Top Five Nude Lip Pencils

I just wiped these swatches off of my hand + one is refusing to come off which is a great sign (HMMM I wonder which one?! The suspense is real). I did a post on my favorite nude lipsticks + because I'm a long time lip liner wearer I thought I would share my favorite nude lip liners with you too. I remember going shopping with my friend two years ago looking for the 'perfect nude lip liner' but I honestly don't think it's easily found! I have quite pink/mauve lips + I find a lot of liners to be too dark or warm for me. The below liners are in the following order (in the top picture it is from top to bottom + in the swatches image they go from bottom to top - sorry!).

MAC Boldly Bare

This is probably the darkest, brownest lip liner that I own but I actually quite like this one with my more brown lip liners. Also if applied lightly it can look quite natural. Somehow.

MAC Dervish

This was the lip liner I got on that shopping trip (mentioned above). It's a lot more mauvey pink than Boldly Bare so it matches my natural lip shade quite well. I find that the MAC lip liners are quite satin in finish so they stay on reasonably well.

Smashbox The Nude Lip Pencil (Fair)

This one would be an absolute favorite if it didn't have dem tiny glitter particles :[ The formula is really nice + creamy but it lasts really well + the shade is pretty much identical to my natural lip shade. I can still work with it but because of the glittery bits I do have to put it all over my lip. The glitter really isn't that bad, I just don't understand why it is necessary...

L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Beyond Pink

This is by far the best drugstore lip liner that I have come across. It's a really nice natural shade + it's not too dark. The lasting power is nothing to shout about but for the price it is really nice.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Pillow Talk

Aha! You made it. This is the one that refuses to budge. This is my current love - it stays on even after 17 glasses of wine, 8 filet-o-fishez + kissing every boi in LDN town. The color works great with all of my nude lipsticks + it somehow manages to mimmick the texture of my lips which I think makes all the difference. I do like to pull a bit of a Ky Jen + overdraw my lips (shhh don't tell anyone slash if you follow me on instagram you might have guessed) + this one is the best for it!

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My Skincare Saviours

Now that I am older, I don't like to switch up my skincare too much. It's not a case of trying new colors + formulas as it is with makeup, it's all about what makes your skin look + feel it's best. These are some skin favorites that I have been using for a while (bar one product) + that I don't see changing in the foreseeable future. Because why fix what ain't broke?

The first product is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, which has become my new Bioderma. I love Bioderma but I simply can't afford to splash the cash on it anymore when this is basically the same thing. The Garnier version is by far the best drugstore micellar water I have come across + it's really good value for money. I usually take off the majority of my eye makeup with this + then use the Una Brennan Vitamin C Cleansing Oil with a hot cloth. This is a more recent addition to my skincare routine - I think I picked it up in Boots about two or three months ago as I saw Vivianna had mentioned it that she liked it. Not only does it smell really zingy + uplifting, but it does an amazing job of taking off any makeup + leaving my skin feeling super soft. 

I don't exfoliate everyday but when I do (probably 4 x a week), I like to use the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. I find that these are gentle enough to use regularly + I do have stronger thangz that I use if I want something a bit more exfoliating. I like to use use these when my skin is feeling a bit lumpy bumpy. Another treatment-esque product is the Glam Glow Thirsty Mud Hydrating Treatment which I've had for about a year now + I can honestly say this stuff is amazing. It smells delicious aka I want to devour it + it is the best facemask for the day-after-the-night-before etc. Great for hydrating + plumping up dull skin. It isn't cheap but a little bit really does go a long way I promise.

Last but not least is the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate which I don't think I will ever stop using (don't hold me to it though please!). It seems to speed up the fixing process of any skin issue. Dry skin? Ok let me fix that. Scabby blemishes? Ew but okay I'll make that go quicker. Inflamed skin? Let's just calm that whole situation down shall we. It's a miracle worker.

What are your skincare must-haves?

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My Thoughts On: Goals

Yes yes. This is a beauty blog. It probably always will be until I decide that the world doesn't actually need Nouveau Chique (...wait, it doesn't?!). But sometimes I have thoughts + opinions that I feel like sharing even if y'all don't care. So the first of this series is going to be my thoughts on goals. I am referring to a specific type of goal here. The kind of goal you want to have achieved by the time you're 20/25/30 etc. The kind of goals you want to reach more because you think you should + society tells you should rather than personal goals you've set out for yourself because you're a strong-willed individual. I also feel like this post is definitely more targeted at women than men, which works out well for me because I don't imagine many men find themselves browsing through my favorite shampoos + eyeshadows. 

Below I've put down a few quotes of the types of things I might have said 2-3 years ago + my opinion on them now.

'I want to be on £30,000 by the time I'm 23'

I used to think that straight out of university I would have a decent paid job. I thought I would know exactly what I wanted to do. I'm 23 now + I'm currently still interning (my third internship) because I haven't known exactly what I want to do. My experience is in PR + Social Media but really I'm not sure what I will be doing five years down the line. And that is totally fine. However I'm managing financially is a private matter but the point is that it doesn't matter if you're not earning a certain amount money by x age. It doesn't matter if you're 30 + you still don't know exactly what you want to do. I hate that society makes you think there is an age for everything. You do things at your own pace + things will eventually piece together. As long as you're doing something + you're trying things out then it's fine. It's a process of elimination + it's a journey.

