PRODUCTS I'VE USED UP / REVIEW

Hello all,

So today I have a post that I've seen a lot of people do recently, and it's always been a popular one on youtube. I personally love watching and reading them so I thought I'd give it a go! 

I use a lot of products on a day to day basis, whether they be make up, skin care or just other stuff in general, and eventually all that stuff runs out! So I thought I'd share the products I've used up and whether or not I would re-purchase them! 

L'oreal True Match is one of the only drugstore foundations that is actually pale enough for me, so it's always been a part of my collection. This is the second bottle I've used up and believe me it's completely drained! (even though the edges of the bottle are still covered) This foundation has an amazing build-able coverage, which doesn't look cakey, making it perfect for my skin which is uneven and has random red spots. 

I will be 100% re purchasing this, as it's not only amazing but only £12. 

Next is the Rimmel 'brow this way.' I have already used two tubes of this but sadly I don't think I will be re-purchasing another! As I've used it up, I've noticed that it's actually doing nothing for me. My brows last and look exactly the same with and without it. Also this one dried up before I could use it all! Don't get me wrong, the colour is nice, and it's alright when I don't want to fill my brows in, buuut that's a very rare occasion. I think I will have to have a look around more for a brow gel that works for me! 

This Collection Lasting perfection concealer is a very highly raved about product, and for all the right reasons. I have honestly used at least 6 of these bad boys up fully and as you can see from the picture they are truly well loved! It's the perfect coverage, doesn't look cakey, perfect colour for me and it blends out amazingly and lasts all day! (as the name suggests) I will 105% be re-purchasing this concealer, however I normally wait till it's on offer, as it can go from £4.19 to under £3!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know how much I love this mascara! It is the Maybelline 'the falsies' volume extreme. It's so black and makes your eyelashes literally look like falsies. The wand is also curved, you you get a really nice curl to your lashes as well as covering the entire lash in mascara. I will deffo re-purchase this and I think it's about £6.99. 

As well as the mascara, I have always loved Rimmel Stay Matte powder, it was the first ever powder I ever had, because at the time everyone on youtube loved it! It's inexpensive (£3.99) and does make your face matte and foundation last. However recently I've noticed that it makes my face look really furry, as thought it gets stuck to all my peach fluff and accentuates it and believe me it's not cute! Therefore this time I think I'll try a new powder (from the drugstore) and see how they play out!

I've always wanted white teeth, and I just have a thing about having clean and fresh teeth. This toothpaste is amazing! It makes you mouth feel so fresh and clean! Personally, I think Colgate is the best toothpaste brand for that reason. As for whitening my teeth, I can't honestly tell you if it works because I wasn't keeping track! I would LOVE to re-purchase this product however it's sooo expensive! (like £4 a tube) so if it's ever on offer, I'll get on the bandwagon again! Until then my friend...

Next up is my favourite makeup remover of all time! It is the one and only Garnier Micellar cleansing water. I love this one the most over the others I've tried, as it literally gets your makeup off in seconds AND you get so much in a bottle! I also find you don't have to pull on your skin or frantically rub it to get the makeup off, just a gentile wipe and boom. makeup free. I will deffo be re-purchasing this as it lasts for such a long time!

Finally, I've used up all of my Andrew Barton SOS help me hair treatment. This is amazing for split ends or dead hair as it literally brings so much life back to your hair. I love this and will be re-purchasing! 

Thankyou so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know if you love any of these products!

Thanks again 

Fern :) 

AUGUST FAVES

Hello all,

Ahh Summer is almost over! (officially over on the 21st September) And I'm so excited for autumn and winter, my two favourite seasons because who doesn't love wearing big jumpers and dark lipstick. 

Anyway the last month has been a good one for me, I've finally completed a lifegurading course! Also my friend and I went to London and saw the Lion King, which was really good! I was also lucky enough to visit Wales, which was really beautiful! But all the happiness is gonna change when school starts again in 2 days for me! UGH A-levels! 

I have a few bits and bobs I've been totally obsessed with this month so, lets get going!  

Johnson Makeup-remover wipes

I have been extremely lazy this past month, and when it comes to the time of day when I want to be rid of my makeup from that day, I've been reaching for wipes instead of my usual micellar water. These particular wipes get my makeup off really fast, and they save the effort of putting the remover on a cotton wool pad, then wiping one eye, then repeat. I just use one wipe for my whole face and boom. Makeup gone! 

