Best Beauty Buys of 2017!

I can't believe the end of 2017 is getting closer. I know we all say it every year, but this year really has flown by! Literally, Christmas and New Years Eve have appeared from out of no where! I've bought and tried many different beauty products this year, and managed to round up my favourite and most loved beauty products from 2017.

Black Opium Perfume

I remember discovering this perfume sometime last year and I just had to pop it down on my birthday list. So, I've been using it since my birthday back in June and I'm still not bored of it. Literally everyone comments on it and says how gorgeous the smell is. 

Bobbi Brown Eye Repair Cream

I actually found this little winner back in 2016 but I've carried on buying it and have used it a lot more throughout 2017. It brightens my under eye area and gets rid of those unwanted dark circles. It also firms those little fine lines under your eyes. I will carry on using this forever more unless I find another product that's better.

L'Oréal True Match Foundation

I've tried this quite recently for the first time, you may have already read the review on my blog. How I didn't try it sooner, I'll never know... this is a great little number! It's more of a liquid consistency and it's very light. This foundation lasts me a good six hours. Full review, here.

Epoch Glacial Marine Mud Mask
I bought this mud mask through a company called NuSkin back in the Summer. It wasn't cheap but I saw great results and reviews online, so I caved in and bought it. You don't need a lot of product to cover your face as it's really runny. I leave it on for about 15-20 minutes and then wash off with a face cloth. It really does get right into your pores and gives your skin a good cleanse. 

Freedom Brow Pomade
I made the purchase of this brow pomade back in January, so I've been using this particular product for almost a year which is amazing! It was so affordable aswell, a fiver, which is fantastic as I and many other people think it's a dupe of the Anastasia Beverley Hills brow pomade. I've written about it in a blog post, here.

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

I had never tried anything like this before but I can now see why people use facial oils now. I do have sensitive skin and this product actually irritated it within the first few days of using it but since then, it's worked wonders for me. Before going to sleep, I use about three drops and massage lightly into my skin and then apply my moisturiser. You can definitely feel the difference when you wake up the next morning.

Makeup Obsession Highlighter 'Moon'
I had never heard of Makeup Obsession before until watching one of SophDoesNails videos on YouTube. Soph actually recommended this highlighter, so I bought it! It's crazy pigmented and only £3! Honestly, look nowhere else for a good affordable highlighter!

PRO.VOKE Touch of Silver Shampoo
I tried this hair range back in the Summer months and oh my was I pleased - I've been using it ever since! For one, it smells absolutely gorgeous and two, it does a bloody good job. If your hair looks dull or needs toning, look no further. It leaves my hair silky soft too... perfect for bleached blondes. 

The Body Shop Shea Exfoliating Sugar Scrub
I only use scrubs for exfoliating and before I fake tan. This smells amazing and will definitely last me ages as it's quite a big pot. I love the Body Shop products, I think they're all worth their price. 

Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray
I've been used to the normal 'all nighter' setting spray. When I ran out of the 'all-nighter', I decided to try out the 'de-slick' oil control setting spray. Of course I get on much more with 'de-slick' as I have oily skin so it's perfect.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation
I bought this foundation before I bought L'Oréal's True Match. This particular foundation is for combination/oily skin which was perfect for me, I also loved the colour as well! I've currently ran out of it and won't buy anymore until I've used up True Match. Read a full review, here.

Happy New Year! See you in 2018 x

A Lookback on 2017

Oh what a year it has been! 2017 really hasn't been that much of a good year for me.

As much as I don't want to think about the past year, I want to dig out the good parts to make myself feel better about things I have achieved and feel more determined for 2018!

January - March

Starting off this year in a stable, full-time job at Boux Avenue - I became a qualified bra fitting expert. Boux Avenue was the most loveliest and friendliest company to work for. The only reason I left back in July was because I hated working in retail with a passion. I was there for eleven months and that was more than enough for me - getting back onto that later.

