Daydreaming about this palette…

Lottie London is a brand I’ve been following for ages. I first saw their products in Superdrug and fell in love with their super soft and colourful makeup brushes. Some of their nail polish shades make me want to cry with how beautiful they are, and I’ve been waiting to get my hands on some of their brush cleanser to try it out but its always sold out (I’m taking that as a good sign).

If you follow them on instagram, you’ll have seen that they’ve brought out two new palettes to get you #SelfieReady. My favourite out of the two is definitely Seize The Daydream. I’m not usually a huge fan of neutrals because I like a pop of colour, but, I’ve started to get into them recently this season. What I love about this palette has some plum and purple shades as well as two classic neutral shades, that way I can still have some colour in my look thats perfect for autumn, but I can also stay pretty neutral for my everyday makeup.

What’s also great is that this palette comes with a bronzer, blush and highlight shade that compliments the colour palette. This means that if you’re on the go, you can keep your makeup products in your bag for touch ups to a minimum, or if you’re travelling it really shrinks the size of your makeup bag.

Something that’s also not to be argued about is the price. This palette that contains six eyeshadow shades and a highlighter, blusher and bronzer will only set you back a meagre £11.99. For such a multifunctional palette, it’s great value and for someone who is always conscious about money, I would have no qualms about buying this product.

What do you guys think?

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

A Little Bit Of An Update!

So you lot may have noticed that there’s been a lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. It’s not because I’ve given up or because I’ve forgotten about this blog, but it’s because this blog is undergoing a complete revamp. I’ve been thinking really seriously recently about what I want this blog’s purpose to be and how to integrate it into my other social media plans.

Therefore, I’ll firstly tell you about those plans. As you know, I’ve been doing the #100DaysOfMakeup Challenge over on instagram and its actually going really well. It’s doing great things for my instagram profile and I’m being noticed by makeup companies who want to do things with me, which is amazing. I really want to keep things going on instagram but eventually, I hope to use it as a springboard to start up a YouTube account so I can post tutorials and I’ve always wanted to do Get Ready With Me videos. With the new job I’ve just got, I’ll actually be able to afford a decent camera and some lighting so that I can get started,

That’s also where this blog will come in. I’ll be able to take really good photos for this too. But I also want this blog to run alongside anything I do on YouTube. I’m aiming to post two or three videos a week, the first being on a Tuesday. On this blog will be the video and a full list of the products I used to create the look. Then, the next video will be on a Wednesday. On my channel, the video will be a tutorial using a product that is either brand new, or simply new to me. Then, to accompany that, on this blog there’ll be a full review with my honest opinion. The final video will be a miscellaneous one, so could be a challenge video, a Get Ready With Me, just whatever I feel like doing.

But I don’t want this blog just to be an accompaniment. I want it to have it’s own stand alone thing too. So, if I come across any hacks, I’ll try them out and post about them on here, I’ll be making my Dear Makeup Fairy posts a regular, monthly thing and also any hauls that I do will be posted on here.

I really hope you’re as excited for the development of this blog as I am. I really, really want to make all this social media into a full time job because I love it so much so I’m working really hard to make it the best it can be.

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

#100DaysOfMakeup : Day Twenty Three!

I was trying to think of some fall looks to add into my 100 Days challenge and I knew I wanted something with browns and golds, but also something a little arty. Weirdly, I found my inspiration on Snapchat and it came from the butterfly filter which definitely has to be my favourite. If you don’t know what it looks like, here’s a little picture for you:

And here’s the list of products I used :

This look was actually super easy to do, it didn’t take me long at all. And, not to blow my own trumpet, but that wing I did today is slaying!

If you have any ideas for me, please put them in the comments.

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

Dear Makeup Fairy…

So, now that September is drawing to a close it means both my birthday and – dare I say it – Christmas are well on their way. Loads of makeup brands are now releasing their AW2016 Collections as well as their Christmas specials, therefore I have today compiled a wish-list of products I would hope to buy or be gifted.

So number one is the Too Faced Christmas In New York Grand Hotel Cafe. It’s a gorgeous set of three eyeshadow palettes with all smell like warm winter drinks and a mini Better Than Sex mascara. What I love about the palettes is that they’re all a set of neutrals but with a subtle pop of colour and added glam. You also have to fall in love with the packaging. I’d love to buy it just to look at it.

Next we have Jeffree Star Cosmetics latest release, the Lip Ammunition Lipsticks. They aren’t available yet, but they will be come the 30th September and the shade I would love to try the most is a beautiful lilac shade called Popsicle Dream. Even though its coming into autumn, I still love my bright lipsticks and I love the softness of this colour.

Third on the list is a set of brushes that speak to me on a deeper level. They’re from a company called Unicorn Lashes and they are the most exquisite brushes I’ve ever seen. They are the Unicorn Brushes. The bristles are pastel rainbow and the handle is a unicorn horn. Could anything be more perfect?

