Hopelessly Hitting Pan…

Fellow makeup addicts, I am certain you will all relate to what I am about to say…

You know that feeling right? Where you purchase a new makeup product and all of a sudden you’re head over heels in love with it. You’re unsure how you left the house before you had this certain product that takes your makeup from a 10 to a 100! It becomes part of your everyday routine, you’ll spend half an hour looking for it if you have to, to find it is in your handbag because you can’t leave the house without it. You recommend it to all of your friends, they try it too, swatch away! It becomes the light of your life, slaying your makeup everyday!

but then… All of a sudden you see it, something coming through the product, something a little silver, something that looks a lot like pan…

You begin to ration it a little more now as you know it’s close to the end. Nothing compares to the heart sinking feeling of hitting pan, especially on a limited edition product you probably won’t be able to replace but you love it so much you still need to use it everyday.

In this post I want to talk about a few of the products I have hopelessly hit pan on and why I love them so much to have got to the pan!

First of all is the Benefit Hoola Bronzer in my Benefit Cheekathon Palette. I was sucked in by this bargain of a cheek palette when it was first released and I’m so glad i picked it up! Now, I have hit pan on Hoola because it is by far the best bronzer ever – not too muddy and not too subtle. Just the right amount of intensity and insane pigmentation! I will definitely continue to purchase this bronzer individually as I love it! The only bad thing I could say about it is the amount of product in the pan is not as much as you would expect but I think that’s just because of the packaging to product ratio – I expected it to contain more. Besides that I have not one bad word to say about the actual product and I highly recommend it but as it was limited edition I think it is quite difficult to get hold of now.

Next is a much loved and well known highlighter. The balm Mary Lou Manizer. Oh yes, that old chestnut! This was once my holy grail of highlighters which I previously have written about on my blog. I hit pan on this product a long time ago before I began to neglect it. Despite beginning to reach for other highlighters more often, this beauty hasn’t been pushed quite the full way to the back of my shelf yet. I still chuck it in my bag to top up on an evening out and I do reach for it now and again but not as much as I once did. Not to say I don’t love this highlighter, I have just discovered new highlighters that make me feel my love for Darling Mary Lou may have just been lust… I do recommend this highlighter especially if you want something high end but affordable. It has amazing pigmentation and a mesmerising glow! I think the only reason I don’t reach for it often anymore is because I have discovered highlighters that suite my dark complexion better but besides that the actual highlighter is beautiful and I am quite sad to see it hit pan but I don’t think I will be replacing it any time soon.

Finally is my go to powder which I have mentioned many times before. This is the Collection Lasting Finish Powder. A drugstore must have – my loyalty to this product will never run out. The collection pressed powder in the shade translucent gives my foundation the perfect matt finish and for someone who has eczema I can let all of you fellow dry skinned pals know for sure that this is the ideal face powder for you. It doesn’t completely dry out my face and still manages to give me a full coverage matt look and feel. I have purchased powder after powder after powder when it comes to this product. No matter how many times I hopelessly hit pan, this number always makes a return to my makeup collection without a moments hesitation. You can find my more detailed review on this product here.

 

What products have you hit pan on?

Desire4Beauty

 

Where the hell have I been!

Over 1 year off the blogging scene…

Over 1 year where not a moment went by that I didn’t want to pick up my laptop and write…

A lot can happen in such a short space of time. My lack of blogging began as I entered exam season for my A Levels, I just about manged to push myself to study and thinking about blogging felt more like a chore, my heart was in the blog but I just couldn’t get my head in there too. My health deteriorating didn’t really help and to later find out I have a B12 deficiency explained a lot, I was drained, tired and unmotivated.

If you follow me on twitter you will see I am very active on there and I have published the odd Instagram post since I stopped blogging but I want to get back into the swing of things. My passion and desire are right there; Sometimes life gets in the way but hey ho, you can never let it keep you down.

I am back! I don’t want to throw myself into the deep end so I guess I will begin with occasional uploads that develop into regular uploads as I strengthen my blogging game again!

I love blogging, it was my place to put my whole passion into. My overwhelming love for makeup. I love writing, always have done. From the age of 7 I dreamt of becoming an author. There is something about writing I have loved since a very young age. Along the way I picked up a passion for makeup and photography. Put it all together and you have my blog!

