BIRTHDAY GIFTS

After nearly a month from blogging, yikesss where has July gone? I'm back! Last week was my 19th birthday so I thought it would be nice to share some of the lovely presents I received. To keep theme with my blog, I'm just going to share the beauty bits and bobs. I celebrated with birthday breakfast with the girls, afternoon tea with my mum and then out for dinner with my boyfriend in the evening. The whole day was centred round food, which was absolutely fine by me!

ESTÉE LAUDER CLEAR DIFFERENCE RANGE

Estee Lauder is a brand I've never really tried out, when I was younger I'd always pinch some of my mums perfume or lipstick so I've always associated it as a brand for older ladies. However with the launch of the Clear Difference range, targeted at blemish prone skin I was excited to learn more about the brand. A few weeks ago I attended an event showing off the launch of the latest collection. The event began with everyone removing their makeup to try out the range, although this was a little daunting at first it was so fun to get to try out the different products and see how they feel on the skin. The Clear Difference Range is made up of three products, one makeup and two skincare pieces...

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The Serum £39 // I've recently been getting really in to serums, as a pretty new step in my skincare routine I was excited to try this one out especially as Estee Lauder are renowned for their Advanced Night Repair. The Clear Difference Serum is described as a blemish serum, with salicylic acid being one of the active ingredients. I love how this serum felt on the skin it was so light weight and refreshing because of the clean, cucumber scent. It literally melted in to the skin without leaving behind any residue or tight feeling.

The Targeted Treatment £25 // Out of the three, is is the coolest product. It's like a click-y pen which you push up to release the product. This is a specific treatment for individual spots and redness and unlike many treatments which are targeted at blemishes the Clear Difference one is really gentle and hydrating.

The BB Cream £34 - described as a 'complexion perfecting' this is a really nice BB cream, the formula is really light weight as well as being oil-free, something I much prefer in the summer as my skin does tend to become a lot oiler compared to the winter months. It also has an SPF of 35, which is great for the summertime. Estee Lauder suggest that you can wear the BB either under foundation or alone, although I would wear it alone as the formula is so light weight it would sit nicely under another foundation without going cakey. The BB cream is available in three different shades; light, medium and dark with the light shade being my perfect match. I've also noticed that Nic from Pixwoo always has product stashed in her everyday makeup bag!

Out of the whole range what I like most is that Estee Lauder have created a more 'grown up' way to treat blemishes and other imperfections. The majority of skincare brands which create products targeted at blemish prone skin are really harsh and stripping on the skin, whereas the Clear Difference range is really refreshing.

Check out the Clear Difference range here - receive £5 off the Clear Difference serum online and in store until the 26th August.

Kathleen xxx

FESTIVAL MAKEUP BAG

I don't know if i mentioned, but I'm going to Glastonbury. I've religiously been checking the forecast for the week but with the recent sunshine spells, things are starting to look a little downhill. Besides the weather, a makeup bag is a necessity (in a beauty bloggers case anyway). I've tried my best to cut down my stash to the items I really need. Hopefully this will help some of you too!

HIGH END MAKEUP HAUL

Okay so I might of been feeling a little bit spendy recently... Don't worry these purchases weren't all in one go, it's what I've accumulated throughout over recent weeks. That's just me trying to justify myself and failing.

MAKEUP CLEAR OUT

I've been reading quite a few posts recently about the deliberation surrounding makeup expiring dates. After going on a bit of makeup spending spree towards the end of last month, I thought I'd have a good rummage through my collection and get rid of unwanted bits and pieces.

If you're thinking of having a clear out as well, this is what I did. I started by laying out all of my makeup on to my bedroom floor and then went through every 'category' one by one, sorting in to three different piles: Keep, Chuck, and New Home.

I rediscovered so many pieces of makeup that had fallen, unloved at the bottom of collection. The Chuck pile was relatively small, mainly consisting of empty samples, false eyelash glue and some dried out mascaras. I've finally learnt to have only one or two mascaras on the go at once, else they just dry out so quickly. For the New Home pile, I added things which were still in good condition but I just didn't use enough. My friend has done pretty well with this pile, with various foundations, tinted moitseriesers and eyeliners making their way to her.  