The balm - Mary-lou Manizer. 

This highlighter. Major heart eye emoji. If you follow me on instagram (@foreverfern_) then you'll know I've been loving this! I bought it whilst in London, and I've been obsessing with it ever since. It's the perfect golden colour without being too gold, if that makes sense? The pigmentation is amazing! Literally the perfect glow for anyone and everyone. 

MAC lipstick - plumb dandy, Essence lipstick 

So I've been obsessing with dark lips this last month, even though it's not officially autumn, I've still been loving them. These two are both gorgeous colours and have been my go-to lips when I'm out and about! 

Jenny Han - The summer I turned pretty.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! My sister recommended it to me and oh my I love it! There's 3 in the series and it's a very typical girl book but it's so sweet and amazing! I read this trilogy in literally 3 days, a book a day. Perfect summer read! 

Joss Sterling - Summer Shadows
Oh. My.God. This book. It's the sixth (and final *cries) book in the savant series by Joss sterling. I mentioned these books in my Favourite books post. (the first in the series is called 'Finding Sky' ) I kid you not I am heart broken that this is the last book. The tears are real.
This book had me gripped the whole way through, I loved the characters so much! Reading this then lead me to re-read the entire series again...and I'll most likely read them many more times! If you want a book series thats the best in the world you gotta read these. You just gotta.

Shawn Mendes - Mercy

I have 0 words. This song guys omg. If you know me then you know I love shawn and his music, he's crazy talented it must be magic. I swear that boy knows some voodoo stuff cos his voice is like a charm, it's just amazing. (can you tell I'm obsessed) ANYWAY, this song is one that's going to be on his newest album (September 23rd people - be prepared) and it's honestly amazing. I bought it then literally listened to it at least 20 times. It's ones of those songs you have to listen to a lot of times, because it's just that good. You can really hear the passion in his voice and ugh it's so good! 

Aero hot chocolate
I normally don't have drinks like hot chocolate at home, because we're such a typical British tea drinking family but recently I've been loving this hot chocolate. One day I just had a sudden craving for hot chocolate and boom. Now I'm crazy about it. (As I sit here writing this I'm sipping away at my hot chocolate) If you want a tip about hot chocolate, always, ALWAYS add a bit of cold milk. Makes all the difference!

Thankyou so much for reading I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you've been loving in August and what you're looking forward to next month!

Thanks again,

Fern :) 

HIGH END MAKEUP THAT'S WORTH THE MONEY

Hello all,

As you may know, I love a good bargain (it's no secret) and I love to get the most out of my money, however there are some high-end makeup products that I would gladly splash that extra bit of cash on as the quality is so good and worth the extra money. 

Don't get me wrong, I love drugstore makeup and believe that most of it is just as good as your higher end makeup, likewise I do believe that some high-end makeup is not that great! 

So, the products I mention in this post are the ones I believe to be 100% worth your money, and you will not be disappointed! 

First up is my one true love, combining the perfect mix of eyeshadow and chocolate, Too faced really know the way to my heart with their Chocolate bar pallet. 

This costs £39, so it's quite pricey, however it's utter perfection. The colours are all so pretty as well as super pigmented, and you can literally create so many different looks from simple everyday ones to really dramatic. This has to be my favourite pallet I own, and it's lasted me so long as I haven't even hit pan yet! 

This pallet is 101% worth the money and needs to be a staple in your collection. 

Next up are MAC lipsticks. The two I have are the shades 'Angel' and 'Plumb dandy' and I love them! They're so creamy and so pigmented, also the shade range of lipsticks MAC do is crazy, there are so many so there's deffo a colour for everyone, and at £15.50 each I think they're so worth the money. The size of the bullet (the lipstick bit) is really big as well, so they will last you a long time! 

Up next is (I apologise for the very horrible picture of my very well loved beauty blender) the famous Beauty Blender. I have raved about this sponge so many times, like so many others it's no surprise I would include it. 

The beauty blender is so amazing for blending foundation, concealer and whatever products you wish to use it with, it makes your foundation look flawless without getting cakey, and even though there are so many cheaper dupes, I personally think the beauty blender is the best and the most squishy! This little gift from God costs £16 (from boots and beauty bay) and will not let you down!

