(belated) January Favourites!

Evening all,

I planned to write this post at the end of January like a good little blogger but life got in the way; I moved out of my parents house and started a new job so things have been a little hectic.

My addiction to make up has not been cured, I am still forever buying more, you can't see the top of my desk but now it is gotten worse... with having nails comes a price, sorry bank account. Within the space of a few weeks, I have 20 nail colours...someone stop me! But I love having nails! Get to scratch that itch proper good! Safe to say nail varnish will be featuring a lot.

Anyway, lets crack on. January favourites...

Product no: 1 - Urban Decay, Naked2 Basics.
Wow wow wow wow. My friend Bec got me this for my birthday, best present ever! Three things I love about this palette. One being the pigmentation of the eye shadows, you don't need a lot on your brush to see the colour. Two, the size of the palette. I was going on holiday in January and only took the basics as I didn't want to take too much but this I could afford to put into my cosmetics bag; small, compact and gorgeous. Lastly, the mirror provided. Having a "full size" mirror is awesome. Most products provide a small rounded mirror or one that is long and thin, but how is that helpful!? You can't get a full view of your eye and eyebrows, as least Urban Decay have got it right.

'Faint' is my favourite, second from the far right. Gorgeous tan/brown colour, great for day and night time!

Product no.2 - Max Factor, Wild Shadow Pot - Pale Pebble
Now I don't have a close-up photo (my bad) but you can see what it looks like in the main photo. What I love about this product is both the colour and the effect. I use this shadow for when I go to work, it brightens up the eyes without being too much and with it's slightly metallic shimmer, it gives a subtle twist to plain shadows.

Product no. 3 - NYX Cosmetics, Mega Shine Lip Gloss - Frosted Walnut
Definitely a worthy contender out of all my glosses, the longevity of the colour without being too sticky is awesome. The gloss is quite think so you wouldn't need much and with a small lip applicator, you can get all the curves and edges of your lips. Plus the subtle shimmer does add a bit of depth to your lips. I'm definitely going to be collecting more!

This swatch only used half of the lip applicator.

Product no. 4 - Revlon, Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen.
I'm known for my winged eyeliner, I love how the look can really vary - small thin flicks to large thick Cleopatra-style eyes, a look for every occasion! I used to use the liquid pen pots as the applicators were sturdy solid brushes (that's how I keep a reasonably straight line) so when I came across this pen, I just couldn't resist. It's so much easier to apply with a pen instead of a brush attached to the lid, creates a nice precise line. The brush also stays relatively moist so that the colour is easily applied to your eyes.

Just like a felt tip pen!

Product no. 5 - Soap and Glory, Archery Brow and Tint , Love Is Blonde.
I'm not a huge fan of super defined eyebrows or ones that are completely fake (as in completely drawn on) but when I go for a night out, I do try and fill in the fainter areas and this 2-in-1 filler is great! Depending on the look, the slick liquid end creates a defined line and gives great coverage and the other pencil end can fill in the fainter areas with ease as the colour easily shows. Even more, I didn't know Soap and Glory produced makeup!

2 for 1!

Product no.6 - New Look, Pure Colour Light Grey.
So in love with this colour, wore it for almost 3 weeks! There is a slight purple tone to the greyness and I love it. The applicator brush is nice and broad for easy coverage and as the varnish is quite thick, you only need to do one layer! Plus, it's only £2.99, bargain! New Look, you have done well.

Pure colour, pure brilliance.

So that concludes January, looking forward to seeking out February's!

Much love
xxx

Artistic Design Flare

Afternoon all,

 

 

Turning the grand old age of 23 in January made me realise how fast time is flying by, seems like yesterday I was toddling around in a sandpit, those were the days... And as February lurks round the corner and I start a new chapter in my life - moving out of my parent's house and a new job - I thought about what I love doing and that's designing, whether it be makeup, interior design,... anything really where I can be artistic. With this in mind, I recently purchased a 'face chart' for my makeup looks and plain fake nails. Now its only the beginning but I really enjoyed creating fake nail designs!




I've purchased some stencils and some gorgeous new colours, can't wait to get cracking!