I think having a makeup clear out every so often is great way to find not only get rid of some bits and bobs but also to rediscover some old favourites, I found my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, which was one of my faves last summer. Also the clear out, has made a bit extra space for my additions! Remember to check back later this week too see what new things I've purchased.

Hope you all have a lovely week, let me know if you have a makeup collection refresh as well.

Kathleen xxx 

MAY FAVOURITES

Wooop woop, monthly favourites time! Here's a selection of the things I've been loving throughout May. As it is now officially June, that means Glastonbury is this month! I'm so excited, which I think I've demonstrated to myself with the pretty hefty ASOS order I've just made... Are any of you going?

L'Oreal False Lash Flutter mascara £10.99 - I've had this mascara sitting my makeup collection for a little while and never really used it until recently. It's perfect just to add a little extra something to your lashes after a first mascara. The wand is a really odd but unique shape, it's really great for lengthening and getting the individual lashes.

Real Techniques Setting Brush £8.99 - This is another item I had sitting around in my stash going a little unloved. I sometimes used it with a powder to set under my eyes but other than that it was pretty redundant until I saw one of Lily Pebbles recent videos on her favourite makeup brushes. She mentioned how she loved to use this for concealer and since this, this little one has found it's purpose.  

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Wildly Pink £20.00 - A couple of weeks ago I was invited to and Estee Lauder event promoting there new Clear Difference collection, full post coming soon! At the end of the event I bought this gorgeous lipstick. I love the colour and the packaging is so classy, it's my 'big girl' lipstick. At first I was going to go for more of a classic red shade, but I saw this one had to pick it up. It's more of a wearable shade so it will be getting a lot of use. 

L'Oreal Elenett hairspray  £4.19 - Bit of a random one I know, but this stuff rocks. Back in the day I used to pick up whatever spray my local Superdrug had put on offer. Although this is a little pricer, it really is so much better. It's mists really finely so feels really lightweight in the hair without getting those dreaded, cripsy clumps. Lush. Definitely a hairspray I'll continue to repurchase for while.

Revenge - As in the TV series, not real revenge that would be a little scary. I just finished watching series three and it's now the painful wait till the next season. It's just one of those programmes where you're like "I'll just watch one more episode" and before you know it you've watched six in a row and the whole afternoon has gone.

The girls & me and Glastonbury last year

Kathleen xxx 

CURRENT EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE

I posted my morning skincare routine earlier this week, you can go across and have a read of that one here if you missed it.

I like to try and remove my makeup as soon as I get home instead of leaving it on all evening and doing it just before bed, just because it feels cleaner and so good knowing you can just jump straight into bed when you're feeling really tired and stayed up far too late binge watching Revenge guiltyyy. I remove the bulk of my makeup with a cotton pad soaked in Bioderma. To cleanse my face and also remove any left over makeup - which is usually mascara I've been using the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Creamy Cleanser (longest cleanser name ever award goes to you). Just like with my Liz Earle cleanser in the morning, I take a small amount and massage it all over my face before removing it with a warm muslin cloth or flannel. If I've worn a lot of makeup that day or have used a strong SPF I'll double cleanse just to ensure everything is super, squeaky clean.

Most evenings I just use the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic but around once or twice a week I like to use the Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Brightening toner. I dislike using those facial scrubs with the little rough bits in, as I find them to be a little too harsh. Using this has the same effect but without feeling like you're removing a layer of skin. It leaves your skin look so much more radiant and refreshed without any irritation.

Most evening I'll use a serum under my moisturiser as a treatment. At the moment I've been using the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance serum which helps to lighten dark spots from left over blemishes and also promote and even complexion. I got this little tube as a sample from Latest in Beauty for around £5, which impressively has lasted me a good few months. This is a really nice product but I don't think I'll be purchasing the £40+ full size tube when this one does run out. For moisturiser I've been using the Liz Earle Skin Repair although this is a nice product, I think it would be better suited to someone with a more dry or mature skin. To finish things off I just did the same things that I did in the morning with the Lush Bubblegum scrub and Burt's Bees Beewax lip balm.