So before I waffle on, I am back and I will be trying to upload once a week or at least once a fortnight. I have picked the perfect time of the year considering the clocks have gone back, my favourite season is here and there is tons to blog about! I now  work 9-5 which I have never done with blogging so that will be an experience, one I am kind of looking forward to, i think… haha!

Lets see how well I go, fingers crossed. Hopefully you reading this can help me out, pop some ideas in the comments of what posts you would like to see and I will take the ideas and turn them into a post.

Life always gets in the way of what you want most but if you want it enough you always find a way back to it.

Until next time…

Desire4Beauty

 

Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Foundation Review

If you’ve been following my blog since the start you will know that my most trusted foundation never to have failed me, my holy grail, my makeup bag is essential is the Rimmel London Lasting Finish foundation. However, being a makeup junkie it is my aim to try as many foundations as I can possibly afford (currently not much #studentlife)

I previously did a review on the Nyx Cosmetics Stay matte not flat foundation which you can find here and over the past few months I have been trying out the Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Foundation. It comes in a 30ml bottle that is quite compact and easy to travel with which is a plus for me. It has a squirty pump, again ticking a box of an essential for a good foundation, nothing is worse than having to pour it out of the bottle and loosing half of the foundation because you’ve poured out too much. It comes in a glass bottle and actually feels quite luxurious considering it is from Avon. I purchased the shade medium beige and it matched my skin tone perfectly, to give a rough idea, I am 303 true nude in Rimmel London foundations so that gives an idea of my skin tone if you are familiar with that shade.

One issue I had with this foundation at first was the amount of pumps needed to get the product out. One pump did not get out a lot of foundation, I probably get 4 times the amount out of one pump of the Rimmel foundation than I do with this one. At first it was an issue because when applying foundations I would put the product on the back of my hand, dot it around my face and blend it in with a sponge or brush. It took much longer trying to get the product out of the bottle to have enough on the back of my hand to spread around my face. I did however find a solution to this problem! Rather than pumping the foundation onto the back of my hand I would pump it directly onto my face, 3 pumps across the forehead, 4 on each cheek and 2 on the chin, this gave the same effect of my dotting the foundation round my face from the back of my hand and prevented slowing down my makeup routine so little amounts in one pump of foundation was no longer an issue for me.

Now the formula itself; It has what I think is the perfect consistency for a foundation. Not too thin and not too thick, it blends like a dream and gives a medium-full coverage depending on how much you apply. It covers all blemishes and evens out my skin tone so well with no patchiness or cakey appearance at all leaving a smooth coverage. The longevity is what you would expect as a reflection of the price, it does last me all day but in the evening I notice it begin to fade around my under eye area and around my nose. This can be patched up with powder or more foundation if needed but it is not really an issue for me.

Overall this foundation is definitely Desire4Beauty approved! I rate it a 7.5/10 and would certainly repurchase it as I have now ran out. I highly recommend this foundation, ordering from Avon made me a bit wary but I am so glad I did and would advise not to let this put you off at all.

What foundations do you recommend I try next?

Desire4Beauty

THE Ultimate drugstore eyebrow kit!

I cannot believe there was actually a time where I didn’t fill my brows in… My eye brows have definitely become a bit of a high maintenance situation, my makeup doesn’t look right without them filled in, well to me it doesn’t. Eye brows have become a very important factor in the makeup world, it is a lot of beauty junkie’s priority to ensure their brows are ‘on fleek’

The Collection Eyebrow Kit in the shade Brunette has definitely been a game changer for me, It definitely gets my brows on fleek! I now do my eyebrows everyday, my makeup doesn’t feel right unless I do! The perfectly pigmented brow powder in this kit glide on like a dream providing sleek precision to my eye brow shape and tidying them up!

I begin by using a spooly brush to tidy my brows and keep all hairs intact, Then I use either the Makeup Revolution E104 brush or my six plus cosmetics eyebrow E04 brush and apply a small amount of product to the brush followed my swiping each flat side of the brush on the back my hand to remove any excess product making the application more precise. Next, as seen in most tutorials, I create a smooth, straight line along the bottom of my eyebrow following it along the end of my brow, I then create a line from the beginning of the end corner of the top of my brow down to the end of the below line to create a fleeky brow ending and then I apply more product to the brush using the same method as before and drawing a line half a centimeter in from to top of my brow all the way round to the end. Now that the outline is created I fill the inside of it but not too much as I do have black eyebrows so if I fill it in too much my brows look far too dark!

