7 Beauty Hacks You Need To Know

1) To condense your make up bag for travel, try out some of these hacks:

• Use bronzer/blusher as eye shadow
• Try eye shadow as eye liner on the waterline - I love this hack!! Just be careful when applying the powder, the first couple of times I tried this it ended up in my eye which wasn't good. Just practice and you will soon get the hang of it. 
• Use your lipstick as a cream blusher - Any pink/red tone lipstick will work, even the really dark plum colours! Lightly rub your ring finger on the lipstick to pick up some colour, then dab on the apples of your cheeks.

2) Creating a lighter foundation

Ever bought a foundation when you had a tan, then once your bronzed skin faded, was left with a near enough full bottle? I have - and it's the worst. Mix a small amount of your moisturiser with some foundation on the back of your hand and apply as normal. This works great for me!

3) For dry skin use a damp sponge applicator to apply foundation

Only recently have I tried this and it works a dream. I use the Miracle Complexion Sponge by Real Techniques, which I received as a gift for my birthday. The damp sponge hydrates the face and creates a flawless look.

4) Outline lips with concealer

When wearing a dark or red lip, sharpen the look by using a small lip or angled brush to outline the lips. And behold, a nice neat lip full of colour!

5) Use talc/baby powder as dry shampoo

We all have them days when we wake up with 10 minutes to get ready and be out of the door, with no time to wash our hair! Talc is something which most households have hidden away in cupboard, and it is the perfect substitute for dry shampoo. I sprinkle some onto a hair brush and brush it through my hair. This is probably not as effective for darker hair.

6) Use hairspray to set make up

Hold the can a good distance away from face and do a quick spray, then walk into the spray mist. This is probably not the most ethical of hacks but it works a treat for a night out.

7) Don't have any nail varnish remover?

A way to freshen up any mani is to apply a glitter coat over the top of chipped polish. (TIP - Use a glitter polish that has fine or mixture of glitter bits as opposed to just large chunks, they will spread more evenly to cover any chips.)

Do you use any of these hacks? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading

- Shannon x

September Favourites | 2015

September, the start of a new season, the month of New York, London and Milan fashion weeks, as well as my birthday! In my opinion this is one of the most exciting times of the year.

Most of my favourites this month were gifts from my fab friends for my birthday!

L'OREAL Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara -  I was on the hunt for a new mascara, so when I opened this for my birthday I was super happy. This is by far the best mascara I have EVER used. 1000% recommend. It gives lashes volume and length, and holds all day with no smudge or fall down.

L'OREAL Super Liner Perfect Slim - I have loved using this, it is super easy to apply and lasts all day without 'cracking'. I've found applying liner so much quicker using this pen.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge - LOVE this. I have dry skin and find this perfect for applying foundation when the sponge is damp. It also gives an airbrushed look when blending out concealer on top of foundation. *My sponge looks gross, needs a wash asap, ha.

MAC Blusher in 'Harmony' - I've been loving wearing this on my eyes, I love the orange undertone, it's perfect to wear as a base for a brown smokey eye.

MAC Lipstick in 'Captive' - This is a great season transition colour, the berry tone is not too dark, a perfect early autumnal shade.

Hair Elastics - Since having my hair cut reasonably shorter recently, I have found using my regular bobbles a bit big, so I've been using elastics. These are great for putting short hair up, they are practically invisible in the hair!

Colouring Book For Adults - This was a gift for my birthday, I have been getting this out before I go to bed, and colouring in whilst watching tv. I find it so calming! I just need to get myself some good pens.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES!!!! - I cannot rave more about this show, I LOVE it so much. This month I watched the whole of season 6 back to back in anticipation for season 7 which starts soon! EXCITED.

What have you been loving this month? Is there anything you would recommend me trying out? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading :)

Shannon x

Review | Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 3

I have heard so many great things about this palette, and at just £4 I thought I would give it a whirl.

Being an avid lover and user of the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, I was always keen to try the Naked 3 but wasn't too sure whether I'd wear the pinky tones as much - and being just short of £40 I couldn't bring myself to purchase it. When I saw that the Iconic 3 palette was a dupe for the Naked 3, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out the colours.

