'Welcome to the team!'

Images sourced from weheartit
So you may know that I finished uni this year and have since been looking for a writing job, preferably in the beauty industry (in-between office temp work to fund skincare and make-up products of course!). However knowing how hard both media and beauty is to break into, I was going through the application process with a very open mind, widening my search and taking any opportunity that came my way.

Well the month's of searching, email sending and contributing free work have paid off and I've been offered an internship at a beauty PR company in Covent Garden!! I'm soo excited and cannot wait to start working with the team. My role is to help manage the social media outlets and channels for three of their brands alongside the Social Media Manager - so who knows, I may be chatting with a few of you if you are users of the products...and I'm pretty sure you are!

I'm so happy to finally be working in the industry and to be able to put all my skills and knowledge to use. It's so frustrating when you know you are perfectly capable of doing a job, and doing it well, and not being given the chance to prove that. Well now I have and I'm so grateful!! Where better for a beauty-obsessed writer to be working eh?? And who knows where it may lead...

Do any of you hope to have a career in a similar field? If so, would a 'Tips' or 'Do's and Don'ts' post help at all?

Louella (bdellium) Mineral 5pc Brush Set

Having lusted after the MAC contour and blusher brushes for a while, I decided that I simply couldn't part with the rather large amount of money I'd spend in exchange for them - however beautiful they are.

Needing to update my powder brush and invest in a good contourer, I began to look for alternatives and decided to give the bdellium brand a whirl. I discovered them through Louise and Zoe who have since set up their own shop (Louella) selling three different bdellium sets - plus a kabuki brush - after finding the make in America and falling in love with their softer than soft synthetic bristles. And I thought 'if they love them, then they must be good!' Who better to trust for a review or recommendation than your favourite beauty bloggers, right?

So I went ahead and bought the 5 piece Green Bamboo Mineral Brush Set for £33.95 which includes a Powder Blending Brush (#959B), a Slanted Contour Brush (#942B), a Precision Concealer Brush (#934B), a Large Tapered Blending Brush (#787B), and a Large Shadow Brush (#778B). They come in a cute little tube and each is protected in a plastic sleeve. I have since got the Kabuki Brush too which comes in an even cuter little tube - a great travel brush!

I'm particularly impressed with the #942B Slanted Contour Brush, and the Kabuki - both are now part of my daily routine. The things I love about this brand are that they are of a professional quality without the huge expense, the bristles are synthetic and therefore don't shed compared to natural hair, and they are eco-friendly! Plus they wash really well and are the softess things you will ever know! Don't you just love that new brush feel?!

You can't purchase the brushes in the UK (only through American websites) so Louella saves a lot of hassle with shipping fees and delivery times. Plus they send your brushes in bright pink jiffy bags and include a personal handwritten note. Baby Glitter was helping with the orders when they processed mine and scribbled her own little message - cute huh?!

So if you are looking for a professional brush set that doesn't break the bank, I recommend bdellium. What's your favourite makeup brush brand?

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain

I was recently asked what my favourite beauty product is and whilst I could never pick just one, currently the number one contended is Revlon's Just Bitten Chubby Sticks. A brilliant dupe of the Clinique Chubbies, these crayon-like stains are my ideal lip product - I only wish I'd found them sooner!

The firm, shapely product allows for great precision and glides on smoothly, leaving a high-shine gloss. As the formula intends, this actually stains your lips, and the more you apply (the shine wears off, as does some of the colour so I tend to re-apply every 3 or 4 hours) the stronger the staining.

They have a scent which I'm not actually a lover of. It's minty fresh but reminds me of the fragrance most 'plumping' lip products hold, and I've never liked a tingly plumper! However this is really only apparent during application so don't be put-off. You won't be walking around with a chewing gum aroma under your nose all day.

Now on to the colours - DON'T go by the packaging or sticker colours, they are COMPLETELY different when actually used. Take for example Lovesick, a scarily vibrant plum package that would be way too garish for me, but when applied it's actually a purple-based magenta that I would describe as a dark-pink opposed to a bright.  So don't be fooled by the tube.

To summarize...I love a good lip stain. And these are what you call a good lip stain. Moisturising, glossy, easy to use, good staying power, smooth texture, hydrating and it comes as a chubby stick! Who doesn't love a nostalgic chubby reminding you of childhood days spent drawing with chunky crayons?!

And at £7.99, they're certainly giving the Clinique Chubbies some competition. Which do you prefer?