To complete the fleeky look I gently create a faint line from the inside top corner of my brow on the half centimeter I didn’t fill in previously. You don’t want to heavily fill in the start of your brows otherwise they look too thick and bold, definitely not what you want. To ensure my brows stay fleeky all day I apply the clear brow mascara that comes in the kit which holds everything together and sets the brows. After my brows are done I apply concealer around both sides to make them even more precise followed by a small amount of white eye shadow or highlighter on my brow bone to complete the look and that is my high maintenance brow routine with my trust little eyebrow kit!

I highly recommend this brow kit, whether you’re just starting out with your brows or if you’re on a low budget this is perfect for you, it is so affordable and such good quality, I have been using it for almost a year now and never switched to anything else, it is certainly my holy grail brow kit!

What do you use to do your brows? Let me know in the comments!

Desire4Beauty

THE Setting Powder Of All Setting Powders!

Throughout the many years of being a makeup junkie, collecting various products, trying new ones. Mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, foundation, setting powder. I have been through so many brands and different versions of these products, I have had my fair share of patchy foundations and not so smudge proof liners and mascaras but I think I have formed a pretty good opinion and view on what works well and what doesn’t.

One product I think is essential to get right that most people might not think is so important is a setting powder. If you want your foundation to last all day and avoid any patchiness you need to have the right setting powder. Look at it this way; if I didn’t use a setting powder the amount of transfer onto  my knuckles would be unreal! The amount of times I rest my face on my hand when I am sat down, I would end up with knuckle imprints in my foundation! Setting powder acts like a barrier between the actual foundation base and my hand, when it applies it melts into my foundation, mattifies it, setting it into place making it more difficult for the foundation to budge. You may not notice it but it makes the world of a difference. It makes me feel slightly uncomfortable when I come across people that never set their foundation, how do you cope?! Not using setting powder will significantly effect the longevity of your foundation. Surely there can’t be anything worse than spending a full day out at school, college or work then coming home to look in the mirror and discover obvious patches in your foundation and suddenly wonder, how long have they been there? how many people noticed?

I believe I am the lucky owner of THE setting powder of all setting powders and now you can be to! The Collection Pressed Powder in the shade translucent. No word of a lie, I have been through at least 8 of these so far, I won’t use anything else. I used to be a Rimmel stay matte kinda girl but I wanted a change and after the hype around the Collection lasting perfection concealer I had to try another one of their products so I opted for the powder and to this day I would bet my life on it.

I always apply this after my concealer and foundation to set everything in place. It gives an even, flawless, matte coverage. It melts into my foundation perfectly setting it. For someone with dry skin a matte finish may not be ideal but I have never had an issue with the matte finish this powder gives me. It isn’t a dry and crumbly matte finish, the powder itself contains moisturisers so it helps hydrate the skin further after the application of foundation. My skin feels so silky after applying it!

It definitely makes a huge difference in terms of longevity. With the odd top up needed around my nose and t-zone mid day, my foundation does not go patchy at all which is amazing for such an affordable power! It retails at just £1.99 in superdrug which after using it for so long I can’t get over. I didn’t think it’d be so good when I first purchased it due to how low the price was but my god was I wrong! The formula is perfect, it applies effortlessly and I’m not sure what else to say about it other than you NEED it!

My 100% honest opinion right here, I honestly recommend it!

Let me know in the comments below if you will be trying this out or what your opinions are on it if you’ve already tried it.

Desire4Beauty

Nudes by Nyx Cosmetics!

 

If you follow me over on Instagram you may have noticed I have been posting a lot of Nyx Cosmetics products on the gram so I thought it was about time I got a blog post up! The Nyx Cosmetics contour palette featured as my contour palette of the year last year so I thought as I have already mentioned how much I love that on my blog I will dedicate this post to express my love for the amazing range of lip products from Nyx Cosmetics!

