Oh yes, its that time again. The time where shops turn into classrooms, parks turn into text books and minutes turn into long, dragged out hours.

Oh yes, summers over, school here I come!

Many of you may have returned to school already, but I start back at the dreaded building next Monday, like many of the other schools in England. Summer always seems to go way too fast, and although at the beginning of my 6 week holiday I made a vow this was going to be the best Summer ever, I very much doubt I've fulfilled this promise. However, its time to turn off my lazy, summery self and switch into geeky school Hannah! ;)

My school is pretty strict on the old uniform front, even going so far as to ban makeup, shock horror!

Of course, me being the makeup addict that I am, there are always ways around this little problem. I know, I'm a rebel, tee hee! The teachers are extremely strict on uniform, although with makeup not so much, Ive only ever been caught out twice in my 4 years at the school. Here's what I wear, makeup wise, most days to school...

Excuse the pyjama top, it was a lazy day :)

I'm wearing...
ELF Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter
ELF Warm Bronzer
Natural Collection Blush in Pink Cloud
Benefit Eye Bright in inner corner, waterline and on brow bone
Max Factor Masterpiece Beyond Length Mascara
Miss Sporty Eyeliner Pencil in Brown on the very outer corner and smudged under eye
Natural Collection Lipstick in Apple Blossom

The key to having undetectable makeup at school is using everything in moderation. My top tips are...

♥ Use tinted moisturiser instead of foundation for a lighter coverage and a less noticeable base. Blend well and in particular get a perfect colour match to your skin, so it looks virtually undetectable. And if all else fails, claim its a moisturiser, not makeup!

 ♥ Dust a sparing amount of a matte bronzer and/or blush to warm up your skin tone and make you look more awake in the mornings.

♥ Step away from the sparkles! Nothing is more noticeable than when you look like Edward Cullen walking down the corridors!

♥ If you have blonde hair, possibly try a brown mascara. Blonde eyelashes are always noticeable when coated in black mascara, but brown is a more subtle and natural way to achieve gorgeous eyes!

♥ Curl your eyelashes to open your eyes and look more awake.

♥ Use a light reflecting concealer to make you look more awake after those early mornings.

♥ Use a pale pink/pale yellow/ white liner in your water line and inner corners to brighten up your eyes and smudge a small amount of brown liner on the very outer corner of your eyes to make them darker and smokier. To look like you have thicker lashes, line your top waterline with black liner, but not the bottom, as that's pretty bam in your face makeup.

A quick rant...

How does makeup affect my learning!?!?! Arghh! Who are my teachers to say that I can't wear makeup when most of the girls at my school feel ugly and insecure without it. Makeup is a form of self expression and art and should not be stopped, it should be celebrated. My school seems to care more about my appearance than my education... Bad times...

Rant over :)

Whats your schools policy on makeup, and do you have any other tips for undetectable makeup? :)

This is a scheduled post, as I'm on holiday at the moment, so apologies if I don't get back to you straight away...

FOTD ft. My Sister

Say hello to my lovely big sister Sophie everyone... *waves*!

I know, she has ridiculously nice lashes!

Yesterday, Sophie was off out for a night on the town and enlisted my makeup artist skills- ahem ;)- in helping her in getting all glammed up.

I take no responsibility for her face/neck difference in colour, she wouldn't let me go near her foundation, as apparently I 'don't put enough on'...

Face

ELF Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter

Revlon Colour Stay Foundation

Revlon Mineral Foundation

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse

Yes, I know, 3 foundations! High maintenance or what!?

ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzer

Eyes

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Mushroom all over lid

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Chocolate on outer lid and under eye

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow in Socialite in very outer corner

Benefit's All That Glitters 'Snow Bunny' as inner corner and brow highlight

Benefit Bad Gal Liner

and...

lashings and lashings of Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

Lips

ELF Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph

What d'ya think of my amazing skills!?  Hehe! :)

I'm off on holiday to Spain tomorrow (Horrahh!!) which means I may not be able to answer emails or comments that I receive very easily, so bare with me, and don't worry, I'll get all up to date when I get back! I have scheduled a few posts for while I'm away, however i tried it with this post and it didn't work so I had to publish it manually, does anyone know why this is?

