LuxeKate: March 2017

How much does my everyday makeup cost?

By Kate - 17:00:00

I've seen this post floating around recently and after seeing a couple of bloggers doing it and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them I thought I'd love to do my own. I'm really excited to see how much my everyday makeup comes to as I do mostly use drugstore products so I'd expect it to be quite cheap however I feel some things really do make it a bit more pricey.

The makeup look I went for for this post is just the makeup I always reach for when doing simple makeup at the weekend and you're most likely to have seen me talk about most of these products before as they are my all time favourites! Also I haven't included brushes as that would be a whole other story....

So to start with I always do my eyebrows, which I use my ABH Dipbrow Pomade 'Blonde' - £15 which I highly recommend as it's so easy to use and stays in all day long. I then use my Freedom Pro Camouflage Concealer 'CF01' - £3 which I use to lightly carve out my brows with which works really well.

Going onto my face I start by using my Miss Sporty Insta Glow Primer - £3.49 which isn't an amazing primer however it gives me skin a natural and radiant glow which I suits my makeup really well. Next a current staple of mine is using my Freedom Pro HD Longwear Concealer 'Green' -£3 which I blend into all red areas on my face and I apply a good layer to my cheeks as this gets all the redness away which is basically a miracle for me.

I then use my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in '52' - £10.99 which is of course an all time favourite, it's so lightweight however gives the perfect coverage. For under eye concealer I use the Maybelline Age Rewind in 'Nude' - £7.99, I have to say this isn't my favourite under eye concealer however it still works fine for everyday use. I then blend my L.A Girl Pro Conceal in 'Porcelain' - £5 with this and put this on any spots, I love the concealer however I definitely need to re-purchase it so I can try a different shade as this shade is a little bit too yellow toned for me.

I then set this all in place with my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Translucent' - £3.99 which I lightly dust around my face. I then take the highlighting powder from my Seventeen Define and Conquer - £5.99 and use this to pack under my eyes and highlight my chins, forehead and cheekbones. I then use the contour shade from the same palette and very light-handedly sculpt below my cheekbones with this which I love but I only use a tiny bit as it's very pigmented for my pale skin!

To bronze my face up I'm using my Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer - £14 which I absolutely am in love with at the moment and I wish everyone could smell this because it's insane! After bronzing my cheekbones and the top of my forehead, I'm taking The Balm Mary Lou Highlighter- £18 on the tops of my cheekbones, nose and cupid's bow. This is my all time favourite highlighter, it is a bit pricier but it's totally worth it! Also for blush I use the Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush 'Pink Rose' - £3.99 which is a pretty pinky nude blush that I apply very lightly to my cheeks.

Onto to eyes, I'm starting by using my Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeshadow Primer - £4.99 which I religiously use and love. Next onto eyeshadow, which is where the price of my makeup really rises! For everyday use, I always use my Urban Decay Naked 2 - £38 which I do think it's overpriced however I absolutely love the palette and the shades. It's perfect for everyday use or a glam look!

For mascara, of course I'm using the Maybelline Lash Sensational -£7.99 which is so cheap for such a top quality mascara. I use this on my top and bottom lashes which gives so much volume and length.

To finish off my makeup I always go for the same lip look which is my MUA Lip Liner 'Caramel Nougat' - £1 which we can all agree is a bargain and a half! And of course my Mac Patent Poslish Lip Pencil in 'It's Really me' -£18 which is again my all time favourite lip product as it's the perfect nude and looks incredible with any look.

And I'm making sure my makeup stays all day by using my E.L.F Makeup Mist and Set - £5 which I've been loving at the moment and is a staple in my makeup routine.

So that's my go-to makeup routine which I think I do use a range of very cheap products however I've probably brought the price up by a couple of more expensive products.

My overall total is.... £169.42

I did think that it would be a bit cheaper however I did use my Naked 2 which obviously isn't the cheapest of eyeshadow palettes. Personally I think this shows how makeup is very expensive to buy especially how a lot of my products were from the drugstore.

How much does your face of makeup come to?

Kate Xx

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Amber Faux Leather Clutch

Spring Clutch From Koko Couture

By Kate - 11:00:00

I've been so excited to do this post and after waiting for what seems like years for nice weather to come so I could take some photos for this beauty of a bag, the time has finally come!
Koko Couture so very kindly sent me this bag which is from their Spring Collection which features many other gorgeous bags which ranges from clutch bags, shoulder bags and handbags. All of their bags are so affordable and the quality is worth so much more so this is definitely where you should be going for your next bag.

