Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette Review!

Helloooo!

I am literally the worst at being up to date with this blog, I have a million and one things to do for uni (no exaggeration) but I do want to post on here more!!

Anyway, ever since the ABH Modern Renaissance Palette came out, I wanted it. But, as everyone and their mum knows, it was sold out for soooo long and not to mention its a pretty penny. However, a few week ago I got an email from BeautyBay saying it was back in stock. I panic bought it,out of fear I would never see it again, and honestly, NO regrets. So today I thought I would bring you a little review with some pics in case you can find it and fancy some insight into what other people think! Mine is pretty grubby - proof of how loved it's been!

In case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about this palette on every platform, it consists of 14 shades, most of which are warm toned browns and oranges as well as berry tones and some neutrals. There are 2 metallic-shimmer shades (Vermeer and Primavera; I dieeeee, these are insane), 2 satin colours (Antique Bronze and Venetian Red - although this is described as a matte on the ABH website, weird) and the rest are matte.



It costs £41 and each shadow is 0.7g (0.02 oz). You also get a pretty decent double edged brush in there, which contributes to the pretty high price point. 

Now for swatches; The top row of shadows - from left to right.

• Tempura - A matte cream colour. Really nice for all over the lid or highlighting the brow bone or inner corner if you want a more subtle look.
• Golden Ochre - A yellow-brown matte shadow. Handy as a transition colour colour for neutral and warm looks.
• Vermeer - Probably my favourite shadow in the palette. SUPER metallic and pretty and very very creamy. Feels insane when you touch it and has not much fallout. Gorgeous champagne-pink colour for all over the lid or highlighting the inner corner. 
• Buon Fresco - Super pretty lilac colour which is quite unique and looks so good as a transition for berry toned looks. 
• Antique Bronze - Bronze colour with some red in the shimmer. This is really pretty all over the lid.
• Love Letter - Another fave of mine. A deep pink colour which looks amazing concentrated in the crease and outer corner.
• Cyprus Umber - Very pigmented deep brown. Perfect for deepening the crease.

The bottom row - from left to right.

• Raw Sienna - A neutral, sandy brown colour. Essential in a palette; transition and crease colour. 
• Burnt Orange - Similar to Raw Sienna but with a more warm orange tone. Perfect in the crease for warmer looks.
• Primavera - Same formula and feel as Vermeer. Very pigmented, gold-champagne creamy shadow which feels and looks amazing.
• Red Ochre - Deep brown red which looks so good blended into the crease and outer corner.
• Venetian Red - Similar in colour to Love Letter but with a hint of shimmer and more red than pink. 
• Warm Taupe - A more neutral brown transition colour - perfect for all looks (one of my go to colours).
• Realgar - Deep orange, rusty colour. Very warm and lovely on the eyes. Really brings out blue eyes. 

PRO's:

• Very blendable shadows that are easy to work with
• Coherent palette where most of the shades work well together so can create many looks from this one palette
• Pigment in the eyeshadows are insane (especially the metallics)
• Some pretty unique colours in my opinion
• Comes with a brush and compact packaging
• No excessive fallout when using on the eyes

CON's:

• They are pretty powdery when you put your brush in the shadows due to how soft they are, which makes me think I am wasting product.
• Packaging gets pretty grubby fast when it's kept around other makeup and travelling etc. because it's a suedey type of material.
  

Some looks I have created using the palette:

Overall, I do LOVE this palette and use it nearly on an everyday basis. It is super versatile and right up my alley in terms of colour selection. If you like berry and warm looks you will more than likely love this palette and I would highly recommend.

Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if theres any other palettes you would like to see! Like and share with your friends also (it would be v nice of you!!)

Daisy xox

Holiday Reads! ♡

I haven't written for a while so I'm super sorry but I recently went away to Ibiza for 10 days and got through quite a few books in my time there so thought I would do a little mini-review on each of them! I will try my very best to not post any spoilers for the books in case any of you guys want to read them in the future. 

THE GOOD GIRL - MARY KUBICA

This book is written from 3 or 4 peoples point of view, before and after a kidnapping occurs. The story basically follows what happened to Mia (the girl that gets kidnapped) before, during and after and also what her family deals with. Throughout the story the kidnapper is unknown to the family and they, along with the police, are desperately trying to find out who it is and why they would do something like this. The ending involves a pretty big twist which changed my view on the entire story. Honestly, I started reading this book months before I went on away but gave up about half way through. After I started reading it again though I found it got more and more gripping and I ended up finishing it pretty quickly. Overall, it is a good story with an interesting ending however it can be a bit slow and repetitive to begin with. If you are willing to push through this you could very easily end up loving this book.

