Showing posts with label look. Show all posts
Showing posts with label look. Show all posts

What's in my Travel Make Up bag

23 Apr 2024

Because I live in Belfast and my office is in Coventry, I travel a lot. I come over to the office around once a month which means I am an expert at travelling light and packing my hand luggage for one night. 

some recent empties that I've repurchased

7 Apr 2021

*This post contains gifted items and affiliate links*


Since I've not really been leaving the house a lot lately, I've obviously not needed a lot of make-up but with things slowly opening up again I thought it was time to have a lil update of some of the products that I use a lot that had come to the end of their lives so I'm not caught out when I get invited out somewhere and find out I've got no foundation left! I tend to be a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to beauty items and so repurchasing faves is a bit of a recurring thing for me. I recently did a Cult Beauty order to stock up on some things that I'd recently finished or was coming to the end of and I also did a Glossier order recently too so I thought it would be fun to share a few of the things with you.

My Current Everyday Makeup Routine

9 Feb 2021

This post contains gifted items and affiliate links


I don't know about you but I honestly don't wear makeup all that often anymore. I used to wear it every single day for uni but now that I'm not leaving the house ever, essentially the only time I put makeup on is when I'm shooting content. When I was at uni I would literally put makeup on every morning for class but I have a lot less motivation now to get dressed up for Zoom calls unless they're slightly bigger events but who can really be bothered to put a full face of makeup on to go and sit in the makeshift living room office all day. But Some days even in lockdown you want to put a little bit of effort in so this is what I like to do on the days that I can actually be bothered to get properly ready.

getting that festive glow with Jolie Beauty

18 Dec 2020

*this post is in partnership with Jolie Beauty and contains gifted items*


I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas! The festive season is my absolute favourite time of year from listening to Christmas music, to singing carols both in church and actually going carolling like a Victorian street choir, to my slight obsession with Netflix original Christmas movies it’s literally the most fun time. Not to mention the fact that I get to don my favourite sweaters and cosy up with a gingerbread latte and eat some chocolates while my house is decked with fairy lights. Truly a god-tier season.

three small steps to a more sustainable shower

24 Nov 2020

*This post contains gifted items and affiliate links*


I'm not going to lie to you, I've always been fairly lazy on the old sustainability front but now that I'm free from the shackles of studenthood and I'm earning my own money (and since we're still in the middle of a pandemic I literally have nowhere else to spend it) I decided it was time to dip my toe into the world of sustainable products. If you, like me, are interested in getting started in your sustainability journey but aren't quite sure where to start, here are some products that I've recently made the switch to. It's important to note though that the first rule of sustainability is to use up the products that you have first so don't just rush out to buy all the sustainable things and throw out all your plastic things because that's really not very sustainable.

My iDeal of Sweden Black Week Wishlist

23 Nov 2020

*This post is in paid partnership with Ideal of Sweden and contains gifted items and affiliate links*


If there are two things that go together, it's me and phone cases from iDeal of Sweden. They're literally the only cases I ever use and I switch them up with the season and they've got some incredible Black Week deals on this week so if you're after some cute new mobile accessories now is your chance to jump on it. Here is a selection of some of the pieces that have been catching my eye. Because it's Black Week there's a whopping 50% off everything and using my code* BFMOMJEANS you can get an extra 5% off up to €59 or 20% if you spend over €59. I have three cases already and they're all still in perfect condition after two years so I can vouch for the quality!
My current case of choice Midnight Blue Marble which I purchased myself although I have been gifted cases in the past

some stuff I'm loving right now

22 Oct 2020

Oh hey, I've been a bit slacking on the old blog front lately (I'm blaming it on the new blogger update but really it's just me) so I decided what better way to kick things off again than with a good old fashioned favourites post. I always love doing these posts and it's been a while since my last one (literally back in February before the world shut down) so I thought I was overdue a new one.

What I'm Watching

This is a bit of a rogue choice but I haven't really been watching much on Netflix recently which I must say is very off-brand for me. But I've clearly fallen down some rabbit hole and I'm obsessed with StarKid Productions again. They're probably most famous for their Harry Potter inspired musical series but I'm currently in LOVE with Twisted, which I first watched back when it was released in 2013 but I have a whole new appreciation for now. Twisted is a musical inspired by Disney's Aladdin and the musical Wicked and is told from Jafar's perspective and it is just so well done. All their shows are so well done and so entertaining and are all available to watch for free on YouTube so if you've exhausted the Netflix library and are after something a little different I definitely recommend checking them out. I'm going to be spending my weekend rewatching Holy Musical B@man which is their Batman-inspired musical as well as catching up with the newer shows that I haven't seen yet.

