Beauty // New in for L'Oreal

L'Oreal Paris Brow Artist Plumper - £5.99

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Smokissime in 'Brown Smoke' - £5.99 [on offer]

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Smokissime in 'Black Smoke' - £5.99 [on offer]

Finally a high street brow product that I really love! For a while I liked the Maybelline Brow Drama, but a round applicator for your eyebrows was just odd and quite messy. However, with the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper it has a thin wand and a small precise applicator to give colour and to easily shape and hold your brows in place. I use this in conjunction with my Anastasia Dip Brow and my brows have never looked so good.

I've seen a mixed bag of reviews about the Smokissime liners, but the negative reviewers seem to be using the product wrong. To me this is not an eyeliner, and don't think L'Oreal should have even branded it as any sort of 'liner' - they also mention it has a 'precision tip', as you can see, there's nothing precise about it! However, they are essentially a one product way to a smokey eye and I absolutely love them. It's only when I was taking photos of them that I realised the product is actually in the lid and not the tube - idiot. For a daytime smokey eye, I like to use 'Brown Smoke' and apply to the lower half of my eyelid and carefully line the outer half of my lower lash line, then BLEND BLEND BLEND. This is another aspect where a lot of people are getting this wrong, because it will look horrendous if not blended well. 

Have you tried any of these new-ish L'Oreal bits?

Beauty // MAC Haul

[Left] MAC Lipstick in Brave - £15.50

[Right] MAC Lipstick in Taupe - £15.50

I've been massively into lipsticks recently, in particular the Kylie Jenner-esque shades. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a massive sheep when it comes to trends and hyped products. Although, I never really cared for Brave when I saw it talked about on Kylie Jenner, but I had to have it when I saw Amelia Liana wearing it in one of her vlogs. Brave is a pinky-nude-your-lips-but-better shade with a satin finish. Taupe is a brown toned dark nude with a matte finish.

What nude lipsticks are you loving at the moment?

Fashion // Missguided A/W Haul Take #2

Check A Line Skirt - £9.99
Khaki Ribbed Long Sleeve Crop Top - £9.99
White Polo Neck Crop Top - £3.99
Dogtooth Bardot Dress - £19.99
White Croc Slipons - £16.99

I actually ended up sending back a few items from my last Missguided haul. So I used the fact I'd be getting a refund, plus 20% student discount as an excuse to order some more stuff. Summer has always been my favourite time of year, but this year I am dying for it to get colder as A/W14 fashion is to die for.  

My hunt for basic pieces is still on, so I bought a couple more basic crop tops to wear with high waisted jeans at uni. I loved the floral slipons that I received in my last Missguided order so much that I bought some in the white croc print - I live in converse and vans style shoes and these were a mere £13.79 with student discount. There's a high chance I'll end up with the black croc print too!

 I also recently bought the backless dogtooth dress from Missguided off of Depop recently, I was gutted that it was way too big for me and they'd sold out of size 6's on the website. So I thought I'd sell it back on Depop and get this bardot style dogtooth dress instead. 

What are your favourite trends for this Autumn?

Lotsa Love.

Beauty // New Real Techniques 'Nic's Picks' Limited Edition Brushes

Real Techniques 'Nic's Picks' Limited Edition Brushes - £20 Superdrug

A while ago I went to a student night at Lakeside shopping centre with my friends Aimee and Katie. We went into Boots and spotted these Limited Edition 'Nic's Picks' brushes from Real Techniques. I wanted to buy them SO bad, but the £29.99 price tag was just ridiculous considering I already own about 30 makeup brushes. A few days later, I went back to Lakeside with my friend Ruth and went for a browse round Superdrug and to my amazement they had piles of these brushes for £20! Knowing I'd get 10% discount with my NUS card I grabbed one without a second thought.

I'ts safe to say I love every single one of these brushes. I use the eyeliner brush for my eyebrows, it's so tiny and precise and even my 83 year old Nan commented how good my eyebrows looked after using it. I'm yet to own any Real Techniques eyeshadow brushes, [I'm saving my Boots points to buy the set and I'm only 42 points to go!] so these two fluffy shadow brushes are a welcome addition to my collection. The cheek brush has replaced my kabuki brush to apply my blush; it's literally the perfect size to apply blush in one swipe across the cheekbones. And finally the duo-fibre face brush was the one that I didn't think I'd get much use out of, however like the box describes, it's great for applying powder. I find that the Real Techniques Powder Brush applies my Mac Studio Fix Powder a little too heavily, but this applies the perfect amount without looking cakey.

Duo-Fibre Face Brush:

for lightweight application + blending of face powders or pigments.

