My dressing table setup - The Ikea Malm!

Ello Lovelies!

I did one of the biggest cliche beauty blogger things... I got myself an Ikea Malm dressing table and I am absolutely loving it. While still living with my parents i had previously been sharing a dressing table with my Mother and had bee stuck to using just one small basket of makeup for my daily routine. As my Ikea Alex drawers were getting a tad full that set up really wasn't very practical and a lot of my collection was feeling unloved. So i decided to finally take the plunge and invest in my own little dressing table set up!

Having my own little space for a large portion of my collection has meant i am actually rotating my pretties a lot more and getting a lot more use out of things. The organisational lover in me is extremely happy with how it turned out and i find myself switching things in and out on a weekly basis. Having lots more options to hand means I've actually been switching up my daily face quite a bit too, win! The Ikea Malm dressing table is for, as dressing tables go, pretty reasonably priced at £95 (view here) and comes with a pretty glass top and a large pull out drawer. The only downside to this is that like the Ikea Alex drawers it does not fully extend, so a portion of space at the back is being wasted as it is difficult to reach back there, but that is my only small complaint.

I am pretty darn happy with how it looks now but will probably over the next year, replace some of the "less pretty" storage options on the table. Including the light, brush holders and the letter storage that is holding my MAC palettes. But for now, these are all pretty inexpensive and practical. The lamp was around £20 including the bulb and is great for aiming it where you need it (view here).

 

While not the prettiest brush holders the Ikea Dokument Pen Cups do the job just fine. And at £3.50 per 2 do not break the bank either.

Makeup Mirror - £7.99 The Range

Leopard Print Mirror - £9.99 The Range

Letter Rack - £2.50 The Range

Another blogging cliche... Muji drawers! While I don't find these the best for storage they are pretty useful for storing a lot of my small indie makeup collection. I also like to keep things like my Benefit Boxed Blushes in here as i find them a pain to store anywhere else. I do really need to go back and reorganise this but i just love looking at all my Sugarpill pigments in the bottom drawer! Oh so pretty!

Acrylic Storage -£10.95/£11.50 per stack of two Muji

And lastly my favourite part of my collection, the drawers! In my local Ikea these dividers were quite handily displayed right next to the Malm drawer and at a mere 80p each are quite the bargain! The drawer fits 6 dividers with enough room to store my favourite palettes down one side. Each divider has a smaller compartment and a larger one making it perfect for different shaped items. I love how i can fit a chunk of my lipstick collection neatly into one section!

Billingen - 80p each Ikea

I'm dead chuffed at how this turned out and to finally have my own little makeup space. I just wish my Ikea Alex drawers would fit next to it, but sadly i am about an inch short of space!

Do you have your own setup?

I'd love to see them!

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xo Katie

January / February Favourites!

Ello Lovelies!

I'm not one for monthly favourites but this year I'm making an effort to make them a bi-monthly occurrence. And the first one would be a tad late... Ooops! I've been changing up my daily stash every week or so to make sure i work through the unloved gems in my collection and these are the things I've been loving the past 2 months!

L'oreal Lumi Magique Foundation - Rose Pearl

This was a new purchase and I reached for it quite a bit over the last month or so. I don't generally have much luck with "drugstore" foundations, but this one is a beauty! Medium coverage with that lit from within glow, really beautiful! I'll be posting a full review soon.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment 

A long time ago, i managed to snag the Sephora birthday gift that included two mini Sugar lip balms and I've been hooked ever since. On my trip to London in January I dragged my boyfriend on a mission to find the Fresh store just so i could pick another one of these up. Priced at £18 they are extremely expensive but are honestly the best lip balms I've ever tried!

Benefit Hello Flawless Powder - Shell

I used up a whole one when they were first released and never got round to repurchasing due to having far, far too many powders in my collection. I was lucky enough to get one for Christmas this year. Its a fuller coverage powder that really does give a flawless finish, its up there with my MAC Studio Fix Powder as an all time favourite.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer - Brightener

Sadly, we can't get this shade in the UK (just like the Radiance shade of Dream Lumi, HMPH!) but i absolutely love it. Perfect for brightening under the eyes and highlighting the face. MAYBELLINE! We need this shade in the UK, K?!

