Saying NO To New Year, New Me.

So I'm aware we're already a few days into the new year but I wasn't sure myself if I could stick to saying no. We've all done it and if you have this year that's not a bad thing. This new year however isn't going to start with the typical changes of 'losing weight' or 'being a better person' it's not even going to be about 'quitting smoking' or 'giving up chocolate.'

Every year we tell ourselves that this one is going to be better than the last and to be honest I could really do with that hope right now but I'm not that naive to try and make that promise to myself. I can't predict things, tragedies and just plain hard luck can strike you at any moment. No, I haven't had losses, not the important kind anyway, I've had shit thrown at me and I've learnt to deal with it.

So my resolution last year was to be a better person (spoiler alert, I'm not mother Teresa or Angelina Jolie - yet.) I still say mean things when I'm hurt and I haven't found patience for the people I really can't stand, I have however tried.  I know I sound like that teacher that tells you at sports day; "well at least you tried!" but honestly it's true. You took the time out to look at your life and think 'I want change' and the wanting is the start.

We ask ourselves: can people really and truly ever change? I believe we can but not at the drop of a hat. Real, sincere change starts when it hits you hard and it can take a life time to accomplish but it's all about the process.

Last year I was at a college I loved doing things that I had only dreamed about. I loved every single moment of it. I thought this is my year. Not all 365 days can be perfect though. Around spring my best friend who taught me to accept compliments and affection and the only person who truly understood my depression and anxiety was the victim of a hit and run. When I heard about it I froze. I'm making it sound dramatic and if you looked at us today it would look like nothing happened. I can tell you that you don't ever forget the image of one of the strongest people in your life, lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines and knocked out from the morphine. I can also tell you that those are the moments that make you change. I was never a strong person before but I had to be then, no I'm not her mother - that woman is my idol trust me but it takes a lot to not show how scared you are.

As if that wasn't bad enough towards the very end of the year I discovered that I have polycystic ovaries. I don't really understand what it means all I know is it's not the same as the syndrome but it's just as shit. Basically my chances of natural conception are a lot less and with it nearly being a year since my last period it's starting to get at me but I'm coping because I have to.

This post isn't a sob story as much as it seems like that was my plan. To put it lightly my point is that change doesn't have a start and end date. You start it at the most unexpected times and I don't know if it ever really ends.

Happy New Year, I hope it's not shit.

Elle xx

Highlights of 2014

Let's get real

“There is desire in the perfect, beauty in the imperfect.

Thus I lust over the flawless,

and fall amorously forceless to the flawed.” - Illyas Kassam.

Lately I've had to remember some stuff life lessons I thought I had put in the past. As it turns out, I'm not done learning and I feel like I've hit a fork in the road. Times like this I get soppy but then I remember where I am, how I got here and tell myself to shut the fuck up. 

When I feel stuck I go on like every other day, wake up put makeup on and go. It's easy most days but then I think well why do I have to wear makeup. Days later, why go? At worst, why get up? It's not a laziness thing it's a lack of being able to move because every part of me is saying what's the point? The point is that it's what people do, it's how we live. Today I chose to look like another version of myself  with the aid of makeup because I can. 

Makeup, as sad as it sounds, is a form of escapism. Maybe that's why I've always had an obsession with It one way or another. For me, If I'm having a bad day or I just feel like having fun, every time I sit at my mirror its a chance to be something else . One day I can look fresh faced and youthful and the next I can be contoured with a kick ass red lip. Like everyone else I enjoy wearing the mask that can be makeup but just remember at the end of the day that mask is worn and needs to come off so make sure you like what was already there because that's you, and you're the only one you've got.

"I see my path but I don't know where it leads, not knowing is what inspires me to travel it."                - Unknown

Elle x

Karl Lagerfeld For Shu Uemura

Shupette

Shu Uemura & Karl Lagerfeld

Firstly can we all just thank the creative Gods for the this entirely unique, some might say divinely mad collection.

Rarely do you find a makeup collection that has something for everyone one and yet here it is. I'm a bit of a colour phobic, I appreciate colour and the companies that do it well but on me it never looks good. I am glad to say that I have found a collection that proves me wrong.