Much love...

Major ELF Haul...

Eeekk... it finally arrived!

My long awaited and lusted after ELF haul showed up this morning in a hugeee brown box (it should be huge for the £42.50 worth of stuff in it!!) with open me written all over it...

I was beyond excited at the prospect of all the lovely goodies inside that I had been wanting for.. well, forever!

Here's a little sneaky peaky at what I got...

Studio Powder Brush- If you've been reading my blog for a while you will no I am totally obsessed with this brush. After being out of stock for what seemed like years, I finally nabbed it and I have to say, I am not disappointed. Its perfect for applying mineral or liquid foundation flawlessly and I also love applying blush as it is the perfect size and shape. Overall, probably my favourite purchase of all! :)

Studio Fan Brush- On the other side or the spectrum, I am extremely disappointed with this brush. Its flimsy, slightly bent and really has no use for me. Its so thin I can't really think of what to do with it, anyone else tried this and have any ideas? But other than that, I would not recommend!

Mineral Eyeshadow Primer- So far in my extensive, ahem, testing of this product, I can conclude that it does work! Its so soft and pretty to put on, although I think I may have a dodgy one, mines a little lumpy, but it does make eyeshadows last a good 8 hours without creasing if used properly.

Waterproof Eyeliner Pen- This pen has a tip similar to a felt tip marker, which of course makes you feel like your just colouring in your eye- ohh er! Its a dark, dark black and in terms of waterproof-ness its pretty good, I had a stroke of it on my hand and it did not wash off, so big thumbs up from me!

Mineral Lipsticks in Runway Pink and Natural Nymph- I'm a huge fan of the mineral lipsticks in general, and being the owner of a very well used Nicely Nude, I was eager to try out a few more. Both colours are pigmented and extremely pretty, Runway Pink being a similar colour to Nicely Nude, but slightly lighter, and Natural Nymph being a great cheaper dupe for Gosh Darling, one of my all time favourite nudes!

Studio Eyebrow Kit in Dark- I picked this up thinking it would be perfect as I have gappy, but very dark brows, however I do feel this is a little dark for me. But, used sparingly, it can create a gorgeous brow and I really do like this product.

Studio Translucent Matte Powder- For shiny old me, this is a life saver. I pop it in my bag and its perfect for wiping up little bits of oil on my face and I'm loving how lovely and matte I look :)

Studio Blush in Gotta Glow- After reading about this being the perfect dupe of Nars Albatross, I just had to snap this little beauty up fast. I really like the champagne, yellowy colour, although I do feel a bit like a glitter ball applying this onto my face. Its a gorgeous highlight, but I think it should be more 'glowy' and less 'glittery-glamtastic'.

Studio Eyeshadow in Pebble- This is a beautiful colour which I love using in the crease of my eye, although I do feel it is quite under-pigmented as you can see in the swatch. However it is matte and a lovely colour, so no complaints here :)

Mineral Blush in Rose- This really is a stunningly coloured blush and I'm extremely excited to own this little pot of perfect. I'm a big fan of mineral blush and I'm an even bigger fan of this particular blush. Love. Love. Love!

Mineral Eyeshadow in Socialite- Again, a stunning eyeshadow colour and extremely pigmented. Its a smoky grey/dark brown with a beautiful sheen, really really lovely colour! Defiantly interested in trying more mineral eyeshadow!

And that's it for the hauling! If you have any questions or want recommendations about my favourite ELF products, just comment below :)

What ELF products have you been trying lately?!

A few tags/awards that need catching up with...

Yayy, my blog has substance :)

Thank you to the beautiful Dollface for this lovely award :)

 

I also received this award, My Beauty Bloggers Bestests, hehe, from Lisa and Sophie!

This really means a lot to me dolls, thank you so much!

These are the people I tag for both awards, and the little tag below. These are the blogs which I love to read on a regular basis and who I think really deserve these awards...

Fern

Vivianna

Caz

Nicola

Louise

Hannah

Laura

Charlotte

Girlinthecity

Lily

Well done girls, your all amazing! :)

I was also tagged to do this by Audrey, feel free to do this if you want... :)

What's your favourite makeup look?

