How I Deep Clean My Makeup Brushes.

Hello my lovelies. 

Today I thought I would give you all a run through on how I clean my makeup brushes. Cleaning your brushes is one of those horrible tasks that nobody can be bothered to do but it is actually one of the best things you can do for your skin! You would be disgusted by the amount of bacteria and dirt that is left on your brushes after even just one use of the makeup brush. This is why its important to spot clean your brushes after you use them, I use No7 Brush Cleanser from Boots. It is equally important to deep clean them once a week, I suggest a Sunday so they are all fresh for the week ahead. If you have skin problems or acne I can guarantee that if you do a 'deep clean' once a week, your skin will reap the benefits..(you heard it here first!) Below is my step by step guide on how I clean my brushes, this is just how I do it and I do know lots of people who do it different however this is what works for me.

Horrible, dirty brushes that need cleaned. These are the Real Technique Brushes.

I use Fairy Liquid..(The green smells the best) and I also use No7 Foaming Cleanser.

I put both products on a plate and swirl my brush in the mixture, creating a foam. Then I run under lukewarm water.

After this is complete, I leave on a dry towel and let them air dry. WOOHOO..CLEAN BRUSHES.

*I would also like to add that you should try not to put water near the handle area as it can loosen the glue. Also make sure all the mixture is out so your bristles are not damaged!

I hope you found this Blogpost useful! How many of you are now going to run and wash your brushes? What is your favourite way to wash your brushes?
Kates xo♥

WHAT'S IN MY BAG?

This week I am doing a 'what is in my bag'!!

I love having a wee look into other peoples bags so I thought I would share what things I carry around in mine. 

For my 18th birthday I got the 'Zara City Office Bag with Zips'. As you can see from the picture below the bag is very spacious and in my case full of rubbish! I think this bag is fabulous and is perfect for anyone is looking for a durable black bag that looks amazing!

I thought I would give you a quick sneak peak to what is inside and I will have some links below to where I got some of my favourite stuff I carry abound with me everyday!

This is basically what is in my bag at the moment. I got my owl purse from Urban Outfitters. My Green makeup bag from Ted Baker. I also like to carry the Soap and Glory Hand Sanitiser and Hand Lotion in my bag because they are handy and smell amazing.
If you would like to know about anything that features in these pictures please comment and I will find out for you.

What is in your handbag? What is your favourite bag to carry?

I hope you all have a fabulous day!
Kates xo

My Skincare Routine.

I've been thinking about what to write about for a wee while now but I finally decided to write a post about my skin care routine as it's been super requested. For anyone who doesn't know I have normal/dry skin and I rarely get breakouts. 
I thought I would share with you some of the products that I use to keep my face feeling fresh and clean after a long day of wearing makeup. 
The products in my routine are the  

• No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser - RRP- £9.50 (this can be found here). 
• The Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water -RRP - £9.50 (this can be found here).
• Soft & Soothed Gentle Cleanser - RRP- £8.00 (this can be found here). 

These three products help me create the perfect skin.

First of all lets talk about the Soft and Soothed Gentle Cleanser. It claims to Clean, Comfort and Hydrate the skin. It also says it helps to sweep away makeup and impurities. It does all this and more. In my opinion this is very similar to baby lotion. It has the same smell and viscosity. It is very gentle on the eyes and it take my eye makeup off without pulling and tugging. 

                                       

Moving swiftly on to the Foaming Cleanser. This claims to be the 1 simple step to perfectly clear skin and I completely agree with this. You need one pump in your hand and then you are good to go. Massage it into your face and watch all your makeup slide off leaving you with a fresh feeling face and tighter pores. This is just fabulous.

                                       

Lastly, the Beautiful Skin cleansing water is just another way of removing the more stubborn makeup items. Out of all three of these products this one leaves me feeling the cleanest. 

                                       

I love No7 products as they are all hypo-allergenic which means they will not irritate your skin. 

These are all the products I use to make my skin feel fresh. They are reasonably priced and last for a long time. In my opinion you can't really go wrong with these. 

What do you use for your skincare routine? Have you tried No7 skincare products before?

                     (Kates xox)

Urban Decay | The Naked 3.