RATING: 3.5/5

THE OTHER CHILD - LUCY ATKINS

I loved this book. It is exactly the style of book I love to read, full of twists and dark mysteries that all come together right at the end. It follows the story of Tess, newly married to Greg and pregnant with his child and her son moving to America from the UK to be with her new husband and start a life together. Greg, who has made it very clear he never wanted to be a dad, has landed his dream job and is away an awful lot, leaving Tess and her son alone in a new house in a new country. Tess feels very alone during this time and when suspicious things start happening with neighbours and strangers she begins to question if Greg has been honest with her about his past. The entire story is suspenseful and keeps you on edge waiting to know what is really going on. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers. All the characters are really well developed and I felt everything they went through along with them. A great book. 

RATING: 5/5

THE HALF TRUTH - SUE FORTIN

This was not my favourite book, probably because along with crime and action there is a rather delicate love story intwined which is not something I usually read. Despite saying this, the book was well written and the characters were believable as no-one was perfect and everyone had secrets. Tina Bolotnikov lost her husband Sasha 5 years previous to a car accident leaving her and her son grieving and lonely. When DC John Nightingale turns up at her doorstep investigating the Russian gang responsible for killing his partner, Tina is shocked to find the police feel she may also be in danger. The plot can be rather complex at times, however it does have some good twists and unexpected moments that make you want to read on. 

RATING: 3/5

THE CHILD - SEBASTIAN FITZEK

To start off, this book has some very dark themes that will not be suitable for all ages nor people who are quite sensitive. I found this book to be gripping from the very beginning as you wonder why 10 year old, chronically ill Simon is convinced he was a killer in a past life. As the story goes on, it did become a little far fetched for my liking, some of it just not believable. The ending wasn't what I was expecting and it was a little hard to follow but I did like how the story came to an end, I felt it was wrapped up and explained rather well which throughout the book I was afraid they would struggle to do and leave some things unanswered. Overall it was a good and interesting read, full of twists and surprises, however some of it was a little too wild meaning I wasn't fully invested in the story as I just didn't believe it (if that makes sense)!

RATING: 4/5 

If you made it this far then wow well done! haha, I hope this was an enjoyable and informative post however I have never written a book review before so they may all be really rubbish! I would appreciate any feedback in the comments below, thanks for reading!

My Mac Lipsticks! ♡

Hi guys!

I know it's been a while but I am now finished Uni for the summer so am hoping to get a lot more blog posts up for you all soon.

Today I thought I would go through and swatch and tell my thoughts on my current mac lipstick collection. My apologies if any of the swatches are bad or the photos not the best quality, it is very late and I'm taking these photos with my phone.

My current shades are:

Faux (satin), Vegas Volt (amplified), Please Me (matte), Rebel (satin), Lady Danger (matte), Crosswires (cremesheen), Russian Red (matte), So Chaud (matte) and Coral Bliss (cremesheen).

♡ CROSSWIRES ♡

Firstly, this shade is definitely one of my most worn colours out of all my mac lipsticks, it's basically my everyday colour. It is a cremesheen formula so it is very moisturising and comfortable on the lips. It doesn't tend to last for hours although I do find it fades very nicely. On the lips it is quite a coral pink shade which goes well with a lot of different makeup looks. It has really good pigmentation compared to some other cremesheen lipsticks.

♡ FAUX ♡

Faux is another favourite of mine, I love wearing it on nights out as it is quite low maintenance and I'm not really one to touch up my lipstick much on the go. It is a very pretty mauve-pink with a sort of grey undertone. It looks really good with a dark smoky eye but could go with a lot of different looks also. The satin finish makes it very comfortable to wear and I do find it to be pretty long lasting also.

♡ CORAL BLISS ♡

Coral Bliss is (as the name would suggest) a coral-pink. I feel it looks a lot more pink on the lips than in the tube as it is a cremesheen formula so not as pigmented as some other Mac colours. It gives a nice wash of colour to the lips and is moisturising however it can look a little bit patchy as it isn't really pigmented so wearing this over lip liner is my favourite way to wear it.

♡ VEGAS VOLT ♡

Vegas Volt and Coral Bliss look very similar in the tube however Vegas Volt is a more pigmented orange/coral once applied. It is quite pastel and looks really good with a pale skin, however because of its pigmentation I feel deeper skin tones could also pull this off. This one is an amplified formula so it is very creamy like the cremesheens but has a much more intense colour pay-off. This can make it a little messy as they do tend to slide around a bit but I haven't found this to be too much of a problem.

