♥ August Favourites

August was pretty damn good for me. I went to Italy on my holidays and spent a lot of time walking around the incredible ruins that are in Rome. I ended up in a relationship (well done me) and worked a lot. Because of the heat in Italy and constantly being at work, I rarely put any make up on and when I did, I kept it fairly simple. Therefore, there are only a few bits and pieces I've been reaching for. Here they are:

Lately my skin has been ruining my life. It looks dull, dry and I've broken out so badly over the past few weeks. So, for a primer I've starting using L'Oreal's Blur Cream. It really helps even it all out and makes my skin look much less flawed. I love the base this leaves for my foundation to glide on over. It really is a wonder cream in my opinion and I can't imagine not having it in my makeup bag. It's a brilliant primer and for only ten quid (therefore massively cheaper than Benefit's Porefection) you can't go wrong. For eyeshadow, I've been going for a nice golden smokey eye. Autumn is almost upon us, (though it feels like we're already way into it) and I've been getting ready for darker makeup with L'Oreal's Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in the shades 'Golen Nude' and 'Breaking Nude'. The shade 'Golden Nude' I pop into my crease and then I go in with 'Golden Nude' which is brilliant for putting all over the lid. The staying power is incredible and these shadows don't crease at all on me. The only downside I've found is that the product in the pan is super crumbly. When I first opened up the crease shade, a corner had already fallen apart, so I'll definitely be keeping these at home and I'll avoid travelling with them! To get myself clean, I've been reaching for The Body Shop's Virgin Mojito Shower Gel every time. The scent of it is beyond beautiful. I've not used anything else in the shower since I bought this and it just makes me feel like I'm somewhere tropical. It's really refreshing and makes the whole bathroom smell divine. My last favourite is the device I used to take my most recent blog photos! I'd been wanting a good camera for absolutely ages and I finally bought one before heading off on holiday as I was desperate to capture the sights on a good camera. I opted for the Samsung NX3000. I'm absolutely obsessed with it, though it's quite complicated and hard to get used to using. I'm sure I'll get to grips with it eventually, I'm sure. It only cost around £180, so it's a much cheaper alternative to the similar devices that Canon and Olympus have an offer. For me, it's perfect as it's my first real camera and I wouldn't know how to use a big fancy camera! In the month of August, I read Jennifer Niven's All The Bright Places and I loved every page of it. Be sure to look out for a review on that this week.

So, there we have the few bits I was loving all through August. Let me know about yours in the comments!

Em x

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♥ Weekly Roundup #1

This has been the week I honestly got myself whipped into shape in terms of my blogging habit. It's something I really enjoy and want to keep up and I've decided on a whopping four posts a week. Find out more about when I'll be posting here. I posted about the makeup I picked up on my summer holiday in Rome and I purchased this beautiful Zoeva rose gold make up brush set! I also went to see the Paper Towns movie. Paper Towns is probably my favourite book and I would say John Green is a real inspiration to me and I love the majority of his work (I'm not a TFiOS fan at all, though) so seeing this book come to life was really exciting. It was beautifully made and the soundtrack is flawless so do go and watch it if you get the chance!

In terms of what posts I've been loving this week from fellow bloggers, there was this post from Emma on how to curb spending on makeup, something I really needed a little pep talk on. As I'm heading back to uni mid September and will no longer have a regular income from my job, I need to start being super strict with myself. Catherine shared her recent purchases, and me being the nosey mare I am, I loved reading about all the beautiful things she'd picked up, including the MAC Creme Cup lipstick that is one on the top of my to buy list. It looks like she had a good old spree and that is something I am seriously envying her for! Katie blogged about her recently read books and in the post featured All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. I finished this book a few weeks ago and it really touched me. Head over to her post to find out a little more about it, and the other titles she checked out!

My week is going to go as following: work, work, work, work and a little bit more time at work. I'm currently in the middle of nine consecutive shifts... It isn't all bad and I don't mind too much as my pay rate has just gone up and I'm working my way towards a promotion in the next few weeks. After these shifts, however, it's time to travel down to Milton Keynes and spend time with my favourite little pug and go and see the Foo Fighters with my brother and boyfriend. All the hard work will be worth it when I'm amongst a crowd singing my heart out to my favourite band ever.

