I'm forever late to the party. Back in 2012 every blogger out there was raving about 'Balmi' lip balms. The pocket-size neon spheres where all the rage, along with the heavily reviewed EOS balms.
Now it's 2014 and after never giving into the hype wayyyyy back when they first came out, I was in need of a lip balm whilst perusing the aisle in Boots and this cheeky little number caught my eye.


The compact cube doesn't look like your stereotypical lip balm. I like the luminous pink silicone finish, it stands out in the depths of my handbag so it helps me to remember to use it (added bonus, that the bright colour also helps me to locate my keys, darn bucket sized bags!). Due to it's unique packaging 'Balmi' is very hygienic (no finger dipping to be seen here!) while from an aesthetic point of view looking a tad more interesting than your usual lipbalm.


The conical shape of the shape of the balm allows the perfect amount of product to be applied to the lips with one quick swipe. It feels very moisturising  on the lips, which is a must for me. I tend to be very prone to dry chapping lips, especially during the Summer when it hits festival season. All that time outdoors can be a bit too harsh on the skin! The rich moisturising properties are all down to Balmi's formulation. Composed of shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E which leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. It has the added bonus of SPF 15, providing UVA and UVB protection to the delicate skin on your lips.

I currently have mine attached to my keys as that way I know I'll always have it on me. My Balmi will be accompanying me to Glastonbury and on my travels across Europe later on in the Summer, how excting?! I currently own the Raspberry flavour, which is yummy but I do have my eye on the Coconut offering.
It'll be my perfect partner for the Summer worn on it's own or under lipstick. Do you have a favourite lip balm? Have you tried Balmi before or do you prefer the EOS offering?

My name is Kate and I'm a base addict. Especially bases of the BB/tinted moisturiser variety it would seem. This is the newest edition to my face base stash.

Meet the most hardworking highlighting, bronzing, and multipurpose little compact you'll find on the highstreet. This beautiful shimmer duo is the travelling girl's friend. Equipped with a sizeable mirror and two multifuctional finely milled powders with a multitude of options. The shades can be used to highlight, provide a subtle contour (on paler skins), give a wash of colour across the lids or a more intense eye look when used wet.
For me, this is the perfect Summer product to have in my handbag when I know I'm out all day and need something to counteract any imminent makeup emergencies! Due to it's large mirror and multitasking powders it's exactly what I need for a long day, I'm equipped to tackle any touch ups (be them eyes, cheeks or just general lacklustre skin) while I'm on the go.


The combination of the powders swirled together on my cheekbones and highpoints of my face gives an illuminating Summery bronze glow, perfect for warming up paler skin tones without a trace of that 'muddy' look.



For an easy day time look I'm loving the paler pink toned shade blended lightly over the lid with lashings of mascara. When night comes round I take the lighter shade across the inner corner of my eye, the darker shade blended out across the outer portion of my eye and through the crease, add some black winged liner and lashings mascara (again!) and you're good to go.If I'm going all out I might pop on a pair of false lashes, Ardell demi-wispies being the weapon of choice.

I'm going Interraling across Europe for the month of July so I'm looking for hardworking products that will cut down the size of my makeup bag. This little wonder duo will definitely be accompanying me throughout my journey.

Being the cosmetic loving geek that I am you can often find me hounding cosmetic chemistry blogs and websites on the look out for the next big thing. While checking out colinsbeautypages I came across this video, a potentially revolutionary printer that would allow you to print your own, lipstick, eyeshadow, even base, in any colour of your choosing.


 I'm really looking forward to seeing this project grow, imagine if this became a staple for every girl? Exciting stuff and an amazing concept, hopefully it's one to watch out for in the near future!

'Totally groomed means totally confident. Nails may be small, but they have a big impact on your look and the impression they make'

This was an impulse purchase in Boots. My original Leighton Denny 'Small crystal nail file' had been stood on and shattered *sob* and it was too damaged to salvage.  It's been around two months since I had to throw the remnants of my beloved nail file in the bin and I could take the chipped, flaking nails no longer. Having tried alternative offerings that just didn't cut the mustard I decided it was a definite repurchase job.

Recently I've been embracing all things pink. Up until January I lived an almost colourless life. A wardrobe that provided a plethora of black and grey, alongside the most basic of makeup staples. A quick dash of black liquid liner on the eyes, nude lips with just a touch of lipbalm or maybe, just maybe, a red lip - reserved only for the odd special occasion.

For 2014 I decided to try a much more laid back approach to my makeup, prior to this I was stuck in a rut, too scared to purchase something new in case it 'didn't suit me'. So I never changed.
This year I had a realisation... Does it really matter? Should I really be concerned about what other's will think? If I never try anything new, (specifically in the beauty department but I guess this still holds relevance in most areas of life) how will I ever find out if I like it or not?

