Introducing Flatlays And Flowers

Although I haven’t been sharing posts on here as much as I would like to, I still love taking photos of my makeup collection. It’s taken a long time but I feel I am starting to really have my own style when it comes to creating my flatlays and I love sharing them when I do blog and over on my instagram page.

 

 

Blogging doesn’t come easily to me, the words are especially hard to find sometimes, which is the main reason I LOVE instagram. A picture says a thousand words after all!

I’ve been maintaining a sort of theme to my page for a while and a huge part of that is because of my love of makeup and now every other post is a flatlay I have created! In between flatlays I like sharing my love of vintage, photos of my whippets and anything else I like. I understand that those don’t appeal to a huge number of people though so I decided to create a hashtag for my flatlays so that anyone interested could see just those if they wanted to. Just search #FlatlaysandFlowers on instagram to see them all!

I am certainly no expert when it comes to creating the perfect content for social media but I definitely enjoy it and I hope that you like looking at it! Just head over to instagram to take a look!

Ra  ❤

Makeup Revolution: Flawless 3 Resurrection

Although I don’t try out new makeup looks often, I do like to try out my usual style with different colours. The Flawless 3 Resurrection palette from Makeup Revolution is fantastic for experimenting with!

I attempted many times to photograph this closed, but because of the glossy rose gold case I just couldn’t get a good photo. But this really is a stunning palette. I personally love all things rose gold so this definitely makes me happy!

Flawless 3 has 32 shades in matte, satin and shimmer finishes and each shade is highly pigmented. As with other Makeup Revolution palettes this has a huge mirror in the lid, closes securely and has a plastic sheet with the shade names on. The majority of shades are matte, which I prefer and the shimmers aren’t too bold so this is definitely great for more of an everyday palette for me. The warm tones are perfect as we go into summer too!

                                     

                                      

I’ve been using this palette so much since I bought it. It’s very versatile and can be used for minimal makeup looks as well as full on glam styles making it my new go-to. At just £8 this is affordable and great value for money! I highly recommend it.

Ra ❤

Makeup Revolution: Skin Kiss Highlighter

I think it’s safe to say I am developing quite the highlighter addiction, and with beauties like Makeup Revolution’s Skin Kiss highlighter in Peach Kiss, who could blame me?!

 

I love pretty packaging and the rose gold definitely makes this feel very luxurious! The lid contains a mirror too so this is perfect for popping in your bag.

Peach Kiss has a soft texture that glides on smoothly and the colour builds easily so you can achieve your preferred amount of glow!

I like to use this without blush underneath for a soft glow that looks beautiful with a variety of makeup looks. If I’m wearing bold eyes or lips this is what I reach for to give a more subtle highlight. That being said, it’s also very buildable so if you want a stronger look it’s great for that too.

I can’t recommend Peach Kiss enough! It’s the perfect shade even on my fairer skin and amazing value as the pan is huge and will last forever!

I definitely need to add the other shades of Skin Kiss Highlighter to my collection!

Ra  ❤

Makeup Revolution: Renaissance Lipsticks

I’ve definitely been lacking on the blog front recently but I finally have another review for you! Today I’m talking about Makeup Revolution’s new Renaissance lipsticks in the shades Classic and Renew.

Makeup Revolution are really stepping up their game with their new products especially when it comes to packaging. These lipsticks are seriously glam with the rose gold and weighty feel. There’s definitely no need to worry about the lid coming off in your bag with these!

I’m always on the lookout for that perfect red lipstick and I think I may have found it with Classic. The formula is so buttery and soft. It goes on perfectly and feels moisturising even after a few hours, which I am extremely happy about as I find a lot of reds can be quite drying on the lips. The colour payoff is fantastic too, just one swipe and you are good to go.

Renew is a lovely dusky rose colour, perfect for every day wear. The formula, however, isn’t quite as good as Classic. It’s not bad in any way, but it does lean more towards a matte texture so isn’t as soft on the lips.

I’m so impressed with these lipsticks! And with the tiny price of £4 these are amazing value. There are 20 lipsticks in the Renaissance range. Most are nude or brown tones which aren’t really for me so I hope there are more to come! Ideally different shades of red!

Have you tried any of the Renaissance lipsticks?

Ra ❤

I Heart Makeup: Chocolate and Peaches

The I Heart Makeup Chocolate & Peaches palette has been on my wish list since it was first released. When I ordered from the TAM Beauty website back in February it was out of stock so I bought the Golden Bar palette, which I reviewed on here a while ago. So this time around I made sure to order while it was still available. And I could not be happier!

 

Chocolate & Peaches has 16 shades, with a good mix of matte and shimmer. As with the other palettes this comes with a huge mirror in the lid, a sponge applicator and a plastic sheet with each shade name on.

Each shade blends really well and lasts a long time without creasing, about 6 hours for me, even on my oily lids. That is amazing considering I don’t use any primer either! And there’s not a shade in this palette that isn’t highly pigmented!

  

Warm toned eye makeup is everywhere right now and I love the look! This palette is full of the most wonderfully pigmented shades perfect for so many different spring/summer makeup. As I’ve said before, I am no expert at applying makeup, especially eyeshadow, but I find the I Heart Makeup palettes really easy to work with. And at only £7.99 this is such a bargain!

