Beauty ¦ The at home Mani-Pedi

I love a good salon manicure as much as the next girl but when it comes to people touching my feet I'd much rather do a little DIY pedicure so today I thought I'd show you some of the products I used last weekend when I had a little pamper. 

Lets face it feet are just a bit gross in general but if your feet are anything like mine they have ended up a bit battered from to many pairs of heels over the party season. The Micro pedi is perfect for getting rid of any hard skin with ease. I also really like to scrub my feet with the Body shop peppermint foot scrub which if you read my empties post you will know I just finished. I then like to file all my nails and I use a 4 way file and buffer to make sure my nails are ready for the polish. 

Polish wise I start of with the P2 anti split base coat and then use my polish. For this particular Mani-Pedi I went for Nails inc Richmond which is the most beautiful pearly pink shade on my toes and Models own Pink fizz which is a stunning pink glitter on my fingers. I then top them off with the Nail magic Wet high gloss topcoat and sit and watch some youtube whilst I wait for them to dry. 

Once they are dry I like to use the Soap and glory Heel genius on my feet, at this point I like to give them a nice massage and then put on some socks to hold in all the moisture from the cream. On my hands I used the Soap and glory Hand dream super cream massaging it into my cuticles and really slathering it on to moisturize my hands. 

As you can see from the image above this is the finished manicure. 

What are your favourite Mani-Pedi products? 

Beauty ¦ My Mac palette

Since I started blogging I've wanted a Mac palette and for christmas this year I finally got a quad. I've had a lot of interest on my instagram and on my what I got for christmas post so I thought I would do a post! 

In terms of pigmentation I've been really impressed, something I have noticed though is that they aren't quite as creamy as urban decay shadows (Which are my all time favourites) In terms of longevity they last well but as with all eyeshadows there wear time is prolonged. I find they last about 6 hours without any fading/creasing without a primer and about 8 hours with a primer.

The first shade I picked out was Patina which is the most beautiful golden brown shade. I've been loving sweeping this one over the lid and then using one of the other shades I got on the outer v and through the crease.

All that glitters is probably my favourite shade in my palette. It's a gorgeous pinky champagne shade (In the photo below it's coming across much more peachy than it is in real life.) I love this one just sweeped all over the lid on it's own as just a little hint of colour.

Woodwinked is one of the most hyped shades in the blogosphere and I completely get the hype. It looks amazing on it's own as it tends to settle a little darker in the crease. I think i'm going to get a lot of year out of it in the summer as it's the most amazing summery bronze goddess type shade. 

The final shade in my palette is satin taupe, i've been wearing this with patina and I really love the way they look together. It's the perfect shade to add a bit of dimension in the crease, it also looks gorgeous smoked along the lower lash line. 

Beauty ¦ November and December empties

With doing blogmas I never got chance to do my November empties so I thought I would just roll both November's empties and December's empties into one post. 

Batiste Dry shampoo's in Cherry and Blush - Repurchase - Definitely 

I love batiste dry shampoo and it's the only brand I will use, i've tried other brands and nothing cuts the mustard in comparison. My favourite scent is the tropical on but these are the other two I like. I am going to repurchase when I finish my current bottle but I think I may give the one for brunettes a go as since I dyed my hair dark I've been having trouble with it leaving white residue in my hair. 

Soap and Glory Sugar crush body scrub - Repurchase - I already have 

This is another holy grail item for me. I love this scrub as not only does it smell absolutely amazing but it's quite a harsh scrub which really feels like it's working. For someone with sensitive skin this may be a problem but for me it has the perfect amount of scrub to it. Did I also mention it smells amazing? 

The Body shop Peppermint smoothing pumice foot scrub -Repurchase - Possibly 

This was something I'd have never gone into the body shop and picked up myself but I received it free when I got my Love your body card. It has a really minty scent and is a very coarse scrub which feels amazing on tired and sore feet. It's something that I will probably repurchase closer to the summer when I have to start wearing sandals again! 

Superdrug Coconut and almond intensive conditioner - Repurchase - Maybe 

This stuff is so cheap and it works really nicely. It's very thick in consistency and I like to leave it on my hair wrapped under a towel as a mask. I find it leaves my hair really silky and smooth, it also really helps calm down my naturally knotty hair. I'm in no rush to repurchase this as I've got other hair masks that need finishing first but I may do in the future. 

Max Factor False lash effect - Repurchase - More than likely 

I think this is my favourite drugstore mascara, it's the only thing I've found that even comes close to Benefit they're real. The wand is plastic with very short bristles which is just how I like my mascara wand to be. I also found it's waterproofness (Surely that's not a real word) to be second to none and it kept my very long but very straight lashes nice and curled all day. 

The Body shop Strawberry Shower gel - Repurchase - Not this particular scent 

I got bought this for christmas last year and in all honesty the strawberry scent from the body shop isn't one of my favourites. I really like the shower gel but I won't be buying this scent. 

Tresemme Keratin smooth hair mask - Repurchase - No 

This was something that I really wasn't impressed with. I didn't find that it left my hair any silkier and any less frizzy and I also find it didn't help tame my tangly hair at all. 

Avene Cleanance K Cream gel - Repurchase - No 

I loved this at first and I found it really helped clear my skin but as I used it more I found my skin got used to it and it completely stopped working even after not using it for 2 weeks and going back to it. I want to try the la roche posay effaclar duo but this has made me a little bit cautious about it. 