 

Tarte Emphaseyes Brow Pencil - Taupe

This has been so well loved that all the writing has rubbed off. Priced at $19.50 this isn't the cheapest of brow pencils but i absolutely adore it. Its the perfect taupe shade for my blonde hair and has a great little spooley brush on one end for taming them. I'll be interested to see if QVC gets these and their pricing because i fear this is getting near the end.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

As you can see, i love me some Tarte. I was lucky enough to be sent over one of the QVC Tarte TSV's at the end of last year by a lovely lady in a makeup group i am in and it included two of these babies. Like all mascaras, i wasn't a fan at first. But after a few days it really grew on me. It can go clumpy if you aren't careful to wipe off the excess on the brush but it gives amazing volume!

Nars Guy Bourdin Blush Palette

Rather than tease you with something that's no longer available, I'm actually loving one of the permanent shades in this palette. Deep Throat (giggles). Childish behaviour aside, it is a beautiful blush that I've been wearing most days for the last month. A subtle peachy pink that just gives a fresh looking wash of colour!

It was hard to narrow down to just these 7 items but i don't think I've featured any of them in previous favourites so a win for me!

What have you been loving this month?

Let me know!

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xox

Benefit Boxed Blush Hervana Review

Ello Lovelies!

 

My lovely boyfriend picked me up some Benefit goodies I'd been lusting after for Christmas and first up for review is Hervana! I've amassed quite a selection of Benefit's boxed powders over the years and I'm yet to be completely disappointed by one (Rockateur has grown on me quite a bit since my initial review). Hervana isn't the newest boxed blush on the block but it is one of the more recent blush releases. Priced at £23.50 Benefit blushes aren't the cheapest but i find it takes me so long to get through one I really don't mind the price tag, even more so since this one was a gift!

Hervana is pretty pleasing to the eye, with both packaging and product design that I'm quite smitten with, it really is gorgeous! It combines four lovely wearable colours that when swirled together (they are far too small to try and use individually) creates a really lovely pink satiny shade with just a hint of peach. On my fair skin tone this is a nice every day shade that I've been reaching for a lot over the past month or so, its one of those shades that works well with nearly any look and was the only blush i took on my travels to London earlier in the month. I think this would work well on lighter skin tones but I'm not sure how well it would show on medium to darker complexions.

It has that typical Benefit scent to it, slightly sweet but not overpowering which i quite enjoy. Just like Rockateur i don't really find this a "wow" kind of blush. Its a nice shade with a lovely texture, i reach for it quite a lot but its not something I'd go and rave about. If that makes any sort of sense? Its pretty, but its not a stunner. Or maybe I'm just getting pickier with blush? Who knows!

 

Overall i think Hervana is a nice blush, just nice. Its pretty, blends well but its not going to be holy grail material any time soon. But like i mentioned i am reaching for it quite a bit, so maybe i should give it more credit. If you are on the fairer complexion side and looking for one of those blushes that go with everything i recommend giving this a swatch, you might just love it more than me!

You can check this out on the Benefit Cosmetics website here. 

Do you have a favourite Benefit boxed blush?

Mine is definitely still Bella Bamba!

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xox

Benefit Rockateur Blush - Review

Ello Lovelies!

I'm a little late on the blogging bandwagon on this one. Believe it or not the new blush offering from Benefit has been sat in my stash for a good month or so now, i snagged it online whilst Debenhams had their little presale and its been sat on top of my blogging pile since. Like everyone else i was ridiculously excited when Benefit announced the release of this, that was dampened slightly by the lessening of product (Rockateur only contains 5g of product rather than the regular 8g most Benefit boxed blushes boast).

