Hello you beauties!

Disclaimer: If you don't want any of the contents of advent calendars to be ruined then I would advise you don't read this post

Last year, if you read my blogmas posts, you will know that I had the Makeup Revolution advent calendar and I actually really liked it (it definitely was worth the money). This year I won't be having a beauty advent calendar as I own so much makeup so the last thing I need to do is add more to my collection. However, I have looked into many of the beauty advent calendars that brands have on offer this year and have decided on which ones I would consider buying this year if I was to have one. I wanted to share all these with you.

If I had to choose my favourite calendar of this year then it definitely would be the Sleek one. At just £35 from Boots, I believe that it's great value for money as you get 24 items in this advent calendar and while most of them are the mini versions of products, I still think that this calendar is definitely worth more than £35. The range of products available in this calendar is outstanding and I am really excited to especially see one of their blushers and 3 eyeshadow palettes in there! The only problem is that this calendar seems so popular that it actually seems to have gone out of stock almost everywhere and even if I wanted one it doesn't look like I'd actually be able to get ahold of one.

I also like the look of the NYX advent calendar this year too. I was almost tempted to buy their calendar last year as I love that they had lip products and eyeshadows but it was way too expensive for me to afford at the time. This year their product is just lipsticks which I suppose is okay because my favourite thing about NYX are definitely their lip products. I don't think it's that bad a price at £50 either considering that a lot of their lip products are priced around £10 each. One thing that is stopping me from buying this calendar this year is just purely the fact that I feel like a lot of the shades in the calendar won't actually suit me and so I won't get much use out of most of the products.

The Charlotte Tilbury advent calendar is one I have always wanted to try as I've always been desperate to try out their products and the items in this years calendar seem amazing! With a mix of makeup and skincare, I really do believe that this calendar really lets you explore and discover the brand. The only problem is that this calendar is pricey (which obviously you expect from such a luxury brand as Charlotte Tilbury is) and there is no way I can afford £150 for one advent calendar.

BareMinerals has always been one of my favourite brands ever since I first started to use their products so the idea of a BareMinerals advent calendar is really appealing to me. Just being able to add another product of theirs to my collection every day just seems so exciting. There is such a variety of different beauty products in different shades in this calendar which makes it perfect for everyone. I just don't think I could afford £75 for one calendar right now...

Have you got a beauty advent calendar this year? Which one did you choose?

I'll be back next week with another post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Even though this is supposed to primarily be a beauty blog but I do realise that recently I have been writing about everything but makeup. That's mainly because recently I have not really been wearing much makeup so I've not really felt like I can talk about makeup. So today I have decided to answer 20 questions I have seen around the internet to really get me thinking about makeup, why I like it and what's important to me. And I wanted to share it with you.

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?
I can't remember the exact first item but I can remember a couple of things. I remember when I was around 12 my mum took me out shopping for makeup for the first time, for my birthday. Obviously I was young and my mum always encouraged me to be confident and comfortable with who I am so she didn't really encourage the use of makeup. So the first items of makeup I can remember buying/owning is a brown mascara from Asda, a nude lipstick from Miss Sporty and a nude lipstick from NYC.

2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found 'The One'?
I don't think I've found 'The One' yet but I've definitely found some mascaras I am very impressed with. I want a mascara that will curl my lashes and add volume (not too much but enough for them to give life to my eyes). The mascara that I have found that does the best job for this is definitely the Maybelline 'The Colossal' mascara.

3. What coverage do you like in a foundation?
Although ideally everyone would love a full coverage, I personally feel like I would prefer a medium coverage. Something to cover up my imperfections but not something that will literally create a mask. The best one I have found so far for this is the L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation.

4. What's your favourite high end brand?
There are many high end brands that I like, but I'd probably say BareMinerals. I usually only buy my high end products from T K Maxx as it's the only way I can really afford it, and the BareMinerals items I have bought from there (which is quite a few) have never disappointed me.

5. What cosmetics brand are you desperate to try but haven't yet?
Definitely Morphe. I've always wanted to own one of their amazing eyeshadow palettes. I'm currently trying to use up some of my other eyeshadows first before I can justify buying one of the Morphe palettes.