What I'm Reading

Since my last favourites post, I've literally read another 40 books so I had a lot to choose from but I thought I'd just stick to what I'm reading right this second. I'm obsessed with the Diviners Series at the minute but that's not really a surprise since I literally wrote a whole dang post about it so that's put me in a bit of a reading slump but I'm currently working my way through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which is the prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. I'd heard mixed reviews from people about this book but so far I'm enjoying it but that might change by the time I get to the end. I'm just happy to be back in this Hunger Games world that was such a big part of my teenage life. I'm listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Santino Fontana who is the voice of Prince Hans in Frozen which is fun. I actually posted a YouTube video recently about the top 5 books I've read recently so if you're interested you can also check that out here.

What I'm Listening To

This is clearly the posts that outs me as a massive nerd because really all I've been listening to lately is musical soundtracks and cast albums namely, Hadestown, Waitress and the soundtrack to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Wondering from HSMTMTS is one of my favourite songs of all time and literally does not cease to male me cry every time I hear it. That being said I've also been listening to a lot of Harry Styles and Maisie Peters (her new song with JP Saxe is a BOP) I was actually supposed to be seeing Niall Horan and Maisie Peters in concert this month but unfortunately COVID had other plans.



What I'm Wearing

Usually, this section is reserved for makeup but since I'm literally not going anywhere I haven't bought any new products in such a long time. I did, however, purchase this cardigan (pictured) which I love and wear all the time. Someone actually told me that I had a cottagecore aesthetic while I had this on which is the exact vibe I try to portray so that definitely made my day!

Random Pick

The Chai Latte from Søstrene Grene has been a staple for me over the past few months. My sister actually bought it for me for Christmas but it took me until now to actually try it. I've only got one sachet left though so I'm definitely going to need to pop in and get some more. Søstrene Grene is my favourite shot though so that's not too much of a hardship.
What things have you been loving lately? Anything similar to me or are my choices just really rogue because. I have been told that I have a very niche taste in many things.

What's In My Glossybox?

9 Oct 2020

Back in my second year of uni, I decided to treat myself to a Birchbox subscription which at the time I absolutely loved. But I haven't really used a beauty box subscription service since then but when my mobile network VOXI (former partnership) decided to giveaway some codes for a free Glossybox I absolutely did not hesitate and ordered myself a special VOXI x Glossybox box. I love VOXI because not only do I get unlimited social media and video streaming use but the VOXI drops are always exciting because sometimes you can get some really exciting offers (I once got a free jar of Candy Kittens which was DIVINE) but this one I was particularly excited about and I can't wait to show you what's inside. 


How To: Super Simple Watercolour Nails

14 Aug 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

I'm not an artist, so much so that if my life depended on me doing something arty I would probably just end up dying. I'm always so in awe of anyone who can paint or draw because I can't do either truly my childhood attempts at craft were NOT good!  That being said, I'm heading away on a bit of a staycation so I wanted to do my nails (which are normally just white or a dusty pink) and I decided to snazz them up a little and this is so easy that even I couldn't mess it up.


I used five products and decided on a pastel theme for this look but feel free to use whatever colours you want, you really can't go wrong! (These are also all OPI products but I swear I'm not always this brand loyal)


First I applied the base coat which is OPI Start to Finish. This strengthens your nails and ensures an even coverage.


Then I applied a colour for my base and I settled for a white in the form of OPI 'Let's Be Friends'. This one is from the Hello Kitty collection and I picked it up from TK Maxx. I then did another layer of this colour just to solidify it. You could also use a light nude for this as it would definitely allow the colours to pop.


It was then onto the design. I knew I wanted to do something cute and pastel for summer so I settled on three pastel shades, All OPI shades in 'Met A Boy Cute As Can Be' which is a pastel yellow from the Grease collection,  'How Does Your Zen Garden Grow'* which is a pretty sage green colour which I LOVE, and 'Rice, Rice Baby'*, a dusty pink shade both this shade and the green are from the Tokyo Collection which was gifted to me last year. As I mentioned these are just the colours I used but you can replicate this design with any colours.


