Taking a trip down makeup memory lane

I was sat looking at my makeup the other day (you know, like normal people do) and I suddenly thought that a lot of it relates to a special time or has a significant moment attached to it. Even the most random and 'boring' of products reminds me of something that has happened. So, I thought it would be nice to look back at the makeup that give me my favourite memories and it might encourage me to get the products out of the drawer and use them a bit more!

Back in my early days of blog reading and Youtube watching the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes were big news. But being in the UK and no plans of visiting America on the horizon I just had to sit back and watch everyone rave about how amazing they were. So when we hopped on a plane to Florida in 2015, this was top of my Sephora shopping list. Obviously I bought the shade Tipsy (it was either that or Exposed - the go-to shades) and I still crack this out every Summer. Whenever I wear it I think of wandering around the Sephora in Florida (my first time in an American Sephora), filling my basket with vlogger recommendations. This product will always hold a special place in my heart.

The first non-stationary highlighter I bought was a great day. It was around this time two years ago after I'd been for an interview at the job I currently have, hooray! It was in Leeds and my mum went with me so afterwards we went out for lunch and popped along to Debenhams for a cheeky purchase to celebrate a job well done. The Urban Decay Afterglow Highlighter had just come out and it had received good reviews all round so I thought it would be a good one to give a go (up until this point I'd been using glittery champagne eyeshadows as highlight - it was very questionable behaviour!) The were three shades and I went for Aura, a pink/purple shade which I'd heard was good for people with pale skin. It's a good product but this colour is just not me. It's preety much purple and isn't the vibe I usually go for but this product gives me such fond memories of that day that I don't think I'll be able to part with it anytime soon.

Kinda Sexy - to this day one of my favourite birthday presents. It was the first Mac (and only) Mac lipstick I'd been gifted and I was given it in La Tasca in Nottingham on my 20th birthday from my friends. Up until then I'd spent so long searching for the perfect nude and then this magically turned up in my lap. It's a warm toned nude with a matte finish that looks cracking over the top of any nude-y lip liner. This was my go-to for ages and  reminds me so much of my second year at uni. It's still probably my most worn lipstick.

The Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. If ever there was maybe too much hype around a product this was it. I'd waited for so long before I took the plunge and bought one. It was with money I'd got from my 21st birthday and I had some time to kill before I was meeting my friends for a birthday surprise (afternoon tea at Browns, yes, yes, yes!) and I bobbed into town to splash the cash. I'd heard so many good things about this product; it's the perfect gloss, the most moisturising thing you'll ever have on your lips, etc. But I have to say I was pretty disappointed - I just found it too thick and sticky. Even though I wasn't a fan of this product, I had the best time that day so I like to keep it as a littl reminder.

A couple of years ago for my 21st birthday, my mum, dad and me went to London. We had the best time there seeing the sights and having a wander round. One disaster that happened when we were there was that we only just made our slot to go up the Shard by minutes (you're allowed 30 minutes over your booked time, we were 25). The reason we were running late and had to run from St Paul's Cathedral to the Shard (it feels like miles) was that I was desperate to get my hands on the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation. I'd been to every department store and shop possible to get my hands on this but they were sold out of my shade everywhere, it was a joke, But finally a very helpful House of Fraser answered all of my prayers! That was such a memorable day and there was so much hunting for a foundation which, I'm sad to say, I can't get on with. I just find it too thick and hard to blend but it gave us a great story to tell!

When Fleur de Force released her makeup collection on Feel Unique I was there with the items in my basket and checked out before you could even say'good god get a grip girl'. I went for her Cosmic Bronze palette and one of her glosses. I ended up getting so much wear out of the palette and it reminds me of my third year at uni because it's pretty much all I wore with some winged liner and a questionably strong brow. The thing that I remember most about this product is that I ordered it on a Thursday, it didn't come until the Thursday after at which point I'd gone back to uni (on that day - how annoying!) and had to wait for it to be posted from home to Nottingham which took nearly another week so by the time it reached me I was desperate for it. No wonder I ended up loving it so much!

What's your favourite makeup memory?

Fleur de Force Beauty: First Impressions

I'm so happy to finally have my hands on these products, eek! As soon as I saw Fleur's video where she talked about the collection I knew I had to try them so I put myself on the email list and waited until it came out. Then on one faithful Thursday, whilst on my way into town, I got the all important email and ordered two products on my phone right there and then. Unfortunately they arrived the day I went back to uni so I've had to wait for them to be posted to uni from home before I could get my hands on them. So without further ado I'll give you my initial thoughts on the products that I bought!

I wanted to get an eyeshadow quad and a lipgloss to try one of each so eyeshadow wise I went for the Cosmic Bronze Palette. At the minute these are shades that I'm loving wearing, especially with winged liner, so I was really excited to try this out. Upon first swatch they are pretty well pigmented but cocoa brown takes the biscuit as one swipe gives a great colour. I've tried a day look and a night look with this and both went really well. The shadows are really easy to apply and all blend really well. The one that I would say I'm most disappointed is Mink Shimmer. When you swatch it, it comes out as this beautiful bronze-y shimmer but at the minute it doesn't translate on the lid. I do find that sometimes eyeshadows like this take a little time to loosen up and for the true colour to transfer so watch this space. At the minute Cocoa Brown is my favourite. It's a warm toned brown that looks great on the outer corner and underneath the eye. Overall this could soon become a favourite palette so watch this space.

Lip gloss wise I went for Starry Starry Night. I wanted to get a colour that I don't already have in my collection and I am definitely lacking in berry tones. This colour is beautiful! It's your typical autumnal shade and I'm literally in love. The smell of the glosses are vanilla and that's lovely when you apply it. It's quite streaky to apply and takes a few coats but that could just be practise. It lasts for a very long time which is great and doesn't feel sticky on the lips at all. Overall I'd love to get even more colours from the range because the pigmentation and formula are really great!

Love the range and will definitely be expanding my collection soon!

L-R: Coconut Cream, Taupe Brown, Mink Shimmer, Cocoa Brown

Starry Starry Night Lip Gloss

Favourite Friday: The Glam Guide

I promise I'm not going to mention it anymore but it was my birthday last week! As soon as Friday came I was like "Today is the day I'm finally going to buy the Glam Guide". Since I found out that the launch date was on my actual birthday I felt that it was a sign that I was meant to have it. So, I met up with one of my friends and we headed straight for Waterstones and right for The Glam Guide stand. As soon as I got it into my hands and was ready to head to the till my friend kindly said to me "If I were you I wouldn't buy it yet". Instant thought: Birthday present. And I was right! I literally can't put it down. Every night before I go to bed I'll have a flick through and I'll always have it near me just in case I want to have a read. I like the way that she's written a book but stuck to her makeup/lifestyle tips route and stuck to what she knows instead of making into a 'glorified autobiography'. My favourite parts are the makeup section, travel and the drawings, the drawings are insane! I'd recommend this book to anyone as I think that it's a book/keepsake that I will NEVER get bored of.