Finally! Some Organisation!

Hello Hello!

I have been on the hunt for some inexpensive makeup storage this last week, and it has ended up being quite inconclusive. I found some acrylic stands / drawers but I'm not entirely sure which will fit my collection best and still have some room for future purchases.
I am a very organised person and I have been finding it incredibly annoying that all my makeup is jumbled up in a bag which I have to tip out onto the floor to find whatever it is I'm wanting to use.

Yesterday I was in WH Smith and noticed they had a half price sale on stationary furniture (by that I mean pen pots, paper trays etc). And then I had a genius idea.....

 Taa-dahh!!!

The box is from Paperchase and I've had it for a while, but it is currently housing my nail polishes.

I'm using the pen pot for brushes and tools and also things in tubes (primer, BB cream etc). This should have been £5 but I got it for £2.50!

This paper organiser is home to my lipsticks, and also palettes. This was also originally £5 but bought for £2.50.

I really like the cut out detailing on the two pieces and I think it's nice they match. I'd not seen such a small paper organiser before, but when I saw it I knew it would be great for keeping palettes in (mine are very small ones), and I think it's also turned out to be a really nice way to display lipsticks!

When I'm next in a stationary shop I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a cheep(ish) set of small drawers as the rest of my stuff doesn't have a permanent home. I think these two pieces I just bought would look really nice on top of a little set of drawers because they add a little pop of colour and cuteness!

So now I am about half way to organising my stuff which has made me much relieved!

Minka x

Favourites take 2

April Favourites take 2!

Sorry for the repeat! But I thought I would fill you in on my monthly favourites!

SONG

I am going to go with 'Oblivion' by Bastille because I love them and the song is great and yes!! Listen to it

PRODUCT

Ooh well after my beautiful make over I invested in the bestest make over I invested in the honestly BEST EVER make up brush it is the real techniques stippling brush. It makes my make up look flawless and skin super good! 

MOVIE

ahahah okay this is an odd one because so many people have said it is a crap movie but I have watched it online like 5 times and it is LOL with Miley Cyrus and I just think it is a easy going chick flick and hehehehe you should watch it!!

ITEM OF CLOTHING

So I know these can look tacky but I am a huge huge fan of my leather look leggings I wear them with a shirt and jumper and I think they are really cute!

RANDOM

So yesterday me and my sister were home alone and took advantage of our time to bake a cake!!! However I stressed to her I was not commiting to real baking so we whipped up a Betty Crocker mix and filled and topped it with cream and by George it was delicious!!! It is simple pimple and yummy

- also weirdly I am obbsessed with audio book #lame I know but honestly it is so relaxing I listen whilst I am on tumblr or whatever and it is heavenly. Plus you know you can listen to intelligant books and be smart or listen to trashy teenage ones like me!

                                                         

                                                               

LOTS OF LOVE 

SOPH 

XOX

April Favourites

We are coming to the end of April... and you should all know what that means... a favourites post!!!

SONG

This month I have become a 1D fan. 

I have always liked One Direction but not been overly keen until recently for some unknown reason...this is probably Soph's fault that I'm now a bit obsessed but hey ho a bit of 1D never hurt anyone.

PRODUCT

I have decided to go for the Stila Girl Travel Palette - living the life in laguna as my favourite product because it was a very well spent £10!!

You can see more swatches and photos here

This is so useful for on-the-go makeup. It's all really natural colours which come out well (though you do need to do a little reapplying throughout the day but it's easy to put in your bag as it's so small) and its great that there is a little tutorial picture thing in there too.

This is fab for using at school or on a little day trip out where you want to keep it simple.

MOVIE

After seeing Chicago on broadway I have become a little bit over excited about the movie (even though it was made ages ago). I love the songs, I love Renee Zellweger, the dancing is unbelievable, great story line ahhhhhhhhhh I could go on and on....

ITEM OF CLOTHING

This is just a plain white standard tee (so I didn't bother photographing the whole thing) with a cute kissing fish design. I love it - it's so comfy and you can wear it with anything; jeans, leggings, shorts etc.

