Makeup MAYhem POST 31!! - May Favourites

I cant believe its the end of May already! I'm so glad that I managed to keep my word and post 31 posts throughout May (This post being the 31st!) I've really enjoyed posting everyday and am thinking of doing the same every second month, let me know what you think about this :)

For my final post of May I have my Monthly Favourites for you...

Make Up

Sleek Blush By Three – As mentioned in my review here I recently bought the Sleek Blush By 3 in Lace. I’m not going to go into detail in this post because I everything is included in the review but I am loving this palette. All three shades are super wearable and are so pretty! It has become a staple in my makeup inventory and the best thing is it holds three blushes but doesn’t take up a ton of room in your make up bag!

OPI Save Me Nail Varnish – This is another recently purchased product but I have quickly fallen in love with it! I have actually only worn it once so far (in fact I have it on my nails now) and glitter nail varnishes don’t usually do it for me but this one really floats my boat. I love how it has finely milled glitter as well as strands of holographic glitter. It’s perfect for summer and I’m sure I’ll get my wear out of it over the coming months!

Face –

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish – I have been using this cleanser every day for about three weeks now and I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin. My skin is nowhere near perfect but I love how this cleanser makes my skin feel. I also love how effortlessly it removes eye makeup – no more scrubbing at my eyes for me!

Body Shop Tinted Moisturiser - I recently got a sample of the Body Shop Tinted Moisturiser and have been using it every morning before applying my makeup. The coverage isn’t great, in fact it doesn’t cover much at all but then again tinted moisturisers aren’t supposed to! It leaves my skin feeling silky smooth and soft and perfectly prepared for my foundation. I don’t know if I will be rushing out to buy the full size product when my sample runs out but for the moment I am enjoying this moisturiser.

Books –

The Fifty Shades Trilogy - Yesterday I posted a review on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and it’s only right that these books make it to my May Favourites as I love them so much! I read all three books in the space of two weeks and I literally couldn’t put them down! If you haven’t read them I strongly recommend that you do! You can read my full review of the trilogy here.

Films –

Unknown - As I’ve been so obsessed with the Fifty Shades books I haven’t had much time to watch any films or television over the past couple of weeks. I did watch Unknown with Scott a couple of nights ago though and really enjoyed it. I love Liam Neeson and there was an unexpected twist at the end which I always love in films.

TV –

Awake – As said above I haven’t watched much TV this week but a friend at work recommended I watch Awake which started on Sky a few weeks ago. I missed the first episode but have watched the second and third episodes and its right up my street! I love programmes that keep you guessing until the very end when you get all the answers and everything makes sense and I think this is going to be one of those programmes. I’m gutted though because I missed the fourth episode so I might find the fifth episode a little difficult to follow! We shall see!

Songs –

1.       Justin Bieber – Boyfriend – I’m loving the Biebs deeper, rougher voice on this song. He finally sounds like a man instead of a girl! I’ve always been a secret Belieber though!

2.       The Saturdays – 30 Days – I love The Saturdays. Enough said!

3.       Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe – I don’t think anyone could possibly not like this song! It’s just so catchy and I always find myself singing along to it.

4.       Fun – We are young – This song just makes me want to wave my arms in the air and sing at the top of my lungs!

5.       Steps – One for sorrow – It reminds me of my childhood and I love dancing to it in my car with my sister.

YouTuber –

Gemsmaquillage / Unicycle Physics – I have been watching Gemma’s beauty channel for a few months now and absolutely love it but I recently stumbled across her Vlog channel and have been really enjoying it! Gemma is so beautiful and funny and I love her drugstore tutorials and hauls. She also has a great blog as well!

Randoms –

The Sunshine – As those of you that live in the UK will know, we have been more than a little bit lucky with the weather lately. I have been really enjoying sitting in my garden with my book on my lunch breaks and will be sad to see the nice weather go. Surely it can’t last much longer?! Fingers crossed it does though!

What have you been loving this month?

