NYC Beauty Haul!

Hello darlings,

So as you may or may not know, I went to New York City with my Dad over the Easter holidays (partly for pleasure but also to scout it out as a potential place to move to for University or just for working).  I had an amazing time there (all the tourist-y photos and other hauls to come soon), but something I really did was expand my make-up collection.  By a lot.  Oopsie?

The first day, I went to Bloomingdales and CVS on the hunt for some bargains on the high and low end products.

In Bloomingdales I managed to find...

My well loved (already) Clinique: Take the Day Off Balm.  Read my full Review HERE.  Basically, an amazing cleanser and make-up remover that has worked so well on my skin I will definitely repurchase back here in the UK.  The head towel is actually from CVS but it's here as I use these two together.

I popped into the Benefit counter to pick up some more Porefessional as I was running low and I love it soo much (read my full review HERE), and they had an offer where if you buy any three products, you get a free make-up bag with three gifts inside.  So, as I was on the search for a new high lighter and bronzer I thought I'd give Benefit a go.  I really love the Hoola Bronzer I got, it's a really nice matte finish that gives a really natural, sun kissed look.  It's also fantastic for building up coverage - you can use a small amount for a natural bronzing or really build it up to do some seriously stunning and high definition contouring work.  I also got the Watts Up Highlighter, which I am adoring.  The shimmer is really nice and it is so easy and quick to apply, you can use your fingers or the applicator at the end.  Free, I got a They're Real Mascara sample tube (I love this mascara but ran out of my big tube lately so this was nice), a shimmery pink cream shadow (really nice base for the Naked 3 I'll talk about in a bit) and the 15-Hour Primer (I've only used a few times but it seems to work quite well, no major problems - I think I'll go get the full sized on my next visit and give it a go).

I'm not the world's biggest Mac fan, I've just never fully got into it and have generally prefered the look of other brands when shopping for actual make-up.  I am going to try and start going to Mac more for make-up as I always go for brushes but never really get make-up.  I want to try and make my own palette.  Anyway, I have 4 of their eye brushes but wanted to invest in a new foundation brush and contouring brush.  I don't like the flat foundation brushes, I prefer dense kabuki-style brushes so went for the 187 brush recomended by the lady on the stall.  I'm not that keen on it - a lot of people are but it's really not dense enough for me and it takes so long to blend out the foundation and leaves streaks.  However, I have really been loving using it for blush lately, it just leaves a really nice finish.  The 129 contour brush, on the other hand, is amazing at it's intended purpose.  It's really good for defined or blended contouring and shaping your face with ease, picking up just the right amount of make-up.  I love it!

Next stop was CVS...

These are the Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balm sticks in 105 Demure and 150 Enticing (the red one is enticing, the pink nude is demure).  I am in love with these - absolutely in love.  The consistency of them both is just lovely, it really feels like they are nourishing your lips.  They also look fantastic, stay on for ages and have a little bit of a tingle to them to give you a plump little pout.  My most used (as you can see) is Demure - I use it literally every single day, it's just beautiful and perfect.  The colour is really nice cause it's very much 'your lips but better' with a nice, girly, pink shimmer to it.  Enticing is more of a party shade but it's equally as gorgeous on.

I'd always seen the Kate Moss Lipstick range around and about, but only ever bought one (and that was over a year ago), so when I saw they were on sale at CVS... I had to buy 4.  Yep, that's a legitimate excuse... right?  These are the four shades I felt I would wear the most.  The one on the left is 17, it's very similar to demure, just a little bit darker so perfect for when you want a more obvious and focal nude lip that still looks girly and isn't OTT.  The next one is 08, which is just a nice deep brown/pink nude colour that looks really good as an evening nude or just for a bit of a different and darker nude shade - it's more obvious than 17 that you have lipstick on but it's still nude and classy.  The next is 05 which is slowly becoming my standard BBQ lipstick.  It's so lovely and bright without being too 'in your face' neon, I've been wearing this to lots of BBQs, with dungarees and white t-shirts and it just looks super cute with basic eye make-up, adding a fun pop of colour to any look.  The final is 10, which is the ultimate red.  It's quite similar to Mac's Russian Red, but a teeny bit darker, however it still has the more blue undertone to it.  This is just a fantastic standard red to knock em dead on a night out.