At the slightly more pricey £23.50, we have Dallas bronzer by Benefit.
We've all heard of the infamous 'Hoola' however for me, Dallas is the way to go.
As I have very fair skin, it's hard to find a drugstore bronzer that isn't too warm or muddy, but Dallas is perfect. It's right in the middle of warm and cool, with slightly pinky undertones which make it perfect for bronzing my vampire skin, also if you had darker/ more tanned skin it would be a really pretty blush!
It's also very pigmented, lasts all day, comes with the amazing little brush and the pan size is really deep, making it, or any of the other benefit box bronzers/blushes, perfect for those who want a staple product they can use and keep using. (perfect for those just starting out with makeup or want something that does the job)

My absolute ride or die is up next; if you want brows that last all day, come rain or shine, and guarantee to get peoples heads turning and them thinking "Damn, that's some fleeky brows' then you gotta have Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow pommade.
This beauty is £15 and no joke is worth the money and so much more. I've used mine everyday for over a year and I still haven't hit the bottom, and believe me I don't go light on the brows.
The pigmentation is amazing, it lasts all day (waterproof included - tried and tested by yours truly) and you won't run out 1 week after buying it, making it a staple in my makeup collection.

Up next is the amazing Mary-lou Manizer by The balm cosmetics.

It's no secret that this highlight is beautiful, as it's so highly raved about within the beauty world and I shall say it again: It's AMAZING! The colour is the perfect gold, as it's not too warm or too cool, it's the right neutral gold to suit every skin tone. Also it's so pigmented and not chalky or pasty at all! 

This costs £17.50, and I know some people say it's drugstore, as you can get it in Superdrug, however the prices are not, what I would say, drugstore friendly, however it's deffo worth the money! 

Following the highlighter theme I've got going, my next worthy high end product is MAC mineralised skinfinish highlighter in Soft and Gentle, which sells for £24.

I love this product, as the glow it gives is amazing, it's not too in yo face but it's still popping. (10/10 for english there) It's a beautiful warm gold shade but still doesn't look too dark on your skin. Again it's very pigmented and blends beautifully, so it never looks harsh! An amazing product for those who want a staple highlighter that will last you a long time, as the pan is a good size and also raised. 

(Can you tell I'm highlighter obsessed) Up next is the one and only Champagne Pop by Becca X Jaclyn Hill, and good Lord it is the glow of the Gods. If you wanna glow and be seen from the moon you need this. This is a very luxurious product, as it's not cheap, at £32 a piece you gotta want it, and for me it's totally worth it. (and not just because it's by my queen Jaclyn)
The pigmentation is crazy, it's just mad good. Also the colour is gorgeous and the PERFECT champagne colour, unlike anything I've ever tried before. It is a lot of money, but I honestly think it's worth it.

Next is pallet perfection. I swear the God's and Goddesses that are Tarte cosmetics heard my prayers and made this pallet, it's utter perfection. It is the Tartlette amazonian clay matte pallet, and costs £33.

With this pallet you have 12 amazing cool-tone matte shades, that are super pigmented, super buttery, creamy and super blendable. 

The pallet is amazing as it has your everyday browns as well as darker browns and the most gorgeous pink/purples, perfect for you green or brown eyed babes out there. 

This is another one of my go-to pallets, and I 100% recommend it, deffo worth the money, I mean look at the size of that mirror! 

Last but by no means least, we have the contour King from Anastasia Beverly hills. This is the Contour Kit in Light-Medium, and it costs £39.

This pallet is honestly perfect for everyone, as they have 3 different tones, light to medium, medium tan and tan to dark (I think that's right) so the bronzing shades are catered to suit the skin tone. For example the light one has mainly cool tone ashy contour shades, perfect for that chizzeled look. 

All the powders are so pigmented and blend so easily, making it next to impossible to look muddy, like some drugstore bronzers do. Also it has the amazing highlighting shades as well as the shimmer shade, putting all your necessities in one place! 

Thankyou very much for reading I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what your favourite high-end products are and why you love them! 

Thanks again!

