Wantfeed Beauty Wishlist | July

Hello again, lovely people!

Today's post is a small peek into my very large make-up shopping list! I keep several lists on my phone of products I want to buy from Sephora in Europe, the U.S., online and in stores in the UK. I thought it would be fun to share some of the products on my lists with you fellow beauty obsessives, share suggestions for products and inadvertently make each other spend more money on make-up than we initially intended to! Can one ever have too much make-up? Never.

I have decided to house my wishlist on Wantfeed because I believe it is a great tool to store your favourite products in a visual way so that other people can see them and your nearest and dearest will always know what to get you. If you do not watch the Michalaks, Stef is the creator of Wantfeed and you can watch their weekly vlogs here. They are a cute family with great ethics and values, plus their content quality is consistently fantastic and one of the best I've seen on YouTube in a long time.

To view these products and many others on my Wantfeed, click here.

Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes Mascara

Why I want it: You may have seen the promo for this product a few weeks ago but in case you haven't, it showed before and after images of this mascara on a model's lashes and it was impressive to say the least. I do not own anything from Charlotte Tilbury (believe me, I'd love to!) but this mascara really caught my eye. I'm a mascara junkie and I used to love the YSL Effet Faux Cils, begging my Dad to buy me it from duty free when he would go away on business trips. I love long and thick lashes and I feel like this one from Charlotte Tilbury could really deliver. I also don't think £25 is too bad a price to pay for what seems to be a very quality product. 

Original Beauty Blender

Why I want it: I purely want to try out this beauty sponge because a) everyone and their mother talks about this in the beauty community and b) I have and love the Miracle Complexion sponge from Real Techniques. I just want to compare the technologies and see if it really is worth all of the hype!

MAC Fix+ Mist

Why I want it: This is, again, a beauty blogger driven want but I do love a good setting spray for finishing my make-up with and giving my eyeshadow more pigment, especially with the more metallic shades. I think I will end up buying the travel size first, then move on to the full size if I really like it. My question is: If you use it every day for example, how long does a full size bottle last? 

E.L.F. Studio Bronzer in 'Warm Bronzer'

Why I want it: I saw this featured in one of Tati's (GlamLifeGuru) Hot or Not videos on the brand E.L.F. I'm really into bronzers at the moment (appropriate, seeing as it is summer!) but I love given my extremely fair skin a healthy dose of colour. Given the extremely affordable price of this, I thought I couldn't pass it up!

Zoeva Nude Spectrum Palette

Why I want it: I have mentioned before my love for my Zoeva Cocoa Blend eyeshadow palette, I talked about it in my June Favourites video here. The quality of these shades has ignited a flame now where I want to try more of their products. 

E.L.F. Baked Eyeshadow in 'Enchanted'

Why I want it: A few weeks ago I was perusing Pinterest at beauty dupes between affordable and high-end products and I spotted that this eyeshadow is a dupe for the Jaclyn Hill X Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. Now that product is on my Christmas list for this year but I'd like to try this supposed dupe, you know, as an experiment ;)

Physician's Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara

Why I want it: This is another product endorsed by Tati who for as long as I have been watching her has raved about this mascara. Physicians Formula is not a brand we can get in the UK, but I have found a website called iHerb that sells the brand and ships to the UK! I'm definitely going to be buying several items from this brand in addition to this mascara.

Make-Up Revolution Ultra Contour Palette

Why I want it: As I've been obsessing over bronzers over the last few weeks, I've been reaching less for my contour products and not picking them up in store either. However, I've really been missing adding definition to my face. I really like the palettes from Make-Up Revolution; the Hot Spice Blush palette is my every-day go-to for blush, they are great quality for the price so I think it is time to give the brand another visit next time I am in Superdrug.

So there is my Wantfeed Wishlist for July! Let me know if you have tried any of these products, letting me know what you think and also what is on your wishlist for this month!

P x

June Beauty Favourites! (+ NEW VIDEO!)

