Spring/Summer Base Products For Every Budget

I've been using the BB cream a lot recently.  Actually as the weather gets warmer I tend to wear less foundation on a daily basis.  I'll still wear it for special occasions but on a daily basis definitely not.  I feel that especially in the summer, wearing heavy makeup makes me feel tired - I don't know if this is psychological, but it definitely does!  So what do I like to wear to keep my face looking quite flawless and glowy without wearing a foundation?

Budget Buy | MeMeMe Cosmetics Lip Glide Chunky Pencil

Lip pencils are taking over my makeup bag little by little.  If you've been reading Aspiring Londoner for a while, you'll know my love for NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils.  However at £19 a pop, they strain the old purse strings a little.  I've been looking for something similar for some time that would be a little more cash friendly.  MeMeMe Cosmetics Lip Glides (£6.95) may have answered my prayers!  I have the shade Winter Berry which I've worn a few times in the past couple of weeks and it now permanently resides in my handbag.

Disappointing Products #1

I try out a lot of beauty products and there are lots of hit and misses.  I enjoy writing about the products I love that work but don't particularly enjoy writing about products that do't, reason being I find it boring to talk about them.  But I watched a couple of disappointing products videos over the last week on YouTube and realised how much I enjoyed watching them as I know what to avoid.  This spurred me on to start writing these posts myself!

Best Of | Max Factor

Max Factor has always been one of those brands that I've walked past in Boots.  It's not a brand I've looked into too much until recently and it led me to think why on earth did I wait this long?!  Max Factor has some amazing products that are drugstore price points yet are comparable to much higher end products.

New Release | Kiko Cosmetics Modern Tribes Collection

Oh Kiko – you do suck me in everytime!  Say hello to the Kiko Cosmetics Modern Tribes Collection for Summer 2015.  The collection brings together warm earthy colours and bold energetic colours which resonates the majesty of noble tribal warriors.  This concept behind the collection completely comes through the packaging, I love love the packaging – I vote for this to become their permanent packaging!  The wooden packaging is light, and the products inside live up to Kiko’s usual high standards.

Summer Glow Faking Highlighters You Need

Since I started blogging, this is one product that I've started using more and more to the point where I own more than I can finish in this lifetime.  Highlighters are a very delicate product in my opinion to get right.  There are various formulations, colours of highlighters that you can get and it all depends on what kind of an effect you're after.  I've gathered some of my favourite highlighters to share with you guys.

3 Guaranteed Ways To Increase Your Blog Pageviews

Is there a lack of traffic to your blog posts and you don't know where you're going wrong?  You put a lot of effort into writing a blog post, taking pictures and finally publishing it.  It's disheartening if that's not enough to drive a lot of traffic to your blog.  After blogging for a while and looking closely at my analytics, I've noticed a few things that has helped my pageviews and I'm going to share these with you.

3 Free Essential Apps To Achieve Your Fitness Goals

I've been on my fitness journey for over a year now.  I've mixed up gym training, running and some home workouts. Between working full-time, blogging and actually having a life leaves very little time to work out!  Do you struggle to get to the gym or go running outside?  Well then read on to find out what helps me to stick to my fitness goals!

Best Of | Soap & Glory Makeup

Soap & Glory is my favourite brand for bath and body products.  Their packaging, the product quality and the fragrances are all so enticing, I just cant resist.  I think I might do a separate post on their bath/body stuff (I probably own the whole range!).  Today I'm gonna share some of Soap & Glory's awesome makeup products that I've been loving.

3 Free Tools To Transform Your Blog Photos

I posted last week about 3 Essential Steps To Improve Your Blog Photography, where I mentioned I will share some softwares that are free and easy to use.  I for one don’t have a clue how to use Photoshop and it actually scares me a little.  And I sure don’t want to spend a lot of money buying a software that I probably won’t use.  So how can you edit your blog photos for free and don’t require hours to learn?

4 Essential Websites For Beauty Shopping Online

Since I’ve discovered online shopping, it’s safe to say I pretty much buy everything online.  I mean you can shop in your pyjamas no matter how rubbish the weather is!  Could life get any better?!  Shopping online also means I can take advantage of various promotional codes floating around.

Dr Salts Bath Salts Relax Therapy With Rose Review

Bath salts were such a thing last year!  I remember everyone and their dog raving about a certain bath salt that had an eye-watering price tag.  I must say, a part of me did want to try it out – I mean who doesn’t want to be instantly relaxed and sleep like a baby?  But I just couldn’t bring myself to part with that kind of cash!  Fast forward a year, I got the chance to try out the Dr Salts Relax Therapy Bath Salts with Rose (£6.99).

Max Factor Colour Elixir Giant Pen Stick - Perfect Dupe for Clarins?

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Balm Perfectors (full review) are by far my most worn lip product this year.  I’m completely besotted with the shade Red!  It’s so moisturising and the colour is so pretty, I can’t get enough of it!  Having said that, it’s a tad pricy of I’m going to repurchase this on a regular basis.  So I've been on a hunt for a good dupe for this beauty.

3 Essential Steps To Improve Your Blog Photography

Blogging has become quite the professional space.  Some of the successful blogs look nothing less than a glossy magazine.  And an important element of that is the photography.  I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I’ve always been into photography and these are some specific blog photography tips I’ve learnt in the last couple of years.  Photos are the first thing that attracts me to a blog.  So how do you attract your readers with your photos?

Beginner's Guide | Facial SPF

As we head into the warmer months, I thought it was time for my annual SPF reminder.  I’m quite good with this step of my skincare routine as I use acid toners and it’s crucial to protect your skin with acid products. 

New Release | The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Review

The Body Shop never ceases to amaze me with their new releases.  When I saw the new Fuji Green Tea range, I didn't think I'd like it as I don’t like the smell of green tea on its own.  But like a good beauty blogger, I decided to give it a try.

5 Easy SEO Tips For Bloggers

SEO is a bit of head scratcher for any blogger in my opinion.  SEO or Search Engine Optimisation can be quite complicated to get your head around.  How do you make your blog stand out from the rest?  I’m by no means an expert but I’ve picked up a few somewhat easy tips along the way that helps to make your blog more ‘visible’ to search engines and therefore your readers!

Budget Buy | Soap & Glory Drama Clean 5 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water

Micellar waters are a girl’s best friend nowadays.  Gone are the days when Bioderma was the only water solution that removed makeup and was almost impossible to get hold of.  Now almost every brand has released micellar water products and the one that really stood out to me is Soap & Glory Drama Clean 5-in-1 Micellar Cleansing Water, £6.  

Products To Create The Perfect Contour

Thanks to Kim K, contouring is an everyday step in most women’s makeup routine.  We have had an influx of contouring products and I for one find it quite difficult to find the perfect products.  The struggle for the right tools and the perfect colour to match your skin tone is real!

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush | Hourglass Ambient Blush Dupes?

There has been a lot of hype around the Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes and some have called these the dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Blushes.  Now I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes, they are very different to any other blushes I own.  Naturally I wanted to test the claim out.

10 Under £10 #1

I don’t know what it is, but I’m loving drugstore products right now.  There’s nothing like going in to Boots/Superdrug and finding some gems that just work and don’t bankrupt you altogether!  I have a mixed bag of makeup and skincare in the first instalment of 10 under £10 post.  Let me know your favourites that I need to try out!