Rockateur is a lovely peachy, rose gold with an almost bronzy hue and strangely i have nothing in my collection similar to it. I have quite a substantial collection when it comes to blushes so to me this is quite a unique one. The box design simply isn't my cup of tea, i find the snakeskin (?) print and the pink and black lace a little tacky, but thats just me. I really appreciate the slight change in packaging in recent years to include a little mirror which is always handy for on the go applications. I just wish the lid still comes completely off as mine doesn't seem to sit right so i have to be careful shutting it as to not tear one side of it. Only little packaging grumbles really.

For some reason this was a hard one to photograph, especially in the swatches as my camera (or lack of photography skills more like) was not having any of it, so apologies for that. 

 

Product-wise to be perfectly honest, I'm not really in love with this blush. It leaves a nice natural rosey flush to the cheeks, the shimmer isn't overly offensive and looks well... nice? Don't get me wrong, i normally love Benefit's boxed blushes as Coralista and Bella Bamba are some of my all time favourites from any brand but i guess I'm just not feeling Rockateur. I use my Real Techniques blush brush and find i have to try and build it up to get any sort of noticeable colour on my cheek, which is normally great for a heavy handed clown like me but I just feel it takes a little more effort than other Benefit blushes. I'm also on the casper side of pale, so having a blush show up on me shouldn't really be an issue. Saying that, for a more subtle cheek it does look lovely and I've been actively trying to reach for this blush for the past few weeks to see if I can make it really work for me.

Overall i think Rockateur would work great for people that want an easy, subtle flush for everyday wear. Personally I'm not overly fussed with it although it is a pretty unique shade. I'd wear it but out of all of Benefit's offerings i think there are much better blushes to choose from. Priced at £23.50 Benefit boxed powders are on the pricier side of the blush scale. I really did want to love this, but for some reason i just couldn't!

Have you tried Rockateur?

Let me know what you thought about it!

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xox

They see me haulin'...

 

I may have purchased some things....

This is my not so little collective haul that has been building up for a good 6 - 8 weeks. It wasn't until i put everything together i realised how much I've actually spent lately.... ooops!

Needless to say I'm on a bit of a ban now, but my gosh those Mac Retro Matte lipsticks look gorgeous. Anyways! I thought I'd share with you today the beauty bits and bobs that I've been spending my pennies on lately. My bank account is well and truly weeping...

 


CK One Shock for Her - £29.99 for 299ml

Sometimes i overlook fragrances purely because the bottle doesn't appeal to me, shows how much we actually depend on packing to sell us things! But i randomly had a little sniff of this beauty in Debenhams the other week and fell in love! The £55 price tag put me off slightly and i managed to find this online for a much more affordable £29.99. I'll be reviewing this in full very soon so won't go into detail on it but its an overly sweet, fruity fragrance so its definitely my cup of tea! Just need to buy a Travalo now since I'm not lugging around this massive 200ml bottle!

Viva La Juicy Noir - £56 for 100ml 

I'd amounted a ton of Debenhams points, they needed spending, so this is what i got! I'm a big fan of the regular Viva La Juicy fragrance and this one is even sweeter. Needless to say, I'm a fan! Full review again coming up soon! I even nabbed some cheeky extra bonus points (from spending points, i know, brilliant!) and a free gift.

I love me some Disney. I also love me a sale so i just couldn't resist these little beauties! I picked up two lip glosses (says the girl who doesn't generally like gloss) for mere £1.50 each! They had a ton of shades but i just couldn't leave The Little Mermaid ones there, could i?! I also snagged two of their four pan palettes in Midnight Hour and Enchanted kiss which are a neutral and a smokey grey/blue palette. These remind me SO much of the Sugarpill palettes in packaging and pan size. These were reduced to a ridiculous £3 each down from £12, BARGAIN!

Repurchases!

You all know I'm a big Korean BB Cream fan and I was running out of both of my favourites so i decided to stock up! You can find these from this eBay seller or if you're not a fan of eBay KC Beautique stock them in the UK at very reasonable prices!

Sugarpill Asteria Pigment

A lovely lady in a makeup group I'm part of picked up a few extras of these while they were on sale, so i just had to! It is gorgeous! If you'd like a review let me know!