Fern :) 

HOW TO GROW STRONG AND HEALTHY NAILS

Hello all,

Recently I had false acrylic nails on, for prom and my holiday and my nails, which are normally stubs on the end of my fingers, managed to grow to a really nice length, as I wasn't able to bite them or pick at them. (as I usually would when bored or nervous) I'm totally obsessed with the idea of having long nails (I mean who doesn't want to be able to scratch their nose with their nail alone?!) but whenever my nails grow, they always end up weak and bendy, and never last very long! 

So I have been trying super hard to get them to strengthen up and I thought I'd share my tips and tricks with you! As we all want strong nails for the bright pastels of summer and the gorgeous berries of winter! Just you wait, you'll be cheering for our nails weight lifting at the 2020 olympics! (har har) 

First up: Nail strengtheners. These babies are the root source of all strength in your nails. These are amazing as they can be clear or tinted, so you can wear them under other nail varnish or on their own, so you don't have to worry about it being really obvious or tedious to keep applying. 

My personal favourite brand is Sally Hansen, they are slightly more expensive however they work so well and no other brands I've tried work as well as them, also they have so many different kinds to suit exactly what you want.

 My absolute fave is the 'Diamond strength' one (on the left) as it makes your nails so strong and also gives them a really nice shine. 

Next up: nail polish. The best way to grow your nails is to paint them so you don't want to ruin your manicure so it helps you to avoid picking them or biting them, also the strengtheners can be used underneath them. 

Another tip is to use bright colours (as shown above) or nail art, as if you do feel tempted to pick it, it will look odd or more obvious if it comes off, so hopefully you re-paint it or avoid chipping more. Also if you've got some fancy nail art that you worked hard on, you ideally want to keep it on for as long as possible. 

Further more, getting a gel manicure at a salon or simple using brands gel-style nail varnishes (brands such as avon, Sally Hansen and barry M, do gel nails that require no UV light) they are likely to last longer and less likely to come off. In addition to this, false acrylic or gel nails are a great idea if you want to grow your nails out, if you often bite them, like myself, as it completely takes that option away from you, especially if you've paid to get them done.

Finally, a great way to grow out your nails is to eliminate the temptation to put them in your mouth, whether that be to bite them or just a nervous thing, you want to avoid it, as the moisture will make them go very thin and bendy, so they're more likely to chip off. 

Other than those above, the best way to do that is to use a 'stop and grow' style concoction, that tastes like death in a bottle, and once painted on your nails every time you put your finger in your mouth you will be treated with a horrible taste and believe me you will not put your fingers in your mouth again! (personally this is my least favourite way, but it sure works) 

So, overall it's about having serious will power and the desire to grow them! It is difficult, and it will take a while to get them at a good strength and a length that you can deal with and maintain! No worries though, just remember that fake nails exist for a reason! (cos believe me my nails have been giving me grief for so long!) 

Thankyou for reading I hope you enjoyed! Let me know your favourite way to grow your nails! 

Thanks again 

Fern :) 

JULY FAVOURITES

Hello all,

I honestly cannot believe how fast this year has gone! Its already August which means it's almost October so it's basically new years and I can't deal with how fast time is flying! This month I feel like I've achieved so much, like I got to visit the gorgeous island of Crete and I've passed yet another Swimming teacher qualification! And I've actually managed to save my money rather than spend it all! ( a huge achievement in my books!) 

Anyway with all this gorgeous weather we've been having I have a few summer related faves this month!

Right Guard deodorant

This might seem a weird one, but I've been using men's deodorant for the the last month, due to all this hot weather and omg it's great! It lasts so so so much longer than normals women's deodorant and it also smells a lot nicer, in my opinion! It's also loads cheaper as well and you get bigger cans! 

Vaseline intensive care hand cream
Over the past few weeks I've been trying to grow out my stubby nails, as after having fake acrylics on I can't be without long nails, and I just live how they look. So to make them nice and strong so they don't break I've been using this hand cream which specially helps to strengthen nails and it does work really well.

Victoria's secret - secret escape body spray 
I absolutely love the VS body sprays as they smell amazing and they last for so long and this one is my current favourite at the moment, and I swear this is the one they spray all over the store because it's amazing and I feel like I'm just a walking VS shop (if you know what I mean) Also i've been using this for ages and hardly any of it's been used!

