What I'm Watching & Reading #1

I've been wanting to start a new series of posts on A Yellow Brick Blog for a while now, I love doing my "This Week I'm Loving..." posts but sometimes I do think I'm loving the same things for a week or too so they aren't needed weekly... as that would be super boring!
I came up with this idea last week and have been really looking forward to writing it! What I'm Watching & Reading is going to be a new series of posts highlighting certain blogs and vlogs that I have been loving! Sharing specific channels, videos, posts and sites - I want to share the love and let YOU know who I've been obsessing over.

As a huge fan of youtube and the blogging world I am near enough always online when not at work and just love finding new people to watch and read! 
I might just share certain people and their work, or maybe even a type of video that I've been watching alot of - either way hopefully YOU can find new vlogs and blogs to enjoy!

First up I'm going to talk YouTube. I have been totally obsessed recently with watching peoples "My Tattoos" videos! I find them soooo interesting! I love seeing what other people have chosen to get and their reasons and explanations about them.
I spotted InTheFrow (one of my blogging FAVS!) had uploaded hers and from there that was it - I couldn't stop watching them!

My 4 favourites had to be InTheFrow (Victoria), Helen Anderson, Katie Snooks and a new youtuber to me, who I found through this, called Tasha Leelyn (who's videos I've fallen in love with!). These girls have amazing channels - Helen's personality makes me laugh out loud she is brilliant! I highly recommend them .... especially if you're a nosey tattoo person like me! (although I haven't actually got any...... yet! These videos have seriously spurred me on to stop being a wimp and go and get one) 

Channels : Victoria | Helen | Katie | Tasha

Now onto blogs! I thought I'd share 4 blog posts that have stuck out to me over the last few weeks. Ones that I really enjoyed reading and want to share with you guys!

First is from Aspiring Londoner aka Farzana! This was actually the first post I had read from her blog and found it via one of the Twitter chats.
"3 Essential Steps To Improve Your Blog Photography" - I mean it had me sold from the title, I am always looking to improve my photos on here. I own a DSLR but am still trying to get my head around it and don't always get the results I'm looking for with it no matter how much I fiddle! The £1 marble background idea is awesome!

Next is from one of my favourite bloggers ever - Couture Girl aka Kayleigh! She recently had a total hair make-over from Catherine Boden and shared her whole experience in THIS blog post! I think her hair looks incredible, the colour and dimension she's been given is perfection.... makes me miss my long hair! 

Another one of my favourite bloggers now - ReallyRee. 
My favourite blog post this MONTH has to be her interview with Paris Hilton. Yes I am 100% green with envy even thinking about it but it was amazing to read such a natural and fun interview without heading to my local newsagents! Paris has been a total idol to me since I was a teenager - I just adore her and think she is one of the smartest women in the world! Read the interview - here.

Last but not least is a blog post all about.... blogging!
"The World Of Blogging Nobody Sees" is a post recently uploading my the total amazing Gracie from TheUglyFaceOfBeauty. (you may know this beauty from youtube.... but did you know she has a blog too?!)
This post is all about those things not everybody knows about blogging..... and some stuff even I didn't know either! I love Gracie's honesty, this post is a must read!

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My Go-To Primers

Primers are something that have become a totally necessity to my make-up routine over the last few years! I can't imagine ever putting my foundation or concealer on now without have primed myself first!
There are a few different primers I use on a regular basis, from high end brands to cheap bargains under £5, so I thought I would share my 5 favourites with you guys!
I'll do these in price order for you guys - from cheapest to ..... not so cheap!

THE EVERYDAY BASE : Nivea Hydration Primer - £4.99

I use this stuff every single day. When my face is clean and after I've used my Liz Earle Skin Tonic I use this as my daytime moistouiser, aswell as first primer! It keeps my face hydrated and smooth without being too heavy or greasy. It works as a great base for then one of the other 4 primers mentioned below! I couldn't be without this stuff, I can't tell you how many I've been through already!

THE DRUGSTORE BEST : Maybelline's Baby Skin - £7.99

Now I have tried out both versions of this and I can't decide which one I like better! The original is a lovely clear gel which gives the skin a lovely smooth finish which helps my make-up sit perfectly. The other is alot creamier and gives the skin a lovely subtle radiant glow. One of the best drug-store primers out there I'd say.