'I want to be married by the time I'm 27'

This is definitely the inspiration behind this whole entire post. Every time there is some sort of family gathering, someone (usually a distant relative) will ask about my love life. 'Have you got a boyfriend? Why not?!' - as if there is something wrong with me. Although the majority of my friends have serious boyfriends, this doesn't mean there is something wrong with me for not having one. I have had two long-term relationships that each went on for over two years + now that I am a bit older I know exactly what I want + what I don't want from a relationship. I am in no way prepared to date anyone that doesn't bring out the best in me anymore, whereas I used to just be scared of being alone. Whether I find someone in a month, a year or in ten years, it doesn't matter. Because as Whitney Houston sang: 'I'd rather be alone than unhappy'.

'I want to have my first child by the time I'm 29'

Actually, I would rather have a child when I am responsible enough to look after one. If I ever decide to have children at all that is. That is all I have to say about that.

Is there something wrong with the fact that I still like going out with my friends, living with my best friend + I would rather go on vacation to Australia when I feel like it than settle down with a man + have a pet pug? Because really I have the rest of my life to do that.

I could go on about this subject forever but whether you're still living at home, single at 40 or struggling to find the right career path... life doesn't go as you planned + it would be sad if it did. When I was younger, I thought I'd have long brown hair + live in a pink + purple house by this point. And thank the lord I don't (ps: shout out to all the girls with long brown hair, it just doesn't suit me). Essentially this post is about living your life at your own pace. As cheesy as it may sound, I think it's important (especially for women) to put their own happiness + decisions first instead of what society expects from them...

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2014 Makeup Favorites

A lot of my favorites haven't changed since my 2013 favorites post, including the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, the Urban Decay Primer Potion, the Anastasia Brow Wiz + L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush. So I didn't want to repeat myself + include them, if you want my opinion on those products then you can click here for that 2013 post.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Radiance

This has been the Year of the Primer for me. I never really knew what a difference it could make + I really like this one because it feels moisturizing + I like a bit of a radiant skin finish so this helps add an extra glow. 

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer

Last year I was all about dat Nars Radiant Concealer but I actually found that it would crust a bit under my eyes. I still really like it for blemishes + on my face but I find that the Maybelline concealer blends a lot more nicely under the eyes.

Maybelline Coloursens Nude Lipstick in 'Tantalizing Taupe'

This is probably my favorite discovery of the whole entire year. I love a good nude lip + I have harped on about this one way too much recently but if you want to know more about it then click here. 

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in 'Pillow Talk'

I started wearing lip liners quite a long time ago + I have been looking for the 'perfect nude' lip liner for... probably years now. I think I own at least ten different nude lip liners + for me that is quite a lot. This is my favorite on thus far because it mimics the texture of my lips + the color is also great. It has excellent staying power too. Because smudged lip liner is not a good lewk.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in 'Mood Exposure'

I haven't bought a blush in absolutely ages + if I were to then it would definitely be another shade from Hourglass. I love how iridescent this is + the plumy shade is really pretty, especially in the colder months. It applies really nicely too. 

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter

I will forever favor a more glowy look than a matte one. This is a buttery soft powder highlight that isn't too yellow nor too cool toned + it just gives the perfect glow.

MAC Eyeshadow in 'Antiqued'
I love a good reddy brown eyeshadow because I think it makes any eye color really pop. I have blue eyes + I think the contrast looks really pretty. This one is probably my favorite because it isn't too red but it definitely creates a really nice contrast with my eye color.

L'Oréal Paris Miss Manga Mascara
I like my lashes to be super voluminous + this is a great mascara for really building up some volume without clumping all of the lashes together. I wear it in 'Black Brown' on a daily basis (ever since my homegirl Chelsea from Chelsea Wears told me she was into brown mascara one day when we were chilling on the subway in NYC).

Urban Decay Naked Palette
The original. The best. I got the Naked II before getting the original + I now have all three. I like the original way more than the other two. I think the second one has too many boring, cool toned blah shades + although I do quite like the third, it just isn't something I reach for on a weekly basis. I love the shade 'Toasted' in particular from this palette + I just think the shade range + quality is incredible.

Let me know what your makeup favorites were in 2014!

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Start of 2015 Non-Beauty Favorites

Oh hi everyone. Apparently I still exist so I should probably get back on this whole blogging thang. I hope you're all well etc. I will be doing a 2014 favorites post but as per usual, I like to be fashionably late. But for now, here are a few random non-beauty faves that I have been loving... (because I do like things aside from beauty, believe it or not).

2015 Diary

During the last few months of 2014, it crossed my mind that I desperately needed a diary. I'm not particularly into phone calendars etc + I definitely remember things better if I write it down. I got this 'Vintage Bicycles' diary at the bookstore at Chelsea Market in New York + it's by Cavallini Papers & Co. So far, I have been using it on a daily basis so long may that continue!

Iconemesis Phone Case*

I didn't have a phone case for my iPhone 6 + I was almost reluctant to get one because I loved my Louis Vuitton iPhone 5S case so much that I didn't want anything else. Now obviously those don't come cheap so it wasn't a realistic option to keep buying them every time I changed phone. I chose the Cat Sims Feathers Case from Iconemesis + I am now really glad I got a case. I think it looks really pretty but without being too girly because y'all know that just ain't my style. It's not too thick so it doesn't make my phone bulky + it is also quite soft in texture which I didn't expect. I thought it might be quite plasticky but actually it feels really nice + has a great grip to it. It is actually on sale at the moment for £9.99 - so definitely worth getting now if you like it!

Raw Revolution Chunky Peanut Butter Chocolate Food Bar
This tastes like a seriously naughty treat but luckily for me, it ain't so bad. It comes in at 200 calories + is full of organic goodness. I get these at Whole Foods in the US, I am not sure if they stock them in the UK but if you can get your hands on these then you will be thanking me...

*sent for review, chosen by me

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