Ra  ❤

Book Review: Unlikely Friends

It’s not often I share anything other than makeup and nail posts but today I have something fun to share!

Unlikely Friends is a children’s book by David Dilsizian based on the friendship between the icon of the 1950’s, Marilyn Monroe, and jazz superstar, Ella Fitzgerald. As a huge Marilyn fan I was very happy to be sent a preview copy to share with you all.

I haven’t seen any other children’s stories about Marilyn so this seems very unique. The book is a sweet story of kindness and friendship, and a great read for little ones! The illustrations by Mykyta Harets are an adorable pairing too.

Back in the 1950s popular jazz club, the Mocambo, wouldn’t book Ella Fitzgerald to perform. Marilyn, who was a fan of Ella’s, stepped in to help her. In 1972 I believe, Ella said in an interview: “ I owe Marilyn a real debt. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status – that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman, a little ahead of her times, and she didn’t know it.”

A great story, I’m sure you will agree!

You can get your copy on amazon, just click the link: Unlikely Friends

You can also follow on instagram at @unlikely.friends.book and @daviddilsizian

Ra ❤

*This book was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are honest and my own.

 

Spring Glow With Makeup Revolution

Seeing as Spring is officially here what better time to share some beautiful highlighters from Makeup Revolution to help get that fresh glowing look! I’ve loved their Vivid Baked highlighter in Peach Lights for so long that I knew I had to have some more from other collections.

Radiant Lights Glow is a gorgeous warm highlighter. The texture is so soft and smooth, it glides on beautifully! This has a very intense golden colour so would work incredibly as a highlighter over blush on darker skin tones but for my pale skin I wear this alone as a glowing bronzer. It also works lovely as eyeshadow!

Moon Glow from the Strobe Highlighters is my new favourite, even taking the place of my Peach Lights, which was hard to do! This has a softer, almost matte glow so is my go-to for every day wear. The lovely pink tone is perfect for my skin tone and blends well over a variety of blush shades. This also has a more velvety texture that feels very light on the face. Definitely a plus as the weather warms up!

What are your favourite highlighter?

Ra ❤

Recent Barry M Purchases: Swatches Included

It seems like forever since I last shared a nail post. My job has really taken its toll on my nails which is why I’ve moved towards more makeup and vintage posts. But seeing as my nails weren’t too bad last week I thought I would snap a few photos of my recent Barry M purchases.

The Gelly Paints are my absolute favourite polishes so I picked up Acai Smoothie which is from last year’s Spring/Summer release. This is a really gorgeous dusky mauve colour unlike anything in my collection. The formula applies perfectly, as with all the Gelly paints. This is two coats and no top coat.

 

I’ve been looking at swatches of the new Frosted Cupcakes collection since it was released and couldn’t resist grabbing one for myself. I chose Strawberries and Cream which is a soft blush pink. This is packed with crystal flakies but unfortunately getting them to show up was a little tricky. These photos definitely don’t do the sparkle any justice. I’m wearing two coats here with no top coat.

 

I’m constantly impressed with Barry M’s polishes and these two are no exception. Which of these is your favourite?

Ra ❤

I Heart Makeup: Golden Bar Palette

Last month I made a Makeup Revolution order and thought it was about time I share a few reviews of the products I got. First up I want to talk about the Golden Bar palette from I Heart Makeup.

I originally wanted the Chocolate and Peaches palette but by the time I had finished choosing everything it had sold out. Luckily there are so many incredible palettes that I knew there would be something else I would love. And I definitely made the right decision with the Golden Bar!

I Heart Makeup’s range of chocolate bar palettes are really gorgeous, but the Golden Bar definitely stands out from the rest with the eye catching gold drips! I love that there is a full size mirror in the lid and a sponge applicator. Though I’m not sure anyone even uses those to apply eye makeup?!

There is also a plastic sheet with the names on covering the shadows. I like to keep this in the palette as it’s great for keeping fallout off the mirror. I also like to know what I’ve used so if it turns out well I know how to recreate it.

I have to admit, I am easily swayed by pretty packaging, and sometimes that can mean wasting money on products that really aren’t worth it. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that with the Golden Bar! Each eyeshadow is great quality. They are very pigmented and easy to blend, even for a beginner like me!

  

I am by no means an expert when it comes to eye makeup but I am trying to move out of my comfort zone slightly and this palette is perfect for so many looks!

Have you tried any of I Heart Makeup’s Chocolate Bar palettes?

Ra  ❤

Born Pretty Store: Fruit Nail Decals

I love decals because they’re so quick to use, especially with fast drying polishes and top coats. These gorgeous fruit designs from Born Pretty Store are just wonderful.

I love that these have a fun vintage/rockabilly vibe!

These are definitely the perfect way to jazz up any mani! First I had to try a candy pink with lots of decals.

 

For my second look I wanted to keep it simple but bold. I usually shy away from yellow polish but with a little pineapple decoration I love it!

 

As with all decals I’ve tried from Born Pretty Store these are really fantastic quality, easy to use and perfect for all nail lengths! These are a must have!

You can find this here: Fruit Nail Decals!

Born Pretty Store has everything you could need for gorgeous nail art. And you can use my discount code RARW10 for 10% off your Born Pretty Store order!

Ra ❤

*These decals were sent to me by Born Pretty Store for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.