Beauty ¦ The 2014 Favourites

So this is the very edited and toned down 2014 favourites, to begin with I had about 50 products but i've managed to edit it down to 23. I'd love for you to let me know what your 2014 favourites are in the comments below or even better leave me the links to your posts! I always say a little thank you with these posts and after looking back on the last years post I was so excited that i'd had over 22,000 pageviews. If i'd have told past self that I would have almost 70,000 views by the end of 2014 she'd have never believed me.

This isn't going to be in order of how I put things on my face it's just going to be in the order that the photos loaded!

So kicking it off with lipsticks, 2014 was the year I got into my really bright lipstick but also the year that I finally understood nudes enough to be able to buy them. Essence Longlasting lipstick in Oh so matt! was a purchase that I made towards the end of 2014 but fell head over heels in love with it very quickly. The formula of this lipstick is matte and the colour is the perfect nude for me on it's own but I enjoy it even more over a pinky nude lip liner. Topshop Rio Rio was a lipstick I wore a lot in the summer as it's the most beautiful orange toned red. The formula of this really reminds me of the Mac satin finish lipsticks as they aren't quite matte but they are in no way glossy. Speaking of Mac, Mac Up the amp is one of the brightest lipsticks I own and I just love wearing it in the summer with really minimal makeup it just adds that little bit of something that my makeup needs. The final lipstick is Barry M 151 which is a really pretty coral-y orange which again I got a lot of wear out of over the summer. The formula is quite glossy but not sticky and they feel so comfortable on the lips. I intend to pick up some more shades at some point. 

If you are a regular reader you will know how much I love both of these concealers, Maybelline Fit me is the lighter coverage one which I like to use under my eyes. I've heard a lot of people compare it to the Nars Creamy concealer which I haven't tried but I would like to. The other concealer is the Seventeen Stay time concealer which is the higher coverage of the two. I have always said that this is the lighter, more blendable and less cakey without compromising on coverage cousin of the Collection Lasting perfection concealer. I tend to use this one more on blemishes and redness however it works just as well under the eyes. 

Nail wise I have used Essie Aruba blue a lot. It's the most beautiful dark blue with silver shot through it and I've just worn it all year round as I love it so much. Models own Pink fizz is the most amazing glitter I've ever tried. It is opaque in one coat and it's the most beautiful shade of pink. The final polish was one I got a lot of wear out of in the spring, Barry M Gelly nail paint in Blueberry is a beautiful bright corn flour blue. I love the formula of these polishes and they last amazingly on the nails. 

I had absolutely no idea how to contour at the start of the year but when I received the Sleek Contour kit for my birthday I watched about a million how to contour videos and now I couldn't skip the step. I also love the highlighter from the kit and I tend to reach for it more in the summer as it's a beautiful peachy shade. The Accessorize Baked blush in Sensation is something that I would have never thought about buying myself but when I won it in a giveaway I was happy to find I loved it. It leaves a gorgeous sheeny pink shade on the cheeks and look so stunning on both pale and tanned skin. 

The Clarins Instant light natural lip perfector in 01 was another germany purchase. It was a spur of the moment thing and I'm so glad I ended up buying it. A non sticky slightly tinted gloss it is perfect for throwing on when I'm in a rush (Read that as late for school) and for chucking in my bag.  I got a couple of the Revlon colour burst matte balms for my birthday which were very bright shades which I loved so I decided to pick up a more neutral shade Elusive is a beautiful natural pinky shade which is perfect for at school as it's a very "my lips but better shade" (I hate that phrase but I don't know how else to describe it)

The L'oreal Brow artist plumper is the newest purchase in this post. I hadn't really given into the fibre brow gel hype but when I had to get a new mascara I had an extra space on my 3 for 2 so I decided to pick it up and I have ended up really loving it. Next up is a duty free purchase from when I went to germany. The Benefit instant brow pencil in deep is the perfect shade for my brows. It is creamy but not waxy or to soft.

My only primer love this year has been Benefit Porefessional I have massive pores and this is the only primer that I have used that reduces them. The texture is very silicone-y but I find that it doesn't block my pores. It also really improves the longevity of my makeup and stops my t zone becoming oily. Foundation wise I have a higher coverage and a lighter coverage L'oreal True match is perfect for the days when I have blemishes and redness. This one last amazingly and the colour is perfect for my skin tone. Bourjois Healthy mix serum is a lot lighter coverage and I tend to use it more when my skin is looking a bit dull as it is very glowy. The only problem I have with this is that it is very yellow in undertone and with having very pink undertones in my skin I sometimes end up looking a bit strange.

A base that i've used pretty much every time i've worn makeup in 2014 is Mac's Paint pot in Bare study This shade is a perfect base for pretty much every eye look and it really helps improve the longevity of my eyeshadow. If I need a really longlasting eyeshadow I pair this with the Urban decay primer potion and I find my shadow last all night and more. Another eye favourite has been this gorgeous little palette. Topshop's eye trio in Nebula is the perfect little palette for a smokey eye with a bit of a twist. I think however this may be being discontinued as when I went into my local topshop they had loads on sale so if you like the look of it I suggest you head to your nearest topshop! 

How could I not include the Urban Decay naked palette in this post. This has been something that I have used constantly at least a couple of times a week and in the summer I actually had to make myself use other shadows as this was all I was using. A beautiful mix of neutral shades it's almost like it was made for me.

Finally (If you've made it to this point you're a better man than I am) I have a fairly basic but completely necessary item. The L'oreal Nude magique BB powder is stunning. It sets makeup without leaving it looking cakey and leaves the skin feeling really smooth. I have trouble with powder caking up under and around my nose and under my eyes but this stays all day improving the longevity of my foundation by a good hour or two. It's something I think everyone should have in their makeup bags.