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 30 - RachelReads - Fifty Shades Trilogy

This post has nothing what so ever to do with make up but Ihave just finished reading The Fifty Shades Trilogy and Oh Em Gee I am in lovewithChristian Grey! These books started life as a Twilight Fan Fiction, a racierversion of Twilight without the vamps and werewolves, if you will. The author,E L James, then decided to scrap the whole Twilight fan fiction thing andhave it as her own stand-alone trilogy. You can still tell that the books areloosely based on Twilight though; some of the characters are extremely similar,Anastasia, the protagonist, has the same traits as Bella, for example she isunassumingly beautiful, she's clumsy, a little bit reckless, blushes whenembarrassed and bites her bottom lip alot. Christian Grey isalso similar to Edward in the fact that he is controlling and possessive and ishighly protective of Anastasia, almost to the point of it being abit creepy (But he gets away with it because he's ChristianGrey!).Some of the sub-plots within the book are very Twilight-esque too - Anastasia'smother lives in another state with her new husband, Christian's mother is adoctor (like Carlisle), every hot blooded female swoons over Christian asthough he were a god (which, of course, he is!), Christian likes to treat Anawith lavish gifts which she feels guilty accepting, Anastasia's bestfriend has more than a crush on her and he and Christian don’t quite see eye toeye, Ana seems to have an effect on every man she meets but iscompletely oblivious to this fact etc.

Idon’t want to give too much away about the plot as I don’t wantto spoil it for those of you who haven’t read the trilogy yet but in anutshell Anastasia Steele is just a normal girl until shemeets Christian Grey, highly influential and powerful CEO of Grey Enterprises... and also a ratherkinky, sexual dominant. He wants Anastasia as his new submissive but she’snot sure she's really up to it and the story is basically about each of themtrying to adapt to the others comfort zones and ideals with a lot of obstaclesand complications along the way. Add to the mix Christian's dark,traumatic childhood and his ex-dominant Mrs Robinsonsniffing around him like a dog on heat and it makes for a very interesting,riveting read.

Thesebooks really are page turners. Through out the whole trilogy I literally couldnot put the books down and I love books that have this effect on me. The firstbook, Fifty Shades of Grey, is the raciest of the three and I actually foundmyself blushing whilst reading parts of it at my desk! So be warned,if you're a bit of a prude these books definitely aren’t for you! Theother two books, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, have more 'story'to them, more meat on the bones, but still have ample hot and steamyscenes thrown in for good measure. The characters are well developed androunded and you feel like you really get to know them throughout thetrilogy, I actually became quite attached! One of my favourite additions to thebook is Ana's Inner Goddess and Sub-Conscience, I just lovedthemand they really added extra humour or emotion when required.

Iused to consider myself a Twi-Hard. Despite the Twilight Saga being poorlywritten (in my opinion) I loved the books, the storyline and thecharacters but I can safely say that, after reading the Fifty Shadestrilogy, Twilight has been shoved to the back of my mind and forgotten aboutcompletely!

Edward?Edward Who? It's all about Christian Grey now, ladies!

Haveyou read the Fifty Shades trilogy? If not go out and buy it now! Right now! Ipromise Christian won't disappoint ;)

Laters,baby!

WithLove,

Rachelx

Makeup MAYhem POST 29 - Sleek Blush By "3" Review

Asyou all know I am a lover of Sleek Make Up and, as mentioned previously (Here) I recently ordered the Blush By 3 palette from the Sleek website.

Iusually buy Sleek products from my local Superdrug but as all of the Superdrugstores in my area no longer stocked the Blush By 3 palettes I had to order itonline. This was the first time I had ordered from the Sleek websiteand I was impressed with the service I received - numerous emails toinform me that my order had been received, processed and despatched and thedelivery time was quick which is great for me as I'm so impatient and hateordering online!

Enoughsaid about the website, lets talk about the palette itself...

What Sleek Say...

"Blush by 3 is a trio shade blush palette that takes you effortlessly from day to night! Each palette has 3 ultra pigmented shades to choose from in matte and shimmer shades. Use the matte shades for a subtle day time flush, and add the shimmery shade over the top for a touch of night time glamour!"