Hello there, lovely people!

So another month has passed and we are now over half way through the year. Yes I know, I can't quite believe it either. Nevertheless with any end of the month in the beauty blogger world, we gather together our beauty gems from the past month and tell other beauty obsessives why we love them and why they need to buy them ASAP. There are no guesses as to what I am going to be talking about today in this post so I might as well just jump in and tell you what I've been loving in June.

L'Oréal Glam Bronze Cushion De Soleil

This cushion bronzer was released at the same time as the highly anticipated Nude Magique Cushion foundation by L'Oréal. It is a wonderful amalgamation of innovative technology and a cult product everyone wants at this time of year. This is neither a powder or cream formula, it is more of a liquid that is so ridiculously easy to use. When blending onto the skin it doesn't disrupt the base underneath, it just adds a beautifully even veil of bronze. An absolute must-have in your make-up bag for a holiday or vacation.

http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Face/Bronzer/L%27Oreal-Cushion-De-Soleil-Bronzer/p/700820

L'Oréal Glam Bronze La Terra Face & Body Sun Powder 02

A perfect multi-purpose product for summer. This HUGE bronzer from L'Oréal (they are killing it with bronzers this year) is seriously pigmented so do go in with a light hand and a tap of your bronzer brush before you sweep this onto the face. However if you are wanting to bronze up the body as well, I would say you don't really have to worry about this because you want it to show up. The texture of this product is ironically not very powdery at all, it feels very smooth which is great for blending into the skin seamlessly. Another bonus: it smells like holidays! *heart emoji*

http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Face/Bronzer/L%27Oreal-Glam-Bronze-La-Terra-Tribal-Powder-Natural-Capri-6ml/p/461701?singleResultSearchPage=true

Sleek Make-Up Solstice Highlighting Palette

If you haven't heard of this product yet... Where have you been?! It seems the entire beauty community have been loving this product in the last few weeks and it's not hard to see why. I haven't picked up any other highlighter this month because this just gives me all I would need in that department. The pigment of the 4 shades in the palette are so incredible for the price and you are really able to tailor the intensity of your highlight to your tastes. I'm really into a very glowing look right now so you can imagine how heavy I go in with this.

http://www.superdrug.com/Sleek/Sleek-MakeUP-Highlighter-palette-Solstice-9g-32/p/576803?singleResultSearchPage=true

Make-Up Revolution Ultra Blush Palette in Hot Spice

This palette is more than just a favourite of June, it's a favourite from many months. It's the only palette I reach for for blush and it's only £6! Less than a £1 pound a blush! Each blush pan has great pigment to it and a real variety of shades that are great on their own but also mixed with each other on your blush brush. I personally reach for the 3 more muted tones on the left hand side of the palette as you look at it. I do sometimes dip into the more orangey shade amongst them to add a bronzed feel to my blush. If you're a little intimidated by blush and are not sure which shade to go for, I'd highly recommend this palette for experimenting.

http://www.superdrug.com/Makeup-Revolution/Makeup-Revolution-Ultra-Blush-Palette-Hot-Spice/p/246717?singleResultSearchPage=true

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Eyeshadow Palette

If you love your warm toned eyeshadows both matte and shimmery, look no further. I have been loving this palette from Zoeva this month as the gorgeous shimmery shades always add a bit of something special to any eye look. The packaging of this palette also makes it great for travel and the creaminess of the shades means application is easy and the pigment isn't compromised.

http://www.beautybay.com/cosmetics/zoeva/cocoablendpalette/

Essence Lip Liner in '11 In The Nude'

This lip liner is my new everyday go-to for my lips. I struggle sometimes to find a nude that is a true nude. I don't like anything too mauve-toned nor do I like very terracotta tones either. Geez I sound very high maintenance with my lip colours, don't I? Nevertheless, I had heard great things about this liner so for the super low low cost, I decided to pick it up. Such a great true nude on my lips and surprisingly creamy given the price. I'd definitely recommend it if you love your nude lips.