I hope you're all having a great bank holiday weekend, let me know if you're up to anything exciting or if you're working like me on this bank holiday Monday!

Em x

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♥ Things are changing around here...

Writing and running this blog is something I've been really loving. Though I've not had much time to dedicate to it lately, I'm determined for that to change. I believe it'll take hard work, commitment and a good shove in the right direction to get myself posting frequently and to hopefully make friends and learn new things through the blogging community.

It's not easy, working full time, fully flexible hours and shifts that change every single day, every week. But I still end up with free time, and because this blog is like my little child - my favourite little hobby - I'm going to use more of this free time to craft little posts and reviews in order to post frequently and consistently.

Fingers crossed, I manage to really, really stick to the posting schedule I've decided on. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday a new post will go live at 6PM. These posts will be a mixture of make up reviews, beauty/body care/skin care reviews, hauls, book reviews, favourites, make up looks and probably a few other bits and pieces. Each Sunday post will be a round up of the week. It'll hopefully give me a chance to highlight the blogs I've been reading and the posts I've been loving.

I'm also determined to get a personalised header for my blog and buy my domain... Hopefully that will persuade me to keep up with this little blog of mine and really craft it into work i'm really proud of.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog, and please please please, comment, talk to me on twitter or tumblr and send me any suggestions for post ideas! I'm looking forward to giving you regular content and getting to know you a bit better!

Em x

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♥ Zoeva Rose Golden Vol.2 Complete Eye Brush Set

Zoeva brushes are something I've lusted after for such a long time... I finally bit the bullet over the weekend and made my first order on Beauty Bay and among my purchases was the Rose Golden Vol.2 Eye Brush Set. To my surprise, the free next day delivery meant that bright and early on Monday morning they found their way into my hands even though the website informed me they'd be with me on Tuesday! That's nothing to complain about at all though and I can do nothing but praise the service provided by Beauty Bay and the process of making an online order with them. Free delivery and free gifts? It's a brilliant way to purchase beauty products and I'll be making more orders for sure. Enough of my ranting and raving about the website I ordered them off, more about the actual product...

The set consists of twelve well crafted and designed make up brushes for application to the eyes. They cover the entire spectrum. There's a spot liner brush - the tiniest thing ever I have ever seen - there's a chunky concealer brush for those pesky dark circles we get under the eyes. The set even contains three crease brushes of various sizes and the attention to detail is so above what I expected. Complete with a pink toned 'rose gold' carry case, they look much more expensive than what they are. Coming in at just under £57 for the set (working out at less than £5 per brush) the value for money is incredible. The bag is sturdy and will be great for travelling with and the little touches like "colour.love.makeup" written in the bags lining really makes the set something special. Each person obviously finds different uses for each of their brushes and I'm sure I'll find a few firm favourites  within the set and use a few for thing's they're probably not designed for.

Em x

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♥ Holiday Makeup Haul

A few weeks ago I jetted off to Rome in Italy. I had an absolutely incredible holiday with a really great friend and we got to visit the majority of the insane attractions on offer in the city, including the Vatican, the Pantheon and the Colosseum... The ruins and architecture of a time before ours was obviously the highlight of my time away, but shopping in a Sephora was also very darn exciting for me!

The bulk of stuff I brought back with me were the five items I picked up in a Kiko store. I've heard so much about Kiko over the years but I hate shopping for beauty products online so I never ended up testing their stuff out, however cheap it seemed. When I spotted a Kiko store in Italy, though, I knew I had to go in and get a few things. Their Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow has been compared to the By Terry alternative, and at only a few euro each, I just had to. I bought the shades 38, Golden Taupe and 39, Dark Taupe. They both contain shimmer and are drastically different. Golden Taupe is a lovely lilac based taupe shade while Dark Taupe is more of a gun mental grey. They do look brilliant together though and are super creamy. I then spotted the singular Infinity Eyeshadow. I opted for purple shades 233, Pearly Mahogany and 244, Pearly Orchid Violet. I'm so excited to see how the two shades work together and I'm sure I'll be making an online order of a palette to pop them into and a few more shades to join the collection really soon. Lastly, the Pigment Loose Eyeshadow just seemed so cheap for the amount of product you get. The shade 10, Light Taupe seemed to be a perfect highlight shade and is so girly and pink and unlike anything else I own. I'm totally blown away by Kiko and I'm kicking myself for not spending more while I was in Rome.


