Wednesday 20 November 2013

Elf Cosmetics haul!

I recently ordered some things from Elf because they had a 30% sale. Although, I was gutted because a few days before I made my order, it was 50% off to celebrate getting 100,000 followers on twitter. In total I think I spent around £20 and saved about £10, which Is still a pretty good deal. So enough with me rambling on lets get into what I bought, (I have had these products for a few days so they are slightly used)


First of all I picked up the Elf contouring blush & bronzer powder in the shade Antigua. This duo consists of a lovely shimmery bronzer and a bright pink shimmer blush. I have been trying these out over the last couple of days and am very happy with the product, although the blush seems to have glitter instead of shimmer in it. They are only small pieces but there is a risk of you cheeks being very..well glittery, but for only 3.75 it is worth buying it just for the bronzer.



I also bought two brushes from the studio line. I got the blush brush and the powder brush, each costing only 3.75 each, which is an absolute bargain! I had seen Missbudgetbeauty recommend the powder brush for applying foundation so I thought I would give it a go. It is a very good brush as it is quite solid and compact so you can really blend the foundation well and it gives good coverage, I love it! Both these brushes are super soft and just generally good all round.







The next product is raved about a lot in the blogging community and this is Elf Eyelid primer, which I bought in Sheer. This is one of Elf's number one bestsellers and is normally always sold out, it was only £1.50 so I decided to try it. I have very oily skin, including my eyelids so eye shadow tend to only last about 4 hours without creasing, with this product however I have seen that my eye shadow stays put for the whole school day (6 hours) I don't think I would say this a miracle product but however, if you have normal to dry eyelids this would probably keep your eye shadow on all day- Crease free!


I needed a new eyeliner as my old one had run out. As i was ordering of of elf I just picked up some black eyeliner. I must say this is one of the best I have tried, you can create precise lines and it lasts all day. It's a bargain at £1.50



I also needed a new eyebrow kit as the shade of my current pencil was not really correct for my hair colour. I got the elf eyebrow kit in light, when I ordered I wasn't sure if it was going to be too dark as it is not the lightest shade and I am blonde. However I do have dark eyebrows and when It arrived I was surprised at how well it matched my brows. I am in love with this product! It comes with a coloured gel and a setting powder which helps your brows stay put. Once again this cost £3.75



Besides from the blush/bronzer duo I also bought a blush in the colour tickled pink which is nice light pinky coral, perfect for everyday wear. This shade is really pretty and looks natural. (£3.75





Finally I bought a single eye shadow in Wild Wheat, which is a shimmery natural nude/beige and a lipstick in the shade captivating. I thought I was buying a light pinky coral but when I put it on it turned out to be a bright orange! If this was in a different shade this lipstick would be perfect as it is SUPER pigmented and glides on nicely. This is why you should never trust the photo.






Thank you for reading and don't forget to follow me! Sorry for not posting in the last few days, I had a french assessment I needed to revise for. xx

Thursday 14 November 2013

Liebster Blog Award 2013


I was so excited when I got a comment on my blog post by the gorgeous Rosalind (http://www.beautyinhisname.blogspot.co.uk/), (Check out her blog) saying that I had been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award 2013, I had never heard of this before so I found out more about it:

I think this is  a really good way to get blogs with under 200 followers noticed and get the followers they deserve. So basically I checked out Rosalind's blog and found out what you have to do to get the award;

  • Nominate 11 blogs with under 200 subscribers
  • Tell 11 random facts about yourself
  • Answer the 11 questions your nominator has provided
Its as simple as that! Once you have posted all of that onto your blog, feel free to add the Liebster Blog Award logo onto your blog!

