Beauty | Everyday Make up Routine

An everyday make up routine is one of the hardest things to master for me. I can see your confusion so let me explain... I want my everyday make up to be quick and easy to do (so it sort of looks like you haven't made much effort but have naturally managed to look stunning- that's what we all want to look like right?!), to last all day, to be photo ready in case a spontaneous co-worker gets snap happy during the day (yes this has happened to me, and yes you did read it right I'm an accountant - but that's a story for another day haha) and one which uses products which last a while (as I'm using them everyday) and doesn't set me back a months wages everytime I need to replace everything. 

So as you can see it's quite a task to satisfy all these wants, and as I feel over the past few months or so I've somewhat mastered it I thought I'd share my favourite products, tools and top tips with you all :) I'd love to know your little beauty secrets too so remember to comment below!! 

Left to right; top to bottom: 

Benefit Cosmetics 'They're Real!' Mascara 

Rimmel London Matte BB Cream in Light 

Benefit Cosmetics The Pore-fessional pro balm (primer) 

Bourjois eyebrow pencil in 04 Blond Foncé 

Rimmel London 'Wake Me Up' concealer in 010 Ivory 

Eco tools blush brush (I use it for powder though - oops!) 

Superdrug own brand blush brush (which I actually use for blush!) 

Maybelline EyeStudio eyeshadow in 605 Beige Nude 

Bourjois little round pot of blush in 95 Rose de Jaspe 

DiorSkin Forever Compact Powder in 010 (lightest shade with pink undertones) 

As you can see, most of the products I use are drugstore ones with the exception of a few, but I often use drugstore replacements for these so if you're looking for cheaper alternatives which do pretty much the same job, my top ones are: 

Mascara - Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara 

Primer - Maybelline New Baby Skin 

Powder - Rimmel London Stay Matte powder (which I've ran out of - I really need to buy some more!!) 

All of the products above last pretty much the whole working day for me, but as I do have super oily skin I tend to just dab a bit of extra powder on at lunch. The other plus is that the concealer is super duper at covering up tired eyes (does as it says on the tin!) and blemishes too meaning flawless skin can happen everyday - yay! I do have a full set of Real Techniques make up brushes but to be honest I never have time in a morning to get them out and use them so the only things I apply with brushes are my powder and blush, on a daily basis. 

My top everyday tips! 

1. Dab concealer! You've heard this one before I know, but this made the biggest difference to me when I found this out! Don't rub concealer if applying it with your fingers as you basically rub the whole lot off again! Just dab it with your ring finger to blend and voila - blemishes and dark circles will be gone! 

2. Pop some of the light eyeshadow on the inner corners of your eyes and just over the first part of the eyelid to brighten them up! I find it's best not to wear eyeshadow all over the lid if you're after a natural look in the daytime. 

3. When you've finished applying blusher to the apples of your cheeks and they're looking lovely and rosy, lightly sweep the blush brush over the top of your forehead, round your jawline and down your nose and chin. It adds a touch of warmth and colour back - which is needed if you have to use powder over your whole face to avoid oily-ness like me! Remember not to put extra blusher onto the brush before doing this though or you'll apply too much and end up looking flushed instead! (Nope I definitely haven't done that before ... ahem) 

The finished look! 

I hope you find my top tips useful! If you try or have tried any of the products or something similar then let me know as I'd love to try out your favourite products and top tips too :) 

If you hear slightly less from me over the next 3 weeks ish it's because I have exams coming up! Boo! :( but I will be back posting lots and lots once they're over at the start of September :) 

Lots of love and bye for now, 

Little Vintage Rose 

Xx 

Budget Beauty | Skincare routine for £4

If you've followed my blog so far you'll know I have blemish prone skin and spend a lot of time (and money!) finding skincare and make up products to keep my skin clear. Having tried both budget and high end products I've tried to gain a balance between products that work and not paying the earth for them! 

There's a few staple items that I do think are worth the money, such as Clinique's anti blemish solutions moisturiser (£19) which is by far the best I've found. (I'll be posting a full review of it soon!) 

