2014 in Photos

2014 has definitely been a fun one, so I thought I would take some of my favourite photos and put them together for you. It was so much fun doing this, because you don't often get to browse through all of your pictures. It took me a while, but I think I have managed to pick out the best ones that sum up the year 2014.

January 2014 was super stressful, with final year exam and all, but as soon as they were over, me and my best friend had a spa day which was just what we needed after the exams. The next couple oictures are from birthdays, it was my friends 21st in Feb, and my other friends 22nd and my niece's 1st birthday in March. May was another month of revision and exams, but as soon as they were all over, the celebrations began! My flat mates and I went to the Pizza Hut Buffet right after handing in all of our assignments which was the best! The next few photos are of different events which happened throughout the end of May. Not much happened in June, I was working a lot and most of my photos were of my niece or selfies! In July, I did the Race for Life, went to Portugal for my cousins hen do, but most importantly, I grauduated! Finally, after 17 years of education, I had finished! It was the best day and I had so much fun with my family and friends. The whole of August was taken up by family weddings, It was nice to see everyone from differnt parts of the country. At the beginning of Septmber, I cut all of my hair off! After growing it for so long, I suddenly decided to chop it all off. It was also my 22nd birthday! We went to Bakewell and my lovely cousin made me the BEST CAKE EVER. It was shaped like a pineapple! In October, I was reunited with my amazing friends from uni. I also spent a weekend in York for my friends birthday where we acted like tourists in Betty's tea rooms! In November, I visited my other friend in Birmingham for her birthday, and then I died the ends of my hair red! And finally December, Fashion Killa went to the Clothes Show Live! seriously the longest couple of days ever! But it was so much fun and I bought quite a few things aswell! And the final picture of 2014 is my Christmas Tree! What better way to end a yearly roundup!

If I had to describe my year in one word, it would have to be eventful. Because I have done a lot this year and I feel as though I have grown a lot this year, with finishing university, and working, I have definitely become my own person. I don't know about you, but i'm super excited for 2015!

How would you describe your year in one word?

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A Green Smokey Eye

 

I was lucky enough to be able to go to The Clothes Show Live this year, and I think the best part of the whole event was discovering loads of independent make up and fashion brands and getting everything at a discount. One of the makeup brands I found was called Cool Cos, they are a company based mainly in Denmark, and all of their products are perfume and paraben free.

All of their prices were super reasonable so I couldn’t resist picking up a few things. After swatching for a very long time, I settled on these two eye shadows. The first one is a deep purple, almost brown shade, with gold shimmer running through it, and the second is a marble eye shadow which has shades of a dark olive green mixed in with the lighter shades of green with a slight golden shimmer. The pigmentation, and the staying power of both these eye shadows are incredible, lasting all night. Bearing in mind I did prime my eyelids first and then spritzed a setting spray on top to keep everything in place.

I think these two shades work really well together to create a green Smokey eye. I mainly went for the green because I find that it suits my eye colour really well and stands out a bit more than a brown.

I would definitely recommend these to anyone, at £5.50 per eye shadow, you can't really go wrong. You even get a generous amount in the pan as well so I reckon they would last ages!

You can visit their website here.

Have you tried any new brands recently?

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The Perfect Christmas Present: NARS Laser Cut Palette

I think I have found the most amazing palette of 2014. Wow bold statement there! It is the NARS Laser cut palette. The sleep packaging houses three gorgeous Hardwired limited edition eyeshadows, Day Dream blush and the Laguna bronzing powder, all finished off with a bow on top in the form of a mini Dolce Vita lip gloss.

The first eyeshadow is described as a 'perfect neutral vanilla'. It is a light beighe shadow with neutral undertones. It has a matte finish which is nice to use all over the lid. It has a faily good colour payoff, although the texture is quite powdery. The second shadow is describes as 'shimmering cafe au lait'. It is a golden bronze shadow which is rather sparkly and has a metallic finish. This also had really good pigmentation but I found that the shimmer did fall out during application. And finally, the third shade is a 'matte army green'. It is a medium-to-dark olive green with warm undertones. Like the first shade, it is has a matte finish and is good to use in the outer corners and below your eye, to create a slight smokey eye. This one I found to be a lot more powdery than the previous two as well.