The bag I picked for myself is the Amber Faux Leather Clutch in Tan which I couldn't be happier with! It's a clutch bag but also comes with an adjustable shoulder strap which is perfect for on the go and can be easily worn cross body or on one shoulder.
I love the design of the bag, on the clasp there is a gold geometric metallic detailing which really compliments the browny orange toned bag. Then the rest of the bag is in the leather except for the folded over section on the front which is faux suede.

The quality is incredible as well, the leather is so soft and smooth and feels like it's going to last a life time. This bag is £20 to buy off the website (now £16 in the sale!!) which is an absolute bargain for a bag that will last and compared to all high street shops is much cheaper.

I love the structure of the bag as well, it's so spacious inside the clutch which is perfect considering I literally put all of my possessions in my bag when I go out, (yes I'm that person who takes it 'just in case'...). There is a zip pocket inside the bag which is perfect to put your phone in as it's quite big and spacious. I love how you can fit a lot in the bag as from previously using clutches, I always get annoyed because I can barely fit anything in my bag however I have so much room to fit all my things in this bag so it's perfect.

I'm for sure going to be pairing this with many outfits in spring and summer as I think this bag suits the seasons so well. I always go for tan coloured bags because I always find they suit me the most however this bag is available in a range of shade which is perfect if a tan colour isn't for you. It's also really easy to dress this bag up or down, it's perfect for a casual shopping day or perfect for a night out with a glam look.

In this outfit, I decided to wear the bag with a simple outfit that you could wear for an everyday look. I wore my favourite jeans which are Jaime Jeans from Topshop and my Burgundy Knitted Jumper from Primark which is super comfy and casual. As well as my Stan Smiths which I basically live in because they couldn't be more comfortable.

Thank you so so much for Koko Couture for sending me this stunning bag, I'm absolutely in love!!
Will you be finding your spring/summer bag from Koko Couture?
Kate Xx

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Book

New Favourite book; Finding Audrey

By Kate - 17:00:00

I've been trying to read more at the moment, it hasn't been going particularly well however the one book I have read and completely loved was Finding Audrey by Sophia Kinsela.

After seeing this book in Zoella's WhSmith book club and it seeming like my perfect book from the blurb, my mum kindly treated me to it. I read it as soon as possible and it did not take me long to read as it kept me hooked the whole way through.

The story is about a 14 year old girl called Audrey who has social anxiety. She's been a victim of bullying and stays at her home all day wearing these dark glasses so she can avoid eye contact. The book is written in Audrey's point of view and shows her to be very quiet however extremely brave and doesn't like to talk about her past experiences.
She goes to therapy which doesn't seem to help her however it all changes when she meets her brother's friend Linus...

The book is written so well as you really feel like you know Audrey really well and you're rooting for her to overcome her fears. It gives you a mixture of emotions as there is some sad parts however some very funny and relate-able parts in it as well.
Also in the book Audrey was set a challenge to create a documentary of her daily life which it would show for a page or two, and I don't normally like things like this in books when it changes from the normal chapter however it was really well put together and made me laugh as it felt just like an average family in day to day situations.

What I also really liked about this was how it showed a true understanding of mental health. It wasn't some poor sloppy stuff that books can sometimes show when writing about a mental illness. It made you become really aware of what a person could be going through and shows what is a big struggle for people when it seems simple to us. The book also shows that recovering is hard and it's not just as simple as falling in love and then it's all fixed. It shows Audrey as being so determined in getting better however has her downfalls however it brings such a good moral to the story.

Overall this is such a good book and I can't recommend it enough! It's happy and sad and really gives you an insight to how hard it is for someone living with such a tough condition but makes you feel brave with the character.

Have you read this book?
Kate Xx

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Beauty

Tips To Make Your Makeup Last Longer

By Kate - 11:05:00

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Beauty

E.L.F Cosmetics First Impressions

By Kate - 17:11:00

After buying some E.L.F products in my recent holiday to America (read about it here) and loving them, I did really want to try some more products of theirs and I treated myself to a couple more things the other day as they had free delivery online! I absolutely love their products and will definitely be ordering more! Also I did mention some of these in my New York Haul however I've tried them fully now so I thought it would be perfect to do a first impressions.

♡ Bronzer 'Golden';

I got this as I absolutely love powders which has a mixture of tones and shades as I think it can give such a natural healthy glow. In this bronzer you get 4 sections which three are bronze shades and one which is more of a highlighter.