Make-up is a creative outlet, it's a hobby. I love that we're able to create, try new things and most of all have fun. For me personally it's going to be all about thinking less and trying more. We shouldn't have to overthink the "but can I actually pull this shade off?" and the "can I wear this colour in the daytime?". If you're loving that neon peach or lilac pastel lip, go for it! I'm pretty sure you'll look fabulous and the confidence you radiate from doing something as small as changing up your lipstick will show on your face and your happiness will be infectious to others.

I challenge you all to change up one thing, let some colour into your life. If lipstick isn't your thing, try a cheek colour? Maybe a smudge of eyeshadow in a shade that you don't normally wear on your peepers, try it. You might want to just wear it while you're tottering around the house and that's fine, just embrace a small change and see the benefits for yourself.

These are my beauty underdogs. The real hardworkers in my beauty arsenal that do all the work but more often than not don't receive any credit. These are my basics, my essentials, the little things than can be found most often at my bedside, in my handbag or on my person.
They are beauty saviors and without them I'd be lost - so here's to you the often overlooked beauty basics!


Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector 06
Perfect on it's own or as a base for your regular lipstick. Highly moisturising like no other balm or gloss I've tried before. I love to wear it on lazy days to provide a sheer 'my lips but better' tone to my pout, but it looks equally good with a deep smoky eye. Smells of vanilla ice-cream too, always a plus.

Loreal Superliner Ultra Precision
My number one everyday liquid liner, it's available in a variety of shades and finishes to suit different eye colours but I tend to stick with Black. It's not often I'm seen without my black cat eye 'flicks'. Infact, I've been applying my eyeliner pretty much the same way since I was 15. Precision application is provided via the built in liner brush and the deeply pigmented formula perfects my peepers daily.

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
These usually last me about a year, which at cost per wear make them a real bargain in my eyes. My skin type is normal to combination and it's quite common for me to get a bit of a shiny T-zone throughout the day. I use the shade 'Light Plus' to keep any sign of oil at bay, my skin looks natural and radiant with no 'cake' in sight.

Seche Vite topcoat
This stuff is uhhh-mazing! To the point where I actually don't know how I used to paint my nails without it. This miracle working topcoat provides a wonderfully glossy finish and boosts my drying time to under a minute - a real game changer in my opinion.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Mat Moisturiser
My favourite daytime moisturiser and the perfect base for makeup. Although I'm not so fond of the smell, it reminds me of Fairy washing up liquid... go figure?! This moisturiser has seen me through many a long day with minimal shine. It leaves a soft velvety feel to my skin, my pores look minimized and my make-up just seems to  sit better when I've used it.

Noticed that I've gained a few followers on Bloglovin, Hello! What would make it into your top 5?

The Bourjois Velvet liquid lipstick in 'Pink Pong' is perhaps the most perfect neon pink. On my lips it's not too warm, nor too cool. Most pinks in the more bright to neon section of the pink spectrum have a tendency to pull quite cool on me and take on an almost blueish/purple pink tone.
It applies as a wonderfully soft cream and dries down to a velvety soft matte finish. It's not too drying like other mattifying lip products I've used before to try and create a similar effect. In fact even when dry it still leaves a nice 'slip' on the lips.

The most noteworthy benefit of choosing Bourjois's offering over any other matte lip products for me is it's staying power. Once this stuff is on your lips it isn't going anywhere! Definitely make sure you apply this little guy just right on your first try. As harmless as it looks in it's neat glossy packaging, this stuff has staying power like no other - lethal to any other cack handed girls like myself!
Luckily the small doe foot applicator allows for a pretty precise application.

I currently own just 'Pink Pong' from their collection of 8. The 8 shades come in a full range of offerings from peachy nudes to hot reds, all with the same perfected mattified formula. I'll definitely be adding some more of the brights to my ever increasing matte collection.

Standout shades from the range: 'Pink Pong', 'Frambourjoise' and 'Hot Pepper'

I currently own 3 shades; two subtle shades 'Nude Ballet' and 'Rose Melody' and one statement shade 'Fuchsia Drama'.
The formula is like a mix of a balm and a gloss, a 'bloss' if you will! They're very moisturising, leaving my lips feeling beautifully soft once they've worn off and a bonus, it doesn't leave you with those yucky bits at the side of your mouth that you often get from your standard worn off lipgloss.

