Freedom MakeUp London: Pro Bare Collection

I have been absolutely blown away by new makeup brand, Freedom Makeup London, that launched in June this year. The quality of their makeup is utterly amazing and the price is even more outstanding (I mean £1 per lipstick..?!)

I started following Freedom Makeup London on Instagram a little while ago when they were first trying to get noticed before launching and I was so excited to try them out! As many of you may know I adore finding beauty bargain that are really worth buying.

I am a little bit of a nutter when it comes to nude based lipsticks and I'm not as brave as I should be with bold colours so when I was browsing around on their website and stumbled across the Pro Bare 5 Lipstick collection for £4 you can imagine how excited I was. I purchased these lipsticks around about 2/3 weeks ago and I have honestly used one of them every single day since they arrived. 

An overall review of the quality of the actual lipstick product is all round fantastic. They apply beautifully and evenly, however I apply at least two layers of lipstick to ensure I get the best of the colour. I find the bars very moisturising which is spot on for keeping summery lips from drying out and winter lips from chapping. They have their own unique finish to them which is neither matte nor glossy but more velvety which is perfect for every day wear and can be glammed up by adding a clear gloss over the top is a more formal look if desired. I do however find myself reapplying the lipstick a few times over the course of a day, meaning I'm using alot more of the lipsticks than I do with many of my other lipsticks, however you can't really complain for less that £1 per lipstick! They're still gorgeous. 

Sooner or Later 

Sooner or Later is the palest colour in the Pro Bare collection. Its a a very light natural pink shade that adds just a touch of pink over your natural lip colour. Its' subtle pinky tone collaborates perfectly with Makeup Revolution's Iconic 3 Palette. This is my favourite pink shade at the moment as its a dead easy natural colour to wear for summer.

Untouched

 Untouched by name, untouched by nature. The name says it all really, this lipstick is the most natural shade in the collection because it literally looks like my lips have no colour on, however have a flawlessly even tone and velvety appearance for the ultimate natural makeup look.
I use this look when I'm trying to get away with looking as natural as possible with minimal make-up.

Naked Beauty

I would say Naked Beauty is one of my favourite nudes in this collection as it is a fantastic subtle taupe colour that seems to just go beautifully with any makeup look whether is big and bold or sweet and subtle. I wear this as my every day lipstick for work as it is the perfect everyday lipstick.

Mannequin

It's a terrible shame that I couldn't quite get the camera on my iPhone to pick up how much darker this shade is to Naked Beauty. In person this shade is quite noticeably darker meaning it needs quite tame eye make-up to match. I use this shade when I have bronzed and tanned my skin. I like to use a dark nude lipliner when using this particular shade as it is quite a statement nude.

Whispers

Whispers is the brightest shade in the Pro Bare collection. I would describe this as a bright rose pink, still maintaining it natural shade however bright enough to make a subtle statement. It collaborates perfectly with my Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 palette and looks stunning against my natural pale skin, however I wouldn't personally wear this when I've been tanning or bronzing.

I have already spent another £25 on their website and taken advantage of their many many special offers! I can't wait for my next delivery to arrive this week.

                                  Folow me on Instagram  xox

                                    Follow me on Twitter  xox

                                  Follow me on Bloglovin  xox

Hair Care Routine

With long luscious locks being the latest trend it's very important to look after them and keep them looking and feeling healthy.

I have alot of very long, brown hair that is naturally straight and flat with minimal volume or bounce; so I like to use products that help to keep my hair looking shiny and bouncy!

I personally don't wash my hair every day but instead every other day. This is so I don't strip my hair and scalp of their natural oils which can dry your hair out. When I do wash my hair I like to use my Faith in Nature Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner as they use only natural ingredients and leave hair feeling and smelling amazing! The tea tree also helps to repel insects and lice which is a good preventative measure.

Straight after washing my hair I lather in my Neal & Wolf Elevate Volumising Lotion into my towel dried hair. I received this in my goody bag from the Shropshire Blogger Meet and has now become a part of my daily routine! This products helps to give my hair bounce and body, reviving it from its naturally flat state.

Before blow drying my hair I use my Avon Advanced Techniques Instant Repair 7 spray to protect my hair against heat damage. It smells absolutely amazing and leaves my hair feeling strong. I also use this product before straightening my hair to add extra heat defence.