(I can't seem to find a link to buy this liner, best to check in Wilkinson's stores!)

Gosh Velvet Touch Lip Liner in '001 Nougat Crisp'

The struggle with getting ahold of this lip liner was real. I waited 2 months for this to come back into stock both in store and online, after which I soon gave up hope. Until I was browsing the Superdrug website and saw it in stock AND half price! Now that I have this in my life now, I can't seem to put it away when I'm going out for dinner or drinks (or both!). It stays on the lips really well and I do really love the colour. It is leaning towards the mauve-y end of the spectrum more than the Essence one but I still really love it.

http://www.superdrug.com/GOSH/Gosh-Velvet-Touch-Lip-Liner-Nougat-Crisp/p/281255 

Look Good Feel Better Powder Brush

I have written a blog post already on Look Good Feel Better brushes and the wonderful work they do and support they provide to those dealing with cancer, particularly the side affects. You can read that post here. I have continued to love this brush for a multitude of reasons in June. Predominantly I use it to blend all of my base powder products (blusher, bronzer, translucent powder) together to remedy any harsher than I'd like lines. I do also use it to dust away any 'baking' I do under the eyes or on my chin. If you are in need of some new brushes, take a look at LGFB.

http://www.boots.com/en/Look-Good-Feel-Better-Powder-brush_1691017/

And that is it for another month! I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, or even watching the video! Let me know what your favourites were from the month of June in the comments under this post.

If you want to check out my June Favourites video over on my YouTube channel, click the video below.

P x

What I Got For My Birthday | 2016

So a few weeks ago, I celebrated my 23rd birthday. As I've got older, I've become much more relaxed with celebrating and with what gifts to ask my family for. When I was a teenager, I used to write a rather lengthy and comprehensive list of gifts and then I'd delegate them to different family members. It was my sure-fire way of getting everything I wanted. As I typed that last sentence, I realised how much of a brat that made me sound. I'm not, I promise! Now that I'm in my twenties, I get very lazy about my birthday and this year was no different. I had no list and no ideas about what I wanted. All I really wanted was to spend time with my family and boyfriend and go out for nice meals.

However, my chilled out vibes were not appreciated by my family and boyfriend. As I didn't have a list or express any desire for anything for my birthday, they had no idea what to get me. Nevertheless, they didn't disappoint; I was still extremely spoilt by them and I'm very grateful for everything they got me. 

A few days before my birthday I was talking to my brother on Whatsapp and he asked me if I had any ideas. I was also scrolling through some of the blogs that I read and it sparked an idea of some books that I wanted to read. I reeled off a few of the titles in a message to him and he replied saying he had placed an order on Amazon. These were Tyler Oakleys book 'Binge', Amy Poehler's book 'Yes Please' and Sophia Amoruso's '#Girlboss'. I didn't think anything more of it until the Amazon parcel came to my house and it was extremely heavy! When I came to open it, he had ordered all of the books I had suggested! I was gobsmacked. I was only expecting to receive one or two of them at most! So needless to say, my reading list is looking rather well stocked for quite a while! 

Most of my family and friends know that I am a make-up obsessive so I usually get something beauty-related for my birthday (and Christmas, too!) which is never a bad thing in my books. I actually got quite a variety of beauty goodies for my birthday this year. In addition to the books, my brother also got me the Sleek Solstice Highlighter Palette. This absolutely gorgeous highlighter quad has been doing the rounds of both beauty blogs and beauty YT channels. I'm obsessed with highlighting my skin at the moment so when I saw this amongst my books, I was extremely excited and used it straight away. Spoiler alert: this highlighter is so bright, I'm sure Tim Peake can see it all the way from the International Space Station. 

