Makeup Makeup Makeup

I thought I'd review some of my favourite makeup, just because, really. The majority of my makeup tends to be either Rimmel or Benefit, both of which are amazing brands that haven't failed me yet! 

I've already blogged quite a bit about my Finding Mr. Bright kit from Benefit, which is what I use for concealer and general face brightening. I really love Rimmel London foundation, and the the 25 Hour Lasting Finish (red lid) and new Wake Me Up. I tend to use shade 100 because I'm pale, but as it gets towards Spring I like to combine shades to make a mid-tone, so I have the Lasting Finish in 100 and the Wake Me Up (and another Last Finish) in shade 200, and I mix up the two of them on a little patch on my hand. I also love Rimmel's Stay Matte powder, which I put on with a big, fluffy brush, though it does depress me a little that my shade is 'transparent'.

I love love love mascara, and I tend to wear all three of these at the same time. Thick & Fast, by Soap & Glory, came free with Elle Magazine the other week and I was genuinely really impressed by it. I used that one a base, then once it's dried I add Rimmel's (of course) Glam'Eyes mascara, which is really good for making your eyelashes look long. Rimmel's Volume Flash mascara is works well if you put a light mascara underneath, like either of the two I've just mentioned. This one is sort of a bit wetter, so it is a bit easier to get it on your face or make a bit of a mess, so just be careful with it :)

I really love this blusher from Accessorize, even though I dropped it within three days of the purchase. The brush that I use is from an Elizabeth Arden bronzer kit that my mum bought on holiday a few years ago, and it's perfect for applying blusher. 

Things I'm obsessing over.

I sometimes find myself in a bit of a rut and I get a tiiiiny bit obsessed with things. So, here are some of the things I'm obsessing over at the moment..


Topshop nail polish in Ice Crush

source: topshop.com

I was genuinely really impressed with how glittery this was! I thought it would be clear with a few sparkly flecks, but I was pleasantly surprised. It works best if you do two or three coats, but even with only one it's really glittery. Someone even told me that my nails looked like they belonged to Cinderella, so that's never a bad thing.


Benefit's 'Finding Mr. Bright'

My boyfriend bought me this for my birthday and it really is amazing. I've loved Benefit makeup for a long time and have quite a few of their products, most of which are for eyes. I like this one in particular because it focuses on my skin, giving me a damn near perfect complexion. I also love the size of the make up that you get in these sets, because there is more than enough for you to figure out if you love it or not and if you want to buy the bigger version, but there isn't so much that you regret buying it if you find that it's not for you. The Erase Paste that I got in this set is a really good concealer and, even though it's a tiny bit dark for me (with this set you're given the medium shade), it definitely does it's job.


My Camera

It's a Lumix FZF8 and it's absolutely brilliant. I used to use my Dad's SLR camera, but I got this for Christmas and I love it a great deal. The zoom lens is brilliant (it also looks really cool when it extends) and the quality is mind boggling. 

TOMS

I already did an entire blog dedicated to these, but I just really love them.

Reading

For a while I was worried that my degree had sucked all the fun out of reading, but now I'm back to being a literature whore because this semester the reading list is really good. This is a snapshot from The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts.

Birthday Celebrations

Chocolate birthday cake :)

Yesterday was my birthday and I was absolutely spoilt rotten by everyone. I have an incredible family, the most amazing boyfriend, and the loveliest friends. I got some really beautiful presents, including; Urban Outfitters shoe boots, navy Hunter wellies, Benefit make-up, tickets to see Wicked in London, and lots of clothes and other pretty things :) 

This was my first ever birthday away from my family, but I did spent Tuesday night at home with my boyfriend and had a lovely birthday lunch with my parents on Wednesday. When we got back to the flat my flatmates had decorated the living room with lots of balloons and confetti, and everyone surprised me later on with a cake. I did get very homesick on Thursday, and it made me quite sad that my parents couldn't see just how much I appreciated everything they got me. Despite this, I had a really brilliant birthday night and day with everyone at Caledonia :)

Finding Mr. Bright -Benefit.
This set is really good, so I'll do a full blog on it soon because I have some more make-up I want to review and show off :)