You may have gathered by now that I have a small obsession with Revlon Lip Butters (I now own 7...), and so you can imagine how excited I got to see some different colours in America to what we have in the UK (at least I don't think we have this shade in the UK yet, I haven't seen it).  It is 010 Raspberry Pie - just a lovely pink berry colour that can either be swiped on gently for a nice little pop of colour during the day, or built up for a night out.  The texture is so creamy and beautiful, seriously if you haven't got one of these, go get one!

These are two gorgeous Essie nail varnish shades in 'Ballet Slipper' and 'Angora Cardi', I've never owned Essie nail varnish before and if I was going to try it out, I wanted to get a really on trend colour and an all-year-round collour.  Ballet slipper is a beautiful pale pink that just looks really pretty and is really on trend at the moment, I wear it loads.  Angora Cardi is a deeper purple that I can wear any time of year, I haven't worn it for a prologned time just cause at the moment I'm so in love with ballet slipper, but I can definitely see this becoming my Autumn staple.  As expected, the Essie nail varnish is amazing, the brush is great, the thickness is great, it dries nicely and the finish is beautiful.  I also spotted this Triple Shine Sally Hensen Nail Varnish in 150 Pool Party - the colour was too beautiful not to.  This is so shiny and stunning on, I really want to go to the beach and wear this on my fingers and toes, it's such a beautiful beachy summer colour.  The other thing on there (though not from CVS, but I just put it in with this photo because these are all the nail products I got) is the Sephora nail varnish correcting pen.  This is just fab, I get such shaky hands with nail varnish, so sometimes the product ends up round the bottom of my cuticles so this is a god send.

Another product that I've basically used non-stop since buying is the Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl pencil in Nude.  This is so fantastic for just opening up your eye - it basically looks like you've had two hours more sleep than you actually have had instantly.  It's really natural looking, brightens up the eyes without being too OTT and is just perfect for everyday use.

Kind of lying on this one... I got it in Boots at Heathrow on the way there but it still kind of fits in with the Drugstore section.  It's the Charles Worthington Texturising Spray and oh my goodness, this stuff is so good!  It's half texturising, half hairspray so it gives your hair amazing volume and bounce and holds it for ages.  So good, I'd definitely recommend to everyone.  What I like to do is leave my hair in a tight bun over night, release it then spray this in to create natural looking voluminous waves.

Finally, I went to Sephora and Macy's on the last day (and may have forgotten which of the products I got from which store...but here they are nonetheless...)

'Finally!' I hear you scream.  Yes, this is the beautiful, constantly spoken about Naked 3 Palette.  This is my absolute favourite thing and I just love it.  The colours suit my skin tone really well, they're beautiful for every day and party looks, ooh it's just so gorgeous I love it!  It's a gorgeous mix of matte and shimmer finishes too.  The pencil didn't come with it, but fit nicely in there.  This is a duo glide pencil specifically made for the Naked 3 Palette.  One side is a really nice coffee-coloured brown that looks good with the every day looks for this palette or a less dramatic evening look, the other side is a deep plumb/black colour with bronze sparkles that is just beautiful for evening looks.

I clearly just loved this palette so much, I had to photograph it again.  On the right is a set of 4 samples of Urban Decay Primers that came with the Naked 3 Palette.  I already have the Urban Decay Potion primer but these are in different shades and finishes to create the perfect base.  I've used the sin one as a nice shimmery pink base for a night out lately and it was just brilliant.  On the left is a Sephora eyeliner pencil sharpener - I lost mine ages ago and really needed a new one and this one is great.  It has a small hole for regular pencil sizes and a larger one for shadow sticks or chubbier pencils.

Then the Nars whore in me came out... I tried to resist but she saw the counter and there was no going back.  First thing I saw was this duo and I fell in love, so bought it immediately.  It is the Orgasm/Laguna duo, which are their most popular colours so to have them together is fab.  I really love both of them and will probably repurchase both products individually when I run out.  Laguna is a really nice bronzer with a slight shimmer that looks fab on nights out or if you've got a special ocassion during the day and want a nice glow.  Orgasm is just a lovely, standard pink colour that looks really pretty, natural and bright.

