Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray Review

Hey Lovelies! 
I have been meaning to write this review for a while now. I purchased Urban Decay's De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray about a year ago now, they had an offer on the XL one so I had to snap it up! I should mention they have since changed the packaging! 

Here's my product:

 Here's the updated version:

As far as I know the ingredients are the same :). 

Urban Decay claims that the spray helps to prevent makeup meltdown, and keeps skin looking matte whilst preventing your makeup from smudging, sliding or fading. I have also tried a travel sample of the all-nighter spray, which claims to last up to 16 hours. The reason why I purchased this one instead of the all-nighter was because in reality I didn't ever think I would need my makeup to last 16 hours! And this one has the added oil control benefit. However although I do think this product does help keep my makeup looking fresh for longer than usual, I think the all-nighter actually works better! These products are definitely an alternative to using hairspray on your face too, which is not good for your skin at all! That could definitely cause pore blockages and breakouts! I definitely recommend this product for long working days or nights out when you want your makeup to last a while, and it does feel very refreshing to spritz on your face! I do think I prefer the all-nighter spray, however both products are good, but the all-nighter just tends to keep my face looking more matte and I don't have to powder as often wearing these products, so if you're skin is quite oily like mine, these will probably help you! The de-slick makeup setting spray is available at House of Fraser here and the all-nighter makeup setting spray is available here. I think these are good value for money at £19.50, you only need a couple of sprays so the product lasts ages! 

Have you ever used any makeup setting sprays? What do you do to keep your makeup in place? Let me know :)

Halloween Looks

Hi Lovelies! Happy Belated Halloween!

So this year I had the opportunity to dress up three times for Halloween (and I love fancy dress) so I decided to have some fun experimenting! The first two looks were for work as we had to dress up, so I couldn't go too scary as I was going to be dealing with customers! I'm just going to briefly explain how I did my looks incase anyone is interested, but I won't explain too in depth or this post would go on forever. If anyone wants to know more though drop me a comment and I'll tell you more :).

First look: Cracked doll

I think cute but creepy pretty much sums up this look. It was quite difficult to create but really fun!! To create the larger eye I basically drew a circle with liquid eyeliner quite far under my lash line, then stuck a small set of false lashes (upside down) on the new lash line and filled in the space with white liner. I did my eyeshadow with pinks and purples and did it quite over the top. I also have false lashes on my upper lash line. To do the "crack" I used black liquid eyeliner again and I blended this lightly using brown eyeshadow which also created a nice shadow. For my hair I added some extensions for extra thickness (although they are shorter than my real hair now!) and I curled and teased it a lot and added the big flower. My outfit is from new look, and I teamed the dress with a pair of biker boots also from New Look!

 Second Look: Spider Princess

 

I wasn't really sure what to name this look! This look was pretty easily, it just required a lot of patience. To create the spider web I drew on the lines with black liquid eyeliner before I applied my eyeshadow. You can use pencil if you're scared you might go wrong but personally I think liquid creates a bolder effect. I then went over the lines with blue sparkly liquid eyeliner (thought it might make my eyes pop more!) and then attatched the little gems using eyelash glue (that was the tricky part). Im also wearing false lashes again. For my hair I pretty much did the same as I did with the first look, but I french braided my fringe and threaded some of those fake cobwebs you can get into it. Outfit is the same as the first look.

Final Look: Vampire Diaries

Sorry about the poor quality of these last pictures, this was my actual halloween night out look, and these photos were very last minute and very rushed!! I'm a massive fan of the Vampire Diaries, so instead of just going for the regular vampire look, I wanted to do the Vampire Diaries! I'd say this look is rather Katherine-ish don't you think?! For my eyes I used black liquid eyeliner again for the "veins" and I blended these in using red lipstick as I wanted them to look more realistic. The fangs are also something I would definitely recommend!! They are by Scarecrow and were amazing! I'd read up on them before and the reviews weren't wrong. You can purchase them on Amazon, although I would say follow the instructions exactly!! My boyfriend's didn't work as well because he wasn't patient enough! I then smeared a load of fake blood on me for dramatic effect and my hair is pretty similar to my other looks, just majorly teased and I sprayed in some glitter too! My leotard is from Missguided and my skirt is from New Look. I also had on a tutu from Amazon to puff it up a bit! I wore the same boots as I mentioned in the other looks (my camera can never fit my shoes in!)