Ombre-ing shorter hair??

Images sourced from weheartit
So after seeing Zoe, Louise and Lily ombre their hair to perfection, achieving a gorgeous natural fade from dark to light and creating a really pretty, interesting effect, I've decided....I want it too! I like the colour of my natural hair and therefore have never been tempted to dye it or highlight it, but I love the ombre look and feel it's a great way to have a change, trying something new that isn't too drastic.

However as amazing as it looks on the likes of those with long, luscious hair who compliment the dip-dye with pretty curls, my problem is my hair length. It is a few inches longer than shoulder-length - but is this long enough to pull of ombre??

I wouldn't want the straight-line effect but a blended look of perhaps a very light, honey brown opposed to blonde. But I'm worried that because my hair isn't as long as those who sport ombre so well, that it will look pants, I'll hate it, and either have to chop the ends off (which scares me more than spiders!?!), have an all-over colour, or wait for it to grow out. Needless to say I don't like any of those options.

Miley Cyrus managed it on short locks and looked stunning - not too sure about the new very short look huh girls?! - but I'm just not sure if it would work on me. Also, I have a full fringe so do you think this would look odd combined with ombre?

Hmmm I just can't make my mind up because once it's done, there's no going back.

Any thoughts?

This week I'm {thinking}...positively

As everyone does now and again, I've been having a crummy time of late where nothing seems to go right. It's been a big year in terms of change and I've decided...I don't like change. It's supposedly a good thing but nope, I'm not buying it. Change is rubbish.

Because of the accumulation of said crummy things, negativity has kinda swamped me and my usual chirpy-self has been replaced with, well a much sadder, unhappy version. And I'm sick of feeling this way. Almost as much as I'm sick of job rejections, of worrying, of being disappointed, of boredom, of feelings, of thinking too much, of dwelling on the past, of missing 'how it was before', of wishing for something better, and of waiting for the next chapter to start.

This isn't a pity post in the slightest. But selfishly an inspirational outlet for me that will encourage positive thoughts when needed most. If the above doesn't emphasise it enough, I'm tired of feeling this way and so have decided to give the sad me a good shake, and be optimistic! 

Hopefully it can inspire happy thoughts for you too...

Images sourced from weheartit Three things I have to look forward to:
#1 A spa day tommorrow
#2 A girl's night out next weekend
#3 Leona tour tickets in 2013

What do you do to encourage happy thoughts?

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter: Sweet Tart

 


We've all seen the Emma Stone ad campaign that not only made us green with envy at how pretty the American sweetheart is (I'm still getting over my jealously of her role with the beyond delicious Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love!) but it also made us lust after the 20 shades of buttery goodness that is the Revlon Lip Butter collection. Honestly, have you ever seen such a Spring-perfect array of pinks, pastels and corals that would have even the most ungirly-of-girls feel the desire to try them all?!

At first I was a little unsure of the 'lip butter' quality, thinking that this may make the lipstick a bit melty and gooey, but I couldn't resist the gorgeous colours for longer and opted for Sweet Tart, a subtle sheer peachy-pink. And boy is it delicious - a new favourite!

You see I am a lipsil addict. I re-apply my Strawberry Boots Lipsalve on average, every half-an-hour and can't bare my lips to feel dry or unmoisturised. So to mix a 'hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula that boosts lip moisture by 156%' with pops of colour...well you couldn't get a more perfect combo in my opinion.  

The smooth, creamy texture makes this a pleasure to apply and the added hint of colour means you have a lipstick AND nourishing balm in one! Plus, the glossy finish gives a glowing shine that makes lips look completely kissable - edible even! 

Sweet Tart is a a sweetheart of a colour. Not too bright, not too pale, it is what I'd call a midi-pink but you can build up your desired shade by re-applying - just be aware that because of its buttery formula, it can become slightly melted if over-used, left in a warm environment or held in your hand for too long. The amount of icky testers I've seen in drugstores that have been affected by the display lights! 

The use of quilted pink packaging sets off this collection beautifully - I can see my lip product drawer being filled with these tubes! I think they are slightly high in price for a drugstore brand at £7.99, but at the moment both Boots and Superdrug have a 3 for 2 offer on Revlon so I'm certainly going to make the most of that. I'm lusting after Strawberry Shortcake, Candy Apple, and Berry Smoothie...but I wouldn't say 'no' to any of them!

Which is your favourite shade of Lip Butter?