Though I love the two subtle shades I own, and I imagine I will get a lot of wear from them on a daily basis, the standout shade for me is 'Fuchsia Drama'. It gives an amazing *pop* of colour to my face, making the perfect statement bold lip. I already have my eye on 'Tangerine Sonate' to create a Mac Morange style vinyl lip come Summer.
RRP £8.99, but I snapped mine up with my Boot's points and on 3 for 2 - bargain!

This is a night time look created with Stila In the Light palette - Using 'Sunset', 'Sandstone' on my upper lid, 'Bare' as a brow and inner corner highlight, with 'Gilded Gold' smudged on my lower lash line. Finished with a flick of Lancome Artliner in Black, lashings of Maybelline the Rocket mascara and a slick of Rimmel's Moisture Renew lipstick in shade 'In love with Ginger'. Base is Nars Sheer Glow and The Body Shops Honey Bronzing powder and a touch of Nars 'Orgasm' on my cheeks.


I picked this palette up recently in Boots, I'd heard a bit about it but hadn't actually seen the palette until I found the Stila stall on a trip up to Leeds. Initially, I couldn't really decide whether I wanted to purchase it or not. I'd always been drawn to the Urban Decay naked palettes and had been saving up my points to purchase Naked 1- if I was going to buy neutral, I was going to buy the original. When I swatched the shadows on the back of my hand I had an instant change of heart. The Stila shadows were buttery and gave a great colour pay-off, there was an even mix of matte, glitter and frost shades making it much more wearable for daytime than the Naked 1 palette.

So, the addition of Hydraluron is probably of no surprise to any of you beauty readers in the know. Ever since it was mentioned by the fabulous skincare guru Caroline Hirons, Hydraluron has been a firm favourite of every Beauty Blogger and their dog (well maybe that's too far, but you get the picture) - and with good reason. The wonder product from Indeed Labs claims to 'increase skin hydration from below the surface with an ultra=high-quality hyaluronic acid that holds up to 1,000 times it's weight in water. Impressive stuff, no? I'm currently on my third tube of the stuff and can hand on heart say that my skin has never felt so soft and plump.

Korres 24 hour Moisturising and Brightening Cream is my favourite day time moisturiser by far. It's moisturising, softening and has the perfect amount of beautiful rose scent to make the product feel luxurious without being overpowering. I have the normal/dry skin option, as I do tend to suffer with dryness over the colder months but they do make an oily/combination formula which I'm tempted to purchase ready for the warmer weather. I like applying this little gem of a moisturiser in the morning, it's lightweight and easily absorbed providing a perfectly primed base to apply my make-up for the day.

Ahhhhhh, Dr Andrew Weil for Origins - Mega Bright. This inconspicuous little green pot, houses an eye cream of magical properties. I've honestly never used an eye cream that has made such a rapid difference to my horrendous dark circles - they're blue-toned FYI. I've been patting this on in my under eye region, day and night for the past week and have noticed my dark circles have lightened slightly as well as the skin in that area just looking healthier and more radiant. I've not needed to wear as much concealer and feel as if my face looks fresher and somehow more awake than normal. I cannot recommend this enough.
So, that was my 'Day' skincare instalment, stay tuned for the 'Night' addition. How do your skin care products change from day to night?

Grab is described as a Grape Magenta with a glossy finish - and boy is it glossy!

I've been wearing a lot of monochrome shades in my wardrobe recently (I am working on this... I blame the British weather), so a pop of colour on my nails and lips is a welcome brightening addition to my outfit.
Grab is incredibly pigmented and opaque, as are most Illamasqua polishes. It provides a streak free finish in 2 coats. I've been wearing it with my Seche Vite topcoat to give an extra glossy finish and to increase it's wear time, which for me is usually about 3 days chip free.



What do you think of Grab? Do you own many Illamasqua polishes?

Have you tried any of these products before? If so, what did you think? Especially interested to hear about the Mac foundation as I've been a Nars Sheer Glow girl for the past year!
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Currently craving the Spring sunshine, I think this could potentially be my reasoning behind the pinks in my current roster. Gone are the berry tones of Winter, I'm ready for my peachy/pinky/coral fix - Bring on the Summer!

Hi, my name is Katie and you've stumbled across my little patch of internet dedicated to all things beauty with the odd dash of fashion and lifestyle thrown in, just for good measure.
Hopefully my passion for beauty and the cosmetic industry will potentially lead to a career in cosmetic chemistry, but for now I'd like my blog to be regular ramblings on products I'm currently lusting after, tried and tested favourites and those items that you can't remember a time without them! (Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, I'm talking about you!)
If that sound's like your kind of thing then stick around, I'd love to get to know like minded people in the 'blogosphere'.

Katie
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