Firstly I'll mention the downside to the shadows. The shimmery shades don't pick up well with a brush and tend to leave small bits of glitter spread across the lid, I also experienced some fall down. 

The palette comes with a double ended sponge applicator which at first I dismissed, however when using the shimmery shades I find it gives a much more pigmented look, which I am happy about as I was disappointed when these didn't transfer well.

The matte shades are well pigmented and pick up well with a brush, there is minimal fall down which makes this product a dream.

The packaging is small and compact making it easy to chuck in your make up bag for travelling. It would have been great if it had a mirror built in the lid, but at only £4 I can’t really grumble.

I have swatched three of the shimmer shades that are my favourite, the copper/orange shade being my daily go to!

The Revolution palette is something I'm glad I trialled, the quality is beyond the £4 I spent – definitely worth a try if you like the look of the Naked 3 by Urban Decay!

I purchased the palette here.

Hope this post was helpful!

Thanks for reading J

-         Shannon

My Make Up Wishlist!

There are so many make up products I learn of whilst reading beauty blogs and watching You Tube vids, so I thought I would write a list of a few I really want to try out! Compiling a list will help me whittle down which I really need (I need them all, I really do!!) and which I could maybe try in the future.

1. MAX FACTOR Facefinity 3 in 1 Foundation - Claiming to be a primer, concealer and foundation, I am deeply interested to see if this product lives up to expectations!

2. TOO FACED Chocolate Bar Eye shadow Palette - Mmmm just look at the colours! I like all the colours and can think of so many different looks I could create. The smell of cocoa is also a massive selling point to me - who can say no to a bit of chocolate.

3. URBAN DECAY Eye Pencil in shade 'Deep End' - I think this would look fab on the water line to add a pop of colour to my eyes! This would be perfect to try out in summer.

4. SLEEK Face Contour Kit - I want to start contouring properly, I have been using a bronzer to contour with but it has a orange tone to it and isn't much cop. I love sleek products and heard a lot about this kit, the small compact is ideal for travel too!

5. MAC Strobe Cream - There is nothing worse than drying flaky foundation! I have really dry skin and currently use a moisturiser by simple before applying my foundation. However, I am always on the lookout for products to improve my skin and give me a nice dewy complexion, and when I saw this on a beauty blog I knew I immediately wanted it.

6. CLINIQUE Chubby Stick sculpting contour - As I have previously said, I would really like to up my contour game. I came across this chubby stick whilst watching one of 'imhereforever' YouTube videos.


I like to read these type of posts, hopefully you've discovered something you would also like to try out, or maybe you already have tried some of the products? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

-Shannon.

Review | MUA Lip Liner in Caramel Nougat

After carelessly picking up this cheap lip liner from a Superdrug store whilst shopping in Manchester, I've never looked back!

I'm not a massive lip liner fanatic, usually reaching out for a one when opting to wear a dark colour lipstick, to stop it from bleeding. However, after spending what seemed a lifetime in Superdrug looking for something new to try I saw the lip liners and thought I'd try out a nude shade for everyday (or when I choose a subtle lip look for a night out).

The colour 'Caramel Nougat' is the perfect nude shade that will compliment most colour lipsticks,glosses and skin tones. I use it most days to define the shape of my lips and to give them a slightly fuller look, often filling in my lips and wearing with a slick of gloss on top.

The creamy consistency of the pencil makes for an easy application, allowing you to apply it as quickly as you please. I find it gives a matte finish when applied over the whole lip, which looks great and doesn't feel too drying like other matte lip products. It also has a sharpener built in the lid which is a dream as I always seem to loose my sharpeners!!

A little niggle I have with this product is that because its quite creamy it becomes blunt quickly, which can be expected when paying only £1.00 for it. Despite this, I find the product overall a really good buy and will definitely purchase another!

I bought my MUA (Makeup Academy) lip liner in Caramel Nougat from Superdrug.
Click here for the link to the MUA website where it can also be purchased online - you will be charged postage fee so it might be worthwhile popping into your local Superdrug.

Is there any colours you would recommend me try from the MUA brand? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading

Shannon xo