Benefit Rockateur Blush £23.50

I jumped on the Rockateur bandwagon, can't wait to test this little beauty out!

MAC Lipsticks £9

My CCO had some good shit! All the boxed products are from my CCO and i was gobsmacked to actually see they had some stuff in stock i wanted. Pink Pigeon and Party Parrot lipstick? Yes please! We all know how much i love my mattes. I also picked up two of the Archies Girl lipsticks from another lovely lady in my makeup group who was destashing. I'd lusted over these when they were released, so i couldn't pass them up this time! The shades are Daddy's Little Girl and Betty Bright. Its safe to say i DO NOT NEED any more MAC lipsticks, or lipsticks in general for that matter!

MAC Pressed Pigment in Light Touch £11

Bit of an impulse buy. It reminds me slightly of the much moaned about UD eyeshadow Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (which i actually adore). Its a very odd texture and apparently meant to be used as a highlighter. But this glorious, glittery mess will be going all over me lids!

Mac Blush in Immortal Flower £12

Another impulse buy.... I just can't help myself. I only actually own one Mac blush in Dollymix so i thought this was a good opportunity to rectify this. This and the pressed pigment were both CCO finds.

Nars Ride Up To The Moon Palette £31

Did i need this? No. Was i enticed by the gorgeous goldish neutrals... yes. I'm weak, okay?! This is my first delve into Nars eye shadows, I'm kinda hoping i don't like them because they are expensive and my god this palette is tiny. Such beautiful colours though! Full review coming soon.

Nars Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder £25

I lusted, i lusted, i lusted, i got it.

I'm a sucker for anything mango scented or anything tropical really. I can't remember exact prices for these as I think there were multiple offers on at the Body Shop at the time i purchased. If you're a fan of mango i well suggest you go have a sniff.

Phew! That's it!

SPENDING BAN TIME.

 (We'll see how long that actually lasts....)

What have you lot been buying lately?

Leave me a comment and let me know!

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xox

FOTD: Glasses Friendly Makeup

Hey lovelies!

I've been wearing glasses now for a good few months and finding makeup looks that don't look god awful with them has been a bit of a challenge. Mostly, I've been switching it up a lot with lipstick. Its been giving me a real excuse to have a good ol' rummage through my stash and pull out some unloved beauties as well as good some good use out of some of my old favourites.

I tried to escape wearing them on nights out as much as possible, but now I've been using them as a bit of a naughty excuse (to myself lol) not to wear a full on eye of makeup. So attempting flawless skin, a bright lip and a bit of winged liner has been the winning combo most of this month.

Eyes:
MUA - Eye Primer
Elf - Black Liquid Eyeliner
Anastasia - Brow Duo in Ash Blonde / Taupe

Lips:
YSL - Rouge Pur Couture The Mats 202

  Face:
 MAC - Strobe Cream
Benefit – Porefessional
Estee Lauder - Double Wear Foundation in Shell
Benefit - Hello Flawless Powder in Shell
Maybelline - Dream Lumi Concealer in Radiant
Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder
NARS - Laguna Bronzer
Benefit - Bella Bamba Blush
MAC – Lightscapade
 MAC - Fix + 

What face have you been wearing lots this month? 

Link me your posts in the comments! 

xox

Freebie alert! Benefit They're Real inside this months UK Elle Magazine!

Ello lovelies!

Just a quick little post to let you know about the freebie inside this months Elle Magazine in the UK! I don't normally take much notice of magazine gifts (apart from the yearly Benefit/Glamour ones) but i just couldn't pass this up!! You get a 4g (a little under half size) They're Real mascara by Benefit worth around £9!

 

I've resisted buying this for so long so i thought it was about time i caved and tried it out, and for £4 i feel a little less naughty!

 

I can imagine these selling super fast so I'd grab one quick!