Hope you enjoyed and please let me know your favourite!

What did you guys dress up as this Halloween?

Flirties Eyelash Extensions Review

Hi lovelies!

I haven't blogged in a while, but I've had a good excuse! If you read my last post you will have read how busy I thought I was going to be when I started back to uni, and I underestimated this a lot!! I'll break it down for you:

♥ I've just started third year, we're not only expected to write our dissertation and assignments, but they give us even more work to do in the mean time, basically homework aged 20!

♥ I'm really poor at the moment so I've been trying to work 20 hours a week at work while most of my friends have quit their jobs because they can't manage their work load!

♥ I'm still finding time to go to the gym.

♥ I also have to juggle in visiting my boyfriend who lives two hours away.

Basically whenever I'm not doing work in my free time I feel bad, so right now I feel extremely guilty! Blogging will have to take a back seat for a while, but I refuse to post inadequate, short posts and I am taking lots of pics of anything blog worthy and I'm going to save these and post them when I can! :) As soon as uni has finished, blogging will become a priority again I promise! :)

Anyway, onto the Flirties Eyelash Extensions Review! This is a post I have been wanting to write for a while, however there was one thing it all depended on, and that was waiting for all the extensions to fall out!

I had these Flirties Extensions done at a local beauty salon just before I went to Ibiza. They are semi-permanent eyelashes which are meant to last three weeks. I wanted these because I couldn't be bothered applying false eyelashes every night, having the yucky glue residue hanging around the next day while sunbathing and just wanted lush lashes all the time really! They were quite pricey at £40 for the set, however prices do vary. Although I would be careful of the cheaper procedures as I have heard they can look really bad!

The actual treatment itself was a little strange to be honest! Firstly you had to lay there for over an hour with your eyes closed which I hated, I wanted to see what she was doing! And the smell of the glue stung my eyes and made them water. Apart from that though it was pretty painless just a bit uncomfortable! And when you first try to open them they sort of stick together and the therapist has to separate them which is weird!

The salon recommended for the best, long lasting results to not get them wet for 24 hours (I had to wash my face without getting my eyes wet which was odd!) and then only use oil free makeup remover on them to prevent the glue breaking down. I followed this religiously for the first month or so, but when I actually wanted them to come out I stopped this. I used an Estee Lauder oil free eye makeup remover which you can find here. This one is on the American site as I couldn't find it on the UK site! Mine was my mums which she kindly gave me! However Simple also do an oil free one. You are also advised not to rub the lashes as this can "mess them up" and you are given a little brush to keep them tame! They also advise you don't sleep on your side, but I can't help that and mine were okay!

Anyway, here were the results! 

Sorry about the odd lighting, the pictures were obviously taken on different days! Rocking the bare face look also haha.

I think there is definitely a real difference between the before and after! However the only issue I had was that my left eye seemed to have less false eyelashes on than the right, they definitely looked thicker on the right! I noticed this much more as the weeks went by too as I seemed to have more left on the right side and the left side definitely started to look a bit odd before the right. You can see one stray one out of place in the bottom photo that would not stay in place!! The lashes actually lasted a lot longer than three weeks, although obviously a lot came out and they did not exactly look false anymore but after six weeks some were still attatched to my lashes and they looked a lot longer and thicker and it wasn't until six weeks that I felt the need to wear mascara again. 

The lashes are meant to fall out as your natural lash does because that is what it is bonded too. However the odd one does fall out by itself. What I found that was really annoying was that I could never take off my eye makeup properly. I was afraid to scrub it incase I pulled out any lashes and it hurt if you snagged any! After six weeks though I had had enough. It was difficult to get the mascara off and I just wanted to be able to scrub my whole face again! They were really itching my eyes one night so I just pulled the remaining few out! I wouldn't recommend this though haha! My lashes were quite long and thick anyway, and they looked a little more sparse and shorter when they came out, but I think they are back to normal now! Overall I think if you get decent ones done and care for them correctly they are very good. You can get them infilled regularly too if you want to keep them up, a bit of a luxury for me though!

Have any of you had eyelash extensions? If so what did you think?

