Mini Beauty Haul

For the last week I have been on holiday in Cornwall, there will be a blog post coming with pictures on Thursday. The post was going to be today but I really can't post 80 photos so need to whittle it down! If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen some snaps already. Therefore, today this is going to be a mini makeup haul from things I bought whilst away. I actually got all these products from a shop that does discounted makeup.

First up is this lipgloss in the shade Absurd. I picked this up because I love the purple tones in the gloss but unfortunately when I got it home I opened it and there is no brush at the end of the applicator! So somehow I'll find a way around it but that also means there is no swatch and even I haven't seen the true colour!

Up next is this dark coloured lipstick, there is actually no branding on here but when Googling it I found it is by Maybelline. This lipstick is their Moisture Extreme Lipstick in 633 Desert Bloom. It looks so nice on the lips and is super moisturising!

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I can't ever have enough makeup brushes, saw this one for 99p and had to get it! I have used the brand Royal Cosmetic Connections before and so knew this would be a good brush. Personally, I will be using this as a crease brush as it is the perfect shape and size.

I have never seen this Rimmel Product before but this is their Stir It Up eyeshadow in 700 WASSUP? (loving that name, reminds me of Scary Movie) This eyeshadow is actually a cream one that kind of turns to powder, but I just cannot wait to use it!

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And finally, this gorgeous eyeshadow palette! All of the colours are so useable and pigmented plus it was just over £2! I've taken quite a few photos, where you can see how pigmented the colours are.

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I am obsessed with everything I bought!
Which product is your favourite from this post?

Love El
xxx

My Lazy Day Makeup Routine

After doing "My Full Face Makeup Routine" blog post I really wanted to do a post on the makeup I wear for really lazy days when I won't be doing much or I just can't be bothered. I do this makeup routine so that I have a medium coverage on my skin but it is quick! With both routines I do like to make sure my blemishes and dark circles are covered because I really hate them, although I don't use too much product on my skin!

Well there's no need for me to ramble on so I should probably get to the steps:

First of all, just like in my other makeup routine, I moisturise first and then apply some lip balm.

The next thing I do is apply my foundation with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Normally I would use a BB cream but at the moment I am using L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Foundation because I want to use it up! I am really not a fan of this foundation at all but I don't know why! I just really can't get on with it so I am trying to use it up. But at some point I want to try the L'Oreal True Match Foundation or the L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Foundation so please let me know if you have tried either and your thoughts on them!

Next I just apply a small bit of Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer to dark circles and blemishes. This is my all time favourite concealer!

On lazy days I still like my cheekbones to be sort of prominent so I just bronze up my face a bit with Benefit's Hoola Bronzer (another all time favourite of mine) but I don't bother with blush and highlight.

If you read my full face routine post you will know I use quite a few different mascaras to get coat my lashes but I don't have the effort for that on a lazy day! So all I use is Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Waterproof! I use a waterproof mascara as this holds the curl best.

 I have absolutely no idea why I look slightly cross-eyed in this picture!

And finally I just add a touch of lip balm and DONE!

And that's it! Nothing complicated, it is a very easy and quick makeup routine!

Love El
xxx

Salmon On Egg Fried Rice

I know I have done quite a few recipes on my blog so far BUT this one really is a delicious meal! I found this on the Food Network website one day at college and have loved it ever since. I don't follow the recipe from food network exactly, so this is my way!

This is another recipe with fish, but it is not fishy, as I do not enjoy fishy foods! This recipe is really easy to make and doesn't take long at all!

What you'll need to serve 1:

• 1 Cup of Rice (white or brown, I usually go for brown but didn't have any to use for this post!)
• 1 Salmon Filet
• Salt and Pepper - for seasoning 
• 1 Egg
• Half an Onion, Diced
• Half a Carrot, Shredded
• A Drizzle of Soy Sauce
• Butter, 2 tablespoons

First:

I start to boil my rice in the microwave, I'm not going to explain how but I'm sure google will tell you, or you already know! Now the Long Grain rice I used only took 10 minutes so I waited until there were 3 minutes left and then started cooking! Although I do start the salmon in the oven when there are only 5 minutes left on the rice.

Second:

When there's 5 minutes left on the rice season your salmon and put it in the oven to cook through.

Third:

Get out your frying pan, use a medium to high heat. Add half a tablespoon of butter, crack your egg into the pan and stir to scramble the egg, once scrambled remove the egg from the pan.