First of all is one range that blew up on social media, the cute packaging, shade range and even the name sucked everyone in to this hype, it was selling out everywhere when the collection first release and this is the Nyx Lingerie Liquid Lipsticks! I own the shades Exotic and Ruffle Trim. Exotic is borderline nude. On the scale of nude shades there is pinky nudes and brown nudes. Exotic is pink with brown undertones in my opinion but quite at the pink end, I would compare it to twig by MAC Cosmetics. It is a gorgeous shade, applies wonderfully and feels very luxurious on the lips.

The second shade I have from the Nyx Lingerie liquid lipstick collection is Ruffle Trim. This shade is a beautiful need at the pinky end of the scale. A lot of people refer to it as a dupe for the Kylie ‘ginger’ Lip kit and after comparing it to my friends lip kit I have to agree, there is very little difference between the shades so if you fear customs and high postage prices just pick up ruffle trim instead! I love how with the Nyx lingerie liquid lipsticks they feel so light on the lips which I love with any lip product as it then isn’t too drying or too thickly layered leading to issues with transfer.

I do prefer Ruffle Trim to exotic just because it is more of my everyday wear colour and I have no issue with transfer with ruffle trim but for some reason there is sometimes the odd transfer on the back of my hand if I wipe the tip of my nose when i am wearing exotic. Both shades are stunning and I do recommend them, the formula is unbelievable for how affordable they are! I highly recommend the Nyx Lingerie Liquid Lipsticks if you don’t own any already, I definitely plan to grow my collection!

Next I have a shade from Soft Matte Lip Cream Collection. There are so many shades in this collection but me being me picked up yet another nude! This is the shade ‘Berlin’ and it is a very browny nude. I have to be honest, at first I was slightly thrown back by the idea and concept of a matte lip cream, liquid lipsticks or lip glosses were all I knew of but a matte lip cream was a whole to conception for my brain to take in. Nevertheless I picked one up and oh, my, gosh!

I love it!

The creamy formula makes it so easy to apply, it glides on the lips so nicely. It takes slightly longer to dry and set than the liquid lipsticks but once it does there is very little transfer issues. I may have to re apply after eating or drinking and when it begins to fade after a few hours but that’s not an issue at all. Definitely worth the price and I love how cute and small the packaging is, perfect handbag size!

Last but most certainly not least is the first every Nyx lip product I owned. A Butter Gloss with the cutest shade name I ever heard ‘Angel food cake’ This gloss is pretty much your average pink gloss colour wise but formula wise it is something else! I have never owned such a pigmented gloss, I love how the colour lasts unlike most that barely even show.Again like the lip cream the packaging is small and cute, the perfect size to pop into your handbag on the go.

Overall I absolutely adore the range of lip products from Nyx Cosmetics and now I have tried a few from different ranges I will definitely be picking up more shades. My favourite thing about them is how affordable they are its actually crazy how good quality they are for such an affordable price! I can’t wait to pick up some more shades soon.

If you own any Nyx products what do you recommend? Let me know in the comments or tweet me!

Desire4Beauty

Makeup removal tips for dry skin!

For as long as I remember I have had eczema. This a very severe state of dry skin, it can become inflamed, red, itchy and even bleed if not taken care of with the right medication. As I have grown older my eczema has become a lot more mild, nowhere near as severe as it was when I was younger. I must ensure I keep my dry skin hydrated in order to prevent it reaching the severe end of eczema. One difficulty is wearing makeup as if not removed properly it can have a very bad effect on my skin and leave me with redness around my eyes giving me a not so easy base to deal with when applying makeup. I have regularly used 3 different products for a while now to remove my makeup whilst taking into account my sensitive, dry skin. These 3 products are THE skincare trio for anyone who has dry skin. Even if you don’t have eczema these products will definitely benefit your skin and add so much more hydration to your face!

First of all is the makeup remover itself. Many of you may recall the hype around the Garnier micellar water right? Well not long after the release of the original micellar water they released a micellar oil-infused cleansing water. Oil is amazing for dry skin, it takes longer for the skin to soak up compared to an average moisturizer so it provides so much more hydration and nutrients to the skin. With the original micellar water I did feel it dried my skin out after use whereas with the oil infused one this is not the case, it is so hydrating and so much more gentle for sensitive skin! It does say on the bottle that it is aimed at “dry and sensitive skin” and claims to “Remove even waterproof make-up + cleanses + Nourishes” well let me tell you, it certainly does what it says on the bottle! It breaks down my waterproof makeup whilst cleansing and nourishing my skin. I am so glad Garnier released this as I had a love hate relationship with the original micellar water but the oil infused one is definitely a holy grail now and it has lasted me 2 months so far, you get so much use out of one bottle, 100% worth every penny, it is so affordable!

