Crabtree & Evelyn sale bits

I know its abit grannyish but before christmas I went in Crabtree and Evelyn to look for mumsy gifts and found the Noel fragranced candles to be gorgous! however, the range was far too pricey for my student budget, one large candle being £20.

I went back to the store yesterday and although that particular candle i loved was sold out in the sale, I picked up the same scent in a room spray.

I also got the pomegranate body wash in the sale, which has a lovely spicey fruit smell.

Im loving this never ending sale season!

Noel room spray- £3.00

pomegranate body wash- £3.60

(i think these items were 70% off)

Rachy xxx

My makeup storage

This is a post I have been meaning to write for a while now, and when I saw my friend Kelseys makeup storage post the other day it gave me the kick up the bum I needed.

This little storage gem is a sanctury spa boxset of my mums that I managed to salvaged that probably would have been thrown out. Cost me nothing and is proving very usefull.

The Sanctury box I am using as my makeup storage :) Brushes and liners in an old candle holder on top

Top left drawer: odd lipsticks & glosses, Top right: single eyeshadows, glitters, liners, mascara, primers

Middle drawer: face powders, beauty powders, blushes & lipgloss and lipsticks

Bottom drawer: eyeshadow palettes, Lip kits & eyeshadow duos & trios

Rachy xxx

Appologies & FOTN's

Again I must appologise for the lack of blogging I have been doing, it seems as though since returning to uni I have been hidden under a pile of books, and havn't had much time of myself or you guys. But again I have returned with a little post before I return to my book pile.

Here is a FOTN look I came up with but havnt had had the chance to wear out yet. This look was all about experementing with some of the new products I got for christmas.

Product list:

Face: Mac studio fix fluid foundation-NW 15, maybelline pure cover mineral concealer- 02 natural, Mac beauty powder- oh so fair

Eyes: Mac prep & prime eye- light, pixi fairy dust-12 (dupe: barry m dazzledust-mushroom), Mac eye kohl- smoulder, Pixi gel eyeliner- onyx, Mac plush lash mascara- black


Lips: collection 2000 lasting colour lipstick- berry blast, Mac dazzleglass cream- funtabulous

And here are a couple of similar FOTNs that I have worn on nights out in the last week or so:

Face: Mac studio fix fluid foundation- NW15, Maybelline pure cover mineral concealer, Mac MSF- soft & gentle, Mac cream colour base- virgin isle

Eyes: Mac eyebrow pencil- spiked, Mac prep + prime eye, Mac pearlglide eyeliner- undercurrant, Mac venemous villains mineral eyeshadow- she who dares (the green), Mac eye kohl- smoulder, Mac plush lash mascara

Lips: Mac lustre lipstick- cut a caper

Face: Mac studio fix fluid foundation- NW15, Maybelline pure cover mineral concealer, Mac MSF- Soft & gentle

Eyes: Mac brow pencil- spiked, Mac prep + prime eye base, Mac pearlglide eyeliner- petrol blue, Mac venemous villains mineral eyeshadow- She who dares (the blue), Mac eye kohl- smoulder, Mac plush lash mascara

Lips: Benefit lipgloss- 24K

To my knowledge the Mac peacocky collection will be in my local store tommorow, and I am very intrigued be a couple of the glosses so keep your eyes pealed for a post!

Rachy xxx

My Skincare routine on a budget

So my current skincare routine is a particularly student friendly one price-wise and is working a treat. My skin is soft, clean feeling and (when I'm not hungover- glowy) and apart from the occasional deserved spot invasion on my chin due to junk food, there is nothing bad to report on, only good.

Here is what im using:

From left to right:

1. Boots essentials moisturising cream (cucumber- all skin types)- This moisturiser was a purchase I made when feelin aprticularly strapped for cash and in need of a bit of skin moisture, and was only £1.20. I personally like the cucumbery scent as i think I used some cucumber scented boots products when I was younger and it reminds me of my younger years :) I prefer to use this cream before I go to bed or every few mornings.

