Summer Beauty Essentials ♡

Summer, summer, summer! As you can tell by the title, I am going to be talking about my summer beauty essentials. Hope you enjoy :)

Simple Moisturiser
Winter is when your skin trnds to be most dry but it is still important to moisturise in summer and for that I love this product. It puts so much moisture into your skin without making it oily. It has no harsh chemicals and it is definitely an essential for summer.

Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm
I talk about this so much, its unreal, but this lip balm hydrates your lips so well, it actually works and isn't just a gimmick like a lot of lip balms.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer
For a very light coverage, highlighting concealer that is perfect for under your eyes, this one is my go to as it feels very light on the skin and glides on so smoothly.

MUA Bubblegum Blusher
I'm pretty sure this was in my spring essentials too but this Blush is a gorgeous bright pink, which gives you a pink flush to your cheeks but still looks natural. It has incredible pigmentation and lasts all day too.

Sleek iDivine Storm Eyeshadow Palette
This palette is the most beautiful, versatile, pigmented palette I have ever tried. There are so many looks you can do with it, whether you want natural, smoky, colourful, shimmery or matte. The eyeshadows are amazing quality, it feels like it should be a high end product and they never fall down during the day.

Collection No Clumps Mascara
This has beaten my New Look Mascara by far. It is now my holy grail mascara, it is the best Mascara I have ever tried. It gives so much length and volume, it does everything it says and it is such good value for £2.99. This isn't really specifically a summer essential but Mascara is and this is my favorite.

MAC Hot Gossip Cremesheen Lipstick
BEST! LIPSTICK! EVER! This is my favourite lip product and it has amazing pigmentation, doesn't look cracked and is a beautiful colour. Cant say anything more about this!

Soap & Glory Righteous Butter
This really moisturises my skin for summer and sinks in quickly. Soap & Glory is one of my favorite brands and the scent is gorgeous.

Water
Sounds weird but water is actually amazing for your skin and hydrates you as being dehydrated is the worst thing that can happen to you in summer. Drinking water is probably the most important thing when you are in the sun so make sure you do it!

Sun Cream
An obvious one but this will protect your skin from the sun but still get you a tan. If you don't put sun cream on you can burn and burning increases your risk of cancer (just something they told us at school) so it will just take a quick minute but putting sun cream on is super important.

I may also be doing a summer fashion essentials because if I had included all of them in this post it would've been so long.

What is your summer beauty essential?

Ellie xoxo

Everyday Makeup Summer 2015♡

I did an everyday makeup post in early spring but most of my products have changed since then and I felt like doing another one so here is my everyday makeup at the moment for this summer. I do tend to change up the eyeshadows and lip products that I wear occasionally but this is just my favourite look that I wear the most. I don't wear all this makeup to school, I have a separate post about what makeup I wear to school but this is the kind of thing I do at weekends and holidays and just when I feel like wearing makeup, as I don't wear makeup every single day.

Base

On any everyday basis I won't bother with foundation or anything like that so this is probably what I will go for - just concealer and powder. If I am going out for a while and it is a very hot day I will also probably add a primer which would be the Maybelline Baby Skin in Warm Apricot.

The concealer I would pick is the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer, mainly under my eyes and I don't tend to wear concealer over my spots as it usually makes them worse. I will then powder with the Maybelline Matte Maker as this will keep my makeup looking a lot more sleek and stop it from sliding all down my face. I like this as it doesn't have much coverage so still gives a natural look.

I don't really put any blusher on as I always get quite rosy cheeks anyway in summer and as I am not wearing foundation, my skin still has colour in it and doesn't really need it.

Eyes

As I said, I change my eyeshadow up quite a lot, but the look I have been enjoying the most recently is from my Sleek palette (I have come back to this after being obsessed with it before, you may remember I used it in my last everyday makeup too, but I am going to use some different colours this time).

I put hearts over the shadows I picked but I will firstly use the shimmery light gold all over my life then take the pure goldy shade in my crease. This look is quite shimmery but it looks really cute on the eyes and is very nice for summer.