I also got a couple of new tattoos to add to my lil' collection. Yes, of course I still want more. Hopefully, I'll be able to get them done very soon. Plus, I finally broke up with my twisted ex - I haven't actually mentioned much about what happened. But, I found myself the most loveliest man, Liam, with an amazing family back in March. We've actually known eachother since we were like twelve years old and we live about a ten second walk away from eachother. I sadly lost my uncle the same day as my nan was admitted into hospital after having another stroke - so that was really hard for me. Liam was so supportive considering we had only just got together.

April - May

In April, mum and I headed to Londons O2 Arena to see Olly Murs live. Obviously we did quite a bit of shopping beforehand and Olly is amazing live and mum even enjoyed the concert too! Liam and I have spent quite a bit of time in the cinema watching new movies, especially Beauty and The Beast and the new Pirates of The Caribbean movie. I had been shopping in Cambridge - it was lovely by the way, I had never been there before. I also got invited to go on holiday to Grantham in Lincoln with Liam and his family for a week in May. It was lovely to just get away from everything.

June - August

I turned 20 in June and as my best friends birthday is two days after mine, we shared our birthday night out. We did the same last year and they've always been really good nights. I had been thinking about going back into hairdressing for a good few months by this point, so I attended an interview at a local hair salon and got the job. So, I handed in my notice at Boux Avenue and started working as a hairdresser.

After a couple of weeks there, I realised that hairdressing really weren't for me. I got so depressed and down that I had to leave. So, I was then stuffed, I didn't have a job. I didn't know what to do and I applied for loads of jobs. Anyway, I was already qualified as a nail technician, so I applied for a self employed nail technician position at a new beauty salon in my hometown and I got the job. Liam's family asked if I'd like to go to Mexico with them next year and of course I couldn't turn that down, so we're heading to Mexico in August and I am so excited!

September - October

Working self employed was hard work. I obviously had no client base whatsoever and I lost a lot of money. I moved into a well-known tanning salon in my local area which helped me much more with getting a client base. I then had my first one to one psychic experience in October. The whole psychic and spiritual thing interests me. Everything the psychic said was on point and my twin brother even came through in spirit, I will definitely go again next year. Shortly after, I became really ill and ended up having glandular fever. I was tired all the time, I felt sick, dizzy, had numerous amounts of headaches and was back and forth to the doctors and even had an emergency doctor called out. It's finally gone, thank god! I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

November - December

In November, I had never felt so depressed and down in my whole life. Everything had just gotten on top of me, I felt like I was really struggling. Luckily Liam was supportive throughout everything and I know he's always there if I need to talk to anyone now - which is really strange as I've never had that much support before. Earlier this month, I met up with old school friends and we had a lot to catch up on. I think we're now going to make it more of a regular thing in the new year.

Liam hadn't been to a pantomime since he was young, so I took him with me to see Sleeping Beauty at our local theatre - he really enjoyed it. We also spent our first Christmas together which was so lovely, we had been looking forward to it for months. Liam and I wanted to do something for our 1 year anniversary in March, so we booked a couple of nights away in London, and I'll tell you now that I can't bloody wait to get away! I never usually do anything for New Years Eve but I'm celebrating with Liam and his family this year, so that will be nice to see the new year in.

After writing this long ass post, I have realised that I really don't know where I'd be without the new people in my life. I'm so determined to make 2018 the year for me and for my career to arise! I can't wait to look back on this post this time next year and see the progression and how different life is. 

Sharing Laughter and Happiness With Photowall*

I love photos and looking back on amazing memories. I actually had this discussion with my sister the other day and she mentioned that she hates having her picture taken. Her Facebook and Insta accounts have literally no recent photos on from the past year. Fair enough, good memories always stay with you. But, I like taking lots of pictures and capturing every moment. I have a decent amount of photo albums and photo frames in my room. When Photowall* contacted me about working with them, I was so excited!

(I wanted the canvas in the middle of my wall but my dad had a lot of trouble with the screws not going into the wall. So, it's currently on a picture rail hook for now).