RANDOM

After stalking One Direction on youtube I found this video and have watched it about 15 times every day since. It brings a smile to my face (the first clip is by far the best!):

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Minka x

It's Tag Time

Hello lovely people,

I have completed a little tag for you all which Soph also did a while back (you can read it here to compare our answers!) and I thought I would give it a go.

I really enjoy doing tags on here but I struggle to find them on the internet (I must be looking in the wrong places) so please let me know if there's any out there we haven't already done that you'd maybe like to see?!

What is your current fashion obsession? 

Plain thin sweatshirts. I have a grey one and a burgundy/red one which I wear loads. I love the fact you can accessorize with them which means you can create several 'outfits' depending on how you feel!

What is your current makeup obsession? 

I think I'm going to have to go with eyeshadow - I've been doing a fair bit of experimenting (and purchasing....) and I'm really liking the outcomes!

What are you wearing today? 

Trackies. It's a revision day for me!

Hair? 

Down or in my little top knot bun if it's annoying me (quite often).

What would you like to learn to do?

I have developed a little obsession with Tap Dancing so yes I would like to learn to Tap Dance!

What are you listening to right now?

Heart Radio - isn't Who's On Heart taking ages?! I want someone to win the cash already!!!

What is your favorite weather?

Sunny and warm but with a slight breeze.

What's the last thing you bought?

Two palettes from Stila - you can read here!

What are your essentials when traveling? 

Hand Sanitiser

Tissues

Comfy Clothes

An ipod or some form of music

What's your style?

This is quite hard to answer! In general I like really girly things - dresses, blouses and collared tops. But I don't think I have a particular style as yet!

What is your most challenging goal right now? 

Getting some exams results....

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? 

Oh my.... maybe a holiday home in Miami or something?!

Favorite vacation spot? 

Some of the best memories I have are from holidaying in Italy so I think I shall choose that!

What would you like to have in your hands right now? 

A ticket to see Adele sing live.

What would you like to get rid of? 

All the 'baddies' in the world.

What are you most excited for? 

Bringing our new puppy, Lottie (yes we have named her!!) home in 24 days!!!!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

I would go to central London to have Tea in Fortnum and Mason and then then go to the Harrods pet department... not to buy, just to look!!!! 

I love a posh day out - it rarely happens so it's such an exciting treat when it does!

Righty ho hope you learnt something new about me! 

If you have also done this tag on your blog, link the page in the comments - I would love to read it and see what other people have answered!!

Hoping you're having a wonderful day,

Minka x

Fairy makeover

She came back over with lots of super super gorgeous things so I was so excited. She prepped me with strobe cream which is used to brighten and enhances the effect of light on the skin! So I looked all glowy and I really liked the finish to it - I think in the summer if your skin was clear you could could get away with that alone!

Next we started off with a concealer to cover any little blemishes and darkness under the eyes, she picked out the mineralise concealer for me - I am not sure of the shade but I must admit I wasn't wowed by it and I didn't think the coverage was as good as the collection 2000 lasting perfection but it was nice to have on for the day 

Then my foundation, and omg it is just the most amazing product I have ever used or seen or anything. It was the MatchMaster spf 15 foundation in shade 1.0 and it is a perfect match for my skin - it offers really good coverage and still makes me look glowwy!! Pure perfection 

For my cheeks she used a gorgeous highlighter that was so pretty and shimmery and it was very pretty but I cant find it on the website to show you a picture!! She also used a bronzer in shade golden and it is perfect not to obvious but a good contourer and adds a nice amount of colour to my cheeks!

Then onto my eyes and this was by far my favourite part of the makeover and they looked massive and not so boring and shiny and *sigh* I loved it!