If you know me you will know I used to be obsessed with eyeliner but, although I still love it, recently I have actually been liking not wearing it as it makes a lot more heavy and it looks more natural and summery without it so I often skip that step.

I will then use my new favorite mascara, No Clumps by Collection, and add a few coats of that to my top and bottom lashes to make them more volumise and lengthened which really shapes the whole look.

Lips

Probably my favourite part of this whole look as I get to apply my favourite product, my everyday lipstick is the MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Hot Gossip and I wouldn't normally wear a lipstick on an everyday basis but it looks really natural and I just love how it looks and it really goes with the look as it is natural but still pinky and a bit bright.

That was my everyday makeup routine for summer, I hope you guys enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments what other posts you want to see.

Do you wear makeup on an everyday basis?

Ellie xoxo

PLL Get The Look - Aria ♡

So, as you probably know from all my posts, I am obsessed with a show called Pretty Little Liars, which if you don't watch, you really should because it's amazing!

Anyway, one of the characters called Aria has amazing outfits, so I thought I would do a get the look for her. This doesn't have to be for her its just quite a nice look if your going out or if you want to wear a bit more makeup. I can do ones for other characters if you want me to. 

I found this in my drafts and realised I had never posted it so I have just edited it a bit and I thought it would be a cute thing to post. This is going to be quite chatty and not exactly a tutorial. Hope you all enjoy!

Makeup

For the base, I would just pick a medium coverage foundation as Aria doesn't look like she wears heavy foundation, she just has quite a natural base but her skin looks really flawless. Then make your brows quite defined as Aria always has quite a strong brow look. As you can tell from the pictures, Aria has some good cheek bone action going on, so you will want to use a bit of bronzer and some blusher and highlighter to create a naturally flushed look.

Onto the eyes, we are going to be recreating the look in the titles, which is a really nice bronzy eye. So I would first of all take a matte light brown eye shadow and put it all over the lid. Then, I just took a gold shimmery colour near the lash line and blend it up, and a darker brown in the crease and blend it down. Then, I took a liquid liner and did a thin line on my lash line and took a pencil liner on my outer waterline and smudged it out. Then I used a light shimmery highlight colour in the inner corners and applied some really good mascara to my top and bottom lashes.

Hair
So you just want some really loose waves. In the first season Aria has pink streaks in her hair but you don't need to do this. Aria, in most of the episodes has her hair down and just natural a little bit wavy.

Outfit
This is where Aria really becomes her character. You'll notice she likes her belts and statement necklaces, and she likes to dress up, even for school.

I just picked this blue flowery dress as its quite similar to a dress Aria wore in season 4. I made it more her by adding some boots and a leather jacket.

I hope you enjoyed this get the look, if you want me to do more for different characters then let me know, they don't have to be Pretty Little Liars ones.

Ellie xoxo

Summer Holidays♡

Helloooo guys,

So today I am just doing a bit of an update post. As you guys probably know, its the summer holidays! I don't really know why I am doing a whole post dedicated to this but I thought I would anyway.

So now it is the holidays I am going to be spending a whole lot more time on my blog. I don't want to make too many promises but I am going to try and post around every two days this holidays for most of the time.

They will be little update or review posts and just chatty posts not like the kind of posts I do normally. I will still be doing two normal posts a week but I will also be doing extra posts.

I am hoping to do a lot this summer (I will probably do a bucket list some time soon) but I am also going on holiday to Cornwall with my dad, his girlfriend, her daughter (basically my sister) and my brother. I am not too sure if I will have wifi so I can't promise I will post every two days then but I have scheduled posts for two a week and I will also be taking a lot of photos which I will post when I get back.

I am super excited for this holidays as I was so bored with school and everything and can't wait to spend more time with my family and friends and spend more time on my blog.

I also have a huge change coming up in September which I will probably let you guys know about nearer the time.

I love you guys and I hope you have a good summer.

