Obsessed With # 9: Kiehl's Skincare

I love me some Kiehl's. This is a bit of a recent love affair but it's going strong. I also love their shower gels, but in this post I will concentrate purely on their skincare that I've been obsessing over (just a little bit). And it's not only their products I love but the whole brand, I think their customer service is awesome, their ethical standpoint is strong and their stores/packaging are really on point. But of course above all, their products really deliver.

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Newbie/Goldie/Oldie

I felt like writing a little post, so I thought I would talk about some products: one I have been enjoying recently (newbie), one I've been continually obsessed with since I got it (goldie) and a product I've been enjoying for a while. A bit random, but why not!

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Current Makeup Favorites # 4

I haven't done a makeup favorites in a little while so I thought I would share with you all what I have been loving recently. These are all fairly new purchases of mine so I don't think I've ever really spoken about any of these products before.

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Four Winter Skin Saviours & A Dry Shampoo

I've gotten really into skincare recently and I'm really enjoying my skincare routine and becoming more aware of how different products affect my skin. I used to just use any old cheap moisturiser but I'm starting to understand what works for my skin and how to switch the products up to suit my current needs. Here are four skincare products I'm getting a lot of use out of at the moment, as well as a token hair product that has really surprised me (in a good way).

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Empties # 8

I haven't done an empties post in forever, even though I have finished a lot of products. Before I moved to New York I finished a ton of beauty products but I just threw them out because I didn't have time to do a post on them and I didn't want to bring them to the US with me. Because I would essentially be moving my trash from one continent to another which is even more crazy than taking time out of my day to write about my trash in the first place. Here a few products that I have finished recently...

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FOTD 12/09/13

Yes. That is right. I did the date like an American. I'm trying to get used to writing the date in the American fashion so don't guilt trip me about that (although I may only be in the US for a few more months). So this post is not about how I write the date, it's a quick 'Face Of The Day' post because I feel like I've been slacking a bit when it comes to Raspberphobia recently and I don't like it at all. I need to get back into the swing of things and FOTD's are pretty easy to keep up with.

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Obsessed With # 8: Sephora Purchases

I think it is safe to say that I got way too excited about being able to shop at Sephora again when I first came to New York. I have previously mentioned the amazing Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light and the NARS Guy Bourdin Blush Palette but I have also been really enjoying some other naughty Sephora buys that I have been using pretty much every single day.

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Review: Maybelline Color Elixir by Color Sensational

I spotted the Maybelline Color Elixirs by Color Sensational in Duane Reade the other day and anything that might be similar to the YSL Glossy Stains I am definitely down for giving a go and these did not disappoint. I have two shades: 055 Glistening Amber and 040 Vision in Violet. Read on for swatches and the full review (please note my chicken skin on the swatch image!)

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Silky Foundations - FEATURING Chanel, Armani & L'Oreal

 
Not one to go for matte bases, I either like to go for a dewy foundation or a satin, luminous foundation depending on the condition of my skin on the day. Some of my favourite dewy foundations include Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Treatment Foundation, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat and L'Oreal True Match Lumi. These foundations are perfect when my skin is more on the dry side, but when my skin is producing a little more oil I tend to go for what I am going to refer to as 'silky foundations'...

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The Book Lover Survey

One of my favourite bloggers is Jennie and she recently did this little questionnaire about books. I don't actually know where it originally came from, whether she made up the questions or not but I thought I would join in on the fun. (This is just to show the world that I do like things aside from makeup, clothes and alcohol!)

Do you remembered how you developed a love for reading?
I hated reading as a teen but I remember when I was much younger I used to wait for my younger sister to fall asleep and then I would go into my mom's room and read Beatrix Potter. I also used to love the Noddy books which I read in French (Noddy is called Oui-Oui in France!)

Where do you usually read?

I read the most in the summer so I will read by the pool in our garden. I also like to read in bed or when I'm travelling - especially if I'm travelling by plane. 

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?
I prefer to read one book at a time but because I did English Literature at university I am actually pretty used to reading several. But I do get confused!

 What is your favourite genre?
I tend to like Victorian literature, particularly gothic tales but I also like Modernist texts too.

Is there a genre you will not read?
I would probably never read a comic book or graphic novel - not out of snootiness but because it just doesn't really appeal to me.