2. Sainsbury's basics 80 cotton wool pads- I am forever hunting for cheaper cotton wool pads as I think having to pay £1.50 for something you can find for 50p (the spare change in your pocket) is annoying. These ones were about 47p but Ive picked them up for a similar price at Wilkinsons, and they all do the same job.

3. Superdrug vitamin cleanser and eye makeup remover- I purchased this cleanser in a joint but with the illuminating moisture cream which I had heard good things about, I think it was a 2 for £3 deal or something. I wasnt expecting much of a difference from any other cleansers but I really like this one. Not quite sure how to describe but it feels a bit creamier than other cleansers and makes my skin soft after use. Obviously the fact that it has some kind of vitamins in it makes me feel happy with myself too!

4. Superdrug vitamin illuminating moisture cream- The very cheap moisture cream that I have seen praised (and have praised myself) on beauty blogs. This cream has a lovely coconutty smell and a pearly tint to it, leaving your skin silky soft and glowing. Great used as a makeup base or on its own.

5. Garnier soft essentials rose water + pro-vitamin B5 soothing toner- For me, toner is one of the most important skincare items, especially if you are a big wearer of makeup. When I remove my makeup with cleanser or makeup wipes and then squirt a bit of toner onto a cotton pad a wipe across my face, seeing the amount of excess dirt that comes off which overwise would have been left there makes me feel slightly discusted! this particular toner has a lovely rose water scent and is very pleasant to just wipe across your face even when you havnt been wearing makeup just to refress your skin.

Hope this has been of some help

What are some of your budget skincare buys?

Rachy xxx

FOTD gold & red

Quick face of the day post as I was feeling particularly crappy this morning and decided to do pretty makeup to cheer myself up:

Blanket pose ;)

What I used:

Face: Maybelline pure cover mineral concealer, maybelline dream matte powder, Mac MSF- soft and gentle

Eyes: Benefit brow pencil-medium, Mac prep + prime eye- light, A light gold pixi eyeshadow, Mac mineral eyeshadow duo- odd couple (the gold), Pixi gel liner, Mac eye kohl- I get no kicks, Mac plush lash mascara

Lips: Maybelline moisture extreme lipliner- 56 red glamour, Mac pro longwear lipcreme- prolong, Mac dazzleglass creme- Radiant jewels

Rachy xxx

FOTD blue eyes

So i could of added this to the NOTD post, but I decided to do another for fun :)

Ive mentioned before but blues scare me a bit but Ive given blue another go today..

here it is:

Face
Maybelline pure cover mineral concealer- 02 natural
Maybelline dream matte powder- 02 rose ivory
Mac beauty powder- oh so fair
Benefit that gal brightening face primer

Eyes
Benefit eyebrow pencil- medium
Mac prep and prime eye base- light
Pixi pearly white eyshadow
Mac mineral eyeshadow trio- blue my mind
Mac pearlglide eyeliner- Petrol blue
Rimmel eye kohl- white
Mac plush lash mascara

Lips
Benefit lipgloss- life on the A list

Rachy xxx

NOTD let me entertain you

Just a quick post to show you the nailvarnish im wearing today. I have always been rubbish at painting nails but im attempting to let my nails grow abit longer at the moment so am finding it easier :)

OPI let me entertain you

Rimmel 5 in 1 base coat and top coat (reccomend!)

Rachy xxx

Lashes, mini haul & pics

To pretty blogger ladies, I am sorry for the lack of blogging in the last few days, its all been very hectic with moving back to uni and my laptop being in repair...but now I am back!

On my first day back in canterbury I couldn't help but go to my precious fenwicks to check the mac counter had remained in buisness since i'd gone home for the holidays.

