hollyberry

My car had it's MOT today and while I waited I took a little trip into Dunhelm Mill. I love love love the cute home trinkets in this store and somehow managed to control myself and only pick up this cute Christmas candle!

It has a lovely sweet scent that I find very cosy yet refreshing. Highly recommend!

Olivia xxx

bourjois healthy mix foundation

 

**** BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX  RADIENCE REVEAL FOUNDATION - usually  £9.99 at Boots, currently £7.99 ****

 

Today I'm reviewing my new favourite drugstore foundation... Step forward healthy mix!

 

Everybody in the blogging world has tried out this foundation but it never really appealed to me for some reason. Then when it came on offer at boots the other day I decided to give it a go, if I didn't like it I could give it to my ever-grateful cousin.

 

I picked the shade 52 Vanille which is s good shade but slightly too orange on me but I only need a tiny bit to cover my whole face so you don't really notice it. When I first used this, I pressed a full pump onto the back of my hand and quickly realised that it was WAY too much. It is very watery and a little goes a long, long way. It feels very moisturising on the skin and lasts all day too which is very handy considering I do not powder.

 

The finish is dewy without looking sweaty. It really makes the skin look refreshed and glowy, perfect for early mornings. It doesn't contain SPF so you may want to add one before application, but that does mean that it will work for a night out as it won't create the impression of a white face if there is flash photography.

 

Overall, I really love this product and highly recommend it. It makes me want to try more products for Bourjois! You can find it here and in most Boots & Superdrug stores.

 

Have you tried healthy mix??

 

 x x

i'd fight away all of your fears

 

 

I went shopping with my Mum & Nannan on Wednesday last week for some smart clothes for an interview I have soon. I quickly threw this outfit together last minute but thought it looked quite nice and managed to get some snaps before I rushed out the door!

 

The white shirt is F&F at Tesco in the size 18. My mum bought it a few sizes bigger knowing that it was a small fit, but it fits me perfectly! I love the material and the fixed brooch adds a nice tough. I wore it underneath this sheer polka dot top from H&M. I adore the scalloped hem to this shirt and think the two work really well together!

 

Here is what my face looked like!

 

Have a great day!

 

xx

 

 

nude grey nails

 

I love nude nails and after searching in my polish draw for a potential nail colour I stumbled across this little gem.

 

I'm pretty sure that I got this is a set from H&M a few years ago, but if you see it in their store snap it up! The formula is thin and dries very quickly and I've been wearing it for 5 days so far without any chips so I am very pleasantly surprised!

 

The colour is a nude shade with some grey in it so it almost looks olive gold in the light. I really like it and think it compliments my skin tone really nicely. There is some shimmer in it but not too much that it blinds you when the sun hits it.

 

What do you think of nude nails? x x

what's on my face #1

 

Today I thought I'd share with you my casual make-up. This was a look I created last Thursday as I was just heading out for lunch with my family. Also, please excuse the wet hair :)

 

After my skincare routine, I applied the Bourjois Bronzing Primer as a cream bronzer to my cheekbones and temple, I then added my favourite foundation of the moment Bourjois Healthy Mix (Radiance Reveal) in the shade 52 Vanille. I applied this to my forehead, down my nose, chin and part of my cheeks. I love the light texture of this product, it feels more like skincare than make-up! I then added some concealer in the form of Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer in the shade 020 True Ivory. I do like this concealer, but it is quite orange for me so I use it sparingly. To add some colour to my face I used the Body Shop Cheek Colour in the shade 10 and then used the Urban Deacy Naked Palatte for my eyes (Sin sweeped across the lid and Toasted on my lower lashline.) After curling my lashes I used the Bourjois Volumizer mascara and my beloved MUA Eyebrow Pencil just to darken my brows slightly. Finally, I slicked some Vaseline Crème Brulee across my lips just to keep them looking plumped.

 

Have you tried any of these products?