As we all know, since the first Naked pallete was released in 2010, Urban Decay has become some what of a craze in the beauty world. I am not really surprised as they are filled with 12 beautiful shades.
I have been dying to get the Naked 3 from the moment I knew it was being released but every time I tried to order it, it was SOLD OUT. Finally, last week my fabulous boyfriend surprised me with it and of course I was thrilled.
Read on to find out my thoughts and to see some swatches too!

At first glance of this palette my favourites are Limit, Nooner, Darkside and Blackheart. Limit is a gorgeous matte shade that acts as a great base. Nooner again is a matte shade and is good to use to cut the crease or even if you want to create the perfect smoky eye. Darkside is definitely my favourite it is a dark brown with hints of sparkle..(and who doesn't like a little bit of sparkle?). Finally, Blackheart is the darkest colour in the palette but it is my go to eye shadow for the outer corner.

The palette as you can probably tell by now has a rose tinted theme going through it which is perfect for tanned and darker skin tones however it does create a lovely colour on fair skin too. As with all Urban Decay products they have pigmentation spot on and these eyeshadows are no different. They are rich and creamy rather than chalky and with the Urban Decay primer potion they last all day and night.

This is for sure my go to eye shadow palette at the moment and I will be trying out many different looks over the next few weeks so let me know if you would like to see them.
This palette is available at Debenhams or House of Frasers stores and is £37, go and get one while you can! (I promise you won't regret it!!!)

Have you got this palette? If so, whats your favourite colour?

Have a fabulous day,
Kates xo

"There's more to life than hair but it's a good place to start" |Aussie Products

It's nearly the end of January..(THANK GOODNESS!!). In every post I write I always complain about the cold and this post is no different. I have felt that my hair has lost it's 'mojo' this winter, it feels dry and never ever looks shiny anymore. So this being a huge issue for me I took it upon myself on Friday to go and get a good bit chopped off and also decided to ombré it. After I had it all cut and blow dried it felt so healthy and 'back to normal'.

With this new found shiny fabulousness I asked the lady what she used in my hair and what she recommended to keep it this way. My hair is very long and extremely THICK which no, is not always a good thing. She recommended that I try the Aussie range because it is 'bottles filled with luscious magic' was the quote I think she used. 

So, I had been told what would help my hair so I obviously had to go straight to Boots and pick up some of these 'magic' products. I picked up three of their products because it was 3 for £10. I picked the Lucious Long shampoo, the Lucious Long conditioner and the Miracle Hair Insurance.

This stuff literally does what it says on the bottle. It's amazing, it smells fantastic and leaves your hair feeling fresh for days. It's my new holy grail. 

I've yet to try the Miracle hair insurance but I've been told it works a treat! It smells the same as the shampoo and conditioner which is a good start. I love these new found products and I think they'll do my hair wonders! Get down to your local shops and grab these while they're still on offer. I'll let you all know about the conditioning spray but I'm sure it'll be just as fabulous.

Kate's xo

THE LIEBSTER AWARD

Today I found out I was nominated for The Liebster award by the gorgeous Rachel from, Rachel says fabulous! Go and take a look at her blog! I was thrilled and wanted to find out more about it. I only started this blog one and a half weeks ago and never really understood what this award was for. So for all you 'newbies', like myself heres some quick info about the award - its a chain mail designed to promote new blogs and to get new bloggers to get to know one another. Isn't it such a cool concept?

Okay, so let's start with the rules:
1. You must link back to the person who nominated you. (THE FABULOUS RACHEL!!)
2. You must answer the 11 question given by the nominee before you.
3. You pick 11 nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions.
4. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.
5. You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

RACHEL'S QUESTIONS

1. What's your favourite food?

It has to be anything with mushrooms on it! They are the food of the gods! I loveee them.

2. Which celebrity do you get told you look like most often?

I don't really get told I look like anyone..

3. Do you speak any other languages, and if so, which ones?

Nope, I would love to speak fluent French though!

4. Have you ever broken any bones in your body?

Never, ever! Im actually surprised because I am the clumsiest!

5. What's your can't-live-without beauty product?

My Benefit eyebrow kit! I could never leave the house without putting on dem' brows.

6. What's the worst present you've ever received?

It has hands down got to be a packet of colouring pencils because the person thought I might need them for Second Year Art!

7. Have you got a holiday(s) planned for this summer?

I am planning to book up with my boyfriend in the summer.

