August Favourites

The end of summer is always sad for me- while Autumn does have it's positives, nothing beats summer weather for me. However I do have some good plans for the next few months, so hopefully lots to look forward to. Anyway, my August favourites:

MUJI Face Brush: MUJI is one of those shops where there's always going to be something you need, even if you don't know it before going in there. I picked up this face brush for around £4 while I was in London a couple of weeks ago and it's fab. I use it in the morning with my daily face scrub to really massage this into my skin and give it a bit of extra exfoliation. It looks as if it would be rough, but the bristles are so soft and gentle on the skin, as is the cypress wood handle.

Cutex Strengthening Nail Polish Remover: I've been using nail polish remover pads for years, as this was purely what was always in the house due to what my mom bought. I ran out recently though and found this in the cupboard to use as a replacement. I was surprised at how much I liked it, but after soaking a cotton ball in this, it works so quickly and with minimal rubbing needed. It also left my nails feeling smooth and nourished and not dry at all like some products do.

Long Lasting Nail Polishes: Since my nails have been pretty long lately, I've really been liking having them painted all the time so a long lasting nail polish is great as it means I don't have to spend ages topping up my nails every couple of days. Sephora's Formula X polishes are great and I have the shade Unmistakeable- a really cute pale minty blue. One that I've overlooked in the past is Barry M's Lychee which blew me away with it's lasting power, and considering I've had it for a while, only now am I really appreciating it. 

Nike Flex Experience: OK, I have literally not taken these off since I got them (bit of an exaggeration but you get my gist). As I've said many times before, they are super comfy and go with pretty much everything and have been great for all the long days out I've been having over the summer. If you're a bit wary of trainers like I was, just try a pair on and I promise, you may well change your mind.

Almay Liquid Lip Balms: Another over-worn item are these Liquid Lip Balms which I've had for a little over a month now. They create the perfect glossy but natural look as the colours are fairly sheer, but give a hint of colour to complete a look.

Fractured by Dani Atkins: This book was recommended to me after my mom read it on her Kindle- fair to say she was right, it is a really great novel. A good chick flick, but I will warn you- a bit of an emotional roller coaster! If you're after an easy but entertaining read, I'd definitely recommend this one.

The Top Ten Tag

Nice bit of alliteration there! I'm pretty sure it's been a while since I did a tag post so I stumbled across the 'Top Ten' tag on Twitter the other day- you have to chose one item from each of ten categories. Some of these were very difficult and required much deliberation so enjoy!

Foundation: If I really could only chose one I'd go for my beloved Max Factor Miracle Touch. Although I rarely use this in the day, this is my ultimate going out foundation as it makes my skin looks glowy and flawless. It makes me feel so confident and I really think it deserves more recognition in the blogger world.

Concealer: This was tricky but for the wrong reasons- I'm yet to find a concealer I love and would repurchase again and again so I'm just going to have to go with my current concealer which is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Powder: I bet you can guess this one-Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Translucent. Cheap and cheerful, mattifying and holding my make-up in place.

Bronzer: Although I love the bronzer in my Sleek Face Form for contouring, I've gone for my Milani Bronze XL as it's a good all-rounder. It bronzes, adds glow and I also use it as a contour as long as I do it with a light touch, otherwise it can go a bit orange.

Blush: The one I've been using most lately is my NYX Cream Blush in Glow as it gives a dewy finish and the colour is very natural, as if you're actually blushing. This being said I also do adore the Topshop Cream Blushes.

Highlighter: Although I have a few highlighters, I only really got into in recently when I bought the L'Oreal Magic Lumi concealer, as it has no shimmer and is a cream texture. It's very similar to YSL's Touche Eclat and just brightens areas of the face, looking particularly good under the eyes.

Eyebrows: I'm going with a relatively new purchase, my Anastasia Brow Wiz as I'm able to get that really precise shape that I like with them still looking natural, but the texture is not too waxy so it's easy and quick to do.

Eyeshadow: It's hard to chose because I have a few little palettes and cream products that I love, but I guess the one that I've used most in my Sleek Au Natural Palette, with my particular favourite shade being Taupe (top right) as it is THE most buttery and pigmented powder eyeshadow I've used.

Mascara: This is such an easy choice- I adore Maybelline's Colossal Mascara and although I like a few others, this is the one I've repurchased most and find myself reaching for most days. I also have the waterproof version which I'll just say- it's OK, but not good if you start crying your eyes out (note: at Miss Saigon in London- v awkward when meeting your idol afterwards).

