Primark Bargains

For someone like myself, who rarely treats myself to new clothes, this is quite something. As the weather was warming up (note 'was'), I decided to break out my trusty cream leather jacket - for which at the time of buying, I searched high and low for a black one, but it just wasn't happening. The frustrating thing of owning a light coloured leather jacket, apart form keeping it clean, is pairing it with an outfit. I would have much preferred a black one, which you really can throw on with anything, but this wasn't the case.

I have been looking for some light pink/neutral coloured tops to wear with my jacket and layer with a sheer scarf and cardy. Of course, Primark has came up trumps with some little bargains. I'm really not someone who prefers to wear a brand - aside from bags, River Island bags are my thing. I will be happy with anything that looks good on the hanger. I first came across one out of the two tops I picked up. This is a simple neutral t-shirt, with a worn out skull print, with what looks like an American flag in the background. I am a huge lover of skulls, as some may know, I literally live in my Primark skull scarf, so its no surprise this caught my eye. For my personal preference, I prefer a slightly longer top to cover my bum. Simple! This skims over my waist, so works perfect for me!

Primark Skull T-Shirt - £3.00

Next up, I have been eyeing this one up the past few times I've been into Primark, I have just never decided to go and treat myself. It's a vest style t-shirt, which is slightly longer at the back, which couldn't be more perfect for me. This also comes with some cool spikes coming out of the vest straps, which have plastic backing, so they won't feel irritating or snag anything. The print on this top wasn't my favourite out of them all, but I still think its cute and my style. This top came in various other colours and some other design prints. I have my eye on a few more! The only thing I have found I dislike slightly, is the exaggerated arm holes (is that even a word!?), y'know, the 'sleeves'! They show a bit 'o bra, but if that's your thing! I may look for one of those bandeau thingys. Can you tell fashion and descriptive words isn't my thing? Oops.

 Primark Skeleton Ballerina top with spikes - £6.00

I hope you liked this very rare post! As the weather will be getting hopefully warmer, I will be sure to keep you updated with my little purchases, as soon as I pick them up, so you can grab them whilst they're in stock!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

Out with the old, in with the new Make Up Bag.

After having my previous cream make up bag, with broken shadows and god knows what else, I knew my make up needed to find a new home. I headed to Primark to replace my beloved and came across a black crocodile effect one. I loved this instantly, especially with its studded, glossy metallic bow.

 Now I have my new make up bag, I set myself down for the afternoon, to look though all of my make up and throw away anything I didn't use/need and clean all of my make up and packaging, ready for its new home. Majority of everything I own, fits snuggly in a large make up bag. I really would love to one day have some proper make up storage and to replace everything, but I simply don't have the space of spare funds, so this method works perfectly for me! As you can see, I really haven't taken care of my belongings, purely because I knew I needed a new bag, but the day never came, until today!

 After giving everything a good clean out, I threw away a few products that were just gone. I decided to do a little research into how long to keep products for. I have kept mine way past their date, but they still work grand for me and haven't broken me out.

For Mascaras, it is recommended to throw away your mascara every 3 months. I personally have never abided by this law, but I never share my mascara with anyone, or pump the wand into the tube, encouraging the product to dry up in the tube. Goes to show taking care of your products gets them far and worth their money.

Eye pencils can be kept up to 2 years. I tend to throw mine away by then, or would have bought a new one in that time span. To prolong the life and prevent infections from transferring the product from eye to eye, daily, it is recommended to sharpen the pencil after each use to essentially clean and remove the used area. This is also encouraged to to with lip pencils, etc. Eyeshadows can also be kept for up to 2 years, as well as powders and blushes. Cream Blushes will last 1 year.

Lipsticks can last also a lengthy 2 years. Again, mine will tend to have been used and repurchased by then, but its great for lipstick collectors of MAC, etc.

Foundations and concealers can typically last around 12 months, depending on how they are used, To extend their life span, using brushes and clean regularly.

 This is my condensed make up bag collection. I have thoroughly cleaned all of my products packaging and any shadow fall out in each palette or pan. I think it is important to disinfect your products as often as possible, just to reduce the chance of break outs and eye infections.

I love my new make up bag and my clean products. It's easy to throw in used products and not think back to them, until the next day when using them, but I do want to stick to a routine of cleaning out my make up and getting rid of things I do not use.

Is your make up bag similar?

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

What's In My Everyday Make Up Bag!

After having a very well loved and grubby make up bag, I really wanted to treat myself to a new one. Originally, I stored all of my make up in a large make up bag and rummaged through every morning for what I wanted. As much as I would love some proper storage, I just don't have the space. To save myself the annoyance of trying to find my every day make up, I bought a smaller one, to fit everything I needed into and every week or so, swap eyeshadow palettes over, etc. This made perfect sense. I have no idea why I didn't think of it sooner!