Didn't buy anything from the mac counter but I did notice a huge counter elswhere in the shop with millions of false lashes on sale. I'm not a massive wearer of falsies as I think they are more hassle that they are worth. But seeing as they were on salllleeee and all.... I picked up a couple of girls aloud lashes, £3.45 each, not bad :)

Happy buys. Not sure why the Kimberly ones are called 'festival lashes' as I can safely say that from my festival experiences, applying false lashes is the last thing I want to be doing!

Im sure you've all seen the Cheryl ones before, but I have never seen the Kimbelys and I lurve them.

The lashes I chose to apply were the Cheryls:

You can see from the last picture that the inside corner on the left eyelashes has popped up, but I dont care, this is a happy picture :)

I am fairly happy with the outcome. I attempted to follow the pixiwoo tutorial, but found it is not 'easy' like she says it is atall! Instead my housemate had to put them on for me and one of the inside corners kept popping up needing more glue. Quite an inconvenience but they did stick in the end.

Rachy xxx

Celeb makeup look- Rhianna 'what's my name'

I have never considered myself the biggest Rhianna fan, as her music isn't particularly to my taste, but there's something about her song 'what's my name' that I just cant shake! What made me love the song more is when I watched the video and saw the lovely makeup look she was sporting. If you've seen the video doubtless you noticed the makeup too as it is so pretty, girly and fresh.

(screenshots if you havn't:)

I tried my best to take decent screenshots from the music vid so I hope you get the idea. A very pretty lilac eye and pink lip.

Here are pictures of my attempt:

Sorry if the light doesn't show the colours very well, I'm still getting to grips with all the settings on my new camera.

Heres what I used:

Face

-Mac studio fix fluid- NW 15

-Maybelline mineral pure cover concealer- 02 natural

-MUA blusher- shade 1

-Benefit that gal brightening face primer

Eyes

-Benefit eyebrow pencil- medium

-A Pixi pearly white eyeshadow on brow bone

-Urban decay eyeshadow- Asphyxia (all over lid and under eye)

-Collection 2000 colour intense solo- 12 playful punk (mixed in with asphyxia)

-Pixi gel liner- Onyx (very thin line on lid lash line)

-Rimmel white eyeliner (waterline)

-Mac plush lash mascara

Lips

-Mac viva glam gaga lipstick

-Benefit Life on the A list lipgloss

Did you notice this look of Rhianna's yourself?

If so did you like it?

Rachy xxx

January favourites

From top left to bottom right:

1. Ghd opulence mask for colour treated hair- This mask is gorgeous smelling, I wouldnt even know hot to describe the smell but its yummy and makes my hair probably the softest its ever been, managing also to retain my dyed hair colour. love.

2.Ghd guardian shampoo for colour treated hair- also lovely smelling with a pear-like scent. Makes my hair soft enough to go without conditioner

3.Superdrug vitamin illuminating moisture cream- I've seen this product praised all over beauty blogs, and for good reason. There is a lovely pearly sheen to this, perfect for a foundation base or even alone. Nice coconut scent, and at around £2.50 you can't go wrong!

4. Vaseline cocoa butter- lovely smell and works well. My current go to lip conditioner. (see soft sweet lips post)

5.Rimmel 5 in 1 topcoat and base coat- Not sure what the 5 in 1 means, as it is only a topcoat and base coat, but as those two it works brilliantly. Reasonable price and stops nails from chipping very well.

6.Mac pro longwear lipcreme in prolong- Perfect red lip colour, stays on very well and even when it fades it fades into a nice colour.

7.Mac dazzleglass cream in radiant jewels- I am a fan of the scent and creamy texture of the dazzleglass creams, and this one is my favourite. Lovely red colour and I like coating it on top of prolong for a bit of glossy glamour.

8. Benefit back to the fuschia and 24K from the All you need is gloss kit- all three of the double ended glosses in this kit were lovely wearable colours but this one was my favourite and I often have it my everyday handbag. The size is also the perfect size to take in a small bag ona night out, with two colours that could be worn in the day or night. I have discovered that back to the fuschia looks lovely over Mac Virgin Isle.

