Philosophy 27 Wishes Multi- Purpose Balm* Life is all about multitasking. No one has time for individual products wasting space and only accomplishing one job and the 21st century user demands multiplicity from products, so where I can I double, or even triple up; whether that be a lipstick turning into a cream blush, or a body lotion infused with fake tan and spf all rolled into one!
But Philosophy have recently taken the multitasking product variety into the next league with 27 Wishes Multi- Purpose Balm*, a product to rival Elizabeth Arden's infamous 8 Hour Cream. It is designed to take on pretty much any skin problem and I have been using it for anything from soothing sore and dry skin (especially useful for sunburn!),  as an ultra-nourishing cuticle balm, or adding a little shine to cheeks, eyes and legs! 
In texture, it is a thick, clear balm that almost dissolves into a thick liquid cream as it is rubbed in, which is much more easily absorbed into the skin than the rather sticky EA 8 Hour Cream. While the 8 Hour Cream counterpart has occasionally been branded a hyped up version of Vaseline due to its high petroleum jelly content, Philosophy's offering does not contain petroleum and is my pick of the two in terms of moisturising power. It has an extremely fresh smell (think a subtler version of Vicks!) and is very refreshing to apply on the skin.
Its only downfall is that when used as a lip balm the taste is horrendous, but as this is not actually marketed for use on the lips this is probably my fault rather than Philosophy's! Overall a fabulous product which has replaced any other multi-purpose balms I own!
You can find Philosophy products here, and the 27 Wishes balm here.
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The Makeup Swap

Me and one of my equally makeup obsessed friends (Kelly) decided to shop our product stashes, extreme style, by organising a makeup swap to give those poor dusty unloved products a new home. The benefits of swapping old makeup are that 1) you get to see something that maybe didn't work for you, help someone else look gorgeous!, and 2) you can always ask for it back if you really miss it, so it is much less final than the rubbish bin!
Some things to bear in mind before doing a makeup swap...

• Don't swap anything which cannot be easily cleaned or can pass on eye infections, ie. don't swap old mascaras, make sure eye liners are sharpened and dipped in alcohol to get rid of those pesky germs, and generally try not to give your friends your old, 90% used, dirty makeup.
• Have lots of cotton buds, makeup wipes and mirrors handy for trying and testing things out!
• If you do the swap with more than 2 people and more than one person wants an item, judge who gets it by seeing who the product suits best! Or compromise and half and half products such as loose pigments which can easily be decanted into smaller pots.

Kelly actually chucked out some pretty fabulous products so I lucked out and received a lot of lovely higher end, hardly used products such as Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang, Two Faced Natural Eye Palette, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in R.S.V.P. and  MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Full Speed. I was a very happy girl!

Working on a  No7 counter in Boots, I do seem to accumulate a lot of No7 makeup and samples so Kelly was given a lot of mostly brand new No7 products, one of my old and unloved Benefit boxed powers and a Clinique Chubby Stick in Richer Raisin which I just cannot get to work for me unfortunately!

There was much ohh-ing, ahh-ing and lipstick remove, reapply and repeat as we discovered multiple new shades! I tested out Sleek's Smother (which Kelly assures me is an almost exact dupe of MAC's Rebel!) and Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang, and I gave Kelly an eye makeover with some of her new (old!)  eye shadows as she never wears any colour on her eyes.

And what to do with any leftovers? Easy. Either donate to less makeup obsessed, but equally grateful friends and/or family, donate to an organisation such as Give and Makeup which help women in need (only lightly used/brand new items!) or just bite the bullet and chuck away the the really old useless products which no-one will ever want.
Happy swapping and let me know if you give this a go!
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take a CHANCE

CHANEL Chance EDT 50ml
Every girl needs a little CHANEL in her life; whether the fix is gained through handbags, makeup or perfume, CHANEL is a classic which never goes out of fashion. In terms of perfume, my expectations were low, with most scents aimed at the more mature woman with connotations of musk and lavender, yet Chance has completely changed my mind on the matter.

A mixture of both citrus and floral scents, this manages to stay just on the right side of musky, combined with vanilla and patchouli, an altogether beautiful combination. This tops my previous perfume must-have Paco Robanne's Lady Million, yet at £52 for 50ml of the edt it isn't the cheapest fragrance out there. I used my Boots points to purchase mine, and will most definitely be branching out into the eau de parfum version next time in hopes for a little more longevity, as I do find this disappears pretty rapidly on my skin.