Cheek Brush:

evenly applies makeup across cheekbone for a more dramatic finish.

Angled Shadow Brush:

perfectly cut for layering eye shadow in the crease.

Base Shadow Brush:
applies a smooth, flawless foundation of colour.

Eyeliner Brush:

firm, angled head for optimal control along lash line.

Riley, my little un-helper giving my brushes a little chew in between photos. 

I would really recommend these brushes to any Real Techniques lover, or even a makeup beginner who wants to start a brush collection. Definitely try to find them in Superdrug for £20, as I think the £29.99 price tag in Boots is a little extortionate.

REVIEW // MAKEUP REVOLUTION BLUSH PALETTE

Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush Palette in Hot Spice £8

I'm a sucker for a good palette. So on a recent browse around Superdrug on my lunch break, I came across a new display of Makeup Revolution products. I can't say I'd ever heard of the brand, but palettes are hard to come by when it comes to high-street makeup brands. The range of palettes and other products including bronzers and lipsticks was pretty impressive, and it's safe to say I was there a while deciding which products I should pick out to try.

The first item I picked out to review was the Ultra Blush Palette in Hot Spice. There are two blush palettes in the range, the other called Sugar and Spice which is a more cool-toned palette with bright pinks and mauves. I'm a sucker for a peachy-toned blush so the Hot Spice palette was a no-brainer.

'Our ULTRA Blush & Contour palette is perfect for the professional application desired by all of us. Perfect for highlighting and contouring too. Professional and highly pigmented, yet easy to blend, these contain 8 shades consisting of shimmer and matte blushers, merged baked blusher, and merged baked highlighter powder. The ULTIMATE blush palette offering you 8 shades in 1 to suit any occasion!'

I really had no idea what to expect from this palette when I initially tried it, but I was beyond impressed at the results. The shades suit my warm-toned skin perfectly, adding a boost of brightness in the current dull autumnal days. And the fact that there are two darker shades to use to bronze/contour and two marbled metallic shades to use as highlighters makes it all the more impressive in my eyes. This would be ideal to travel with, giving you a lovely range of shades in compact packaging.

PIGMENTATION: 8/10

Slightly powdery, but amazing colour payoff for the price.

VALUE FOR MONEY: 10/10

8 shades for £8, can't get much better value for money than that can you?

PACKAGING: 9/10

It's basic but compact and sleek, easily cleaned and there's a massive mirror inside.

I also picked up one of the limited edition eyeshadow palettes along with the Mattes palette which I will be reviewing pretty soon for you lovelies. 

Have you tried Makeup Revolution before?

Lotsa Love.

Fashion // Missguided A/W Haul

Manila Tartan Crop Top - £5.99

Ann Check Textured Mini Skirt - £14.99

Suellah Snake Print Crop Top - £5.99

Lynne Ribbed High Neck Crop Top Nude - £3.99

Alycia Fluffy Knit Cropped Jumper - £14.99

Catriona Loop Knit Shrug Cardigan - £19.99

Lynne Ribbed High Neck Crop Top Deep Green - £3.99

Annika Crop Short Sleeve Monochrome Spot Jumper Black - £14.99

Luna Floral Skate Pumps £16.99

Guinevre Gold Chain Elastic Waist Belt - £7.99

Its that time of the year again that every student looks forward to - student loan! I know I should be sensible, and not spend it on clothes, but I can't help myself. I've had a massive wardrobe clear out, and I'm realising that I need to buy more basic items that I can shove on with a pair of jeans or leggings and still look remotely fashionable for university. 90% of the occasions where I'm late for lectures it is because I couldn't decide what to wear (ridiculous I know). I actually loved everything I bought when it arrived, and I'm sure you'll see some of the pieces in some upcoming OOTDs. Those ribbed crop tops are a total steal too!

Love Ruby.

Makeup // NARS Guy Bourdin One Night Stand Palette

Fashion // Insta Haul

Hi lovelies, I haven't been around for a while, but that's a whole other blog post to explain why. Now the pressure's off slightly with uni, I thought I'd come back with a little haul. I saw this idea on Sarah Ashcroft's blog which you can find here. She is my main style inspiration at the moment, literally everything she wears I want! But basically she shows some of the items she has recently bought through her Insta photos; so I thought I'd do the same seen as I'm obsessed with Instagram. 