Do you have a favourite book?
I don't have a favourite book but I have several. Some books that I love are: Frankenstein, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, A Room With a View, The Time Machine, Sense and Sensibility, On The Road, Life of Pi... I mean the list could go on...

What is your least favourite book?

I would say some books I didn't enjoy are: Wide Sargasso Sea, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close... to be honest if I read a book and I hate it then I usually won't finish it or I will just forget about it straight away.

What is the longest book you have ever read?
This is easy. It was Ulysses by James Joyce. If you've read it then you will understand what a difficult read that is.

What was the last book you bought?
The last book I bought was A Departure by Tom Ward - he's actually someone who went to my uni. If you're looking for a new read I would definitely recommend picking this one up from Amazon. I actually read this in one sitting on my flight from London to New York when I moved here a couple months ago. I don't think I even went for a toilet break (if you know me, you will know that is a big deal - okay TMI). 

Do you prefer library books or buying books?
I definitely prefer to buy books because I'm obsessed with the idea of having a library. I have sneaky suspicion that my older sister (click here to go over to her blog by the way!) will be reading this like: 'Uhh Annie, since when are you obsessed with having your own library?'. I just would love to have a room in my apartment (I want to live in an Apartment always) with all my books beautifully displayed and have a nice comfy chair is there with candles... I digress. I prefer to buy books.

What are you currently reading?

I am so ashamed to say nothing. I need to get back on the whole reading thing but after three years of having to read and having all the time in the world to read I'm kind of enjoying a bit of time off. Also I never feel like reading after work - anyone else just like to kick back and watch The Voice USA? *hi Adam*

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It's Looking Promising: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

I think I have found my new favorite face powder. I have said it before and I will say it again: I do not like a matte finish. This is why I am thinking the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light might be the perfect powder for me. There are definitely other powders that I have been impressed by but in terms of creating a really natural, glowy (without being shimmery) finish.

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Blogging Besties

I have so many blog posts in my head, waiting to be written but I just thought I would do a little post about some bloggers that I love - but also in real life. So by that I don't mean people I talk to on twitter or whatever, these are actual people from my life that I knew before blogging or aside from blogging. Does that make sense? This may seem a little random but I thought it might be vaguely interesting?

To Wander & To Roam
First off, this is my older sister's blog and she actually only just started it super recently. Whereas I'm the superficial one who loves blushes, lipsticks and face masks... Ella's thing is culture. Don't get me wrong, I love travelling and culture too but this is Ella's passion. She writes anything from restaurant reviews to city reviews, her posts are eloquently written and I might be biased but I think her posts are really insightful! So make sure you click on over to her blog if food, travel and culture is your thing :)

Styleaffix
The girl behind Styleaffix is one my old (we graduated wahoo!) university friends - she was on my course and we were also both editors at The Courier aka our student newspaper. I've mentioned Elissa's blog before because it genuinely is one of my favourite blogs to read because she writes all about beauty products with a bit of fashion thrown in there for good measure. She's super honest in her product reviews and I just think she's got a really good blog going on!

BabyFace
Oh my god this girl. I also went to university with Amy (she's a wee bit younger than me though) and she is just the coolest girl ever. She is just the sweetest person and I feel like her blog really reflects that. But mainly she has impeccable taste in fashion/beauty and she's a beaut (I mean, all of these girls are actually!) so I urge you to check her out if you haven't already.

Daisy Dreams
I swear Daisy started her blog fairly recently and I feel like it has already grown so much since when she started. Daisy is super passionate about her blog and I feel like she is really committed to creating regular, insightful content. She's really involved in the beauty blogging community and I love visiting her blog to find out about new beauty products to try.

Sophie Coletta
GIRL CRUSH ALERT. Unfortunately there are no cringey selfies on her website like there are on mine so you won't get to see that. I also went to university with Sophie and she was also on The Courier editorial team. I don't even want to write anything about Sophie's website really because I feel like she's too cool for this post. But basically she likes music, she posts interviews, she's fit. I just love her.

I feel like I have definitely missed out other people and their websites, but if I have I will do another post like this! I recommend you check out all these blogs because I love them so I'm sure you will too.

