DIY Lip Scrub

As I am a total idiot, a few weeks ago I lost my LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub. The scrub is quite expensive for something that is mostly just sugar and flavouring so I decided to make my own rather than repurchasing straight away. And yes, I did make it bright green. Why? Why not. (Mostly because it was the only food colouring I had).

I read up on the internet for recipes and most involved honey but as I am not a direct relative of Winnie the Pooh no one in my family actually buys and eats the stuff. So as honey was off the table due to there being none in my house I did a bit more searching and found a few recipes that claimed that the honey wasn't 100% necessary so I decided to give one a try.

The recipe is very basic, you only need sugar and some sort of colouring, flavouring and/or oil. I opted out of using oil because the only type I had was olive oil and I didn't want to use that in a lip scrub. This didn't seem to be too important though and my scrub turned out just fine without it - I think the purpose was to bind it together a bit better.

Sugar is by far the most important ingredient. The first thing you must do is measure out the sugar. The amount doesn't really matter - it really depends on how much scrub you want. I would recommend a small spoonful.

Food colouring and flavouring comes next. Pink might be a better option than green (I hope mine doesn't look like I'm rubbing bogies on my lips - yuck!) but any colour or no colour would be fine. I used vanilla extract for flavouring. I think peppermint extract would be better but obviously taste is a personal thing so feel free to use any flavouring you want. Don't add too much of either of these, just as much as is required to make it a good consistency for rubbing on your lips. You do need to add something however as otherwise it would just be rubbing sugar on your lips.

I found this scrub to be almost as good as the LUSH scrub and as it was entirely made from things in my kitchen I am very happy with the result. It probably is easier to just go out and buy a scrub from LUSH but this is a good alternative if you'd rather make it yourself!

Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

Purple Lip Inspiration!

L-R: Maybelline Midnight Plum, Seventeen Scrumptious, MUA Kooky

L-R: Maybelline Midnight Plum, Seventeen Scrumptious, MUA Kooky

Having only just purchased some of my first ever purple lip products I feel as though it's understandable that I am in complete fear of wearing them outside of the comfort of my own home. Even though I am fairly confident that the colour does not look completely ridiculous on my face - let's hope so anyway! - I can't help but feel slightly anxious about going for a full on purple lip, and I'm almost certain that I can't be the only one who has this feeling.

As my most popular posts is 'Red Lip Inspiration!' I though following it up using another colour was only natural and I'm sure I'll become obsessed with the colour after this post as I did with red lips after my last post!

My absolute favourite of the three is Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 338 Midnight Plum (£7.19). There is no doubt in my mind that this is going to become one of my all time favourite lipsticks and I intend to wear it to as many Christmas parties as possible! As the name suggests it has a dark plum purple colour which is absolutely gorgeous. Something which I did not expect about it, however, was that if you hold in under a light you can see very subtle blue shimmers running through it. I don't think that the blue colour is very noticeable on the lips but it is still slightly shimmery which gives a gorgeous effect. This is honestly one of the nicest lipstick colours I have ever owned so I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a dark colour to wear now that the season of dark lips has arrived.

Alternatively, a slightly less bold purple is Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in Scrumptious (£4.79). This shade is very glossy and does not leave too much colour on the lips so I think it would be a great shade to use if you wanted to gently ease yourself into wearing purple lips. It is fairly buildable though so if you did want a slightly more intense (but still glossy) look this would also be ideal. Although it is shiny it doesn't feel sticky on the lips and is more long lasting than I would have expected for a product with this sort of formula.

The final product is not one which I think is very good at all but is great colour inspiration as that aspect of it is amazing. MUA Luxe London Velvet Matte Lipgloss in Kooky (£3) is such a pretty colour and I would recommend it if you want something cheap that you can use to find out if purple suits you or to take some good selfies but I found the quality of it to be very poor. When it dried it was so dry that I couldn't rub my lips against each other and it eventually began to crumble and crack off of my lips. Trying to get the remainder of it off my lips proved a challenge too - it required quite a lot of scrubbing! It's such a shame as the colour pay off and finish are amazing and I would have liked to love this product.

Despite any slightly negative experiences, I am absolutely loving purple lip shades and so should you! If you've been feeling a little anxious about going out with colours like this I'm wholeheartedly encouraging you to give it ago - I'm sure you won't regret it!