I am also waiting for another gift to arrive from my Mum. She usually always knows what to get me for my birthday but this year she was really stuck. However this was only until we were watching QVC beauty (which we do quite regularly) and the presenters were talking about some Tarte products. I piped up and said I really liked the look of the new Tartelette in Bloom 2 eyeshadow palette that I've seen a few of my favourite YouTubers rave about. There and then she ordered it from the QVC website but it is currently on a wait list so it could be anything up to 3 months until this beauty arrives on my doorstep. My Dad gifted me a MAC gift card because I've been banging on for months about how I want to buy myself some MAC make-up. It seems whenever I go into a MAC store, I have every intention to buy something but I get so intimated by the selection of products and the staff never really seem too willing to help at all. Does anyone else feel like that? I'm going to do the smart thing and save my gift card for when I have a good list of products that I've researched and feel confident in going in and buying in one fair swoop. If you are well-versed in MAC, what are your favourite products? Let me know!

Whilst I was in London celebrating my actual birthday with my boyfriend, I did also treat myself to some Soap & Glory goodies. I picked up the Thick & Fast Flash Extensions Effect Mascara, Kick Ass Concealer Crayon and the Sexy Mother Pucker Extreme Lip Plumper. I am still giving them a good road test but they will definitely feature on my blog soon. 

Now I'm not going to be talking about every single gift I was given because this post would be very long and potentially very boring for some of you. So I will finish off this post with some of the gifts that my boyfriend got me. He said that he really struggled with what to get me but I think he did a great job and I loved every single one. I'm a big Kardashian/Jenner fan and I had often mentioned that I wanted a Lumee phone case that they all have. However, I didn't think I'd mentioned it enough that he thought to get it for me and when I unwrapped it, I screamed and instantly sent a picture of it to my friend Emily. She's also a Kardashian fan. I'm so happy with it and I love being able to take good selfies when its dark. He also got me Cards Against Humanity which is a seriously offensive but hilarious game that I have been desperate to get my hands on and play for MONTHS. I've even watched game plays of it on YouTube just to feel part of a game! I'm so excited to play this with my friends because we all have a similar dark sense of humour. However, I don't think this will be making an appearance at Christmas as I don't think my Nan & Grandad would approve. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and seeing some of the things I got for my birthday. I'm so grateful to my family and boyfriend for all of my lovely gifts- I'm a very lucky girl. If it was your birthday recently, leave a comment and let me know what you were gifted!

P x 

Ready for 2016...

Happy New Year, readers!

With 2015 wrapped up and put to bed, we are about to start a fresh new year and as customary, make a few new goals and resolutions. There's been less than a handful of resolutions that I have actually kept for longer than 3 months so I've switched it up and have a 'Plan of Action' instead.  I have borrowed this from my boyfriend who for the last few years has had these plans to advance his music career. I much prefer this term because I like goals and lists and most of all, ticking off those goals once achieved. Resolutions can be notoriously difficult to stick to, sometimes it just isn't possible nor pleasurable to go to the gym 4 times a week or completely cut out chocolate. I find regimental rules inadvertently set myself up for failure and I have never dealt with failure well. Therefore, my Plan of Action for 2016 is not a complete overhaul of my lifestyle, but achievable goals that when combined will make me feel better, happier and indirectly, healthier.

Before I jump into my Plan of Action, let me tell you a little bit about my 2015. When I look at the two halves of my year, they are very different. January to June was all about finishing university, working many hours a day on my assignments and sleeping for very few. I was incredibly stressed out and it showed. I lost my appetite completely and a patch of my hair (which thankfully is growing back now), my skin was breaking out because I wasn't putting in the time to have healthy and nutritious meals and replaced water with Lucozade and energy drinks. Not to mention I was incredibly emotional, having a total of 3 sobbing fits to lecturers and friends in the last few weeks of my degree. Fortunately, I was surrounded by my best friends who were always there to support me (and hand me another shot of tequila on our nights out a.k.a. therapy).