9. Mac 187 brush (from tartan tale brush set)- Love this brush and perfect size to take out in handbag to top up with MSF or blush through the day.

10. Mac cream colour base in Virgin Isle- There has also been a lot of blogger hype over this product and again for good reason. Amazing bright coral colour looks lovely on cheeks and lips (see small mac & benefit haul post) I know this is hard to get hold of at the moment because its in such high demand, but hang in there and keep looking!

11. Mac mineral eyeshadow duo in Odd couple- I know I'm late on this one but I got it for christmas and am loving it. Lovely two colours, both can be worn together or on separate looks.

What are some of your January favourites?

Rachy xxx

Mini Muffin Machine!

So for christmas, one of my unexpected gifts was a very pretty pink mini muffin making machine! As a lover of pink electrical items and all things cakey you can imagine my excitement!

My first attempt was with a really simple apple muffin recipe which was very easy to make and cook, and I even got risky and threw in some glacier cherrys!

(needless to say the end result was delish!)

Next mini muffin machine & apple & cherry muffin mix

Complete mini muffins :) The machine makes 6 at time but the recommended recipe creates enough ingredients for about 4 batches :)

Me and the boyf; Happy muffin lovers

Hope you enjoyed.

Rachy xxx

Rachys routine & FOTN

Last night I went out (won't mention where I went, cause it werent the classiest of joints *cough* Oneils *cough*) and got rather merry. But before I went out I took a few pictures of my preparations for my night out. here it goes:

Step 1- Lush Bath

If you saw my christmas haul post you will have seen the amazing lush hamper I got for christmas, and my chosen bath bomb for my pre-nightout bath was Sex bomb. I love having a lush bath before I get ready because when I smell good I feel good :)

Step 2 (and the most important step): Makeup

I went for quite a neutral face look with brown smokey eyes. And here's what I used:

Face: Mac studio fix fluid- NW15, Maybelline pure cover mineral concealer, Mac mineralize skin finish- soft and gentle, Mac cream colour base- virgin isle

Eyes: Benefit brow pencil- medium, Mac prep+prime eye- light, a shimmery cream colour eyeshadow from pixi palette, Mac mineral eyeshadow duo- odd couple (the gold), Urban decay eyeshadow- smog & twice baked, Mac pearglide eye pencil- lord it up (blended into crease and under eye), Mac eye kohl- I get no kick (in corners), Pixi gel liner- onyx, Mac plush lash-black

Lips: Mac venemous villains lipstick- innocence beware!, A gold benefit gloss

Step 3: Straighten hair & choose Outfit

My chosen outfit was this strange stringy top from newlook with an m&s black vest underneath, covered by a Uniqlo blazer cardi. On the bottom I was wearing a simple black jerser skirt with black tights.

Step 4: Drink of choice

Alot of people think im an old man for my love of gin, but I just can't help it! Thats why my drink of choice will always be Bombay saffire gin and tonic (or bitter lemon) Obviously as a student I cant afford the good stuff all time time, but my fellow gin loving mummy got me the bombay saffire for christmas :)

Step 5: Go out, Have a good time, Get drunk.

Hope you enjoyed!

Rachy xxx

Celebrity makeup I love: Drew Barrymore

So this is another post at work, but this time to cheer me up after getting extremely pissed off on the phone to hp (for the 4th day in a row) trying to fix my laptop only to be cut off (AGAIN!)

Seeing as I can't very well do my makeup and take pictures at work, I am doing a slightly more discreet post, with the help of google images and my love of Drew Barrymore.

Drew Barrymore is one of the only hollywood celebrities that I have ever been mildly obsessed with, I believe that if we met we would be soulmates and she'd (hopefull) love me as much as I love her. Since her Charlies angels days she has always struck me as one of the quirkier hollywood celebs, with styling to match. One of the reasons I love her is because of her beautiful makeup looks. She can go from pretty, soft faced neautal looks to wearing a very bold lip for a night time look. And I do love my bold lip looks.