Post Holiday Blues

It's that time of year again. Summer has made a brief appearance and come and gone in the blink of an eye. Many of us have enjoyed holidays and festivals and now it seems we've seen the end of those long, sunny days and the cold seems to be creeping in again. We are sadly putting away our beloved summer dresses and reaching for the thermals instead, covering up what tans we may have built up over the summer. It can be a sad time!
I had both my holidays late this year, and when I was in Tenerife last week and all my friends were telling me how cold it was, as I got to the airport I stood and soaked up the last few rays of balmy, hot sunshine that I'd probably see for at least another 8 months. Goodbye sun! :(
If you're English like me then you may have the same outlook as I do. I always love autumn and winter up until Christmas. I love how cosy it is near Christmas, when you can snuggle up with a blanket, a cuppa and a book safe from the cold outside. I love buying new gloves and scarfs and then buying everyone's Christmas presents. However as soon as the festive season is over it seems like its just a long, painfully cold wait until summer, a summer which isn't even guaranteed here in England and can be pretty cold and wet!
I think it's important during the colder months to set yourself some goals and maybe arrange some things to look forward to so you don't miss the summer too much. Here's what I'm going to focus on:

♥ Going Back to University

For me September is both a sad and exciting month, as being at uni means I've been able to come home for summer and spend it with my family and home friends which I love, so going back to uni and facing all the work load can be a bit daunting, however I have freshers week to look forward to and I get to see all my uni fiends again and I also feel like I have a great deal of independence when living away from home.

♥ Organising My Life

This autumn is going to be the start of me being majorly organised! I'm going into my third year which means I need to stay on top of my workload, and this starts now! I also want to carry on writing regular blog posts, going to the gym and work a decent amount of overtime at work too! Oh and try as visit my boyfriend in Oxford when I can! Time management will be crucial to fit all this in haha.
I have an amazing gym in Sheffield and I can't wait to join it again!! I've been really unhealthy these last 3 weeks being on holiday so I'm excited to get in shape and start challenging myself again and setting myself new goals!

♥ New Wardrobe

I can't wait to buy some new winter clothes, I really need some new shoes, some cute little ankle boots I'm thinking and maybe some brogues or something. I also want a new coat as I didn't get one last year and some nice knits!

♥ Halloween

I love Halloween! Mainly because you get to dress up and I usually decorate my uni flat. It's also a good excuse to bake!

♥ Christmas!! 

I think I love the build up to Christmas more than Christmas itself! We did a secret Santa last year which was really fun, I love getting all festive and decorating, buying gifts and putting my Michael Bublé album on, and of course I then get to go home and see my friends and family! My birthday is on New Year's Eve too and this year I'm the big 21!! How scary!? So I have a party to plan for that.

Here are some of my best memories made this summer :)

What are you looking forward to this autumn/winter? Do you have anything special planned to fight the blues?

First Year Tips

Firstly, if you're starting first year this year, that means you conquered your A Levels and managed to get through all the rigorous applications and interviews, so congratulations!

I started university two years ago now (where did that go?!) so I've learnt a few bits and bobs along the way, and if I could go back there would be a few things I would change! So I have compiled a list of tips and essentials for all you freshers :).

♥ List of Essentials:

Coat hangers - often over looked!
Tablets - for the dreaded fresher's flu.
Food essentials such as pasta, soup, salt, cereal, oil, gravy granules etc. You can buy all the perishables like milk and fruit when you get there, but make sure you have some essentials so you don't have to buy anything!
Toilet roll - probably the thing you'll argue about most with your house mates if you share a bathroom, so make sure you have a secret stash!
Cleaning products - your pad might need a going over when you arrive...
Alcohol - needs no explanation.
Playing cards - great for drinking games!
Iron - unless your halls has one, I wouldn't worry about a board though, they are bulky and I just use a towel on a flat surface :).
Extension cable - you may be short on plugs or not have them in the right places!
Full length mirror - if you're vain like me you'll want one.
Under the bed storage - I bought those plastic ikea boxes for first year as you often have a tiny wardrobe!
Wash basket - I have a pink pop up one :)
Wash stand - you will be extremely lucky if you have a garden with a washing line, these are a good alternative!
Washing up liquid and sponges - you don't want to realise you can't wash your pots!
Draining board - Not necessary but halls don't usually have them and they are helpful.
*I honestly wouldn't bother bringing a kettle or toaster. Most halls usually have a kettle but if not someone may have brought one already, and don't waste your money when you could all split the cost.

Obviously there are more essentials than this, but I just wanted to make a list of the non-obvious ones :).