MY NEW FAV : No7 Airbrush Away Primer - £19.50

This I actually the newest primer in my life. I picked it up back in November when it was put on offer for half price! Alongside that awesome price I had a £5 off No7 voucher (Yup this stuff is classed as skincare not make-up apparently) so I got it for literally a quarter of the price! I was so pleasantly surprised by how well this works and it has been the primer I've used for my everyday make-up near enough everyday since buying it. (So I'm glad I bought two!)

THE ULTIMATE FAVOURITE : Benefit POREfessional - £24.50

This is my ultimate favourite primer! I wish I could afford it to use it everyday, but being over £24 a tube unfortunately I'm way too skint to be buying it all the time! I've had loads of these smaller tubes, even though they are tiny they really do last! I save this for when I'm going "out out" or when I'm doing a full-face of make-up! 

THE HIGH END SPLASH : Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - £29

When on holiday in Florida I decided to treat myself to a few make-up bits that either were 1. more expesive in the UK or 2. weren't sold in the UK. I've wanted to try LM for soooo long and was so happy to finally be the owner of the primer! 

This is a light creamy base which I use when I feel like treating myself a bit or if my skin is feeling a bit dry, it keeps my skin hydrated and leaves my skin feeling like silk. If you have a larger budget to work with this is definitely something to try out. I cannot wait to try out the silk creme foundation.

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June Favourites

Another month down which means, another favourites post! June has been mostly a great month, with a few lows! My highlight of the month has to be the Isle Of Wight Festival, I had such a great time with my boyfriend and friends (check out my 30 Day Snap for some pictures of my weekend)!
Here's just a few other things I have been loving in the month of June!

A bit of a mixture of things this month and I've actually already mentioned a few of them in previous posts aswell, but these are my top picks from the last 30 days or so!

First up is the Sally Hansen Moisturising Nail Polish Remover for dry, brittle nails (aka mine!)

I actually was going to put this in my May favourites but totally forgot about it, so Iknew it just HAD to go in this months!

I have been using this stuff for  a few months now (after stealing it from my Mum) and really love it! 

My nails are so so brittle and flaky and always have been. They don't grow and if they do then they just break - which is why I love have extensions and shellac! Not only can I feel this stuff befitting my nails but it works so so well as a remover. Just one cotton pad with this stuff gets all my nail varnish from both hands off first time, not alot of removers can do that! (if you go looking for this in the shops it is the blue Sally Hansen remover .... you can't really tell that in the photo!)

Next is the Face Contour Kit by Sleek in the shade - Light. I mentioned this in a haul post called Thank You Mr. Postman and have used it everyday since! (Well everyday that I've worn make-up)! I use an angled blush brush from the elf mineral bamboo line for the bronzer along my cheek bone and then the real techniques contour brush to apply the highlighter above it! I then use the blush brush again from Real Techniques to blend them together to avoid any harsh lines. I love the effect and the quality of the product is amazing, I keep getting asked if I'm wearing High Beam (a Benefit highlighter) on my cheeks - well worth the price it is now a staple in my make-up bag.

Pretty isn't it? Yup I've got myself a new bag this month, so clearly it has to be in my favourites!

This is the mini shopper bag from Zara (I'm sure you've all seen it before!). I don't have a Zara anywhere near where I live so I always get my stuff from their online store. Originally I did want the orange version of this bag but unfortunately they didn't have that one available on the website so I settled for this gorgeous green colour. (Although black is a great colour as it goes with everything I fancied something a little different this season)! I think this bag is such a bargain for the price -  only £22.99 - and the size, for me, is perfect! 

I always seem to manage to have everything in my bag, I feel the need to be prepared for any situation or outcome so space is a big thing for me and although it looks fairly small it really isn't! I've used this everyday for weeks and keep getting loads of compliments on it, if the orange shade ever goes online I will 100% be buying that one too! (What's in my bag? post will be up later this week!)

                 

First of all ... LOL at my foot sneaking in the photo, I've only just noticed this as I'm writing this section - doh!

If you read blogs alot, watch youtube, go on twitter or hell, just use the internet you are going to have heard so much about  these already! Baring this in mind I shan't bore you for long. These are some of my Real Techniques brushes - the best brushes I own. From left to right you have - the Powder, Buffing , Blush, Stippling, Contour & Expert Face brushes. I use most of these daily, they are so soft and give the best results for someone who wears a full-face of make-up like myself - a fantastic investment.

