My Make Up Wishlist

Hello all, welcome back!

In today's blog I'm going to share with you all my makeup wishlist, these are things that have really caught my eye, either because that type of item is missing from my collection or just because it's a product which has really shone out to me. Please comment with your own wishlists or let me know if you have tried anything on mine.

Starting with the face:

Boots, £5.99 / image from boots.com

Seventeen is a brand which is pretty new to me, however everything I've had from there so far has been of really great quality and price, the packaging is cute too! One product especially really jumped out to me last time I was in Boots and that's their Define & Conquer kit, this is made up of a highlight powder and a contour powder and comes in a choice of two shades to best suit your skin. I have really pale skin and therefore finding an affordable contour kit which isn't too dark is difficult, however this one really hits the spot.

Next up, eyes:

£7.99, sleekmakeup.com / image also sleekmakeup.com

I have two main eye shadow palettes in my collection, both neutral with a range of mattes and shimmer, this is great for an everyday look but now that autumn is in and my wardrobe is a bit more boring than usual I really want to experiment more with colour in my makeup. This is why I've included the Sleek i-Divine eye shadow palette in Ultra Matte V2. As you can see this palette includes many neutral beige and browns but also has the great pop of colour in the form of a few purples, blues and green. My eyes are a murky green colour which means that the colours in this palette would really help the nicer green tones pop, the slightly duller shades are also a great way to incorporate colour into a simple makeup look.

Lips:

£7.99 Superdrug / image from superdrug.com

I don't often wear a solid lipstick, even though I love the look, because usually when I go out I'll be eating or drinking and having to reapply is too much hassle for me! Therefore I prefer either a tinted lip balm or a stain and that's where my next product comes in. The Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, this is a sheer lip product which gives great colour payoff and is also incredibly moisturising. 

Tool:

Boots £5.99 / image from boots.com

I'm probably the only beauty blogger out there not to own a single Real Techniques brush, I know, it's pretty tragic. However up until now I've not really experimented enough to need many kinds of the same brush, finally now I'm working on building up my collection and Real Techniques is where I would like to start. Their Miracle Complexion sponge looks really great, the pointed edge to help apply your make up in awkward areas and the flat and domed edge for a perfect finish. I just can't say enough good things about it, I've watched many a Youtuber apply their makeup with a damp beauty sponge and now it's at the top of my make up brush list!   

That is a rundown of my current make-up wishlist, hopefully I'll be ticking some things off my list soon! Once again, thank-you for reading, follow me on Twitter (@iprefergracie) and Instagram (forevergracie).

Stay golden! Gracie xo

We Were Liars book review

Hello all, welcome back!

Firstly, I'm sorry for missing Wednesday, I had a very busy day of uni work and blogging completely slipped my mind. Because of this I've decided to update only on Sunday's. So every Sunday from now on I'll upload but no more Wednesday's, this means I can juggle uni work, blog stuff as well as having a day off and time to do stuff. 

Anyway, now onto the actual blog!

This week for my final weekday blog I thought I would give you all a small book review of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. 

I read this book just over a month ago and have been meaning to do a review ever since! I'm a huge bookworm - as nerdy as that may be - and since moving to uni I've had way too little time dedicated to reading. 

I hadn't heard of this book, nor its author, when I bought it (from ASDA for £3.85) but the blurb sounded good and for £4 I thought it would make a decent read for the 2 hour train journey to Edinburgh, if nothing else. But now I've read it I am so glad I got it, this book is about a girl called Cadence Sinclar Eastman and her family who all live on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts in America. The book takes you through the adventures she has with her cousins over the course of summer holidays over a few years, it goes through good times and bad times both personally and with issues surrounding her family. The great thing about this book is that it's so relatable in many ways which means you can really put yourself in the story and get into it. It makes you laugh as well as cry and is such a heartfelt honest book. It's only 250/300 words which means that it's not going to take you weeks on end to finish, and you can quickly get into the story and follow the characters individually. 

I would highly reccomend this book to people who like reading books such as The Fault In Our Stars and Perks of Being a Wallflower. If you have read it please let me know what you thought and also let me know any books which you've recently read and think I would enjoy!

Thanks for reading, stay golden! 

Gracie xo

Edinburgh shopping Haul!

Hello all, welcome back!

Yesterday I had a very busy day shopping in Edinburgh and thought I would share with you what I picked up! This haul will be very mixed and span across a couple of different shops, so here we go!

Minnie Mouse slipper socks, various designs, Primark, £4

One of the shops I went into while on Princes Street was Primark. Usually on a Saturday I would avoid Primark as best as possible as it gets really super busy, however I was in desperate need of new slippers and I'm so glad I went in. I used to have these 'slipper socks' in plain red with Minnie Mouse on the toe and these tartan ones are such an adorable purchase to highlight my recent move to Musselburgh. 

Plastic cup with straw, Primark, £2,50

 This next buy has been on my wishlist for ages. These cups recently became a new must have item and are a plastic version of the oh-so-famous fast food cups.