Love love xxx

Snowy Bliss

 

Morning all,

For the first time in my life, I was going on a winter holiday to ski in Meribel, France with a group of friends. Excited was an understatement, only problem was I had to wait 6 months until we were due to leave!
As a non-skier, I admit I was a little hesitant to go, I'd only hold up the others as they've been doing it for years but I was reassured by my friends that others were going that had no skiing experience too. With this in mind, I organised a ski lesson at a snowdome in Birmingham for me and two others, bit costly but definitely worth it, one-to-one lesson really helped.
For the first hour, we were practising balancing on the skis, crouching, small jumps,... just to get a feel of the skis. This I handled perfectly well; we were only a third up the slope and had cushions at the bottom in case we flailed out of control. Then came the second hour. We moved to where all the other skiers were and went half way up the slope - for a person who is scared of speed/not being in control, this took a fair bit of courage on my part. We practised slowing down and gentle turns but this did not come naturally to me. As soon as I made one little mistake, my confidence was shot. My legs became weak and I had to hold hands with the instructor each time I attempted to ski the slope. Despite my little set-back, this didn't change my mind about the holiday.
Fast forward a few weeks, my boyfriend, his flatmate and I ventured to a new trampoline park in Cardiff, we had a few days off work so thought we'd take advantage of the kids being at school. So there we were happily bouncing around - again I'm not that flexible/adventurous so not fancy somersaults or anything like that - when I heard a massive bone crunching click in my knee, instant pain shot through my body. Eventually coming to a halt, I called it a day and limped off to collect my belongings. Getting back home, I thought it was just a sprain so avoided walking on it around the house. The next few days, the pain was worse, literally could not put my foot down so it was bum-shuffles everywhere! Two weeks pass and I could just about put my foot on the floor but it was still painful, I decided to visit the hospital for an X-ray. Thankfully, no broken bones but severe damage to my ligaments, the doctor said I should have been on crutches with my knee in a splint from day 1 but with the care I took avoiding weight on it, actually helped! Handing over the crutches, the doctor said I should not attempt any skiing - not what you want to hear two weeks before your departure!
Our friends reassured me there was plenty to do instead so I wasn't too disheartened - plus another friend had also damaged her knee and wasn't allowed to ski so I wasn't alone.



The gang.

Being wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, wine, garlic, beef, lamb,...(too many to list!) free, I was curious as to how our chalet hosts would cope when it came to meal times but as soon as we arrived, they sat down with and ran through the menu to double check it was all okay. One or two tweaks to the menu and my mind was at ease. Now I never knew that it was tradition for the chalet hosts to bake a cake for the guests each day and knowing how infuriating it is to make a decent cake with all my food intolerances, I expected them not to bother (I wouldn't have!). Upon my return on the first day after meeting the boys for lunch, there was a large cake waiting on the table and beside it, a small ramekin with a note saying "gluten and dairy free cake :)" (I didn't question about the egg - in very small doses I can manage the consequences of eating something I shouldn't); this gesture made my day!

  

   Few days later, the group was slowly falling one by one with an illness our chalet hosts brought into the house - not ideal for the skiers of the group. It came to Wednesday afternoon and we were all planning to see this band, Bring Your Sisters, at one of the local bars but after a long day skiing/illness, a few people decided to stay in the chalet and meet the rest of us for our dinner reservation at 9:30pm. Arriving at the bar, we secure a place near the stage and start getting the drinks in (après ski at its best). Two hours later, the bar is heaving, people are crowd-surfing/getting naked and drinks are flowing. Being diabetic, I'm usually responsible when it comes to drinking but that day was not my best. I hadn't eaten much all day and forgot to get the diet version of the drinks so many jägerbombs later, I had drunk full fat coke/tonic/lemonade causing my blood sugar levels to rise dramatically. Getting carried away with all the fun, I hadn't checked my sugar levels nor corrected them by taking insulin. The time for our dinner reservation came round very quickly, by this point I was quite intoxicated but still able to function as a normal human being. My boyfriend was one who stayed in the chalet so when he arrived it came as a shock that he'd be lumbered with drunk Ellie. We all sat down and ordered our food when that wave of nausea overcame me, rushing to the ladies' (after wrongly entering the kitchen first) I witnessed something similar to The Exorcist....lovely.
After a good 15 minutes, my friends questioned my whereabouts and came to look for me...there I was, trousers down, head in the sink and feeling crap. Not a very responsible Ellie. My friends acted quickly and scanned my blood sensor, injected with me with insulin and took me home. I am so proud of them, even though it was a horrible situation, they really came through for me and did everything they could think of, I remember it all so clearly.
Next morning, I'm feeling right as rain! Full of regret for ruining the meal but otherwise fine, my bloods were back to normal and no hangover - definitely learnt my lesson! Safe to say I avoided alcohol for the rest of the trip.
After the drunken shenanigans, everyone got back to skiing - illness permitting. Saturday was our last full day and we had booked a 'Snakegliss' down the mountain (really just a train of toboggans) which was lead by an instructor for safety (safety my arse! Our instructor drove us off the mountain side into some trees!). This was the closest I got to skiing and it was hilarious; the people at the back of the train were constantly battling being thrown off with the tail swinging side to side, definitely got some good GoPro footage.
Sunday morning came and it was time to go home; we reluctantly gathered our gear and set off for the airport. I'm sure we infected the whole plain with our germs, every other minute there was a coughing fit. So did my idea of a skiing holiday go to plan, no, but it was still an awesome holiday and one I won't forget.






