Saturday 10 January 2015

Focus and Fix Brow Kit - Eyebrow game, strong.

If I had to choose just one makeup item to wear it would probably be eyebrow related, previously it was eyeliner. I think the hype of filling in your brows came around when HD Brows first launched their quad - that was a few years ago and I remember how everyone spoke of how amazing it was. At the time I didn’t really fill in my brows much so could justify spending £25 odd pound on it. 

Up until last summer I was using a various single eyeshadow to try and find the perfect shade for my brows. This became tedious as you can imagine. I then saw that Makeup Revolution had launched a quad and at a mere £2.50 I thought I would try it out. It took me a good few tries to find the best way to use it but I haven’t looked back since. It’s called the Makeup Revolution, Focus and Fix Brow Kit.  I opted for the Medium/Dark but you can also get the light/Medium.

The quad itself features 3 powder shadows in different shades of brown - you will more than likely find one that suits you properly. I mix the dark and medium brown together - I have really dark brown hair and find this to be the perfect shade for me. The shades a blend able and will also cater for those who have red undertones in their hair as well as ashy undertones. There is also a wax that comes in the quad - I don’t use this much to be honest as it makes your brows a little shiny. You also get a pretty decent mini tweezer and a little angled brush, the latter I don’t use. 
I use this quad with a soft but firm angeles brush, I dab it into both shades and then tap off any excess. The powders are not that powdery so there never is any fall out.

Overall, I love this eyebrow quad. I have been using it for months now and gravitate toads this for my brows every time I wear makeup. The powder doesn’t smudge and stays in place all day and until  it is removed with a makeup remover. At £2.50 it is an absolute bargain and definitely worth a try.

Have you ever tried this eyebrow quad? Have you used anything from Makeup Revolution before?

Saturday 3 January 2015

Sk:n Clinic

My love for skincare has stemmed from the need to try out so many different products in order to control the acne that I had in my teenage years. I tried a variety of different products from drug store to high end, some made me break out even more but some worked surprisingly well. Thankfully now my acne has completely gone - saying that I only had minor acne initially anyway; it wasn’t as bad as some people have it but it did still make me feel self conscious none the less.

Back then if I had known of companies like Sk:n Clinic I would have definitely booked in a consultation and seen what they could advise rather than having to put up with buying literally every product on the shelf, hoping for a miracle/until something worked.

Over the last 20 years Ski:n Clinics have helped more that half a million people in getting healthier, smoother looking skin. As well as many other skin conditions and diseases Acne is one of the things they hold expertise in. The leading consultant dermatologists diagnose your condition and also offer different treatments with their latest clinically proven products and technologies. 
The Dermatology treatment of Acne includes Laser treatment, advanced Salicylic skin peel, advanced Pyruvic skin peel and more, and these start from £120. 

The thing with acne is that it stays with you regardless of your age in most cases. Sk:n Clinics offer expert advice and the most advanced care with their treatments.

*Sponsored content. All words are my own.
For more info please read my disclaimer.

Thursday 1 January 2015

2015



I can’t believe 2014 is over. I literally feel like I’ve blinked and the year has just flown past. 2014 has been one huge roller coaster. I have learnt a lot about myself through the many highs and many lows. Overall is was a great year, I feel so blessed to have been able to complete so many of my goals.

I’ve wrote a little about the blog related things I achieved last year and the goals I’ve set for this year. Personal achievements wise I have decided to keep this indeed personal, with that being said I am still writing down my goals for this year anyway.

I also enjoyed reading a variety of blogs last year, funnily enough they weren’t beauty blogs but more of the lifestyle kind. I enjoy lifestyle blogs a lot more and only ever read beauty reviews when buying a new beauty product. Anyway I have listed a few of my faves - these are the ones I check throughout the week to see if there is a new post!

THE BLOGS I’VE READ AND LOVED

The Wonder forest
I had been reading Dana’s blog way before I started blogging, so thats almost over 2 years ago. Also fun fact, before I actually started blogging I purchased Dana’s ‘everything you need to know about blogging’ book - Blog Wonderful. It helped me so much as it contains lots of tips and tricks! I love Dana’s lifestyle posts but she also has blog tech kind of posts too.

Milkbubbletea
I have been reading Becky’s blog for the longest time. I absolutely adore her blog photos - they are so pretty and totally inspire me to improve my blog photography -something which I desperately need to do! Her little pup Oscar is a cutie and her baking posts look incredibly delicious. Oh and Becky’s room decor is absolutely dreamy.

Carrie Brighton
I’ve been a follower of Carrie’s blog for a while but only recently really got into it. I love her blog photography and lifestyle posts. They are a real mixture almost diary like. I also love Carrie’s dairy free recipes - they are so useful. Did I mention her photography is on point?

Little Winter
Katy has two little cats, Ralph and Runkle. The cat lady within me absolutely adores the beautiful pictures Katy takes and I love hearing about their adventures! Katy also writes about home decor and fashion too. Her blog photography is lovely too, especially the pictures of Ralph and Runkle!

THE THINGS I’VE ACHIEVED IN 2014

001: Blogging
I reached the big 1000 milestone this year - around summer time if I remember correctly. As of yesterday I was just over 1460 followers. I cannot thank you all enough for supporting my blog. It really does mean a lot. I was also fortunate enough to work with so many lovely brands, even a company like Pets at Home; yes how amazing, somewhere I’ve shopped for years!

002: AleelilyDesigns
I launched my blog design shop just before the summer last year after a few design requests from bloggers. I didn’t think much of it at the time but it has grown into something I couldn’t be more proud of. I am so happy you like the designs and place orders. It still all feels so surreal. All those evening and weekends working on designs have definitely paid off. 


THE THINGS I HOPE FOR IN 2015

001: Blogging
I really do hope to post more than once a week this year, I posted twice weekly in December which gave me a good feel for it. Content wise working on more lifestyle kind of posts is something that really interests me as well as home decor. With the help of my new baking books I would love to try out more baking recipes on my blog. I will still of course be posting regular beauty reviews. I also hope my blog grows as well as it did last year - if not better.

002: Photography
Something I’ve been wanting to improve on for the longest time is my blog photography - I purchased a DSLR a few weeks ago and it’s been on Auto mode since, this totally defeats the purpose in purchasing one. I really hope to set aside time this year and learn how to actually use it and with that I hope my blog photography gets better.

003: AleelilyDesigns
I couldn’t have hoped for anything better with the way my blog design shop has gone, I am honestly so grateful and I hope 2015 is as good. This year I will be setting aside time to make more premade blog designs which will be great for those of you who don’t want to commit to a full custom design just yet. 

004: Instagram
Apparently Instagram is the new Twitter. I really hope to use my Instagram account more this year - the thing is I just never know what to picture and the perfectionist within me was always worried about the lighting etc. I have been trying out various apps though and feel like Im confident enough to start using it to its full potential. I would love to see you there! @aleelily Let me know if you follow as I am looking for more accounts to follow too.

005: Stop procrastinating, start organising
With amount of diaries and notebooks I have you would think I would be organised but this is something I really need to improve on. Working full time, blogging, blog designing and other general life commitments do sometimes turn into am juggling act. Something I hope to work on this year is my organisational skills - if you have any tips I would love to hear them.


I mentioned this on Twitter yesterday but one quote that seemed pretty apt with my 2014 was, “What’s for you won’t go by you.” And by this I mean everything happens for a reason, and everything does really work out in the end. I hope you all have a great 2015! 

Make some memories and stay happy x

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