So for the base we used the 'Bare Study' paint pot which was an almost rose gold shine 

Then to highlight we used 'shroom' which in person is a white gold shimmer not a purple like it looks in the picture.. It is such a cute highlighter and makes you look far far more awake and your eyes look far wider

 And then for definition we used 'Omega' and it is perfect. I think it is a colour that would suit every one under the sun, it doubles as an eye brow filler and eye liner! She used it for extra definition 

Then I had a really thin line of eye liner to thicken my lash line in shade 'black track' 

For my actual lashes she used studio fix lash which is really good for making lashes splay out and as I have so many they tend to stick together so it was amazing  

And to finish off for my lips I specifically asked for a nudey pink lip so that it was wearable and not overly showy! She found me the perfect colour which is 'creme cup' 

So that concludes it! I specifically asked for a school look that I know I could doll up for a particular event! I think it matched the brief perfectly and received many a compliment when wearing the look! I ended up buying the foundation, the omega eye shadow, the bronzer and lipstick. I am planning on getting the mascara this weekend and Geogria was so sweet and decantered me a massive lump of the paint pot as she knew I couldn't really afford to buy anything else!!

Check out the products as they were all lovely!

Lots of Love 

Soph 

xx

New Stila Palettes

 Look what arrived today.....

Collectable Beach Palette no.5 -living the life in laguna and in the know eye shadow palette

Living the Life in Laguna 

4 eye shadows:

 sand dollar, sunset, cove and bonfire

1 cheek colour:

 seashell

1 bronzing powder:

pacific coast highway

In the know eye shadow palette

10 matte eyeshadows:

air

wind

desert

clay

earth

driftwood

fire

rain

smoke

ebony

Smudge Stick waterproof eye liner:

halfmoon

this palette also comes with a 'lookbook' - showing 6 different looks / tutorials on how you can create them yourself:

I think both of these palettes are so beautiful and I cannot wait to properly try them out!!

You can probably tell that I have very little self discipline when it comes to two things... 

1) shopping

2) chocolate

In an attempt to confront the shopping issue I have left myself this note in my diary...!!!

With Love,

Minka x

Obsessive Compulsive Shopper

I have been so naughty... despite the fact I have just been to New York City on a massive shopping trip, I just couldn't help myself and bought some more makeup....
I should point out that right now I do not have any money left.

However I was very good in the sense that I bought from a drugstore brand. I was on the hunt for a very light bronzer and highlighter set, and found a beautiful one (on sale) from Benefit... unfortunately it was sold out everywhere.

I then came across the brand E.L.F which had a whole range of lovely things for affordable prices! So I managed to slightly contain myself and purchased just 3 items!

Firstly the bronzing brush:

It's not super soft like my other brushes but it was only £2.99 or something so I wasn't expecting much. It's really useful - a great shape and so far so good!

Warm Bronzer:

The reason I was so attracted to this product is the fact it has a range of things.

From top right clockwise: 

*pink blush

*darker bronzer

*highlighter

*lighter bronzer

I have only used it once so far so can't really comment on how much I like it, but here are some swatches:

(starting on the right side: highlighter, lighter bronzer, blush, darker bronzer)

I will keep you updated, but I have no complaints so far!

The final thing was a Defining Mascara.

This is the product I am least impressed with... it doesn't have that much of an affect so plenty must be applied - however the more you brush on, the more clumped the lashes become. I am being serious when I say that when it dried my eyelashes felt like they were coated in a sticky cement. 

Maybe I just haven't got the knack of it yet... but one positive was that it stayed put all day, and it was cheap.

The whole lot including postage and packaging cost me £11.95 so I just managed to scrape that together from the bottom of my purse!!

Now, aside from make-up I have some very exciting news for you all.... I am getting a new puppy!! For those who don't know, I already have a dog, Layla who is a chocolate brown cockapoo:

It was actually my Mum's idea to get her a little playmate, so yesterday we went to meet our new baby. She is also a cockapoo, but black and tan in colour. She is only 3 weeks old which is why she looks so teeny tiny!

Isn't she gorgeous?! I now have the tricky task of waiting 5 weeks until we bring her home.. whilst revising for my exams but oh well.