The blush is described as a 'flirty sheer pink'. It is a warm pinky-peach bush with a satin finish. It is most definitely a sheer blush, giving a hint of colour when applied, but I feel as though you would be able to build it up to give more colour. The bronzer is the iconic Laguna bronzer. It is a brown powder with a golden shimmer running through it. It has slight yellow undertones which means it adds warmth to your face. And it also goes really well with the blush.

The lip gloss in this palette is a mini version of the Dolce Vita lip gloss which is a sheer dusty rose. It is a a medium-to-dark pinky plum gloss, with subtle warm undertones running through it. I'm not usually one for a gloss, but this one is super wearable as it is really subtle and not sticky either! It also lasts around 4-5 hours too which is amazing! 

The thing I love about this palette is the fact that you have everything in one place, so it makes it perfect for travelling, and the sturdy packaging means that it won't get ruined if it's thrown into your bag.

What's your favourite palette?

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Get Radiant with Burberry

Christmas time is all about sparkle and shimmer. From the Christmas lights, to you outfit. I feel as though if there's anytime to wear a totally over the top sparkly outfit, it is definitely Christmas.

Burberry has a conjured up a couple of products which promise to give a gorgeous glow, and their Fresh Glow Lumionous Fluid Base does just that. It can be used in a couple different ways, all over yout face, prior to applying your foundation, mixed in with your foundation or applied on high points as a highlighter.

My favourite way to apply this is with my fingers, letting it sit for a couple of minutes before applying my foundation. This gives a lit from within look which I adore. Or if I want something more subtle, I will just apply this, again with my fingers, as a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, under my brow bone and down the bridge of my nose. This creates a subtle effect which tends lasts all day.

The only downfall of this product is the fact that it can feel slightly drying on the skin when applied before foundation and makes your skin feel a little tight when it dries. To overcome this, I usually just make sure that I have moisturised well before applying this. Other than that, I love this product, I think it is perfect for the festive season, when your skin may be looking a bit dull, it is perfect for giving that glow.

On the other hand, the packaging.. Oh the packaging! It has the iconic Burberry feel and is super luxurious. It does look like you're only getting a small amount of product when the lid is on, as it covers the majority of it but you actually get a generous amount. AND it looks so fancy on my dressing table!

Have you ever tried this? What's your favourite highlighter?

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Winter Skincare : A Vitamin C Skin Boost

Now it's no secret that I am in love with all things Body Shop. I have had the Vitamin C Skincare range for a while now, but with the copious amounts of skincare that I actually own, it all kind of got lost in the mess BUT now that the weather has taken a turn for the worse, my skin had become very dull and boring, and was lacking a bit of ooomph. This is where the Vitamin C range comes in. Not only does it all smell yum but it also does wonders for my complexion.

I like to use all three of these products at together, first thing in the morning because I feel as though they just work so well together and I find that they help to wake you up. First up, I use the Vitamin C Facial Cleansing Polish. This is actually the second step in my skincare routine - I use a cleansing oil/butter first to remove all of the residual makeup - The cleansing polish has such fine beads in it, it is amazing to buff away all the dead skin and bits of dirt left on my face (ew). I massage this in all over my face and then rinse it off with cold water. After all of the dirt has been removed and I feel fresh, I like to apply the Vitamin C Skin Reviver all over. This has such an odd consistency, it is like a serum, but a lot thicker than normal serums, and is more like a gel, almost like a primer. If that makes sense. It just smoothes over your skin and makes you feel refreshed. I then apply the Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser. This is such a nice daily moisturiser. It is definitely not rich enough to be used as a night time moisturiser but it works nicely for the day time. This just makes your skin feel nice and plump, and also makes you look and feel more awake. The best thing about these three products is the smell. It has an orangey-citrus fragrance, which I thought I would get fed up of as time went on, BUT I still absolutely adore it. I think that it is very refreshing and clean.

Overall, I really do like these three products and I honestly do feel as though my skin and general complexion looks a lot brighter since using them. I would definitely recommend them to everyone, although I have heard that it can cause irritation if you have super sensitive skin!

Have you ever tried any of the Vitamin C Skincare Range from The Body Shop?