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prom season

Prom season is one of my favourite times of the year. Beautiful dresses, dancing and lots and lots of makeup makes me really nostalgic for my year 11 prom a couple of years ago, and this year I was able to reminisce to the extreme as I helped one of my best friend's little sister get ready for her own prom. Shivani wore a bright red dress so we kept her makeup simple; gold smoked out eyes, glowey cheeks and nude lips, and her favourite humongous lashes from New Look!
My absolute favourite part of the makeup I did on her were the cheeks; Shiv never usually wears blush but a wash of Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose over the apples of her cheeks looked stunning on her and  I topped it off with MAC Hush Creme Colour Base... an old but much loved favourite! On the eyes we used Laura Mercier Artist Palette and ran a little colour through her brows to define and shape her face.
She has the most beautiful hair so after running a little product through it to tame any frizz we ended up doing waterfall braids down the sides of her hair which looked beautiful!
Anyone else feeling a little bit prom nostalgic!? bloglovin' . twitter . tumblr . instagram . pintrerest

Goodbye, Farewell

The evening before Prom, we also had a Leavers Dinner to say goodbye to the school which was practically my second home for the last 7 years. While it still completely freaks me out that I will only be returning there once more (for exam results, no less!) I love any opportunity for a new dress and this pale nude maxi from Miss Selfridge possibly tops the stakes as my new favourite item of clothing. It has a lace overlay and I paired it with a snakeskin clutch bag and some simple nude sandals. The hair was hot rollered and lacquered to the max, using my BaByliss Thermo Ceramic Hot Rollers, which seriously create curls which last. The individual lashes were cracked out once again and paired with a smokey brown eye and my trusty old favourite MAC Hue on the lips. The dinner was a mixture of sad goodbyes, hilarious pictures from our younger years and drunk teachers making fools of themselves.

On our actual last day of school were all dressed up as characters in the theme of Childhood, and I so very imaginatively dressed as a doll, which gave me the perfect opportunity for some makeup madness. I used a very similar lash concept as I posted about here which turned out to be both terrifying and very uncomfortable, but perfect doll eyes... 

The Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch, Dorothy and one very misplaced doll!

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T-T-T-Tan

Being about as tan as a milk bottle means that naturally self-tanning is a very important, if extremely time consuming, area within my beauty regime. During the winter months this is restricted to only face tanning and if I am feeling especially productive, a little light colour on my arms/exposed hands, although I have been known to have a beautifully tanned face which contrasts delightfully with my pale as ghost hands- don't judge me!

However, more skin on show for summer calls for a amped up tanning routine, and for this I bring out the big players- namely Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe, my tan of choice for both prom (especially necessary in my stark white dress!) and any other special occasion, but is unfortunately way too pricey to use on a weekly basis (£28.99 from FeelUnique). On me, I don't find this to be 'Ultra Dark' as it claims, but builds a lovely natural glow which is the best to be hoped for with my pale as anything skin! This also boast the added benefits of Scent Secure, an ingredient which is meant to eradicate the biscuit smell which most self tans waft, and while the scent is diminished considerably in comparison to other self tanners - St Moriz I'm looking at you! - the faint musty smell is still detectable the morning after. In terms of longevity this fades beautifully and I get around 5 days wear out of one application.

Garnier Summer Body is also a moisturisor, tanning hybrid which I reach for on almost a daily basis to build up a beautiful, subtle colour which is inexpensive enough to continue repurchasing. This not only leaves my skin soft with no signs of the dreaded scaly knees and elbows, it also leaves me with a really natural colour; just remember to dilute this with another moisturiser on hands, feet and knees for a more even coverage.

Honourable mentions also go to Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning as my face tanner pick, which I apply every other night with my fingers, leaving a very subtle colour which is pretty much foolproof, just be wary of brows and hairlines! If I am ultimately too lazy to pre-prep my skin before a night out or sunny day, I reach for my Rimmel Instant Tan in Light Matte, which is perfect if you're feeling a bit pale and need a pick me up!

What are your favourite self-tanners?!

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Prom 2013

Dress - Topshop   Shoes - Very   Bag - H&M
So Prom rolled around once again, and after a quick, but absolutely hilarious, walk down memory lane on Beuatylishious from Prom 2 years ago (here), I cant quite believe that secondary school is really over, and to quote my 16 year old self, I really do have to go off into the big wide world. 3 months until university (grades permitting!) and I finally have to leave behind my school days.
Prom this year was held on a boat on the River Thames and then onto Leicester Square. For some bizarre reason I decided 5 inch heels were a brilliant idea, when in reality I never, ever, ever wear heels, so ended up spending most of the evening either attempting to totter around as a 6ft giant, or plodding around the streets of London in my saviour flip flops which were definitely a stroke of genius in my clutch bag! The heels themselves are from Very and are absolutely beautiful and unexpectedly comfy; it was actually those pesky flip flops which landed me with the most blisters the next day.
My dress is Jones & Jones, a Topshop concession which I found on Ebay for a steal at around £30. While the front is pretty blah, the party's going on out back! My clutch was also a bargain from H&M for just £7 in the sale, and worked as a Mary Poppins bag producing just what I needed throughout the night; flip flops, purse, money, a multitude of lipsticks I was mixing to get the exact right shade and of course my trusty Duo lash adhesive for any false lash malfunctions.
Another absolute stand out on Prom night were my Ardell Individual Lashes; I have never realised before just how much more fluttery, natural and just plain gorgeous individual lashes are compared to their full-strip counterparts. While tricky to apply at first, these look so natural but impart so much umph to any eye look I don't know how I will ever get back to my usual strip lashes.
Overall, prom night was one to remember, and I will actually miss my whole school year quite a bit, so strange to think some I will never see again. I would love to see any of your prom posts, so drop me a link down below!
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