What I got for Christmas 2017

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and if you don't celebrate Christmas then I hope you still had a wonderful day!

I'm here today with a 'What I got for Christmas 2017 blog post' as these are very popular at this time of the year and I know a lot of people like to read them, me being one of them! I love being a little nosy and seeing what beautiful gifts people received on Christmas day and just seeing how happy everyone looks with the gifts they got that is why I thought I would share with you by own.

As on most posts and videos like these a little disclaimer is necessary to say in no way shape or form am I boasting or attention seeking I am just showing you guys the lovely gifts I received this year and am always very thankful for what I receive!

The first present I opened was this TOPSHOP beige duster jacket with a detachable fur collar that I had been eyeing up for a while now but couldn't justify spending that much on it so decided to ask for it for Christmas instead, hoping I would receive it on the big day! And thanks to my lovely parents I was lucky enough to receive it! I've always wanted a bit of a more sophisticated and fancier jacket to wear on special occasions and this is perfect for that!

The second present I opened was this gorgeous Morphe 35R palette which has also been on my wishlist for quite some time now but thought I'd save it for my Christmas list instead of splurging on it for myself! It's a beautiful palette consisting of some lovely brown, gold and bronzy mattes with a few shimmers in there too! Seriously can't wait to paint my eyes with this!

Within the box with the Morphe palette I received the Nars radiant concealer in the shade vanilla! I've heard many good reviews about the Nars concealers and have always wanted to try one out for myself! My sister knew this and decided to treat me to one! With this in mind she asked me what shade would fit me best and after trying some out in Selfridges and consulting with the very helpful assistant there she told me that the shade vanilla would be nice if I was wanting to brighten up underneath my eyes and that's exactly what I wanted. So was very happy to wake up to that on Christmas morning!

Also within that box I received the Jefree Star liquid lipstick in Celebrity Skin! I recently used my friends lipstick who had this and was obsessed, its such a gorgeous pinky nude matte that stays on all day and dries instantly! I love it!

The next item was a little bit of a surprise for me as I was undecided between two colours of the Reebok trainers and was unsure which ones my parents would choose for me but when I woke up on Christmas and found out they bought me the khaki ones I was very pleased as I was thinking the night before Christmas that the baby pinks ones I was undecided about were definitely not my style, so they made a good choice!

My main present from my family was these gorgeous Bianca Chelsea Dr Martens which I absolutely love with all my heart! I've always wanted a good pair of Chelsea boots but could never bring myself to spend so much money and I am so very grateful that I received these and they will literally never be coming off my feet!

From one of my best friends I received the Iconic illuminator highlighter in the shade original which is a gorgeous golden brown colour and is very different to all of my other highlighters as I usually use powder ones but it is super easy to apply which is a problem I thought I would face and the glow is absolutely unbelievable.

On top of this she also gave me the most beautiful Pandora ring which I was not expecting at all! My best friend knows how much I love cute dainty rings and spoilt me by getting me this one which I'm in love with.

From my boyfriend who also spoilt me! Got me this gorgeous Tiffany bracelet to match the Tiffany necklace I got for my 18th! I don't own many bracelets but have always wanted to have one that I could just wear all the time and this is definitely one of them! And as if it couldn't get any better than the he even engraved our initials on the back making it an extra special gift! I love it.

At last but by no means least with the money I received off family members and friends me and my friend decided to splurge and my Jason Derulo concert tickets for next year! So thank you very much to all you who have kindly gave me money and helped me go and see him live who I have wanted to see for ages! I can't wait!

Yet again thank you to everyone who gave me a gift I am very grateful! And I obviously haven't included all my gifts in here just my main presents but I still very appreciative of them all!

Thank you for reading, see you soon!
Katie  x

False eyelashes or Mascara?

Due to having a lot more plans and me leaving my room a lot more frequently than I usually would I have seen myself to have been buying a lot more beauty items than I usually would! One of those items being False eyelashes.