 Packaging

 Theblush by 3 comes in the customary sturdy black plastic casing with a goodsized mirror placed on the underside of the lid. I love the feel of Sleekpackaging, for such inexpensive products they always manageto feel robust and well put together as well as looking sleek (pardonthe pun) yet simple. The only downside to the Sleekpackaging for me is the colour. Dont get me wrong, I dont have a problemwith the black packaging visually, I actually think it looks quite chic but itsa nightmare if you keep this in your make up bag because it just ends up caked inmake up!

Qualityof Product

 Sleekproducts are reknowned for their high pigmentation and this palettedoesnt disappoint. The three blushes included in this palette are Crochet a muted matte orange shade, Guipure, a peachy pink with gold shimmer and Chantilly, an opaque red/dark peach. All threeare very pigmented and the mattes dont look dull or flat on the face. Onlya tiny amount of each blush is required due to the high pigmentation, I literally just dab the tip ofmy brush in the blush and find this is ample amount for a nice naturalglow. I would recommend applying with a light hand to achieve a naturalday time look and avoid looking like a ragdoll but you can buildthese colours up to be more intense if required. As the box says "TheBlush by "3" palette has been formulated with intense pigment, yetthe shades can be layered, in order to achieve the required intensity"which I agree with - it literally does what it says on the tin, or box in thiscase!

Affordability

Onceagain, Sleek continue to amaze me with their highly affordable yet high qualityproducts. This palette is priced at just £10.00 which is a complete bargain forthree blushes! I would probably pay up to the £20 mark for thispalette due to the amazing pigmentation and quality of the blushes. Youreally cant go wrong with Sleek products and I urge you to give them a try ifyou havent already, you wont be disappointed!

Other Comments 

Ijust wanted to quickly mention that the Guipure from this palette is said to bea rather good dupe for Nars Orgasm. I have never actually tried Nars Orgasm butI know that it costs £21 which seems extortionate when you can get threegood quality blushes for less than half the price! If you cant getyour hands on the Lace palette but are desperate for the Guipure I wouldrecommend the Rose Gold blush from Sleek's permanent line as this is verysimilar. The Rose Gold blush can be bought from the Sleek Website or any Superdrug store for £4.30.

 OverallI really rate this palette. Infact, theres nothing I dont like about it! The palette also comes in four other shades; Pumpkin, Pink Spirit, Sugar and Flame, soif the Lace palette doesnt tickle your pickle why not give one of these a try?

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 28 - NOTD

I haven't painted my nails for a while because ive had acrylics on for the past 10 days or so but I was bored this evening so decided to paint them.

I used George quick dry nail varnish in number 70, Shipwrecked, which is a lovely turquoise as my base colour and put OPI Save Me over the top. On my ring fingers I used No7 Stay Perfect nail varnish in number 330 Totally Teal with the OPI Save me on top. I finished my nails with the Barry M Base Coat, Top Coat & Nail Hardener.

I'm really happy with the result. I'm not usually a glitter person when it comes to nails but Save Me was just too beautiful to resist!

What are your thoughts? Do you like glitter nail varnishes?

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 27 - Tag Tuesday - Nail Varnish Obsession Tag

1. What’s your favorite nail polish company?

At the moment I would have to say Barry M. I find their Nail Paints so easy to apply and absolutely love the formulation. I have recently bought some OPI nail varnishes though so this answer may be subject to change! I'll keep you posted :)

2. Glitter or No Glitter?

Now, I love the look of glitter on my nails. What I don't love is removing glitter nail varnish! So with this in mind I tend to steer clear of glitter nail varnishes which is a shame as they look so pretty!

3. OPI, China Glaze or Essie?

I'm kind of embarrassed to say this but ive only used one OPI nail varnish so far and haven't used any of Essie or China Glaze so I guess my answer will have to be OPI! Although that's not a very fair answer as I havent tried the others!

4. When do you change your nail polish?

As soon as the first signs of chipping appear! If theres one thing I can't stand its chipped nails!