Featuring classics such as their famous but re-packaged ultimate8 cleansing oil, world renown eyelash curlers and  new to die for trios this is a must. It's playful and fun with classic colours as well.

Every product applies and blends beautifully, perfect for the time limited, newly skilled or the people like me who wish that blending didn't exist. The consistency of the shadows is so soft the only way to describe it is like dry butter. The colours are easily build-able or if you are wary of colour then that's okay because they blend out to a beautiful haze too!

Eye-Need-Shu trio 02 ft Warm brown, Pink and a light Gold all with a beautiful sheen.

Eye-Need-Shu Trio 01 Ft The perfect Midnight Blue, Light Blue and a shimmering White. Both £33


Next is the Silk Cushion Cheek which comes in the shade Peach and Pink. Adding to the theme of made up explanations, like before to me it's dry butter, creamy without being sticky or wet but the most bizarre things is when you touch it there is a bounce back.

Shupette Cheek Duo £22

It's spongey and delightful as well as again blending out superbly. This, like the eyeshadow, has specks of fine shimmer through it giving a healthy sheen. This blush would look beautiful on those minimal makeup days!

One of the lip trios for the Shupette collection involved an obvious pink theme. Not a pink wearer myself this lip trio wouldn't be my go to however having watched a demonstration, a lovely ombre fade can easily be created with these creamy pops of pink.

Moving on to the eyes, This waterproof pencil means business. With immense staying power and beautiful bronze shimmer shot through you can't go too far wrong.

Shupette Drawing Pencil - Gala Brown (Midnight Black also available) £17.50

Used as an eyeshadow or a liner it sets and stays, a winner for any oily skinned beauties. It's soft and powerful so to that I say a friendly "hello and welcome to my makeup collection."

Second to last we have the eyelashes, granted that they're not for everyone but the inner quirkiness in us all cannot resist.

They're fun, flirty and feminine so what's not to love? I particularly fell in love with the individual bundles with blue diamante accents. At first you could think that they're too much but I saw them being used on the outer edges of the bottom lashes and it was the subtle pop of perfection that sold me.

Here we have the show stopper, a favourite of so many and rightfully so.

PamPearl-Me Powder £26.50

It's easy to apply too much of this product, however again a little blending and this little gem is your best friend. It's similar to Ben Nye Luxe Powder Ice but I can see this suiting more skin tones as it isn't quite as cool toned having pink and gold shimmer running through it. This powder screams luxury and youth. On the skin it could be a beautiful highlight to get that J-Lo glow or layered you could use it more creatively as an eyeshadow. I fully support the description of kitty soft silky texture!

As you can see I loved ALL of the collection, maybe I'm easily pleased or maybe these are worth a try either way I'm thankful for this dynamic duo's creation.

A huge thank you to the Shu Uemura girls at Sefridges, Birmingham for the lovely spread they put on of delicious treats and great company!

Don't forget to have a look at my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_dOxI2Lchjg3TY4zAM3gkA

Elle X0X0

How To Remove Heavy Makeup

If you're like me your skin hates you. Okay, maybe not actually hates you but reacts easily whenever you wear heavy makeup. Halloween is around the corner and everybody loves a good dress up but our skin shouldn't suffer the consequences.

*Fingers crossed* So far I've been filming lots of halloween tutorials and practising them all too so thats double the damage and yet my skin is holding up. If you're anything like me your pores clog up easily but there's nothing strong enough to clear them without completely stripping your skin. These products however defy that statistic.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - £10 200ml
 
For all makeup but particularly heavy makeup I always use an oil cleanser. Oily skinned folk, don't cringe away. Oil cleansers are the best for actually breaking down makeup and clearing it out of your pores whilst hydrating your skin. The trick is to be hydrated and matte.

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing gel - £20 125ml

Nivea Refreshing Facial Wipes (normal to combination) - £2.50

I simply apply either a two pence sized amount of the gel or two pumps of the oil and massage it into my face. Taking a wipe simply swipe away the damage. I really like Nivea Facial cleansing wipes or if you have a little more to spend, Yes To cucumbers facial wipes are just as good and leave your skin feeling a healthy zing. If you're a one wipe gal, don't be, wipe until theres nothing left.

