Inside my Makeup Bag...

                             

I love looking inside my friends makeup bags, so I thought I would open up mine to you...

I would just like to start by pointing out that I am by no means a makeup expert, I have absolutely no idea how to contour and every attempt I have ever made at a smokey eye has made me look like I have been in a fight! My approach to makeup is to pick up random things that I think I need and take them to the till!

I don't use all of these products everyday as having a 16 month old tiny tornado massively restricts the time I have to get ready.  When I do get time though these are my favourite tried and tested products.

P R I M E R

I have tried a few Primers over the years but my absolute favourite is Photo Finish Primer by Smashbox.  In my opinion nothing else even compares to it.  Its so light and feels really silky on your skin.  It holds my foundation in place brilliantly for at least 10 hours leaving it with the just applied fresh look.  I get the light one as I find this one reduces the oiliness in my skin and really does make my foundation appear matte.  You really don't need to use a lot either, I use two blobs about the size of a tic tac and it covers my whole face.  You definitely get your monies worth in my opinion.

C O N C E A L E R

I have just recently changed concealer, I always used to be a big fan of Erase Paste by Benefit but now its all about Mineral Touch Skin Perfecting Concealer by Younique!  A friend of mine sells it and I had heard really good things about it so thought I would give it a try and I am so glad I did.  The consistency is thick and the coverage is amazing, its the only concealer I have ever used to totally banish all traces or dark circles under my eyes.  It also completely covers a small birthmark I have in between my eyebrows.  You only need the tiniest drop of this as it goes such a long way.  Its also really easy to blend in.  I always go a shade lighter than I am meant to so it gives            a slight highlight under my eyes.

F O U N D A T I O N

My favourite foundation is Healthy Mix Gel Serum by Bourjouis.  I hate the feel of thick and heavy foundations on my skin which is why I love this product.  It is so light and soft and blends in lovely, I don't even feel like I am wearing foundation when I have this on.  The consistency is quite runny and thin but the coverage is always even and smooth and makes me skin feel soft and it gives it a soft illuminated glow.  It never feels tacky or sticky and it smells lush which is always a bonus.

P O W D E R

When it comes to face powders I have always preferred loose powders over compact ones.  I like to be able to start with a light coverage and build up to a thicker one where needed.  My favourite is Natural Finish Loose Powder by Liz Earle.  I always find that it gives a great coverage but also feels really light on my skin.  It always looks matte and smooth and lasts all day and well into the night without having to reapply.  I always use the Natural Ivory shade lightly and find if I need it to appear a bit darker (if I have fake tanned) then I just need to do two coats of it and it matches perfect.

B R O N Z E R

For my Bronzer I use another product by Younique, its called the Beachfront bronzer, I always use the Malibu shade.  The thing I like about this bronzer is that its actually huge and lasts ages so its good value for money, its also split into two so that you get two different shades of bronzer mixed into one when you apply it.  Its really shimmery and gives a subtle golden glow.

B L U S H E R

I actually use a cheap and cheerful blusher, its by MUA and costs £1.  I always a small amount just for a subtle rosey glow, I always go for quite a pink shade to achieve this, I picked colour Candyfloss.  It doesn't last that long and you need to apply after about 3/4 hours if you have time but for that price you can't go wrong.

T O P  L I N E R

One thing I have to wear daily is top liner and mascara, I feel naked without out, no matter how little time I have in the morning these are two things I can't go without.  My favourite liquid eyeliner is Glam Eyes by Rimmel, the brush is so thin and absolutely amazing for intricate lines and also creating wingtips and flicks as you can build up the thickness really easily.  I always go for the Black Glamour Colour as its really dark and makes me eyelashes look longer.

M A S C A R A

   

I actually use two different Mascaras, they are both my Maybeline, one is the Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes and the other is the Colossal Volume Express Smokey Eyes.  I always use the Cat Eyes first as the thin curved brush gets right to the root and really lengthens them, I then go over with a second coat using the Smokey Eyes which is a thicker brush and that makes them look a lot fuller.  I have tried so many Mascaras  but these are my absolute favourites.

E Y E B R O W S

I have my eyebrows HD'd every 6 weeks so don't really do a whole lot with them really.  I do find though at about week 4ish the tint starts to fade so I just use an eyebrow powder to give them a bit more colour.  I use a pallet by MUA which is another super drug cheapy.  I use the fair - medium pallet which comes with 4 colours and a little brush, it does the trick and the colour looks good and subtle, I hate huge dark eyebrows on people, I just don't understand how people think it looks good?