6. Favourite drugstore brand?
I am obsessed with Makeup Revolution. Most of the items in my collection are actually from Makeup Revolution and some of the first makeup items I actually owned in my current selection were Makeup Revolution. Why not!? It's such an affordable brand!

7. Do you wear fake eyelashes?
No I don't actually. But I've always wanted to try them and see if they'd make any difference to my look. I just don't feel like I would have the patience for them!

8. What is your most cherished beauty product?
Probably my Stila eyeshadow palette. I worked in a pub for about a week and saved up all my tips specifically so I could buy this palette so I honestly believe it is the product I should treasure the most.

9. How often do you buy a makeup product?
Not a lot anymore but I think it got to the point where I was buying a new thing every time I was going anywhere near a shop, which could be every week, sometimes twice a week. It was obsessive, and I now own so much makeup that I don't know what to do with it all. I actually had to get my boyfriend to ban me from buying makeup because I was buying so much of it.

10. Do you have a monthly beauty budget or spend freely?
I don't have a budget but I won't let myself spend too much. If I feel like I'm starting to spend too much, I'll just stop myself from buying anything new.

11. Do you utalise coupons, reward cards and sales for your beauty products?
Of course! Reward cards are my favourites. In fact, my purse is just filled with them. But I don't see why you wouldn't want to use them. It's free to sign up to them and you can get so many free things with them.

12. Which beauty product do you buy the most of?
Definitely lipsticks! I'm obsessed with them and love exploring different shades that I could possibly use. I am particularly fascinated by the range of lip products from the NYX brand.

13. Is there a brand that you really don't like?
Not really, as there are items from most brands that I like but also items from those same brands that I don't like.

14. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like parabens or sulphates?
No I don't but I usually avoid makeup from places such as pound shops because I find that they usually cause a break out on my skin.

15. Do you have a favourite place to shop for makeup?
For drugstore makeup I prefer to shop at Superdrug and for high end makeup I tend to go to T K Maxx.

16. Do you like trying new skincare products or sticking to a routine?
If I'm completely honest, I'm quite naughty when it comes to skincare and tend to neglect it. But when it comes to face wash and moisturiser I tend to stick to the same thing every time as I know what works for me and what doesn't.

17. What's your favourite Bath&Body brand?
Definitely Treaclemoon. I religiously buy my body washes from their brand.

18. If you could only buy from one brand, who would you pick?
Makeup Revolution 100%. It's a great price and I know it works for me. Plus most of my makeup collection is Makeup Revolution at the moment anyway.

19. What do you love about makeup?
The fact that it allows me to experiment and be crazy while learning to love myself for who I am. And for me to be able to share my love of makeup with many people around the world.

20. Is there any makeup you can't leave the house without wearing?
Surprisingly not as I have been going out of the house without wearing makeup for a while recently.

Why don't you think about these questions with regards to yourself and let me know what your responses would be?

I'll be back next week with a new post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

So two days ago marked the 1st year anniversary of my blog! I can't believe I've managed to keep it up for a whole year - I never expected to stay so dedicated but I'm glad I have because I really do love writing my posts for you all. Deciding to become a blogger was one of the best decisions of my life and so I am going to share with you everything I have learnt in this past year through blogging.

1. It'll be hard to build up an audience
If you've been here reading my blog since the very beginning, then I just want to thank you, because honestly I was nervous about starting my blog. Knowing I do have readers is very comforting but, to be honest, you can't always expect to have a massive audience. When I first started writing my blog, I thought I would get tons of readers straight away. That is not how it works. It's going to be tough, and take a while, to build an audience, but as long as you love writing what you're writing about, then that's all that matters.

2. Creating a schedule is important for motivation
I have tried to create blogs before, but never managed to keep them going as I had no schedule. So I never had any motivation to upload any posts. But now, I have my schedule of Wednesday and Saturday at 9am, and this keeps me motivated as I am always making sure to have posts ready for you all. Planning these posts in advance really help too.

3. You won't get tons of brands emailing you for collaborations
This was one part of blogging that I was really looking forward to. Of course, free items are nice but that was not the only reason. Helping to promote brands that I love to help them get more customers will make you feel great too. However, I have not yet had such opportunities. I've written for a dating website, but that is all. Yes, I got recognition on their website but that was it. If you want to work with brands, you have to approach them. Which in itself is almost impossible as they're always looking for people that stand out, that have a massive audience. And there are so many bloggers out there which means that it is very unlikely that you will get to work with brands straight away.

