Favourites - Lip Products

Alright dolls, just thought I'd share a few of my fave lip products with you all!

These are the products that I find my hands reaching for the most when finishing off a makeup look, and most are from drugstores so are super affordable.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Lip Balm - 710 Drive Me Nude

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Lip Balm - 200 Keep Mauving

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Lip Balm - 300 Viva Violet

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Lip Balm - 210 Boom Chic A Boom

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick - 210 Coral in Gold

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer - Reckless

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm - Cherry Me

MAC Matte Lipstick - Taupe

In Action:

MAC Matte Lipstick - Taupe

(with gold lipgloss on top)

MAC Matte Lipstick - Taupe

(without lipgloss)

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick - 210 Coral in Gold

(finished off with powder all over to give a matte effect, and white eyeshadow in the middle of the bottom lip to highlight)

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer - Reckless

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm - Pink Punch

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of me wearing the Rimmel lip balms but I do plan on reviewing them soon because I lurveee them. So, I'll show you some photos then.

xxx

Budget 2015: Maintenance Grant Cuts

Conservative Budget 2015

(The aim of this budget is to clear the UK deficit.)

          Recently, it was announced that:

• Conservatives are cutting the maintenance grant - starting in 2016/17. 
• However, students from the poorest families, students with disabilities and students with children will still be eligible for a grant. 
• Also, the money that some students would have received from a maintenance grant is to be replaced by increasing the maximum maintenance loan amount to £8,200 per year.

After the budget and plans to reduce the deficit were announced, I witnessed many Facebook statuses and shared stories voicing concerns surrounding the cuts about to be introduced in the UK. As the majority of my social circle are people around my own age, and attend or plan to attend university, the moaning statuses were primarily based on the cuts to student maintenance grants.

 The difference between loans, grants, bursaries and scholarships

• Put simply, loans can be defined as money borrowed which has to be paid back, whereas the grants, bursaries and scholarships offered to some students do not require repayment.
• Loans (for both tuition fees and maintenance) and grants (for maintenance) are currently offered by the government and are usually administered through Student Finance England.
• Whereas, bursaries and scholarships can be offered to students by specific higher education institutions (universities), either to support students that come from low-income families or to reward students for outstanding grades, such as A Levels.

Not all students are eligible for a maintenance grant

• Students that come from low-income families - a household income of £25,000 or less per year - qualify to receive a maintenance grant of £3,387 per year.
• Students from families that earn up to £42,620 are also eligible for a grant but receive less.
• Students from families that earn £42,620+ are not eligible to receive a maintenance grant. 

Grant to Loan

     To the people moaning about the grant being replaced by a loan:

     What makes you think you're entitled to a handout of money?

Surely if you're willing to take money then you should also be willing to pay it back.

There are many people attending university now, it is costing a fortune to provide students with grants that I don't really think we're entitled to - students' total income from employment doesn't usually meet the amount that means we have to pay tax (personal allowance); you can't really say we've contributed to society financially yet. So why should taxpayers - a lot of whom wont ever earn as much as graduates - fund maintenance grants? They shouldn't.

Just for the record, I am entitled to the maximum loan and grant amount from SFE and would have been eligible for a bursary from my university had I entered at first year, but transferring and entering in second year meant I was no longer eligible for this. Yes, I struggle to pay my rent and buy food - the only reason I can afford to do this is by being well, well into my overdraft and because I have 3 jobs. I would never expect someone else or an institution to pay for any aspect of my degree because it is my responsibility.

Borrow as much money as you need (overdrafts, loans, extra help from your uni or student finance etc.); being a student is a struggle.
However, you should have the intent to pay it back at some point. 

If you are at university you are an adult, don't expect someone else to pay your way and be debt free.

'People will stop applying for universities because they can't afford to go now'

Bullshit.

   Don't let someone tell you you can't afford to go to university! Do your own research.

Since students in 2016 may be entitled to more money, I'm assuming the worry is about being able to pay back the money after graduating.

How does anyone have any idea how much they will earn when getting a job after graduating?

