because I really want to make this shade work, so you might be seeing a possible make-up look on this if I'm successful.

The second shade of the two, Prague, is by far my favourite. I don't have a shade like it in my collection and it is really flattering on, That being said, I experienced the same problems as with the first shade. Although this wasn't as patchy, it smudged around my lips when I went out for a meal with my friends, which isn't ideal. These definitely aren't drying, but in a way I would prefer them to be slightly as at least they wouldn't move around as much. I do think this is a really nice shade for summer, and will continue to wear it, but just make sure to carry it around your handbag, as it will definitely need reapplying,

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with this product, as there was so much hype surrounding it, but I don't know if I'm just being picky. I would definitely recommend checking out your local NYX counter though as they do have an amazing colour collection, and the more nude colours seem to have a better reputation. Let me know if you've tried any and what you think of them!

Votre Amy x

Golden Girl

I've recently rekindled my love for this Clinique Chubby Stick in the shade 'Ample Amber' so thought I would do a quick make-up look based around it.

I've been testing out this new 'Skin Wow' primer from Seventeen, and I am really liking it. You can use this three ways, but I like to put it on before my foundation and find it adds a nice healthy glow to the skin. The rest of my base make-up is more of the same really, after my foundation and concealer I sweep bronzer pretty much all over my face, contour slightly, and add a heck of a lot of highlighter.

I've started using the two brown shades from this Bobbi Brown palette to define my eyebrows, because I think it adds a nice shape while still leaving them looking quite natural. I use the dark brown shade ('saddle') in the outer 3/4 of my brow, then the lighter of the two shades ('nude') in the front of my brows to keep it natural. I use this L'Oreal brow gel to set everything in place. The eye make-up is also super simple. I used the Clinique Chubby Stick all over the lid and also blended it into the crease, then used a flat eye-shadow brush to pack on the shade 'Sunset Hour' from my Makeup Revolution palette all over the mobile part of my lid - this shade is the perfect rose gold glitter and one of my favourites. This eye-shadow combination really brings out my eye colour, and I love it! I used my usual L'Oreal Telescopic mascara on my lashes and really layered it up to add more definition, and voilà! 

Don't forget to let me know what you think of this look!

Votre Amy x

Bloomin' Wonderful

I'm right in the middle of exam season at university at the moment, but didn't want to miss out on a post, so i thought I would share some photos I took when my family and I went on a walk a few weeks ago. We wanted to make the most of the nice weather, so went around Nut Wood, which was beautiful, the pictures really don't do it justice.

These woods are full of bluebells and wild garlic flowers, and on a sunny day, it is just a perfect place to relax, have a wander, and take some really pretty pictures. Things should get back to normal after next week, hopefully I will have some time to do more fashion related pieces for you all!

Votre Amy x

Faking It

It's official, I've been converted. I've never been much of a fan of fake tan and have always embraced my pale skin, but I was feeling a bit down in the dumps a few weeks ago and wanted to cheer myself up. This starter kit from St Tropez was on offer on ASOS so I thought I would just take the plunge - and I've fallen in love. This set comes with an exfoliator, moisturiser and tanning mousse. I don't think the exfoliator or moisturiser are anything special, but this fake tan is really great. I know I'm definitely not an expert in this field, but it goes on so nicely, without streaks, and adds a really nice natural tan that you can build up if you want. This set also comes with a mitt to apply the tan, but i didn't want to photograph it because it's a bit grubby.

The only downside to this product is it's price tag. I don't actually think St Tropez are too badly priced for what they are, but even this tiny 50ml bottle of tan costs £10! If you know of any cheaper alternatives, please let me know. 

Votre Amy x

The Fragrance Edit

When I moved to university, I only brought a few of my favourite fragrances with me, and I thought I'd let you all know what they are and do my best to describe them.

My favourite of them all is Dolce by Dolce and Gabbana. It has a really nice floral, feminine scent without being too over powering. It is described as having top notes of neroli leaves and papaya flower, heart notes of white amaryllis, white daffodil and white water lily and dry down notes of cashmeran, musky notes and sandalwood.

I am massive fan of anything rose scented, so this eau de toilette from Zara is perfect. I love Zara perfumes, they are so cheap but really good quality too, I think this 50ml costs around £10! I also have the roller-ball version of this scent, which is really handy for taking on nights out or on holiday.

Finally I have Pulse by Beyonce. This isn't my usual kind of scent as I find it to be a bit masculine - it would probably make a really good unisex fragrance - and I usually prefer more feminine scents. However, there's something really sexy about this scent, and it is really nice for autumn/winter but I enjoy wearing it all year round. It is said to have top notes of pear blossom, blue curacao and frosted bergamot, mid-notes of peony and jasmine, and base notes of vanilla, musk and woods. 

I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to this 'fragrance mist' - basically a posh way of saying body spray -  by Victoria's Secret in the scent Total Attraction, which is cherry orchid and lily blossom. I wear this on a daily basis, and although it is a bit pricey for a body spray, it has lasted me ages and I think it is well worth the money. I always get complimented when I wear this and they now sell some Victoria's Secret sprays in Superdrug, so I'd definitely recommend checking them out!

What are some of your favourite fragrances? Let me know in the comments!

Votre Amy x

The Spring Makeup Edit

I recently found this BITE lipstick at the bottom of my cupboard and I wanted to do a really nice, simple, bronzed makeup look to go with it, so here it is.