I hope that you've enjoyed having a little peak in to my skincare routines, let me know if you want to see what masks and other treatments I use.

Hope you have a lovely weekend! Kathleen xxx 

CURRENT MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE

I haven't posted any skincare related things yet, so here we go. Here's the lowdown on my current morning skincare routine - evening one coming later in the week!

My skin is what I'd call typical 18 year old girl skin. It's combination, with the majority being pretty normal and an oily t-zone. My skin is also prone to the odd family of blemishes and does get dehydrated from time to time.

I start with a pump of the Liz Earle Grapefruit and Patchouli Cleanse & Polish (sadly this one was limited edition, but you can find the classic one here) and massage that all over my face, then remove with a warm muslin cloth - which my friend found hilarious, she thought it was a hankie the first time I whipped it out. I then take a small bit of the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic on a cotton pad and swipe that all over my face, it feels so nice and refreshing after washing your face with the warm cloth. I always receive lots of Liz Earle bit and pieces for Christmas from family so for ages my skincare stash is always a bit Liz crazy. 

Next I use the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, I've done a full review of this product already so I won't waffle on too much about it here. But it's basically a serum which helps blemishes and marks. Sometimes this is it and I go straight on to lips but for days where my skins looking a little dull, I use the St Tropez gradual tan moisturiser. This has a really nice lightweight formula, which sinks in to the skin really quickly meaning your makeup won't by sliding all over the place by 12pm. It just helps to put a little bit of life and glow back in your skin - great if you've had a late night.

Finally for lips, I use the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub just get rid of all the flaky bits (that sounds so gross). I take small amount on my finger, then just buff it in and remove the excess with the muslin cloth I used earlier. My lip treatment of choice recently has been the Burt's Bees lip balm which is really moisturising, it also smells really minty and fresh which is why I really like using it in the morning.

Kathleen xxx 

FACE OF THE DAY

After all my Clinique Bonus Time excitement I couldn't wait to try all out of all my makeup bits. Here's a little face of the day style of post I took over the weekend. The first picture was taken just after I finished getting ready - excuse the weird half pout thing I've going on. The second was a few hours later I had a little outfit change before leaving the house as it was actually sunny AND warm! I'd spent the afternoon running a couple of errands, brownie making and enjoying a few glasses of Pimms. Exams? What exams?..

CLINIQUE BONUS TIME

MID MONTH FAVOURITES

I was a little late on the favourites train this month so I decided to make this post a bit of a mid-month/current favourites mash up...

Topshop's 'Keen" Nail Varnish £5.00 - I featured this in my Spring nail varnish post last week. I mentioned how I usually tend to stick to 'standard' polish colours but something drew me to this one and it is love. The pastelly shade makes it nice and easy to wear, nothing too Wicked Witch from the West. Generally everyone Topshop nail varnish I've tried has been brilliant. The shade range is huuuge, they're foolproof to apply, last really well and to top it off the packaging is really cute.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil £10 - I'd read quite a bit about the sister product to this but something made me add the oil to my basket. I'd never tried a cleansing oil before this and prior to first application, I did feel like I was a about to rub a load of vegetable oil on my face, gross. After giving it a go, my doubts were proved wrong. I use this to remove the bulk of my makeup, I take around two pumps (extra brownie points for the pump and not an awkward, messy pouring bottle) slap it straight on to my face it and massage it in. It dissolves all of your makeup so effortlessly and quickly. It's also super gentle, I can rub it on to my eyes and all of my mascara literally melts away. And 100ml for a tenner, bargain.

Primark - Back in the day I used to hate Primark, I never understood peoples love for it. It made me think of cheap see through leggings, clothes all over the floor and strange graphic tee's. However after watching numerous hauls on YouTube, I think I've been converted. Granted if you attempt to go in on a Saturday afternoon you will be greeted with a crazy jumble sale but if you manage to find a quiet hour or so to pop in a have a rummage through, you can find some real gems. One of my favourite recent purchases is a navy laptop style bag, a near enough exact copy of the Zara Office City bag and for only £12.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation £8.99 - As you know, throughout April I was on a makeup spending ban. This meant having a chance to took back through the many foundation bottles I was hoarding in my collection. Last summer, this foundation barely made it a day without being applied to my face until one day a new one came along and it just got shoved to the bottom of the pile. I'd forgotten how lovely this foundation is, it gives a lovely medium but natural looking coverage and a really gorgeous dewy glow. It works really well with the Wake Me Up Concealer, together they really brighten up my face especially on super early mornings!

