Collections - my Bobbi Brown collection!

Hey guys! Apologies for being a bit rubbish with any recent posts. I've had an awful lot going on in my personal life to have been able to write anything of late. However, I'm really trying to pick it back up again if you will be tolerant enough to bear with me! 

So in any case that you've seen any recent beauty blogs, you might have noticed the collections tags going around. For instance, these beauty collections could be Mac lipsticks, any high street product collections, or really whatever you like, as long as it falls into the same category. So for my collections post, I'm going to show you guys my current Bobbi Brown collection! I would love to be a Makeup Artist on the Bobbi Brown counters, so I am buying into their products a lot to get to know all of their products and brushes really well, so that after I've qualified from college I can hopefully manage to bag an interview with the company and not do too terribly! Who knows, I may even get a job! We can all dream!

So this is all the makeup and brushes from Bobbi Brown that I have. I'm going to include a few close ups just to give you a little more in-depth insight and not to confuse you by trying to explain from this one picture! 

(Top L-R)

- Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

- Bobbi Brown Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover

- Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Hydrating Face Cream

- Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Eye Cream

(Bottom L-R)

- Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Porcelain

- Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Cool Beige

- Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Honey

- Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation in Warm Sand

- Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Nude Rose

- Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in Rose Sugar

- Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara

- Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara

- Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner

And

- Bobbi Brown Makeup Brushes, 

- Eyebrow Brush

- Face Blender

- Mini Foundation Brush

- Mini Eyeliner Brush

- Concealer and Eyeshadow Brush

For blush, I have the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Wild Rose.

A final item to my Bobbi Brown collection, I have the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful book! 

As for other products that I have my eye on, in any case that you might be interested, is the Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. I love bronzer in the warm summer season but at the moment £30 on a bronzer is a little pricey for me, as I'm currently saving to buy my son Rhys a baby support seat. I just can't justify spending money on myself when my son needs things for his development! 

I hope you've liked having a good nose at my Bobbi Brown collection! Please let me know of any must-have Bobbi Brown products that you adore! 

Sammii-Jane x

Rhys at Four Months Old

Hey guys! So, to be honest, I haven't done an awful lot makeup-wise this week. I've been a little bit lazy with it, because as much as I love makeup I also really love spending time with my son, which is of course my first priority. I don't want to miss any part of him growing up, and I thought I would share with you how he's been getting on of late! 

He's now able to lift his head up completely unaided, and is getting to grips with holding up his bottle. The picture on the bottom left is where he fell asleep by himself for the first time, which was just so adorable! He's developing so quickly which is amazing. I'm trying to encourage him to start crawling and such (which I now he won't do for a few more months) by giving him lots of tummy time, which is just time where you put your baby on it's tummy to help him get used to not just being on his back, and helps them learn to move around. 

He's also been really loving his baths, and is loving splashing around in them! He giggles while he does it too! He smiles a lot as he's generally quite a happy baby which is lovely! I've just started him on baby food as well, so far he isn't liking anything fruit based as it's far too tangy for him, but he does really enjoy rice pudding, chocolate pudding, and banana custard (only liking the sweet things - definitely my son!) and I've also started giving him very diluted baby fruit squash.

We've had a baby massage class earlier this week which he is loving at the moment in this warm weather, and I'm also taking him swimming next week which I think he is going to love, since he loves his baths so much! If he really enjoys it I will have to make it a weekly thing! 

I also found my old baby picture while ransacking the cupboards! I was looking for his swimming trunks that I'd bought for him ages ago, when I came across my old baby photo album! Same eyes and nose, so much like his mumma! 

Rhys has been coming along leaps and bounds, I'm so proud of him! He is absolutely the most amazing thing to have ever happened to me, he is just such a special boy to me. I'll probably update every few months to let you all know how he's coming along! 

Sammii-Jane x

My Holy Grail Makeup Brush

My Holy Grail makeup brush is an absolute no-brainer. I have brushes from Bobbi Brown, bareMinerals, Sheer Cover, but my absolute favourite is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I use this brush for blending all my face products, I use it to buff my liquid foundation on to my skin, I use it to apply bronzer to my cheekbones, blush to my cheeks, I even use it to dab on face powder. I just find that the brush blends my makeup really seamlessly, but is equally precise enough to use for my blush and bronzer too, and I just really love it! 