First, I applied my Estée Lauder Perfectionist foundation using my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, and then used my Soap and Glory Kick Ass concealer to cover my dark circles and any blemishes or redness that were still peaking through the foundation. I wanted to leave my brows looking quite natural so I just put some of this L'oreal Brow Artiste Plumper on them, which just adds a bit of a tint. I then contoured slightly using the Maybelline Master Sculpt and swept the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer pretty much all over my face to give it a nice sun-kissed glow, and used this bronzer to define my crease ever so slightly.  I blended the Topshop Glow highlight on the high points of my face and then applied a thin line of the Soap and Glory Supercat eyeliner on my lash line, just to disguise the false lashes. I curled my lashes and applied a small amount of the L'oreal Telescopic mascara before applying these Fleur de Force lashes, which are 3/4 length and look really natural. I then put a little more mascara over the top and moved on to this BITE lipstick in the shade 'Lingonberry'. I thought this lipstick was perfect for this time of year when the sun comes out, and looks really great with a tan.

Let me know if you want to see me try out any other makeup looks!

Votre Amy x

Spring Lookbook

Hi guys,

For today's post, I thought I would give a quick round up of 3 of my favourite outfits for the spring time, hope you enjoy!

The Boyfriends Jeans
Jeans - Next (similar)
T-Shirt - ASOS
Shoes - Clarks (similar)
Sunglasses - Topshop (similar)
Bag - ZARA (old)

The Culottes
Trousers - Topshop
T-Shirt - ASOS
Trainers - Adidas via Urban Outfitters
Sunglasses - Ray-ban
Bag - H&M (old)
Necklace - Topshop (similar)

The Midi Dress

Dress - Topshop (old)

Shoes - H&M (similar)

Hat - New Look via ASOS

Bag - Topshop (similar)

Choker - ASOS

Which is your favourite look? Let me know in the comments.

Votre Amy x

April Favourites: Beauty and more..

I can’t believe it’s the end of April already – a slightly terrifying thought as I now have less than a month of university left! It’s hard to condense all the things I’ve been loving this month into one post, but I’m gonna do my best!

Beauty

First I’ll start with the beauty items that have not left my face or my handbag for the past 30 days. I recently bought the Estée Lauder Perfectionist foundation, I’d say in the past few weeks, but I’ve had a sample since the beginning of April – they give really generous sample sizes! This foundation is just lovely – super dewy, really nice medium coverage. I suffer with dry skin and, although this foundation doesn’t hide it completely, my skin doesn’t feel uncomfortable at all throughout the day – it’s just an all-round great product. 

The second make-up product I haven’t stopped using since I got it is the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours the Brave palette – created and designed by British Beauty Blogger Jane Cunningham! This palette is simply stunning – I could stare at it all day, I wouldn’t, but I could. Admittedly some of the eyeshadows don’t have a great colour pay-off, but for the under £10 price tag, you can’t really complain. On a day-to-day basis I like to use the shades Buffer and Drama Queen to define my crease, and just sweep Latte all over the lid, but with this palette, the possibilities really are endless.

Along the same lines as the foundation, I’ve loved having very dewy and fresh-looking make-up throughout the whole of April, and am a massive fan of highlighter. My highlighter of choice this month, and of all time, is the Glow highlighter by Topshop in the shade Polished, which is a lovely champagne colour with a bit of a pink iridescence to it. I’m surprised I haven’t heard more people rave about this, it’s a great dupe for MAC’s strobe cream.

My next favourite isn’t actually on my face in the picture above, but if you read my last blog post, you’ll have seen MAC’s Whirl make an appearance, if you haven’t, then you should! This is a very recent favourite of mine but, dare I say it, it’s becoming a Holy Grail item. It’s a perfect taupy brown, and doesn’t feel too drying or chalky on the lips, like some MAC lipsticks tend to do – I am in love. Don’t be surprised if it makes it into next month’s favourites as well.

Skincare

As for skincare, I never really change things up that much, but I’ve had an old favourite making its way back into my routine this month, and that is the Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm. I actually bought this a while ago but fell out of love with it and gave it to my sister. When I was at her flat recently, I realised she wasn’t using it, and my lips have been super dry lately, so I thought I’d steal it back. It is a really hydrating, intense balm with quite a thick formula, and has quite a luxurious feel to it, so I usually use this quite liberally at night time, then just apply a thin layer throughout the day as and when I need it and it seems to do the trick!

Fashion

Moving on to a fashion favourite of mine, this hoody from Topshop – oh my god this is so fluffy inside, it’s unbelievable. The downside is that it tends to get fluff on everything else, but I can deal with it. This hoody is perfect for days when you want to just chill out, so I usually pair it with leggings or skinny jeans. The colour is a super nice faded pink which I just find really flattering, and it falls really nicely too. I’m quite petite so sometimes hoodies can drown me or look too boxy, but this does neither, definitely a new wardrobe staple.

Everything else

Music-wise I’ve rekindled my love for Jamie XX’s album ‘In Colour’, it’s just so chilled, and I really like the vibe of this album. I have a slight addiction to Netflix, definitely an unhealthy one, and one show that I would totally recommend is a Netflix Original called ‘Love’. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it is really awesome, also features some darn good music. It’s also perfect to binge on, but you didn’t hear that from me. I went to see Captain America: Civil War last week, it was insanely good, and definitely makes the cut as well. Let me know what your April Favourites were down in the comments.

Votre Amy x