Hope you're having a lovely week, my first exam is in three weeks eeeekkk. Do you have any exams coming up? - If so, good luck!

Kathleen xxx

SPRING NAIL POLISH PICKS

In the spring I think it's nice to mix things up and invest in a few new polishes. A few weeks ago I picked up some new shades perfect for the time of year. The pale and pastel shades definitely took my fancy, here a few of my faves...

SUCCESSFUL SPENDING BAN, KIND OF...

Woo it's the first day of May, meaning that my makeup spending ban is now over! If you missed the original post I'll link it for you here. To sum it up I decided to not allow myself to buy one single piece of makeup or makeup related things like brushes and nail varnishes etc, throughout the whole of April.

For all you fellow makeup lovers, this may sound pretty though going but actually I think I was a lot easier on myself than I could of been. You might have guessed from my Body Shop Haul  the other week that I didn't feel that skincare should come in to 'makeup' as well as haircare and clothes. This meant the money I wasn't spending on makeup, I was spending on clothes instead. That's my logical thought process for you there.

Although I perhaps didn't save as much as I could of, it's not all bad news. I managed to pay off of the important things I need to like Glastonbury yay and my car tax, the joys! Also it gave me the chance to have a good rummage through the makeup I was already hoarding, I found loads of things I had forgotten all about so expect a 'shopping the stash' style post soon.

Sticking to my ban plan means I might of accumulated a bit of a wishlist... Maybe that defeats the whole point, but here are the things I've been dying to get my hands on for the last four weeks.

LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR DUO+ REVIEW

Hello everyone, I'm back today with a usual beauty related post! It was nice to do a few lifestyley things while I was on my Easter holidays but being back at sixth form again means I'm not doing anything too exciting for now. Also did you see the guest post I wrote this week for Dizzy Brunette's blog? I'll leave a little link to it here if you missed that, it was so weird to see a picture of my face on her page! Hello to you if you've come across to my little blog from seeing that post! Anyway waffle over, have a lovely rest of the week.

SUNNY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Yesterday was dad's birthday, I made him a large piece of flapjack smothered in dark chocolate and also bought him a few Bath Ales bottles.

Unluckily for him he had to go in for a boring meeting in the morning but for the afternoon, me and mum hopped on the train to meet him for some lunch. We went to the Cote Brasserie in in the centre of Bath, which was recommended by my aunty Jo who came and joined us on her lunch break.

When we arrived around half twelve, all of the outside seating was empty so although we had reserved a table we opted for one in the sunshine. I could not get over how amazing the weather was, it was actually hot and it literally felt like we were in France or Spain not (usually rainy) England. I instantly regretted wearing a wooly jumper, which I've temporarily nabbed from my friend Chelsea. Clever me didn't even wear a vest top underneath so I had make-do.

WEEKEND SNIPPETS

THE BODY SHOP SKINCARE HAUL

CABOT CIRCUS VIB EVENT

Last Thursday Cabot Circus (which is main shopping centre in Bristol for anyone wondering!) held a special shopping event, VIB - Very Important Bristolians. Athough the name was a bit of gimmick, it was a really fun evening. I attended a small blogger meet up, held in Quakers Friars where I met some lovely bloggers including Josephine from Style by Josephine. We had some bubbly from the Harvey Nichols bar and listened to the beautiful swing band. I even had a go at the Spin the Wheel Game, where there were loads of fun prizes up for grabs. Around the marquee there were lot's of different spring and summer trends being modelled from various shops and brands available in Cabot Circus including Mango, Fred Perry and The White Company. Thank you to the lovely girls from Graylings for organising the meet up!