I had originally bought it to use for my pro kit, but after seeing many good reviews I decided to bring it out of it's box and give it a go! I've been using the brush every day for the past month now, and I hadn't realised until now how heavily I rely on it - it really is my go-to brush. It makes blending and buffing a dream and my makeup looks so flawless because of it, I have seen such a massive improvement in how my makeup looks after using it. I do clean it every few days with Mac Brush Cleanser, as cleaning my brushes that are for my own personal use becomes quite the task when you really don't have time for that every day! The bristles are still in fantastic condition, and I'm fairly sure the brush hasn't shed at all. I have been meaning to buy another of the same brush to keep in my MUA kit, as it has become such hassle to have to clean the brush after I do my makeup in the morning but also so that it dries in time for when I have a model booked that day. I bought this brush for £8.99  from Boots, and I also picked up the Real Techniques Retractable Bronzing Brush for £13.99 as well that day. 

Because I've had such a good experience working with these two particular brushes, but I really had needed more brushes in my kit, I decided to branch out with more brushes from the brand and also bought the Real Techniques Core Collection, and the Starter Kit, so now I have (nearly!) all the makeup brushes I need. 

I know that a lot of people, makeup artists and clients, would tell you that you should have the best makeup brushes in the business if you want to work pro - but I disagree. Now, I absolutely love Bobbi Brown and it kills me to say anything negative against the brand as it really is my absolute favourite, but I just really can't get on with the brushes I purchased from them. I think it depends heavily on what brushes that you work best with. There is no point in using more expensive brushes if you are more comfortable and get a better result with brushes from a slightly cheaper brand. That said, Real Techniques are cheaper, but they do not skimp on quality at all. All the brushes I've ever bought from them have been amazing and they are definitely so far, my favourite makeup brushes. It really does depend on what suits you as an artist, and it is equally important to know how to achieve the look you require with your brushes. 

Hope you're all having a lovely day,

Sammii-Jane x

My Daily Makeup Summer '14

Hey Guys! So, I thought I would share with you my current daily makeup look for the warm summer season. I am loving this look as it's very simple, easy, effortless, but is still fairly made up. The foundation gives a warmer tone to my face and the lipstick is such a pretty, natural colour. 

I cleanse with Simple Face Wash and moisturise with Simple Moisturiser. As I get really dry skin, I apply Boots Cold Cream on top, and Superdrug Naturally Radiant 2-in-1 Moisturiser and Serum. I use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation (in the shade Warm Sand) onto my skin. I use the same brush to apply Borjois Delice de Soleil bronzer from my temples to my cheekbones, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick (in the shade Wild Rose) over my cheeks, and finish with bareMinerals Mineral Veil to set my face makeup. 

I then use my Barry M Angled Eye Brush to apply the shade Sandstone from my Stila In The Light Eye Palette. I use Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner to line my lashline, and curl my lashes before applying two coats of Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara.

I use my Collection Mardi Gras Lip Balm (the orange scented one) to moisturise my lips before applying Rimmel Colour Rush Lip Colour in the shade Not an Illusion. I finish off with a coat of Collection Pure Gloss. 

I love this makeup look as it's just really summery, slightly tan, a pretty natural lip colour with subtle pink, glowing cheeks. I think it's just a really natural summer look and doesn't look too heavy, and it's definitely becoming one of my favourite makeup looks. I also seem to be putting my hair up into a Brunette Bun Ring everyday as well now, as it's just so easy to do, can be done in a minute, and it doesn't matter if I haven't dried my hair properly the night before (which is often the case!). It also keeps my hair off my face so I don't get all hot and bothered by it during this warm season.

Hope you're all having a lovely week,

Sammii-Jane x

Boots and Primark Haul July 2014

Hey guys! So, today, I might have done a little shopping. Correction: I have done a lot of shopping. As you may know, I'm going to my friend's wedding tomorrow, and I was in serious need of a new outfit to wear for it. I had already bought a dress for the occasion, but that dress was sleeveless and my eczema on my upper arms is showing up really bad at the moment so I felt pretty self-conscious about wearing it. So, I decided to buy another dress with sleeves today, and a few other bits to wear with it. I also picked up a few skin care products in Boots, as mine is running out but equally hasn't been particularly kind to my dry skin. Here are the bits I bought! 

Primark

White Sandals - £10

Gold Chain Statement Necklace - £4

Floral False Nails - £1

Floral Dress - £10

I just love this dress! It's so summery, pretty, and flattering, yet covers my flaws, but still shows my tan. I like that it has a high neck as well as a bold print so that it's still occasion-appropriate. The white sandals and thin gold chain necklace went really well to accessorise the dress with, and the floral print nails went really well with the dress also. 