I managed to have a good browse in Sephora and though I could happily spend hundreds, I knew that wasn't a good idea (I am still a student, afterall) and instead just picked up three things I was really desperate for. As Sephora bits and pieces are quite hard, in my opinion, to get your hands on in the UK I just had to get the Sephora Multitasker Complexion brush (45) It applies foundation like a dream and is brilliant at buffing it right into the skin. The Two Faced Shadow Insurance was something I knew I would pick up when out there, as it worked out a few pounds cheaper than it would be in the UK. I'm yet to try it out but I'm sure it'll keep glitters exactly where I want them on my eyes. Lastly, I found the Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover in a teeny tiny little bottle. It'll be perfect for travelling with.

Finally, I found myself at a MAC counter. I picked up Soar lip liner, after months of it being out of stock whenever I made a purchase. and since hearing Lily Pebbles go on about Mehr lipstick, I just had to pick it up.

I am absolutely delighted with all the bits and pieces I bought while on holiday and I can't wait to show you what they look like on!

Em x

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♥ July Favourites

I went awol, I know... Again. This blog is something that I really enjoy writing and having but since coming home from university and being back at work (I very rarely get a day off) it's hard to find the time to dedicate to writing posts or finding inspiration for them. However, things are starting to change around here. I have just under a week left at work and then I go on holiday to Rome. I just invested in a real camera so I am more inclined to take blog photos that are of decent quality - not just taken on my iPhone and it's almost time to start my third year at university. I don't really know where the past two months of being in Birmingham have gone, let alone the two years I've been living in Cornwall. Anyway, less of the explanations - I'll get to my monthly favourites for July!

My new Paperchase 'Gatsby' Diary is up first. I love mid year diaries. It's always the sort of diary I opt for as it nicely coincides with the academic year. This design is absolutely beautiful. I've got a thing for mint green colours at the moment and this matches a Vans backpack I recently bought. I can see both coming in very handy in the new academic year. It's nicely laid out, with each weekday having it's own page and the weekend being split onto one page. Paperchase diaries are full of other useful things, too, like spaces to write down timetables and deadlines and conversion charts. They're super handy and really, really pretty too.

The palette I've been reaching for every single time I do my makeup is this MAC Burgundy Times Nine one. It's so handy and perfect for travelling with as there a few different looks you can get out of the nine pans. The formula is incredible. I've been using this with my 217 brush and they are an absolute dream team. I'm seriously obsessed with both the palette and the brush and can see my collection of mac brushes extending very rapidly in the near future.

I joined a gym the second I got back into the city and dry shampoo really is a must to refresh after a hard workout. As I'm so busy, I always have things to do after the gym and I'd rather not be left with freshly washed hair so instead I keep this in my gym bag to keep my hair looking nice and clean. This Batiste Tropical Mini is very convenient and the scent has the loveliest holiday kind of vibe to it. I'll probably be purchasing another can to take away on holiday with me!

Estella Bartlett jewelry is something I've been aware of for a very long while now. I love how dainty and feminine the collection is and how the designs come in both silver and gold. Jewelry is not something I'm a massive fan of but I wanted this wishbone 'lucky' necklace for a really long while. On a cute little visit to Woburn a few weekends ago, I noticed this in a little gift store and treated myself. It's perfect for someone like me who isn't a fan of statement jewelry and just wants something nice and light to wear.

This little black notebook was also purchased in Woburn. It says 'follow your dreams' in a silver type and the binding is super flexible. As a creative writing student, I love carrying around a little notebook to jot down ideas or words or phrases I hear on my travels. We're always encouraged to take down snippets of interesting people we meet, hear, or see to contribute to our work and this is the perfect notebook to do this in. Being a writer is something that I still really hope I achieve on a professional level and the slogan on this notebook is a little reminder to always put my heart and soul into my writing!

So, there we have my return to blogging and the favourite things i accumulated throughout the month of July. Hope you're all having a lovely summer!

Em x

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