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The Next In Line: Beauty Edition

     
I got into makeup before I got into skincare but now I couldn't live without my eye creams, oils and serums. I've got one product here that's a body product but the rest is facial skincare. Make sure to let me know if you have tried any of these and what I should expect!

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New In: NARS 'One Night Stand' Palette

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The Next In Line: Makeup Edition

I currently have a drawer full of beauty products that I haven't yet opened because I have no space for them in my beauty regime. I probably have some more unopened products lying around but this is what I could find. I think the majority of these were given to me (but not as PR samples for me to review on this blog), which is why some of these I haven't even heard of before. I'm really excited to eventually try all of these. This one is going to be the makeup edition, there will be a skincare/haircare/whatever post coming up with unopened items too!    

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Disappointing Product # 4: MAC Prep & Prime (Eye)

             
 I'm mainly annoyed at myself for not buying a MAC Paint Pot instead of the MAC Prep & Prime ($19//£12.50) because I was hesitating and I still have never tried out a Paint Pot. This is a good colour and it's cancels out any blue tones on my lids but the problem is that...

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Obsessed With # 7: Kiehl's Over-Night Biological Peel

    

 I've long wanted to try Alpha H Liquid Gold, but I've never actually taken the plunge. I came across (randomly, I hadn't done any research) the Kiehl's Over-Night Biological Peel hoping that it would help with any scarring I had and genuinely help with the smoothness of my skin. I've only used it about four times now but I feel the need to share this product with you all!

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A Dupe For Nars Luster?

      
One of my first ever posts was about the Nars blush in the shade Luster (that post has since been deleted because 1) all the photos on my blog got deleted and I couldn't be bothered to save every single post and 2) it was a bit cringe and all over the place). Nars Luster ($29) remains in my top 5 blushes and I am still always attracted to apricot blushes with a gold shimmer. I have come across a few pretty close dupes in my day (what, am I old or something?) but this is the newest and closest dupe I have. I'm talking about L'Oréal True Match Blush ($11.49) in W1-2.

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Beloved Bronzers

Top-clockwise: Soap & Glory Solar Powder, & Other Stories Face Contour Cream, theBalm Bahama Mama, The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder, Bourjois Délice de Poudre. Centre: Bourjois Bronzing Primer.

I'm slowly starting to notice that a lot of my makeup that I didn't throw out is missing so unfortunately I don't have NYX Blush in Taupe to show you. NYX Taupe was my first contour colour ever and it's a really great one if you're pale because it's very ashy and is great for mimicking a shadow with. But anyway, it seems to have disappeared so I'm going to talk about six other bronzers that I use regularly and love. I'm talking bronzers I use for contouring, as well as bronzer I use for, well, bronzing!

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About Annie: My Skin Part I

I'm going to do two posts about my skin, this one is going to be dedicated to my skin history and skincare whereas the next one will be more about makeup suitable for my type of skin. I think above having a nice body, nice hair or generally just nice features, I would rather have really nice skin. I think clear, smooth skin is one of the most attractive things and it also really helps with your confidence. I say this because I used to have acne.

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Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

  
 I used to be such a winged liner and pink lipgloss girl for years and years until about three years ago when I really started getting into makeup. I tend to wear eyeshadow more than I do eyeliner nowadays. The Naked palettes were always something I had my eye on but I could never really justify buying. But luckily I was recently given the Naked 2 palette (mom if you're reading this we can share!)

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My Real Techniques Brushes

   
The majority of my brushes are by Real Techniques, and they're definitely my favourite brushes for my face or base products. I find it slightly annoying how to get some of the brushes you have to buy them in a set. I usually end up giving the ones I wouldn't use away to a family member.

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Popularly Priced Primers

By 'popularly priced', I basically mean drugstore. Don't gasp but I am not including the Bourjois Bronzing Primer that everyone is obsessed with (I do have it, but I use it on top of my foundation, not underneath so it doesn't really count does it?). I have three primers that I rotate throughout the week and I love all three!

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Obsessed With # 6: Wet N Wild 'Walking On Eggshells'

 I recently got this eyeshadow trio from Duane Reade, I wasn't intending on buying that day but when I saw how cheap this was (a couple of dollars before tax), I couldn't help myself. When I could've but really I have basically no self control. This is the Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Trio in 'Walking On Eggshells'.