Boots

Travel Size Simple Moisturiser - £1.32

Travel Size Simple Toner - £1.32

Travel Size Simple Face Wash - £1.32

Travel Size Simple Face Wipes - £1.32 

Yes to Grapefruit Dark Spot Correcting Serum - £14.99

Garnier Moisture Match Ultra-Hydrating Rich Cream - £2.99

Mini Dove Go Fresh Pink Grapefruit Deodorant - £1.29

I really needed new skin care pieces, as my Olay Beauty Fluid isn't as moisturising as I initially thought it was. I've been wanting to try products from the Simple range for a while, but as I'm unsure whether or not it will work for my dry skin, I decided to only go for travel size products so I won't have lots of half-empty bottles lying around the bathroom if I don't like them! I also picked up Garnier Moisture Match for dry skin, as I was looking for a really rich moisturiser and this felt the nicest from the swatches. I also picked up the Yes to Grapefruit Serum, as it felt really nice, hydrating and smoothing, but also it's tinted - in my mind, I see it as a bit of a cross between a serum and a BB cream, so on my good skin days where I don't want to wear much makeup, but still have a light coverage and hydration, this will be perfect! Even on full coverage days, this will still be a really lovely serum to wear underneath my makeup - I'm so excited to use this! I will definitely be doing a review on it soon for you guys to see!

I hope you guys are looking forward to the weekend! 

Sammii-Jane x

Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation Review

Hey guys! So, you might have heard of Bobbi Brown's Moisture Rich Foundation. I absolutely love Bobbi Brown, and will always purchase a product from the brand, over any other. However, when it comes to foundations, I find that it's such an important part of your makeup that you really need to use what works best for you. So when I ran out of foundation yesterday, and after browsing online at various products, I knew what I wanted to purchase. 

I'd also looked at Mac Pro Longwear, and Nars Sheer Glow, but as I do get particularly dry skin on my forehead and my chin, I knew that Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich sounded far more applicable to my particular skin type. I wasn't overly willing to part with over £30 on a new foundation, but I always find such good results from Bobbi Brown as the shades are just so pretty, such good quality, and highly pigmented, I know I'll never be disappointed with anything I purchase. As it was rather pricey, however, I really wanted to get matched at the counter first, and the Counter Sales Assistant recommended the shade Warm Sand. I've always been a Porcelain, but as I've started tanning recently I needed a darker shade, and I was so happy when she chose Warm Sand for me. I've never been a 'Warm' anything!

 This is how it looks on, and I have to be honest, I absolutely love it! It is without a doubt the best foundation I've ever used, I suppose because it is particular to my skin type. A rich moisturiser, and serum were applied beforehand, so my skin was well hydrated for the makeup application. I've done this again today, and have found that this foundation stays on so much better than any other foundation I've tried, though I do still use my Mac Fixing Spray to keep my makeup in place throughout the day. I always use fixing spray as I'm really conscious about my makeup coming off, so I like to be sure that it won't budge.

The Moisture Rich Foundation is full coverage, but also appears very dewy, so your skin appears naturally hydrated and full of moisture. I really love it, as personally I prefer a dewy finish to a matte finish, and it makes my skin look so much healthier than it ever did before. It also applies to your skin really nicely, it's very smooth and silky, and doesn't feel like a heavy foundation at all. The only sort-of-downside (aside from the expense of £31 for such a product), is that it doesn't come with a pump - but then, neither do Mac foundations or Nars foundations. But the foundation does come out of the bottle really easily as it's such a liquidy formula, so a pump isn't really necessary anyway.

So, that's what I've thought of Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation! If you have particularly dry skin, I would really recommend this to you as it really is just amazing! Definitely do use a rich moisturiser, and serum as well though, for glowing skin. I hope you're all looking forward to the weekend - have a good one!

Sammii-Jane x

Review: L'Occitane Jasmin and Bergamote Fragrance

Hey everyone! So, in Bazaar's July edition, they were giving away free L'Occitane eau de toilette samples with the purchase of the magazine. The fragrance I was most drawn to was the Jasmin and Bergamote fragrance, purely because it was in an orange shade of packaging, and to me anything in orange colour packaging always smell great because I really like citrus scents.

Here's a close-up of the fragrance sample I selected! The sample products are 7.5ml in size.

Just an FYI, the fragrance isn't citrus scented at all. In my opinion, it smells really fresh and summery, and is a perfect daytime scent for the warm season! Although it isn't what I expected, I still do really like it, and it seems to smell better and better as time passes throughout the day. 

I really like this fragrance, but it's really difficult to describe the scent as it's so unlike anything I've ever smelt before. It's a feminine scent, but it's not floral, musky, or sweet. I find it quite a clean, crisp fragrance and because it's so unusual I am beginning to prefer it to my other fragrances! For the price of the magazine (£4.20), I think it was well worth the money as I know I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it. If you're thinking of getting this, definitely do, as it's so cheap for a decent sample size that will last you all season! There are also three other scents to look out for if you don't think the one that I chose is to your taste! 

