Beauty and Makeup Haul

It has been a while since I have bought more than one makeup item at once. My wish list was building up so it was about time I took a trip to Superdrug and Boots!

L'oreal Nude magique cushion foundation has been everywhere recently, I have heard great things about it and thought it would be a great option for the summer months. I also decided to pick up the L'oreal Glam bronzer cushion de soleil. I only have a powder bronzer so a liquid one for summer seemed necessary!

Superdrug had a deal on L'oreal products. So I bought the Lumi magique primer. After having swatched it on my hand, I think I may use this on top of foundation as a highlight. But I am excited to have a play with it.

A coral matte lip was next on my wish list, I thought the colour would go beautifully with the couple khaki coloured clothes that I have. Coral is a typical summer colour and I love it! I chose the Revlon ultra HD matte lipcolour in Flirtation, I think it is called.

I already own a Rimmel wake me up concealer, but it wasn't light enough to use under my eyes, so I picked up a lighter colour.

I also picked up individual duo and trio lashes from Eylure. I don’t really wear false eyelashes too much, but they always look beautiful when I see others wearing them. I picked up some Duo glue. I had a reaction to the glue that came with another pair of my Eylure lashes, which ain’t that great!

Bastiste is the dry shampoo I normally use as it does a great job when I have three day old hair (I don’t like to wash my hair too often!) but it does leave my hair feeling coarse and not particularly clean. I wanted to try something new so picked up Co-lab dry shampoo which I am excited to try.

I was running out of my Nip + Fab glycolic fix night pads, I cannot live without these so I had to repurchase before I ran out.

I am going to Wilderness festival next weekend, so I bought two travel bottles to take essential skincare products with me. I also bought clear elastics because they’re perfect to create different festival hair styles with.

I also bought a pack of tissues, not that you needed to know that!

What were the last makeup bits you bought?

Meg xx 

My Current Skincare Routine

My skin has recently become something I really care about. I had never thought about it too much, just whacked on some moisturiser as and when I thought I needed it. I’m only 20 but I thought ‘you’re never too young to take care of your skin’ and thanks to the queen of skincare that is CarolineHirons I’ve learnt a lot, looking after my skin better and enjoy doing it.

I knew nothing about skincare, so I read lots of blogs and reviews to get the best products for me and my skin. I had a lot of fun researching different products, I took my time as I knew I would be spending a fair amount and didn’t want to get it wrong. It took me a couple of months building up my skincare products to get to the point I am at now. And I still have a few more items I want to buy to get it perfect.

I’ve learnt a lot about my skin since starting my skincare journey. I have dehydrated skin with an oily t-zone. I can get a few spots around my chin, nose and forehead area. I also get redness on and around the nose and chin area, plus very dark circles.

So that’s the basics. Let’s get into the good stuff, the products!

Removing makeup: Simple, micellar cleansing water.

I love this micellar water; it is a great first step to remove most of my makeup. It’s powerful enough to remove mascara, but gentle on my eyes and skin that other micellar waters were not.

Cleanse: Emma Hardie, amazing face cleansing balm.

I look forward to using this balm every night; it feels great on my skin and does the job of removing remaining makeup and giving a general clean brilliantly.

Second/morning cleanse: Simple, pore minimising toning cleanser.

This is one of the steps I’m not completely happy with. I am on the lookout for a better morning/second cleanse that I can wash off with a face cloth, to feel fresher in the mornings. Any suggestions? However this does the job pretty well, plus its quick; just rub it on with a cotton pad.

Acid toner: Pixi, glow tonic.

I use this in the mornings and I love this exfoliating toner. It reveals great glowing skin.

Nip+Fab,glycolic fix night pads.

I use this acid toner in the evenings as it is slightly harsher. I also love these pads, so handy to take away with you. Love to use these when I am slightly spottier.

Hydrating toner: Pixi, hydrating milky mist.

I love this step in my routine; it’s a burst of freshness and moisture on my skin. I have gone through a couple bottles already, I just mist is everywhere!

Eye cream: Balance me, wonder eye cream.

This is another step I haven’t quite perfected. This eye cream is good to keep my under eye hydrated but I don’t think it is doing much for the darkness that I have (thanks mum!). Any suggestions on good eye creams would also be appreciated.

Serum: Aurelia revitalise and glow serum.

I’m in love with this, such a nice consistency and texture. It smells great and gives my skin a beautiful glow. I’m nearly running out, but the price has gone up on cult beauty. Nooo!!

Daily moisturiser: Super Facialist by Una Brennan, vitamin C daily moisturiser.

This moisturiser is great, super hydrating and it contains UVA/UVB protection which is perfect after I use Pixi glow tonic in the mornings. It gives an amazing glow, almost too much glow if that is possible? Plus is it smells of oranges. I’d be interested to try the other products in the range.

Facial oil: Aurelia, cell repair night oil.

This facial oil feels and smells so luxurious. My combination skin means I don’t use this every night but is great 2-3 times a week for added moisture and goodness.

That’s a wrap.

Like I said, I haven’t completely perfected the routine and I don’t mind taking my time to get there, especially as these things cost money! Please let me know if you have suggestions of products or how I could improve my routine.

What’s your favourite skincare product at the moment?

Meg x 

May Wedding

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Your wedding day is probably one of the most exciting and happiest days of your life. For this couple they got to experience that feeling twice! You could also argue they dealt with twice the stress, but it was completely worth it.