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Disappointing Product # 3: Benefit They're Real

I'm so sorry if you love Benefit They're Real but I just don't get why people love this mascara when I just don't at all. I tend to prefer fibre wands but sometimes I do like plastic wands so it's not like I'm prejudiced against them. I like L'Oréal Telescopic for example but I just feel like They're Real was so over-hyped and I was let down. I find that the problem with this mascara is that it clumped all my lashes together and it ended up looking like I had about five fat lashes which isn't the look I go for surprisingly. Luckily I didn't actually ever buy the mascara, I just had a sample size.    

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Autumn Picks: Body, Fragrance & Home Edition

 *Apologies about how late the second post of my Autumn series is!*

I much prefer Autumn/Winter scents because I like quite warm, sweet fragrances which just seem a bit sickly in the warmer months. Here are a few of my Autumn picks for body care and fragrance. There aren't many products mentioned in this post but hopefully you find something you like among them!

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Four Favourites

At the moment I'm all about pink/purple lips or just a nude. I'm kind of over the red and orange lips just because I feel like they never wear very well. That's not to say I won't be obsessing over bright oranges next month but for the time being it's all about pinks and purples and nude if I'm being boring. This little post is just so I can mention some star products I have been impressed by.

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Life In New York

I moved to New York really recently to start what is basically my dream internship in my dream city. It's all a bit surreal but I'm loving living here and the company I'm interning it is amazing and everyone has been so lovely. I started working really soon after I got here so I haven't had time to do much around the city but I will make sure to do more New York posts as the time goes on. As it stands, I'm only going to be here for the length of my internship (6 months) but my parents are living here so I would get to return depending on what I'm doing with my life. I have no idea what is going to happen after the 6 months, I might go back to the UK, I might move somewhere else - I just don't know. I just thought I'd do a quick update because obviously it wouldn't make sense if suddenly I started talking about Duane Reade instead of Boots!

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An Excellent Combo: L'Oréal True Match

     
I have been meaning to do this post for weeks so apologies for the delay, I've just moved and started a job so I'm a bit busier than normal! When I was a teen, finding a foundation that even remotely suited my skin tone was basically impossible, especially in the drugstore. I still hear a lot of people saying they can't get foundations light enough for them but I'm pretty pale and I've found that the lightest shade from L'Oréal suits me perfectly. I know that you can't always find the lightest shades in the drugstore because of space but you can always buy online etc. L'Oréal True Match has W1-2, N1-2 and C1-2 shades which basically means it caters to different types of pale skin (W being warm, N being neutral and C being cool). Personally, I go for either warm or neutral because they both work well for me but C is a little too pink for my skin tone.

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About Annie: My Eyebrows

This is a post which will be part of another mini series that I am going to do entitled 'About Annie'. I think where I want to go with these posts is just go over a few things about myself such as the type of skin I have, my hair, eyebrows and what products I think work best for me. I just think this will be good because you can kind of see what products work well for me, and if you are anything like me if they will also work for you. So this is going to be my first post from this mini series and it's going to be about my eyebrows and what works for me.

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Inspired By: Diane Kruger

         
I think Diane Kruger is one of the most beautiful women on the planet today. I mean, she was Helen of Troy (aka 'the face that launched a thousand ships') in the 2004 movie Troy so that kind of says it all. Also just look at that bone structure & I don't know if it's just me but I love a good straight nose. I love her distinct facial features, her body shape, her hair, her style and of course her makeup. Now because I love her so much I thought I would try a look 'inspired' by her, so a kind of minimal, natural look. I used several pictures that I found on Pinterest for a little inspiration board. (By the way if you want to follow me on Pinterest this is the link). Anyway, I hope you like this look! It's supposed to be inspired by and therefore not a total replica of one specific look...

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Easy Peasy Everday Makeup

               
 Life is a little bit boring at the moment, I'm stuck in London and my boyfriend works so I'm kind of just sat around in his flat all day because the weather is bad and if I can I want to avoid spending money. This is not to say I haven't been leaving the house but I just haven't been doing anything exciting. So I've either been wearing no makeup or really minimal makeup on my boring days.

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