How could you possibly know you wont be able to afford to pay the extra £3000 (in replace of the grant) back?

Nobody knows the answers to these questions so don't claim you will not be able to afford to go to university just because of the increased amount of loans.

Yes it has been announced that universities will be able to increase tuition fees starting from 2017/18, but we have no idea what to or which universities will increase the amount they charge so I wont discuss this at the moment; I am focusing on the people purely complaining about the grant cuts.

Repayments

Obviously we have no idea how much we'll be earning in the future, but uni repayments are done at an affordable rate. You do not pay anything back until you start earning over £21,000, which if you do attend university, you are probably aiming to do. But if you're income drops to below this amount, then you stop paying. 

Below £21,000 = £0 per month

£25,000 = £30 per month

£30,000 = £67 per month

£50,000 = £217 per month

Interest is inflation plus up to 3%

So essentially you're paying the amount of a phone bill per month.

Feel free to voice your opinions in the comments

x

MOTW - Black and Gold

Make-up of the Week

This make-up is my go-to look at the moment; it's easy and looks alright.

Base

see my base routine post

Brows

see my eyebrow routine post

Eyes

1. MUA Twelfth Night Eyeshadow Palette

Ice - This colour matches my skin tone so I used this as a base all over the lid

Star Shine - Dark grey used in the outer corners & through the crease of the eyelid

Oudh - Gold used in the middle of the lid

2. MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter (Iridescent Gold)

Used in inner corners of the eye and to highlight the brow bone

3. MAC Mineralize Duo Eyeshadow (Love Connection)

Gold- used for extra shimmer in the middle of lid

4. MUA Gel Eyeliner (Underground)

5. W7 Zoom More Volume Mascara

Lips

MAC Lipstick (Taupe)

Gold lipgloss on top (brand unknown)

x

Post-exams

Apologies for the lack of posts recently!

Like every other student I've had exams to be revising for. But now I've finished with all 6 of them I can actually get back to having a life (and blogging).

Having 4 deadlines in a week, then 6 exams within 3 weeks wasn't the most relaxing time of my life; the past couple of months have been so stressful. Why is it that the education system is set up so we're examined on everything at pretty much the same time? I was taught 3 modules per term, so why not have 3 exams at the end of 1st term and 3 exams in the Summer term? I shouldn't have to recall a shit tonne of information about each of the 6 at the same time. Ridic.

Anyway, because of the work load I had, I basically lived as a nocturnal library hermit. Nocturnal because the library at Uni of Kent is packed during the day; in order to be able to sit anywhere me and my flatmate ended up going to the library at 9pm and left at around 6am. Should probably sort out a different plan for next year.

Since exams have finished I've literally been bed bound - catching up on sleep that I didn't have when I was at uni. But getting up at 3pm isn't boding well with the mother around.

Anyway, enough moaning. I'm going back to sleep.

Night!

(Yes it's 4pm leave me alone)

Base Routine: High Street and Budget Brands

'iya

Incase you were wondering how I do my base/skin makeup (I know you probably weren't), here's a step by step of how I paint my face:

1. Moisturiser

Not going to bother explaining how to moisturise...

2. Foundation

Usually, I pump the foundation onto the back of my hand (using around 1-and-a-half pumps). Using my fingers, I blob this around my face then using an angled face brush, I buff the foundation into my skin using circular motions.

3. Concealer

Using one of the concealers shown, I conceal under my eyes, the creases of my nose, the high-points of my chin, my nose and the middle of my forehead.

Note: Use a light concealer to also act as a highlighter.

4. Contour/Bronzer

Next, I press the bristles of my bronzing brush, like a pencil, to create a thinner and more precise tip. I then use the bronzer to contour my cheekbones, my nose, under my lower-lip, my upper forehead (near the hairline), and my jawline.

5. Blusher

Using the same brush - so the colours blend more easily - I apply blusher in circular motions on the apples of my cheeks, on my cheekbones and up towards the temples. 