Now, I could do a whole post about these. If you are a regular reader (thank you) you would have already seen me rave about these in my recent post - Kirstie's Beauty Buys Of The Week. A few weeks ago now I purchased the pink shade on the right - Nova. I immediately fell in love with the feel and result of it and knew I would be purchasing more.

 After searching high and low for a new red lipgloss I knew this was going to be the one - Big Bang (left) is such an amazing colour and I love that I have the look and stay of a lipstick and the shine of lipgloss all in one!

 These lip lacquers are faultless I'm going to be buying more this week!

Guilty confession to make with this one. I copied my Mum! She has the larger version and this one and I always think they look so cute! So this week when I saw this on sale for half price I had to buy it! 

It is from M&Co (I think this is actually the first thing I've ever bought from there) and was down to £6 from £12. I've put all my small stacking rings in here and it's replaced the glass ashtray that was featured in my Make-up Storage post with it.

In my last favourites posts I shared with you my favourite album of the month and this month is going to be no different!

 I cannot stop listening to Demi Lovato's new album - Demi! This is my sort of music, girly, fun, a few ballads and great to sing along too! It is one of those albums that you only have to listen to once and you know you love it, I have been playing it non-stop for weeks and weeks! My favourite tracks are Nightingale, Warrior, Made In The USA & Really Don't Care (which features Cher Lloyd!).

What have you been loving this month?!

30 Day Snap #20 - A Night In With Soap & Glory

It's Thursday (I've made it to Day 20 of the 30 Day Snap Woohooo!) and not only am I super tired but I am just not looking/feeling my best either! So this evening seemed like the perfect time to chill out and use some of my favourite Soap & Glory products (AKA life-savers!)

If you haven't used Soap & Glory before.... go and give yourself a stern look in the mirror and get your act together!............this stuff is amazing - I haven't found a product of theirs yet that I don't like! The packaging, the names, the smells and the results are all winners (and so so much better than 99% of stuff out there on the UK drugstore market)! 
Here are just a few of my favourites that I've used today to help me relax, rewind and generally just make myself feel a bit better! (The Breakfast Scrub is my ultimate favourite, best smelling product ever.)

Catch up here, Days - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

Pink & Pouty - Lipstick Favourites

Pink Lipstick. Something I (and probably most of you) wear most days. Unless I'm wearing some form of red clothing and have to match or just fancy a nude lip, nine times out of ten I will pick a shade of pink when completing my make-up for the day/evening.
So with that in mind I thought I would share with you my top picks for pink lipstick.

There are hundreds of shades of pink out there on the market and I mean hundreds. Alot of the time I will pick up a lipstick and have to think to myself "do you have a colour similar to this already?" normally the answer is 'possibly' and normally the thought is 'oh well'  and I'll purchase it anyway because well... no-one can have too many lipsticks.

But even though I own countless lipsticks and lipglosses (storage is becoming an issue) I do have my favourites and the ones I think of as my old reliables which live both in my handbag and make-up bag.  Most of the lipsticks I will show are just high-street drugstore brands which, sometimes, are no more than a few pounds (so are totally worth the investment) and a couple are mac, so a little more expensive but I believe their lipsticks are worth the prices they charge.
 I am not 100% positive if all of these lipsticks are still available for purchase but it is still worth a look online if not if you wanted to try them out.

1. e.l.f. mineral lipstick - Nicely Nude

2. Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick - 110 Pink Gossip

3. Barry M Lip Paint - 140

4. MAC Satin Lipstick - Viva Glam Nicki

5. Barry M Lip Paint - 146

6. Rimmel Kate Moss - 20

7.  MAC Frost Lipstick- Trimming Talk

8. Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter - 075 Lollipop

I wear all of these for both daytime and evening looks and always pair them with a lipgloss to give them an extra shine (my favourite being the Barry M Lipgloss in Bubblegum which I mentioned in my Colours Of The Rainbow Tag post).
 As you can see from the photos all of these lipsticks are all pretty moisturising and I love the silky smooth feel they give my lips as well as the strong colour. The swatches on my arm are on average around 3 layers of the product, although not all of them needed that many - the MAC lipsticks are hugely pigmented.

Here's a few photos to give you an idea of what they look like on.

I would love to know if any of you also use these and what your favourite pink lipsticks are (as I'm always looking for more!).