Tips:

♥ Homesickness 

You will most likely be homesick at some point. This is not fun, but it is normal. I was homesick before I even left! I've always been a home-bird and loved living at home but I knew I needed to live away to get some independence and I loved it in the end, but I cried when my parents left me! You just have to remember friends and family are only a phone call away :).

♥ Health is Important

Be reasonably healthy! I do know a lot of people that live off take aways, sugary cereals and beans on toast at university. This is okay occasionally, but if you live this way you will get fat! Many students end up living in leggings by the end of the year as this is all that fits! Join your uni's gym (they're usually very cheap!) and keep in some fruit and steam fresh veg which is so easy to cook. If you don't eat your vitamins you will get ill a lot which isn't fun!

♥ King of the Kitchen

Learn to cook before you go! I think this follows on from my last point, get your mum to teach you a couple of quick and easy meals! This may sound obviously easy but make sure you know how to cook a jacket potato and also mashed potato, and spaghetti bolognese and shepherds pie are also good, easy meals to know how to cook. You don't need to be Jamie Oliver! However I really enjoyed expanding my cooking skills, I use the BBC Good Food website a lot, there's a range of different recipes from the easy to expert!

♥ Confidence is Key

Be confident! This was a bit of a challenge for me as I was quite shy when I started first year... But you just have to keep telling yourself that everyone is in the same boat! Just walk into a lecture, sit next to someone and have a little chat, they won't bite! It also helps to try and find some people online on your course or in your halls using Ucas You Go or good old Facebook! I managed to find a few people in my halls that did the same course as me, so we all were able to walk to uni together which was good because being useless with directions I didn't even know how to get there! Don't be afraid to ask people in the streets question's either, I had to get the train alone and I had no idea how so the first few times I just asked random people!

♥ Conflicts

It's almost inevitable that you will have a clash of opinions with your house mates at some point. After all, these are people you've been thrown in with and you may have nothing in common with at all! Arguments usually result over menial things like one person never washing their pots and using everyone else's. Another common conflict is the over loo roll! You may have bought it last, and refuse to buy the next lot, and so the loo roll strike begins... I think a good idea is to set out rules about cleanliness and pitching in from the start, maybe create a rota. You may sound silly but this could prevent a lot of pointless arguments! In these situations everyone involved usually thinks they're the most hard done to. Believe me I've felt this way! You just have to rise above it, try not to think too much about it or bitch, and try to reach a compromise.

♥ Travel

Buy a railcard if you travel a lot, I've probably saved myself hundreds of pounds!

♥ Budget

Live within your means and try to workout a suitable weekly budget. Also don't spend your loan all at once! You will need that for bills and food! Desperately trying to get out of your overdraft all year is not fun, it is not free money. Trust me on this!

♥ Workload

First year is usually seen as a "doss year" for many students, as for a lot of courses it doesn't actually count as long as you just pass. However it is really important to develop good habits early so that you succeed later. I should just add that I am no saint myself! I have spent many a night, coffee in hand frantically searching for those essential references and pounding at my keyboard so its done for the next day. So take it from me, this is NOT a good idea! It absolutely kills you at the time and the work produced will not be of your best quality. Time management is key, especially if you have a job like I have throughout uni, then you have to be so strict with your time. You may look at your schedule and think "oh I have 6 assignments due in two months time, that's absolutely fine." START NOW! Thats only just over a week per assignment, and I'm sure you will have other plans so you need to start planning them all at least so you know what you're doing! Assignments are often sneaky like that, you're on top of them until you realise they're all in at once! There's no better feeling than completing an assignment to what you believe is your best ability, un-rushed. Trust me! Your grades will thank you too :).

♥ Safety

Be careful. If you have a lock on your door, use it. Thieves like parties as its a chance to steal your belongings. Always walk home with someone, city areas can be unsafe! Look after your bag as many people make a living out of stealing phones. Don't accept a drink off anyone unless you've seen them buy it, it could be spiked! Watch out for fake Vodka from dodgy shops too. If the price is too good to be true, it's probably dangerous. I have no right to say this, but drink responsibly! You don't want to end up hurt. Safe sex is also a must!!

Lastly, have FUN!! You're about to start some of the best years of your life. Enjoy them for what they are and don't over think things too much. Look out for each other and make yourself some life long friends.