In this post I will show you a few of the makeup looks of Barrymore's that I love and tell you why :)

I absolutly love this look. She looks beautifully fresh faced with a gentle blush and (from what I can see) lovely neutrals and golds on here eyes. I wish I knew the lipstick colour as I would run to buy it straight away! To me it looks like a less dramatic, more red version of Mac impassioned. If anyone has a better comparison please let me know

This picture shows Drew barrymore working a very cute 60s makeup look with grey eyeshadow, a very neat black eyeliner line and light pink lipstick, and flawless skin as always. I love my pink lipsticks so this look instantly appealed to me.

This picture again shows a very fresh faced drew sporting a gorgeous true red lip. What I like about this picture is that she doesn't feel the need to over-do the eyes, she leaves them simple and lets the bold lips do the talking.

This look is the one most likely to appeal to me on a night out, as I am a girl who likes to do a little something with my eyes. I can see pretty green and browns on the eyes, which are colours I like to use myself, and another gorgeous red lip.

Thats Drew Barrymore done...and now I want to be her :/

As a bit of an add-on to this post, one other person who's makeup I was absolutly loving in 2010 was Xfactor's Rebecca Ferguson. From the auditions she always wore very sweet and pretty makeup looks, and with the live shows (and the addition of a stylist and makeup artist) the makeup looks seem to have been taken up a notch. Here two looks that made me gasp with delight:

With these two looks I fell in love with the lips on the 1st and I love the smokey eyes in the second.

Hope you have enjoyed

Rachy xxx

5 things I want but do not need

As you can probably tell this is another boredom post at work. If you're wondering why so bored, I am working a temp job that involves watching tv and writing down the music timings....and at the moment I am watching 6 hours of childrens programs. Anyways here are the things that I kind of want at the moment but probably won't buy.

1.Mac special reserve illuminating powder- Rose ole

swatched this in the shop and it is very pretty, but I'm already in love with Soft and Gentle as a highlighter and not sure i'm ready for anything to take that over. (plus the whole spending more money issue!)

2. A snuggie. Because it would be hilair.

They look so ridiculously cosy and I like the idea of myself strolling around the house looking like some kind of monk.

3. Mac Style curve lipstick. This lipstick is right up my street but I already have purples and its not really an every day colour :(

A girl can never have too many headbands..or lovehearts. And this one from http://www.rocknrose.co.uk/ is certainly tickling my fancy. I'm not getting this because.....actually I might get this one.

5. Bobby brown gel liner in vi0let Ink.

I have heard nothing but good things about bobby brown gel liners and this colour is gorgeous. I did however vow to my boyfriend that I would be calming it down with the unnecesary makeup purchases in the new year :(

Small Mac & Benefit haul- swatch & pics

So today on my lunchbreak I finally got down to Mac to buy the one item I have been lusting over from the Mac stylishly yours collection: Cream colour base in Virgin Isle.

I also purchased the only item I really wanted from the Cham pale collection: I get no kick Eye Kohl.

I may then have stumbled into benefit in search of a peachy coloured eyeshadow, which is when I bought a benefit discontinued silky powder eyeshadow in a yummy peach colour shallow. At £6.25 I felt this was a necessary buy ;)

Mac I get no kick eye kohl, Benefit silky powder eyeshadow- shallow, Mac cream colour base- virgin isle

Swatches:

I get no kick, shallow, virgin isle, virgin isle blended

When I applied all the products together:

Verdict:
-I love love love Virgin isle and knew I would. The colour looks great on the lips as well as cheeks (worn on both in picture)

-Very happy with my Benefit sale buy, nice silky powder and lovely matte peach colour.

And how could you not like a pretty pearl coloured eye pencil- nice in the waterline and perfect for brightening corners of eyes.

Thanks

Rachy xxxxx