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Haulin' #13: Topshop, Mac, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Origins & Kiehls

I might seem crazy, but at Christmas I had hid £300 that I got from various family members under my bed so I didn't waste it on petrol or a night out. I wanted to save it for some things I have been wanting for a while, and finally got the chance to cross the Thames and visit Bluewater. I could have saved myself £4 in toll charges and gone to Lakeside instead, but they don't have brands like Laura Mercier, Keihls, Bobbi Brown, Mac, Origins or any of the other higher end beauty brands. Bluewater is on a whole other level to Lakeside. Lakeside is a place where 16 year chavs congregate with no intentions to buy anything (accept maybe McDonalds with bus vouchers), but to be a general annoyance to me instead. On the other hand is Bluewater, chav free, with the loveliest shops. After only recently dipping my toes into the world of high-end/damn expensive beauty products, I am now hooked and my collection is fast growing and my bank balance fast declining.

Mac Lipstick in Ruby Woo £15

Mac Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Blossom Culture £15
I think it is an absolute travesty that there is only ONE, Mac counter in the whole of Essex. What are they thinking? And even though it is in Essex, it's further away from me than going into another county. When I finally got my Mac fix, the woman on the counter was so rude. However, I finally got my hands on the Ruby Woo lipstick (maybe I did get it because of my name, maybe I didn't), and also picked up this Sheen Supreme lipstick in Blossom Culture. It's a 'my lips but better, glossy and lovely' colour, so basically nothing like my lips.

Laura Mercier Second Skin Blush in Lotus Pink £20.50

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cashew Beige £33
I have been eyeing up the Laura Mercier blush in Lotus Pink for a while now, and finally took the plunge. I didn't feel guilty spending over £20 on it because blushes are the item I lack in my makeup collection.
I know there is a 'Blogger Made Me Do It Tag' floating around somewhere and this is what happened with the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. The BBloggers Chat on twitter is so fun, but so dangerous. It ended with me having a long list of stuff other people raved about and I now wanted. Tanya Burr for one uses this foundation, and she looks amazing always. It's pricey, but makes my skin look both natural, flawless and glow at the same time - who doesn't want that?!  

Bobbi Brown Blush in Nectar - £19.50
If you saw my last high-end beauty haul, you might be thinking wondering why it's in this haul too. Basically what happened was I was in the process of returning this blush, I was at the Bobbi Brown counter looking at which blush I wanted to exchange it for. My eyes were instantly attracted to one colour, I asked the assistant what the name was and it was only the bloody one I was about to return. She then started persuading me to keep it, that it would 'go with both red and pink lipsticks', that it 'suited my skin tone so well'. So I did.

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate £36
Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturiser Free Samples
I am not the type to be talked into something that I have never even thought of buying or heard of for that matter, but that's what happened when I went to browse the Kiehls counter. This is along the lines of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, but not only £12 cheaper, but apparently more superior. Whether this is true or not I have no idea, but I kid you not, my skin has never looked better since I have tried this product. I am definitely going to do a review on this, as it deserves a whole post of it's own.

Origins Drink Up Intensive 10 minute mask £22

My skin has dried up like a prune due to my Hyperthyroidism, and I needed something to inject some moisture back in without slathering a thick cream over my face. I have heard so much about Origins and particularly the Drink Up masks. I went for the 10 minute instead of the overnight because the less effort something involves, the more likely I am to use it.

Topshop Fluffy Crop Jumper in Peach £34

I am so in love with this jumper! I love peach, I love cropped clothing, and I love fluffy jumper so this purchase was a no brainer. I have already worn it to death, and you can see me sporting it in a recent OOTD here.

Topshop Curve Hem Crop Jumper in Ice Blue £36

Before the whole scandal about the production of angora in Asia coming out in press, when a product was Angora, it was openly advertised as it was seen as higher quality if it did include it. Now people know that the angora trade involves rabbits being tortured and skinned alive for their fur, people don't want to buy it. Topshop did announce that they were not buying angora anymore, but obviously they have stock that has been produced before this all came to light. When I picked this jumper up, I had no idea that it was made with angora and bought it none the wiser. After looking at the inside labels to see how to wash it before I wore it, I saw it was made with 14% angora. I would never knowingly wear something where an animal was tortured for the sake of a jumper as I would have a guilty conscience, so I took it straight back to Topshop for a refund. People may say, well you wear leather, you eat meat. But the difference is, cows, pigs and chickens are bred and killed for every part of them to be used. With angora, these rabbits are being bred and their fur removed while they are alive for no other purpose than to use it in clothing. If there is no demand for angora rabbit fur, then this doesn't need to happen. To cut a long story short, when buying knitwear from places like Topshop, please check that it does not include angora rabbit fur in it. There is a petition on the PETA website that you can sign to help put the angora rabbit fur trade to a stop. This jumper is lovely, but not as lovely as a little while rabbit! Rant over.