I got a really nice picture done on a canvas of Liam and I - I can't actually remember what we were laughing about. But every time I look up at it, it reminds me how happy we both are in our relationship (soz for being soppy). The best thing was that there were no set sizes to choose from, I just put in my own dimensions. Delivery, luckily this time of the year took no longer than three days. My canvas came rolled up neatly and securely in a box. You can choose whether to get the canvas as it is and put it in your own frame or getting the wooden DIY frame along with your canvas.

I attached the wooden frames on the back of my canvas myself. It was really straightforward to do and already had markings on the canvas for where to fold the picture over onto the wooden bits. The instructions were very well written but I can only do things by watching. Photowall have their own video on YouTube of how to put the DIY frame and canvas together. It only took around ten minutes to put together. Everything is amazing quality and I'm so happy with it. It looks amazing in my room and every one always comments on it.

You have 30 days from today to use my discount code, MeganElizabethCampaign2017 for 20% off your very own canvas or wall mural. You can upload your own picture or choose from their own designs.

*This post features an item which I was sent for a review. As always, my review and opinions are completely honest and my own.

Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream Review

 

I haven't tried out many products from Sleek but I read up a few good reviews on their matte lip creams a while ago, so I thought I'd try one out myself. I bought 'Velvet Slipper (1039)' which is a deep plum colour which I think suits every skin tone. 

This lip cream is a very creamy product - a little goes a long way, you don't need a lot of it to smooth across your lips. So you definitely won't need to buy another one for some time as it will last you a while. Matte me lasts for the majority of the day, although it ends up going quite patchy on the inner lips after eating but I don't find it a huge problem. Also, if you don't apply it right, it can dry up patchy too but you'll soon get used to the application. I've never had it flake away on my lips either which is also a huge thumbs up! 

Have you ever tried the lip creams from Sleek?

L'Oréal True Match Concealer Review

I bought L'Oréal's True Match foundation last month and as I loved it so much, shortly after, I bought the True Match concealer. I have the shade 1.N Ivory which is the perfect shade for me and it's not pink undertoned. L'Oréal stocks quite a lot of shades in their True Match range which is amazing. I love the flexible applicator - it makes it so much easier to apply and get right in the inner corners of the eyes. 

I was expecting the formula to be creamy with a little thickness to it like other concealers. However like the True Match foundation, it's a really thin and runny consistency. I usually give it about 30 seconds to 1 minute before blending it out. If I blend it out straight away, for some reason the coverage isn't as good. But, it is a super blendable concealer - which I love.

The concealer doesn't worm its way into my fine lines either which is a huge positive - I suppose giving it a bit of air for up to 1 minute before blending helps with that too. It also doesn't settle in my fine lines throughout the day either. The concealer does fade under my eyes and on blemishes throughout the day which is a bit of a bummer.

I have sensitive eyes anyway but there's something in the formula that makes my eyes sting and water for a good few seconds. I have searched online and have found other beauty bloggers that had the same problem and it could be due to the scent. There are both pros and cons to this concealer. On the whole, I do like this product but it isn't one I'd jump at to buy again.

DIY Christmas Gift Tags

I have always been a really creative person, I love making things. I actually wanted to make my own gift tags last year but with full-time working life, I just couldn't find the time. I was not going to miss out on it this year, so I took a trip to Hobbycraft and oh my lord, there was so much stuff I wanted to buy! As you can imagine, I found everything really cute. 

Most bits and bobs were in packs for around 75p to £1 which is super affordable. I bought the glitter silver and gold and plain brown gift tags from Hobbycraft too - although, the string didn't come with the tags in the packs so I had to buy them separately. They're super easy, quick and fun to make! It also makes gifts that little more special and thoughtful.

The Only Lip Products You Need This Season

Autumn and Winter is my favourite time of the year to wear dark colours, especially on the lips. I don't have as many dark lippies as other bloggers would. The past two years, I have actually started wearing lipstick near enough every day. Before then, I never used to wear it that often because I didn't like any thing too 'out there' and to 'stand out'. I used to stick with a very light nude colour and sometimes I weren't even keen on that because I have such pale skin, it didn't look right, ha. Anyway, in the last two years I have manned up and branched out and have actually bought and tried quite a few lip products. So here are my favourite and only lip products you need this season...

NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM - Copenhagen (SMLC20)

I have loved the soft matte lip creams since I first tried one. I have been using this particular colour for about a year. I just love the colour, it's perfect for this time of the year - I actually thought it would be way too dark for my liking but it's really not. The consistency is very creamy which makes it easy to glide on my lips and it dries evenly and fairly quickly.

BURBERRY KISSES - Military Red (No.109)

This is your typical bright red lipstick. I do admit that it suits me a lot more with some fake tan, but I still love it all the same. I usually wear this a lot more on nights out and near Christmas.

RIMMEL THE ONLY 1 LIPSTICK - One of A Kind (810)

I adore this shade of red, it's more like a berry red than that popular 'out-there' bright red. I feel like this berry red shade suits more of a pale skin than a bright red lippy - so it's perfect for me! One of a kind applies very smoothly and it's also creamy. The only negative thing I have to say about this product is the flat angled shape of it. I think Rimmel designed it like that so it's easier to apply. However, I find it so much harder and I make such a mess. Maybe it's just me though?

NYX LINGERIE - Cashmere Silk (LIPLI18)
When I first bought this, I thought it was going to be a little darker on the lips but I still love it how it is! Like all NYX Lingeries, it has the same creamy moveable consistency. It's the perfect dark nude for this season. It looks more grey on camera - like I'm a walking zombie or something LOL.

RIMMEL STAY MATTE - Rose & Shine (210)

This pink shade is perfect to wear all year round. The consistency is nice and creamy and easy to work with. With matte lipsticks, you can sometimes feel it on your lips but with this one, you don't even know you're wearing it. The only thing that bugs me about this lipstick is that I wish it dried a bit quicker after application, other than that, I love it.

SLEEK MATTE ME - Velvet Slipper (1039)

I love dark purple colours in the Autumn and Winter months. This particular lipstick is my most recent purchase. Matte me is a very creamy product - you don't need a lot of it to glide on your lips, which means you won't need to buy another one for sometime. It also lasts most of the day as well, although it goes quite patchy on the inner lips after eating but I don't find that a huge problem at all.

What are your go-to lipsticks for this season?

Jumper Dresses & Over The Knee Boots

I weren't 100% sure whether to publish this post or not. Although I am in the process of trying to lose weight and tone my body up, I'm not in a completely happy place with my body at the moment. It's crazy how not being happy with your own body can make you feel so down and shit about yourself. I have put on quite a lot of weight in the past couple of months and trying to lose it all again this time of the year is a bloody nightmare.

However, I've got to stay motivated and determined and I will eventually get to where I want my body to be. But right now, this is who I am. I can't wait to look back on this post in a few months and (hopefully) see my progress.

Anyway, cracking on with my outfit... I have been loving over the knee boots and knee highs. Even though I love wearing them with my jeans, I love wearing them with my winter dresses even more. This dress is such a gorgeous colour - I bought it from Primark last year but I'm sure you can find a similar one around this time of the year. This dress is more of a thin jumper material and unexpectedly is really warm. These boots also keep me really warm too and they're super comfy. 

Do you like the jumper dresses and knee boots trend?

Winter Handbag Essentials

I have all sorts of bits and pieces in my bag all year round, but there are certain items that I need to make sure I'm stocked up on for the Winter season. 

HAND CREAM

Hand cream is an obvious 'must-have' for this time of year. The changes of the weather makes my hands really dry so I like to take some hand cream out and about with me and apply it whenever I need to. I currently have 'Soap & Glorys hand food' and 'Ted Baker hand cream.'

VASELINE/LIP BALM

I have always suffered with dry lips - even in the warmer months. But, this time of the year my lips can get chapped quite easily so I like to have a tin of Vaseline in my bag. I don't actually use a lip balm, although I'd like to try the Burts Bees one to see what all the hype is about.