Now I love false eyelashes, I think they just make your eyelashes look a lot more fluffy, bold and outstanding however, when being asked what do I prefer false eyelashes or mascara? I can never seem to give an answer as they both have their pros and cons for me.

As stated before false eyelashes just add to the natural look of your eyelashes but make them look more intensified and prominent especially if you choose the perfect pair!

For me I tend to opt for Eylure False Eyelashes in 101.

I don't know whether this is the product or me but I find these eyelashes pretty difficult to apply as I find the glue takes quite a while to set before applying them to your eyelashes and then manhandling them trying to stick them on but they are curved perfectly so they fit the shapes of your eye which is hard to find in a good pair of eyelashes as you could spend ages fiddling with them cutting them down to the right length because they are too long!

If looked after correctly or not losing them on a night out then they can be worn multiple times so in the end is definitely worth almost £6 which is a little steep.

On the other hand, mascara is a blessing as it is obviously a lot more natural as you apply product to your own lashes just making them look longer and bolder but can often clump and smudge throughout the day depending on the mascara you choose. 

I often wear Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara so I am safe from panda eyes and mascara running down my face which it definitely prevents. I have been using this mascara for over two months now and even though I should probably invest in getting a new one I hate throwing away makeup that still has a lot of product in but maybe it is time to say goodbye as the bristles of the wand start to become clogged and lumpy with mascara but like I said you do get a lot of product from it especially for £8.99 which some might say is a bit pricey considering you can get cheaper drugstore mascaras.

In comparison to high end mascaras this mascara keeps its curls for a long time and gives you those thick dark lashes we all long for!

Even though I would love to wear false eyelashes every day because they just make me feel so sassy and fabulous I simply don't have the time or effort to spend on putting them on every day when it takes no longer than 5 seconds to put on some mascara and not have the risk of my own lashes flying off like I would false ones. I would definitely keep the false eyelashes for my night time attire and mascara for my everyday.

Thanks for reading, see you soon!

Katie x

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Self Tan Mousse review

If you know me then you know that I am the palest person you will ever meet and now and again especially on special occasions when I'm exposing my legs or arms etc I like to look a bit more bronzed and often tan myself especially at this time of the year where you can't just step outside and get a tan.
I think when I've got a tan I feel much more confident and I'm less self conscious about not wearing tights or jeans when going to a posh event or out round town, I can feel sassy and comfortable with my bronzed goddess legs out! Now I'm not saying that if you are pale and choose not to fake than that you can't feel beautiful and 'goddess' like but this is just a personally preference of mine.

I've only recently started self tanning in the last year or so as I was always too scared to try any out and look like a cheese puff because I am that pale that even the light shade would look supper dark on me. So I started out with trying self tanning moisturisers but they werent really what I was looking for, they weren't as dark as it'd have liked it to go and didn't bronze my skin like I would have hoped.

I thought I'd try a self tanner mousse for the first time. I didn't want to go for really expensive ones from brands such as 'Loving tan' or 'St Tropez' because that'd be at least £20 or more down the drain if I were to not like it! So I opted for a drugstore self tanner from Rimmel.

I've used the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Sel Tan Mousse for just under about a year now and I absolutely love it! It does everything and more than what I would want to get bronzed skin and it being super cheap at just under £8 its my number one self tanner.

After moisturising, shaving and using my 'Bodyshop virgin mojito exfoliater' in the shower so my body is now clean from all excess dirt I apply the self tanner with a tanning mit, mine is a St tropez mit I received for my birthday but I'm sure you can find just as good mits from Primark or elsewhere for half the price. The product is super easy to apply and goes on very evenly.
It dries completely in 5 minutes which is amazing meaning you don't have to sit around and wait before doing something and after washing the guide colour off after about two hours it left a lovely even golden look.
I decided to purchase the light shade to see if that would do the job and be as dark as I'd like and it sure did the job. It is perfect for every day wear if you are only wanting a light natural bronze look but is also build able if you are wanting to go a little darker! It doesn't make you look orange which is great as being so pale most self tanners can often do that!
And finally, unlike most self tanning products this one doesn't have a really revolting biscuity smell to it!

