The Lazy Girl Guide to Skincare

Being a girl who loves loves loves makeup, it is definitely a struggle to fight past my laziness every day. I find putting makeup one quite enjoyable and it can take me anything from like 10 minutes to 40 minutes depending on what mood I am in.

However, taking it off is no way near as fun. The first thing I always want to do when I get in is take my makeup off, because after a long day it just feels ewww. Once I walk in the door and hop onto my uni bed though, it is something that I just don't like finidng the energy to do.

However, I have NEVER ever gone to sleep in my makeup (apart from the occasional sleepover) and it is something that you shouldn't do. It is terrible for your skin and you need to let in breathe every once in a while. So however tired you are it is essential that you remove it all completely and let your skin have a well-deserved break.

Here is what I usually do... and as a uni student, I find this to be both economically and time efficient.

I usually start of by using my face wipes. I find that any brand of face wipes tends to work well and you just need to find the ones that work for you and don't irretate your skin. Garnier is always a winner! Lately, I have discovired a brand called St. Ives and I bought a 35 pack of wipes for £1 something... bargain! Especially considering usually packs only contain 25.

Of course, a wipe is never enough. When people tell me they only use a wipe, it really shocks me. If you do, I recommend you take a cleanser after you have wipes and see all the makeup that comes off that you thought you had removed!

I use the Garnier Miecclar Water. It is cheap and very cheerful. It removes all kinds of makeup and is perfect for all skin types.

Next, I have been using the Body Shop tea tree cleanser. I have very bad skin and I find that this helps it a little. Although, I am still on the search for something even better.

Last but by no means least, MOISTURISER! Arguably the most important step in skincare. Ever since I started wearing makeup at the age off 11, I have always use a face and eye cream. It will help keep the wrinkles at bay and keep you looking as fresh as a daisy. Plus, a smooth base helps makeup go on better. 

After this you may like you use a serum or night cream. My favourite night cream is Origins Drink Up Intensive, it is a serious Holy Grail product for me, and I don't say that about many things. In spite of my oily skin, this doesn't even make it worse. It makes my skin smooth and works like a dream.

What products do you use at night?

 x Katie x

Another FOTD

Good evening, blogging world! Yesterday, I took a trip into Manchester City Centre with a wonderful old friend to do some much-needed, post-exams retail therapy.

Here is what my makeup was like for my little shopping trip and I took this selfie in the H&M fitting rooms, which have the most amazing lighting, in my opinion - please ignore the teeny tiny blemish above my lip!

Anyway, to find out what I products I used to achieve this look, just scroll down a tad...

WHAT I USED ON MY:

Face:

• Body Shop Instablur Primer
• Revlon Colorstay Foundation
• Mac Prolongwear Concealer
• Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
• Body Shop Bronzer
• Sleek Contour Kit for contour and highlight - in the light shade
• Mac blush in 'Pink Sprinkles'
• Make Up For Ever HD Powder

Eye Area:

• Anastasia Brow Wiz
• Benefit High Glow
• Maybelline 'Master Sleek' brow gel

• Urban Decay Primer Potion - original
• Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette (base "truth", crease "alien", outer corner "alchemy" and "bondage", inner corner "bobby dazzle" and then I ran a few of them under my lower lashes) 
• Maybelline Master Precise Liner
• Origins Gin Zing mascara

Lips:

• Mac lip pencil in 'Soar' (as always, haha)
• Mac lipstick in 'Velvet Teddy'

I hope you found this interesting. If there is anything else you would like to know then please feel free to ask me anything and I will get back to you.

I intend on writing a post of my favourite concealers and on my skincare routing in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled!

Until next time...

Have a lovely week,

Love Katie xxx

FACE OF THE DAY

HEY!

I have been busy with exams lately so have found it difficult to find the time to post. I thought I would do a quick 'FOTD' to show you my makeup I did yesterday. It turned out quite nicely I think :)

What I used:

• Body Shop Instablur primer
• Mac Studio Fix Fluid
• Mac prolongwear concealer
• Sleek contour kit
• Mac Simpson's blusher
• Makeup For Ever Aqua Cream
• Mac Sour pencil
• Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 101

I have just listed the more specific items I used, as I am away from my makeup so I can't check shades or anything. If there is anything you would like to know the name of, please ask!

See you soon!

Katie xxx

<3 Beauty Haul Essentials <3

So, I have been bad and not posted in a while! However, this means I have more time to shop so it's not all bad. And I have been working hard elsewhere which makes me feel less guilty! This is just a teeny tiny haul of a few of my fave recent purchases in the beauty side of things! ENJOY! 

Say hello to my new best friend... yes, I am talking about my new Mac Pro Longwear foundation. This is my one true love and just in time for Valentine's day, too! My shade in this is NC15. (Yes, I am as pale as a ghost.) I am always on the search for a new foundation that is 'the one'. I have read so many varied reviews on Mac foundations. It seems that people either love love love them or find that they break them out or irritate their skin. This caused me to panic a bit so I popped into Selfridges and asked for a couple of samples as I didn't fancy paying £24.50 on something that didn't do the job for me! However, this is my new all-time favourite foundation (at the moment.) Out of all the ones I have tried this is by far the best. At this price, it isn't the cheapest but definitely isn't enough to quite break the bank and it is also very worth the money in my case. I have very oily skin and find that throughout the day I have to keep blotting my skin and then by the time I get home my makeup has already ran halfway down my face anyway! BUT this foundation seems to do the trick and really lives up to its 'longwear' title! Definitely worth a purchase or even just picking up a little sample at your nearest Mac counter.

My next beauty crush is this Topshop Lipstick in 'Secret Admirer'. I have wanted to buy a nice, soft, pinky lipstick for a while now. I have also wanted to try a Topshop lippy as I have never bought one before. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and impulsed by this while waiting in the Topshop queue. It is so soft and really matches up to the quality of my Bobbi Brown Lipsticks. It only costs £8, so at the fraction of the price of higher end lippies but near-enough the same quality I will definitely be looking into wider variety of shades in the future! 

Next in line is my Bare Minerals eyelid primer. I bought this near Christmas time as it came in a set which was on sale. I didn't really even notice it a first but when I got it home I thought I'd give it a try! Usually, when I don't use an eyelid primer, I find my eyeshadow to be really dry on my eyes and even turn a bit flakey (not attractive, I know.) When I use this, it sets a nice base for my eyeshadow or if I leave it on alone it leaves my eyelids with a nice, natural shimmer that lasts all day. Such a nifty little thing!

Another impulse till buy here. I had no idea Primark even did face wipes... up until now that is. These wiped come in scented, unscented and oil balancing versions. I picked up the scented ones because I thought the packet was pretty. These a such a bargain as it is a twin pack with a total of 50 wipes! They don't do anything spectacular but are perfect for sleepovers, weekends away or even just to throw in your bag at a festival!

 Hope you enjoyed reading!

What are you latest beauty essentials?

xxx Katie xxx