Number 2, moisturizer! Although the oil-infused micellar water hydrates my skin I still need to moisturise to maintain the hydration with a moisturizer. For the past 4 years I have used no other than that Aveeno moisturizer. I cannot stress enough how perfect this moisturizer is! It is formulated with Colloidal Oatmeal to actively moisturise dry and sensitive skin. It has a nice thick consistency, not the average thin and runny moisturizer, I am not a fan of those! It feels cool and refreshing on the face, instantly calming any irritation. This moisturizer also contains Glycerin, an essential ingredient in makeup primers to ensure longevity. This means moisturising with this cream before applying makeup will contribute to your makeup lasting all day! Running out of primer isn’t a worry when using this moisturizer and when you do have primer it just strengthens the base of your makeup. I could go on forever about how amazing this primer is but just trust me when I say you need it!!!

Last but not least, the final product to keep your skin hydrated after removing your makeup! I always do this before I go to bed, well when I can remember to… After removing the makeup with micellar water and moisturising my face I pour a fair amount or Argan oil into my hand, Moroccan Argan oil is my favourite.I picked this one up when I went on holiday there but it’s not too difficult to get hold of in the UK. I rub both palms together slowly so the oil doesn’t go everywhere and the massage it into my face leaving a thin, oily layer on my face. It may leave you looking greasy af but you’ll have the skin of a new born baby when you wake up! Whenever I do this I wake up with fresh, soft, rejuvenated skin ready for a new application of makeup! If I maintain this for at least 3 days I notice a huge difference in the condition of my skin, it’s healthier, softer and glowing! This last step is essential if you want to maintain hydrated skin.

And there we have it! My 3 top tips for removing makeup when you have dry skin and how to maintain the hydration in your skin. I hope these tips help you out if you have been struggling with ways to deal with dry skin.

Let me know in the comments if you try any of these products and how they work for you!

Desire4Beauty

Mini Drugstore Haul – Nyx & Collection

Long time no see, or maybe no read would make more sense in this situation considering it’s been quite a while since I posted. With mock exams and completing English coursework I haven’t really had much motivation to blog but I am back and will hopefully try to get a new post up every Monday! If you have any posts you would really like to see tweet me or let me know in the comments. Without further ado I shall get straight into this mini haul!

Everyone loves a good splurge every now and again, wait, let me correct that, everyone loves a good MAKEUP splurge every now and again. Well I certainly do, I find my self splurging at the most inappropriate of times such as when there is about £10 left in my bank account and I’m 3 weeks away from payday. Does this stop me? Nope. I have to get my hands on the latest releases or pick up a new powder to set my foundation, got keep that slay on! Please tell me I’m not the only one…

A few weeks ago I went into town and as I was on a low budget so I thought I would head to the Nyx counter seen as though I am fortunate to have one in my local boots! I was running out of the shade ‘03‘ in my much loved Nyx Highlight and Contour Pro Palette. I picked this up as it the perfect kinda banana powder that brightens the under eye area, it is perfect for setting concealer and brightening the high points of your face. It is simply a matte highlighter which I love as it enhances my highlight if I apply this powder and then a highlighter over top it lasts all day! I love how the individual shades in the palette are replaceable and most certainly affordable as they only cost  £3.50 which is a crazy good price for how amazing they are!

After recently watching the lovely Hannah Renee’s full face of Nyx first impressions video I wanted to try an ombre liner with the Nyx Vivid Brights in the shade Fire. I have only swatched this so far and love how fine the brush is and how perfect the pigment of the liner is, it has got me tempted to pick up a black Nyx liner. I am excited to try an ombre liner with it and will report back when I do! This wonderful product costs just £5.50 which I think is a bargain!