Reapply the oils as much as you need, if you use just the wipes they wont clear your pores and can dry out your skin.

Biore Pores unclogging Scrub - £4.99

If you have more time on your hands or the noise of the shower won't wake anyone up I suggest getting your makeup off in the shower as the steam will help to open your pores to help the products clear out dirt better. You can use the oils and gels in the shower and then following that if it wont push your skin over the edge, I suggest using this scrub. I've been using it for a while and it hasn't dried it out at all...yet. A pea sized amount massaged into your face is sure to do the job. The oils don't leave any horrible residue but this step never hurts.

Think all of your makeup is surely gone? One last cleanse will shock you. Whether its in your hair line, down your neck or right in the crease of your nose, when you think you've washed/wiped it off there's still one last spot.

Micellar water is very gentle and rehydrating as well as suspiciously good at removing waterproof makeup which makes no sense. It's not perfumed at all and doesn't leave a sting let alone any feeling other than pure freshness. Its liquid magic and that's okay with me.

As for moisturiser I would suggest gentle, simple and moisturising, The answer? Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion - £5



I hope you found this helpful and Happy Halloween!


Here are some looks I have been creating. You can check out the tutorials on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_dOxI2Lchjg3TY4zAM3gkA

See you soon,

Elle xoxo

Drugstore Beauty Favourites - Eyes

So I've done a bit of drugstore shopping, sorry bank account, I was in desperate need of a few things and I thought a Boots run was essential. Luckily I found everything I needed and one replacement which I am rather happy about.

So the main reason for this beauty re-stock was brown gel liner. Now I'm a huge fan of gel liner just because they are so versatile. When I do wear liner its hardly ever liquid or pencil because liquid can be quite unforgiving and pencils just don't last and I'm lazy so sharpening is a no go. The actual reason I wanted a brown gel eyeliner was to use as an eyeshadow/base colour.

I was going for more of a matte base and it wasn't until I swatched it when I got home that I realised there was the smallest amount of shimmer however when you blend it out it kind of disappears which is a plus. Obviously the more layers you apply does change the shimmer pay off but I actually like that. 

The product itself is SO creamy and blendable it's a dream and the colour pay off is great. You can blend it out to just a haze or build it up to a strong smokey eye. This has definitely become a staple everyday smokey eye product for me and its great because it doesn't crease at all so bring on fall smokey eyes.

So secondly lets talk eyebrows. I love eyebrows I wear them constantly like even to go swimming, no I don't care. My eyebrows are like a comfort blanket because naturally they are messed up. I've been using an eyebrow kit from Clarins but powders just take such a long time and I ran out of my favourite Clinique pencil so I thought I'd change it up. Originally I was going to try out the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz but I saw this, it looked the same but cheaper so hey ho I was all in.

I think I may be late comer to Soap and Glory's Brow Archery but I am glad I did discover it. It's essentially Clinique Superfine Liner for brows with a brush on the end. I love this pencils, it's soft with staying power for those with oily skin and its the perfect colour. It's not too light but doesn't look harsh and the fine tip is great for natural strokes and getting precise tails. The colour I have is hot chocolate and there is only one more shade called blondshell which is a downside because its not great for everyone but I love it and I haven't stopped using it!

So lastly for this eyes edition I have been absolutely OBSESSED with Bourjois Twist up the Volume  mascara in black I was previously using Maybelline the falsies after years of Tanya Burr raving about it but this has replaced it! The formula is super black and not dry at all which is perfect. 

The wand is plastic which helps to grab each lash and provides great length. I actually use the shorter version for length because I don't like the long version but the volume brush is amazing. It's really similar to Lancome Grandoise. All you do is twist the wand and it twists and smushes it down to a shorter wand and you twist the opposite way to unwind it and it's back to the long version. I don't usually go for these types of mascara because i think they are just a bit gimicky and thats all you're paying for but this is just a great mascara through and through.

Every time I wear this I get so many compliments, My lashes literally touch my eyebrows! On the lower lashes it does smudge which is annoying but I can live with that. Overall I can't stop using this mascara and to be honest I don't want to.

Stay tuned for part two which will be drugstore favourite - Base!

See you soon, Elle xoxo

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