If you've got any good purple shades you think I'd like or have been inspired to try purple lips then please let me know!
Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

How To Keep Your Lips Soft

One of the worst things about it getting colder is dry lips and the problems that they cause, particularly in the lipstick department. Lipstick looks awful on cracked and uneven lips no matter how well you prep them and I have often given up on trying half way through application and taken it off again.
I'm very thorough with taking care of my lips, and the number one product that I would recommend is the LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub (£5.50, 25g).

Bubblegum Lip Scrub

This is one of the best selling products from Lush and it's very easy to understand why. All you do is take a small amount of the scrub and rub it on your lips before licking off any excess. Once it is all gone I find that I can genuinely feel the difference in my lips before and after. I do think it's a bit pricey for something with only 6 ingredients but you don't really need to use much each time so it should last you a while. You can may DIY scrubs if you want to though, you can easily find instructions with a quick google search. Also, if the Bubblegum flavour isn't really to your liking they have Mint Julips and Popcorn all year round and Santa's Lip Scrub at Christmas time so you're sure to find something you like. This is a product I would repurchase again and again so if you haven't got round to trying it yet head out to your nearest Lush immediately!

After using the scrubs I like to use some Vaseline (£2.18, 20g) or another lip balm just to add a little extra moisture. Some others that I like are the Maybelline Baby Lips or Nivea Hydro Care Lip Protection.

Vaseline

I'm not sure there's much I can say about Vaseline apart from that it's effective and that I find that it helps my lips. At the moment it's being sold in cute little Vintage pots which I quite like too. I want to try some new lip balms as I haven't really tested that many so if anyone has any recommendations let me know! I just thought I'd include Vaseline as it is what I typically use after the scrub and it seemed like it fit in nicely to the post.

Have any of you tried the Lush scrub or have any even better solutions? Having soft lips is something that I think is quite important so be sure to let me know!

Thanks for reading,

Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

AUTUMN LIPSTICK PICKS

As Summer is pretty much at an end and Autumn (fall) has arrived, everyone is going to be wearing different - most likely darker - lipsticks. Because of that I have decided to make a post showing 3 lipsticks that I'll be wearing throughout Autumn.

Left to right: Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick 107, MAC New York Apple, 17 Mirror Shine Scrumptious

Just a quick note - I've noticed that the lipsticks look a bit more pink in the images I have taken of my lips then they should, the swatches are probably more accurate representations of the colour.

Rimmel  Kate Moss Matte Lipstick (107); Boots; £5.49

A deep, wine red colour. I love this colour and it stays really well. I also think Rimmel is currently on a 2 for £10 offer at Boots - so now would be a good time to buy!

MAC Frost Lipstick (New York Apple); MAC stores or counters; £15.50

Another deep red. This has a slight berry colour which should be great for Autumn and I love it. I also think that it would make a nice Christmas colour.

Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick (Scrumptious); Boots; £4.79

Even though this lipstick looks purple (see image at top of post) it doesn't come out quite the way you expect. It has a glossy finish and looks like a purple-toned red. I'd say that it's fairly sheer so would not make the lips the most striking part of the make up look.

Thanks for reading

Eleanor xx

5 Back To School Make Up Essentials

The time has finally come upon us - it's time for those who are in school to go back. Dragging yourself out of your bed every morning for school is not the most fun activity, so is often delayed as long as possible. This leaves very little time for doing your make up.
I personally go for basics when I do my make up for school anyway; avoiding foundation, my eyebrows, or anything makes me look as though I'm done up. As I went back today I thought I'd compile a list of my 5 essential make up products that I wear for school. These could also be done for a lazy day or just a day where you don't want to wear heavy make up, it's not exclusive to school.

Top left to right: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, Vaseline Rosy Lips
Bottom left to right: Gosh White Kohl Eye Pencil, No7 Extreme Length Mascara, No7 Translucent Loose Powder

Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer; Boots; £4.19;  ???

For me, concealer is the most important product. I'd say that if I was only allowed one make up product for the rest of my life I would choose concealer. I wear it at school as it gives a lighter look due to you only having coverage where you particularly need it, in my case I mostly concentrate on under my eyes due to my dark circle problem.

