Monthly favourites: August

Hello everyone and welcome to my August favourites!

Image from google images

This month I've been really getting into skincare, moreso than anything else! This said, I do have a couple of non-skincare favourites which I'm sure you'll enjoy, so let's get started!

Skincare

As summer draws to a close I've been trying to update my skincare routine ready for autumn. My skin type is dry, however in extreme heat or cold it leans towards very dry, therefore as we've had some days this summer which have been super hot my skin has been suffering and these products have really been helping out!

No7 cleansing balm, Boots £9.50/ Boots foaming facial wash £3.59/ Garnier Micellar water, Boots £4.99

The first product I have been loving is the No7 Beautiful Skin cleansing balm, this is for dry/very dry skin which is indicated by the lilac coloured lid (there's also pink and green for normal/dry and normal/oily skin). This is the first product I have used by No7 for my skin and although I would say it's more of a lotion than a balm, it does work very well at removing makeup; I apply this directly to my face and then use a face cloth and warm water to remove it. The only flaw I would say with this product is that it's not as amazing at removing waterproof mascara as my previous cleanser was, (Ponds Cold Cream, £4.99, Boots), but as I prefer to use an eye makeup remover as well as a skin cleanser that's not a problem for me. 

The next product is the Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel foaming facial wash. I bought this to keep my skin clear after suffering badly with spots earlier in the summer and it has been amazing at keeping my skin completely blemish free. I use this every morning; apply to my wet face and then remove with a facial sponge/muslin cloth, I also use this to wash my face after removing my make-up. For only £4 this is a great budget product from Boots and I'm hoping to try more of the Boots Tea Tree range in the future.

My third product has been a favourite for 2/3 months now and it's the Garnier Micellar cleansing water. At £4.99 this is great value for money and is a lot easier to get your hands on than other famous Micellar waters such as Bioderma. This product leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed, it also dries on your skin without feeling sticky or heavy. This bottle is a 400ml bottle which has lasted me roughly three months!!

Clearasil rapid action wash, Boots £5.79/ Glorious Mud facial mask Bodycare

These next two products have again been favourites for the past couple of months however because of the nature of them I have not been using them daily. On the left is the Clearasil rapid action gel wash, this product contains Salicylic acid which dries out spots. There are mixed reviews for this product however I found that it worked quickly to reduce the redness and size of spots, making them less visible and less painful. It is suggested that you use this morning and evening but I found that it left my skin dry if I did so, therefore just used it on certain areas when I first woke-up. I would definitely recommend using this if you suffer from spots, however be aware that Salicylic acid doesn't suit everyone's skin. Next up is the Glorious Mud deep cleansing facial mask, I bought this on a whim from Bodycare (unknown price, sorry!) as I love using face masks. As I suffer from dry, sometimes flakey skin, I find clay masks help to brighten my skin and improve its appearance. This one instantly makes my skin brighter and I apply it onto freshly washed skin, usually just my T-zone, fortnightly.

Music

My music favourite this month has been Iggy Azalea, everything about her I am obsessed with! I love her unique style and the fact that she makes the most of her curvy figure. Songs by her which I've been listening are Fancy ft Charli XCX (above) and Work.

Television

I don't often sit down and watch TV on a night time however this month saw the return of The Great British Bake Off, I absolutely love baking and this season I have become particularly addicted. Sue Perkins is one of my favourite presenters and alongside Mel, they make the show incredibly funny. Add the lovely Mary Berry and a strict judge in the form of Paul Hollywood and I am gripped!

Website

My favourite website to browse is Pinterest. I first made an account when Louise (from SprinkleofGlitter) started talking about her obsession for it in a video and it truly is addictive. If you don't know about Pinterest the idea is that it's a giant, virtual pinboard. You make an account and create 'boards' of your interests, some of my boards are 'home decor' 'comedy' and of course one for makeup! Then you can browse through categories of images and pin things you like your boards. Once I started pinning I couldn't stop! 

Random

My final and most random favourite is a drink; Lucozade Caribbean Crush. I'm unsure whether or not this is released just for summer (I sadly expect that it is) however I am completely obsessed. Whenever I can, I buy a bottle and it has been completely over taking my usual choice of coke. If you've never tried it, it's a tropical lucozade and is one of two tropical flavours currently on sale. 

That's that for my August favourites, hopefully you've enjoyed this post. Let me know what you think of my favourites, what have you been loving this month? Stay golden!

Gracie xo

The Leibster Award!

