2012 Favourites! | Face & Tools

I decided to do my favourites in two parts this year, one Face & Tools and a second, Eyes, Lips and Nails. So, heres the first part!

from l-r, clockwise: Real Techniques brushes, Sigma F82, E25, Rimmel Wake Me Up! Foundation, The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser, Illamasqua Disobey, Vivo Baked Bronzer in Healthy Glow, MAC The Perfect Cheek.

 

These Real Techniques brushes have taken over my brush collection this year. My collection is slowly growing and I can see myself buying more RT brushes in 2013! The blush brush is so soft, the stippling brush gives a great finish and the setting brush is so good for soft contours, highlighting and applying powder under the eye. My Sigma F82 has become another of my favourite brushes for applying foundation! The mini Sigma E25 brush is my absolute favourite for blending out the crease.



MAC The Perfect Cheek blush from their Marilyn Monroe collection really was my perfect cheek in 2012, so simple but goes with any eye/lip look. Vivo's Baked Bronzer in Healthy Glow was my favourite highlighter of the year. I've made a good dent in it, and its a dupe for MAC's Soft & Gentle! The Illamasqua powder blush in Disobey has been my favourite product for contouring. Completely cool toned and not orange at all, its great for defining my barely there cheekbones and disguising my double chin!

Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation in 103 True Ivory has been my most used foundation this year, I've gone through several bottles! It doesn't have the best staying power on oily skin like mine, but it gives the skin a gorgeous glow and with a good setting powder it can last quite a while.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser is my favourite primer from 2012, a new release, it primes the skin, minimises the look of pores and truthfully I think the tea tree helps keep spots at bay! Its great for those with oily skin and visible pores.

Fiona xox

Xmas Sales Haul

I went out the other day to Glasgow with my mum, and picked up a few things from the Christmas sales!

 

Not technically from the sales, but I bought these two products from Sleek! There isn't a Sleek stand in any of my local Superdrugs, so I picked up the Face Form Palette in Light and the Corrector and Concealer palette in the second lightest shade.

 

As always, almost all of the Soap & Glory gift sets in Boots were gone. They were all half price, and this 'Wowed Mouth' set was the only thing left at £6, so I snapped it up. It contains 6 shades of lipstick with a double ended lip brush. I normally hate lip palettes but I think I might like this!

 

In Boots I also grabbed this Umberto Giannini Party Glamour mini kit, reduced to £8. It has 3 mini hair products and an eyeliner pen. And the bag is gorgeous!

 

 I bought this Per Una Rose Originale perfume for £2 at the M&S beauty hall. In Debenhams I bought this gorgeous rollerball by Juicy Couture, which is half Viva La Juicy and half Viva La Juicy La Fleur which wasn't on sale but was only £9.99.

 

The Body Shop sales are some of the best, so I stocked up on some Cranberry Joy goodies. Some refills for the hand wash/cream stand my parents got me, a body spray and two home fragrance oils!

 

I hope you all got some bargains in the sales this year!

 

Fiona xox

Xmas 2012 | Beauty Presents

Hello everyone! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas if you were celebrating. I had a lovely day, my parents and I opened our presents and then helped Bailey open his! We went out for dinner with the rest of my family, as there are too many of us for a regular dining table! I had an amazing meal, Monkfish with pancetta and vegetables (my mum made us a proper turkey dinner on the 23rd so I didn't miss out!). We had a really great day.

As always, my family were far too generous and I received some amazing gifts. I am so so grateful for everything I was given. So many people don't get to celebrate Christmas the way we do so I'm really thankful.

These posts seem to be quite popular, so I thought I'd show you the beauty related presents. I'm in no way bragging. I didn't really ask for anything this year so a lot of my pressies were toiletries, so be prepared!

My parents always get me stockings stuffed with toiletries, I think they try to set me up for the year ahead! These Olay and Kleenex goodies won't go wrong, I love the shine sheets.

I also got lots of beauty goodies from Primark, the TOWIE lashes are gorgeous, although I'm not a TOWIE fan! I got some face masks too.

 

My lovely wee Grandpa got me this beautiful No.7 skincare set.

 

 

Make up! Woo. My parents got me this Victorias Secret eyeliner, and my first NARS blusher in the shade Sin. I love it. 

 

Frizz Ease products for my super curly frizzy hair, and some Avon hair oil from my Aunty and Uncle.

I also got lots of amazing toiletries, The Body Shop Cranberry Joy is my absolute favourite Christmas scent and the hand wash/cream set is lovely. The mango wash and scrub smell exactly the same as The Body Shop one, and I think you get them in ASDA. The Beauticology set is so pretty, and of course my Mum didn't forget to add some Lush goodies!

One of my favourite presents, the Dita Von Teese perfume and shower gel! I absolutely adore Dita, and my parents know this. It smells amazing!

I told you this was coming! As always I was given some good quality razors, which keeps my legs smooth and me happy!

 

My lovely Godmother got me these Soap & Glory goodies! I've tried the shampoo and conditioner before and absolutely love them. 

This was an amazing extra from my parents! Its the massive Soap & Glory gift set that they reduce from £60 to £27 the week before Christmas. I did know I was getting this as me and my Mum stalked the Boots website for weeks then sent my Dad out at 9am to get it. Is brilliant and all the products last me ageeesss. Such good value for money.

I'm so so grateful for everything I got this year, my parents know me so well and everyone else was so generous, I'm so lucky. I hope you all had a lovely Xmas and got lovely presents as well!

Fiona xox

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick message to say Merry Christmas to you all! Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, I hope you all have a fab day and enjoy your time off school, Uni or work!

 

 

I'll try my best to get some posts up after Christmas day, perhaps a Christmas FOTD and things like that. But I'll be back full force after New Year (or Hogmanay if you're Scottish like me!), as my 1st blogging anniversary is coming up.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and get all the beauty goodies you asked Santa for!

 

Merry Christmas!

Fiona xox



Real Techniques | Powder Brush

I've had the same powder brush for yonks, so decided it was time to get rid and buy a new one. So naturally, I went for the Real Techniques Powder Brush - £12.99:

 

At £12.99, this is pretty pricey for a powder brush. However, its huge so applies powder pretty well and evenly, and is incredibly soft.

 

Admittedly, in hindsight I probably wouldn't have bought this brush. My advice to you is that if you're looking for a powder brush, go for something cheaper as powder brushes are really basic. If you'd like to extend your Real Techniques collection, I'd pick something more exciting! But if you feel like splashing out or just want all the Real Techniques brushes, this is definitely a good powder brush.