November Beauty Favourites

A slightly late monthly favourites, but it's better late than never, right?

Starting of with the beauty favourites, I have been using the Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot powder every single day. I purchased it a while back but found it way too matte. But now, paired with a light reflecting foundation, it keeps oils at bay for the majority of the day and I really do like it. As drugstore powders go, it is definitely one of my favourites. On my eyes I have been lining my waterline using Facinating Eye Kohl by Mac. It is basically just a white eyeliner, but it lasts all day and really opens up the eyes giving a more awake appearance. Rubenesque paint pot also by Mac is another favourite this month. On skin with a slight tan, the bronze undertones accentuate the colour and just looks amazing. Paint pots act as a great base by increasing the longevity of eyeshadows. 

Ever since I bought the Flair for Finery cremesheen lipglass I have been using it religiously on top of one of my favourite lipsticks, Angel. Both by Mac, both super wearable. Together they make the perfect pink based nude lip combination.

The primer I have been using everyday has been the L'Oreal Lumi Magique pure light primer which has become undoubtably my favourite primer to date. It is incredibly lightweight, feels amazing on the skin and literally brings the skin to life by creating a light reflecting radiance. I love pairing the primer with a matte foundation as it completely transforms the look - read this! It is just as good as the Laura Mercier offering.

My two skincare favourites this month have been Hydraluron (no surprise there) and a rediscovery in the La Roche Effaclar Mat moisturiser. I have dedicated a whole blog post on why I adore Hydraluron and why I think everyone should own it, so check that out. The La Roche Posay Effeclar Mat offering is a product I purchased a long time ago but when I first tried it, I was not a fan. Fast forward several months and I really do believe this helps control oils throughout the day and reduces sebum production - I only use this on my t-zone and use my Clinique moisturiser all over the face. I've really been enjoying pairing them together.

So there we have it. Normally in my monthly favourites post I include music, fashion and general favourites, yet it is already the 6th of December and I have other things to post. My December favourites will be jam packed though...

Recent purchases at Westfield

Westfield is definitely one of my favourite places to shop. It has everything. Literally. Two floors of shopping amazingness. If you live in London, or near, go to Westfield at White City.

Anyway, I just got back shopping and I wanted to show you what I got!

Left to right:
1. Umberto Giannini Salon Straight Blow Dry Cream (review coming soon)
2. MAC Pro Eye makeup remover (*)
3. Rimmel London makeup remover
4. LO'real Paris gel eyeliner in black and brush
5. Maybelline the Falsies volume express flared mascara
6. Revlon lip butters (review coming soon) (*)
7. Garnier eye roll on
8. E45 cream
9. Carmex lip balm
10. Soap & Glory Hand Food cream
11. Barrel hair brush

Left to right:
1. Marie Clare magazine
2. InStyle magazine
3. Glamour magazine
4. The Big Bang Theory season 1-3
5. Maze Runner by James Dashner

and the most exciting purchase...

It's my Dad's birthday on Monday so we decided to treat him to the new iPad! Let's hope he likes it.

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Have a great Easter weekend.

Suzanna
XOXO

Ps. I've been watching Bertie's YouTube videos on his recent trip to New York. It makes me want October to hurry up so badly. It looks breathtaking! Check out the videos here: BertiebertG.

How to maintain healthy looking nails and a review on the American Apparel nail polish range

Extra long post today! I'm going to talk about how I maintain healthy looking nails, do a review with swatches of American Apparel's new nail polish and show my Lil Wayne drawing! Exciting stuff.

For school I'm not allowed to wear any nail polish which sucks because I have so many that I want to use! Applying it on Friday and then having to take it on Sunday evening sucks and becomes a hassle so, normally I don't wear any nail polish. However, when you don't wear nail polish people are able to see your nails so it means I have to look after them carefully.

At school I'm constantly writing and using my hands (obviously) so my nails are prone to breaking. To prevent this I always carry a nail file and scissors with me. Yes, it's a bit weird considering but it's better than the nail ripping even more! I also put on clear nail polish nearly everyday as it forms a protective barrier against my nails - it also makes them 10 times more stronger than without.

I'm going to go through the stages that I do every night in order to keep my nails strong, clean and healthy looking! I hope some of you find this helpful :)

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Step 1) Using a nail polish remover get rid of any nail varnish that may be left on your nails. Nothing is worse than little specks of old varnish! I use acetone free remover as it's much gentler on your skin - but any nail polish remover is fine.

Soak quite a fair bit onto a piece of tissue - I use tissue as I find it absorbs much more product than using a cotton ball for instance. Place the tissue onto the nail for ten seconds and remove.

Step 2) Clean your hands - make sure that there is no dirt stuck under your nails and remember to scrub hard so you get all the polish remover off! I should have taken my watch off, oops.

Step 3) File your nails! Make sure you file them in the same direction to prevent breakage.

Step 4) Using a tool like this, push back your cuticles to form whatever shape you'd like and then use it to make the shape of your nails. Do this by pushing back the skin under the nails (if that makes sense!) This step is optional - you don't have too.

Step 5) Moisturise your hands using your favourite hand cream. I used the Soap and Glory Hand Food one as I absolutely LOVE the smell of it. Hmm marshmallows. I'm not sure what I'm doing with my hands in this picture but you get the gist.

Step 6) After using the hand cream, I apply some Avon Nail Experts cuticle balm. I really like this stuff and it was so inexpensive! If you can, definitely check out the brand Avon via a local representative or online. Most of the products I use for nail and hair are from Avon. Even though it's cheap, it works just as well as the most expensive brand you can find.

Step 7) DONE! After this your nails should look clean and healthy looking! Obviously my nails aren't perfect and I have a lot of work to do, but the point of this blog post was to show how to maintain them. I rarely come across anyone with perfect looking nails - if they are perfect, 99.9% of the time they are fake!

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In my last blog post - which was a haul - I talked about a nail polish I bought from American Apparel. Today, after taking these pictures above, I tested it out.

Here's what it looked like:

First impressions: love the colour! But applying this is a pain in the freaking ass. The amount of times it dripped (ONCE APPLIED!) onto my tights was uncountable. Yes, the colour is pretty but the consistency is awful and making it look "nice" was proven to be a struggle. It was so hard, that I didn't even do the second hand...and I removed it straight away!

American Apparel should just stick to clothing. Most definitely.

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Also, in my last post I said that I've started drawing! So, I was on Twitter and stumbled across Lil Wayne's page (and no, I don't follow him - I'm not a rap fan). Anyway, I saw his picture and absolutely loved it. I loved all the tattoos he had on show (maybe because I'm a sucker for someone with tats?) but I immediately knew I wanted to draw it.

This is the original, my inspiration...

...and this is my version!

It's rubbish. I only spent 20 mins on it, so what do you expect? Hehe.

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OMG. SO MANY THINGS TO TALK ABOUT IN THIS POST! MUST. STOP.

So I think I've done enough today. I'll see you later in the week! :)

Suzanna

XOXO