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beauty

My Daily Routine! (Casual/Formal)

any day, any time, these are my casual and formal looks…

Casual day = going out for a couple hours, staying in, etc. Pretty much anything low-key, though there’s not much difference between these two varied looks. Formal, or a little more “dressed up” would be = out all day, taking photographs, shopping, etc. Featuring favourite brands like E.L.F, L’OREAL and Maybelline, here are my looks…

On a casual day, I’ll start with my favourite BB Cream of them all; Nude Magique by L’OREAL. It has a pretty unusual formula (being a white-ish cream, turning into color when it is rubbed in to skin) and comes in a foundation sized tube. *Always apply moisturisor before this product as it can be drying on some skin types, and moisturising also evens out skin before applying any base.

For formal days, I’d start with Smashbox Photo Luminizing primer, to give a bright glow and even canvas to the face. This primer has quite a dazzling apperance, and will look off until a foundation is applied, then you can see the primer working underneath to smooth the skin out.
On top of the primer, I’d then work in my L’OREAL True Match foundation, or Bourjois Paris 123 Perfect Foundation depending on the weather (one is light, one more bronz-y). I’ll either use my magic egg-shaped sponge in hot pink, E.L.F stipple brush, or my Spoilt Rotten foundation brush. But nothing beats using your fingertips, as it works to heat the make-up on appliance, so if you don’t have any of the above products, your own fingers will do the trick.
On a casual day, I’ll skip the concealer, but with a heavier mixture of foundation, I’ll usually dot on some Maybelline Match Perfection Liquid Concealer in 010 onto imperfections and eyelids.

Next, on both Casual and formal days, I’ll apply Collection 2000’s pressed powder (only £1.99!) in shade 18 ivory, with a powder brush (the more bulkier the brush, the better outlook). This sets the foundation or BB Cream, and helps it stay in place all day. I think this powder suits Combination skin, and also people with sensitive skin because of the UVA and UVB sunscreen in the powdered formula.
The next step is getting Blushed/Bronzed. Blush adds slight defintion to your cheeks, while bronzer can add that “high-cheekbone” look. On chilled days, I’ll ditch the bronzer for an effortless look.
 
Mascara is a must for me. I’ve juggled so many different brands, looking for that “perfect” length, curl and long lasting colour. I’m currently using Colosal Volume by Maybelline, and I adore it. It’s a little different than other wands with it’s curled end and cat-like outlook. I apply one coat on my lazy days, and two for a fully lengthened day out. I’m also loving the new Lancome mascara, and will definetely be reviewing it soon!
 
So there you have it; day out chic or lazy day lush. Add or subtract things to suit your own make-up look, and let me know what you think of these products!
xo Becca Jayne

‘The Body Shop’ Haul! + save £’s

fair trade, against animal testing, protecting the planet, defending human rights and activating self esteem…what brand could do better?

The Body Shop sits on the corner of my local shopping centre, probably displaying the prettiest and most inviting products in the windows. To start with, I thought they were just another brand with expensive price tags and products that were average. Clearly, I was a little more than wrong. The Body Shop go to extents to make sure all their products are quite nearly perfect. They’re against animal testing since the early 1990’s, protecting the planet by recycling, using fair trade ingredients, whilst still staying true to the meaning and development of their products.

This was probably my favourite Haul yet. I ordered online, and because the sale was calling too loudly to wait until Monday to get my first glimpse of the gorgeous products, (about a week ago, there was a sale and a massive 30% off all products that qualified). So, here’s my detailed and envious product descriptions and reviews below! Enjoy…

pack of five smell-and-love soaps! these
two are my favourite! 🙂

Let’s start with prettiest looking…
These five mini soaps in scents such as Lime, Lemon, Strawberry, Vanilla and Orange were…amazing. Not only do they look cute, but they smell gorgeous! This pack-of-5 was half price, too–which made an even better bargain! Plus, who could resist animal shaped soaps? Not me.

Is this one of my five a day?
Beautifully Bananas…

I had read about this conditioner for so long before I had bought it, good things, mainly. How it detangled hair and had little real pieces of banana inside. It definitely lived up to my expectations, especially after using more than just the occasional once. My hair is long-long and wavy, so this product was much needed in that department. It’s a lovely change from the usual line of conditioners I use like Aussie or Tresemme, and I’d definitely repurchase if TBS has another sale to knock some £££ off the price tag.