8. If you use Emoji, what is your most-used emoticon?

It has got to be the wee cheeky monkey! I love that wee thing.

9. What did you dress up as for Halloween last year?

I dressed up as a pirate..how creative!

10. My favourite word is FABULOUS! What is your favourite word?

Oh..Fabulous has got to be up there with one of my favourite words but I also like the word 'doll' even although I don't use it often enough.

11. Where's the furthest you've been from home?

Furthest i have ever been is probably Iceland or New York.

11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I am a Nursing student at University.

2.I HATE slow drivers.

3.I can't save my money.

4.I am TERRIFIED of sheep..(even the word makes my skin crawl.)

5.I once did YouTube videos back in the days where I wore blue eyeshadow..

6.I still own a Blackberry :(

7.Dr Pepper is my ultimate favourite drink.

8.I work in a Chip Shop.

9.I could eat mushrooms ALL DAY EVERYDAYYYY.

10.I don't have a specific music taste,I just go with the flow and listen to whatever is on.

11.I failed Higher Biology TWICE (ahahhahhahahhaa).

MY NOMINEES

Charlotte @ BUSYBURT

Meghan @ MISSMEGHAAN
Kat @ BLUSHINGROSE
Catherine @ YOUWISHYOU

 Katie @ THELASTSOUVENIR
Leigh @ HELLOMYNAMEISLEIGH

Lucee @ LIFEWITHLUCEE

Gemma @DUGGYDIMPLES

Emma @EMS BEAUTY

Laura @BEAUTY2COUTURE

Ellis @ ELLISTUESDAY

MY QUESTIONS

1.What is your favourite Beauty product?

2.What is your favourite colour?

3.What made you start your blog?

4.What is your favourite brand of makeup and why?

5.Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

6.What is your dream job?

7.What is your worst fear?

8.What is the three closest things to you right now?

9.Most worn item of clothing?

10.What is your favourite drink?

11.I love tartan clothing..what is your most worn pattern or colour?

Kates xo

ELF COSMETICS| HAUL

Its January which means the month where everyone is depressed and needs to be cheered up..right? So I thought I would take it upon myself to brighten my mood and take full advantage of the ELF cosmetics makeup sale (here). I didn't go too crazy and only picked up 10 things..(anyone who knows me, knows this is well restrained for me!).

I was so excited when this package turned up at my door and I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about! As I said previously, I have only bought a few things to try the brand out. Let's take a look at what I bought...

I mostly concentrated on eye products as that's what I feel I've got least of in my makeup collection. I bought a few glitter eyeshadows that were a crazy price of £1.25. I mean I couldn't just have one so I obviously I got three, ooooopsss!! I also bought an eyeshadow pallete that is especially for green eyes- this is one of the products I have tried out. I got the glitter primer because what girl can resist a glitter primer when she's buying three glitter eyeshadows!?

Moving swiftly on to lips, I purchased a jumbo lipstick stick which looks fabulous. Also to combine with this I bought one of the 'shimmer lip glosses' to out over the top of my lipstick.. This is in the colour pink umbrellas.

Finally, I bought a bronzer in the colour Golden, is it just me who thinks the packaging reminds them of NARS?.

I have actually tried the bronzer out and thought I'd give you a wee look at the colour pigmentation. It looks fab when it's contoured onto the face. I blend all four colours together using my real techniques blush brush and I dont think I'll ever go back to another bronzer. The picture does it no justice. I seriously recommended getting onto ELF ASAP and bagging this bargain for only £3.25!. 

I went on a night out last night and thought I would make use of this palette and 'enhance my eyes' as that's what this palette is supposed to do. The packaging is beautiful and the colours also look amazing but when I went to use them they were really chalky and the lighter colours were not the most pigmented things I've ever seen. In the end I decided to ditch the lighter colours and use the dark purple shown at the end of the palette and used some other loose eyeshadows I have from mac and urban decay. I really was disappointed with this but for the price of £2.75 I couldn't really complain.

To conclude I am not reallly sure how I feel about ELF cosmetics at the moment. The bronzer is fabulous but the eyeshadows not so much. I'll have to test all the other products out and decide from there.

Do you have any ELF products, and if so what ones? Is there any products from what I bought that you'd like me to review?

Happy reading,

Kates xo