This is the Nars Creamy Radiance Concealer in Light 2 'Vanilla'.  I saw this recommended by Miss Glammourazzi on YouTube and when I saw it in the shop, I was running low on concealer so decided to pick this up, with the intention of it being my 'special ocassion' concealer.  However, I used it and can't get enough so am using it pretty much every day.  The coverage is great, it blends beautifully and has just a great glowing, radiant finish.  It covers up all dark circles and imperfections and is just an amazing product overall.  I should really go back to my Collection 2000 concealer but this is so nice, I can't not.

As mentioned before, I went to New York knowing I needed more brushes.  At first, I was very disappointed in the selection of brushes in Sephora as I couldn't see any really dense flat top kabuki foundation brushes... then I came across this limited edition beauty.  It was more expensive as it was a set but it was so worth it.  First off, have you seen this packaging?  It really is the most beautiful set of brushes I own - so so pretty.  Also, and probably more importantly, the brushes are great.  The foundation brush is exactly what I was looking for, so perfect for blending and buffing in foundation.  The bigger shader brush, meant for eye shadow, has actually become my one and only love for a concealer brush.  It moves really well, blends out the product beautifully and is just really nice.  There's a smaller shader brush which I do actually use for eye shadow to apply the products, a definition crease brush which I use for my crease and outer V and a thin flat brush for lining my tight line or my upper lash line.  Then, I use my Mac 217 to blend.  Anyways, they are all just great brushes, they clean well, do a fantastic job and look super cute in my brush collection, what more could you want?  Oh, I know, the bag they came in.  This is permanently in my hand bag, it fits in all the daily essentials from contact solution to mascara to lip balm to paracetamol... the list is endless.

I'm not going to lie, I haven't actually used this yet mainly cause it is so pretty I don't know where to start, but I will be trying it out soon for a tutorial that I'll post on here.  I suppose a main reason is because I haven't had a special enough occassion to feel the need to use such a pretty palette yet, but Prom is coming up.... hint hint... Anyways, this is the Sephora Moonbaked Palette in In the Dark.  It's just a beautiful selection of 12 shimmer shades that look so so so pretty.

Finally for make-up, this is the Urban Decay De-Slick Make-Up Setting Spray with Oil-Control, you just spray this 4 or 5 times on your face once your make-up is done and it just lasts all day.  It stops oily shine and it's just fab at keeping your make-up set all day.  Recently, we've been doing a lot of stage combat in college and with this on, my make-up stays put so so perfectly.  Nothing shifts or smudges at all. it's fab.

Finally... This is my last purchase of the holiday...

The lovely Chloé perfume.  This packaging is so cute, it matches my bedroom and the smell is so nice.  It's such a sophisticated yet summery frangrance I just love it so much!

Right, so that's it for my NYC Beauty Haul! I hope you enjoyed my mini reviews and rambles about the products, I did go a bit mental on the beauty shopping but I loved it.  More hauls to come soon...

Much love,

Rosie

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'You've got a brain in your head, and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in whichever direction you choose'

His Dark Materials: Show Week!

Hello,

So about a month and a half ago, I was fortunate enough to perform on the Old REP Stage, 100 years after Laurence Olivier performed for the first time on there in my last major production at BOA called 'His Dark Materials', based on the Philip Pullman books, adapted by Nicholas Wright.  We have got a student lead production of 'Titus Andronicus' by Shakespeare on, but it's in a much smaller theatre and not everyone is in it - so this really was my last major show with the college that changed my life.

I was fortunate enough to be cast in the role of Mrs Coulter, the main older female lead (obviously Lyra is the main gal).  I had a lot of fun working on this project, from intense and detailed character development work to funny rehearsals and awkward moments it was a pleasure to be a part of, so I thought I'd share it with you!

For those of you not familiar with the books or the play, it's basically a play of The Golden Compass with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig - I was Nicole Kidman (haha I wish).  Though the books (and plays) cover a lot more than the films, our part (part 1) was what was covered in the film.  There are three books, which condensed into two plays (the first is based on the first book and the second on the last two) and the film is based on the first.

I had great fun strutting around, being sassy and evil in my dresses then getting all emotional in a huge fur coat in some very dramatic scenes in which I revealed that I was Lyras mother, unwillingly broke a witch's fingers then was reunited with (and kissed) then split up with (again) the love of my life.  Then I got to be all sassy again in court.