Lip Products: Oh hell, they have to throw in one category which is impossible. I've had to choose 2, not necessarily because they are my favourites ever but ones that I'm wearing a lot lately. For a matte finish I've gone for the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets- this is the shade Hot Pepper- and if I want a glossy finish I really like the NYX Butter Glosses, and this is the shade Apple Strudel.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Current Go-To

Top- Aeropostale // Jeans- Miss Selfridge // Shoes- Nike // Necklace- Vintage Fashion Jewellery

This has been my go-to outfit recently- great for mild summer days when you can get away with just a t-shirt but still need something covering your legs. I picked up this cute top whilst on holiday in America (you can see my beauty haul here) for a great price and I just think it's a very flattering shape. As normal, I'm wearing some super skinny jeans and my new Nike trainers- I told you in my shoe unboxing you'd be seeing them soon, because to be quite honest, I've hardly taken them off. I'm smitten!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Face of the Day #12 // The Daily Face

For those days when I want to make a bit of an effort but still want to look natural, this is the look I've been going for. The Bourjois CC cream is the perfect base and with a bit of highlighter and concealer it gives a fairly flawless, glowing complexion. I keep my brows big and defined and do very simple eyes with a nude eyeliner in the waterline and lashings of mascara. To finish the look I bronze up with my relatively new Milani Bronzer with a light contour and then add a bit of colour with my favourite blush of the moment- NYX's Glow.

It's so quick to do and always makes me feel really comfortable. Do you have a quick go-to face?

Olivia Ellen XXX

Shoe Unboxing // ASOS Simba Heels

ASOS Simba Heels

"Another shoes unboxing already?!" I hear you cry. I know, it's only a couple of weeks or so since I did a last one but these are definitely a practical buy as I plan on wearing these when I go back to sixth form in September. I picked these out as I thought they were really cool- kind of smart but also king of edgy with the chunky sole. I love the two-tone effect, of the suede material in the middle with the patent toe and heel. They're going to be great for Autumn through to Winter as the grippy sole will be good if it gets a bit icy outside. Also when it gets cold they'll look super cute with some frilly socks or black tights. 

In terms of comfort I can't really say yet, as I haven't really been out in them yet however I reckon because of the sturdiness they'll be good for walking in. The heel height is about 2 inches- I am obsessed with shoes with this heel because they give me that little bit of extra height and make me walk taller but without being too dressy or challenging to walk in. They're pretty reasonably priced too and come in a leopard print version too which I love and am very tempted by. Let me know what you think!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Anastasia Brow Wiz // Review

Ah, eyebrows. I have a love hate relationship with mine- when I do them well, it makes me very happy, but when they go badly- well, let's not get in to that. I'd been using the Sleek Eyebrow Stylist for a while but was finding it just wasn't working for me as well as it used to. I could never get my brows to look just right so while I was on holiday I picked up the Anastasia Brow Wiz. After much deliberation I went for the shade Medium Brown. There's a huge range of shades that look pretty similar to each other but I tried this one out in the store and decided it suited me the most.

The packaging is very slim and sleek, with a spooly brush on one end for you to comb through your brows and the pencil on the other. Having the two tools in one make it very efficient and great for travelling, because my brows definitely need to be tamed before I fill them in. The pencil is creamy (more so than the Sleek one which seems more waxy) so it's super easy to apply and can be blended away if you make a mistake. Also the fact that it's mechanical and you don't need a sharpener is very useful. The precision you can get with this is fab- while having an angled tip can be useful at times, this allows me to get the exact shape I want every time and it fills in every sparse area. As you can see in the above photo, I can get a really sharp shape and defined brow.

The pencil costs £15.50 from Cult Beauty, although I picked mine up a little cheaper due to the exchange rate.Whether I'd repurchase it probably depends on how long it lasts me- my Sleek pencil lasts me a month of daily use (6 weeks at the very most) so I'm hoping this lasts longer or it would add a lot to my monthly spending.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Oriental Lounge Pants

Trousers- River Island // Top- Topshop // Necklace- Vintage Fashion Jewellery // Shoes- Office

I've had these trousers a while but have only just gotten round to sharing them with you. When I first spotted them in store I thought the print and fabric were incredible (they're made of a loose silky material) and was thrilled to find that they actually suited me. As you probably know, I normally gravitate towards skinny trousers but these are so much more comfortable. You can really dress them up with sky high heels and a crop top, or go for something a little more casual as I did here.

