New Blog?

Hello everyone! I just want to say a massive thanks to anyone who has read my blog or supported me in anyway. I have recently changed platforms so go and check out my new blog! 

Link: https://emmagrace23.wordpress.com/

Emma xox

Lush goodies

Its not often that I go into Lush but considering it is coming up to the Christmas holidays I decided to get into the festive spirit!

Butterbear - Bath Bomb £1.95

This cocoa butter enriched bath bomb creates creamy soft bath which is great for nourishing your skin, this bear has the same vanilla scent as the Butterball bath bomb!

The Christmas Penguin - Bubble Bar £3.25

This citrus scented penguin is very reviving and refreshing! Plus it gives you "mounds of bubbly glaciers" and even better... you can get more than use out of it.

Candy Mountain - Bubble Bar £2.75

This sweet candy scented bubble bar will turn your water pink and give you glistening bubbles... you can't get much more magical than that!

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Room Tour 2014

On my YouTube channel I recently uploaded a room tour video, so I thought I would share a few photos of small details around my room.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Perfect Autumn/Fall Nail Colour?

Every month I try and post a 'Nails Of The Month', this allows you to see what I've been reaching for on my nails. Now as we have reached October I wanted something really dark and 'vampy' I automatically turned to this...

Barry M Matte Nail Paint: Crush

It's easy to apply and dries matte 10 seconds or so after applying, you could probably get away with one coat as it is very opaque. After getting this out of my drawers I want to raid my local Barry M stand to get my hands on more of these matte shades.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Nails of the month #July&August

In July and August I only alternated between a few different nail polishes so I thought I would combine these 2 months.

Maybelline - Uptown Blue

Maybelline: Hot Salsa

Essie: Buy Me a Cameo

Essie: Lady like

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Florida Haul - Sephora, Bath & Body Works and Cosmetic Company Outlet

 When I went to Florida in July I did some serious beauty shopping - I just wanted to buy everything that I could get my paws on. Us British beauty lovers dream of Sephora and Body Works is like heaven as well with candles and other smelly stuff left right and center. And of course the Cosmetic Company Outlet has some great discounted high end makeup. 

Sephora - Seamless hair ties, Dolce & Gabbana - Light blue, Too Faced - Natural eyes palette,
GlamGlow - Youthmud mask, Bumble and Bumble - Surf set

Marc Jacobs - The lolita palette, MakeUpForEver - Concealer palette, Urban Decay - All nighter setting spray, First Aid Beauty - Facial radiance pads

Bath and Body Works - Coconut water chill and Malibu heat shower gels

(Cosmetic Company Outlet) Origins - Eye doctor

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Declutter: Nail Polish Collection

After watching a bit of Vivianna Does Makeup and her organisation tips for her wardrobe and her makeup collection, I decided to have a mini clear out of my own...but with my nail polishes. So i didn't quite follow her steps but I was as ruthless as I possibly could be.

My tips for decluttering/organising your polishes are:

1. Empty- you'll be able to see how much you actually have 
2. Clean - wherever you store them (even in a drawer) it will get dusty
3. Sort - place them into piles (colour, special glitters/nail art stuff, base & top coats)
4. Swatch - get your hands on nail wheels and test the polishes (any which are streaky/sticky or separated chuck them asap)
5. Give - any that you don't want but are useable check with friends & family to see if they want them or even a charity

I try to group roughly by colour with nail files, toe separators and other 'tools' at the back

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Review: Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner Pen

Recently Benefit released 'They're Real! Push Up Liner' which has received lots of hype from many beauty bloggers. However I was not willing to spend £18.50 on a product that I knew I wouldn't be using daily and was unsure on how it would actually perform. One day I was browsing through Boots and came across this gel eyeliner pen from Maybelline. This pen is half the price and was actually released in stores before the Benefit liner, so I picked up in curiosity to see whether it would be worth trying out the higher end version. 

Long story short - I don't like it. Why? I found that it either dispensed too much product or not enough. The formula also crumbled away leaving black smears around the eye area. Although I can't compare it to the higher end version from Benefit, I definitely won't be giving it a try anytime soon. Some people may love this gel pen liner thing, unfortunately we just didn't click.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Florida Haul - Drugstore Makeup

Heey everyone, here is what I purchased from my recent holiday to Florida! Items are from Boots (UK just before I went on holiday) & Walmart and CVS.