5. What’s your favorite color on your nails?

Hmmm, this is a toughie! I love the FashionistA magnetism nail varnish in Mollie's colour which is called Purple me Up. I also love Barry M Nail Paint in Navy and a cheap nail varnish I got from the George make up range called Movie Star (which is a pretty good dupe for Barry M's Dusky Mauve).

6. Darks or Brights?

I'd have to go with darks I think. Although it would probably depend on the season as I would wear darks during the winter months but brights during the summer.

7. What are you wearing on your nails at this very moment?

Absolutely nothing! I'm giving my nails a break at the moment as they're in really bad condition at the moment so I want to concentrate on getting them looking nice and healthy again.

8. Matte Nails—in or out?

I'm undecided at the moment. I have bought one matte nail varnish but when I swatched it on my nail wheel it just looked wrong! Guess I'll have to try it on my actual nails and see if it grows on me or not!

9. French Manicure?

I think French Manicures look elegant and sophisticated and if I could afford to have them done at a salon all the time I definitley would!

10. Favorite Winter Color?

As said above I prefer to wear darks in winter. Two of my favourites are Barry M's Navy and Raspberry - Two completely different colours but I love them both the same!



So there you have it! My Nail Varnish Obsession Tag.


I really enjoyed doing this tag and I tag all of you to do it too!


I would love to see your Nail Obsession Tag so be sure to comment below and let me know if you do decide to do it!


With Love,


Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 26 - My Confessions

I thought this post would be a nice way for my followers to get to know be a little better but hope it will be fun at the same time!

Here goes..

Confession # 1 -

I have an extreme sweet tooth

Confession # 2 -

I dont have much self confidence

Confession # 3 -

I'm scared of spiders (who isnt?!) but would never kill one and get really upset if somebody kills one in front of me!

Confession # 4 -

I have to walk on the right hand side of somebody - never the left!

Confession # 5 -

I love writing! Especially childrens fiction :)

Confession # 6 -

I am obsessed with anything Alice in Wonderland and Teacups!

Confession # 7 -

I am a dog person

Confession # 8 -

I get along with animals much more than I do human beings!

Confession # 9 -

Speaking to new people scares me

Confession # 10 -

I think if all of my body is under the covers nobody can get me

Confession # 11 -

I hate onions

Confession # 12 -

I am right handed but hold my knife and fork the wrong way round

Confession # 13 -

I cannot eat soft foods with crunchy foods! I'll ellaborate - Tuna sandwich = Edible, Cucumber sandwich = Also edible, Tuna and Cucumber sandwich - No go!

Confession # 14 -

I love baking (even if im not great at it!)

Confession # 15 -

I like eating peanut butter and chocolate spread out of the tub using my finger

Confession # 16 -

I sometimes cry at adverts

Confession # 17 -

I have an unhealthy addiction to make up

Confession # 18 -

I dont tend to follow fashion trends - if I like it, I'll wear it!

Confession # 19 -

I cannot draw to save my life

Confession # 20 -

I am far too naive!

Confession # 21 -

I'm a whimp when it comes to scary movies!

Confession # 22 -

I love duvet days with a passion!

Confession # 23 -

I'm no good when it comes to making decisions!

Confession # 24 -

I am super impatient

Confession # 25 -

I'm a sucker for a good book!

So there you have it, my confessions!

Why not tell me one fact about you? I'd love to read them :)

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 25 - OOTD

Formy second post of the day I have a quick OOTD for you. As those of you that like in the UK will know we have been fortunate with the weather of late and have actually seen some sunshine! With this in mind I thought it was finally time to be brave and get the shorts out! I havent worn shorts since I was about 10 which was fourteen years ago as I hate my legs but today I just thought stuff it!

My vest is from H&M and cost £7.99 which I think is an absolute bargain! And my shorts are from Next. I cant remember how much they were because I bought them last year but didnt have the guts to wear them! Its just a nice simple outfit but I thought I would share it with you anyway :)

Have you been enjoying the lovely weather? Lets hope it lasts!