 

Liv xx

 i

topshop trio

 

Okay, so a week ago I expanded my small Topshop make-up collection slightly and wanted to share with you some lipsticks that I really, reeeaally love. The packaging is so cute and feels like a really nice addition to any make-up bag, however the off-white colour can become a bit dirty over time (or is that just me being a mucky pup?)

 

I own THREE shades so far: Infrared, Innocent & Whimsical. They all retail for eight pounds and I think that is a good, fair price for the quality of these lipsticks.

 

INFRARED is a gorgeous orangey red lipstick that feels nice and moisturising on the lips. My lips are rather dry at the moment so I do apply a balm beforehand but usually I would just skip right on to applying the shade. I searched high and low for a good orange lipstick this summer and Infrared ticked all the boxes. I didn't think it would suit my pale skin but it surprisingly I think it looks quite nice! This can be used for a sheer wash of colour or you can layer it up to a more intense orange like I have done above. This is my statement night out lipstick!

 

INNOCENT is a beautiful pink lipstick with a slight purpley tint running through it. It is very pigmented, one quick sweep delivers the same colour and the bullet. Again, it is moisturising on the lips however I feel that this one has more of a matte finish. That being said, it is still quite creamy and glossy and doesn't dry your lips out. The staying power is there and I've noticed that the fading is consistent and doesn't just fade to a line around the edge of the lips which is quite good I guess. This lipstick is for them days where I want a little lift to my make up!

 

WHIMSICAL is a lovely peachy pink which is the perfect "your-lips-but-better" shade for girlies with a similar skin tone to me! It doesn't draw attention away from the rest of your make-up, I feel like it brings your whole look together and creates a really cute, soft feel. The texture is quite chalky and I do wear a balm underneath but this stays put really well. Even if all else fails, this is my trusty daytime shade!

 

I really want to find some more great shades from Topshop! Which would you recommend?

 

Liv x

st ives invigorating apricot scrub

 

 

I purchased this scrub from Quality Save the other day for under two pounds and the first thing I thought to myself was.. WHY have I never been in this shop before!?

 

As you can probably tell by the name, Quality Save is a store where the majority of products are discounted and sold cheap. I just assumed that it would be a food and drinks sort of shop but oh no how wrong was I? They also sell various beauty and home bits too! They don't sell beauty bits like Boots or Superdrug, but you can find bits and pieces every now and again.

 

I spotted this product hiding at the back of the shelf and snapped it up. I'm sure I read a post by Alix on how much she liked this scrub and her skin looks flawless so I purchased it too.

 

Can I just start by saying that this smells delicious. Really fruity and refreshing without being too over powering. It's packed full of tiny sandy beads that really help to exfoliate the skin thoroughly without feeling like your stripping off layers and layers of your face.

 

I've been using this for a few weeks now and have really noticed a difference. The TEXTURE of my face has changed and is much softer and plumped that it was before. It looks BRIGHTER and glowing and my BLEMISHES are diminishing a lot faster than normal.

 

Overall, I would really recommend this scrub as it's so cheap that even if you don't adore it you've only paid a few pounds. I have sensitive/dry skin and this works really well on me. Also, be sure to check out Quality Save is there's one nearby as there are some fantastic deals in there!

 

Have you tried this product before?

 

Liv x

glam eyes lash flirt mascara

 

Today, I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite mascaras by Rimmel: the Glam Eyes Lash Flirt in Black. I picked this up by accident ages ago and ended up falling in luurve with it.

 

I really like the packaging, I think it looks very girly yet sophisticated and posh. I also love the fonts they've used but that's only because I'm a total design freak so if you're not then let's just skip right on to the actual product...

 

I'll start of by saying the brush is PLASTIC. Some people hate plastic brushes but I don't really mind them. However, bear in mind that this does really hurt if you accidently swipe your eye but most brushes do I guess because they're meant for eye lashes not eye balls. DUH.