My most recent find is the tea tree range at Superdrug. Having just ran out of Clinique's cleanser and toner plus paying for my holiday, I was looking for a budget replacement to help clear my skin. (This hot weather has not helped at all for keeping blemishes away) I stumbled across Superdrug's tea tree range whilst out shopping on Saturday and as it was on offer - 2 items for £4 - thought it was at least worth a try! It is AMAZING!! Especially for the price! 

The foaming facial wash: 

I've used tea tree products before, and must admit I've always found them great for my skin, but sometimes a little too harsh hence why I've never settled to using one regularly. This foaming facial wash comes in a handy pump that works really well (unlike some others I've found) and you only need one or two pumps for each face wash meaning it will last for ages! It isn't harsh on the skin but leaves it feeling clean and refreshed. I use it both morning and night and my skin doesn't feel dry at all - just lovely and clear! Plus it smells delicious due to the peppermint extract! 

The toner: 

The toner goes really well with the face wash and just takes away any extra bits of make up or dirt left on the skin after cleansing. It isn't harsh or drying, as long as a moisturiser is applied after use. It's made my skin so much softer and smoother since I've been using it day and night for 5 days, plus my skin has starting clearing up already too! 

Overall these products really do seem to do what they say - give a clearer looking complexion! There's lots of other products in the range too so I'll be trying more of them out after seeing such quick results using these! 

I highly recommend both the face wash and the toner to anyone who has blemish prone or oily skin and wants to clear it up for summer without drying their skin out. Even when the offer has finished these two products are only £3.28 each so they're worth a try - I'm sure you won't be disappointed! 

Have you tried the Superdrug tea tree range? Let me know if you have! :) 

Lots of love, 

Little Vintage Rose 

Xx 

Best Body Scrub for Sensitive Skin

   

My pot of 'Along came Betty' body polish has been my beauty saviour this summer. I've always had sensitive skin and every time I'd shave my legs I'd end up with stinging little red dots all over them which is less than ideal when usually the purpose of shaving my legs was to wear a dress or skirt without tights! 

I decided to google and see if any other bloggers had had the same problem and had come up with a solution. I switched to sensitive shavers and sensitive shaving foam but this didn't help at all. I then tried  using men's aftershave for sensitive skin (this was in fact my boyfriends suggestion!) as the whole point of that is to reduce the irritation of shaving for men so I thought it was worth a try! I couldn't actually find a similar thing for women but maybe there is something - does anyone know of an aftershave for women at all? I'd love to know if there are some! At first this did help and I used it all last summer. It made my legs sting a little (even using alcohol free ones) but prevented red dots and made my legs silky smooth! But unfortunately about October last year it stopped having the same effect and my sensitive skin flared up again. 

Just in case anyone is wondering I had previously tried hair removal creams and waxing but these left me with even worse rashes than shaving - so I really was running out of options! 

At this point I turned back to google and spent endless evenings trying to find what other girls with sensitive skin did to stop unsightly rashes after shaving. I then found an article about the importance of exfoliating and moisturising every time you shave - simple I know, and maybe I should have been doing this all along, but I just didn't realise what a difference it could make. So inspired by my findings I nipped to the shops and bought a body scrub and moisturiser straight away to try it out! Of course the solution couldn't be that simple (it never is with such things is it?!) and both the body scrub and moisturiser made my shaving rash even worse. As you can imagine I was beginning to feel rather fed up by this point and wasn't sure what else to do. 

I must admit I sort of gave up for a few weeks until my mum suggested moisturising with plain, unscented E45 cream (as this is what she always used when I was little for my sensitive skin). I thought I didn't have much to lose so bought some and inspired by the idea of using natural, simple products I went on the hunt for a natural body scrub! I didn't fancy paying the earth for one as I knew I'd have to use it every other day and wouldn't be able to afford to keep spending a lot of money on a new tub/bottle all the time so I was fairly limited with where I could look. It seems there are a few natural body scrubs out there, but they come with a hefty price tag. 