Fourth:

Add another half tablespoon of butter to the pan, then add your onion and carrots. Sauté these for 3-4 minutes (until the carrot is limp and onion is light brown.) 

Fifth:

Add in your final tablespoon of butter and the cooked rice. Stir all of this together for a couple of minutes. Then add in your eggs and mix together. Then add the drizzle of soy sauce and keep stirring. Once all ingredients are mixed together transfer to plate and add your salmon on top.

Sixth:

Drizzle on a tiny bit more soy sauce if you wish and ENJOY!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, let me know if you would try it out!

Love El

xxx

Nails of the Week

Now can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that....my lovely readers.....this is the FIRST nails of the week that I've done that doesn't involve a W7 nail varnish! *GASPS*

This polish is an old favourite of mine from March last year but I have just rediscovered it! The nail varnish in question is Barry M Hi-Shine Gel Nail Polish in Blueberry. I love every thing about this polish, the staying power, colour, the gel feel and the fact it ONLY needs 2 coats! It is such a perfect sky blue polish, I'd say, and has such a shiny effect.

I have quite a few of these Barry M Gel varnishes and love them all. There is an incredible range of colours, all of them perfect and they're £3.99 each!

 Gelly Hi-Shine in Blueberry.

 After 1 Coat.

After 2 Coats.

 I also really want to try out Barry M's Matte range so if you have tried any please tell me your thoughts!

Love El
xxx

Cousin's 21st - My Hair and Makeup

On Saturday the 13th of September I went out for my cousin's 21st birthday (his birthday is actually the 18th) and so I decided to do something a bit more interesting with my hair and makeup, and then, I decided to blog it!

My Makeup:

The general face makeup and eyelashes that I did was just the same as in my "Full Face of Makeup" blog post! And then for my eyeshadow I used the Dolce & Gabbana palette from my last blog post, using the light pink all over the lid and the burgundy shade in my outer corner! To tie the look together I used some of "Tease" from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette through my crease. And to be honest that was it, I didn't go super dramatic and smokey because I wanted the focus to be on my hair!

My Hair:

With the hair style I did you could really see my roots but hey ho it adds a little something something...right...at least they match my eyebrows! Now this look is something you can do if you want that shaved head thing that people do like Ellie Goulding did, because who doesn't want to look like Ellie Goulding! But I did this style, well, just because. I'd actually done this french braid thing years ago and it popped into my head so I did it again! All I did to create it was to french braid from my hair line to just behind my ear and then continued into a normal plait to nearly the end of my hair and just clipped it to the back of my head! That's it! For the rest of hair I decided to curl with the biggest barrel of the NuMe Lustrum Set for this kind of wave look. (I intend on reviewing this curling set properly at some point) When using this barrel I took quite small sections so that there was extra texture, and surprisingly it didn't take long at all! Then just finish off with a bit of hairspray! 

This entire look, hair and makeup, is fantastic for me because it looks good but there was barely any effort and no complicated steps! I'm lazy and I accept it!

I certainly think I will be doing this hair look a lot more!

My Outfit:
Top - Asos
Earrings - Vivienne Westwood

Love El
xxx

Dolce & Gabbana - The Eyeshadow

After showing you all my fantastic blusher in my last blog post I wanted to show you another find, this time eyeshadow! 

I got this little gem at different makeup outlet shop, now I can't remember the exact price but it was another good saving! As the title suggests this is a Dolce & Gabbana product, and it is in fact a duo eyeshadow, with some beautiful colours. I have recently been drawn to pink eyeshadows and so this is perfect. The product is in the shade Guilty 100.

There was a selection of these eyeshadow duos but I was drawn to this one the most because of the two gorgeous colours. The packaging describes the duo as being a "smooth eye colour duo" and I have to agree that the eyeshadows are very smooth and lovely to use! They are also very pigmented, however, the lighter pink did not show up as well in pictures but you can get the gist! Apart from the lighter pink not picking up too well in the swatches the pictures are very true to real life, the light pink is just a bit more obvious.

As you scroll through the pictures you will notice that Dolce & Gabbana have gone all out on the packaging, the case even comes in a faux suede sleeve, now that is fancy! The name is also so official with the title "the eyeshadow".

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I think this'll be perfect for Autumn!

Love El
xxx