L I P S

                            

I have stupidly thin lips and absolutely hate them.  I always try and wear really subtle colours so as not to draw attention to them.  Im not really a lipstick person and always prefer glosses or tinted lip balms.  I wear these every day without fail, at the moment my favourites are the Cor Balmys by Barry M, I have colours Adam & Eve and Rosie Lea.  They taste amazing and smell amazing and they keep my lips from getting chapped.  They are perfect for me as they just give off a slight tinted shimmer and aren't overbearing.

Last but not least, how amazing is my makeup bag? It was a birthday gift from a lovely friend, I'm obsessed with it!

Anyway thats whats inside my makeup bag, I would love to hear what is inside yours!

V x

Belle & Evie

I was recently entered a competition on Belle & Evie's Facebook page, I had to upload a picture of my little mans bedroom and write about why I would like to win and where I would put my prize if I did.  There were going to be two winners, one girls bedroom and one boys and I won, yay!

                                    

I was told all I needed to do was go through the fabric albums on their Facebook page and pick out my favourites and confirm the word I would like making up, this sounds like an easy task but it actually took me ages as they were all stunning!  I decided to get "Oliver" made up as this is my little boys name.  I loved the fabrics in the boys album, they were all bold, colourful prints and perfect for brightening up his nursery.

I also decided to get "V T & O" made up which stands for Vicky, Tony & Oliver (my little family).  I have a large photo wall in my house covered in pictures of all of our special times and I thought these would look perfect in amongst all the frames.  I am an absolute sucker for anything shabby chic and vintage looking so I picked two different fabric prints from the girls album which was packed full of pretty girly prints.

When ordering I was told that usually it can take up to two weeks for orders to be made as they are all handmade and time consuming.  I just happened to mention that I was moving house soon and may need to give a different delivery address and was told this was absolutely no problem and my order would be bumped up and started on straight away, I was so grateful for this and thought this was a really nice thing to do and brilliant customer service.

Within a few days I was told that my order was complete and going to be sent out, I was also sent pictures of the finished products which are below.

                          

                         

I was so impressed with them and I absolutely love how they looked, I couldn't wait for them to arrive.

When they turned up, each letter was individually wrapped with cute little stickers sealing up the bags.  I was blown away by how stunning they are, the pictures really do not do them justice.  The quality of the letters is amazing, the fabric is really thick and hardwearing which is perfect for our nursery.  They are a lot bigger than I thought they would be so there is no chance of them looking lost on a big wall. 

Belle & Evie also make gorgeous pin boards, I am definitely going to order one of these for my new kitchen when we are finally all moved in.  You also have the option of personalising the letters with gorgeous little message tags which are attached to the letters.

These are definately another handmade product I love, if you would like to have a look at their Facebook page then here is the link https://www.facebook.com/BelleandEvie/?fref=ts I have also been told that anyone that places an order with them and mentions this blog post will receive 20% off, hooray!

V x

Magnificent Stanley

I have been following Magnificent Stanley on Instagram and Facebook for a while now.  I originally wanted one for myself but as always, I ended up ordering for my little man instead, why does that always happen?

I placed my order on the website which was really easy to do and actually quite fun, you get to pick from different styles of tops, the colour and also the print of the fabric.  It took me a while to decide as I loved all of the prints but I eventually decided on the car print and the letter O as my sons name is Oliver.  The fabrics used are all Liberty print so really bright, colourful and pretty.  

I was told that it would take up to 10 days for the T-Shirt to come as they are all handmade.  it actually came within a week which I was really impressed with.  I absolutely loved the packaging and the personal touches with the hand stamped name tag and the hand written note.  I thought it was really lovely and showed how much effort goes into the making of these.  Look how cute it looks all wrapped up.  It felt like Christmas unwrapping this.

I was super excited to unwrap this and finally see one of the T-Shirts I had been lusting over for so long.  I am so impressed with the quality of the top,  its a really soft cotton but nice and thick and I love the little turn ups on the sleeves.  Here is a close up of the T-shirt and stitching, brilliant!

                        

As soon as it was opened I couldn't wait for my little boy to try it on.  The fit was perfect for him, I ordered an age 1-2 as he's 15 months old and wanted to make sure there was plenty of room for him to grow into.  We obviously then had to go to the park for a photo shoot, as you do.  Here he is showing off his amazing new Tee!

I personally absolutely love this website.  I love all things handmade and this T-Shirt ticks all the boxes for me.  The T-shirt cost £15 which I think is a bargain considering how great the quality is and how much time has gone into making this.  Also with the personalised labels and gift wrapping, which came at no extra cost, I think these also make lovely gifts.  You just don't get that sort of service from the High Street do you?

Here are the Magnificent Stanley links for you, the website is http://www.magnificentstanley.com and the Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/MagnificentStanley/?fref=ts 

I am now off to order myself one, I deserve a treat.

V x