With Love,

Rachel x

P.S. I just want to say a quick thank you to my dog Bertie who made a guest appearance in my OOTD picture :) I will include my other dog, Sasha, in my next one!

Makeup MAYhem POST 24 - Makeup Room tour & Apology!

I just want to start this post by saying sorry for not posting over the past couple of days. I've been having trouble logging on to my Blogger account over the past few days so haven't been able to post for a few days but promise to make up for it with a few extra posts over the next few days!

Today I have two posts for you. The first being a Makeup Room Tour or Spare Bedroom Tour. I promised this a few months ago and finally got round to taking a few snaps of my spare room to show you...

I'll start with one of my favourite parts of the room - My Dressing Table! This dressing table is from Ikea and costs £189 (I think!). Most of the things on it are from charity shops with the exception of one or two items. The chair I have it just a cheap one from Ikea which was under a fiver and I've dressed it up a little with the seat cushion (also from Ikea) and a pillow case I picked up for 99p from a Charity shop draped over the back. You can also see the curtains in this picture which are also from a charity shop and cost just 99p each! That's £1.98 for a pair of curtains!! I think they're so pretty and feminine and they finish the room off perfectly. Just got to quickly mention my earring board too which is just a cork notice board that I painted pink and just stick my earrings in. I store the backs of my earrings in a little glass trinket box which is kept on my dressing table.

Next up is my bookcase which is just a cheap white one from Argos that I backed with wallpaper. I just store my favourite books on this bookcase - a couple of Marian Keyes books, a few Beatrix Potter books and the Harry Potter collection. I usually have my Hunger Games books on this bookcase too but my sister has borrowed them so they aren't there at the moment. As you can probably guess I love candles and have ten on this bookcase alone!! The green mannequin is an earring and jewellery holder and the candle is from Asda and is vanilla scented.

This is my chest of drawers where all of my makeup and cosmetics are kept. I will do another post on the contents of these drawers but on top I have my perfumes, makeup brushes (which are kept in my homemade make up brush pot), jewellery stand, mirror, a teacup candle and a cheap lamp from Ikea. I like to keep things quite minimal and cant stand things to be cluttered so I try to keep these drawers clutter free and tidy.

Next up are the finishing touches. The top image is just some pictures I made myself by stapling some wallpaper to a wooden frame. This is a cheap yet effective way of adding that extra something to a room if money is tight. The pictures on the second image are from Next and I think they were £16 or £18 which I thought was very reasonable for three pictures, especially from Next. The teacup vase is also from Next but I cant remember how much it was! I absolutely love it though! The flowers in it cost about £2 from Home Bargains! And the Teacup picture in the last image (In case you hadn't realised I have a bit of a thing for teacups!) is also from Next and was around £10.

Finally we have my comfy corner which looks much better in reality that it does on camera! My favourite place in my whole house! We had one of those pointless box things above the steps and it was bugging me what to do with it until I came up with the idea of covering it with foam and cushions and making a comfy reading area for myself. I spend most of my evenings on my comfy corner and I absolutely love it!

So there you have it, my Makeup Room / Spare Bedroom! As mentioned I will do another post shortly to show you the contents of my make up drawers and dressing table but, in the famous words of Bugs Bunny, That's all folks!

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 23 - Inspirational Picture

Apologies for the super quick post today but I found this picture whilst browsing the Internet and just had to share it with you! It doesn't really need any words as it speaks for itself butI just love it!

Do you have any inspirational pictures to share? I'd love to see them :)

Makeup MAYhem POST 22 - Mini Opi Haul

After much umming and ahhing I finally took the plunge and purchased three mini OPI nail varnishes. The colours I bought were Kiss me on my tulips, a lovely bright pink, Save Me which is from the Nicki Minaj collection and is the most beautiful glitter polish ever! The colours remind me of a peacock. And finally I have a herring problem which is a bluey grey shade.

I have only worn the I have a herring problem so far but was impressed with the formulation and longevity. It had been on my nails for five days before chipping which is unheard of for me!

I have swatched all three of these nail varnishes on a nail wheel and I love all three of them! The Kiss me on my tulips is perfect for summer and I can't wait to wear it!