As usual Tesco came to the rescue with this fab body polish that contains natural ingredients including salt and sugar (for the scrubby bits) and apricot (to make it smell absolutely delicious)! It doesn't aggravate my skin and prevents little red dots forming after I shave too! Hallelujah! And at just £6 a pot, which lasts for ages (I've had mine two months and it's still half full) it's great value too. Team it up with moisturising with E45 cream (intense recovery for sensitive skin) after a shower or bath and voila! Smooth silky legs without a rash - even for super sensitive skin! If you have similar problems when shaving I cannot recommend it enough! The E45 cream is good too but I'm sure there are a few good unscented body lotions that would also be more than equal to the job and these are more easy to find at good prices in drugstores or supermarkets. 

My extra tip for super super silky smooth legs is to exfoliate, shave and then exfoliate and shave again! This helps to prevent ingrowing hairs and bring them to the surface so you can shave them off on the second go! It's best not to do it everytime you shave as it can dry sensitive skin out a bit, but it's good to know for when you need extra smooth legs in the summer! 

I hope you've perhaps found my post useful if you've had similar shaving issues! Let me know any of your top tips in the comments too as I'd love to know if there's anything else I should try out 😊 

Lots of love, 

Little Vintage Rose 

Xx 

Outfit of the Day | Off to lectures we go

Outfit of the Day | Off to lectures we go

Well today started off looking summery, hence my ootd was light and cheery! Little did I know that the rain was heading my way but luckily I got back just before the showers started - phew! So my outfit held up whilst I went to my whole one and half hours of lectures. It's a hard life I know. I would just like to add I am in 9-4 every  other week this summer so this is my week off. Sort of!

Skirt - Oasis (Sale item)

Sandals - New Look 

Top - New Look 

Watch - Michael Kors 

Earrings - Isle of Wight Pearl

Phone Cover - Cath Kidston (for iPhone 5s)

Keeping with the pastel trend this summer I teemed my blue geometric pattern oasis skirt with creams and neutral tones. The top is lace so I wore a nude crop top underneath so I didn't have to worry about which underwear I chose! I always do this so that I don't have to be too fussy about what to wear underneath!!

As my top has  a pearl detail collar I teamed my gorgeous pearl earrings from Isle of Wight Pearl with my outfit just to give it a touch of coordination!

The Oasis skirt was my top find in the summer sales! I bought it for just £10 at the Birmingham (Bullring) Store along with a pink floral patterned one of the same style (for £30). Oasis do many skirts in this semi-tailored style and I find they're perfect as a smart day outfit and I've even dressed this one up with heels for a girly night out. 

My nude sandals from New Look (which I think were £20) are THE comfiest sandals I have bought in forever! I always struggle to find a comfy pair of sandals that I can spend hazy summer days in without getting blisters and ending up hobbling home, but these fit the bill perfectly. They're current season, and with student discount are an absolute bargain. They seem to be wearing well so far too so fingers crossed they'll last me for at least this summer. 

I knew it wouldn't be many posts later until I mentioned my beautiful Michael Kors watch. It is gorgeous. I must admit that until I bought this watch (last Christmas) I had never really gotten into wearing a watch nor had I really been interested in getting one. But, and this is a big but, when I spotted the gorgeous rose gold range in by Michael Kors I just had to have one and now I wear it almost everyday. I especially love the gems adorning the outside. It's just too cute!

♥ My Everyday make-up look ♥

Here is a little sneak peek into my usual everyday make up look. Of course I do something different with my make up almost everyday (as we all do!) but I quite liked my make up today so thought it was a good one to share. I never really go for bold statement colours unless its for a special occasion or a evening out so everything I use tends towards a natural look. Let me know what you think! ☺

Everything I used for today's hair and make-up...