11 Random Facts about me (I literally mean random)


  1. I love Marmite, wait lets change that, I have a Marmite addiction. I literally eat it on everything from toast to crackers to just by its self (Yes I know, I think I need mental help)
  2. I sometimes wish there was a zombie apocalypse just for one day, so I can test all I have learnt from watching zombie films. I LOVE ZOMBIE MOVIES.
  3. I own almost 100 nail polishes and went through a stage of painting them a different colour every single day.
  4. My first ever makeup item was the Bourjois eye shadow in 92 gris. Yes I didn't opt for the traditional mascara or concealer, I decided to go full out and buy a dark gray glitter eyeshadow. I think I only wore it about once then thought to my self why did i ever buy this and it cost me £6.99 which is a lot of money for a 10 year old who still watched Disney channel every morning before school. I had issues.
  5. Oh yeah...I forgot to mention, I'm 14 years old and I'm British (If you couldn't already tell)
  6. I am love Union J, I am a major fan girl and have met the boys 3 times!
  7. I did ballet from the age of 4-8 but one of the girls at ballet told me I needed to have an injection to go to the dance show and knowing me because I hate injections I quit. I was such a gullible child.
  8. I really want a dog, preferably a pug.
  9. I love the taste of strawberry Calpol, sometimes when I was little I used to pretend to be ill so I could have some. Looking back it's made me realize that surely wasn't good for me...
  10. At one point I wanted to be a nurse, but then realized that's a nurse looks at cuts and uses injections, I changed my mind.
  11. Monsters inc is my absolute favorite animated movie, I bought Monsters university cereal one time, I have a bubble bath scream canister and even my onesie is sulley!

Blogs I nominate:












Questions!

  1. Do you have a favorite make-up brand? 
  2. What is your favorite quote?
  3. What would be your dream holiday?
  4. Who/what Inspired you to start blogging?
  5. Really weird fact about yourself?
  6. Favorite food?
  7. If you could be anyone for a day who would you be?
  8. What do you see yourself doing in the next 5-10 years?
  9. Advice to anyone starting a blog?
  10. Best budget beauty buy?
  11. If you could only use on makeup product for the rest of your life what would it be?

Answers to Rosalind's Questions

1. What's the story behind your blog name?
    Well, my blog name doesn't actually have a story, once I decided to start a blog, I thought of a few different names, but then decided on beauty&katie because It was simple and easy to remember.

2. What's the best thing that has ever happened to you?
Probably the times when I met Union J (yes, I'm a Fangirl) I met them at a book signing a few months ago, then I trekked to London to see if I could meet them outside Capital Radio. It didn't help that it was pouring down with rain and we had no shelter, but it was definitely worth it and most recently I won a competition to go to their album launch party! Finding out I won that was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me xx






























3. Do you have any pets?
Not currently but in the past I have had, fishes, rabbits and hamsters xx

4. How is life for you at the moment?
My life is actually pretty good, but school is a bit stressful with all our assessments and exams

5. If you could pick one movie that you were able to star as the lead role in which movie would it be?
Hmmm...This is actually quite hard but I will have to pick Titanic just because I would be with leonardo dicaprio, imagine that...

6. You're stuck on a deserted island with a handsome fellow and you're only allowed to take one piece of makeup with you, which do you take?
I would have to say mascara, no look is complete without mascara, I would choose either the Rimmel London Scandal eyes mascara or benefit they're real.





7. What is your all time favorite colour?
My favorite colour if definitely green, not dark green, lime green.  Kind of like this, 




8. Favorite nail varnish colour for winter?
I am a nail polish addict, but I never tend to match my nail polish colours to the seasons, I just pick and choose colours whenever. But at the moment I am loving Rimmel London, 842 Too cool to tango, which is a lovely baby blue and O.P.I You're such a budapest, which is a nice lilac.


 9. What's the reason you started a blog?
I had been watching youtube one day, when I came across Zoella and started to watch her videos, this is when I discovered the world of beauty blogging, I soon moved onto other bloggers and everyday I used to read blogs and watch videos. I had been thinking of starting a blog for a couple of months now but I thought no-one would want to read it. Then I finally decided to start a blog to share my love of beauty and fashion. x

10. What did you last eat?
A happy hippo, you know those cute hippo shaped wafer biscuits filled with the hazelnut icing. I used to love them when I was little and the other day I opened the snack cupboard to find a box of them...#awkward





11. What phone do you have?
A blackberry curve 9320, which I absolutely hate, If you are buying a new phone, never buy a blackberry. The new touchscreen ones might be good but most of the keypad ones are slow and always freeze. I am currently saving up for an iphone 5C x

Tuesday 12 November 2013

This or that beauty tag x


I have watched many youtubers do this tag before and I thought it looked fun to do so...here it is!