This next one is a rather big thing, and some may call me lazy for wanting it, but it is the Lilumia Brush Cleaner. It’s basically a brush cleaning machine that does all the hard work for you in just fifteen minutes. I personally would love this. I’m always scared I’m putting too much pressure on my brushes and that I’m going to ruin them, so having something that would do everything for me the right way would just be a massive relief.

Finally on my list are the Lime Crime Velvetines. I know these have been around forever, but in the UK, you’ll actually be surprised about how hard it is to get your hands on them. I’m particularly loving the colour Cement. I’ve been looking for the perfect grey shade for this winter and I think this one in particular will be really good for my skin tone. My lips are also crying out for the Metallic Velvetines. In particular, Blondie, Posh, Happi and Vibe. I love liquid to matte lipsticks so I’ve been wanting to try Lime Crime’s for ages. I’ve heard such good things about them, and also who doesn’t want to buy makeup off a company who’s tagline is Makeup For Unicorns?

What products are on your wish-lists this Christmas? I’m sure mines going to get longer as time goes by but these are the ones I’ve been thinking about most.

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

#100DaysOfMakeup : Day Twenty Two!

Today I really put my artistry skills to the test. It took a few strips of cello tape, a steady hand and a lot of concentration, but I have to say, the end result looks so much better than what I’d originally thought up in my head.

The products I used were:

I have to say, I’ve noticed my placement and blending skills have improved so much already. At the beginning of this, I wouldn’t have been able to get that precise stripe of white going through the centre of the purple. I also wouldn’t have been able to blend the black shadow so well. Just shows that practice really does make perfect!

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

Read My Lips : Lip care tips!

So since I’ve started doing the #100DaysOfMakeup challenge, I’ve pretty much been abusing my face and it has definitely been staging a protest no matter how much I take care of my skin afterwards. The good thing about eye looks is that we all have two eyes (duh) so when one starts getting sore, I can switch over to the other one. My lips however are a whole different story. Whilst some lipsticks are moisturising, putting them on and taking them off repeatedly has not done anything good for my lips. If you read my skincare post, you’ll know that I suffer with dry lips. But never fear! I have some tips and tricks to help!

My first tip fits in with your normal skincare routine. If you’re like me and moisturise before bed (which I highly recommend), just make sure you swipe some of that moisturiser over your lips. I’ve only started doing this recently and I have to say, I’ve noticed a massive difference. I wake up in the morning and my lips are nice and soft so that vicious circle of dryness-biting-scabbing-more bitting hasn’t been starting.

When it comes to getting the most out of your lipstick when you apply it, I’d suggest getting a lip scrub. It’ll remove any dead skin if you have dry or chapped lips (like me) and provide a smooth surface to allow you to get the most out of your colour, especially lighter colours. Of course, the same thing applies to your lips as it does your skin. After you exfoliate you should always moisturise, so make sure you have a trusty lip balm handy. If you’re looking for one to try, you could go for EOS Lip Balm Sphere (Summer Fruit) . Aside from it being super moisturising, it’ll also smell nice!

Of course, if you’re not a lipstick wearer and suffer from chapped or dry lips, you can still exfoliate and apply lip balm, it should help massively. Just remember to keep your lip balm handy to reapply throughout the day.

Hopefully this helps you in some way. This is solely from personal experience so I’d love to hear your tips if you do anything different.

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

#100DaysOfMakeup : Day Twenty One!

Yet another eye look because I’m suffering from a rather horrible break out around my chin area, but this one draws inspiration from one of my favourite YouTubers (you should be familiar with her name by now) Mykie a.k.a Glam&Gore and her very first NYX Face Awards Challenge where she did and Aphrodite inspired look (I’ll post the video below).

The products I used were :

My top tip for this look would be that nail art brushes are your best friend. I find it very difficult to control the product on the brush that comes with liquid liners and nail art brushes are the perfect size to be able to do tiny details. You get so much more control not just with the design, but also the amount of product of the brush meaning there’s less mess!

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

#100DaysOfMakeup :Day Twenty!

Another eye look today and this one has a little bit of sparkle added to it! It’s a bit more of a fun look, and I finally got to try out some glitter tears.

Here’s the products I used :

This look is mostly about blending and product placement. My tip for a good halo eye is to use your iris as a guide for where to put that central colour, which in my case was green.

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

#100DaysOfMakeup : Day Nineteen!

Back to eyes today and I’ve gone for a really simple look using my favourite eyeshadow palette. I also played around a bit with my eyeliner to come up with this kind of yin-yang monochrome type look.

The products I used were:

This look is really just a simple case of pairing opposites. Wherever there’s black eyeshadow goes white liner and vice versa. I also used some cello tape for a super sharp winged edge.

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx

#100DaysOfMakeup : Day Eighteen!

Another lip look coming at you today, weirdly involving a lot of products from NYX Cosmetics. I really love NYX. Their makeup is professional quality but at affordable prices which strikes a great balance for people like me who are aspiring to go professional but don’t quite have the money to stock up with more expensive brands like ABH and MAC.

The products I used were :

From this you can see that nail art gems really aren’t just for nail art, in fact, they’re the perfect size for cute embellishments around the eyes or on the lips like I did today!

Sparkle On! – Ellie .xx