Now all you need to do is using a single brush stroke apply your colour of choice to each nail to create a little watercolour style stripe. and Voila! You are done! Easy right?


If you try this make sure to let me know how you get on!

First Time Glossier Haul

21 Jul 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS*

I've been meaning to buy Glossier products since around 2017 (I remember even being excited when I walked passed the headquarters while on the High Line in New York) but for some reason, I always put it off! Fast forward three years and following a super stressful and busy week I decided that I wanted to treat myself so I made a little splurge and finally purchased myself some items. As a first-time Glossier buyer I had no clue what to expect other than that I'd heard good things. I decided to get both makeup items and skincare items so I could try them both out.


My Best TK Maxx Finds Ever

16 Jul 2020

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a TK Maxx lover so it's no surprise that the only shop that I've been in since lockdown restrictions have been lifted, is TK Maxx. I've been shopping in TK Maxx for years and while it can be a bit hit or miss, I've found some absolute gems throughout that time so I thought I'd just share with you some of the best of the best that I've picked up at my beloved TK Maxx over the years.


The £5(ish) foundation that you need in your life!

6 Jul 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS*

I'll be the first to say that I love me some makeup! I just find that even putting on a little bit of makeup can really just improve your mood but while we've been stuck inside the only times I've found myself wearing makeup is for content shooting days, filming, or if I'm hanging out with friends, Other than that I'm just bare face every day which is standard because I'm always either full-face or no face - I don't do things by halves! 

However, I've recently found myself on some days gravitating towards just putting on some foundation, powder, brows, blush and a little mascara - which is still arguably a lot but it's definitely a lot less makeup than I would usually wear.

I've been using Too Faced Born This Way for years but recently I have a new love and it comes in the form of The Ordinary Colours foundation. The Ordinary are probably best known for their skincare products but they also dabble in makeup products too including this little bottle!


It looks tiny so when I first got it I was shocked but it actually lasts just as long as other bottles if not longer because the coverage you get is great so you don't need a lot of product to get good coverage. It also applies like an absolute dream, stays put all day and is so so affordable with a price point of only £5.90 which rivals some drugstore brands and this product, for the price is far superior to any drugstore alternatives!

My Favourite Eyeshadow Palettes

25 Jun 2020

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS

In 2014 I got my first ever PROPER eyeshadow palette. I had just finished my GCSEs and the Urban Decay Naked palette was all the talk of the time and I still actively remember little 16-year-old me plodding into Debenham's with my parents to pick it out. Since then, eye shadow palettes are still my absolute favourite make up item and out of my collection, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourites. I am by no means a makeup artist. I'm always so amazed by what people can create with makeup because I tend to stick to very plain looks but it works for me!


Tarte

Rainforest of The Sea Volume II

Literally, just look at how pretty this is! I love me a neutral colour palette and this one is just the prettiest! I love the packaging as well as the fact that all the shades are beautiful! I literally use the shade sunset, which is a light shimmery gold colour, almost every day! I also love using pearl which is a nice shimmery white on my inner corners.


Tarte

Tartelette in Bloom

Sticking with Tarte, the first Tarte palette that I got was the Tartelette in bloom palette which is yet again another neutral palette (there's a bit of a theme developing here). I'd heard so much about this palette that I knew I needed it in my life. I'll sometimes mix and match these two Tarte palettes together as this palette has a few more matte shades and slightly darker tones. On the whole I find that Tarte shadows blend so so well together and will always give you a beautiful natural look no matter which shades from the palette you pick. 



Colourpop

Zoella Brunch Date

This was a limited edition palette and is no longer available but when I heard that Zoella was doing a collaboration with Colourpop I jumped at the chance to try it out. I love a lot of the products that Zoella puts out and I'd never tried Colourpop eyeshadows before so this was the perfect opportunity (especially since they launched free UK shipping with it). I love the colour range in this palette (yes it's neutrals again) as you can see the Champagne Toast colour is well and truly GONE and even that blue shade is delightful although the last time I wore it my mum asked what I'd done to my eyes and if I was really going out like that but hey that's what I get from branching out from my neutrals I guess! This palette has definitely inspired me to pick up some more Colourpop products in the future!


ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS

Subculture

This is a bit of a rogue choice because a lot of this palette I don't actually use and the shades that I do use I don't really use very often but when I do use them - particularly the yellows, the browns and the greens - I absolutely love them. The colours are quite intense so it's definitely not every day wear for me but I love incorporating some yellow into my eye makeup looks fairly regularly and it's always good for those special occasions. It is fairly messy though as you can tell from the absolute state of my palette.


Urban Decay

Naked Heat

Bringing it full circle and all the way back to the Urban Decay Naked palette but in this case it's the Naked Heat palette. Oh boy, this palette. This purchase spawned from me spending too much time in duty-free in a busy travel spell and then as soon as I got home I knew that I needed it in my life. This is by far my most used palette during the autumn and winter months and I just adore all the red shades so much. I also love the brushes that come with Urban Decay palettes which isn't something that I can say about other palettes.


So there we have it. Do you have a favourite eye shadow palette? There are definitely a few others that I can't wait to get my hands on!

Why You Need to Know About Madlug

17 Jun 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

It was the summer of 2015 that I bought my first backpack from Madlug after hearing about them at a summer conference. I was going into my final year of school and I needed a new bag anyway so when I heard about Madlug I jumped on it. I purchased the classic grey backpack because back then there was a very limited choice, and it's still standing 5 years later.


What is Madlug? you may ask. Madlug stands for Make a Difference Luggage and it's a social enterprise which is based in Northern Ireland and works on a buy one give one premise where for every bag you buy, a bag is given to a child in the care system who doesn't have a bag. Many children in care have to transport their belongings from house to house in a binbag so Madlug's motto is Value, Worth, Dignity - swapping out the binbag for a real bag showing the child that they can have value, worth, and dignity. There are currently over 90,000 children in care in the UK and Ireland with one child entering the care system every 15 minutes.

Since purchasing my first bag 5 years ago at the launch I have continued to support the work of Madlug (I've literally got 9 different bags) and they've continued to grow. Long gone are the days of basic coloured backpacks only, there are now loads of colours and styles to choose from and you can even design your own!


Some of my favourites include the Burgundy Day Pack (pictured), the Teal Backpack, and the Classic Black Backpack but there are so many great ones to pick! I may just get myself a tenth!

Getting My Glam On with Magnetic SL

25 Apr 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

I love makeup and I love experimenting with different looks and products. I am by no means a makeup artist like I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to makeup I just do what works for me. One thing I am loving about quarantine is not wearing makeup every day and just letting my skin breathe! Because I don't want to fully stop wearing makeup I've started a thing I like to call: Unnecessarily Glam Saturdays (or UGS for short). UGS started by accident when I decided to have an isolation self photoshoot and proceeded to this past Saturday when I received these Magnetic lashes from Magnetic SL and just HAD to try them out.


I am really not normally a lashes kind of person. My lashes are so long anyway that putting false ones on kind of defeats the purpose. I had originally intended on using these ones for my final year formal but it was cancelled due to the coronavirus so when they arrived in the post I was determined to put them to good use!


The lovely people over at Magnetic SL were so kind as to send me over two different kits, The Eyeliner kit in natural (pictured) and the three magnet kit in Light Russian which I haven't tried out yet. The natural lashes are definitely more wearable for everyday use and I'm definitely going to save the other set for the next big event I have to attend (hopefully our formal that got postponed).

The fun thing about these lashes is that they don't need glue which eliminates the messiest and most difficult part of applying lashes making it a much more accessible activity. I used the eyeliner kit which features a magnetic eyeliner which the lashes stick to with ease. As I say I'm not an avid user of false lashes so I can't really comment on how they compare to other lashes on the market but I loved these. I forgot I had them on and then when it came to removing them they were easy to take off without them feeling like they were going to fall off for the duration of the day. The eyeliner also very easily came off using my usual makeup remover.


As well as being cruelty-free the lashes are also waterproof and reusable so if you are a person who is super into their glam makeup and loves a set of false lashes I'd say that these are a really great investment. If you're interested you can use the code BEAUTY30 to get 30% off your order at magneticsl.com!

the one with the mom jeans

21 Feb 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS*



Judging by the title of this blog (MOM JEANS AND JESUS) you probably figured that I love mom jeans and my absolute favourite pair are the mid-blue Kimomo jeans from Monki and have been for years.

