My Top 3 MAC Eye Shadows...

Over the years I have tried many a eye shadow, from a whole host of brands and in a wide variety of shades. I have finally learnt that golds, browns and olives are the shades that suit my skin tone and dark brown eyes the best. In terms of brands of eye shadows, there’s always been one that’s stood above the rest, that being MAC. Kind of obvious considering the post title, huh!

So I thought I would share with you all my top 3 MAC eye shadows. The reason I love MAC’s shadows so much is because they are highly pigmented, stay put all day, it stays where it should and doesn’t slide down your face. What more can I say! I know they are a little pricey at £12.50 a pot but they last for ages and I really think they are worth the money for the quality product you receive.

 

 

My top 3 MAC eye shadow shades are Sumptuous Olive, All That Glitters and Tempting.

‘Tempting’ is my day to day shade, it’s a dark brown with a slight shimmer. I wear it with a black eye liner on top and bottom lashes and tons of mascara. I’ve been sporting this look for a long time, it’s simple and works for me.

However when I want to take things up a notch or fancy a change I play with ‘All That Glitters’ It’s a fab nude/golden shade also with some shimmer in it. I use this on its own or I use it as a base colour and just dust a bit of ‘Tempting’ around my eye socket. It’s a great result and so simple to do.

‘Sumptuous Olive’ is the shade I go to for nights out when I want to vamp it up a bit. It’s what it says on the tin, a deep olive colour. I’m not sure it’s a colour that suits everyone but it works well on me, especially for an ultra glam look. I do get a lot of complements when I wear this one, and often get asked what brand it is.

What’s your eye shadow of choice?

 

Motivational Monday #32

 

I don’t know what’s happened, but I’ve noticed that recently I’ve been worrying about things a lot more than I usually would. I am a worrier in general but I have noticed I seem to be getting worse! Especially around what others think of me, I’m really sensitive to it at the moment and it’s sending me loopy!

Today’s quote really hit a nerve for me, at the end of the does their opinion really matter? Nine times out of ten it actually doesn’t! So why do I care and how can I stop it affecting me? That’s the one million dollar question...

For me to keep myself sane, I’m going to keep asking the following questions:

1.    Does this person have any effect over my life?

2.    Why does their opinion matter?

3.    Is the issue something else?

If the answer is ‘no’ to all of these I am going to laugh at myself for being so silly and move on! I will let you know how I get on.

Happy Monday!

Beauty Blog Sale!

Welcome to my blog sale! If you read my post on Saturday you will know that I’m on a mission to make a bit of money, so I thought I would attempt a blog sale. Being a beauty blogger I have a ton of products that I’ve only used once, never used or have replaced with something else. Therefore I thought I would see if any of you lovely lot would like to purchase some of it!

I am going to put a few pieces up to begin with and see how this goes! If I do sell some bits I will add more products so keep checking back!

Okay so here is how it works...

If you want anything or want to ask me anything, just leave me a comment. It’s going to be on a first come first serve basis.  

I only accept PayPal and all payments must be made within 24 hours. Please note: If payment is not made within 24 hours, any offers will be withdrawn!

UK postage is £2.50, whether you want one item or 10 it will be this standard price. I will post items within 2 working days of receiving payment.

I will post internationally, but please contact me before hand for postage costs

I'm afraid that I am not at fault if the package goes missing in the mail and I won’t be accepting any returns. All sales are final.

 

Bare Minerals Eye Colour in Drama - only used once to swatch - £10

 

Topshop Eyes in Mercury - usage as shown - £3

 

Bourjois Paris Felt Tip Eye Liner in Ultra Black - Never Been Used - £2

 

No7 Stay Perfect Metallic Eyes Pencil in Blackest - Never Been Used - £3

 

Bourjois Paris Ombre a paupieres Eye Shadow in 13 - Usage as Shown - £2

 

Benefit Longwear Powder Shadow in Thanks a Latte - Usage as Shown - £6

 

Maybelline New York The Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara in Black - Only been used once to review- £2

 

Topshop Highighter in Sunbeam - Use as Shown - £5.00

 

Benefit The Porefessional - 7.5ml - Never been used - £1

 

Benefit Sugarbomb Blusher - Only used to swatch - £8

 

No7 High Shine Lip Gloss in Coral Kiss - Never been Used - £4

 

Stila Lip Glaze in Maraca - Never Been Used - £5

 

No7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara In Black - 6m - £1

 

Benefit World Famous Neutrals - Eyenessa's Sexiest Nudes Ever - Only been used to swatch - £13

 

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Leave In Treatment - 100ml - Never been used! - £3

Lee Stafford Double Blow Volumizing Mousse -200ml - Never been used! - £3

Schwarzkopf got2b Guardian Angel 220 degrees Heat Protection - Never been used! - £3

 

Keeping up with the Kardashians Season Four DVD - Only been watched once - £10

Not happy with the prices? Then make me an offer!

I’m also selling clothes and DVD’s over on Ebay, which you can find here. Please check it out!

 

Creative Clothing Storage

18 months ago, I moved back in with my parents in order to sort out my finances and start saving and eventually go travelling. I never meant to stay this long and at 27 years old it’s a bit cringey to say I live with my parents. However I am incredibly lucky to have very laid back parents and I am now officially debt free! Whooooop! My savings however are nonexistent, so I think I’ll be here for a while yet!

When I moved back in the only space available was the loft. It’s great as it means I can escape my family when needed. We are one of those annoying very LOUD clans! We have 3 dogs and chaos and fun normally pursue. So when I need my own space I can hide away in the loft. The down sides are in the winter it’s so drafty, making it freezing. In the night you feel like you’re sleeping outside!