Maybelline - Uptown Blue & Hot Salsa
Essie - Buy Me A Cameo & Ladylike

Maybelline: Colour Elixers - Blush Essence & Caramel Infused 

Milani - Berry Amore (Baked Blush) & 25 Naturally Chic 

Maybelline - Copper Chic
Wet & Wild - Walking On Eggshells

L'Oreal: Infallible - Amber Rush & Bronzed Taupe

Hard Candy - Glamoflauge Concealer
EOS - Summerfruits

No7: Stay Perfect Shade & Define - Coffee Bean & Cool Minx
Bourjois - Felt Tip Eyeliner

And of course the Vaseline 'Spray and Go' moisturiser in the scent aloe fresh.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

My fav red lip

My favourite red lip option has to be the Rouge edition velvet from Bourjois in the shade '01 Personne ne rouge', this shade is a beautiful classic Hollywood red. It's a liquid lipstick which dries to a matte finish within seconds. It's so long lasting, I have to use a cleansing oil to remove it! 

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Body Shop Shower Gel?

For some reason, I am in love with the showers gels from The Body Shop.  I guess it is to do with a wide selection of scents, reasonable price, a scent that lingers and that they lather up well.

As you can see, I only have a small amount left in each one!
L-R: Pink grapefruit, mango, passion fruit

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

The Best: Summer pink lipgloss

In the last couple of  months I have been reaching for lipgloss frequently and had noticed myself buying lots of pink lipglosses so decided to do a Best: Lipgloss post like a did with mint nail polishes.

• Maybelline - Colorsensational shine gloss: 137 fabulous pink. This gloss has a small shimmer to it which adds a slight blue tone to the colour. Sleek packaging with an applicator which is easy to use.

• Estee Lauder - Pure Color: 05 nude rose (shine finish). An expensive lipgloss which won't appeal to everyone due to being sticky in formula - however it is bearable and yet still comfortable to wear. I love the glossy look it gives without having any shimmer; I think it looks more classy!

• Tanya Burr - Lipgloss: Aurora. Has a opaque colour and is easy to apply due to the flat and flexible applicator. Tanya's lip-glosses smell delicious -a lmost like fruitella! However I do find that it has a slight 'bittyness' to it due to the shimmer.

• L'Oreal - Extraordinaire liquid lipstick - 101 rose melody. This wins the title of the best summer pink lipgloss by far! It smells like the Origins Drink Up mask, is super glossy and long-lasting. I really love the big flat applicator.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Sephora Haul

I may have made a cheeky online purchase from Sephora... there was a lot of things that I wanted to get my hands on but I tried to limit myself to just a few things.

So far so good. I swear the Boscia Clear Complexion Tonic has done wonders to my skin in literally a matter of days! I love how it has a spray, which makes it really easy to use and is handy to spritz whenever you need to freshen up.

The Tarte blush in Natural Beauty is a a gorgeous 'muted strawberry red'. The pigmentation is really good but I love how natural you can make it look no-one likes a clowns...

As it was my birthday month I received the Make Up For Ever birthday gift as I am as Beauty Insider - I am yet to try the Smokey Extravagant mascara but have been using the Rouge Artist Natural N9 lipstick on a daily basis.

The main part of the haul was the Make UP For Ever HD Complexion Starter Kit. Last October I purchased the Mat Velvet + foundation and have been intrigued to try out the HD one as even though I have oily skin I sometimes found it to be too matte looking and make my face look flat. The HD foundation looks flawless for a few hours however if you have oily skin it may begin to slide around your face a little/if you have dry skin it will cling to those dry flakey patched (I was sunburnt last week on certain areas on my face so experienced the effects on both skin types at the same time). I still haven't got a full opinion on the HD primer and powder as of yet but can say that the kabuki brush is incredibly soft and easy to use.

Shade: 120 - Soft Sand

One thing that is great with ordering online is that you get to chose 3 free samples, however one of mine never showed but I did get a different one instead. 

There is a flat rate shipping cost to the UK of £6 however you do have to spend over £75...but don't forget tax will be added on at checkout!

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Nails of the month #June

This month I went rather nude even bare on the nails due to getting a gel manicure later on in the month. I believe you have all seen these before on me...

Barry M: Lychee

Maybelline: Rose Poudre

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

May Favourites

Here is a quick over-view of my May favourites.