Overall I love OPI nail varnishes and can understand the huge hype around them! I will definitley be adding more to my nail varnish collection very soon!

Have you tried OPI nail varnishes? Can you recommend any for me to add to my collection next?

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 21 - RachelMakes - Makeup Brush Pots

I saw this on Islaay's blog and loved it do much I had to make one for myself! It's a really cute brush pot and what's best is its super easy to make, trust me if I can make it anyone can!

What you'll need -

And empty tin or pot
A small piece of wallpaper or wrapping paper
Scissors
Double sided sellotape

Step one - Cut the wallpaper or wrapping paper to fit around the pot. I made a template from a piece of paper first then cut the wallpaper using this as a guide. If you use an empty tin you could use the label from the tin as a template to make it easier as it would be the perfect size.

Step 2 - Stick double sided tape to the outside of your pot. I stuck three strips on mine - top, middle and bottom, to make sure that the wallpaper would stick properly and not lift anywhere.

Step 3 - Carefully wrap the wallpaper around the pot and stick to the double sided tape. Et Voila - One make up brush pot! Easy as that!

You could also use the pot to store pens and pencils, eye liners and eyebrow pencils, mascaras. Why not even make a bigger pot and store cotton wool balls, hair bobbles and clips or even use it for kitchen utensils! The posibilities are endless!

Please let me know if you make one of these pots! I'd love to see your pictures!

With Love,

Rachel x

Makeup MAYhem POST 20 - RachelReviews - Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

As mentioned previously (Here) I recently purchased the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish hot cloth cleanser. I also mentioned that after using this product a couple of times it didnt seem to be agreeing with my skin and broke me out (Here) I peservered with it though and after two weeks of using it I am pleased to report that my skin seems to have gotten used to it and its no longer breaking me out. Now, I'm not saying my skin looks perfect now because its far from it, but I have really noticed a difference since my skin got used to the Cleanse and Polish. I now feel in the position to write a fair review for this product so here goes...

Packaging - *****

Value for money & Affordability - ***

Quality - *****

Ease of use - *****

Rate or Hate - Rate.

Packaging - I really like the packaging of the C&P. I bought the starter kit which is basically a 50ml pump bottle of the cleanser and one muslin cloth that comes in a cute pouch. The pouch adds a nice extra touch to the packaging and makes it feel that little bit more special (It did for me anyway). The bottle itself looks quite expenisve and sophisticated - I love the mint green colour of the Liz Earle packaging, its so fresh, clean and pleasing to the eye. The mint green trim that runs around the muslin cloth is subtle but adds that little something extra and ties in with the rest of the packaging. I also have to quickly mention the Liz Earle carrier bag - Its got to be the most beautiful carrier bag ever! Its just gorgeous! Its worth buying the C&P just to get one of these bags! (Although £9.50 just to get a carrier bag is a bit excessive!)

Value for money & Affordability - This product is on the more expensive side of the scale for a cleanser. Obviously it isnt super high end but it isnt a drugstore bargain either - Its somewhere inbetween. The starter kit I bought cost £9.50 which is a bit steep for me but after using it I think the higher price is justified. You can just tell that its a high end cleanser from everything from the packaging to quality of the cleanser itself.

Quality - As mentioned briefly above, this cleanser is great quality. The consistency isnt too thick but it isnt too thin either. It doesnt feel heavy on my skin at all and the muslin cloth provided gently exfoliates the skin without feeling too rough or coarse. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and baby smooth and whats best is it effotlessley removes eye make up too!

Ease of Use - You cant really go wrong when applying this cleanser. One pump is ample to do your entire face (possibly two if you're wearing heavy eye makeup). Massage the cleanser into the skin using circular, upward motions then buff of using a damp muslin cloth. Easy Peasy!

 

 

 

Overall I really like this product. I wouldnt say i'm in love with it just yet but I am really enjoying using it and it has fast become a staple product in my skin care routine.

Have you tried Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish? What were your thoughts?

With Love,

Rachel x