Ellie xoxo

Treat Yourself ♡

So it wasn't that long ago (I think February) when I did a pamper routine and I really enjoyed writing it, and considering my products have mostly changed a lot, I thought it would be perfect time to do another one of these posts - especially because quite a few people have exams at the moment, and its important for them to have a little break from revision and just have some me-time and a relax. So this is part of my one of those days series as I said on one of those days it is nice to have a pamper and here is how I would do it.

So people say you can't have pamper evenings in summer, but I don't think that's true. Its just as important to pamper yourself when its hot as it is when its cold.

Before we start on any thing else, its important to remove any makeup, so I like to use my Garnier Micellar Water for that.

Bath
So this is one crucial step to any pamper evening, even in the summer, its great to just lie in the bath for a while and forget about anything troubling you and just zone out, as well as keeping your skin nice and smooth and nice ready for when the crop tops and shorts come out.

I still love to use Lush, and this time I decided to use the S*x Bomb (I don't really know ewhy I put stars in as it doesn't really make a difference?!) Also, me being me, I can't have a bath without any bubbles, so I added some of my trusty Zoella Beauty Soak Opera, which is still going, after months of use, Zoe has created an amazing product!

Candles
Candles make me feel a lot more relaxed and they smell amazing. Yankee Candles are the best so I would definitely recommend lighting some around your bath.

Body Skincare
In the bath, I recommend using a body scrub - my personal favourite is Soap & Glory Scrub of Your Life and then, once you are out of the bath, the lush will already make your skin feel a million dollars, but just to add to that, I like to use body butter too. I'm sure youve already guessed which one, Soap & Glory Righteous Butter...

Face Skincare
My skincare really doesn't change that much, I like to keep it really Simple and use Simple, so just check out my Skincare Routine (here) to see what I do, but I basically just cleanse, tone and moisturise. I also like to use a face mask if I have one, I really like the Superdrug ones, especially the Chocolate Orange Self Heating one.

Relaxing
Once I've had a bath and done all my skincare, I will just sit down and relax for the rest of the evening. I sometimes like to do my nails but otherwise I will just watch a TV show or a movie on my iPad, I am moving New Girl at the moment, and check all my social media. When I am tired enough I will literally just fall asleep.

That is basically it for my pamper evenings, I really don't do much. I hope you all enjoyed this post.

What do you like to do on a pamper evening?

Ellie xoxo

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water Review ♡

A lot of people in the beauty world talk about the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and say how amazing it is, and I have to agree with them, so I thought I would do a little review of it.

So this is mostly known as a makeup remover but it also does cleanse your skin and really hydrates your skin.

Makeup removing wise, this is so much better than using makeup wipes and you can basically just hold it against your eyes and it will remove most of your makeup, however to get mascara off you sometimes need to scrub a tiny bit but this just takes your face, eye and lip makeup off so easily and it is really gentle, it doesn't sting in the slightest.

I have sensitive skin and this doesn't make me break out at all, if anything it makes my skin better.

Also this is a cleaner and it really does cleanse the skin well and keeps your skin really hydrates and healthy.

Overall, I really love this product and you can just use it on cotton pads and it takes your makeup off easily and makes your skin feel baby soft and gorgeous.

This is £4.99 which may seem quite expensive for a makeup remover but it is usually on offer for around £3 so that is okay and it is good value. Also, I feel like it is quite important to spend more money on skincare as if you have good skin, any makeup will apply a lot more easily and look better so it is worth spending a bit more money on and £5 is actually quite a bargain!

You can also buy a mini travel size for £1.99 which would be perfect if you were going on holiday or if you just want to try it out before you buy a full size.

You can buy the full size here and the mini size here. (This post isn't sponsored I just wanted to let you guys know my opinion on this product.)

What do you use to remove your makeup?

Ellie xoxo

My Happy Place♡

In autumn, winter and probably spring, if you asked me where my happy place was I would say my bedroom.

But recently, since the sun has come out and it has got a lot warmer, I have a new happy place, that is 100% my garden.