• Garnier - Summerbody moisturising lotion
• Garnier - Ambre solair dry body mist
• Herbal Essences - Bee strong shampoo
• Tresemme - Salon silk serum
• Aquoeus Calamine Cream
• Essie - Not just a pretty face & Lilacism
• Make Up Academy - Heaven & Earth eyeshadow palette
• L'oreal - True match concealer
• Maybelline - Brow drama mascara

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

The Best: Mint nail polish

Everyone loves a good mint nail polish right? Well today I'm going to share the ones I have in my collection and decide which one is the best.

L-R: Barry M - Mint Green, Greenberry, Ciate - Pepperminty, Essie - Candy Apple, Maybelline - Mint for Life

Barry M - Mint Green £2.99

This is more on the green side of mint hence the name. This polish has a thin brush and can apply a little streaky on the 1st coat, but after the 2nd/3rd coat it becomes quite opaque. One downside is that it does take a good few mins *feels like days* to dry. 

Barry M - Greenberry £3.99

For some people this might not fit exactly into the mint category but I thought I would include it anyway. Again with the older nail paints it has a thin brush however the formula is thicker, more glossy and more opaque. I also find the that Gelly Hi Shine finish has a better lasting power on the nails.

Ciate - Pepperminty 9.00

Now I actually got his mini nail polish from their 2013 Christmas Advent Calender. Like the Barry M polishes it does have a thin brush which makes the polish apply a little streaky. The colour is more on the minty blue side, which i personally prefer. The only downside for me is that literally after 5 mins on the nails it has already chipped - so you might want to invest in a good topcoat!

Essie - Mint Candy Apple £7.99

The brush on this polish is thick and flat which allows an even layer of polish to be applied over the whole nail. It's the perfect mixture of blue and green, and a slighter lighter version of  the Ciate polish above. I would say that this polish has an alright lasting power of a few days. (Essie polishes tend to variate quite a lot).

Maybelline - Mint for Life £4.49

This is my perfect mint polish. A pastel not too green not too blue colour. Like the Essie polish it has a good brush to make application quick and easy. However the main highlight of this polish is the incredible lasting power - the 7 day claim is actually true. I've had this on my nails and its lasted over a week and survived the sea and sand. Now that is pretty impressive.

So for me, if you haven't been able to tell already my favourite mint nail polish is the Maybelline one, its cheap and cheerful, what else could you ask for.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Nails of the month #May

Here is my May nails of the month.

Essie: Lilacism

Essie: Not just a pretty face

Maybelline: Bubblegum

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Healthy leg glow

I'm not one to fake tan regularly, however every now and then I want my natural skin tone to be enhanced with no commitments and hassle.These two Garnier products get the job done in no time for me.

• Summerbody moisturising lotion £5.36 (they have changed packaging) - This light lotion gradually builds a tan after consecutive use. It absorbs into the skin quickly *bonus!*, smells like apricot and keeps your skin nourished.
• Ambre solair dry body mist £11.69 - This product has a very light spray which evenly covers your skin and dries almost instantly. This means no waiting around naked and no transfer onto your clothes. It does smell a little like fake tan however the sent quickly fades.

I have found the results to be very natural and haven't had any mishaps, the great thing is it is very buildable depending on how tanned you wish to be.

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox

Current mascaras #2

So I've had my blog for a year... time has flown by and I know I have been very inconsistent with my posting (I blame A levels). However today I want to do an updated post that I did in August all about my current mascaras.

In-between my last post and this one I have used different mascaras however I never thought to post about them, so please don't worry I haven't had these ones open for months on end.

Maybelline, Covergirl, Estee Lauder

• Maybelline: Great Lash £4.99 - this is a great everyday mascara for those who are after a natural definition to the eyes. The formula/ small brush separates lashes and adds some length to them. However I personally prefer more volume, even on an everyday basis.

• Covergirl: Clump crusher $7.99 - The slight curve to the wand helps to open your eyes without the need to curl your lashes before hand. This gives the perfect amount of volume and length and also allows you to layer without any clumping going on. Once this runs out I'll have to try the Max Factor version of it.

• Estee Lauder: Sumptuous extreme £22 - The brush may seem a little scary but in one light coat your lashes will already be thick and almost false lash like (in a good way). However once this sample runs out I won't be purchasing as I think the drugstore offers other excellent mascaras at a cheaper price. 

Hope you enjoyed,

Emma xox