Collective Haul // Manchester

Last weekend I took a trip up to Manchester to visit my older sister at university. During my visit we managed to squeeze in some shopping so I thought I would share with you what I got. 

Forever 21:

First of all I picked up this simple black skater dress which is an essential in my wardrobe. I love these dresses because they are simple and easy to style. I previously bought one in Topshop for £20 but I felt it was time to replace it and this was a bargain at just £9.75. It is also available in red and royal blue and can be found HERE.

Also in Forever 21 I bought another essential; a black skater skirt.This was also a bargain at just £4.75. I will definitely picking up some more in the near future. This skirt is also available in blue, pink and grey. It can be found HERE.

Primark:

I purchased a vest/tank top for just £4 which is shown in the picture above. I think this top is going to be perfect for moving into summer months with its classic daisy print. The only downside to this top is that it is slightly see-through so you have to wear a vest top underneath but I still love it.

I picked up this gorgeous necklace for just £3! It is a triangle/arrow shaped necklace with a pale pink base and smaller gold triangles layered on top.

I came across these 'hairdresser' style clips which will be great to use when I am styling my hair to section parts off. This set of 8 was just £1.50 and you get a variety of black and white ones.

    

                                                                                                  

As I was queuing I spotted these super cute false nails for £1.There are 24 nails in this set and it comes with adhesive. They are a mixture of baby blue nails with pink hearts and owls on them. I don't really wear false nails but these were too cute to leave behind and at just £1 how could you go wrong?

Home Sense:

As there is not a Home Sense store near to where I live, I was desperate to go there.  The first thing I spotted was this box with colourful Dachshund's (sausage dogs) all over it. Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with sausage dogs so I could not let this opportunity pass. The box fits A4 sized paper into it and was just £3.99.

                                                                                                             

Also in Home Sense I picked up these 2 funky notebooks which came in a set for £3.99. They are both lined and will be really useful for anything - writing lists, blog post ideas etc.

Boots:

As my beloved Bioderma is nearly running out I needed to buy a new makeup remover. As Bioderma in the UK is about £15-£20 I thought I would try this one by L'Oreal. I picked this up in Boots for just £3.32 although it usually retails at £4.99. I am yet to try this but I hope it lives up to its name. This bottle contains 200ml of product and you can buy it HERE.

                                                                                                   

                                                       

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So that concludes my Machester Haul. I had a really great weekend and I hope to visit again soon.  Have you ever been to Machester? Are there any places you recommend to visit?

Charlie xx

Nail Polish Collection

Today I thought I would share with you my nail polish collection because it is a product I like to use every week.

Models Own: 

From Left to Right: Golden Green, Pink Cocktail, Pinky Brown.

Models Own nail polishes retail at £5 each and can be found HERE. I love the look of these metallic nail polishes and they last on the nails for about 4-5 days.

Rimmel:

From Left to Right: Ruby Crush (002), Double Decker Red (030), Black Out (800), Mind The Gap - Victoria (503), Clear (740).

I really like the brushes on the Rimmel nail polishes because they are wide so you only need one swipe and you're done. Also, the pigmentation is awesome which means one coat is often enough. However, I find these nail polishes chip really easily which is a shame because otherwise they are perfect. These retail at £2.99 - £3.69 and can be found at Superdrug.

NYC:

From Left to Right: Blue Sky (320), Spring Tulip (300), Chelsea (228), Rock Muse (001), Full Metal Jacket (002).

The NYC polishes are quite thin and therefore you will definitely need to use two coats. However, there is a beautiful colour range and my favourites from my collection are Chelsea (burgundy) and Full Metal Jacket (gold). These are really affordable at just £1.79 and can be found HERE.

Barry M:

From Left to Right: Matt White (66), Bright Pink (279), Racing Green (299), Papaya (328), Prickly Pear (325), Sour Apple (327).

Barry M are well know for their beautiful polishes. They now have a range of finishes as well as a huge colour range which can all be found HERE. I love the formula of these polishes especially the Gelly ones.

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So that is my nail polish collection. What is your favourite brand of nail polish? Do you have of the ones I have? Let me know in the comments.

Charlie xx

January Favourites

January has just ended so I thought I'd share my months favourites with you. I have a mixture of beauty, fashion and random favourites.

Beauty:

1. Soap and Glory Products: This month I have really been loving Soap and Glory products again. The scent is amazing; its floral and fragrant without being overpowering. I've especially been loving the famous 'Hand Food' which is perfect for hydrating your hands especially for sensitive skin. You can pick these up HERE and in most boots stores. There are often 3 for 2 offers on all the products in the range including a mini size which is perfect for carrying in your handbag.

2. Revlon Lip Butter: I bought this at the beginning of the month after Tanya Burr mentioned it in her 'Fresh and Pretty Drugstore Makeup For School!' video. I picked up  the shade 'Juicy Papaya' is the perfect 'your lips but better' shade and they are super moisturising. 

3. Lush Lip Scrub: I picked this up in the Lush winter sale back in December. As it was just after Christmas this is the limited edition 'Santa' version which is cola flavoured. It is a great lip scrub that leaves my lips feeling smooth without it being too harsh. The scrub is also available in bubblegum, mint and popcorn flavours all priced at £5.50.

Fashion:

1. Cosy Jumpers: With it being winter here in the UK layers and cosy jumpers are key. This jumper from Forever 21 is super comfortable and the detail on the shoulders add a little extra to an outfit. 