Staying on the subject of clean hair… I absolutely love this product! It’s the “Ice Blue” menthol shampoo that’s supposed to knock all those other shampoo’s that promise super-clean hair out of the water…and it most certainly does! After just one use, my hair felt literally squeaky clean. And a little…goes such a long way. I have hair that just keeps growing longer and longer by the day, and I’m always finding my hair products are rapidly decreasing with my hair growth, but not this shampoo. SAD ALERT: I was walking past a TBS store just after purchasing this online, and saw it was being discontinued. I had already used this shampoo twice and thought…what’s the worse that could happen? And grabbed another bottle… and maybe more…
Clean skin in a couple bottles…
250ml bottles are my enemies. In hair products, they don’t last at all very long. But that’s all changed thanks to these little products, and the many facial products to come. Firstly, “Passion Fruit Cleanser” is up. This was the very first TBS product I used on my skin, and had almost the same reaction as when I tried the hair products…this leaves my skin so clean! I have combination skin, and this kept everything in the “right” balance, though still using twice daily, or as I do, switching from product to product whenever I feel like it. It’s basically your average cleanser with an oomph. That oomph being superpowers, the ability to clean your skin without the need of toner.
NEXT: “Cucumber Cleansing Milk” – this is…indescribable. It’s a formula that you almost moisturise into the skin, then tissue off, not wash. At first, I had doubts because I’d never used a cleansing milk, but I was totally swayed by the fact that this cleanser was the most wonderful thing I’d ever smelt. It also didn’t do a bad job on my skin, either. Even though it had the looks of a moisturiser, it left my skin feeling refreshed and clean.
NEXT: “Refreshing Facial Water” – the first word that came to mind when I first read about this product was…awkward. I had no idea how this would refresh my face, or how the rose water and tea tree oil would make a difference. But Rose Water is known for it’s healing presence on the skin, and tea tree being a big blemish blaster, this water and I have gotten on like a house on fire ever since. yay.
                                                                   
FREE GIFT ALERT!
Yes, it’s true, that (I’m pretty sure it’s all orders right now) The Body Shop give a free gift with online orders! I got the most adorable little Pink Grapefruit Body Wash that’s perfect for travelling and leaving your smelling yummy. It’s a 60ml bottle, like the ones they usually have in gift sets, (I also have the white musk scent), so I was no stranger to the shrinked-size product! 🙂
You can save money with The Body Shop, too…
At the moment, The Body Shop have a promotional offer that can save you up to £25 on items (certain days they also have free standard delivery, otherwise it’s a small £2.99). You can spend £15 and save £5, £25 and save £10, or £50 and save £25! How amazing is that?! All you have to do to be counted into the savings is enter the promo code: SPLASH
Happy savings!
have a great weekend, and stay beautiful!
xo Becca Jayne
what am I listening to at the moment?
Where the Lonely Ones Roam – Digital Daggers (hear it in Pretty Little Liars!)

E.L.F Haul! + upcoming posts..

eyeslipsface.co.uk – the newest, best, and brightest way of affordable beauty.

I was AMAZED the first time I logged on to (ELF) eyeslipsface.co.uk for more reasons than one. Not only were their ideas of beauty and makeup intriguing, but they made it affordable for women of any age and style to get the colours, styles, and types of makeup they wanted without batting an eyelid at the small prices. I mean, £1.50 for a shade of green eyeliner that is to-die-for? I barely looked at the price before hitting “add to cart”.

My Haul began with this:

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in shade #2118 Ruby Slipper…this was the best red-coloured gloss I have found, and I’ve tried everything from Rimmel to L’oreal. This gorgeous beauty is high in natural pigment, and acts as a lip-therapy whilst applying super-stay colour; not to mention the yummy Vanilla Mint scent!
                      
 I also picked up the ever-favourite  Hypershine Gloss in the beautiful new shade; Bubblegum #9019. It looks amazing over or instead of lipstick, with just a hint of colour and a load of shine. Cotton Candy scented and a must have in my summer essentials this year.

To wear bronzer and tons of shimmery blush this summer, I needed a brush that was going to work for all face products I was using. Enter the wonderful, and cheap, Total Face Brush, that is designed to fit perfectly inside your palm, and was designed and tested by professional makeup artist Scott Vincent Borba, who works with ELF on their makeup brush line.

Metallic Olive Cream Eyeliner from ELF

At the time of my order, ELF was holding a discount for products with three codes to be used at the time of the Jubilee. I fell into the £15 or more category and chose to receive a little Jubilee surprise bag, of which I was super excited to get. Inside, ELF’s Shimmer Sheets in Pearl, greeted me with their highlighting properties and brightening powers. They were also from the Studio line, which I <3 splurging out on for my favourite blushes or bronzing palettes. I also got Nail Polish in the shade: Navy, which will be my “toe” colour this month. ELF also threw in a little surprise product from their new line of Cream Eyeliners, Metallic Olive which included a little application brush that was useful for thick or thin eye lining techniques.

ELF’s Duo Shadow Cream can be worn alone or with their matching Eyeshadow Duo’s, but Coffee & Cream stands alone in the high pigment area. The “coffee” shade is perfect for applying in the crease for a smoky eye, and the “cream” shade highlights the inner corner of the eye beautifully.

The only thing missing from my list is the wonderful, and highly thought of, Brightening Eyeliner in Electric Purple, which looks lovely on a Hazel or Brown Eye, like mine.

****I hope to review my Blush and Bronzer Compact from ELF soon, just in time for Bronzer-season (June/July/August).****

I hope you enjoyed my ELF Haul as much as I did, and I hope to post an update in a couple months once eyeslipsface.co.uk takes me on another beauty spree.

Wishing you Beauty and Happiness,

xo Becca Jayne

 🙂  P.S. Join me for my Book Review of Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, coming soon! For fans of love stories, drama, and a dash of comedy…. pick up a copy at Amazon!

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