I hope you're all having a lovely week, 

Sammii-Jane x

Summer Clothes Haul!

Hey guys! So, today I realised that for summer, I literally have nothing to wear. I have a couple of summer print maxi skirts, and a plain vest, and that's it. I was browsing in Tesco (I know, I know, a lot of people don't really like supermarket clothing, but I personally think that Tesco generally sells quite nice things. They were doing a 50% off sale today, so I couldn't resist buying a few bits! I have been living in leggings and baggy t shirts since I found out I was pregnant (around October last year), and now that I have slimmed back down I really want to be able to wear nice pretty things! I genuinely haven't bought clothes since at least Christmas, so I thought it was about time I bought some more! 

I bought these black embellished pumps for £2, and the pink comfy sweat shirt for £5. I've always been incredibly colour shy as I have always had really pale skin, and never knew how to make the most of it without looking really tired and drained. I never found that bright colours really suited me, so to be on the safe side of my very colour-conscious self, I found this baggy vest top for £7 which is quite summery as it has lots of bright pretty colours and a bold print. The denim shorts were also £7. 

I have a wedding to go to next week, so bought this gorgeous lilac-purple dress for £12.50. It's knee-length lace and very wedding appropriate! I'm at the age of 22 now so I don't really like wearing things that are too young-looking I suppose, and this dress looks very smart and sophisticated and I love it! I also found that these heels for £10 went really well with the dress, so I bought those too! I just felt so pretty and feminine as the dress was so swishy! Since having my son Rhys I rarely get the chance to dress up so it will be really nice to be able to on Saturday!

I decided to be a little bit braver with these brighter coloured clothes, and also bought a lemon-yellow top with slight embellishment on the neckline, a coral coloured top with a lacy back, and a pair of dark blue jeggings. I am so, so excited to wear these colour tops as I've never in my life worn anything with as much colour to them. I've always been so pale that colours like yellow, coral, and aqua have always been a no-go. But I've started tanning recently, so now that my skin is slightly darker I can wear brighter, bolder colours without looking incredibly drained and washed out! 

I also bought some tanning mousse and a new mitt, as I will definitely be needing it to be able to wear the clothes I purchased! 

So these are the few bits that I've bought, I really hope you've had a weekend as lovely as I have! 

Sammii-Jane x

My First Model/Makeup Work

Hey guys! So, today I had my first makeup job, and I have to say I really enjoyed it, and it actually went really well! I applied makeup on the lovely Georgia, who is attending a wedding reception this evening. I also curled her hair using the Babyliss Curling Wand.

Georgia had really good skin and incredibly thick, full hair, so she was really great to work with! She said that she didn't wear a lot of makeup very often and never wears makeup on her eyes, so it was really fun to accentuate them today. 

Georgia's Makeup

I started by removing any excess makeup with Bobbi Brown Makeup Remover before moisturising with Boots Traditional Cold Cream. I also applied Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Eye Cream under her eyes, too. I primed her skin with Revlon Photoready Primer before using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply Loreal True Match Foundation in Golden Beige, by really buffing it into her skin. I then applied Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Honey at the top of her forehead, around her eyebrows and cheekbones, at the bottom of her jawline, and the sides of her nose to contour, and again blended it with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I applied Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Wild Rose to her cheeks, before setting her face makeup with bareMinerals Mineral Veil.

For Georgia's eyes, she already had eyelash extensions in so I didn't need to add any more. I created a white, grey and black smoky eye effect with my  88 Eyeshadow Palette before applying Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner to her lashline, and winged it out a little in the outer corners. I also used my Bobbi Brown Eyeliner Brush to apply black eyeshadow over her eyeliner to make her eyes really pop, before curling her lashes and applying Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara. I also used a Barry M Angled Eyeliner Brush to apply a dark brown eyeshadow to her eyebrows.

For her lips, I applied Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Nude Rose, before finishing off with Collection Clear Gloss. 

I then used Mac Fixing Spray to set her makeup.

Georgia's Hair

So, for Georgia's hair, as it was so thick I had to section it into four layers. I used a Mini Tresemme Paddle Brush to brush out her hair, and tied up the other layers with a hair band. I spritzed each layer with Tresemme Heat Defense Spray before curling with my Babyliss Curling Wand. When it was all curled, I set it with Loreal Elnett Hairspray to hold it all in place. 

So, this was the finished look guys! Hope you enjoyed it and are having a lovely weekend!

Sammii-Jane x