My garden is full of colour, beauty and life and I love it. Everywhere I look there is some kind of beautiful flower or ornament. I'm afraid my mum does all the gardening but I love love love just sitting or walking around my garden.

If I'm having a bit of a bad day,  or if I'm having one of the happiest days of my life, or anything in between, I will walk up my garden and go and sit on the swing seat at the top of the garden. You can hear nothing other than birds chirping, my neighbours pond streaming and the occasional noisy airplane. It really just puts everything into perspective and makes me feel so much better and I just love sitting there.

This post was short, the wrong day and deep but I just wrote it as an impulse and it turned out pretty deep *oops haha.

Ellie xoxo

One Of Those Days ♡

So we all have those days. You may feel ill, self conscious, unhappy or all of them, but you don't know why. You don't want to leave the house, you get emotional over the tiniest things - its just a part of life and we all have those days.

There isn't really any way of stopping these days, they're inevitable. But there are ways of making yourself feel a little more happy and a bit better. And that's what I'm going to be talking about today.

1. Talk to someone close to you.
Whether that be a parent, a relative or a friend there is always someone you can go to who loves you and will look out for you. You may think it is the worst thing to do but talking to someone is actually the best thing to do as keeping it all bottled up can end very badly, and its great to tell people what you are going through, they would never judge you.

2. Surround yourself with happy things.
Whether it be happy music, happy books, happy films or happy people, if you are not having the greatest time yourself, sad things will make it even worse and happy things will get you in the happy spirit and maybe make you a bit happier and stop your not-too-great mood.

3. Let it out.
If you can't talk to someone, try writing your feelings down in a diary or journal. Or have a nice cry and just let you feelings out. This will actually make you feel a lot better to get your feelings off your chest.

4. Laugh or Smile.
It may seem hard but try and just smile. A smile is the best cosmetic and it can make you feel a hundred times better so however hard it is, it will be a good thing if you just smile. Laughing is even better, because the smile will stick. Just try.

5. Treat Yourself.
Whether it be with a nice bar of yummy chocolate or a warm bubbly bath, when you're upset, eating your favourite food or watch your favourite movie can make you smile and a lot more happy.

So those were just five of my tips for trying to be a bit more happy on those sad days. I might make this into a bit of a series maybe I'm not sure?

What makes you smile on your down days? ♡

Ellie xoxo

My MAC Purchases ♡

So as you may or may not know from my recent posts, the other day I picked up my first ever MAC product, which I have been loving a lot. I also got a free sample and I was planning on including these in an upcoming haul but I haven't been picking up much other makeup recently so I thought I would just do a haul and review all in one of my new MAC products.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick- Hot Gossip
This is the main thing I picked up from MAC and it is just one of their lipsticks, as they are probably their most talked about products and what I really wanted to try out. I picked one in the Cremesheen finish which is still amazing pigmentation and isn't drying at all, I am adoring this finish.

I got the shade Hot Gossip and at first I wasn't too sure if I had made the right choice but now I am completely in love - it is a gorgeous neutral colour if you have darker lips naturally and you want a bit more of a wearable pinky nude, it is a little bit brighter than most colours but it is a perfect summer "your lips but better colour".

The pigmentation and staying power and just everything about this lipstick is incredible. You can buy these lipsticks for £15.50 although when I got it it was 10% off so £13.95 and if you are wanting to buy something from MAC I would definitely recommend picking up one of their lipsticks, or if you are not sure if you should splash out I recommend you treat yourself as this is insane quality and the best lip product I have ever tried. It's a big claim to make but it is true. You can buy it here.

Mini MAC False Lashes Extreme Black Mascara
So I got this free and when I saw the words False Lashes Extreme on the outside of the packaging I assumed this was false lashes which would be quite cool but I don't think I would use them, but then when I opened it and found out it was a mascara, I was very happy. I am a mascara addict and I have to say this is amazing.