This particular concealer has great coverage for the price and helps to conceal any imperfections wonderfully. I find that it dries quite quickly, though. This can be good  in some ways but means that I have to try to blend it as quickly as possible so that it looks how I would like it to.

Powder - No7 Translucent Perfect Light Loose Powder; Boots; £10.50; 20g

Even when you have very little make up on you must use powder to set it. Doing this makes it last longer so you are less likely to have to reapply during the day. If you have oily skin or skin that is shiny it is even more important to use powder as it takes away this shine, too.

I use this powder from No7 that I got when testing their Match Made Foundation service. I'm not always a fan of loose powder but this  is just what I need. I prefer translucent powders like this as you don't have to worry about getting the wrong shade.

Eye Pencil - Gosh Kohl Eye Pencil (White); Superdrug; £4.49; 1.1g

While you may think that white eye liner is a little strange, it does help to brighten up the eyes when used on the waterline - perfect for school! I'm always tired when I'm at school and the eye pencil helps to make my eyes look brighter, wider, and more awake. Plus the white colour is a lot more subtle and therefore is perfect for a minimal make up look. I personally would not use it anywhere but my waterline, especially for school.

This eye pencil is pretty good and doesn't tug at the eyes when you try and apply it. It doesn't take long to do and is easy to control

Mascara - No7 Extreme Length Mascara; Boots; £12.50; ???

Mascara is obviously one of the most important steps. It makes your eyes look bolder and bigger, as well as making your lashes look longer and more defined.

I don't remember getting this mascara and I think I have a sample version as it is fairly small. Despite that, it is a good mascara that I like to wear and that extends the length of my eyelashes just as the name suggests. It isn't my all time favourite mascara but it serves its purpose just fine. It doesn't clump and I'd say that overall it's a good mascara.

Lips - Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips Rose And Almond Oil Petroleum Jelly; Boots; £2.19; 20g

I personally like to wear a lipgloss to school or something that will tint my lips slightly and make them look shiny. I also like things that are moisturising on my lips as I am concerned about them being dry, especially as it will start getting colder soon and that is probably going to dry them out and if they are dry it makes life much more difficult when applying lipstick.

Although Vaseline isn't technically lipgloss I like this as it has a pink tint to it as well as being moisturising. It is also good value for money and all types of vaseline are very good for the lips.

I hope this has helped anyone who wants a basic make up look, whether they are in school or not.

Eleanor xx

MAC Lipstick Collection

In the last month or two I have purchased a few MAC lipsticks and I have definitely been enjoying them quite a lot as would be expected from a lover of lipstick like me. I am fairly new to more expensive make up so MAC isn't a brand I have owned a lot of products from before so my collection is only just beginning and hopefully will continue to grow in the coming months/years. If anyone is reading I would love it if you could recommend some good ones as I'm kind of spoiled for choice whenever I'm at the MAC counter! Currently considering getting Impassioned.
I have 3 lipsticks from MAC at the moment (pictured below in the following order) - Angel, Bombshell + New York Apple.

If you are familiar with these lipsticks you may well have noticed that they are all of the Frost finish. This was far from intentional, these were simply the colours which I happened to like (please bear in mind that the swatches provided aren't particularly good as my camera hates me today). I am definitely interested in trying some of the other finishes when I next buy a MAC lipstick.

Angel is a fairly subtle baby pink colour that edges towards a nude, although I definitely wouldn't describe it as a nude. I really like this colour but I wear it the least as unfortunately it melted slightly and snapped off. It is now partially reassembled but I'm wary of breaking it again. May repurchase to avoid the the stress of breaking it. You could definitely wear this as an everyday lipstick and would not have to be reserved for more exciting occasions.

Much brighter than Angel, Bombshell is an eye-catching pink colour. I typically wear a pink lip rather than a red so these two lipsticks are great for me. I find it to be the least moisturising of the three but isn't particularly drying compared to some lipsticks I have.

My favourite (and the most recently purchased) of the lipsticks is New York Apple. It's such a gorgeous berry red that you could either play up for the evening or down to wear casually. It is also the most moisturising of the three from my experiences so far. I just love the colour and I feel that it would look good on most skin tones and I also think that it would be more suitable for the Autumn/Fall and Winter months so I look forward to getting a lot of wear from it soon!