She is not named yet but any suggestions then let me know!

Minka x 

Purchases and other fun

I am currently in jet-lag recovery mode but have managed to get round to writing this post! I just picked out some stuff as I did buy rather a lot and I don't wish to bore you (some of it was dull, basic things like plain t-shirts). 

I bought the pink studded ones from Kurt Geiger at the airport actually - as they had the most amazing sale ever on. I love that style of shoe and it's pastel pink and how could I not buy them?! 

The boots are Steve Madden and I also got them in a 40% off sale. I cannot tell you how comfortable they are - they are made of really really thin, soft leather. I have been on the lookout for a pair of boots for ages and these are perfection.

These are my fave beauty products which I picked up. 

I bought two Urban Decay individual eyeshadows, the first is called 'Chopper' - the far left on the swatch, a beautiful shimmery copper gold. The pale glittery pink is 'Bordello' which was a cheeky buy because I wasn't satisfied with just one shade of the most amazing eyeshadows I have ever set my eyes on.

The nail polishes are 'Smush' from Urban Outfitters and Illamasqua's 'Motte'. Now I looked everywhere for the speckled egg effect polishes from Illamasqua and it had sold out in every single shop: I was told they go extremely quickly. However I found one lonely little polish all on it's own... I swear it was the only one left in the whole of NYC! I got extremely excited as you can imagine and I am now treating it as my baby.

I also got this pale coral / nude shimmery lip crayon, 'glisten' from tarte. It's subtle but beautiful (far right on the swatch).

I got this new home for my ever growing makeup collection in Forever 21; I don't remember the price but it was surprisingly cheap! It is the perfect perfect size and easy for rummaging around in... cute and practical - which has become my new catchphrase.

Quick break from shopping... Here are two photo's of me at the setting of just a couple of my favourite movies.

The Central Park fountain, featured in Enchanted, and the Tiffany's window where Audrey Hepburn ate her croissant in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. I also wanted to eat a croissant however I could not find one which was the disappointment of the day.

The black trousers are American Apparel's Disco Pants which lots and lots of people have... I know you can buy them in the UK but they're about £30 cheaper in America. If you haven't seen them, I would describe them as shiny lyrca leggings.

The white ones are from Forever 21 and I thought they were really cool and unusual but great for summer. They look like white jeans but they aren't; they have this really cute embroidered / crochet effect on top (I'm not really sure how to describe?!) and are a thin  sort of stretchy material.

I assure you those shorts are a coral pink, not orange!!! They are from American Apparel  too and are a silky sort of high waisted thing. Expensive, but I am very sure I will get my money's worth.

The dress is also American Apparel (yes I really really love their stuff) and is nice for summer but different to the other summer dresses I have which are mostly floaty and floral. I love the colours - not something I would have been able to put together myself but it does look really cool!

With this white Urban Outfitters top, it was love at first sight.... it is so 'me'. It's flowers, its sequins, it has a collar and it's white. What more could I ask for?!?! I love the slightly flared effect at the bottom too.

I bought my iphone a couple of presents because I love it very much:

The pretty hearts phone case is Urban Outfitters - my old case broke so I wanted to get a new one.

This plug in telephone which I got in PINK is probably the most pointless thing I bought on the trip - yet I assure you I will get use out of it! So I can do a really good secretary voice; the, 'Hello, I'm so sorry she's in a meeting right now could I take a message? I'll get back to you as soon as possible' sort of thing.... and so I bought this handset you plug into your phone to create more fun for myself....ahahhhahahaha I love it I'm sorry!!

And then of course I had an extremely exciting time with la blogmate though of course it was far too short!!! :( 

We tried out these face masks which I brought back from America and we then played with makeup... there were lots of giggles, plenty of singing and so much happiness. 

Sorry this post ended up being so long! Hope you enjoyed,

Minka x

Home time

Hello one and all!