♡ RUSSIAN RED ♡

This is a really beautiful deep red shade which I love during winter and Christmas time. It is a matte formula but still really creamy and smooth to apply and it lasts really well on the lips. 

♡ REBEL ♡

Rebel looks much darker and more purple in the tube but when applied has quite a lot of pink in there as well as purple. I actually really like this colour in the winter as it is quite different - sort of in between a berry and pink lip! It is a satin finish so best applied over the top of a lip liner to be more precise but very creamy and pigmented to apply on its own also.

♡ LADY DANGER ♡

A bright red orange shade which has a matte finish. It is very bright and eye catching and I think this would look very nice on deep skin tones, but it does also work well on my very pale face. 

♡ SO CHAUD ♡

Quite a similar shade to Lady Danger however So Chaud has much more orange to it. It is basically a straight up orange lip and I really like this in autumn and summer time. It has a matte finish so lasts really well and applies nicely also.

♡ PLEASE ME ♡

It is a very pretty dusty pink shade. This one also has a matte formula however I have found this to be a little more drying than some other Mac matte shades, nothing major though. It is a really pretty everyday colour that I don't think is talked about enough!

So that is my collection of Mac lipsticks so far, I don't have that many and would like to grow my collection so if anyone has any other recommendations please leave a comment and let me know! As always if you have any feedback let me know in the comments and thanks for reading! Hope this was helpful. 

Daisy

xoxo

What's In My Bag? ♡

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting much, I've had exams at uni and an insane amount of work to do so the blog has slightly slipped my mind. So, I thought I'd give you a little insight to what's inside the bag that I take literally everywhere with me. Hope you enjoy! (Also I apologise in advance for any bad quality photos, my SD card for my camera got broke so these are from my phone!)

Okay, firstly, my everyday bag is this Michael Kors bag I got for Christmas this year. I KNOW it's crazy expensive for a bag but I love it so much, I'm actually obsessed. I was truly spoilt but I know this bag will last me a long time since it's so well made. I love the colours of it and the tortoise-shell detailing on the chain, honestly I could talk forever about this bag haha!

First thing inside is my purse, which also happens to be a Michael Kors one (can you tell I like Michael Kors?). This might seem excessive but I actually bought this purse whilst on holiday in Orlando at an outlet store so it was CRAZY discounted like maybe 50/60% off the original price so I thought if I'm gonna buy it do it now! I bought it because it also comes with a wrist strap and with it being black it's perfect for nights out when I only want to bring the essentials (in fact the only reason I'm using it as my purse right now is I couldn't be bothered to switch all my cards etc. back over to my normal purse after a night out a few week ago, how lazy!)

Next thing was a random jumper that I wore to work earlier since it was my first shift during the Easter holidays and I had given in all my shirts when I left to go to Uni in September. Its a khaki green colour with little hole detailings on both sides at the bottom. It's from H&M, I really like it and wear it a lot. 

Also had some essentials in there! Deodorant (I like roll-on so much more than spray) and a Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm in the cherry flavour/scent.

I had one lipstick in my bag - MAC's Cremesheen in 'Crosswires'. A gorgeous coral-ly pink that no-one ever seems to talk about!

A tiny notepad and a pen from an open day I went to with my boyfriend.

A few Estee Lauder skincare samples I am yet to try but am very excited about.

My car keys!

My Debenhams beauty club card that has escaped my purse apparently.

And obviously - a lot of rubbish, receipts and food!

So thats everything that was in my bag! I don't know if this was particularly interesting but I always enjoy reading these so thought I would share mine. Leave me a comment if you have any ideas for blog posts you would like me to do, thanks for reading!

Daisy

xoxo

My Winter Skincare Staples! ♡

I have always been terrible with my skincare. I used to sleep in my makeup every day, never moisturise (despite my extremely dry skin) and think that it was totally fine - which it is definitely not. However, in the past year or so I discovered some products that have completely changed this and that I COULD NOT live without now.

Facial cleansers used to be a real issue for me as I found that every single one I tried used to break me out or leave me with a raised rash on my cheeks, not cute. Finally, I found one that didn't do this AND actually worked. The Freederm Facial Cleanser has honestly done wonders for my skin. If I don't use it for a few days the change in my skin is just horrible, but after just a few days of using it again my skin is visibly clearer and softer. It does dry out my skin slightly but a little moisturiser can fix that no problem. I think I'm on my fourth bottle now so I think that really does show how much I love it!