I wore this look to a party on the day of my AS results, and they were so perfect for relaxing and sitting around in, but they still looked fab. For those of you interested, I got 2 As, a B and a C in my exams which I'm super happy with, but it definitely brought home the fact that this time next year I'll be off to university- how scary!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Face of the Day #11 // Leather Eyes

The other day I headed off to London for a day out. The weather was amazing so luckily I'd done myself a long lasting make-up look with a glowing base and natural smokey eye. To achieve this eye look I used the new Maybelline Colour Tattoo Leather. These are only avaliable in  America at the moment but hopefully these will come to the UK soon as they are fab! I took the lightest shade over my lid and then blended the black through the crease with a fluffy brush until it looked natural. It was so quick and easy to do but stayed on for over 12 hours. For my base I used my L'Oreal True Match Foundation and to add a bit of glow and highlight I used their Magic Lumi Highlighter. If you want to know anymore about these products you can read about them in my USA Beauty Haul which went up last week!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Amethyst Crystal Bullet Necklace // Vintage Fashion Jewellery

While I do love a good statement necklace, most days I tend to find myself reaching for simpler pendants to compliment my outfit. You may remember earlier in the year when I raved about the rainbow crystal necklace I picked up from Vintage Fashion Jewellery. Recently I received another gorgeous necklace from them in the form of this amethyst crystal on a silver chain.

The amethyst is absolutely beautiful- it has various shades of purple in it and catches the light so beautifully when I wear it. It's just the right size so that it's noticeable but not too chunky, and the wire detailing toughens it up a bit. The chain is a good length on me- it hangs just below my collarbones so when wearing shirts or v-necks it sits just right. The thing that impresses me most about Vintage Fashion Jewellery items are the price and quality- the items are so well made yet so reasonably price. I remember saying that when I was first looking to buy a crystal necklace, the ones people were recommending were all over £20 so I am so glad I found this company.

You can pick up this Amethyst Crystal Necklace* here along with a range of other gorgeous jewellery items. Definitely a brand to check out if you're into your jewellery!

Olivia Ellen XXX

(Disclaimer: all items marked with an asterisk were gifted by a company but all opinions are my own)

Shoe Unboxing // Nike Flex Experience

Nike Flex Experience

Apologies these aren't the best pictures- I bought these shows whilst on holiday and didn't wanted to bring the box home so had to take the photos without my blogging camera, but hopefully you can still see them well enough. I was getting tired of having shoes that weren't particularly comfortable- most of my shoes I can wear for maybe a maximum of an hour of walking around before they start causing me problems, so I decided the time had come for me to buy a pair of trainers. I never thought previously they were really me, but I'd seen a lot of people recently wearing them and looking great so I thought, why shouldn't I look like that?

As I said, I picked these up whilst in America recently. I knew I wanted Nikes and spotted these one day and decided they were perfect. I went for a monochrome pair as I knew they'd go with pretty much everything and would carry through to autumn/winter. Of course, my favourite thing about them is how incredibly comfortable they are. I can (and have) walked for miles in these- they were perfect for when I went to London earlier this week as my feet didn't hurt once despite all the walking I did. Although I can't find this exact pair online, i have found some similar ones and I'm pretty sure it did work out cheaper to buy them in the US. No doubt you'll be seeing these in an outfit post very soon!

Olivia Ellen XXX

USA Beauty Haul

L-R: Blooming, Pink, Cantaloupe, Apple Strudel, Tokyo

L-R: Bronzer, Glow, Coralina

L-R: Creamy Beige, Dramatic Black

As you may or may not know, I spent a couple of weeks in Florida with my family recently. While spending lots of time lounging around by the pool, I also got chance to do a bit of shopping. OK, maybe some shopping. Fine, I bought a lot of stuff ok?! I did go out with a list in my head of things I wanted to pick up with a couple of extra impulse buys added in. Apologies as this is a super long post so get a drink and settle down to hear my thoughts!

L'Oréal Concealer Crayon: I've seen a couple of American Youtubers use this and thought it looked interesting which is why I picked this up. The coverage is probably only light to medium in my opinion so I only use it on my under eyes. I don't love it- it does feel creamy and easy to apply but it does crease after a while so I wouldn't desperately want to buy this again.   

