“The Most Beautiful Make Up Of A Woman Is Passion. But Cosmetics Are Easier To Buy.” - Yves Saint-Laurent

I don't know about you, but I have an absolute nightmare when it comes to finding a make up brand I can commit to. It seems like every time I find a type of foundation that I love, it goes a little like this;

it's perfect for me
wow!
how did I ever live without this in my life??
...
actually it's a bit dry
its the wrong colour really
oh god I look HIDEOUS!

and this isn't just foundation, it's every piece of make up I own. I have my staple favourites (naturally, these are the ones that I usually have to take out a mortgage to buy) but my daily wear make up bag changes constantly. I've decided to stop wasting my money on trying every new cosmetic item that gets released and instead focus on trying to find the right shades and 'types' (do I want creams, mousses, powders?) of make up to suit my face.

I've never ordered from the Make Up Academy before but a lovely Twitter friend of mine told me about a sale they had on, so I went for it and bought a few items, just to try different things out.

For my base I got these items;

Matte Perfect Foundation in Fair - BB All in One Beauty Balm in Light Rose - Matte Perfect Primer - Matte Perfect Loose Powder in Translucent - Blusher in Shade 4

I haven't used a BB cream yet and thought I should give it a go considering all the hype about it. The foundation is nice and smooth and the colour isn't too bold but also isn't pale enough to wash me out.

For my eyes;

Pearl Eye Shadows in Shade 11 (a muted bronze) & Shade 15 (metallic dark grey) - Eye Dust in Shade 5 - 3 in 1 Extreme Contour Liner in Black Shade 1 - Glam Textured Lashes

For my lips;

Sheer Finish Lipgloss in Just Incase - Lipstick in Juicy & Bare - Kiss Proof Lip Stain in Fabulicious

I really wanted to try a lip stain as I hate the 'clarty' feel of more intense lipsticks but you don't always want a gloss. I decided to try this one out just to see if stains appeal to me.

Finally, for my nails I got;

Nail Polish in All Nude & Pistachio Ice Cream

I've seen a few posts about these calm pastel colours and at £1 each they were definitely worth a try!

Overall It only cost around £30 (about the price of one of those pricey foundations) and I have a lot of new items to play with. 

Has anyone else bought regularly from Makeup Academy? What are your favourite items?

Lots of love, Taz x

Whoever Said Money Can't Buy Happiness Simply Didn't Know Where To Go Shopping.

Hi All!

I've had loads of views on my last post about This Means War so thank you all for that!

Decided to post a purchases... post (too many p's!) of some of the lovely things I've been naughtily spending all my money on! First thing is this lunchbox... 

I am fully aware that I am about 15 years too old for a lunchbox but it was just TOO cute to leave in the shop! Naturally I'm not carrying my lunch round in it (that would be weird, right?) so it's currently holding a large majority of my nail varnishes!

However! I did use it for its 'sort of' intended use the other weekend in Durham because I filled it with treats for in the hotel room, like a box of malteasers and some lindor, nommy nom ;)

The next thing I wanna show you is my gorgeous new shoes!

Okay, so I've had them since Christmas, but now you get to see them!

I actually adore them! And they're not horrendously uncomfortable which isn't always a necessity but is a huge bonus! They were a really reasonable price (I won't tell you how reasonable...) and were the only pair left in the whole shop. I especially love the leopard print inside, even though no-one sees it but me when I take them off! The pictures don't show it that well but they have about a 4" heel and maybe 1.5" platform so they give me a lot of height but don't kill my feet!

If anyone wants to hunt a pair down, they're Love Label :)

I've also been splurging on smaller things like my pink skull shamballa bracelet, some Calvin Klein lipstick (in Cosmopolitan - a gorgeous corally pink) and 'another' candle from my favourite candle shop in Hutton-le-Hole - Moorwax Candles. 

He makes them all in the workshop and you can go in and make requests. I once wanted a specific colour candle but in a shape that he didn't make them in, but as soon as he found out what I was after, he told me to go back a week later and lo and behold he'd made some just for me! This French Cedar one smells beautiful! There are loads of varieties of the tinned candles and they all smell divine, I got my mum a few as presents and always grab a cheeky one for myself!

Okay, finally there's some Limoncello Baba, which we got from Lewis & Cooper in Northallerton. They're so strong they'll put hairs on your chest! 

I also decided to throw caution to the wind and abandon my femininity at the weekend to watch the Rugby with my dad. I thought I'd better get into the spirit of things and glug some cider... but found this spiced orange ginger beer in the back of the fridge instead and it was LUSH! Needless to say, the swearing and blokiness soon faded back to swooning girlish giggling when all the extremely hot men in extremely tight shorts ran out onto the pitch (I'm sure rugby players didn't used to look like that...) but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Obviously.

Lastly, since I'm obsessed with Starbucks, I treated myself to a half price gift set from the leftover Christmas stock. I didn't realise until I got it home and filled it with House Blend that it was actually the size of my head! 

But it's perfect for snuggling on the sofa with a fur throw and a massive brew!

Well, that's it, a few of the things I've bought.

I hope I haven't bored you to death! And if I have, well it's your own fault, you could've left at any point ;)

Until next time my loves, take care!

Lots of Love, Taz x