I already owned a Nyx Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in the shade Exotic and I absolutely loved the formula so I wanted to pick up a new shade. After a good 20 minutes of swatching, um’ing and ah’ing I came to the decision to purchase Ruffle Trim. It is a stunning pinky nude and I am so excited to try it with a full face of makeup. If you don’t already own a Nyx Lingerie Liquid Lipstick then I definitely recommend you purchase one, they are £7 on the Nyx Cosmetics website or just £6.50 from Boots, either way it is definitely worth the price! They apply nice and evenly, are not too drying and last very well! When payday comes I am definitely going back for more!

After accepting the fact my bank account couldn’t handle the pain of any more purchases from Nyx I headed to Superdrug to pick up a much needed product, my trusty Collection Translucent Face Powder. I have been sticking to this setting powder for months now, I don’t think I could ever use anything else! It is only £1.99 which is hella affordable, it melts into my foundation, mattifying it and setting it in place resulting in it lasting all day without going patchy! I swear by this powder and wouldn’t recommend anything more, it is certainly a holy grail!

I hope you enjoyed this look into my recent drugstore purchases and maybe have an idea of what to add to your wishlist or even shopping list! Payday is round the corner so let me know in the comments what drugstore products you recommend!

Hopefully I will be back next Monday with a new post!

Desire4Beauty

2 years a blogger!

On January the 28th 2015 I published my very first blog post, little did I know 2 years later I would be sat here writing up my 2 year bloggiversary post with the 4k+ following I have gained throughout my time as a blogger. I am extremely lost for words if I’m honest, I don’t know where to begin I am just so grateful for everything I have achieved from brand deals to making many new friends in the blogging community.

I began blogging as a creative outlet for my passion for beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics. Over the past year this has narrowed down to more specifically beauty as not only my makeup collection but my makeup addiction has grown significantly! Blogging is my safety net, my own little space on the internet away from the troubles and calamities of daily life. It takes me away from the world for a short while whilst I dedicate time to writing up posts, taking photographs and editing them. Blogging is more than a hobby, it’s a part of me now and if it wasn’t for blogging I still would be unsure of what I want to do when I leave college.

My dream career is to be a makeup artist however whilst working towards that slowly I want to do something else first, not just to financially support me but I want it to be something I love. Like they say, if you find a job you love you’ll never have to work a day in your life. I am a firm believer of this saying and want to be in a job I love and have a passion for! University was definitely crossed off my list, I’m barely making it through college so I want out of solid education as soon as possible. I looked towards apprenticeships where you earn whilst you learn, sounded perfect to me! I discovered that social media and digital marketing apprenticeships are a thing! It links in very well with blogging and managing social media accounts professionally which is similar to what I do with my blog, I finally knew what I wanted to do when I leave college and all thanks to blogging, had I never blogged I probably wouldn’t have even looked in that direction.

In my first year of blogging I began a YouTube channel which after beginning college I took down due to the practicality of managing blogging, a YouTube channel and A levels. Deleting my channel is something I very much regret and I do hope to start it back up once I leave college so keep your eyes peeled for that! I stuck to blogging, I try my best to blog once a week or at times of demanding college work at least once a fortnight. Throughout my 2 years of blogging I have successfully completed blogmas not once but twice which is an achievement I am very proud of. Despite it being a very challenging commitment to take on whilst at college I managed to complete it twice!

I have had the honour of continuing to work with many brands in my second year of blogging, 2 of my favourites being Kokoa an amazing skincare brand and Six plus cosmetics who sent me some luxury must have brushes! My Instagram audience has rocketed which I am very proud of as I started and Instagram account for my blog quite a while after I began blogging. Overall I am just grateful for every single thing I have achieved throughout blogging, I have met some wonderful people and worked with some amazing brands, I can’t wait to see what my third year of blogging holds for me and many more years after that!

Here are a few questions I have been asked in terms of my first 2 years of blogging:

Rebecca Ellis asks: What have you gained most from blogging? And would you change anything about your blogging experience?

I have mostly gained confidence in my own writing, I have always been a bit of a creative writer, when I was younger I aspired to become an author! Growing up I lost confidence in my writing and didn’t think my style of writing was very engaging but blogging completely changed that! The response from my audience and friends after reading my blog really helped me grow confidence in my own writing! And I would not change a thing about my blogging experience, it is the exact experience I have had that has allowed me to grow as a blogger and a person there is not a single thing I would change!

Abby Louisa Rose Ellis asks: What is your greatest blogging achievement? What do you hope to achieve in the next 2 years? Which posts are you most proud of?