Burgundy finger-less gloves, Tiger, £1

The next shop I went into was Tiger, before moving to uni I'd never been into one as there aren't any near me and I'm so excited I've now found it. For those of you who also haven't got a nearby Tiger it sells a whole range of items - toys, food, stationery - for really great prices. I couldn't resist these gloves as they're such a great autumn colour and mean that I can still operate my phone etc. without having to take off my gloves.

Large black basket,Tiger £3; cotton wool pads,Primark, £1

The final item I got from Tiger is this large black woven basket. This basket is something I've been after for ages as I hate the look of bottles and tubes just stood on shelves or counters, my room looks so much more neat and tidy now with everything tucked away. Using baskets and boxes is also a great way to create more space.

(From Tiger I also bought 20 kitchen sponges in various colours for £1 and 5 orange wire coat hangers for £1)

Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara, £6.29; Seventeen concealer £4.49; Vaseline rosy lips £2.07. All from Boots

The final shop I went into was Boots (surprise, surprise), firstly I headed to the Seventeen booth as they are currently running a 3 for 2 offer on all of their products. Here I bought the Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara in black along with the Seventeen up to 18 hour stay time concealer in Extra Fair (as well as a gel nail polish for my flatmate). In return for letting her have my 3rd item in the 3 for 2, my flatmate bought me the Vaseline lip therapy + SPF 15 in rosy lips. This provides great protection against SPF as well as making them soft and providing a rosy tint. This lip balm isn't as tinted as the Nivea rosy lips however it's great for a healthy everyday hint of pink. 

That is all for my Edinburgh haul! I love going shopping in Edinburgh as there are so many places to go and everywhere is smothered in history and beautiful buildings. I'll be back on Wednesday with a review of the book We Were Liars by E Lockhart. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing my recent purchases, as always you can find me at twitter (@iprefergracie) & Instagram (forevergracie).

See you next time, stay golden!
Gracie xo

Busy, busy, bumble bee!

Hello all, welcome back!

Firstly I would like to apologise for my complete lack of blogging!

The trouble first began when my laptop had to go into repair, what first was supposed to take 1 week eventually spanned into two meaning that I barely had it back in time when I was supposed to be writing an essay. Now that that's all out of the way and I have my life a *little* bit more on track, I'll be back to regularly updating my blog.

My university schedule is starting to fill up a bit now (I recently became my class' class rep) so I may end up winding the blogs down to only posting on Sunday's, however I'm going to see how it goes. Obviously this Friday blog is out of the blue and therefore I'll end it here and be back on Sunday with a haul from my day of shopping in Edinburgh!

Thank you all for reading, stay golden! 

Gracie xo

My Current Haircare Routine

Hello all, welcome back!

Today I'm here to let you know about what I do to my hair, and what products I use. 

A bit of background before we begin: my hair is currently just below my shoulders and is dark brown, in the summer it naturally lightens to a more ginger colour but I don't frequently have it dyed and therefore I don't use any specific colour protect products. Both fortunately and unfortunately my hair is naturally very curly, this means that it is also very frizzy, if anyone has any tips for frizzy hair, please send them this way. Controlling curly frizz is like fighting a losing battle!! As well as being curly, as if this wasn't enough, it is also super thick and that means lots and lots of volume! Now that you know more about my hair, let's get going!

My hair care routine consists of 4 products (depending on whether I'm going curly or straight) starting with shampoo and conditioner.

Boots, £3.99 each

When looking for shampoo/conditioner I always look for one which promises to give me moisture as like to have shiny hair, and these clearly naked products have the added bonus of being paraben and colourant free! The less chemicals the better in my book. I have only used these a couple of times and so far so good, my hair is shiny, soft and still as strong as ever.

Next up is Miracle Oil with argan oil. Nut oils (almond, macadamia, coconut) have been beauty must-haves recently and I've seen them in hair products, skin products and now even mascara, so you're bound to have tried one of them! My favourite to use is argan oil, usually I use this after washing my hair, simply towel drying it first then adding this to the ends. I also use an argan/coconut oil hair mask roughly once a month to boost the moisture and give my hair a deep condition. 

Argan oil, available at most beauty shops

My third and final products are those I use for styling. Which I use obviously depends on whether I want to go curly or straight and are both relatively new to the market. First up is the John Frieda Frizz Ease Go Curlier 48 hour heat activated spray. This spray helps to create soft and controlled curls for people with naturally wavy/curly hair and is applied to wet/damp hair and then blown dry with a diffuser attachment. I really love this to minimise frizz and make my curls more controlled, allowing me to have curly hair that lasts for 2/3 days.

The second product I use for styling is the John Frieda Frizz Ease 3 day straight semi permanent styling spray. This spray is again applied to wet/damp hair and then activates with heat when you blow dry and then straighten your hair. Because of the natural kink in my hair, products like this help to really control and straighten my hair, taming the frizz at the same time! I would recommend both of these to people like me who has hair which is stubborn to style.

Boots, £6.99 each

I hope you've enjoyed this post, let me know what hair products you're loving.

Stay golden! Gracie xo