I got an email today letting me know that currently, ALL MONKI JEANS ARE 20% OFF!!!! So I simply had to come on and share this with y'all because if you're on the lookout for some new jeans, Monki is DEFFO the way to go. I also have the Taiki jeans in Black which I also love.

Here's a selection of some of my favourite mom style jeans from Monki to inspire you! The Kimomo jeans have straighter and skinnier leg while the Taiki jeans are more traditionally mom jean like with a wider leg and both are GREAT and come in multiple colours!

tarte mystery bag: unboxing

28 Oct 2019

I'm a simple girl, I see makeup sales, I buy makeup. It's a vicious circle but a few weeks back tarte had a sale on and I definitely DID THE THING! The mystery bag (which cost me the grand total of £40) was purchased and on its way to me.

I've been slacking a lot on the old blog posting front lately because I'm so busy with uni so here's a rundown of what I got in my mystery bag along with some first impression reviews.



Mystery BAG
as it's a mystery bag, everything came along with a cute little makeup pouch which says 'never not busy' on the front which is the absolute TRUTH of a final year university student.


Stay Spray (Sample) 
I'm a die-hard Urban Decay all nighter setting spray type of gal so I was intrigued to see how this one compared. They're very different consistencies. The Tarte spray is a lot more liquidy than the urban decay spray which is an interesting change. It keeps my makeup on well though! I've just come home from a whole day at uni and it's still on my face!



Kitten Liner 
I was actually on the lookout for a new eyeliner and this one works so so well, it has the right applicator and just glides on very nicely. BIG FAN. Also, it has a little kitten head on the lid so what's not to love!

Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara 
It's nice, but it's not my favourite mascara I've ever used (hi too faced better than sex). It's lengthening, which as someone with naturally long lashes anyway, I don't really need so that's most likely why it didn't click with me. I did like it better on my lower lashes on my top lashes though. A good masacara, and in super cute packaging, but just not for me!


Tarteist Lip Paint 
Okay so if you know me you know that I love me some lipstick and ordinarily I'd go for a solid lipstick as supposed to a liquid lipstick but this liquid lipstick is EVERYTHING! I have the shade front row which is a really pretty dark mauve shade, which is one of my favourite lip colours! It goes on like a dream and is super long-lasting! A BIG WIN!


Rainforest of the Sea Palette Volume II 
When I pulled this out of the package I DIED! I've wanted this palette for so long I was STOKED. It's so pretty!! The colours are all neutrals and it's kind of similar to the tartelette in bloom which I already have but it's different enough to merit its own palette. It's not super-duper pigmented but I like that as it allows you to build up colours and keep it as natural as you want which is perfect for me for going to university.


Anyway, I'm a big big fan of all the products and definitely would purchase again even though it left me a little out of pocket I think it was worth it! Here's the finished look I did using all of my new products.


I also filmed a first impressions video if you want to take a look at that!




Have you used any Tarte products before? Let me know your thoughts!

I dyed my hair pink

21 Jul 2019

... or at least I tried to.

 Every summer I always say, 'This is the year that I dye my hair pink', and every year without fail, I don't. Until this year.

 Stargazer Cosmetics sent me over some of their Yummy Colour 4 colour hair strips (these ones) to try out so I thought that it was as good an opportunity as any to seize control of my dreams of pink hair for summer. I opted to use the pastel pack as I wanted a lighter shade of pink.


I enlisted the help of my friend who regularly dyes her hair and we sat in my room following all the instructions and everything appeared to be going well. You can even see from this photo that the pink was taking to my hair.


However, that was when the fun stopped. On the box, it says that the dye was supposed to last 5-15 washes depending on colouring. I hadn't pre-lightened my hair and that may have been the issue but as soon as I stepped in the shower after leaving it on my hair for longer than the allotted time. It all washed out IMMEDIATELY! I had to wave goodbye to my dreams of pink summer hair. I still have a couple of brighter colours left so I may have to try again but for right now I'm afraid I have to give this dye a thumbs down :( 

 I'm sad because I love the concept and I really wanted to love them but unfortunately they just didn't work for me! 

 Have you dyed your hair before? If so what colour and how did you like having funky hair?
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