Love love xxx

Dramatic blue shadows

Evening all, 

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted! So much has happened - all for the better now (thank god).

Anyway, today's post is a "How To.." guide to big, bold, beautiful blue eyes.
I think this look would be more suited for theatrical events or themed parties but if you're brave enough to wear this out, go for it!

Could only do one eye - the other had a cut and didn't want to get make up in it!

Step 1: Cleanse the face and remove impurities - this occasion I used an exfoliater make up wipe.
Step 2: Create a base layer of foundation all over the face on which you can build upon. Just gives a nice even skin tone to work with.
Step 3: Liquid eyeliner. For this look, I used a generic black liquid eyeliner with a small thin brush. Placing the brush horizontally along my lash line gives a good shape to build upon if you're not that steady with your hands. Create a sleek thin cat-eye with the liner and join to the outer corner of the lower lash line.
Step 4: Using a white eye pencil, carefully border the black liner so that the white is a little thicker than the black. Once complete, trace this line with white eyeshadow. The powder then sticks to the residue of the liner making it much brighter.
Step 5: With a small flat eye shadow brush, use a shade of blue/teal to outline the white liner. I created an extra "dip" on the inner corner of my eye towards my nose.

 

For this blue/teal eyeshadow, I used Sleek's "Bad Girl" i-Divine Palette. Gorgeous colours to create a smokey eye look. The colour I used was "Obnoxious", 3rd from the bottom left. 

Step 6: With a larger eyeshadow brush, cover the lid of your eye with a darker blue/teal (once again I used "Obnoxious".

Step 7: With a green/lighter blue shadow, lightly brush this up to your eyebrow.

Step 8: Using a blending brush, starting from your lid, work your way up to your eyebrow so that the colours gently mix with one another getting lighter towards the top.

Final Step: Use a waterproof mascara and apply 2 coats to the upper lashes and 1 coat to the bottom lashes.

VOILA!

I would quite like to expand on this look - think it would be great for a costume event; add some feathers, more colouring to the face and neck, boom! You've got yourself a peacock! :) 

Hope you have a nice day!

xxx

Back To The Clinic...

Morning all,

Yesterday my new diabetic consultant phoned me up, "Strange", I thought since he didn't mention he was going to call when I saw him last week. At the moment, I did have a moment of panic - maybe my blood results showed something abnormal...
I haven't had a "fixed" consultant for about 3/4 years now, which has been very frustrating with all my health issues, explaining over and over again what's gone on, what am I doing now, so on and so forth. So I am very happy I have a fixed Doctor now, and a lovely one of that.
Back to the phone call, he wanted to check a few details about my past (Eating Disorders, Diabetes,...) as there wasn't many documents from the Eating Disorder Clinic. I explained what had happened and how helpful they were. My Doctor then said that after my consultation, him and other Doctors (whom I'd never met) had a meeting about me (not sure it's something to be flattered about), they were thinking whether it would be best for me to visit the Eating Disorder Clinic again.
This wasn't a total shock if I'm honest. I admit, since the results of my food intolerance test, I have found it difficult to find food and to "keep up" with my normal eating habits. I haven't stopped eating; I have breakfast, lunch and dinner with the odd snack here and there and drink plenty of fluids but my portions are not large, probably 2/3 the recommended daily intake for an adult. With the smaller portions/lack of nutrients and my stomach issues, my weight has dropped quite dramatically. My BMI is under the healthy lower limit and this does worry me. The problem is, although there are many alternatives to suit my new food intolerances, they never exclude all of them. My main intolerances are wheat, gluten, yeast, milk, eggs, beef and lamb (plus a few minor ones like dill). Literally all foods contain one of these ingredients. I do find the odd product which is free from all the above but I can't live on that alone. This in turn makes my anxiety worse when it comes to meal times as I don't know if it'll affect me.
Three years ago, my anxiety was so bad about food that I would have panic attacks whenever I was presented with something to eat - I DO NOT WANT THAT AGAIN. This is also is making my anxiety worse (I am literally my worst enemy).
Anyway, the Doctors don't know whether it is a good idea or not to go back to the clinic. They have taught me methods of dealing with my problems from last time so there isn't much else they can do there and if I'm honest, going back to the clinic does bring back the horrible memories.
Bless my Mum could see how scared I was after the phone call, I did my usual 'put up a brick wall, pretend everything is fine' routine but even that didn't stop tears escaping. I hate how my problems affect my close friends and family, I wish it was as simple as clicking my fingers and everything is fine. My boyfriend is being so supportive, he said he would even change his diet to suit me and we could work out a plan to get back on track. This means the world to me but again (being my worst enemy), I don't like being the centre of attention or causing big changes to our "normal" routine. Like the other day, we went out for dinner (anxiety already kicked in) but with my new diet, I had to phone ahead and check whether they could make something that I could eat. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal but to me it does, putting someone out of their way for my sake.