Because I don't wash my hair everyday I like to use a serum to add abit of extra shine on days I don't wash it. For this I use Tesco's own hair serum which is only £1! I add a little squirt onto my palm and rub my hands together before applying it all through my hair. This just adds gloss and shine to my hair as well as smelling amazing.

If I really want to add some volume to my roots and have big hair for a day I add a sprinkle of my Schwarzkopf Got 2 B Powder'ful volumizing powder to the roots of my hair and srunch it with my fingers into the style I want. I was sceptical of this product at first until my hairdresser used some on me once and I actually saw it really does work! I think this is personally better than using hairspray to volumise roots and the product only need to be re-scrunched for it to start working again meaning no top up.

To keep my hair tangle-free I used the Tangle Angle brush that I received at the Shropshire Blogger Meet back in May and use it daily to de-tangle my knotty hair, I find this brush especially useful for when I've had my hair in a messy bun all day and want it to return back to normal,or after I've had a shower. I love the fact that this detangling brush has got a handle as my previous Tangle Teaser brush had no handle as it was forever flying out of my hand and ending up halfway across the room.

 So here is how I keep my hair feeling healthy and looking fab!
Hope you all enjoyed reading

                                  Folow me on Instagram  xox

                                    Follow me on Twitter  xox

                                  Follow me on Bloglovin  xox

Silky smooth summer legs!

It's coming up to the summer season where it's all about skirts, shorts, dresses and cute playsuits so it's super important to get those legs silky smooth and summer ready.

It's dead easy to achieve beautifully smooth legs. It's best to shave your legs when you're in a warm shower or bath to soften the skin, First it's all about exfoliating. I use Lush Ocean Salt face and body scrub on my wet legs with exfoliating gloves to remove as much dead and dry skin as I can before shaving and wash off the scrub with warm water.
It's then time to prep your skin for shaving by using either a shaving foam or a personal favourite of mine is to use a hair conditioner! Now it's time to start shaving. It's best to use a really good quality razor, not a disposable one as they're less damaging to the skin and provide a better, closer shave. I use Venus razors with Olay Moisture Bar heads as these leave my skin irresistibly smooth and cut the hairs very close.
Start shaving from the bottom of you ankle gliding the razor all the way to the top of you knee and continue all the way around until you calf and shin is complete, then repeat for the thighs ensureing you don't miss any hairs. Remember to rinse the shaver head every stroke or two to try and avoid the razor head getting clogged up and ensure a closer shave. 

Once you've shaved your legs and are happy with the result its very important to moisturise afterwards to hydrate the skin and repair and damage to the skin. I prefer to use a thick body butter for this as I feel it really feeds the skin. This will also help reduce shaving rash!

So there we go ladies, the perfect guide to perfect summer legs!

No 7 Colour Match Experience!

So I have been through A-L-O-T of foundations to try and find the perfect one for me. I'm naturally very pale skinned however have found that most brands palest foundations are still too orangy for my skin tone! So I decided to get colour-matched!

It was so easy, I have no idea why I've never thought about doing it before! I went up to my local Boots with a bare, make-up free face and sat straight down in the No 7 counter to be matched. The lady, who I regret not catching her name as I would definitely recommend her, whipped out a little device that she scanned over my face and within seconds had detected my skin colour; Calico! This happens to be their lightest shade of foundation. I was then asked what type of foundation I would like as No 7 do a range of different types of foundation, I explained to the lady that I was after a liquid, medium coverage foundation that didn't completely cover my summer freckles but that did cover my blemished and uneven skin tone. I was recommended either the Beautifully Matte or the Stay Perfect foundation so I asked to try both.

 Photo Credit :
Boots Website

The lady then applied both foundations to my cheeks (one on each) but didn't tell me which was which; she then asked me to look in the mirror and decide which I liked better. I was really impressed with this technique as it's a very honest way of selling somebody a foundation that they genuinely want to buy! Because I didn't know which was which i could make a decision based solely on what the foundation looked like on my skin without being influenced by the packaging, price or name. I so happened to pick the side that had Beautifully Matte which was surprising for me as I don't normally like matte foundations as they normally make my skin look flat and lifeless, however the No 7 Beautifully matte makes the skin look healthy and flawless without looking too dull or too shiny.

I was then given a little card with my colour match name and  little chart with the lipstick shades that No 7 sell that are matched to Calico which is awesome! I struggle with lipstick colours as I never ever know what colours suit me besides the neutral nudes so this was a real confidence boost for me to actually pick a new lippy colour to wear.

