Collective Fashion Haul // A Video

Please excuse what a state I look in this video, I'd just got home and found myself alone in the house during daylight hours, so I had to make the most and film in a very short window of time! It also turns out that Revlon Photoready foundation is not actually all that photo ready, as it makes me look SO shiny on camera! I did notice this before with another couple of videos, and made a mental note not to wear it when filming again, but as I said, I was in a bit of a rush this time and didn't think of it!

I won't be doing a post on this haul as I just find clothing a real pain to photograph in all its glory. However you will, I'm sure, be seeing these pieces in upcoming OOTD/outfit posts, so keep an eye out for those.

Until then, I hope you enjoy having a little nose into the contents of my (new) wardrobe, and if you do enjoy this video then please do pop over to my Youtube channel and give it a thumbs up and subscribe. I must admit, I'm feeling a bit disheartened again, as while I know it does take time to build up an audience, and I do make these videos for enjoyment more than anything else as a bit of a side project as well as to compliment my blog, my views have really decreased since I started out with filming, and I'm not really sure why! If anything, I would have thought it would be the opposite, but oh well, such is life.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good Monday! If you have a Youtube channel then do leave me your link in the comments below, I'm always on the lookout for new ones to have a watch as I seem to get through my feed so fast!

xx

New in: Birthday Beauty Bits

Hello everyone, I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about all-things birthday-related by now, but I have one last post to share with you, and that is the beauty bits I was lucky enough to receive. Now, I have already uploaded a video on this to my Youtube channel, but as I know that some of you prefer to read about things instead I thought I'd pop up some pictures and tell you all about them here, too. If, however, you do fancy a cheeky watch of the video then here it is below. If not then keep reading :)

Video:

First up, I finally got my mitts on the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. I actually ordered this one well in advance, as I've had my eye on it for the longest time. It contains lots of lovely ingredients like avocado oil, and smells of vanilla and mandarin, which frankly is just divine. It's really a moisture mask, but the anti-bacterial properties of the manuka honey make it great for blemishes, too.

Continuing on the theme of skincare,  also got the Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir, and so far I'm absolutely loving it. It's so rare to find an eye cream that offers to fight dark circles, puffiness and fine lines all in one go, let alone one that actually delivers, and so far this one has definitely impressed. Plus, it has a lovely herbal scent, which is always a bonus in my eyes.

Lastly for skincare, my lovely mother got me the Elemental Herbology Weekend Facial set, which consists of their Facial Detox mask, Facial Glow Radiance Peel and Biodynamic Souffle, which is an overnight moisture mask. So far I've only used the first two once, so I will keep you posted, but so far I like them a lot.

Moving onto makeup, the hubby took me birthday shopping at the weekend, so it was only natural that I'd pop into Mac. I went in looking to come away with a Paint Pot in either Bare Study or Groundwork, and in the end I went with Groundwork. If you're not sure what these are then they are basically cream pigments which can be used either as an eyeshadow base or on their own, and I've been enjoying using mine solo as an easy every-day eye colour. While there, I was inevitably tempted by the lipsticks, and soon foun myself in the possession of my first Cremesheen lipstick in the shade Coral Bliss, which is a lovely sheer, pinky coral. It has quite a glossy finsh, meaning it won't cling to any dry patches, and the colour is buildable, so you can vary the level of intensity. All in all, a lovely, easy to wear lipstick for Spring.

Last but not least comes a Sheertone blush in the shade Peachykeen. I actually had no intention of getting a blush at all, but the sales assistant had popped some of this onto my cheeks while I was in-store, and after I left I kept finding myself admiring the pretty, healthy glow it had given me whenever I passed a mirror, and in the end I just had to go back and snap it up. I'd say it's somewhere between a peach and a coral, and in the pan it does seem to contain some glitter particles, but these don't transfer onto the skin at all as it leaves only a luminous glow.

So that's my lot! I may well be doing a second part to this post at some point, as I know I've been sent a few  other beauty-related bits as presents which haven't arrived yet. 

Hope you enjoyed having a little nose at the latest additions to my beauty cupboard and that you're all having a great week.

xx

Youtube: Mini October Favourites Video!

Why hi. Just thought I'd share my very first Youtube video with you, which was made and uploaded this evening.

I was a bit nervous about posting this out there for all to see. I think that some people can take bloggers and Youtube videos in the wrong way, especially if they don't know much about the online beauty community, but I also think that too many of us bloggers worry about it too much! It's just a bit of fun, after all, and if we are supportive of our friends' and families' ventures then they probably will be of ours, too. That's what love and friendship is all about. If they are not, then they are probably not worth your time anyway. 

Just my tuppence.

Anyway, as this was my first video, I decided to do a shortened version of my favourites for October - I did include many more products in this month's Favourites post (here), but in the video I have just chosen my top five of the bunch. Now, ordinarily, I would go into more detail about the products featured in the video in this post, as I know that some people prefer to read than to watch, but as I have already blogged about it you can just click on that little linky for all the juicy details.

I know that the lighting and image quality isn't great, but since I am new to this malarky I hope you can forgive that for the time being!

xx

Youtube Hauls

I've been watching loads of  'haul' videos on youtube this evening.
For those of you who don't know, a 'haul' video is where someone gets together everything they have recently bought, and sort of show and review them, so that those watching can either go and get themselves the same bit, or just enjoy having an insight into someone else's style.
 At first, I didn't get why people would make them, because if you want to see what's available in a shop without leaving your house then, generally speaking, you can just have a look on the website. But after watching a few hauls which were, well, not really to my taste, I did come across a couple of girls who have really similar taste to mine, but what I really loved about their videos was that they had picked things which, although in my 'style zone', I perhaps wouldn't have thought of picking out myself. It's a really great way to get some fashion inspiration, and see how other people style up pieces that you like, and also how to add pieces you might not have thought of to your wardrobe.
A lot of girls also do videos showcasing their beauty hauls, which is, again, a really interesting viewing experience - perhaps more so. I don't know about you, but I always find myself looking at friends, and just randomers in the street or the pub, who seem to have perfect skin, or who are sporting perfectly shaded eye-shadow, and wondering how on earth they did it. My elaborate  make-up attempts never seem to come out anywhere near as well, and I also find that, even when you think you've found the perfect foundation, the miracle effect never seems to last longer than a week, and then I find myself lusting after a better one!
So even though these haul vids aren't exactly make-up master classes, it's good to know the products that these people use, so we can see them in action and give them a whirl ourselves.

What are your Christmas beauty lust-haves? Do you have a special look planned for the big day?

The pictures above are of some of the more impressive finds amongst Primark haulers, and are actually from www.fluttersparkle.com . If you are interested in seeing the rest of her haul then go to http://www.flutterandsparkle.com/2011/12/another-primark-haul-november-december.html
Leopard print Peter Pan shirt, £7. Embellished crop vest, £10

For some good haul vids, I'd recommend visiting Zoella's channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/zoella280390?feature=watch - my favourite haul vids so far.