2. Cambridge Satchel: I wanted to buy a new bag with my Christmas money. So after searching the web and shops for days I finally decided to get an 11" Cambridge Satchel in Navy. I got this for £70 in the Urban Outfitters winter sale. It was such a bargain and I love it. It is the perfect size - you can fit all the essentials in it without having to carry a huge bag around all day. Cambridge satchels are available HERE.

Random:

1. TV Programmes: My favourite TV programmes of the month have to be the new series of Sherlock, Silent Witness and Call the Midwife.

2. Music: This month I been listening to two songs in particular. These are Pretty Hurts by Beyonce and Gold Dust by John Newman. 

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What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below.  

Charlie xx

p.s. Feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments so I can check it out.

Everyday Makeup Routine // School

Today I thought I'd share with you the makeup products I use on a daily basis as part of my everyday/school makeup routine. 

Face:

For foundation I love Bourjois 'Healthy Mix Serum'. I picked up shade 53 (Beige Clair) which is a perfect match for my skin tone. It is easy to blend and evens out the skin tone to give it a lovely semi-matte finish. It is definitely my favourite finish in terms of foundation as it’s not overly dewy so that it looks a little bit oily on the skin, but it’s not so matte that it highlights dry patches or looks a little too powdery. I like to use one pump of the foundation as it gives medium coverage although the coverage is buildable. This foundation is £10.99 which is quite pricey for a drugstore foundation but I really love the formula. Buy it HERE.

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' concealer is perfect for under the eyes because it is a brightening concealer. I used the applicator to swipe the product under the eyes and then blend in using my ring finger. You can buy it HERE for £5.49. There is 7ml of product in this and it lasts for a long time (I've had mine since July and it's nearly finished now - 6 months later).

For blemishes I like to use MAC 'studio finish' concealer and apply it with my fingers. The concealer is quite high coverage but does not feel cakey. I have the shade NC20 which is perfect for my skin tone. If you are unsure of what shade to get, the ladies in the MAC store are super helpful and so lovely. The concealer is quite pricey at £15 but I think it is well worth it. You can find it HERE.

I like to set my face makeup in place using Rimmel 'Stay Matte' powder. I have the shade 'Warm Beige' but they have a variety of shades which includes a translucent powder. This would allow you to set your base makeup without adding any more coverage.

Eyes:

Sometimes I like to wear a small amount of neutral eyeshadow. The 'Heaven and Earth' palette from MUA has the perfect mix of shimmery and matte neutrals and is a bargin at just £4.

For mascara I love Maybelline 'The Rocket Volum' Express' in the colour black. This mascara gives the perfect mix of length and volume to your lashes and is not clumpy. You can buy this HERE for £7.99.

I don't fill in my eyebrows but I like to just set them in place using a clear mascara. At the moment I am using this cheap one from MUA which does the job perfectly.

Lips:

To moisturise my lips I use Vaseline, this is the 'Rosy Lips' version and I love it! This is just £1.99 and can be found HERE.

I don't like to wear lipstick to school so this Revlon Lip Butter in the shade 'Juicy Papaya' is the perfect 'your lips but better' shade and is super moisturising.

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So there we have it; my most used makeup products. What's your favourite everyday product? Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Charlie xx

Philosophy Gift Set Review

After receiving a couple of Philosophy products for Christmas, I decided to check out their winter sale. I came across a gift set named 'think beautiful thoughts' on sale for £20 containing 5 products so I bought it. Here are my thoughts.

PURITY:

This 3-in-1 cleanser for the face and eyes is amazing. By applying just a small amount of this cleaner to my face in the morning has left my skin smooth and feeling so much healthier. The fragrance-free formula is perfect for sensitive skin. Philosophy says it deep cleans pores and eliminates make up build up and I this is definitely right. My skin feels clean and the natural oil extracts have helped to condition my skin. Priced at £8 for 90ml of product this is definitely worth a try. You can find it HERE.

HOPE IN A JAR:

This daily moisturizer has improved my skin texture and tone, leaving it smooth and radiant. You only need to use a fingertip size amount of product and it covers the whole face. It is so lightweight which means you don’t feel like you are blocking up your pores. The name ‘Hope in a jar’ is perfectly fitting because it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and healthy. This is normally priced at £10 for the smaller sized jar(15ml)and can be found HERE. 

EYE HOPE:

This is a multitasking eye cream for dark circles, puffiness and lines. Personally I haven't noticed much of a difference in dark circles when using this product.

This is only a half size bottle. You can buy a 15ml bottle of this cream for £30 HERE.

WHEN HOPE IS NOT ENOUGH:

This is a hydrating antioxidant serum helps to brighten a dull complexion and is also said to help reduce the risk of fine lines and wrinkles. This serum hydrates and brightens the skin. I have only used this a few times but so far I haven't noticed any difference so I am slightly disappointed with this product.If you want to try it a 30ml bottle can be bought HERE for £34.

THE MICRODELIVERY TRIPLE-ACID BRIGHTENING PEEL:

This pre-saturated chemical peel mask is used to reduce the appearance of dark spots and discolouration as well as brightening. I was apprehensive to try this mask because I have sensitive skin and the mask seemed very harsh. I found the mask made my skin feel super smooth and fresh. 

 

I also received a free welcome gift set using the code uyp853 which contained sample sizes of three popular products; purity, hope in a jar and amazing grace.

These samples are prefect size for traveling and I love all of the products. Amazing grace is a multipurpose product that can be used as shampoo or bath/shower gel. It has a strong scent but I love it! The scent is clean and very feminine with a hint of blossom. You can buy a large bottle (480ml) of this HERE for £19.

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I hope you've enjoyed my very first blog post. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Have you tried any Philosophy products? Do you have any recommendations?

Charlie xx