Jessica and Ash were married in Malta on Thursday 21^st April. They celebrated with close friends and family for an intimate, sunny wedding in a beautiful setting. The sun alone is more than enough to head off abroad to tie the knot. It looked like such a magical day.

But, the fun wasn’t over for the happy couple. On Saturday 7^th May Jessica and Ash had their blessing at home in their family church to celebrate their marriage with all other friends and relations. They were even lucky enough to have amazing weather here too. It was the first proper warm day of the year.

That however, was not so lucky for me! Keeping the flowers cool was a mission in my little shed, but after removing various items (that didn’t belonging to me) out our garage, they were fine. I couldn’t complain about the sun, it wouldn’t have come back again if I did.

The colour scheme was pale blue, blush and white. Bride in white, Bridesmaids in sky blue, groomsmen in pink - well their ties at least. With a mixture of Stocks, Roses, Forget-me-not, Freesia and Gypsophilia I created one of my favourite bridal bouquets that I have made. I personally knew the couple and their family, which made the experience of creating more enjoyable as I made sure everything was extra special. Not that I don’t make every wedding special!

Jessica and Ash also seemed to love the flowers:

'Meg is the perfect choice if you are looking for a wedding florist.  She strikes exactly the right balance between listening to what you would like and making great suggestions.  She was great working with a limited budget and came up with sensible suggestions to come within budget, without compromising on style or quality.  Finally (and most importantly) the flowers were just perfect and exactly what I was looking for.  Absolutely no stress on the day - the flowers were beautifully set up at the church and bouquets arrived at my door as planned.  I can't recommend her highly enough.' 

The blessing was captured beautifully by Dani Salmon Photography. Her photographs show the pure happiness and joy on the day.

Wishing Jessica and Ash a lifetime of happiness together,

Meg x

Briar Rose Floral Design

My Everyday Makeup Look

A lot of the time I feel more comfortable wearing some makeup, but it has to be quick and simple. I quite often don’t have enough time to spend more than 10 minutes on my makeup in the morning. So I have perfected my everyday makeup look so I could do it without even looking. Well, maybe a mirror is needed for my brows - no one is that good!

Base - Nars, pure radiant tinted moisturiser, in the colour Alaska, light 2. For quick application I use my fingers to blend in. This tinted moisturiser has a small amount of coverage but gives the skin a lovely glow. It also has SPF 30, perfect for summer, if we’ll have one!

Concealer - Urban Decay, Naked skin, weightless complete coverage concealer, in the colour light warm. A very popular product amongst makeup lovers, so I probably don’t need to tell you why I love it so much! I blend this in with a damp Real Techniques, miracle complexion sponge; it helps give the concealer a beautiful finish.

Powder - Rimmel London, stay matte powder in the colour 005 silky beige. This isn’t the best powder in my opinion. It doesn’t stay matte as it claims to. But I am a bit of a stinger, I will not buy a new powder until this has run out, I have finally hit pan though. The end is in sight!

I use the Real Techniques,setting brush to pack on the powder under my eyes and other areas I had concealed. What a brilliant little brush this is!

Brows - Rimmel London, brow this way eyebrow gel in the colour dark brown. I don’t need to do much to my brows other than tame them. This does the job pretty well!

Bronzer - Rimmel London, natural bronzer in sun bronze. My thoughts on this are the same as the stay matte powder, and yet again I won’t buy a different one until this is all used up! I have bills to pay people!

I just use a random big fluffy brush for my bronzer, I don’t even remember the brand - it’s probably that old!

Highlight - Sleek, face form contouring and blush palette in fair. I love the highlight in this, great pigmentation and lasts pretty well too. An all-round great, affordable palette. I use the nifty Real Techniques, setting brush for my highlight. I don’t have time to find my other brushes!

Eyeliner - Rimmel London, waterproof exaggerate eye definer in rich brown. I think this is a great eyeliner, I love the colour for everyday and it lasts really well. It’s retractable so I don’t have to spend most my time sharpening the thing! It does however come with a mini sharpener the other end, if you so wish to use it!
 

Mascara - Bobbi Brown,smokey eye mascara, in black. I love this! It has the perfect sized wand and bristles, it gives great lashes for smokey eyes, but I love it for everyday use too!

 

Lipgloss - Tanya Burr Cosmetics, lipgloss in lunch date. This is the perfect everyday lipgloss, a great nude colour that just gives my lips an amazing shine. It also smells really good!

 

Aannnd Done!

 Most of the products I use are highstreet and affordable so great for those on a budget but still want to look great. If anyone has any recommendations for an under eye concealer that is affordable but works amazingly, I would love to know! I have nearly run out of my Urban Decay naked skin, so I am on the hunt for a new concealer.

 

Thanks for reading,

Meg  x

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My Story

I have two passions in life - flowers and make up! Both pretty, but two very different things.

I trained to become a florist a few years ago. Having grown up with parents being gardeners and grandparents being farmers, I have always had an influence and love of the outdoors. Plus, who doesn’t love flowers? They look gorgeous, and can smell amazing - putting a smile on anyone’s face.

I have my own Florist business - Briar Rose Floral Design, which I started in 2015, whilst freelancing for others. In the beginning of 2016 I became more interested in the growing world of beauty blogs and vlogs. I was wearing more makeup and got excited to buy new products to use, it was different to the early starts, scruffy clothes and naked face that I am used to when working in floristry.

A lot of florists I know love make up, I think we like to make an extra effort when we’re not working, even if it just down to the local shops or coffee with friends!

That’s when I decided to start a blog, combining make up and flowers together. Even if it is just for myself!

Hope you enjoy!

Meg