July to December was a little bit more rocky. Whilst I had finished university and graduated with a First (something I still cannot believe I managed to achieve), I felt a sudden sense of loss of my old life at university. I was no longer in my university shaped bubble that I had called home for the last 3 years. I was now seen as a graduate who needed to start being a real adult with a real salary-paid job. Feeling incredibly overwhelmed combined with dealing with the loss of my old life, my confidence took a major hit and I didn't feel good enough for the jobs I was looking at. I started to recluse and my emotions really took a toll on me and my relationships. In early November, I decided enough was enough. I went to my GP and confessed everything. I'm now on a stress and anxiety management course run by the NHS and on the waiting list to see a therapist. I've only been to 2 sessions of my course so far, but I feel so much better already. I will definitely do a post about this entire topic in the next few months because I think its important to talk about it and I've learnt a few new tips that someone could find useful.

So for 2016, this is what I would like to achieve...

1. Reach 200 YouTube subscribers.
I am currently at 35 subscribers so I do have some work to do. However, I've been brainstorming and planning video ideas so I hope with my creativity and consistency, I'll start to attract a few more viewers into my little community here.

2. Find a job in my chosen industry
It's important to me to have several things behind me to help me in the scary world of the job market. As my degree was largely creative, I have about 3 years worth of work in my portfolio, as well as this blog and my Youtube channel. I hope this will help future employers to see how passionate I am about what I want to do as I'm making it a part of my daily routine.

3. Secure a blogging/filming schedule and more importantly, stick to it!
A few months ago, I created a 12-month calendar print-out and have started planning what I want to create and share in the first 2 months of 2016. Every time I have an idea of either a blog post or a video, I'll jot it down and then brainstorm every Sunday evening about how I can give a life to this idea and where I can schedule it in for.

4. Decorate my room
I moved back home in June and all I have done to my room is arrange my furniture and buy a new bedside table from IKEA. I have been pinning away on Pinterest ideas and styles I like for my room and also what I want to get out of my room such as how I want to organise and store different things. I will definitely be doing a series on my blog and snippets on my channel this year to chronicle the process and give you some ideas if you are looking to update your bedroom or completely redecorate like me.

5. Work out more
I had to put a stereotypical resolution on there, didn't I? I used to work out quite frequently towards the end of 2014 before my 3rd year of uni started to get quite intense and I LOVED IT. Combined with better eating habits, I felt so much healthier and livelier. I want to get back to that state of happiness with both my body and my frame of mind.

6. Sell unwanted things at at least 2 boot sales
This goal is purely because I have way too much stuff for one person. It's the kind of stuff that I haven't used in years and it's just sitting in cardboard boxes, but also not the kind of stuff that needs to be thrown away.

7. Keep a daily mindfulness journal
As mentioned before, I've learnt from my stress and anxiety management course to really understand how I am feeling and use certain techniques to cope with it. I hope by keeping a daily journal of how I'm feeling I can unload some of the thoughts that are whirling around in my brain onto paper so they become easier to manage. Anyone else feel like they have about 250 tabs open in their brain?

8. Give more to charity
This is purely inspired by Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter. She has made several videos or mentioned that she and her daughter, Darcy are giving back to their community both to be or service and to teach Darcy the importance of giving and helping other people who need it the most. Whilst I don't have any children to share this with and my new nephew is too young to be involved in, I'd still like to do my bit to help out my local community it whatever way I can, whether thats through donating my time or products. I used to volunteer at a local rescue home for cats when I was about 12 years old and for about 5/6 years, I would help out every Saturday morning and it made me really happy because I was helping take care of and eventually find homes for cats and kittens, as well as getting to play with them too.

So there it is, my plan of action for 2016. I'm really excited about this new year and I think the overall vibe from my goals are to become a better version of myself by taking care of myself both mentally and physically to make me feel happier and more confident.

I hope you have a wonderful and safe New Year and will be a part of my journey whether you are a reader or a viewer! Tell me, what are your goals for 2016? I'd love to know.

Paris x