The whole experience was a bit of a whirlwind but I had so much fun doing it all.  Here are some of my favourite pictures from the production and the rehearsal process - I have literally thousands on my hard drive but these are my best!  Enjoy!

It was a really good show and I get really emotional thinking about it as I made some of my closest friends in the rehearsal process as well as finding out lots and lots of stuff about myself.  It was an incredible experience with great memories - I even had a whole bunch of the cast over for a bit of an after show party at mine after the last night which was amazing fun.  I was so so sad when it was over as it was a true milestone in my college and education career and it was the last time I got to perform with my close friends.  Also, a reason I got so emotional was because during the week I realised just how lucky I was and how much my life had changed.  If someone had told me two years ago when I was so anxious and depressed and lonely I couldn't attend school that I'd be doing a performance like that, in a role like that with such amazing friends who I love dearly, I would've quite frankly told them to fuck off.  But the fact it all happened seems like some kind of fairy tale and I'm so thankful for the experience.

Much love,

Rosie

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'To love oneself is the first step to success'

Clinique: Take the Day Off Balm - Review!

Hello everyone!

And a warm welcome to our new friend, May - I hope you bring us all joy on our search for Summer!

So as the title suggests, this is a review on the Clinique: Take the Day Off Balm.  I picked up this little beauty in New York a week or so ago.  I had seen several YouTubers rave about it but was skeptical at paying £30 because it is an oil based product and my skin is prone to oil and grease so was unsure if it would be worth it - despite people saying it works wonders in spite of having oily skin.  Anyway, I saw it for $27 and that's under £20 - so significantly cheaper, I had to buy it to see.

This is what it looks like - beautiful packaging, I really feel like I'm using the highest quality of skin care before I even open the lid.  What you do is start off with a dry full face of make-up and dry hands, like so:

I had concealer, powder, bronzer, lip stick, eye shadow, mascara, eye liner and brow filler.  This works equally as amazing though even when I have foundation and heavy eye make-up on, I just use a tiny weeny bit more to break down the extra mascara coats.

I like to first of all tie my hair up in a bun and pop on a towel head band to stop my hair getting wet or greasy from using it.  My head band is from CVS in America but Boots sell them too.

Then, open up the jar/tub.

Use your fingers to get out a reasonable amount (probably just a bit bigger than a 2p coin for today, and a bit more for heavy duty eye make-up) and massage on to a dry face.  Really rub it in, focusing on the difficult areas like eye brows and also mascara.  It feels weird to rub oily stuff all over your eyes at first but it doesn't sting or get through in there - completely safe.  

You take it out as a balm, but massaging it really turns it into a smooth oil that just breaks down your make-up incredibly.  To be fair, it does get a little messy when you're doing it...

But once you've oiled up your face, that's the worst and it's so worth it for the results.  Next step is a personal preference to get my hands slightly damp with warm water and massage into the face and get the residue foaming up slightly.  After that I eiether use warm water to splash my face or use a face/muslin cloth to take it off.  Sometimes I find a bit of excessive eye make-up so will dry my face and hands then repeat on the areas of concern.  Once my face is clean and rinsed, I pat it dry with a towel and I am done.

This is the end result - clean and fresh.  I have only been using this a couple of weeks but in that couple of weeks I have had a period and I haven't even shown a single sign of blemishes.  My skin is just so soft, supple, firm, smooth and radiant.  It also feels a lot fresher and cleaner than using cotton buds every day.  This has simplified my skin routine as now I only have to use toner twice a week and all I do after this is serums and moisturisers.  

Like I mentioned before, my skin is prone to grease and oil, especially in hot weather and at that time of the month and I have dealt with both a lot in the last couple of weeks and literally nothing but amazing skin.  It's like the balm is giving my skin all the oil it needs so it's not producing any extras - it's amazing! My redness has started to clear up a lot too.  

It is just so quick and simple to use, gives way better results than make-up wipes or water cleansers and makes your skin just beautiful.  I'd definitely recommend it to anyone - I will definitely be repurchasing!  

I will also be uploading a new skin care routine in the next month, so stay tuned!

Much love,

Rosie

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'Why fit in when you were born to stand out?'

Sorry I've Been Missing...