I chose this small black bag, with two zip compartments, complete with a studded bow on the front. This screams everything I love, so I knew I needed to have it. Also, for £3.00, I really could not say no. 

In the front section, I put in my base products. At the moment, by skin has been behaving itself really well, so I am so cautious to try anything else, hence why I have stuck to this make up routine for the past few weeks. Its been working great for me. I start by applying Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Light. This literally blurs my imperfections, giving a somewhat even base. I then go in with Collection 2000 Lasting Perfecction Concealer in Fair, to conceal any redness, imperfections and under eye darkness. To set that all in place for the day, I use 17 Pressed Powder in the lightest shade. This keeps everything in place quite well, especially for my oily skin.

In the second compartment, I include everything else I need. I have been sticking to the same routine of a few shadows on my lid, sweep of liquid liner with no flick, mascara and blush. Couldn't be any simpler. I have been really enjoying this look, its quick and gives a great result. Once upon a time, I wouldn't leave without having perfectly structured winged eyeliner, now I am content with a few product quickly constructed together. For my eyes, I have been loving MUA Undressed Palette in Undressed. I use the Shade 2 across my lid, blend in Shade 9 into my crease and apply a little of Shade 5 to my lower lashline to add definition. Then I glide a slick of liquid liner across my eye, stopping at the end of my lash line, creating a fuller appearance of lashes. Mine is a pretty battered one I picked up free form a magazine. My preferred choice is Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner. My current mascara is 17 Peep Show, although this is coming to a sad end. I do like the big fluffy brush on this, makes me feel as though my lashes are all getting instantly coated. To finish off my make up, I like to use FashionistA New York Blush. As this isn't heavily pigmented and has a nice subtle frosty sheen, I can be as heavy handed as I want and not have to worry about having bright rosy cheeks. This is a staple in my routine, to give a healthy glow.

I enjoy how simple the routine I use and the products are. This will greatly benefit me on 7.30am wake up calls, when I usually had to dig around for my make up! 

What do you think? Is your make up bag similar?

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

Day In The Life.. Polish, pencils and panoramic views.

Since I had made some plans to have a productive day, I thought I would do a little non beauty post, just so you can get a better idea about myself. I initially wanted to go out today to take some pictures, but a few bits and pieces slipped their way through. I rarely treat myself, so I thought why not!

 I really wanted a new make up bag, as my last one was just too well loved. I also wanted a smaller one for my every day make up, so I didn't have to rummage around my bigger one. I thought these too looked very smart together. I love the studs, too! I will be doing a new post on these, as well as a What's In My Everyday Make Up Bag post, so you can see exactly what I use, every single day.

The larger make up bag was supposed to retail at £5.00, but at the till, it came in at a lovely £2.00. The smaller one retails a £3.00.

The Baltic is a contemporary art gallery, situated on the Quayside in Newcastle. Here I popped in to have a look at the galleries, and had a little look in the gift shop, which was full of lovely things, like art supplies, books, contemporary art. There were also some mugs that caught my eye, by an artist named Rob Ryan, who specialises in paper cutting. I have heard they are also sold in TK Maxx, so I hope to buy myself one!

Anyway, here I picked up this little cardboard tube of coloured pencils for £1.95. I thought they looked lovely to own, as well as being kind to my purse!

 After looking at the gallery, we headed down to the market, that comes along at the weekends. As much as I love looking at markets and stalls, I've rarely looked through this one. Here, I eyed up some very pretty and delicious looking cupcakes, as well as this company. I took one of their business cards, so i remembered who they were. Cotfield Mirrors is a small craft business, based in Gateshead, which is run and co-owned by husband and wife team Alan and Carol Moncrieff. They specialise in creating mosaics hand crafted mirrors and furniture. I loved a similar mosaic mirror to the one on the left of this business card. As I am an art student, I'm really inspired to see artistic companies grow and would love to support them buy buying one of their pieces. I will be returning soon to pick up a small heart mosaic mirror!

 And finally, I picked up something I have been kicking myself for not doing so earlier. I do like Essie polishes, but I have yet to pay full price for one. I just cannot justify paying £7+, when I can buy so many other similar shades, for a fraction of the price. That's my opinion, anyway! As spring is approaching, I wanted to finally get my hands on this uber bright orange. Probably totally unwearable, but for £1.99, I am not complaining. I picked up Orange, It's Obvious. There was also a slightly muted orange, which I will probably pick up next time. And the collection grows!

That is all I have to report on today. I will be reviewing the polish soon and also will be posting about the new make up bags and my new everyday make up routine. I will also leave you with a shoddy panoramic view of that I came across today.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if you would like to see more!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

Valentine's Nails Inspired By Fleur De Force!