UMBRELLA

I don't normally use umbrellas just because they always catch the wind when I put it up and turn inside out. Then I look like a knob fighting with it on the side of the road to try and put it down. But, I always keep one handy in my bag - you never know when you'll really need it.

A/W LIPSTICK

Duh! I usually carry about three or four dark lipsticks in my bag. Normally just so I can top up on the one I already have on throughout the day. Or, if I leave the house without any lippy on - I have a few colours handy to choose from.

TISSUES

You never know when you'll need a tissue. If you're ill or somebody around you is ill or even if you go to sit on a wet seat etc etc etc, tissues do the job!

WARM ITEMS OF CLOTHING

I always have a pair of gloves sitting at the bottom of my bag during the Winter months. You never know when you're going to get caught in freezing temperatures and winds. I also have now started putting my bobble hat in my bag too. I have thought about putting my scarf in my bag but it would take up so much room, it would just be a nightmare. So, I'll probably leave that in my car instead.

What are your Winter essentials?

A Gift Guide on What to get the Men in Your Life This Christmas

Like every year, I search the internet to try and help you and myself get ideas for Christmas. Men are a bloody nightmare to buy for - especially if they don't give you any ideas as to what they'd like. So, I have found lots of different bits and pieces for the men in your life this Christmas!

If your boyfriend always listens to music from his phone whilst in the shower, what better idea to get him a Bluetooth in-shower speaker!? It's so much easier and waterproof! I also found this amazing self-stirring mug, how cool! If the man in your life is a gamer, then he'd be super happy to unwrap a new controller. I've also included socks in this gift guide too, because what man doesn't get socks at Christmas? 

 1. Stick on Bluetooth Shower Speaker - £14.99 

2. 5 Pack Black Next Socks - £10.00

3. Lazy Man Self Stirring Mug - £7.99 

4. I'd Agree with You Mug - £3.99

5. iTunes Voucher

6. Black Leather Popper Wallet - £18.00

7. Black and Matte Green Xbox One Controller - £74.99

8. Maca Root Grooming Kit - £25.00

9. Light Flow Cable - £9.99

I thought that an LED desk light would be perfect for that guy who's always on his laptop/computer - especially if he uses it in the dark, he can then see his keyboard. I included Ticketmaster in last years gift guide too. I never thought of it beforehand, it's just such a good idea to get tickets to their favourite band or comedian etc. How cool is this USB cookie cup warmer though? All you do is plug it into your laptop/computer, place your cup on top and it warms it up. DVD box sets are a must for Christmas and so are portable phone chargers. They're so handy and a lot easier than carrying around a phone charger.

10. Paco Rabanne 1 Million Gift Set - £46.00

11. Navy Hoody - £29.99

12. LED Desk Lamp - £12.99

13. Ticketmaster

14. Hot Cookie USB Cup Warmer - £8.99

15. Old Skool Vans - £55.00

16. Grumpy Socks - £3.99

17. Portable Phone Charger - £7.99

18. Pirates of The Caribbean Box Set - £27.99

L'Oréal True Match Foundation Review

You all know me, like always I'm late to the party on trying a beauty product. L'Oréal's True Match foundation has been out for years now, so you've most probably tried it yourselves already. My most recent foundation was Urban Decays All Nighter - I did love it although it didn't do enough justice for my oily skin. Anyway, somebody recommended for me to try the L'Oréal brand for a new foundation. So, I headed into Boots and spent a little bit of time with a L'Oréal beauty advisor. We both eventually agreed on the True Match foundation, with the right shade for my skin tone. 

I bought it in the shade '2.N Vanilla' and honestly, it's the most perfect drugstore foundation shade I've found that matches my skin tone. The consistency is so watery and thin, but a little goes a long way with this product. It feels soft and very light on the skin too which I like. Who wants a foundation to feel and look heavy? It also blends really easily - you definitely don't need to worry about patchiness and dreadful lines. The coverage of True Match is pretty good, it doesn't show off my pores or cling to any dry areas either.