I am at the airport heading home, which is sad but I have had the most amazing time ever in New York city.
I have crammed lots and lots into the four days I had and enjoyed every minute of it. I will definitely do some sort of haul post, though I don't think I will include everything as it is a rather long list...!!!
So keep your eyes peeled for that.

I am extremely extremely excited to be seeing my gorgeous, beautiful blogmate Soph tomorrow which will get me through the flight home, and makes leaving New York a lot easier as I have something to
look forward to!!! I have purchased some face masks for us to try out as we have planned a lovely relaxing evening with plenty of chit chat involved.

Adios amigos, enjoy your evening /
day depending on where you live or what time you are reading....

Lots of Love,
Minka x

Here is a photo of me eating an extremely yummy dessert called a "Whoopie Pie"!! And also some shopping bags

I choose you

So these are just some things I think that need a shout out - whether it be because they are un known or just receive my seal of approval!

 Skincare Product

The lush face masks - I mentioned them in my previous post but you don't often here about them and they are all natural and work on a specific issue so you can tailor them to your needs and they smell amzing and I cannot reccomend them enough!!

 Makeup Product

Now this product is definetely not under rated because nearly every beauty blogger in town owns it but the 'Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer' cannot be not in your essientials. It is a miracle worker and literally the only concealer that has really worked and really impressed me! 

 Beauty Tool

I am not very up to date with beauty tools I have a pack of fcuk brushs which are nice and then I bought the qvs dual ended foundation and concealer brush which I love - I prefer the concealer end but an all round good egg if you ask me!

 Nail Polish

I am currently your nude kinda gal I think Topshop nail varnishs are fab and I just think Topshop make up is sometimes forgotten and that makes me sad because it is so nicely packaged and the colours are to die for. The nail varnish I want to shine the spotlight on is Topshops 'Big Smoke' soooo pretty!!

 Haircare Product

Now those of you super savvy savers will be pleased with me here!!! I am showing you this product as it is 99p and better than any other hair mouse I have tried!!! It is the Alberto Balsam Intensive Conditioning Treatment with honey and almond extract. It smells gorgeous, it leaves your hair so so so soft and it is a BARGAIN!!! If you live near a poundland or family bargains or savers run run run and pick up this bad boy as it is too fabulous to be ignored!!

 Scent

I picked this scent as I don't think that people would think to look here for I scent. I picked the body shops coconut body mist and I know for me the body shop is a bath and shower and I just wouldn't link it to actual perfumes but I was in an outlet and it was on sale and omg I cannot stress how yummy it smells. I love it and I wouldn't want it to be forgotten because of its home!!

Food

Now I do not think these are world wide but simply reserved for British mouths - however if you are from the UK please do not forget how good kids cereals are!! Screw healthy options go all out! My personal recommendation would be coco rocks as they are quite simply heaven in a bowl!

Book

I don't know how many of you will of even heard of this series but if you like trashy teen books which for me is an essential if I am relaxing and I don't want anything to deep as they are are an easy read, funny and always have a cute friendship and relationship not far from you own then I would recommend The Mate, Dates series by Cathy Hopkins!

Music

I don't think you will have heard of these guys but I went to a gig last year and they were amazing!! So please check out little comets! If you like Bastille then they should be up you street!

Film

Ooh I know! So near me there is a super duper cheap dvd store ( do not fear it is legal ) but the films are a few years old and it is 3 for £5 and we picked up the most hilarious film! It is called baby mumma and it is really funny, not tooo chic flicky but still a hint of rom com to make it my kind of movie! I would defiantly recommend a watch!

Laugh
The sloth section on the Ellen show - I cannot help but cry with laughter everytime I watch it!

 Photo

Ahaahahha I found it lost within the depths of a comedy blog!! If someone breaks your heart always remember this!!

Quote

'Don't kill yourself today, wait, let this be a reason to wait for things to get better'

So I hope I have inspired you to check out some of these things you may not have even heard of before! I tag you all to do the same!

lots of love

Soph

xox