 

xox

My Top 5 Blushes

 

I love blush.
After foundation, its at the top of my lust list at any given time. As a serial over sleeper a lot of the time i only have a few minutes to slap my face on for the day, i generally don't bother with eyeshadow in a rush so using blush to put some colour back into my face is really important to me. I have a fair few blushes so it was really hard to pick just five, but i gave it a good go! But please excuse the grubby pictures, my blushes get thrown in handbags quite a lot, so they've been well used and some look a bit battered. So, on to my top five!

Sleek Pomegranate is probably my "go to" winter shade, this is my second one of these since i managed to smash up the first one on a night out, oops! It looks pretty scary in the pan, its a deep burgundy pink that gives me that wintery Snow White cheek when used with a light hand. Like all Sleek blushes its extremely pigmented and you run the risk of looking like a clown if you're too heavy handed. Yep, I've done it... more than once. I'm actually looking forward to cracking this one back out for the winter months, its a beaut!

Everyone has their favourite Benefit boxed blush and Bella Bamba is definitely mine. Back in my teen years i was a Thrrrob kinda gal, but after getting through two of those i fancied a change. Bella Bamba is a gorgeous watermelon pink with fine silver shimmer. Since i purchased this last summer I've gone through phases of wearing it constantly for weeks, then forgetting about it again, only the rediscover it a few weeks later. Its so flattering on my skin tone and gives the cheek a real healthy flush. Perfect all year round! But it wouldn't be me if i didn't have my eye on another one... Coralista will be mine!

If you watch any of the American beauty Youtuber's theres a good chance you would of spotted a Milani product or two. These blushes kept popping up and i just had to have one. So i searched eBay for a while until i found this shade for around £8 including shipping which isn't half bad! This is my only real orangey coral blush and i have to fight my Mother to use it since she's pinched it for her dressing table. Its a really lovely orangey coral with silver glitter. Yep, glitter. That is my only gripe with this blush is that i wish the glitter wasn't so obvious, but if we ignore that, it really is a beautiful blush. Its not available in the UK so if you have the chance to get one, do it! I plan to get my hands on a couple more shades in the near future.

Frat Boy... the best thing to ever come out of a beauty box. I ended my subscriptions with beauty boxes quite a few months ago because they just weren't working out for me. But in Carmine's (if i remember rightly) first box appeared this little beauty. Its my one and only theBalm product, but i absolutely love it. Its peachy-pink, nearly matte perfection! I've not seen these in stores but theBalm can be found online on websites such as Feelunique.com.

 

Its cliche, but i really do love it. Orgasm is the most worn blush for nights out for me, if i don't know what to put on i generally reach for this. Its been in my handbag almost constantly for the last year. Now i won't waffle on about it because I'm sure you've heard faaar too much online about it already. Its peachy-pinkness really works with my skin tone and i actually really love the gold shimmer in it as its finely milled and doubles as a highlight! Lovely! At around the £20 mark the price isn't so great, but if you're near a Nars counter go have a little swatch!

Pomegranate - Bella Bamba - Corallina - Frat Boy - Orgasm


What is your favourite blush? Comment below!

xox

FOTD: Inglot Neutrals

  Ello lovelies!

Just a quick post from me today! I've been loving experimenting with some of my IMATS goodies and my Inglot palettes have got some major love this week. I spend most of Valentines lazing around with the boyfriend but i thought i might make a slight effort with me face in the evening. So i played around with some of my neutrals, the bf actually liked the look, so that was a bonus!

Excuse the dumb face :P

Eyes:

INGLOT - AMC Shine 35, AMC Shine 31, AMC Shine 42, DS 459.

Blimey, didn't realise i had that many shines!
ELF - Liquid Liner Black

Smashbox - Hyper Lash Mascara

Face:

MakeUp Forever - HD Foundation 110

INGLOT - Loose Powder 51 

Bourjois - Chocolate Bronzer

Benefit - Bella Bamba (Not that its actually picking up)

My greedy hands are itching to grab some more Inglot shades, especially since i have a 20% off code. But so far I've been a good girl and kept my greediness under control. I can't say for how much longer though.

Have you got any favourite Inglot shades?

xox