I'm all about the big eyes, nude lips trend. I'm in love with the 60's so get inspiration from there sometimes, and I love big, smokey lashes, pink cheeks and very understated lips.

Do you have a beauty vice?

I'm forever over-doing the blush! Blush is one of my favourite products and I just cant get enough, even if I do end up looking a bit like Aunt Sally...

What part of your body do you love?

This is a difficult one. There really isn't a part of my body that I wouldn't change, which I think is really sad. I think the media makes girls like me feel like they are not perfect, when really nothing needs to be changed. However if I had to pick a part, I would say my legs.

Who is your beauty icon?

I would say people like Kim Kardashian, Cheryl Cole, Fearne Cotton. They all have individual styles but look beautiful, no matter what.
 

What beauty product makes you feel instantly good?

I feel like blusher makes me look alive in the morning when I've just dragged myself out of bed, and it always cheers me up on gloomy mornings.
 

How do you look after your skin?

I'm not one to have a strict skin routine, but I take off my makeup every night, moisturise twice a day and exfoliate once a week.

What is your signiture scent?

During the day I wear Vanilla Scented Natural Collection Body Spray as it is so light and simple and I don't like to wear a lot of scent. However in the evening I wear Ghost, just to add a little va-va-voom... ;)

What is your haircare secrets?

I never use heat on my hair as I feel that it damages it no end. If I do, I use lashings of heat protectant to keep my hair soft and smoothy smooth :)

How do you pamper yourself?

I give myself an early night with a hot choccie, nothing beats a good hot chocolate in bed! :)

Beauty pet peeve?

Unblended foundation, foundation is meant to mimic skin, not look like you've just been painted by an orange!

Desert Island Must haves?

A phone to get me outta there ASAP!

Do you have any beauty philosophy?

Treat yourself well on the inside and you will shine on the outside, although I must confess I'm not the best at keeping up to this...

Mr Postman, You Legend!

Postman Pat, Postman Pat, Postman Pat and his black and white cat...

For me, the doorbell ring a ding-ing is always a good sign. It is the sign that a little package has arrived for me in the mail, and boy oh boy, are me and my postman bessie mates now? Oh yes, I have forgiven him for never seeming to send me any letters as this weekend he had a whole host of goodies packaged in little brown boxes for little ole' me.

First up came my long awaited (2 days) ELF package, check out my next post for a full review of all those little goodies.

But naughty Mr Postman had to come around again to hand me my second package, as he had forgotten it the first time- the cheek!

But hey ho, I will find it in my heart to forgive him, as sitting inside this little brown parcel was my prize that I received from the absolutely lovely Imogen (glossyglamour) that I won a few days ago.

I was extremely exited- to the point of jumping up and down and shrieking- as I opened the parcel to reveal my prizes...

Ohh pretty! Huge thank yous and huggles to Imogen, thank you soooo much :)

Now here's the lowdown on what I got...

No 7 Brush Kit

I love this mini kit, it has a perfect little blending eye brush, a liner brush, a lip bush, a sponge brush and a face brush. Love at first sight!

Benefit All That Shimmers

I was so, so, so excited when I opened up this little kit. The shimmer pots are beautiful and extremely pigmented, the purple and green perfect for use on the eyes and I've already put the white to use as a highlight, beautiful, just beautifu.

Here's a few wee swatches for ya...

 And last but not least Imogen popped these couple of extra things in (thank you!)...

Tresemme Colour Protect Shampoo & Conditioner samples and gorgeous little shell bracelets!

Well what can I say!? This is the first giveaway I've ever won and I'm blown away! Thank you so Imogen, you sweetheart!

Has anyone else won any giveaways recently!?

Finally!

Finally, after months of lusting, complaining, nail biting and depressed roams around the ELF website, finally, the ELF Powder Brush is back in stock! Finally!

Of course, after hearing the news that the brush that is coveted by so many and never, ever seems to be in stock, was, shock horror, actually available, I hot footed it over to the website and speed shopped, not letting anything get in the way of me and my new favourite brush! Of course along the way of filling up my basket I seemed to pick up endless things that I want need, and ended up with a shocking £42.50 worth of bits and bobs in my basket! Whoops.