Hello all and welcome back! Firstly, apologies for this being a day late. I had a super busy day yesterday which started off with going shopping with my boyfriend, then I had a doctors appointment to get my meningitis booster before uni, followed by a dental appointment and finished off by going supermarket shopping (again for uni) with my mum! I go to university on the 6th September which is in a weeks time and am busy getting lots of last minute things. As promised this blog is my Liebster awards nomination! 

I was nominated by the lovely Isobel (Wonderlling), thank-you very much, I'm so excited to be nominated, here are the rules: 

1. Post 11 facts about you.

2. Answer the 11 questions set by the blogger who nominated you.

3. Nominate 11 blogs with under 200 followers.

4. Link your nominees to the post.

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

6. Let the nominees chosen know they have been tagged.

My 11 facts

1. I like to be very organised and try to arrive early
2. I am moving to Mussleburgh, Edinburgh, in little over a week!
3. I would love to go travelling
4. My favourite book is Alice in Wonderland
5. I hate having to style my hair
6. I prefer to wear black/grey clothes and have colourful accessories than colourful clothing
7. I wear glasses
8. My favourite colour is pink
9. I keep a diary
10. I prefer to stay in than go on nights out
11. My favourite season is Winter

11 questions set by Wonderlling

1. What is your favourite food? - Pizza, especially ham & pineapple
2. What is your favourite drink? - regular full fat coke
3. Favourite artist? music/art - My favourite music artist is Beyonce and my favourite art artist is either Robert Indiana or David Hockney
4. Hobby? - Reading and photography
5. Celebrity crush? - Harry Styles :D
6. Dream holiday destination? - Rome or New Zealand
7. Favourite school subject - Psychology/ English language 
8. One thing you couldn't live without?  - my books for sure
9. Dream job? A writer of any sort
10. Honest opinion of this..(mighty boosh four way crimp off)? - Amazing, Noel Fielding is hilarious :D

My nominees

So for this I am going to nominate 6 blogs which are under 200 subscribers which I think are really great and worth a read and a follow! I'm sorry if anyone I nominate has already done this, I tried not to renominate many people to spread young blogs but some were too good not to!

BeautyTrinity13 - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12612483

Tina Knights - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12533955

Kinky Curly ME - blog - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12586813

Peace.Love.Vintage - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/7941079

Bubble's Wardrobe - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11314411

Celestralite - https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12683117

And now your questions:

1. Do you prefer reading books or watching movies?
2. What is your favourite food?
3. Have you got any pets?
4. What's your favourite season?
5. Which one item of clothing would you class as an essential piece in your wardrobe?
6. Dream place to live?
7. Favourite celebrity?
8. Which type of blog do you read most? i.e. beauty, home decor etc
9. Tea or coffee?
10. Do you prefer sweet food or savoury? 
11. What is your current favourite song?

I hope you have fun answering these questions and posting your 11 facts!! I'll see you all on Sunday for another blog, stay golden!

Gracie xo

My everyday makeup!

Hello again, thanks for visiting! I thought that today I would take the opportunity to share with you the makeup I wear on a regular day. On a normal day around the house I don't usually wear makeup as I suffer from dry skin and prefer to give it a break, however when I go out I like to wear a 'my skin but better' type look. This is very natural but covers up any imperfections and adds a bit of colour to my ghostly complexion.

Estee Lauder palette; unknown price

This Estee Lauder palette was given to me as a gift and so unfortunately I don't know the prices. However, as you can see in the photo it contains two of the EL tender blushes in Rosewood (top) and Pink Kiss (bottom), it then has three of the EL signature silky eyeshadow duos in the colours (L-R) Ginger, Mocha and Plum Sugar, and finally at the bottom are three of the brands long lasting lipsticks in the shades Hot Kiss, Rose Tea and Pink Parfait.

All of the products in this palette are really good quality and I use this daily, especially as it has a mirror which is the full size of the palette. The three eye shadows which are marked with a star are the
three which I use most, the top two are great for adding a wash of colour to the lid and the darker of the mocha duo is a lovely brown shade, perfect for adding definition to the crease.

W7 In The Buff palette - £9.95

The next palette I use on a daily basis is the w7 In The Buff palette, this has 12 shadows (mixture of matte and shimmer) which are all neutral and this is all you need to create an everyday nude eye. This palette was first noticed because of its similarity to the Urban Decay Naked palettes at a fraction of the price. I am probably one of the only beauty bloggers not to own a single Naked palette, however I don't need one when I have this.
In the photo I have marked the 4 colours I use most, these are: buff, sand, dust and silk. Usually I will take 'sand' all over the lid with either dust or silk in the crease, I then finish off with buff under the brow bone and in the corner of my eye as a highlighter.