Hello my dears,

So I haven't really been around for a huge amount of time... sorry!  My laptop went bust and it's still not been fixed, but I've managed to get some connection on my family computer to have a quick update.

Since my last blog, I have failed two driving tests, taken part in two productions and gone to New York.

In the next month I am pledging to blog the following:
1. His Dark Materials - show week
2. Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt?
3. Driving Tests... Why are they so annoying?
4. New York in Pictures
5. New York Make-Up Haul
6. New York H&M Haul
7. New York Souvenir Haul
8. 18th Birthday Party - Get Ready With Me!
9. Clarins Take off the Day Balm: Review!
10. Updated Skin Routine
11. Quick and Easy Summer Hair Styles
12. Rehearsals: Get Ready With Me!
13. Rehearsal outfits
14. Stage2 Youth Theatre
15. Day to Night Summer Make-Up
16. Naked 3 Palette: Review and Tutorial
17. 'No Make-Up' Make-Up Tutorial

Also, very excitingly, I will be setting up a YouTube Channel in July!  I will be operating under the name Rosebud96 for my main channel and RosebudTV for my vlogging channel.  My main channel will have a large variety of videos on it, from funny challenges to tutorials to travel tips to general beauty/fashion tips and videos.  I will also vlog holidays or any fun day trips for my vlogging channel.  I hope you enjoy it - I'm very excited.

Much love,
Rosie
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'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'

Hair Care for Short/Coloured/Prone to Grease Hair

Hello!

So I actually received my first email request for a blog post from a lovely young girl asking me about my hair care routine after reading my Tigi S Factor Shampoo and Conditioner Review (click HERE to read that).

I have quite fine, shoulder length, coloured and prone to grease hair.  This current hair care routine keeps my hair really soft, non-greasy and volumised brilliantly.  I wash my hair every other day and just use a Soap and Glory Shower Cap to keep my hair dry.

First of all is the Shampoo and Conditioner, which I have already mentioned.  I've put a link to go read my full review, but basically it is great and keeps my colour really nicely.

When I get back to my room, I give it a quick brush and pop it in a turbie towel whilst I do my skin routine.  Once skin routine is done and dusted, I let my hair down and get a pea sized blob of V05 'Smoothly Does It' frizz free heat protection cream, rub that in my fingers and work through my hair, focusing mainly on the ends.  This stops damage from the heat of my blow dryer and any other appliances I use that day.

Then, it goes one of two ways.  If I want super sleek hair, I'll section the top and bottom section off from each other and use a roller brush to dry it.  Usually, on a day to day basis I like a bit more of a messy look so just blow dry it, then concentrate on the ends using a roller brush if needed.  The dryer I use is the Babyliss Cord Keeper 2000 Hair Dryer in Fuschia.

Once it's got to the point where it's just a little bit damp, I will use 2-3 drops of the Toni and Guy Glam Shine Oil and run that through my hair.  Then, I'll use the John Frieda Luxurious Volume Blow Dry Spray on my roots.  I then finish my blow drying my hair upside down.  These two products are really good for fine hair and don't weigh them down.

If I want a more textured look, I'll spray some Toni and Guy Salt Spray into my hair and scrunch it through.

I'll then tie it up and curl it or do something interesting if I can be bothered (will do a post soon of easy hairstyles).

Finally is hair spray.  If I've gone for sleek, I'll give it another brush and then spray as I go.  If I've got for messy I'll spray then scrunch.  I tend to use the L'Oreal Elnett Super Sleek Hair Spray as it is really light but keeps my hair nice and in place.  However, for shows or more complicated hair styles I'll use the VO5 Extra Hold followed by the Elnett 10 minutes later and that really holds super difficult hair styles.

One thing I would say is that if you have greasy hair, it's probably because your hair is used to getting washed every day.  If you have a week off for half term or something else, use it as a chance to train your hair to not needing to be washed every day but every other day.  This way its healthier and not constantly being soaked in product.  I do this hair care routine every time I wash my hair, brush my hair out at night and then maybe add a bit of volume or texture the next day using the blow dry spray, salt spray and hair spray.  Also, just because your hair gets greasy, don't avoid products with oil in it because you will then be starving your hair and scalp of natural oils that it needs.

I hope this helped you guys a little bit with a few ideas for hair care and routine.

Much love,
Rosie
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'To love beauty is to see light'