The wand is quite big and the whole mascara in general is a pretty decent size for a mini sample but this is the most lengthening mascara I have ever tried! It honestly looks like you are wearing fake lashes and it is incredible for lengthening and separating your lashes. It doesn't give much volume so I would probably wear this over my Collection mascara but it is a similar formula to the Maybelline Lash Sensational.

This mascara gives so much length it is crazy! I obviously got this for free but the full size retails at which you can buy here.

Have you tried any Mac products?

Ellie xoxo

Fail or Success - New Years Resolutions ♡

So you may remember at the beginning of the year was when I restarted my blog. I also did a post called 'Welcome to 2015 & New Year's Resolutions' so as it is just past halfway through the year I thought I would do a post reflecting (is that the right word, I don't know haha!) on the resolutions I said and how well I have done at them.

1. Sort out my blog!

In January my blog was a complete mess! I wanted to get good pictures, post regularly and have more views on my blog. That has definitely happened and I am very happy as I am almost at 5000 page views! I post twice a week every week and (it may have been only recently but) I have managed to get my pictures up to a quality where I am actually proud of them and spend a lot of time on them.

2. Don't procrastinate!

I have also succeeded at this! Now it's the last term I hardly have any homework (finally thank goodness!) but when I do I will try and do it as soon as possible and I have been spending a lot of time on my blog now but not until I have done any homework I might have.

3. Start a channel!

Well this is kind of a fail as I did start a channel and do a few videos but then I got a bit self conscious and also worried people at school would find out so I stopped filming them and a while ago I also privated those videos so you can't see them.

4. Eat healthier!

Sort of fail and sort of success. I have been eating quite healthily and a lot more healthy than I used to but I still have a lot of work to do in making myself eat more fruit and vegetables and less sweets and chocolate.

5. Stop saying like!

Sorry dad but BIG FAIL! I actually did start not saying it but then I started saying it again. Damn, I was doing so well!

That was my answer to whether or not I failed at my new years resolutions, I will probably do another post like this in around November time.

What resolutions did you have this year and how have you been doing at them?

Ellie xoxo

June Favourites ♡

I say this every month but I honestly don't know how June can be over already, it has actually gone so quickly! Anyway, like always I am going to talk about my favourites from this month.

These are all my favourites so let's just get started...

Maybelline Baby Skin Warm Apricot

I bought this at the end of May and have been wearing it practically every day when I haven't been at school. It is basically a primer and it just smooths out your skin and it keeps my makeup on for a while longer and I love the way this feels on my face. It is quite expensive at £8 for a small bottle but it does still last a long time.

Collection No Clumps Mascara
I bought this at the same time as the Baby Skin and it has become a holy grail for me. I have been wearing this every day for school and it gives so much volume and length. At the moment it is drawing with my New Look one which you all know is my favourite. I definitely recommend it for £3.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick Hot Gossip
This is my most recent makeup purchase and I am so freaking obsessed with it! I wouldn't normally put a product in my favourites if I have only been loving it at the end of the month but this is so amazing, it has incredible pigmentation and is a gorgeous darker pinky nude "your lips but better colour". I have a review of this coming soon when I have tried it a bit more but I love it, it was worth all the money.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I have been basically using this brush for everything recently. I have been using it for blending concealer, buffing in BB cream, putting on powder and so much more. It is so soft and amazing quality as it is Real Techniques and this brush is just the perfect face brush. 

The DUFF

I can't remember exactly when but at some point in June I watched the film The DUFF and it is amazing! It is so true and funny and is just a great easy to watch romantic comedy. I definitely recommend it for a girly sleepover or pamper evening, it's such a feel good movie.

Pretty Little Liars Season 6

If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that the sixth season of PLL started on the 2nd of June and we are getting a new episode every Tuesday. This season has been amazing so far! It's difficult to explain without giving spoilers but this season is even more intense and dramatic and I just love it! But it is a pain having to wait a week for a new one every week as I was used to just binge watching it.

(I don't particularly have any music favourites:))

That's it for my June favourites. This was a big shorter than my usual favourites as a lot of my favourites are the same as last month.

What have you been loving this month?♡

Ellie xoxo