Firstly, my greatest blogging achievement has to be gaining the 4,000+ followers across all my social media platforms in the 2 years of blogging. I know it isn’t all about the followers but for me it shows me that people enjoy my content and actually like it enough to hit follow, it makes me feel more confident in publishing my work on the internet and makes me feel as though it is being appreciated so a huge thank you to all my wonderful followers making me believe in myself more by the day!

In the next 2 years I hope to achieve more with my blog layout. I want to go self hosted, purchase a layout (had my eye on one for a while now!) as I want my blog to look more professional and to be honest just better, there is always room for improvement and improving the appearance of my blog is one thing I want to work on. Not only will I feel better about my blog but it is more likely to draw in more traffic meaning the content I create to help or advise others reaches more and more people which is what I want.

The posts that I am most proud of? hmmm… This is a tough one! I will list my top 3:

1. A new scent for the new year – This is because it is different to any other post I have written, it is about a perfume rather than makeup and I am very happy with the photograph quality and written content in the post. Good photography is very important to me!

2. Am I dreaming too big? – This is a very personal post where I just put into it exactly how I felt at the time and I really like it for that one reason, how honest I am in it. I am always honest in my blog posts but I showed a lot more emotion in this one.

3. My makeup story tag – I had a lot of fun creating this blog post and reminiscing on my introduction to makeup and how I got into it. I feel as though this post is really just me and as a makeup junkie I loved sharing my thoughts on makeup, favourite brands and views on products.

I am proud of all my blog posts but specifically these 3 as they aren’t just typical blog posts, I put a lot of thought and effort into them!

Thank you so much specifically to my audience for being so engaging and supportive! To keep updated on my blog posts, progress and opportunities follow me on all of my social media platforms!

Instagram, Twitter, Bloglovin, Pinterest and Envicase

Here’s to another year of blogging!

Desire4Beauty

After Dark Elegant Touch Limited Edition False Nails Review

I am back with another beauty review but this time it is not makeup! For someone like me who has an awful case of the nail biting habit wearing falsies makes me feeling a million times more feminine, I hope I’m not the only one who feels like that… Even those I know who don’t bite their actual nails love a fresh set of falsies every now and then. I have never had my nails done at a salon, I always pick up some pretty false nails in store and stick them on myself. It’s so much more affordable and easier! Despite the struggle of 99% of average daily tasks requiring more effort and patience it’s worth it but it does depend on the nails… They aren’t always worth putting up with struggles for and that’s why I am bringing this review today!

I browsed the false nails section in Superdrug for a while before falling in love with the After Dark Elegant Touch Limited Edition False Nails however I must admit, they were very disappointing…

Appearance wise, these nails are gorgeous! I love the design on them, it is so me however when in the packet I was unaware that the background of the nail was not a pale grey, it is in fact darkly tinted transparent which was a down side for me as I  bite my nails so through the nails if you looked close enough it didn’t look very nice being able to see my very short nails through the false ones. It pretty much defeated the purpose of why I wear them.

Despite this disappointment I decided to keep them on as the transparency wasn’t too obvious from a distance, I thought I would see how the nails lasted. Unfortunately they barely lasted 2 days… They pinged off multiple times resulting in me having to constantly keep sticking them back on, this is something that happens often with false nails but these nailed pinged off far more frequently than false nails normally do. They chipped and snapped with little force whilst doing everyday regular tasks I have managed with nails on before. On the third day I gave up and removed them all which also was not very easy, I ended up with small bits of each nails as they were terrible to get off! I was really disappointed as these cost me £7.95 and in all honesty I don’t think they’re even worth £1. I have purchased false nails from Primark for £1 that have lasted a week if not more and remained in great condition with little effort to maintain.

I definitely do not recommend nails from the brand Elegant Touch however they do have some that seem more sturdy than these so perhaps staying away from transparent nails is a good idea and stick to the plain coloured ones. I, myself, will not be purchasing from this brand again, I think I will stick to my £1 Primark nails! As harsh as this review may sound it is 100% my own opinion as I like to keep it real with my readers and if it saves anybody wasting almost £8 then it is worth posting!

I hope this review has been informing and you have enjoyed reading it! Any questions? feel free to ask below in the comments or tweet me!

Desire4Beauty