Thanks for reading, see you soon.
Katie x

American make-up haul

If you read my NYC travel post then you will know that I went to New York (hence the blog post) and you can't not go to New York and not splurge millions of dollars in Sephora, am I right ladies?!
However being the poor student I am, I didn't exactly spend millions of dollars but it sure did feel like it!

I bought a couple of make up items with money I got for my birthday and here I am to share my thoughts and opinion on these products before you invest in them for yourself.

Huda Beauty liquid matte - shade: MUSE

I spent ages looking in Sephora for a lipstick (preferably a matte liquid in a nude/pinky shade) and obviously every beauty stand in there had at least 5 of each but I just couldn't make my mind up! In the end it came down to my sister convincing me to get the Huda beauty liquid matte in the shade muse, main reason being that you can't actually buy Huda Beauty in stores over here in England and I'm always sceptical about buying make-up online. So, I took her advice and bought it and I'm so glad I did! It's got an amazing formula unlike most liquid lipsticks it doesn't make your lips look or feel dry!  It's very lightweight, easy to apply and best of all long lasting!

The only down fall for me is it's a little more on the purple side in terms of shade than to what I would have liked but either way still a gorgeous colour!

Huda Beauty Rose Gold edition shadow palette

Another little story on this product is I originally went in Sephora intending to buy the 'Tarte in bloom' eye shadow palette but somehow my sister persuaded me out of it saying "I already have too many neutral eyeshadow palettes and I don't need another one"! I totally agree with where she is coming from. So having this in mind I took a browse at the Huda Beauty Rose Gold edition shadow palette and instantly fell in love, even more so when I tried it out!

The colours are absolutely gorgeous! Easy to blend and can create so many incredible looks! It includes 7 pressed glitter shades which add so much glam to the eyes. It's probably one of the most pigmented eye shadow palettes I've ever used and just glides on and stays on all day.

A little pricey but definitely worth the money.

Becca highlighter - shade: Champagne Pop

Now I'm sure you've heard many beauty bloggers discuss this highlighter before and I know I'm a bit late to the party but it's better late than never, right? Right!

I can agree with a lot of beauty bloggers and say this is an amazing highlighter!

It produces a gorgeous gold, shimmery glow, staying on all day! However it can create a very intense look so personally I wouldn't wear on a day to day basis.

 Even though the product was quite expensive you do get a lot of product so is definitely worth it! 

Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder

Yet again, another product I'm late to the party on buying in the beauty blogger world!

I heard a lot of good reviews on this product but would always just stick to my drugstore 'Stay Matte' pressed powder my Rimmel as it did a good enough job but I thought it was time to venture out and try something a little different.

The Laura Mercier loose setting powder is extremely lightweight! Which I love!

It makes my skin look flawless and helps keep my foundation looking matte and stops it from getting 

patchy! 

A definite must in my makeup bag now

Kat Von D Lock it foundation - shade: Light 42 neautral

I was umming and ahhing whether to purchase the Kat Von D foundation or the Make up forever foundation having heard great reviews on them both! But in the end I ended up going with the Kat Von D foundation purely based on it being cheaper!

I wasn't overly impressed with this foundation and was rather disappointed having spent $35 in comparison to my usual £12 foundation.

I have quite dry skin and it made my skin really flaky and patchy especially around my nose and slightly on my forehead which made me feel very uncomfortable throughout the day.

The product is very thick and heavy that it doesn't settle.

I was also disappointed when it's advertised as 24 hour wear when it didn't even last a couple of hours before it started going patchy!

I really wanted to love this foundation, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Comment down below some of your favourite make-up items at the moment! I'm intrigued to see what everyone is loving.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Katie x