I couldn't resist but to buy a new lippy to wear with my new foundation so after alot of swatching I finally settled on the colour 'Deep Rust' from the Moisture Drench range and I love it! It's my new go-to lippy as the colour flawlessly matches my skin tone. I was very surprised that it actually suited me as normally orangy lipsticks don't tend to suit me, however this is more of a blood-orange rather than the coral shades I had been attempting to wear so this was way more suited for my pale complexion.

If you're unsure of what lipstick shade to get (as there is a huge choice) Boots have created an online colour matcher that breaks down the decision into easy steps to help you find your perfect shade you're looking for! Visit http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Match-Made-lipstick-tool_1534715/ !

Boots Online Lipstick Colour Match!!

The foundation itself is fantastic and is so easy to apply! I only have to use two small pumps worth which amount to the side of a large pea to cover the whole of my face and I apply this using a flat foundation brush. 

Amount needed to cover full face

My No 7 foundation

I highly recommend getting matched by No 7 and purchasing one of their foundations, I honestly don't think I would ever go back to any of my previous foundations and it's very reasonably priced. The Beautifully Matte cost me only £13.50 and with only having to use a pea sized amount every day, it will last for ages. The lippy was £9.95, slightly expensive for a lipstick in my opinion but totally worth it for the fantastic colour and the fact that it stays put for hours with absolute minimal wearing!

Hope this helps anybody who was wondering what this colour match business was about, I can't recommend this service enough. Big thank you to Boots No 7!

Shropshire Blogger Meet May 2015

I'm not going to lie but I was very nervous as I drove for the first time down the M54 on my own for the first time to my very first blogger meet, especially as I had only just started my blog just days before and hardly knew a thing about blogging! However, as soon as I arrived at The Two Henry's Pub in Shrewsbury my nerves were no longer necessary! I was welcomed by a room of lovely bloggers all eager to get to know eachother and we all introduced ourselves and quickly started exchanging our Twitter and Instagram names to follow each other.

The Blogger Meet started off with a talk from Charlotte from Smashbox  who talked through the history of Smashbox and handed round samples of some of their products for us to test and try, my favourite being the trio of contour sticks which are amazing and am definitely going to purchase! Charlotte also gave us all a mini sample of the Smash Box Photo Finish primer.

Smashbox Contour Sticks Trio - £35

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Sample 

We then had a fantatsic talk from blogger Sarah from Everything You Don't Need To Know About Sarah who spoke to us about her new business selling Stella&Dot products and demonstrating their fascinating range of multi-purpose uses (My personal favourite being the necklaces that can be altered to suit any style you fancy!) Well done Sarah, you were fab!

We took a break for lunch and had a fantastic buffet provided with a lovely selection of sandwiches, wedges, sausage rolls and my personal favourites, mozzarella sticks! Many bags of my absolute favourite popcorn was donated by PROPERCORN and we all had a little individual cupcake provided for our pudding in a cute little polka dot box! It was so lovely chatting to all the bloggers over lunch and as a very new blogger I was overwhelmed with how many of the girls were so keen to help me and offer me advice.

After the buffet we had a little talk from a professional blogger called called Chelsea from Loving Life In Wellies who revealed to us her top 5 tips of how to be a successful blogger which, as a new blogger, was very helpful!

Our event hostess, Kirsty, had arranged a fantastic raffle where the money raised from the tickets was donated to a lovely charity called Scope. I was lucky enough to win 2 amazing raffle prizes which were a set of Strip Teas Teatox tea bags and a full sized bottle of Smashbox Photo Finish Primer.

We were also provided with the most amazing goody bag that was made up by Kirsty from Just A Little Bit Ginger  which had so many amazing products that were kindly donated! My ultimate favourites from the goody bag include the full set of Fullips Lip Enhancer cups to try and get my perfect Kylie Jenner pout, as well as the Nanshy 4 in 1 Blending Sponge. I was also super excited to see that Lush had donated my ultimate favourite Honey I Washed The Kids soap bar!! We each got given our very own set of Prairie Charms Bumpless Bobbles which are just what I need especially as I have to tie my hair up for work

I had an absolutely amazing time at the Blogger Meet and can't wait to go to the next one in September. I would like to say a huge thank you to Kirsty for organising such a lovely event!