Below I've included some pictures of my accommodations, I apologise for the poor quality, I wasn't intending on posting these on a blog when I took them!

My first student halls in Sheffield. We were on the top floor so got a gorgeous view of the city (spot the UFOs!) haha the light reflected in the window ;) I loved this accommodation but it was awful moving in having to drag my stuff up six flights of stairs! I didn't take any pics of my room oops!

This is my second year accommodation which was an apartment above a restaurant. I pulled the short straw and got the smallest room with a hole under the stairs for a cupboard :( I wasn't very happy where I lived during this year. The third picture is the state I came back to when I left for one night! Need I say more?

Finally, here is my third year accommodation. I haven't moved in properly yet but I love it. I'm living with different people this year (girlie flat!) and I can't wait to live out my third year here. I got a much bigger room this time too, yay! :)

I added one of my cooking triumphs for you too - these are savoury cheese and spinach pancakes, yum!

Missing in Action!

I have to apologise as I've been MIA recently, and I've noticed that I've had a few new followers that I haven't had chance to have a look at and follow back yet! However I do have a good excuse; I've been away on my jollies!

I spent the last week in Ibiza on a hen do, so it was a very girly, fun filled week! I definitely recommend Ibiza for those of you who love going out, it's a lot less "chavvy" than other areas and it does not have to be as expensive as it's said to be if you go to the right places :).

(I must just add that I'm really struggling to write this as I currently have false nails on which are ridiculously long!!)

I'm not going to say anything else about my holiday as it would be too explicit for this blog (just kidding!!) I just don't really think it's relevant but I just wanted to fill you in :). However I'll leave you with a few pictures that pretty much sum it up and show you some of the looks and makeup I wore. I should also add that I'm jetting off to Tenerife at the end of this week! - My life isn't really this exciting, my holidays were just booked close together ;). So again I apologise if anyone follows me or comments, I will get back to you when I'm back! I also have a few reviews lined up which should be up late September!

The hotel we stayed at, we got free entry to the Ocean Beach Club with it which was amazing.

Bikini - New Look

Sandals - Ted Baker

Sunglasses - Lipsy

Hens rocking a pink theme! My outfit (if you can tell which is me!)

Skirt - River Island

Top - New Look

Jelly Shoes - New Look

Ibiza Sunset

Ready for Ushuaia.

My outfit:

Top - New Look

Shorts - Rihanna at River Island

Sandals - New Look

Necklace - New Look

Ushuaia. Tip if you're going to go to a club: drink before hand as one drink will set you back €15!

Concerned face selfie haha.

It rained a lot while we were there :(

Ready for Ocean Beach Club. Outfit:

Bikini: River Island

Cover up: New Look

Necklace: New Look

Another gorgeous Ibiza sunset!

Avon Argon Oil Hair Mask Review

Hello lovelies :)
My mum works for Avon, and I was telling her how I wanted to try some argon oil products, as every brand out there seems to be selling them at the moment! She mentioned that they had some reasonably priced products in the Avon catalogue. I had a look and decided to try two products. The Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argon Oil Hair Mask (£2.75, bargain!) and I also ordered the Argon oil gloss spray (£3.25) which I haven't tried yet so will review at a later date.

Here is the Argon Oil hair mask. I like the packaging, it looks refreshing almost. I had a pamper night the other night which involved a bath so I decided to try this. I shampooed my hair as usual then applied this for 5 minutes (as recommended). It was easy to squeeze out of the tube and washed off well, it didn't feel like I had to run the water over my hair for ages to get it out! I then let my hair dry naturally overnight, as I don't see the point in drying it when I'm not styling it immediately as this just damages it.

When I woke up the next morning I was actually surprised at how soft my hair felt! 

Here is my hair the next day (not styled at all eek!) I think it has a little more shine, but it definitely felt a lot softer which I loved. The product also didn't leave my hair feeling heavy or coated, as many hair masks do, which I liked because I don't like it when you have to wash your hair again soon after applying a mask because it's made it greasy! However there was one thing about the product that I was a bit disappointed with, and that was the lack of smell! The Argon Oil mask did have a slight smell when applying, but when dry my hair has no smell at all. And personally I love a conditioner that smells amazing and that you keep getting whiffs of even when your hair is dry! But I know this won't bother some people in the slightest, and if that's the case then this product is perfect for you! :) I think for the price to be honest it is a bargain.