Well as you can probably tell my hair was natural today so I just combed it through with my tangle teezer first as my hair always gets super cotty as it's really fine. I then used my round brush just to define my natural waves (well they're more 'I went to bed with slightly wet hair as I couldn't be bothered to dry it properly' waves, but let's stick with natural for now) and to curl my fringe under. You can see both of these brushes in the top left of the photo above. I got my tangle teezer for £10.99 from boots, but you can get them for under £10 in some online stores. Definitely worth the investment if you have fine hair that's always getting knotted up like mine. I just gripped the sides back using some basic blonde coloured bobby pins from boots. I always think the bit up bit down look is cute, as well as easy, for days when my hair is natural.

Now for my make up. As I have mentioned in my previous blog posts I have blemish prone skin which means I have to take good care of it to prevent non-stop break outs. I've found the Clinique Anti-blemish solutions range to be pretty good for keeping unruly skin in tip top shape, and you can the starter kit (the sizes in my photo above) for just £40, which for skincare products that work isn't that bad I'd say. SO after cleansing my skin, I used the toner, moisturiser and anti-blemish gel from this range before applying my make up. I find it's always best to wait a few seconds for the gel to dry before starting make-up application.

Of course, I applied the Porefessional by Benefit Cosmetics primer first of all, just to even out my skin tone and blemishes. I followed this with DiorSkin Nude BB Cream in shade 001, which gives a lovely dewy glow to my skin and ensures a good even skin tone. This shade is perfect for super light skin like mine and doesn't at all look orange or require a lot of blending like other BB creams. I have quite dark circles under my eyes (especially while back at uni as sleep doesn't seem to be in everyone's routine here even though I LOVE getting an early night), so my 'The Eye Eraser' by Maybelline is a lifesaver on early mornings. It covers dark circles and helps disguise eye bags so gets a 10 out of 10 for a good non cloggy concealer. I also used my Maybelline Fit Me concealer to cover a few blemishes. Just to avoid any oily patches developing in my day I lightly brushed on my Dior Forever powder in shade 010 using my EcoTools brush. I only used it on my T zone to prevent taking all of the colour out of my cheeks. I used Benefit Cosmetics 'They're Real' mascara which enhances my eyelashes beautifully - I never knew they were that long until I used this!! - along with my Browzings kit just to touch up my eyebrows and keep them ship shape. A touch of Dior lip reviver lip glow just added a pink sheen to my lips and boosted them with some much needed moisture.

All that was left was to add a couple of sprays of my favourite perfume - Daisy by Marc Jacobs - and I was ready for the day! I hope you've found my blog useful or interesting - or even both!! 

See you soon,

Little Vintage Rose 

xx

Benefit make-up must-haves ♥

Benefit make-up must-haves ♥

^ My everday make up look is above ^ 

I always keep my makeup neutral, opting for no eyeliner and only a pale gloss or balm on my lips.

So as I reviewed all of my favourite Dior products, I thought I probably should give my second favourite brand (Benefit Cosmetics) a mention. In fact I think my favourite make-up product has to be Benefit's Porefessional - afterall it was my first 'expensive' make-up purchase and triggered my ever-growing make-up and beauty collection! 

Having called it expensive, at £24.50 a tube I think Porefessional is actually great value, but I say expensive in comparison to the cheaper brands such as Revlon/Maybelline/Bourjois (which I must add also do some amazing products at such good prices!)  It lasts for ages - for me about 3-4 months when I use it everyday. 

Anyway I haven't actually told you what it is yet...oops! Porefessional is Benefit's primer and it is honestly the best one I've found yet! It makes skin feel silky smooth and helps to even out any blemishes or fine lines. Not only is it a great make-up base, when my skin is fairly clear I can often just wear this with no concealer or foundation as it has a slight tint to it, unlike many other primers which are just clear. 

Although this is by far the best primer I have tried yet, Maybelline do a fantastic high street alternative at around 1/4 of the price - and it lasts just as long! While trying to save money I looked for good alternatives to my more expensive products, and found that Maybelline's Baby Skin face primer gives the same silky smooth effect. It isn't tinted so I've found it's best to apply a bbcream or foundation over the top, but it works just as well for this purpose. The only downside to it (hence why it's so much cheaper!) is that it can feel a bit greasy, which isn't great for days when my skin is already feeling blemish prone.

