The Body Shop - Ceramic Oil Burner

I know this isn't quite makeup/beauty, but it is one of the best purchases I have ever made from Body Shop! I never used to be into candles and stuff but I like a room to smell nice and fresh.

This thing is gorgeous, I use the Aloe & Soft Linen Home Fragrance Oil which is around £3, you can sometimes catch it on sale, which is what I once stumbled upon and bought a kajillion of them. This burner itself I think was around £10ish? I bought it a few years ago now! BUT I have been burning it at least a couple of times a week since! I get a pack of cheap tealights from Ikea (the Berry ones, they just look prettier and smell delightful), stick it inside the burner, fill the well on top with some water, add some drops of the oil and voila! The room fills with the beautiful scent of  that just fresh linen, the smell for me, is so calming and clean. There are other scents, I have the Satsuma one but honestly speaking it's not as strong or Satsuma-ry as you'd like with a Satsuma scent.

But yes, I highly recommend this thing. In just a few minutes it fills any room with a lovely warm fragrance. It also leaves your things smelling nice?! I left this on a wardrobe shelf (I have no wardrobe doors so it's OK) and realised a week or so later that my clothes smelt of the oil! Iz nice!

MAC - Russian Red

I have found my red lipstick. I went on a hunt for one a couple of years ago when I was even noobier with makeup and ended up buying Benefit's Flirt Alert... It is a nice lipstick but I didn't and still don't feel 100% comfortable in it.

THIS HOWEVER is exactly what I wanted. It's a matte formula which means it doesn't screaaam attention to your lips by being too shiny (you can add a coat of gloss if you want!) but it stands out as a bold, sophisticated and my opinion very wearable red.

It also has that delicious vanilla scent that Mac always has *sniffs lips**

Update ;)

Estée Lauder - Sumptuous Mascara

I love love love this mascara. I've heard you shouldn't spend too much on mascaras as they have such a short shelf life... But after getting the sample tube for this (on the left) in a gift set... I was in love. My eyelashes are nothing special (as you can see from my By Terry Touché Veloutee review) and this mascara just works them. I don't know if it's the formula or the brush, or both! It really fans out my eyelashes, added the right amount of volume and lengthens!

It's about £19 I think, which is pricey for something that you should apparently replace every 3-4 months (guilty of not doing this btw) but it really is a GOOD QUALITY mascara. I think a lady should have some good quality staple items, and if it's something you're using every single day then why not spend a good penny on it!

I've been through a lot of mascaras and this is my first high-end one, I have come across some really good ones from Rimmel etc. but this is fabulous.

By Terry - Touche Veloutee in Beige

OK sooo since I started working, my eyes show the hours I work! I never had an issue before with the skin around my eyes, I got the odd noticeable eyebag when I was at uni and staying up until stupid O'clock but I never did cover up my eye area. NOW though, I feel like I look like a single mother with a mortgage. No me gusta! 

I've mentioned before, I don't really like foundation. It just irritates me and I prefer to not mask myself completely.  Don't get me wrong, I most likely will wear foundation in the future for occasions and whatnot but as far as my everyday look goes, it's a nada for me.

Which is why I LOVE this concealer By Terry. It's on the pricey side (£35/6ml from Space NK) but sooo worth it. Most of you probably already know she's the lady behind the YSL Touché Eclat, so just imagine what her very own version would be like.

Initially when I was looking up new concealers, I saw the By Terry under eye concealer which was specifically for brightening the under eyes, and I wanted it. However I explained I wanted it for covering imperfections on the rest of my face too... Which is when the nice lady recommended this beaut! 

Without the concealer... Exposure!
This was the best one of many takes XD ...*Cries*

The package is glamourous, resembling the YSL one with a clicker at the end and a brush depositing the product. However it's annoying that you can't see how much product you have left, I may have to fight it to crack it open. I don't really use the brush it comes with, I just use my finger for blending it in. 

Sooo the results. I love them. I no longer use this on the rest of my face (I use my MAC Select one) but I'll keep using this for my undereyes only instead of the other one! It really naturally brightens my undereyes.  The formula is lovely and smooth, not too runny so that it looks totally different once dried but not too solid so that it causes dragging around that delicate area. The colour, surprisingly is a really good match. For brightening undereyes anyway, it's not 100% to the rest of my face but perfect for my eyes. 

I really do love this, it's bloody pricey but I think completely worth it. *This* in my opinion, is a beauty investment, a staple item! 

It allows me to look refreshed and still keeps it natural. It's made me realise you don't need foundation to look totally flawless (I'm sooo not totally flawless btw), a dab of good concealer in the right places and you are good to go my friends!

The pics I've added are quick ones I took to show its results! The one below... Isn't the best representation as I realise I did a shoddy job of blending on the outer corners and the DSLR is extremely unforgiving with such a close up... I'll try and get a better pic up soon!

With the concealer... 

MAC Viva Glam Lipstick - Nicki Minaj

Soooo here's a review I didn't think I'd ever do! 

1. Because Nicki Minaj irritates me and 2. Because I kinda sometimes hate pink

But here I am, and in LOVE with this colour! I was in the MAC store with a chum looking at Russian Red, as I'd wanted to try it for a while now. The lovely guy helping me (Joshua!) asked me if I had seen Nicki Minaj's Viva Glam yet, and even though it looked like something I used to highlight my exam notes with, I tried it! 

At first I thought woah it's REALLY pink, but then as I blended it out and added a little more, I didn't hate it? I think what persuaded me most was my friend and Joshua telling me it actually looked good! It reminded me of the Sixties/Spring/Summer, I imagine myself with a flicked out bob, bright green dress, winged eyeliner and this lip colour.

Once it's actually on your lips, it's still bright but not as scary. It's amazing how it can transform your face into fresh, just with that pop of colour. I now love it and I want to wear it everywhere, if I want to rock it to work then I may have to stick to just the one layer but it's pretty nonetheless. 

Overall, I am impressed. I didn't think Nicki Minaj's shade would suit me in a million years. I think it would suit a lot more people too. I love the Vanilla scent (like all other MAC lipsticks) and I love the consistency, it's not glossy but not too matte - meaning it's not drying on your lips but does stay put.

Well done Miss Minaj, consider a move from music to makeup? *Grin*

My makeup today...

I took a day off today to hang out with a pal! Since I started work, this has been rare! It's been so long since I just had a nice day out shopping.

Sooo I thought I'd share my makeup for today! I am wearing...

- Revlon ColourStay liquid eyeliner (I think I'll go back to my Rimmel one...)

- Estée Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

- Simple Rich Moisturiser

- Mac Strobe cream

- Mac Select Cover up concealer in NC42

- Terry Touche Celoutee concealer in Beige

- Mac Velvet Teddy lipstick (with a little Carmex underneath)

- Mac cream blush in 'Ladyblush'

This is kind of my everyday look! However I did buy from MAC today Russian Red and Viva Glam Nicki Minaj... Soooo I may be jazzing it up ;)