Back to the Clinic. I am scared about going back but I'm also scared about what could happen if I don't. I had plans over the next few months but now I'm doubting will I be well enough to do them. I wanted to move out this year and start afresh, don't think that'll be happening. Ugh. I just want to be a relatively normal 20-something and enjoy life. The past 4 years have been a living hell (health wise) and I want to move on.
I do apologise for this massive rant - this is a good way for me to let off steam.
Got to learn to take each day as it comes. I'm sure many people have gone through what I'm dealing with and have turned out fine. Stay positive.

I'm seeing the Diabetic Nutritionist tomorrow, hopefully they'll have some nutrient drinks that will support me and help put weight back on. Fingers crossed!

xxx

Rant over. 

Master Graphic Eyeliner - Maybelline Review

Afternoon,

I love eyeliner; pencil, gel, liquid,... I've got it all. Think my obsession with eyeliner began when I was studying Ancient Egyptians in Year 3! The dramatic bold "cat-eye" look got me hooked.
Starting 6th Form (when we were allowed to wear our own clothes), I applied liquid eyeliner for a subtle top line and flick everyday without fail. Naturally over time, I became quite good at steadying my hand.

As I browse the many beauty websites and stores, I'm always on the look out for a better eyeliner but over the past few months, nothing has really grabbed my attention. This was until I came across a liquid eyeliner from Maybelline (oddly enough whilst I was doing my weekend food shop).

It's proper title is 'Maybelline Eyestudio Master Graphic Eyeliner', sold at £5.99 (Good price!).

                                                      
I admit. I am a sucker for monochrome designs so of course I was curious about this product. What really attracted me to this item was the applicator, the same as a highlighter! For a girl that likes thick eyeliner, this was just the ticket.

Nice thick broad applicator with narrow defined tip

Applying the product is actually very simple. Because of it's shape, it's easy to create a smooth thick line - you line the bottom of the applicator with your upper lash line and follow. The pen automatically creates a nice smooth curve. For the inner corners, the tip is narrow (and strong enough) to define the area. Sticking to my usual, creating a flick on the outer corner was a lot easier than my other eyeliners. Since the applicator is quite large, again, line the applicator with the outer corner of your eye (at whatever angle you want the flick) and press - this produces a clear line to either build upon or use a guide to fill in the rest of the eyeliner look.

This product is very good quality. You don't need to repeatedly go over areas you've done already to get the colour through and the texture is somewhere in between pure liquid and pencil (similar-ish to a Kohl pencil).

Very much recommend this product!

What type of liner do you prefer? Gel, liquid,...? 

Hope you have a nice day!

xxx

Superstay 24 Color - Not so super! Maybelline Review

Good Afternoon!

In my eyes, Maybelline has never really faulted when it comes to their products. Albeit, I don't own many but the ones I do have, I've been pleased with. However, I recently bought one of their Superstay 24 Color shades as it was promised long lasting wear with a balm to add for moisture, perfect for this time of year. I chose the shade 'Rose Dust' - I think rosey colours really suit blondes
(must have been influenced by Sleeping Beauty!).

The Gloss and Balm.

The "proper" method for this lipstick/gloss is to apply the liquid colour to the lips, allow to dry for two minutes and then apply the conditioning balm. This was the result...

                                                               
Quite pleased with the outcome; nice even colour, not sticky, not too glossy... *Although side point, I found the application wand to be a bit too big, could just be my lips are thin but with the bigger wand, more liquid came out with it that was unnecessary.

Only 10-15 minutes later, my lips felt dry. I went to check them out in the mirror and found the lipstick had almost gathered around the lip line and not much colour left. I only reapplied the balm as I didn't want loads of gloss - which is recommended to do on the website.

More of a lip liner effect.

A further ten minutes went by, nearly time for me to leave for work, my lips feel really dry this time. Again, I go check it out in the mirror to find the lipstick/gloss really wasn't working well.

Crumbly, colour faded, lip liner effect

The colour had faded leaving only the "lip liner effect" and what was left of the colour had crumbled. Not exactly happy! Followed the instructions and was left with the above.

Maybelline brands this product as longwearing, no crumbling, no fading,... Pfft.
Safe to say, I don't think I'll be using this product again. At £8.99, I expected a little more.

Anybody else have this trouble? How do you rate Maybelline products?

Hope you have a nice day!

xxx