Makeup: 

Blush or bronzer 
Definitely blush because I wear it every day but I don't wear bronzer as often
Lip gloss or lipstick  
Lipstick because you can get more colour with it
Eye liner or mascara 
I do love eyeliner and wear it everyday but I will have to go with mascara as no look is complete without it
Foundation or concealer
Foundation because I can layer it to cover blemishes anyway 
Neutral or color eye shadow 
Neutral, I really don't suite coloured eyeshadow
Pressed or loose eye shadows 
Pressed, loose pigments are too messy
Brushes or sponges 
Brushes because there are more to choose from



Nails: 

OPI or china glaze 
OPI, I actually don't own a single China Glaze
Long or short 
Long...but unfortunately I have short nails
Acrylic or natural 
Acrylic..(I bite my nails)
Brights or darks 
Brights
Flower or no flower 
Depends what mood I'm in

*Wishing I had nails this long*



















Body: 

Perfume or body splash 
Perfume
Lotion or body butter 
Lotion
Body wash or soap 
Well if its Lush soap then soap, but otherwise body wash
Lush or other bath company 
LUSH <3










Fashion: 

Jeans or sweat pants Jeans

Long sleeve of short 
Short
Dresses or skirts 
Skirts
Stripes or plaid 
Stripes
Flip flops or sandals 
This is a hard one....I'm going to have to say both
Scarves or hats 
Scarves...Hats on me...no!
Studs or dangly earrings 
Studs
Necklaces or bracelets 
Necklaces
Heels or flats 
Flats, I don't want to make me any taller than I am already (I'm 5,7)
Cowboy boots or riding boots 
Arent they the same thing?
Jacket or hoodie 
Hoodie, I like to be snugly and warm :)

Hair: 


Curly or straight
I have my hair straight more often but prefer curly hair  

Bun or ponytail 
Bun
Bobby pins or butterfly clips 
Aww I used to love butterfly clips, but bobby pins
Hair spray or gel 
Hair spray
Long or short
Long, I am trying to grow mine at the moment 



Give me hair like this please?



























Light or dark 
Dark, I'm fed up with having blonde hair, I want to dye it light brown
Side sweep bangs or full bangs 
Side sweep bands
Up or down 
Down, I hardly ever have my hair up

Random: 

Rain or shine 
Shine!
Summer or winter 
Winter, I love snuggling up with a hot chocolate
Fall or spring 
Fall, spring is an awkward season.




Chocolate or vanilla 
Chocolate x


PS. Thank you for reading, Don't forget to follow me on twitter, bloglovin and pinterest..and maybe another site coming soon..It will be a surprise, comment below what you think it might be! xx

Sunday 10 November 2013

My favorite highstreet makeup products x

Hey there,

I thoughts as my first blog post (excluding my introduction) I would tell you about my favorite high street makeup products, which are all under £8. I do love a bargain when it comes to makeup as a don't have a large budget to spend. I have aimed to include a full face of makeup, so here are my current favorites from my makeup bag:

I am first going to start with the Bourjois "chocolate" Bronzing powder: £6.99




There was a massive rave about this product a couple of months back, but I only got round to purchasing this a couple of weeks ago, the reviews were correct and  I love this bronzer so much as it is the perfect shade for my skin tone, which is lucky as there are only 2 shades. It is has a good pigmentation and is not at all chalky so it applies nicely to the skin. The only down side of this product I can think of is the smell, I think they were trying to create a chocolate smell to suite the theme of the product but I can't really seem to make the connection. The smell is not a bad scent, I just think it would be better with out it. Once applied to your face though the odour disappears. So overall I just really love this product and it is perfect for contouring or just adding a bit of colour to the face in the winter months


Moving on, one of my favorites obviously has to be the Maybelline Baby Lips, pink punch in particular: £2.99




This well loved product is extremely moisturizing and has a great colour pay off. I like to use this on days where I don't feel like wearing a gloss or a lipstick but still want to add a bit of colour to my lips. It's a lip balm based product but has a good pigmentation which you don't expect when buying the product. The scent is another one of the good things about it, it really does smell like fruit punch, which is why it is probably called "Pink Punch", I just love the fruity scent. For £2.99 you can't really complain!