 

This is what my lashes look like with two coats of this stuff. Naturally, they're short and stubby and light and you can barely see them but this mascara really enhances them and adds a lot of curl and length to them. It does last quite long but it depends what your daily routine is. I work in a bakery so the hot temperature can sometimes cause some fall out but not too much that I look like a panda at all. A teeny smudge of concealer and it's all good.

 

Overall, I'd highly recommend this mascara. It ticks all the boxes for me and for £7.19 it's a damn good product!

 

You can buy this mascara at most Rimmel stands (Boots, Superdrug, Wilkinsons, Tesco...)

feature wall

 

Over the past few years, I've very slooowly been creating a feature wall in my bedroom. I really like feature walls as they are really personal and can show a lot about a person, also they're just really fun to make!

 

A feature wall is basically a wall in your house that you want to make a statement out of.
Whether you just hang photographs onto it or wallpaper it or even add lots of different items like I have, feature walls can create an inspiring space in your home.

 

The Make Tea Not War sign at the top is from PDSA. Charity shops are a really good place to look for unique and unusual décor items. The bunting is handmade by me and was a lot of fun so I would definitely recommend trying to create one yourself! All I did was cut old scrap material into triangles and then sew them together using ribbon and buttons and then pinned it up. The big London canvas was two pounds(!!) in the sale at Matalan the other year (Matalan have some GREAT home bits!) The dangling tag is from an adorable small business called Micassa in my local town. The two wooden frames and the silver frame are all from Poundland, however I realised they weren't for hanging but after a little DIY they were ;) Each frame has a photograph in it that I've taken. The small Love canvas, polka dot heart canvas and heart-union-jack canvas came as a set from New Look last Christmas. The tiny metal DREAM sign was a gift and the framed illustration was a gift from my mother from Debenhams for passing my theory test about a year and a half ago.

 

I love that some pieces have a lovely story behind them and I'm really proud of this wall (that sounds so boring) but I love the vintage look to this wall and hope to expand it slightly as this is just one section of the whole wall.

 

Happy feature wall-ing!

checkmate

 

After uni on Friday I decided to take a trip around Trinity shopping centre. I've been before but it's always a lovely place to spend a few hours browsing as it is mostly outdoors and the buildings there are just beautiful so I would highly recommend a visit.

 

No.1 CAGED RINGS I've been wanting some more midi rings for a while and purchased a large pack from Primark the other week for about two pounds, however when I saw these and these in River Island (and the fact that it was 20% student discount) I quickly snapped them up! They're perfect for creating stacks and look really lovely on the hands, I'm very pleased with them! I also bought a gold caged ring from H&M which is just gorgeously feminine with a bit of an edge.

 

No.2 COSMETICS I love Topshop make-up! The packaging, the colour range, everything! I purchased two new lipsticks in the shades Innocent & Whimsical and I absolutely love them(!!!!) so expect a post on them veeeery soon. I also pick up one of the new eye crayons in a gorgeous electric blue shade. I saw a model in a recent Company issue sporting a bright blue eye with a smoky black shade in the crease and thought it looked really fresh and interesting so I guess that's what inspired this purchase, I'll report back on how I do. The last thing from Topshop was this highlight quad that I saw Lily Pebbles talk about in one of her videos. I really like to concept but I'm not too sure how it'll fair up on my dry skin. We'll see...

 

No.3 CHECKS Say hello to my newest clothing addition. I love check shirts and the boyish look they have however it was the collar on this one that drew me to it. It's from River Island and the fit is so feminine and pretty, I just love it. I also think the double collar look is really unique and eye catching!

 

So that's it, a few bits I've purchased recently. Not too bad considering this student loan really is burning a hole is my pocket...

 



instagram goodness

Just a few photos from the past few weeks taken from my instagram @teapluscake.

Life has been a little hectic and confusing recently and I'm finding it hard to cope but something that really makes me happy is taking photographs. I post all the time on my instagram account so be sure to follow me there if you fancy it!