After watching Fleur De Force's nail tutorial for Valentine's Day, I could not pass up the opportunity to try it for myself! Over the past few month, I have been very basic and bland with my nails, sticking to one block of colour. Purely painting them to just strengthen them, opposed to make them look pretty. I don't know why. I am usually an avid nail painter and love looking for new nail art inspiration  But, after watching Fleur's sweet nail tutorial, it sparked my love for polished nails. Fleur executed a perfect demonstration of the nail tutorial, so much that I found I would be able to easily recreate the look. Lets see how I got on!

A step I always take, not even worth a mention, is to apply a base coat. Mine is No7 So Smooth Base Coat. This will allow your nails to look smooth and ridge-less, ready for your first coat of colour. I then applied one coat of Nails Inc. Elizabeth Street, which is a very sheer coating of pink. I could have done with two, but knowing I would be applying more layers, I decided to cut out the waiting time for this tutorial. This creates a perfect light coating of pink, to neutralise your nails, instantly making them look perfectly preened.

For the tips, I applied two rounded semi-circles, opposed to a French manicure curved line. This will represent the very top of a heart. Of course, you can create a typical curved line, to make things easier. To do this, I used Bourjois French Manicure Blanc Raffine from the Bourjois French Manicure Kit. I bought mine singularly, from a small local stall. A quick scout on eBay will point you in the right direction!

Now for the hearts! This was the most nerve-racking part for me! I poured a little of Nails Inc. St James onto a sheet of paper. I took a cocktail stick and and dipped some of the polish on the end. I then applied two small dots onto my nail, just above the white 'heart', and then dragged the polish down into a point. After the first few, I got the hang of it! They're not as neat as I could have done, but as I have never used a dotting tool, or even a cocktail stick, my attempt wasn't too bad!

To seal everything in, I used No7 Stay Perfect Top Coat. Make sure to check all layers of the polish have thoroughly dried before this step, especially the red hearts, as you may find you will drag some of the tacky polish down the nail.

I'm really impressed with the simplicity of this look and happy I gave it a go!
Have you took inspiration from Fleur's nail look?

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

No7 Cleansing Brush

Skincare is something I am always battling with, and I think as a young woman, I will for some time to come. Let's start with my skin type. I have oily/combination skin. Meaning, I also have to battle with settling on a balance, to keep my skin as 'normal' as possible. I tend to have moisturised skin through the night, but by morning, it's dry. Throughout the day time, by skin becomes oily and by late afternoon, I can't wait to strip my face of make up! This is where my new and current skincare comes into play. It's not anything grand or too different, just a new tool in conjunction with a product, I used to use on it's own.

Around Christmas time, I very luckily won the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush. I have always wanted to try a Clarisonic Mia, which retails at £120. or even the Sigma Cleansing Polishing Tool, which retails at £34.95. version, but my funds unfortunately don't stretch that far, for something I deemed as not a necessity. Finally being able to try a Cleansing Brush, which retails at £15.00 (current introductory price. Was £24.95), I thought I would share my views.

The Cleansing Brush offers two speed settings. I personally use the faster of the two, because I do like the feeling of a deeper clean, and my skin can handle the abrasiveness. However, if you do havs sensitive skin, I would recommend using the slower setting daily and the faster setting once or twice a week.

The rotating brush head contains alot of gentle bristles. Unlike the Clarisonic or Sigma (I don't own either), the rotating head isn't able to be removed or exchanged for a different density of bristled head. I haven't felt this to be an issue, though.

The tool also comes with batteries,  which saves you a trip to Argos! They fit snuggly in the back of the device, which are covered by a tight backing and closing switch, to prevent any water leaking through. I believe this tool is also not water proof. I do use mine in the bath, with wet hands. I also run water amongst the bristles, to clean them after use. This hasn't affected the use of the tool in anyway. 

I use this Cleansing Brush with my No7 Foaming Cleanser. This is a product I already owned and previously used on it's own. No7 recommend you use this product or the No7 Melting Gel Cleanser, but of course, you can use whatever you like! To use, I massage two pumps of the Foaming Cleanser into my skin. I then turn on the brush to the highest speed, dip into water to wet the bristles and gently guide the brush around my face, also using circular motions  Once I am done, I rinse the brush head and rinse my face. After a few tries of using this, I have become more confident of how thorough I use it.

Ultimately, I think this is a great tool to have. Quickly deep cleans, thoroughly removing last traces of make up and grime, but is this something that can also be portayed as.a glorified Muslin Cloth? Yes. This device essentially saves you the work of having to massage your face for a good five minutes, whilst the speedy rotation brush does the work for you in no time. Having said that, for the price of £15 (currently), if it is within your budget, it's also a little lifesaver. It's not something you NEED, but it efficiently cleans your face in double time, with minimal effort.

Have you tried the No7 Cleansing Brush?

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx