Tuesday 28 April 2020

Everything I Own: MAC Edition

Hi everyone,

This post has been inspired by Rachel from the YouTube channel thingsbytheberk. Rachel puts out loads of beauty related content including reviews, best and worst products from well known retailers, and over Christmas she does daily advent calendar unboxing's along with loads of other amazing videos. Rachel uploads Monday to Friday on her channel.

Today, I'm going to talk about all the products I own from MAC, some of which are new, or that I have used or that I haven't used at all.



Paint Pot in 'Painterly'
I use the 'Painterly' paint pot as an extra base after I used my eye primer, due to having oily eyelids. Also, the 'Painterly' is the closest to my natural skin tone as I have a neutral complexion. It works extremely well as an eye base, just make sure that you set with an eyeshadow of a similar colour before you start your eyeshadow look.

Fluid Line in 'Black Track'
I use the 'Black Track' fluid line to sightline my upper eyelid, due to having hooded eyelids. This is a little trick that I learnt from Wayne Goss years ago, and I use this method every time that I do my make up and it works; despite the fact that it tickles.

Blush in 'Melba'
This is a more recent addition to my MAC collection, and I decided to get the famous 'Melba' shade as I don't seem to have any neutral toned blushers in my make up collection.


Fix+
I use Fix+ to not only to set my make up once I have finished, but I also use this to foil my eyeshadows if I want them to shine a little bit more. I actually find that my make up does last longer if I do use Fix+, and it gives my complexion a bit of a glow.

Volcanic Ash Exfoliator
This is the only skincare product that I own from MAC, and it works wonders as an exfoliator. It's a little bit on the rougher side for a manual exfoliator, but it does the job; especially if you have oily/ combination skin.


Single Eyeshadows
I only own three single eyeshadows from MAC, and they are in 'Tempting', 'Sumptious Olive' and 'Stylishly Merry'.


Lipsticks
I own a number of lipsticks from MAC, and what is in the photo is only a small selection that I own. The shades of MAC lipsticks that I own are: Rebel, Snob, Brave, Chatterbox, Plumful, Craving, Impassioned, Syrup, Speed Dial and Girl About Town.


Custom 15 Pan 'Neutral' Palette
I designed this palette a few years ago, and it looks as if it pulls into the range of being a warm neutral palette. I honestly couldn't tell you what shades are in the palette.


Custom 'Pink' Quad & 'Blue' Duo
I remember when I designed these that colourful eyeshadows wasn't really a done thing, but now it has become the norm with the likes of Colourpop and Huda Beauty releasing eyeshadow palettes with a colourful theme to them. I know the shades in the Duo are 'Steamy' and the now discontinued shade 'Fresh Water', and in the quad once of the shades  'Stars and Rockets', which has also been discontinued, and another shade is called 'Swish', but I can't remember the other two shades.







Tuesday 21 April 2020

Products I've Used Up

Hi everyone,

Here's all of the products that I have used up over the past few months, so I thought I would share my thoughts on the products that I have used up.



Neal's Yard Aromatic Shower Gel
This was a lovely shower gel to use, and a small amount went a long way. I would say that it had more of an oil consistency due to it having a lightweight texture. The Aromatic fragrance from Neal's Yard is very relaxing, as its a lavender based scent. This is a lovely and luxurious shower gel, and it would make a great present/ special treat for someone.

Aussie Pure Locks Shampoo
This was one of the best cleansing shampoos I've ever used, and unfortunately it has been discontinued.

Aldi Liquid Soap in Rhubarb & Rose
The liquid hand soaps from Aldi are my go-to soaps for washing my hands. I've enjoyed using most of the scents from this range from Aldi.

Nivea Creme in Oil Pearls Shower Gel in Cherry Blossom
It has been years since I have used a shower gel from Nivea, and I had forgotten how moisturising they are. I'm not really a fan of cherry blossom, but this was gifted to me as a Christmas present along with a few other Nivea products. 


Rituals 'Ritual of Karma' Deodorant
This is a lovely deodorant from Rituals, but it isn't something I would go out and buy on an everyday basis. The Karma range from Rituals is one of my favourites, as its so light and fresh.

Sure Advanced Protection Deodorant in Ultimate Fresh
I've liked the deodorants from Sure for years, and this has a really fresh scent, and it does the job.


Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Face Wash
This is a lovely cleanser from Kiehl's, and it works really well if you have oily/ combination skin. I used this as part of my morning skincare routine, and it lasted well over a year before I ran out. I've got one more of these cleansers, which I'm due to start using once my current morning cleanser runs out.

Kiehl's Rosa Artica Lightweight Cream
This is a lovely moisturiser full of antioxidants. I used this moisturiser as part of my morning routine, due to it being a lightweight formula. It sunk into the skin more or less straight away. I would consider buying this moisturiser again if I was ever in need of morning moisturiser.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
It has taken me around 18 months to finish this little pot of eye cream, as you only need a small amount. I've just started the other back up that I have of this eye cream.


Dr Botanicals Japanese Orange Lift & Firm Serum
This is a lovely lightweight serum, and I use this as part of my three step evening serum routine. It has a lovely mild citrus scent, and it sinks into the skin straight away. I'm currently using my second bottle of this at the moment, and I would repurchase in the future.

Dr Botanicals 100% Natural Bio-Restorative Overnight Moisturiser
I was doing a bit of research to figure out what the overnight moisturiser was called that I had used up, as I couldn't remember the product name. It turns out that this product has also been discontinued, which is shame as this product did an amazing job as an overnight moisturiser and I actually felt a difference with my skin when I woke up the following morning.

Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil
This is my all time favourite product from Dr Botanicals, and I think I'm currently using my fourth bottle. I adore this product, as it sinks into the skin straight away due to its lightweight texture and it has a pleasant, but mild scent.

REN Wake Up Wonderful Night Time Facial
This is a wonderful product from REN, and I loved using this as part of my Sunday evening routine. This is an intense product, and it did take me a few months to get used to it. This is one I would buy again.


Boots No 7 Revitalising Toning Water
I flew through this toner, and I only used it in the evenings to add a bit of hydration to my skin. I may consider buying this again in the future.

Clinique 'Take the Day Off' Cleansing Oil
This ended up taking me well over a year to use up, and that was using it every evening. This formed the first step of my double cleansing routine. Towards the end it did start to 'turn', as it had a strange scent, which is something that I have never experienced with a cleansing oil before.


Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Body Butter (Travel Size)
One of my favourite ranges from the Body Shop, as I adore how luxurious it smells. I was gifted this as part of a Christmas present from a friend, and I enjoyed using every drop of this. Lush

Yogurt of Bulgaria Sensitive Probiotic Shower Gel
This was lovely to use, and had a really nice rose scent. Gorgeous product

Pixi Rose Tonic (Travel Size)
This was my first time in using the Pixi Rose Tonic, and I really enjoyed the experience. I'm currently working my way through a full size of the Rose Tonic, and I have one on back up. I use this as part of my evening skincare routine.

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Shower Gel (Deluxe Size)
I got one shower out of this shower gel, and in all honesty I wouldn't buy a full size as I just didn't enjoy using it. The scent did linger for a bit after I had got out of the shower.


Clinique Moisture Surge Moisturiser
I have gone through a few of these over the years, but I recently noticed that it just wasn't providing my skin with enough moisture that it currently needs. It is a really good basic hydrating moisturiser, but it just doesn't work for my skin needs anymore.

Soap & Glory No Woman, No Dry Body Butter
I have been wanting to try this new range from Soap & Glory since it launched about 18 months ago. The body butter has a passionfruit and coconut scent, and it sunk into the skin straightaway. But, I'm still a little unsure about the scent.

Superdrug B.Soft Multi Acid Retexturising Pads
I got these to try as a more budget friendly option for a glycolic acid product. When I first used them I didn't find them that effective, as the pads didn't seem that saturated with product. But the more I used them, the more effective they bacame. I also had to use two pads to get a similar effect to either the Alpha H Liquid Gold or the Pixi Glow Tonic. This isn't bad product, especially if your looking for something mild to use if your skin isn't used to glycolic acid.







Tuesday 14 April 2020

My Music Planner

Hi everyone,

I have been using a planner for my flute practice for around 18 months, and I've really noticed a difference by having a planner to keep track of everything. I originally started off my music planner in a Large A5 Kikki K ring bound planner, but I have now moved onto the Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly.

The Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly is working fabulously as my current planner, and I even had the option to add additional lined pages at the back of the notes section (which I did). I think I paid an extra $10 for an extra 80 pages.



Mini Months & the Twelve Boxes at the front of the planner
I'm using the mini months and the twelve boxes at the front of the planner to keep track of my musical finances, and also to track the dates that I have made a payment towards anything musical.

Monthly Spreads
I use the monthly spreads to keep track of the times I practice my flute, and also any flute lessons that I may have during the month.

Pages Behind the Monthly Spreads
Behind each monthly spread the planner has five lined pages, and I use these pages for what my flute teacher sets me to work for my next lesson, as well as anything extra that I'm working on for the month.

Notes Pages at the back of the Planner
This is were I keep my detailed practice log, and this is everything that I have practiced in a session. This will tell me what needs more work or improvement, what area of a piece/s I'm currently focusing on, scales and arpeggios, and also anything technical that I could be working on. I also have another copy of this in a music journal, which is what I take to my lessons with me just in case my teacher needs to see it.


Tuesday 7 April 2020

Skincare & Beauty Haul

Hi everyone,

I've recently done a little bit of beauty and skincare shopping, as I'm due to run out of a few skincare items and I also wanted to try some new products.





Pixi Rose Tonic
I'm currently using the Pixi Rose Tonic as part of my evening skincare routine, and I'm slowly working my way through my first full size bottle. I seem to be going through the bottle I'm using at a reasonable rate, so I thought it be a good idea to purchase a backup ready for when I run out.

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Toner 5% Glycolic Acid
I decided to pick this up, as I wanted to try some more budget friendly glycolic acids to see how well they compare to ones from Alpha H and Pixi. I only paid around £5 for this large bottle from Superdrug, which is really good value for money (if it works), as I'm used to paying between £18-£30 for glycolic acid.


Estee Lauder Daywear Eye Cooling Antioxidant Moisture Gel Creme
I'm getting in need of new eye cream to use as part of my morning skincare routine, and I fancied trying something different. I've never used anything from the Estee Lauder Daywear skincare range before, so this is completely new to me. But I have heard some really nice things about this eye cream.

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate
The Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate is now a staple in my morning skincare routine, and I use this every morning. I'm currently about half way through my current bottle, so I thought I would purchase another one so then I have one on hand for when I run out.


MAC Blusher in 'Melba'
I've been intrigued by blushers from MAC for a long time, but I have never actually purchased one. I decided on the shade 'Melba', as its a lovely neutral peach, which is something I don't have in my make up collection. I'm not too sure what MAC are doing with the blushes, but when I was buying this from the website it was discounted. So, I'm not too sure if they are reformulating the blushes or discontinuing certain shades.

MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in 'Stylishly Merry' (Xmas Limited Edition)
I have been trying to get my hands on this eyeshadow from MAC for around three to four years, and never had any luck until now. Yes, this is a limited edition eyeshadow from MAC, but fear not if you want to get your hands on it as MAC have been bringing out the 'Stylishly Merry' every Christmas ever since they released it.