But hey ho, all of my goodies are on their way to me in the post at this very moment, so be expecting a rather humongous ELF haul in the coming days!

Have you ordered anything from ELF, if so, whattcha think?? :)

My Not Particularly Secret Obsession

Apart from make-up, of course, I have one other complete and utter, shameful obsession.

Big Brother

I know, I know, some would say its a load of rubbish, but somehow, every year at summer time (summer- what summer?!) I tell myself, no Hannah, you don't need to get suckered into the world of housemates, nominations and evictions, but to no avail. Every year it lures me in with its big opening nights and terrible tasks, and every year without fail I end up glued to my TV set, desperately waiting for my next fix of my oh so amazing drug- Big Brother.

Of course, this years no different. Sorry for the irrelevant post to my non-English readers, but who else is loving the whole John James-Josie situation at the moment!?! Nothing makes me happier at the moment than spending my evenings watching their cuteness and love. Throw in a bitta Sam Pepper in his Ninga outfit and you've got yourself first class TV!

I've slightly fallen in love with John-James and his gorgeous Australian accent, however Josie is the one I'm routing for to go all the way and win the title of winner of Big Brother 11. I don't actually know what I'm going to do with myself when the series ends, oh dear, its probably not a very healthy obsession- hehe!

Is any one else slightly obsessive about Big Brother? And who's looking forward to ULTIMATE BIG BROTHER! I'm routing for Brian Belo, my favourite housemate of all time!

Sorry to all my lovely over-seas readers who this doesn't really apply too, I'll do some better posts soon, I promise!!

Josie to Win!!

You Give Me Hope.

Today, whilst perusing random websites for a cure for my boredom, I came across this...

givesmehope.com

What an amazing website. Reading through the stories I was stunned as they are unbelievably touching and I got goosebumps at the amount of sweet and lovely things that happen every day. Today, in a world where no-one seems to care, this website proves that kindness, chivalry and just plain miracles do happen, you just have to find them.

I've now come to realise that I am grateful to every single thing in my life, to my friends, my family, hey, even to the old man over the road who waves at me every morning and to my teachers who actually care about how my life is going to turn out.

And, of course, to all of you, my beautiful followers, for being so amazingly perfect in every way, supporting, advising and generally giving a helping hand. You are the reason I love blogger, you and you alone.

Thank you.

If you have time check out the website, you might be amazed.

And remember, there is always hope.

A wee Step Up 3D outfit...

Step Up 3D, one of the most eagerly awaited dance films ever was out this week and lucky old me skipped down to my local pictures, donned my ultra cool 3D 'geek' glasses and had a porkers at the movie. What can I say about it?

One word.

AHHHHH- MAZING!

The dancing was unbelievable, and even more spectacular in 3D, as they really took advantage of the technology and made the dancing stand-out.

Of course the drop-dead-gorgeous main character 'Luke' helped to keep my attention in between the dancing *sighh* and Moose, who was also featured in Step Up 2, was hilarious, once again.

Overall, one of the best dance movies I've ever seen, and in my opinion the best Step Up yet!

Here's a little piccie of the outfit I wore to the cinema...

Jeans- Handmidown from my big sis

Tank Top- New Look

Crop Top- New Look (Kid's department, hey I'm still 5 years old at heart :)

Cardigan- Primark

Bracelet- Primark

Necklace- Primark

Wow, looking at that list I realise what a cheap-skate I am, hehe :)

A quick close up of the super cute flamingo print on my top and Owlie, my beloved pet owl necklace, which seems to practically live around my neck these days...

I really am much more obsessed with owls than the average person, oh dear..

My makeup (hopefully no owls in sight here)..

Face

Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser

Benefit It Stick

ELF Warm Bronzer

2True Cheek and Lip Tint (Pink)

Eyes

Sleek Palette, you can find the look I used here (Look 2- Neutral Browns)

Vital Radiance Eye Primer

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

Lips

Natural Collection Apple Blossom

17 Balmy Beige Lipstick over the top

See ya later alligators...