Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils - Review & Swatches

The newest release from Maybelline, the Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils are a huge welcome to a market currently saturated with liquid lipsticks and the like. It feels good to go back to good old creamy, matte shades which in my opinion are far more flattering, especially if you're like me and have a chronic case of dry lips! I can't remember seeing any other budget beauty brands doing slim lipstick pencils, I can only liken them to Nars Velvet Lip Pencils but at a quarter of the price, I know which ones I'll be picking up in the future!

The Maybelline Counter had been almost stripped clean by the time I got to it, all that was left was two shades; 'Minimalist' a pink lip colour and 'Nude Perfection' which is basically that, a nude brown shade. I already have a lot of bright shades in my lipstick collection so it's probably good for me that there was only nude shades left. I really like both, they're really wearable colours for day or night and I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of them.

'Nude Perfection'

'Minimalist'

They make applying lipstick incredibly easy to apply with precision, and you can easily cheat fuller looking lips by drawing slightly outside the line! Unfortunately they were a little hit and miss with regards to texture, one pencil glided on really easy (I can't remember which one, sorry!) whereas the other felt very scratchy on my lips and was slightly unpleasant to apply. Of course this could just be down to it never having been used before so I'll keep using it and see what happens. 

Considering these are nude shades I think the colour pay off is great and judging from swatches I've seen online, the brighter shades available have even better colour pay off. There's a whole range of beautiful autumnal colours to choose from that I can see being just perfect to start wearing for when the dark nights roll in.

If I were you I'd get to Boots quick and take advantage of the three for two offer they currently have on the Maybelling Color Drama Pencils. There's currently nine shades available so plenty to pick from, I can already see these becoming a staple in many a girls makeup bags including my own!

Maybelline Color Dram Intense Velvet Lip Pencil - £4.99

Have you tried the Color Drama Lip Pencils? Let me know your thoughts below!

Poppy Installation At The Tower Of London

If you're in London any time between now and November 11th I'd highly recommend taking a trip over to Tower Hill to visit the gorgeous poppy installation at the Tower Of London. 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas Of Red' was created by artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the first world war. Over eight hundred thousand ceramic poppies will eventually fill the Tower's moat, each of which is currently being put in place by hundreds of volunteers who were hurriedly working away when we visited last weekend.

I'll definitely be making a trip back once it's finished when you wont be able to see any green at all! It really is an incredible sight, it looks so much more impressive in person and these pictures don't really do it justice.

If you want to know a bit more about the installation, visit their website -
http://poppies.hrp.org.uk/

Pinspiration - Bedroom Decor

Now that my sister has moved out I've decided to move in to her much bigger room and then the fun bit begins, redecorating! If you're a long time reader you might remember that I only redecorated my soon to be old bedroom last year so it seems a shame that I'm moving to a different room but honestly I really think I'm gonna appreciate a little extra space. Although, if you asked my Dad, he'd say it's just more space to make a mess in, I'm really not the tidiest person when it comes to all my clothes and makeup! 

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I turned to pinterest for inspiration as to how I want to decorate, in fact I've made a board of all the pins I like so make sure you go take a look here. There's an overwhelming theme of white and grey amongst most of the pictures I've pinned which is kinda odd for me because normally I love tons of really bright colours.

I'm hoping that a neutral colour scheme will create a calm and relaxing room to help me drift off as I'm the world's worst sleeper so I'm trying to stay away from having too many bold patterns and prints. I am slightly concerned I'll get bored with all the white so I'm undecided whether or not to add a few pops of colour in with the cushions and throws. Once I've got all the walls painted and the furniture in then I'll decide on the final look and I'll make sure to share the pictures on here.

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What kind of look would you go for/ have you got in your bedroom? Any ideas would be hugely appreciated so let me know below!

A Thank You And An Apology

I just thought I'd pop up a quick post to say thank you so much to those of you who continue to read my blog! I'm so grateful to all of you, especially the ones who regularly leave comments and it truly means so much that you're enjoying what I'm writing.

I know I've massively neglected my blog recently, I got a little stressed out with it and just couldn't come up with any interesting posts! Fortunately my bloggers block seems to have lifted and you'll be happy to know I'm aiming to post three times a week AT LEAST from now on.

It still thrills me that there are people from all over the world who regularly read my posts, I know that there's quite a few of you in the US(Hey there!), Canada (Hello/Bonjour!), Australia (G'day!), France (Salut!), Germany (Hallo!), Israel (Shalom!), Ireland (Hi!), Russia (Privet!), Sweden (Hej!) and of course the UK (Hello!), I'm not sure how you all found me but it means so much that you all keep returning!

So again a massive thank you and sorry for being so lazy these past few months, I promise there will be tons more to read from now on!

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French Beauty - Hair and Makeup

If there were any one nation who's style I most admire it would have to be the French. They just have that whole effortlessly stylish "I just rolled out of bed like this" look down to a tee don't they? I'm hugely envious of  French girls who have access to their treasure trove like pharmacies full of the best products at affordable prices, no wonder they look so good. I think the key is that they don't try too hard, you should look like you've made an effort without it seeming like you've taken hours to get ready (even if you have!). 

To look like the French girls I tried to make my hair look a little like my favourite French goddess Bridget Bardot with volume at the roots, my grow out fringe split down the middle and the rest of my hair just ever so slightly messy. The makeup I kept simple with a creamy red lip, a soft pink glow on the cheeks and a little bit of contouring for those enviable gamine cheekbones so many French woman seem to have. Unfortunately I will forever be baby faced with my chubby cheeks but lets just pretend my cheekbones are razor sharp!

Products used:

- Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream 'Rose Beige' - £9.99  

- Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 'Vanille' - £10.99

- Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

- Soap and Glory One Heck Of A Blot - £12.00

- Benefit Dandelion Face Powder - £23.50

- Maybelline Dream Sun Bronzing Powder 'Brunette' - £5.99

- Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Face Primer - £24.50

- Bourjois Volume One Seconde Mascara - £9.99

- Sleek True Colour Lipstick 'Papaya Punch' - £4.99

- Benefit Brow Zings - £22.05

My Favourite French Products:

- Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick in 'Peach Passion' - £24.50

- Bourjois Volume One Seconde Mascara - £9.99

- La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo + - £15.50

- Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream - £9.99 

What do you guys think of this look? What country's style are you most keen on? Let me know below!