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.