My next favorite is the MUA blushes which are an amazing bargain with a price tag of only £1




The shade I have is Lolly which is a lovely coral-orange colour. I tend to suite coral more than pink so this was a perfect choice. They have a range of 6 colours which are all equally nice, but as I do most of my shopping online, they are all out of stock on the MUA website and I am hoping they will restock soon. These blushes are slightly chalky and you do lose a lot of product when applying but for £1 it doesn't really matter as you can just go and buy more! The chalkiness doesn't affect the quality of the product, I have extremely oily skin and this blush lasts all day long. I have been using this every single day for the last month or two and it still looks as if i have barely used it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has a lower budget as they are really good quality for the price you pay

I also love the Maybelline Colossal volum' mascara which is the most expensive item on my list at £7.99






Although there have been many bad reviews on this mascara, I actually enjoy using it! It lengthens, thickens and separates my lashes just how I want them. My lashes don't at all look clumpy but if you layer it too much you can get that effect, which is a mistake I have made before. For the price I think you could get better mascaras but I only paid £3.99 as it was on special offer in Boots. But overall I really enjoy using this mascara and I am usually quite fussy with mascaras as my lashes are the main part of my makeup, but this seems to satisfy my needs.


Another one of my highstreet/drugstore favorites are the Bourjois Eyeshadows which retail at £6.99





I have selected 3 of my favorites to show you today which are (number 92, which is the grey one, 03, which is the pink one and 11 which is the lilac) They are all glitter eye-shadows but the two pastel shades are perfect for everyday wear. The grey eyeshadow, was actually my first eyeshadow I ever bought, I remember I had a party to go to so I went to my local Boots and picked it up! The pigmentation is amazing and with a primer they will last all day, even with my oily skin! They have a large range of colours in their "intense" range and if they were cheaper I would buy loads more.

Moving onto the Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil in 200 Hazel which is only £2.99



This eyebrow pencil is another bargain at only £2.99 and is the only blonde/brown colour I can find on the high street at this price. Because my brows are neither brown nor blonde I always have trouble trying to find a pencil with a matching shade and this is the closest I have got. This pencil lasts all day and looks natural, however if  I press down too hard it can end up looking a little bit ginger. I usually pair this pencil with 'Tease' from the Naked 2 Palette. For the price I think this is a really good product.


No-one ever seems to mention the Tesco makeup brand 'Vivo" so I thought I would show you this liquid eyeliner which I love, its only £1.99!



I think I bought this product as my first ever liquid eyeliner and have gone back to it ever since, there really aren't any down falls with it, its cheap, easy to apply and lasts all day. You can apply a thin line quickly and it is perfect for cat eyeliner which is something I have been loving over the last few weeks. I have re-purchased this eyeliner time and time again and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to try a new brand.

For foundation I have selected the Rimmel London Stay Matte foundation, which is £5.99



If you have oily skin like me, you have to try this product! Its a liquid foundation, that's suppose to give 'Up to 12 hours natural shine control" I wouldn't quote it on the 12 hours, but this is definitely a matte foundation that is unsuitable for dry skin. I find this foundation applies best with a kabuki brush, in the past I have tried it with my mac 187, but it just gave a cakey finish. (Because of its matte finish you do have to work quickly) I would say this foundation is medium coverage but you can layer it up and push it to full. It gives a couple of hours of matte finish if paired with the stay matte pressed powder, but I find my self getting oily in my T-zone at around mid-day. I have it in the shade Ivory and I think there is about 6 shades, which cover a light to mid skin tone. For £6 I think it is good foundation.



Another eyeliner I would recommend is the Rimmel Waterproof Gel Eyeliner retailing at £5 (I think)



I am not quite sure If they still stock this product or not, as I couldn't find it on the Boots website, but I am pretty sure they do. The Rimmel Gel eyeliner has a good consistency and is easy to apply with a thin eyeliner brush, not the one that comes with the product. It is not entirely 'waterproof'' but if it was raining it would not budge, I wore this swimming one day and I did end up looking slightly like a panda. However for day to day wear this is a good eyeliner if you are looking for one that lasts all day.

The final product I would recommend is the L'oreal Colour Riche Lipsticks which are suppose to be £8.19 but you can find most shades on Amazon for £3-£6





I love this lipstick I found on Amazon, I wear this shade most days, It is a lovely shimmery nude colour. (Sorry I lost the swatch photo) I only paid £3.50 for it and you can find most shades for a similar discounted price. They have high pigmentation and high shine. I tend to layer mine with a lip gloss and am currently loving the Benefit Dandelion lip gloss which I got free with Elle Magazine. When purchasing this product I didn't even realize it was suited to blondes which was a bonus!


P.S Sorry for the extremely long blog post, I didn't realize it would be this big when I started! I hope you enjoyed reading,

Katie xxx