L'Oréal Magic Lumi Highlighter: This is one product that you can easily pick up in the UK and is one that I've been contemplating buying for a while. I spotted it while shopping and worked out it was actually cheaper in America so I took the plunge and boy, am I glad I did. This is definitely the best highlighter I've used as it's not shimmery but glowy. From my experience it is a fab dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat and gives a radiant glow. I apply this under my eyes, tops of my cheekbones, down my nose, my cupids bow, between my brows and on my browbone. Since I've been loving the dewy, glowing skin look lately, this is fitting perfectly into my routine.   

Almay Liquid Lip Balms: I've heard Essiebutton rave about these a lot and thought they looked really interesting. At first I just bought one shade, Blooming, which is a natural pink colour. Upon applying it, I found it comes out quite sheer and glossy (something with earlier in the year I would have hated but I loved how pretty it looked). I then went out and purchased two more pigmented shades- Pink, a bold fuchsia and Cantaloupe which is a peachy shade. I'm disappointed that you can't get these in the UK as they are such good products at a really reasonable price.   

NYX Butter Gloss: After discovering that I really liked glossy lips, I went on to buy another much loved product. I chose the shade Apple Strudel which is a pinky coral. Buttery is definitely the right adjective to describe these- creamy, moisturising but glossy too. It also has a really nice sweet scent. You can actually get NYX in a few places on the UK so if I get chance I would pick up a couple more of these.   

NYX Rouge Cream Blush: I've been wanting to try these for so long- cream blushes are definitely my jam. This is the shade Glow, a pink with a hint of coral which applies like a dream. It has a dewy finish and is really long lasting. You can either apply these with your fingertips or a brush, which ever works for you. I tend to apply this with my fingers, then blend out any harsh edges with  brush.   

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream: Unfortunately I don't really get on with this- it's a cute pale pink shade called Tokyo, which reminds me of MAC's Please Me but I can't seem to get on with the formula. It does feel creamy but it applies quite streaky and doesn't really dry so it just slides around. I think applied very lightly or worn under a gloss it could work but it's not quite what I was hoping it would be.   

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Leather: Hopefully this a product we'll be getting in the UK soon as these are right up my street. They have the same amazing staying power as the regular colour tattoos but with the absence of shimmer, replaced instead by a matte finish with a slight sheen- funnily enough, just like leather! I chose two shades- Creamy Beige, a nude that is great for all over lid either alone or as a base for other shadows, and Dramatic Black which, as it sounds, is an intense black which I think works great for daring smokey eyes or it may even work as a gel eyeliner.   

Milani Baked Blush: This definitely reminds me of the Hourglass blushes in how it looks- shimmery and highly pigmented. I have the shade Coralina which feels soft to apply and the mirror in the compact is a great extra touch.   

Milani XL Bronzer: OK, it's fair to say I was suckered into this by the size. It is as big as the palm of my hand and has bronze shade and a lighter shimmery one too. Both are highly pigmented and can be used separately although I like the look best if I swirl them both together. I can use this for contouring if I am light with it, otherwise it can turn out a bit orange, much like the Bourjois chocolate bronzer. None the less, I think this is a great summer bronzer.   

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Trio: These palettes are such a bargain I couldn't not buy one. I have the shade Sweet as Candy which comprises of three shimmery shades used together to create one look. I'm super impressed at how pigmented they are- the highlight shade in particular blew me away.   

Not Your Mother's: This affordable haircare range do a lot of different products so it was hard for me to stop at just two. First the thickening spray- this really did make my hair feel fuller and shinier (my mom actually commented on how thick my hair looked without knowing I'd used this). I spray the product onto my hands and scrunch it through my hair, and it works equally well whether I let my hair dry naturally or blow dry it. The same can be said for the texturising gel, which is quite gloopy and thick when you work it through the hair but definitely leaves it looking messy, voluminous and thick. Love love love both of these!   

Anastacia Brow Wiz: I didn't expect to get to a Sephora on my trip so didn't plan on picking this up but I'm really pleased I did. I think I'll do a full review on this soon so won't say too much about it now, except that it worked out cheaper to buy it in the US which is why I decided to buy it then.   

Sephora Formula X Nail Polish: Final product! I've heard a lot of people talk about these recently and they've been praised for their staying power. I can never get nail polish to last on my nails, depite using both base and top coat and trying many different brands so I look forward to seeing how this fares once I've got my gel manicure off. These work out to be not really anymore expensive than drugstore brands, this is actually pretty equal to buying an Essie polish for example. This shade is Unmistakable, a very pastelly green which is paler than any mint greens I already have but I think this will work well all year round.