Afterwards I met up with my friend Chloe, to have a look at the goings on in Cabot Circus. Loads of the shops and restaurants were running exclusive discounts, promotions and competitions. Alongside the the Spin the Wheel game, there was also 'Hook the Handbag' with the top prize being a gorgeous fuchsia pink Michael Kors bag - I am rather envious of whoever took that home! There were also mini beauty pods offering a range of different quick fix treatments, Frankie and Benny's mixing up a variety of mocktails, we even met Will and Kate!.. Not really but Heart.fm were there promoting their competition for a trip to London. We finished off the evening with huge meal in Frankie and Benny's, I went for the chicken burger and fries, delicious! I also picked up a few things in Primark if you'd like to see what I got in a future post...

Kathleen xxx

Don't forgot to use the code KATHLEEN15 to get 15% off Black Tied Jewellery valid till the 30th April!

MARCH FAVOURITES

Revlon Matte Lip Balms 

Hello everyone, I hope you had a lovely month! Here are some things I've been loving throughout March...

Space NK Drift Away Body Wash - I have the smaller version of this product, which I couldn't find on the website but I've left a link to full size bottle which retails at £12.50 for 350ml. This body wash is perfect for an evening bath or shower, as the name suggests it literally just smells relaxation, does that even make sense? In the morning I like to use fresh, citrusy scents to wake me up but for the evening I want something which is a little more calming. I thought this body wash was going to contain lavender as that's usually the typical relaxing scent, but the main scents are actually are vanilla, jasmine and rose, which just make you feel really relaxed and ready for bed.

Revlon Matte Lip Balms  £7.99 each - It seems like even before they were released everyone couldn't wait to try these out, I mentioned how I wanted to try them out in my drugstore wishlist post last month. I have fully jumping on the bandwagon here, they are amazing. I have the shades Elusive which is a pretty pink colour and Audacious, a really bold orange which I used it in a spring makeup look here, if you want to see what it looks like on. Usually with matte lipsticks, the formulas can be really drying but these are super creamy meaning that they go on really smoothly you can wearing them all day. I still yet to try any from the Lacquer range, do you have any favourites?

Pastel Nail Varnishes - I didn't want to include any specific nail varnishes here because I'm going to do a whole post on it, I've just got to wait for the nail wheels delivered beauty blogger problems. Here's a little preview of one I posted on my Instagram the other week.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation £6.99 - I bought this foundation on a really miserable, rainy day to cheer myself and it did just that. Since not really getting on with the Bourjois Happy Light, this has been my everyday go-to foundation throughout March. It blends really well, has medium coverage and a dewy finish. Top marks from me.

Bagels, more specifically cinnamon and raisin bagels - I think I could live off these things, they are soo good. I've been having them as a yummy mid-morning snack nearly everyday - I like to toast them a little bit then cut up a banana and place the pieces on top then sprinkle a little extra cinnamon, mmmmmm!

Let me know if you're a fellow bagel lover or if any of my favourites this month were your favourites too!

Kathleen xxx 

Did you see my plan for a makeup spending ban earlier this week...

APRIL MAKEUP SPENDING BAN...

Hello my name is Kathleen and I am a beauty addict...

I constantly find myself 'just popping' in to Boots, Superdrug, John Lewis beauty hall etc and leaving with several new items that I didn't even plan to buy - everything is just so pretttyyyy. So for the month of April, I've decided to go on a makeup spending ban in the hope that I'll still have some money left over at the end of the month. And that I won't have to drive around super economically because I bought a new foundation instead of half a tank of petrol, please tell me I'm not the only one?...

I also have lots of different things to pay for this month like paying off the rest of my Glastonbury ticket, summer holidays, family and friends birthdays plus a years worth of car tax (the joys of growing up). Although I've made out I'm some kind of crazy lady who just spends all her money on makeup at any given opportunity, it's not as bad as it sounds. At the end of every month when I get paid, I do transfer a good amount of it across to my savings it's just the stuff left in my current account which isn't spent as wisely as it should be.

The ban means I can't buy any new pieces of makeup/makeup related things for myself for the whole month, to a lot of my friends this may sound like the easiest thing ever but you know everyone has their own weakness and all that. 

I'd love to hear if you've put yourself on a spending ban for anything before and most importantly stuck to it?

Wish me luck, Kathleen xxx