My oily skin and foundation don't usually get on that well. So, I put it to the test! Wearing L'Oréals True Match without primer shows my oily skin within 3-4 hours. Wearing True Match with primer doesn't show my oily skin until around 6-7 hours. Not bad. Overall, this is a great little product! I definitely recommend and it doesn't hurt your bank balance either. Have you tried a L'Oréal foundation before?

The Body Shops Instablur Face Perfector Review

I have always sworn by Maybelline's 'Baby Skin' primer and I think I had mentioned on my blog that I preferred it to Benefits 'Porefessional' a while ago. I recently got The Body Shops Instablur primer for £15, which I had been so excited to try out! I love trying out different face primers to see what difference it makes to my skin and makeup. 

First of all, I love the design of this product. I love the bold, black writing on the white background. The silver, blurred, metallic look with 'Instablur' written on it just finishes the design off. There's not much else to say about it, I just love it!

The consistency of this product is thick and spurts out in lumps when you squeeze the tube. It doesn't come out smoothly like 'Baby Skin' or 'Porefessional'. So, it's very easy to waste product if you're not careful with it. A little goes a long way too, you don't need too much product to cover your face. First placed on the skin, it's hard to blend out as little bits of product just fall whilst blending, which is a waste, yet again.

I've never worn this product just on its own so I'm not certain what that's like. But, my makeup glides on really easily with this product and I've never found it to go patchy. As this product is specifically for oily to combination skin, it definitely does what it should. It controls my oily skin throughout the day, although, the oiliest part of my face is my nose which still gets oily but not as much as it does without the primer. It mattifies my oily skin and makes my huge-ass pores look smaller.

I have also found that it makes my foundation last longer throughout the working days. I usually end up having lines where I smile and it goes patchy on my forehead and chin, but wearing this primer with foundation definitely helps. It doesn't stop the lines completely but the lines show up later on through the day and my foundation isn't patchy. 

Overall, this primer is great! I just wish the consistency was a lot more smooth and would stick to the skin better.

What's your favourite face primer?

Dressed for Autumn - Pinafore Dresses & Burgundy

Dress - H&M | Top - New Look | Tights - George at ASDA | Boots - River Island

 Autumn and Winter are probably the only seasons of the year when I actually put effort into my outfits. I don't know why, but I love buying clothes this time of the year and it seems like so many other bloggers do too. Both my mum and I fell in love with this black buttoned pinafore dress in H&M last month, so we bought one each. We obviously don't wear them on the same days, although, would it be pretty cool if we did? It's highly unlikely though, as we have so many nice clothes between us.

You can wear this dress all year round which is what made me love it even more. I'm definitely going to wear it in the Spring and Summer months of next year! For now, I've put my fave burgundy top, tights and boots with the dress.

Credit to my boyfriend for taking these pictures. He's never used a camera before and he was getting all excited thinking he was some sort of pro photographer, haha.

Creepy Killer Clown Halloween Makeup

It's almost that time of the year again! This Halloween, I have gone for a creepy killer clown. I actually got the inspiration from Pinterest, this certain type of clown makeup has been so popular recently and I've grown to love it. All you need to recreate this look is black and white face paint, a dark red/purple lipstick, fake blood, black pencil eyeliner and eyeshadow. 

I started off by doing my usual daily makeup routine - eyebrows, foundation, contour etc. When it came to the eyeshadow part, I used my holy grail Urban Decay Naked 2 palette to create my very dark, black smokey eye. Then, I smudged some black eyeshadow along with some red eyeshadow underneath my eyes.

I then went in with my favourite kohl black pencil eyeliner to make my eyes even more darker. Next, I went in with the black face paint and a really thin liner brush to make those triangular shapes around my eyes and mouth. I added some fake blood at the very end which is super messy but it's all good fun.

When I began, I honestly thought this look was so simple to do. Oh, I was very, very wrong! Trying to make those triangles neat and sort of symmetrical was an absolute bugger to do! Anyway, just tell yourself, "you can't really go wrong with Halloween makeup".

Let me know what you think!