The other downer is the severe lack of storage. Due to the roof, it’s a slanted ceiling so a wardrobes not an option. For the first year I was happy living out of boxes as it was only meant to be a temporary housing situation. The last few months however I’ve come to accept I may be here for a while yet, so I decided I needed to unpack.

Clothing storage has been the biggest issue. It’s a small awkward space and I am a massive clothes hoarder. Hmmmm....  

Well after a lot of thinking this is what I have come up with. I have a chest of drawers for undies, pjs and tees. For my mountain of jeans, jumpers and joggers I spend a large amount of time mooching around on eBay for ideas. I ended up purchasing 4 wooden crates and putting them on their sides on top of each other. To save space I rolled up my jeans and put them in one, which looked visually good. I then folded everything else and filled the rest of the crates up. I’m really pleased with the finished look and often get complements from visitors and it’s something a bit different.

 

I was still left with the issue that some clothes just have to be hung up, there is no way around it. I’m lucky that I have one flat panel where the boiler is boxed in. It wouldn’t facilitate a wardrobe but using a cheap towel rail I found at IKEA I bolted it to the panel. I then did the same with another rail to the side of the first one, on a lower beam. The result is a quirky corner of hanging clothes.

 

I am now on a mission to find a big storage trunk to fill with all my bags, and then I think my room will be finished!

Have you got any creative clothing storage solutions?

The Skint Diaries #1

 

Ok so we are 3 weeks away from pay day and I am royally skint! Due to a very expensive first week of November which has involved booking a holiday, a flight to Thailand and a broken car. Yes, I know I’ve been naughty there too – I am too impulsive and have no will power!

I have always been terrible with money, it burns a whole in my pocket. I moved back in with my parents to save and have failed miserable so far. Now I have reached an all time low though and really need to turn things around! I waste so much money on things I don’t actually need, so time to change my ways!

Being a complete idiot and not reigning in my spontaneous side, I’m now left with a grand total of £52 in my bank. Bearing in mind I go through a tank of petrol a week at £60 a go, I’ve left myself well and truly screwed.

So attempting to find a positive somewhere in this mess I am going to find (legal) ways to earn a quick buck, and thought I would share it with you lovely lot. Hopefully by sharing, it will keep me on track.

So my initial plans involve emptying my penny jar, doing a blog sale, putting anything that’s not stuck down on eBay and getting rid of old CD’s and music magpie. If you have any other suggestions please let me know! I am to all legal/sensible ways of raising funds.

I’m also not going to spend any money unless it’s a necessity. So each week till the end of the month, I will share with you how I’m getting on and what money I’ve spent as well as made. Hopefully this will keep me on the straight and narrow and motivate me!

p.s. I’ve just taken my penny jar down to the coin machine in ASDA, £25.66 made!

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Jen from 'English Rose from Manchester'

Here are my thoughts… I LOVE hearing other people’s views and reviews on pretty much anything especially books! Some of my favourite reads are ones that have been suggested by other people. So thinking along those lines,’ The Book Club Takeover’ was born! Hopefully each week I will bring to you a post from one of my lovely and amazing fellow bloggers who will in turn share with you what their favourite book is, why they love it and a review. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I pdo!

Hi, I’m Jen and I’m a creative sort of person currently living in Manchester. I do all sorts of things in my spare time and my lifestyle blog English Rose from Manchester started out as an outlet to talk about all the things that matter to me. I like to keep it varied and my posts range from crafts and baking inspiration to fashion and beauty, as well as sharing the joys of living in Manchester!

My favourite book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and one of the main reasons I love it so much is that it’s the book that got me into reading again. It also encouraged me to try different sorts of books – which is great as I definitely went through a “chick lit” rut at one point.

 

Gone with the Wind sat on my bookshelf for years before I felt the urge to read it, because I wasn’t particularly overwhelmed by the film (very long, pretty dull, annoying characters) – plus the book is very long and the type is tiny, but when I finally I devoured this epic historical romance I totally fell in love with it! It’s the story of the Deep South during the American Civil War, and it really transported me there, genuinely conveying what life was like; the attitudes and feelings of the people; and how a way of life was drastically changed by the war.

I didn’t find the feisty, selfish heroine Scarlett O’Hara annoying like I did when watching the film. She really came alive on paper, and I admired her strength of will and passion. She’s exactly the sort of heroine I love to read about. I found her love story itself to be incredibly romantic in a way that I’ve not really found in more contemporary books, and the dashing Rhett Butler really is an exciting, multi-dimensional hero, and one who kept my interest as a love interest (I can’t stand Mr Perfect characters in books).  

But really the true story of the book is about a time and place in history, and I was so moved by it that I was still thinking about this book weeks after finishing it. It was a real experience and I enjoyed every minute! It’s not often I’m genuinely sad that a book is over!

No 7 Stay Perfect Eye Shadow in Beach Shine

 

 

 

 My favourite MAC eye shadow in Tempting has run out and being skint I thought I would try out a cheaper alternative. Having a £5 off voucher for No 7, I spent some time browsing their Eye Shadow range and came across ‘Beach Shine’ which is a gorgeous mocha coloured shimmery brown.

 

I’ve never really used many No 7 products before so was unsure what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! The powder was well compressed so didn’t scatter down under my eyes, the colour was perfect, just what I wanted and it lasted the day.  It was all still in place when I got home from 8 hours at work.

I still miss my old MAC eye shadow but this is a great alternative at half the price! I will definitely be having a look at what else No 7 has to offer next time I venture into boots.