4. Coming up with post ideas is not easy
It's hard to not repeat posts that you've already written when you upload so many posts for so long. You also don't want to feel like you're copying other people's posts, although you do really like the idea of putting your own take on something (which is completely alright, as the origin of most post types is not always obvious). This is why I spend an hour or so every so often planning a month's posts, and looking through posts that I have already written. There are some great generic post ideas on the internet too which I often swear by.

5. Not everyone will approve
While a lot of people seem to be blogging these days, there are a lot of people in life who will see it as a waste of time. Those calling it a hobby are at least bearable, as it is true that most people are doing this as a hobby, but, especially for those of us who hope to make a career out of writing one day, it can be quite insulting to have people be so dismissive. Just ignore these negative people - you're doing what you love and that's all that matters.

6. Your posts will seem worse than they are
You will definitely understand what I mean by this if you're a writer like me. Whenever you write something, you feel like it sounds uneducated and boring, but in reality a lot of people will enjoy your writing style. You learn to hate your own writing because you're forced to read it so mjuch and often end up criticising it more than you probably should. There is a reason why your blog has readers, and that is because you're a good writer.

7. Social media is key to promotion
While having well-written posts with interesting content is important to building an audience, how are readers going to know about your blog if you don't promote it? Social media is key for this - build a Twitter page and interact with readers. Create an Instagram account and post your favourite blog post pictures, linking your blog on there. I wish I used my Twitter page more - I guess this is something I should aim to do more within my next year of blogging.

I hope you have all found this post useful today, and I would also like to thank you all for reading my blog for this past year. I can't wait to see what this next year brings for me.

I'll be back on Wednesday with another post for you all.

I hope you liked this post. If you did, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeee!

Hello you beauties!

So for the next couple of weeks, on this blog I am planning to do what I call the 'Brand Fortnight', which is where I focus on a certain brand on each post, and tell you my favourite products from each brand. This week, I am going to be focusing on the brand NYX, which is a brand that I have only recently discovered and have already collected a decent amount of their products already.

I do love their single eyeshadows and already have a few already. I love that they allow you to create your own 4-shade or 9-shade eyeshadow palettes, and so I've already made up two of the 4-shade palettes. One with neutral shades and one with red/pink shades. I love the quality of these eyeshadows. They're incredibly creamy and pigmented, easily blend-able. And such a bargain for just £2.50 each!

I have come to love their finishing powder too. Usually I just use Rimmel Stay Matte powder, but I decided to look for something new to try out, and I wanted to try out a loose powder this time. So I picked up this one. And it's great! It's translucent so you know you could use it no matter what shade your skin is. It's a little bit messy but it's worth it as it really does set your makeup well.

I find myself reaching for their Proof It! Waterproof Mascara Top Coat quite a bit recently. Most mascaras that I use these days are from beauty boxes, which more often than not are not waterproof. So this is the perfect product to use. Just one coat of this makes any mascara waterproof. And it doesn't affect how your mascara looks either. It is definitely worth the money.

Their Liquid Suede lipsticks are also products that I have grown to love. They're not the easiest products to use and don't have the best staying power but can look great if you have the time and patience to use it. They have a great range of colours to choose from too.

Recently I discovered their Soft Matte Lip Creams, which I have been scared to try before as I have been scared to use matte lip products. However, being more brave recently, I decided to buy myself a nude one of these and I actually love them. The application is so easy, they're very pigmented and the staying power is amazing. I would definitely recommend them!

NYX's lip products really are my favourite lip products, and I have been loving their butter glosses most of all. They have just ordinary glosses or intense colour glosses. I don't usually opt for glosses but these are a brilliant quality. They're not too sticky and also have an amazing pigmentation - even the ordinary ones! I find that I use these more than anything in my makeup looks.

So these were my favourite NYX products but hopefully I'll be able to add more to this list in the future. Please share your favourite NYX products in the comments below.

I'll be back on Saturday with another post for you all.

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!