6. Concealer

Using a stick concealer, I then highlight my face. I apply this under the bronzer on my cheekbones - for a more defined line - down the middle of my nose and up to the middle of my forehead - in the shape of a tree - under my eyes in triangles, and on the high point of my chin.

7. Blend

To blend the products together I use a sponge.

8. Highlighter

After blending, I apply highlighter down the middle of my nose, to my lower-middle forehead, above the blusher applied to my cheekbones, and on my chin.

9. Powder - all over to blend

To tone the shimmer of the highlighter slightly, to blend further, and to set my makeup in place I apply powder all over.

10. Highlighter 

When everything else is done, I usually apply the shimmer highlighter to my cupid's bow ready to apply lipstick.

Products used:

Moisturiser: 

No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream

Foundation: 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation (103 True Ivory)

W7 Face Blender Brush

Concealer: 

Natural Collection Cover-up Cream (Fair)

Bronzer: 

MUA Bronzed Perfection

Blusher: 

Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks (Sweet Cheeks)

Stick Concealer: 

MUA Hide and Conceal Cover-up Stick (Light)

Boots Soft Cosmetic Sponge Wedges

Highlighter: 

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter (Iridescent Gold)

MUA F11 Brush

Powder: 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder (001 Transparent)

Ciao

x

Short Hair Tutorial

Ite geezers.

A while ago I had a request for a tutorial explaining how I style my hair...

This style is pretty much the only thing I ever go for as I'm not a fan of my mop being straight. So, here's my everyday/every-night/every-time-in-existence hair styling routine:

1. Not a step, but this is what my hair looks like wet.

 2. Instead of drying my hair straight away, I clip it up out of the way then do my makeup first. There's no particular reason for this, I just don't like dealing with wet-through hair.

3. There is no trick or technique to how I dry my hair.

All I do is run my fingers through it to give it some volume - I don't brush it at all - whilst I blast it full pelt. 

 4. When it is pretty much dry, I clip all my hair up again so I can deal with the under-cut parts of my hair.

Using Nicky Clarke Classic Short Style Straighteners, I curl the undercut hair and then just the ends of the longer sections until I reach my fringe.

By the way, I'm currently in the process of growing the under-cut situation out, which is why I have a random shorter section under my longer side.

Also, ignore the photo of me spraying my hair with heat protecting stuff, you should probably do this but I never do; this is purely for show and I wont tell you what make etc. it is because it's irrelevant.

 5. Next I take a small section of my fringe and straighten it, but curl the very end under. I then do this to the rest of the sections of my fringe/the hair that falls forward.

 6. After the long side is sorted out, I straighten the shorter side and back of my hair so none of it is sticking up and going awol.

7. You can leave it here if you wish, but I like to mess my hair up a bit after. I do this by taking a small amount of styling paste (L'Oréal something or other) and basically scrunch it into my hair and flatten any fly-aways. Obviously any styling paste/wax/putty - what a gross word - will do the same thing. 

Top two photos are the back of my hair before the paste, and the bottom two are after. Not much difference but who cares.

DONE.

This usually takes me less than ten minutes.

Yet my makeup can take me 2 hours...

If anyone else has other requests for posts then hit me up!

xxx

Room Tour: Home

Since I've been at home ill for the past two weeks and don't have anything interesting to write about, I thought I'd do a little room tour.

(Details at the bottom of the page)

Wooden Storage - IKEA

White Drawers - IKEA

Lampshade - Argos

Table Lamp - Argos

Mirror - Argos

Rug - Argos

Curtains - Argos

Headboard and Cushion covers - Handmade

Quilt and Pillow Covers - Tesco

Bulldog Cushion - Tesco

Grey Blanket - Tesco

Magnetic Pin Board - Home Bargains

Daughter Photo Frame - Clinton Cards

White Hanging Heart - eBay

3 Piece Hanging Hearts - eBay

Candle - Eadie & Wallace 'Sweet Tangerine Burst'

Candle - Yankee Candle 'Fluffy Towels'

Faux Flowers - Wilkos

Jean Paul Gaultier Coke Bottle - Covent Garden

Name Painting - Somewhere in Disneyland, Florida

xxx