Another skin care item I love is from The Body Shop's Vitamin C range and it's the Microdermabrasion. This is a harsh weekly exfoliator which is not suitable for sensitive skin. My skin as I have mentioned is veeeeery dry and even flaky at times (gross I know) but this product takes care of that completely. Using it once a week really helps to make my skin nice and smooth and actually seems to brighten my skin up as well.

The next thing most of you will probably know about since everyone loves and talks about this product, but it's the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This is so good at removing makeup and doesn't irritate your eyes whilst taking off eye makeup. It's super affordable as well, Boots in the UK have deals with it all the time, so you could get it even more discounted if you're lucky!

The Body Shop does amazing skin care and something else I love from there is the Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion. I don't really have any acne scarring or anything however I get quite a lot of redness around my face especially my chin and bottom of my cheeks. This really helps to calm the redness down as well as calming the redness of any spots I have.

The last thing is definitely my most essential: moisturiser. Before this I had not really tried a lot of moisturisers so didn't realise what a difference a good one could actually make to my skin (aka a LOT of difference). This The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser is honestly so amazing and hydrating. It makes my skin look glowing and also helps to calm my redness down. It is a gel like consistency and sinks in to the skin really fast. I love this and will definitely repurchase when I run out. 

So thats it for my skincare staples! You can buy all the products here: 

♡ Garnier - Micellar Water

♡ Freederm - Facial Cleanser

♡ The Body Shop - Vitamin C Microdermabrasion

♡ The Body Shop - Tea Tree Night Lotion

♡ The Body Shop - Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser

If any of you have any skincare suggestions for me let me know, and let me know your favourite skincare product in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Daisy 

xoxo 

New Drugstore Buys | Superdrug ♡

Hi guys!

First off, I just want to apologise for how terrible I have been on this blog at actually posting! It's been a pretty crazy time for me as I have been moving to and settling in to my new life at the Uni of Manchester which is super exciting and I guess posting really just slipped my mind so major apologies for that. I hope to be able to post a lot more regularly now since I'm all settled in so yay!

Anyway, on to what you're probably actually here for - makeup. Being at University now means I get a student loan, which I seem to have accidentally spent most of it on makeup, nights out and food I really didn't need. So, I popped into Superdrug a couple of days ago in the intention of only buying a mascara as I had run out and seemed to come out with more than I intended to.

Firstly, I decided to repurchase the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lipstick in the colour Wine - 107. I think this may have been one of the first lipsticks I ever bought but I sadly lost it a long time ago and considering its a gorgeous dark red for fall I thought it was about time to repurchase.

The next thing I bought was the thing I actually came into the shop for! I have been wanting to try out a good new mascara and have heard lots of good things about the Maybelline Lash Sensational so I decided to try it out and so far I love it!

Whilst looking at Maybelline products I saw their Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner and conveniently remembered I had been wanting to try it for a while so I picked this up as well in the colour 01 Black. I haven't tried it yet but if I love it I'm sure I will let you know in the near future. It does come with a little double ended brush as well which is quite cute. One end is a sponge end which aren't my favourite but could maybe be useful for blending, and the other end is a very small flat brush almost like a concealer brush which I definitely think will come in handy!

 My favourite nail polish range is definitely Barry M so I picked up some more fall appropriate colours, 2 of their Gelly Hi-Shine formula and 1Quick Dry:

(Left to right on photo)

♡ Almond - Stone

♡ Sparkling Amethyst - Purple

♡ Sprint Finish - Pomegranate

The last thing I picked up was the Beyond Flawless - ULTRA Professional Eyeshadow Palette by Makeup Revolution London. This palette is only £8 and it has really amazing eyeshadows in it. They are great quality, really blendable and I was super impressed. You get 32 eyeshadows, which are mostly shimmer but with some mattes. All amazing!

If you are interested, you can buy these products here:
♡ Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lipstick - Wine 107
♡ Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
♡ Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner - 01 Black
♡ Barry M - Almond Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Polish
♡ Barry M - Sparkling Amethyst Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Polish
♡ Barry M - Sprint Finish Quick Dry Nail Polish
♡ Makeup Revolution London - Beyond Flawless ULTRA Professional Eyeshadow Palette

So that is my mini haul! Hope you all enjoyed and leave any questions/suggestions for future posts below in the comments! Thanks so much for reading ♡

Daisy xo