Boots, £2.99/ unknown/ Dainty Doll online/ Boots, £4.99/£1.99

Next up is the rest of my eye makeup, I like to keep my makeup bright and illuminated and therefore don't often go for an eyeliner. However, if you're interested in what eyeliners I'm currently using let me know in the comments! Starting with eyebrows, I use two different products to shade in my dreaded brows, firstly I use the Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil in shade 002 Hazel. This is a great pencil for quick application, however sometimes I do need to warm it up with a hair dryer first to get it started. The other product I use is the w7 Brow Twister in brown, this is slightly too dark for me to use all over my brows as my hair is still bleached from the sun (my hair is dark brown with a ginger undertone) and therefore I am using a combination of both to match as best I can as my hair darkens through autumn and winter. I use the Collection colour lash in clear to set my brows. The next product I use is the Dainty Doll eyeshadow base, this range was brought out by Nicola Roberts (of Girls Aloud) and is designed for pale faced girls in mind. This base is a cream consistency and like most is a creamy white colour, because of its cream consistency it works really well to hold eyeshadows without creasing all day long. If I'm going out either all day or on a night I also sometimes use this under my eyes to create a illuminating base for my concealer to keep it in place. Finally on my eyes I use the Maybelline New York Great Lash mascara in 'Blackest Black'. This mascara is a great for a day to day natural look and works well to separate lashes and adds thickness.

Boots £7.99/£4.19/£4.19/unknown

Personally, my base is the most boring part of my makeup routine, partly because it takes the most time and effort. This makeup doesn't create a truly flawless look but it does help to brighten and lift my skin, the first product I use is the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation in the shade 010 light porcelain. This shade is perfect for my skin and therefore Rimmel is my go-to brand for foundation, I love the way it makes my skin look and how it isn't too heavy, despite its supposed 25 hour wear - I can vouch for 10 hours. The other products I use are all by Collection, another of my go-to high street brands. Firstly, the pressed powder in Ivory, this is a great powder for setting either full makeup or concealer on its own and adds a tiny bit of coverage itself. Next is probably the beauty bloggers favourite concealer, the Collection lasting perfection 16 hour wear, I use the lightest shade 'fair' and find it works well on scarring, blemishes and dark circles. The last product is blusher, as I am very fair skinned (and also have natural redness in my cheeks) blush is something which I trial all the time, this one by Collection is in the colour Bashful and is a lovely bright rose pink with a slight shimmer, I use this faintly to add a slight spot of colour and brighten my face.

Fianlly! We're at the end! I hope you enjoyed reading about my everyday makeup and that you'll come back on Wednesday, I have been very kindly nominated for the Leibster Awards so come to see who I nominate then. I hope you're having a great week, please feel free to comment your thoughts on the products I have been talking about. Stay golden!

Grace xo

Introduction to me

Hi, welcome to my blog! My name is Grace and this is just a little introduction to my life.

I love writing and have been wanting to start a blog for a while, so fingers crossed you all enjoy it! I will be posting blogs on Wednesdays and Sundays about things such as hair, beauty and fashion as well as some posts about my life and university.

I am 18 years old, my birthday is in January and I am currently in between finishing sixth form and going to university, I got my results on the 14th August and my first day at university is on the 6th September. At sixth form I studied English Language, History and Psychology as well as completing an extended project - an independent piece of work to gain extra UCAS points. I loved all three of the subjects I did at A level and went through wanting to study each of them them as a degree, before finally applying to study psychology. I have chosen to go to Queen Margaret University which is in Mussleburgh, roughly 10 mins by train from Edinburgh in Scotland. 

I have always loved Edinburgh as a city and I am so excited to be living there for the next few years. I am from a really small village (there isn't even a village pub, just a church) so the thought of living in a city for me is super exciting.

I grew up with my mum and older brother in County Durham (North East England) in a small rural village and attended the local school from nursery right through to sixth form, this means that I have known quite a few of my friends since I was 3/4 years old. I love reading and watching movies as well as going on days out to museums and art galleries, my favourite gallery is Tate modern in London. 

I hope you enjoyed that brief introduction and I'll be back with a beauty based post on Sunday, stay golden!

Grace xo