I loved bronzing my face with this, it gave such a healthy glow and will definitely be a summer staple for me. The shades a perfect for me, I swirled my brush equally around the whole powder and I loved the outcome.
I did have a concern that it would be too shimmery but on the face it doesn't look to shimmery at all. Also it's not that pigmented which I do like as it makes it easy to achieve a very natural bronze (especially for my very pale skin) and is buildable if you wanted a deeper bronzed look.

♡ Illuminating Palette;

I was super excited for this as when I swatched it, it gave such a natural glow. I loved using it as it was so smooth and glided onto my face. It's perfect to use for everyday use and I love it with a natural makeup look. The shade range you get is really good as well as there is a sliver, pink, champagne and peachy tones in the palette. I also do find them buildable as well, you can give a very subtle highlight or build it up to give more of a fuller look.
I love the packaging as well, as it's perfect to travel with as it's thin and has a big mirror in which would be perfect to do your makeup in if you can use a compact mirror.

♡ Tone Correcting Powder 'Cool';

I was super excited to try this as I'd never seen a colour correcting powder before and when I saw it online for only £4 I knew I had to get it. Like the bronzer, it has four sections to it. There is a green, yellow, blue and pink shades in the powder. To be honest, I'm a little bit confused to whether I'm using it right as I wasn't sure if you were meant to use them all at the same time as obviously all the different shades are to conceal different areas of your face. So after a while of debating, I just swirled my brush into all of them (which is probably wrong) but I did really it. The powder wasn't cakey at all and was so smooth on my face. It did give good coverage as well, I focused my brush on the green section as my cheeks are very red and it did conceal the redness quite well and I definitely will be including this powder in my go-to makeup, even if I'm using it wrong!

♡ Makeup Mist & Set;

This is my first ever setting spray so I was looking forward to trying it and I was very pleased with the outcome. It doesn't have the best packaging however I bought it for $3 so I shouldn't really complain! It was super easy to spray onto my face and doesn't smell of anything which I personally really like as I don't think I'd like it as much if there was a smell to it.
It did seem to make my makeup last longer and I felt like at the end of the day I looked like I had more coverage in my makeup still than if I hadn't used the spray. It's also perfect for spraying onto your brushes as I used it on my eyeshadow brush and it gave so much more pigment to my eyeshadow so I'm very impressed by this and it will be getting many uses!

♡ Ex-tra Lip Gloss 'Brian';

I was super excited for this as for finding it for £1.30 online and looked liked my perfect gloss shade, and light pink kinda shade.

As always with my case, it came and didn't really look how I expected it to. A bit too on the pink side than I had hoped. However I'm sure in the summer months, I could try and pull it off. Although it is quite full on when it is first applied, if I lightly dab it then it becomes more natural so is much more easy to wear.

Forgetting about the shade, the actual lip gloss itself is the perfect consistency. It's not sticky at all and does feel moisturising on the lips. I'd definitely recommend this however maybe not in this shade if brighter pink shades aren't your thing.

♡ Shimmer 'Gold';

I decided to buy this as it was reduced to 40p and I couldn't really resit because I thought it was worth trying it for that price. I was very impressed as I opened it, as for e.l.f's basic range it was good quality packaging. It came with a small rectangular brush which I probably won't use and it had a small mirror underneath the brush which I thought was very clever and it's so useful.

I was a little bit amazed of how much kickback it made when I lightly swirled my brush into the powder however I did really like the way it looked on my face. Although it's shade name is 'gold', I would say it is more of a silvery gold and it really suits my skin tone well. It has the perfect pigment for my liking, it is noticeable however isn't full on.

♡ Shimmering Facial Whip 'Pink Lemonade';
This was also on sale on the e.l.f website so for around 50p, I again thought I would give it a go. When it arrived, I was surprised at how pink it was. And when I swatched, I was surprised at how pink it was so I don't think I will be getting much use out of this.
When I swatched it, I use a small pea drop and blended it out. And let me tell you, a little goes a hell of a long way. It did give a really nice shimmer which I would love on my face however not in the pink shade. I definitely wouldn't use it for a highlighter as I feel like it would look ridiculous on my face however I did try using a tiny spot for eyeshadow which did seem to work quite well. So I think I will try and create some eye looks with it but maybe stick with my other highlighters instead!

I would reccomend looking at the other shades though as it is very smooth and shimmery so would make a pretty highlighter.