My other benefit find that deserves a mention is the 'browzings' eyebrow palette. It comes in either light or dark shades, which you can select depending on your hair colour and skin tone. The palette contains a wax for shaping eyebrows and a powder for filling in any gaps - with a little teeny tiny brush for each, which just adds to the cuteness! (I love mini things!!) And as if it couldn't get any more adorable, you get a miniature pair of tweezers for any stray eyebrow hairs! It's perfect for everyday use and also for travel as it contains everything you need to keep your eyebrows in shape in a compact palette. 

I hope you all find my reviews helpful! I have tried many more make-up products and won't be writing reviews for them all, so if you're interested to know if I've tried something just ask in the comments and I will write you a review if I've tried it ☺ 

Thank you for reading (if anyone has!!) 

Little Vintage Rose 

xx

My favourite beauty items ♥

My favourite beauty items ♥

So for my first blog post I thought I'd review some of my absolute favourite beauty items! I've tried so many different make up brands all claiming to make you look beautiful and after trying nearly all of them I've finally whittled them down to the ones that work and the ones that don't! 

You can see just a few of my favourites above!! ^^^

I'll start with my favourite brand of all - DIOR ♥

I cannot praise their makeup enough! For younger skin it is the perfect combination of light consistency (for those that have quite oily skin like me) and enough coverage to mask any unsightly blemishes. 

DiorSkin Airflash - this product is perfect for an early morning start as you can get quick even foundation coverage in seconds. I must admit when I bought this product I wasn't too sure it would actually work - surely a spray on foundation would look messy?! However as long as you shake the can before application, the spray is even and gives a lovely light coverage - perfect for daytime. Despite the hype you DO have to blend this in after spraying, but nowhere near as much as you have to with an ordinary foundation. (they did try to say that no blending would be needed at all, but no matter how good you are there's always a few bits that need a tweak!!) The only down side is that the can does seem to run out quickly if you use it every day, but I will certainly be buying it again! 

I have very pale skin and often find that even ivory shades look orange, but the lightest shade (100) is perfect.

HydraLife Pro-Youth Sorbet Creme - I have oily blemish prone skin and struggle to find moisturisers that don't cause break outs but still moisturise my skin enough. I was so pleased to find this creme which does both! It's a little pricey at around £60, but is perfect for younger skin and lasts ages! I use it almost everyday, twice a day, and have had the pot for about 6 months! It comes with a handy applicator to avoid putting dirt from your fingertips onto freshly cleansed skin. My favourite thing about this moisturiser is that it gives a light dewy feeling to my skin after application - great as a make up base! Certainly worth the investment!

DiorSkin Nude Foundation and Compact Powder - The perfect duo! Dior's light coverage Nude foundation and powder are perfect together. With many foundations and powders, mixing between brands and ranges to find what suits you best is nearly always the way forward - with the exception of these two products!! The powder takes the shine away from oily skin without clogging up pores and sticking to the foundation (I have tried using the Dior Forever powder over the top and although it still looks okay, you lose the dewy skin look!) I use the lightest shade of both (010) and it is perfect fro my porcelain skin tone.

Top Tip - Sign up for a Debenhams beauty card! You get £5 off your next purchase just for signing up and earn loads of points every time you buy from there! I don't buy ridiculous amounts of make up and often have £10 off to spend as if you purchase make up items in one month you get £5 to spend the next month! Watch out though - each £5 only lasts for 6 months so you can't save them up forever! Plus it's just a points card so you're not having to pay on a store card to receive these great benefits! Don't miss out ☺

Anyway that's enough from me for now! I hope my reviews are useful if you're looking to try new make up! I'll post again soon with more reviews of benefit make up (which I also love!!). Look out for more blog posts on lipsticks/glosses and my summer fashion finds. 

Little Vintage Rose 

xx