My Birthday Wish List!

So it's my birthday in less than a month and, apart from me, the rest of my family hate surprises. This means if I want any presents I have to make a massive list that is circulated amongst everyone with gifts they can choose to get me. I suppose it means everything I get, I like, but I also like surprises. So I thought I would turn my present hunt into a blog post and give other girls some good ideas for their own birthday presents!

At the moment I'm loving little rope bracelets and have yet to get myself one. Urban Outfitters do some like the one below which are pretty inexpensive at £8. I also love this one off Etsy.          
                           

     

I also really like these sunglasses for £16 which I have tried on several times!

Carrying on with everything UO I saw this bag in one of the London stores over Christmas and fell in love. I have yet to acquire the money to buy it but might ask the grandpadres! 

I wanted a kind of bright but daytime wearable lipstick. I think Craving by MAC is perfect as a toned down raspberry shade.

My friends and family know how much I like painting my nails so I though I had to include a mini nail set on my list. I love this one by Jessica and also this Nails Inc one. Both seem perfect for spring and summer! 

I really want something small to boost the sound of my laptop and my dad actually has one of these. They are definitely worth the money.

If you are stuck for any other ideas this website, www.notonthehighstreet.com , has some really cute gifts that can be personalised.

Hope this has helped if you are just as stuck as me!

Alex xx

Make Up Go-Tos

I thought I'd share what makeup I am currently using daily to give you guys some good ideas....maybe for Christmas! I like to keep my daily makeup pretty simple. I can't usually be asked to concentrate enough in the morning to draw on eyeliner. I tend to wear mascara on my eyes (maybe a wash of eyeshadow), a bit of powder through my brows, foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer and my most recent favourite thing to do is jazz the whole thing up with a bright lip.

Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Foundation in 2CN1
I am absolutely in love with this foundation. Its has taken me around 4 years to find a foundation that I have actually re-purchased. It is so light but covers perfectly and is really build-able. The tag line for the foundation is "See no makeup, Feel no makeup" which is exactly what you should be looking for in a foundation. You want people to think your skin is naturally this flawless!  It isn't too matte either which is good because heavy matte foundations tend to dry your skin out. For my day time makeup I use about a 5p sized blob and if I am going out about a 10p sized blob. All in all the foundation lasts me 2.5 to 3 months. The only thing is I don't like being too shiny so I have to use a bit of powder. However, it would take a miracle product for me to change from this foundation.

Soleil Tan De Chanel £30
While this product is expensive it is my new love. It only comes in one shade but you can build it up to become as sun kissed as you want! The best way to describe it would be the makeup version of fake tan. It has no real shimmer or, ultimately, bronze-ness to it. Instead it acts like a natural skin darkening tool which brings out the underlying pigments of your own skin. The formula is a bit odd because it is like a very hard moose and I use my Mac 09 contouring brush to really buff it into my skin. I know it is expensive but its a day and night product and will last an AGE.

Poudre Universal Libre - Natural Finish Loose Powder £34
Another expensive product, but I can easily say this will last/has lasted over a year. I find cheaper loose powders can be really chalky and the last thing you want is to look like the snow queen. This sits really well on my skin and also helps to reduce big pores. It also contains photo reflective pigments - perfect for a good profile pic. Ha!

Buck (2nd from right) and Baked (3rd from left) from the Urban Decay Naked Palette 

I absolutely love this palette and use it everyday. My go-to daytime shade is Buck. I would say it is a brick brown and perfect because it looks better when its not that neat! Great for applying at 7.30am! I would use a primer with it though to make it last the day! I use baked to run through my eyebrows as it is not that dark and just       provides them with a bit of definition.

L'Oreal Paris Lash Architect Mascara £5
This mascara is okay and I have been wearing it everyday but I'm not sure I would try it again. The brush isn't ideal for my lashes as I find it doesn't do a great job of separating. However, I have found for some strange reason that my eyelashes have grown a lot since using this mascara! Lucky me!

MAC Lipstick in Rebel £14.50

Love this colour. I wear it in the day and out at night. It is a purple/red and looks great with pretty much whatever you are wearing. It also looks really good with the Buck eyeshadow. Make sure to blot well and reapply before you go out to ensure the colour lasts. Be careful as well, I stood on mine and it is forever stuck inside the container :(







Chanel Lipstick in Pirate 

I don't actually own this lipstick but I have a little sample and have decided that this shall definitely be featuring on my Christmas list! The consistency is so silky that it almost feels like it won't last 5 minutes but the colour stays put for most of the day. As I said with Rebel though, it would be good to blot and reapply to make it last longer!

Everyday brushes

Left to Right: MAC 109, Real Technique Buffing Brush, Fan Brush, Eyebrow Brush, MAC 224, MAC 217, MAC 239

I hope I haven't bored you too much with this massive chat about makeup (I could go on forever). If you have any questions feel free to ask. Comment and subscribe!!

Alex x