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Going on Holiday for me means reading a book a day whilst sitting in the sun getting burnt, so when I was on holiday I read quite a few books, and this was one of my favourite. It's about this girl who dies and when she goes to the afterlife ,a place called Elsewhere, where you age backwards until you are re-birthed, and the main story is about how she copes and who she meets and it's such a nice and exciting book. (as exciting as a book about death can get) It may sound weird but it is very good!

The testing by Joelle Charbonneau 
OMG so this book is my new favourite, it's like the Hunger Games on drugs. It's about a dystopian earth where only the best students get to go to the 'testing' which is a test to get into uni (basically) and everyone wants to go however it's not exactly what it seems (but is anything nowadays). I don't wanna give too much away but lets just say things get a lil crazy. I read it in like a day because it's so gripping and amazing and it's so easy to imagine the characters and I would 100% recommend this book.

Harry potter 

This summer I decided to spend my time re-watching all the Harry Potter movies and I've become re-obsessed. They're just so amazing and exciting and I always feel like I've been transported into another world whenever I watch them! Plus I managed to buy the ones I didn't have really cheap off ebay! 

Sally Hansen - Diamond strength
After having acrylic nails on, my nails grew So much but were so weak! And I just love having long nails so I went out and got this. I love Sally Hansen nail care anyway so I didn't mind spending a little extra to get something I knew would work well! I use this under nail varnish or on its own and it's working a treat!

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you've been loving this month!

Thanks again

Fern :) 

BODY SHOP COLOUR DROPS REVIEW

Hello all,

As you most likely know, cream contour and highlight is a massive trend at the moment and as I am basically a vampire so it's very hard for me to jump on the band wagon without becoming an orange mess! However I have found the answer to all my prayers! 

The body shop have a newish product called the Shade adjusting drops which can alter the shade of you foundation or concealer to makes them lighter or darker and I absolutely love them!

The drops come in two shades, darkening and lightening, and they are £10 each, which I think is a reasonably good price as they are very good products.

Both of them have the little pipette pump thing, (I don't know the technical term) but it makes the product really easy to use, as you can't add too much! However the actual pump doesn't pick up more than a drop, so it can be annoying and tedious to keep putting it back in and out.

As you can see in the picture the lightening one is a stark white, and it is very pigmented. It's also quite thin so it won't make your concealer or foundation extremely thick or cakey. 

To create my perfect highlighting shade, I use a foundation as it's thinner than my concealer and I personally prefer a thinner layer to highlight as I don't need that much coverage on top of my normal concealer.
I like to use a small pump of foundation (this one is the l'oreal true match) and a single drop of the white colour, I then mix them together (with a brush or my finger) and once they've blended them out on the high points of my face it makes a really nice highlighted look!

Similar to the lightening one, the darkening one is very pigmented and has a thin consistency. I love this one especially as it is the perfect shade of brown (believe me there's a lot of shades) as it's a cool tone rather than a warm tone, so it is the most natural looking for contour. 

Again, I like to use foundation as it's thinner and easier to blend out!
I use a small pump of foundation and then one pump of the shade enhancer, mix, and it created the perfect contour shade for me, which is a very cool tone shade.

The reason I love these so much is because they would work for anyone and everyone! If you have darker skin and want to highlight, but don't want it too bright then this would be perfect as one drop would slightly lighten your matching foundation! It's great for everyone!

So here's my overall review of these products:

Pros:
*easy to blend
*easy to use
*create perfect shades
*work on all skin tones
*great it you fake tan and need to alter foundation shades to match

Cons
*The pipette pump is a bit awkward to use if you want more product
*Can make your foundation/concealer very thin - which would be a problem if you wanted this to lighten your foundation to match your neck.

Finally here is how my crazy contour face looks when it's all on!

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what your favourite way to contour is!

Thankyou for reading!

Fern :) 

JUNE FAVOURITES

Hello all,

Summer is in full swing! And by that I mean it's the 3rd of July and it's already rained for 2 days... welcome to England! Anyway another month's gone which means it's time for another monthly favourites!  

Vent app

First up is this new social media app I have been loving! It's called Vent and it's similar to twitter except you can add emotions and feelings to it, making it really personal and everyone on there is so nice and friendly! Also it's great for us emotional teens or if you just need to rant away your emotions, as it always helps to share your feelings or problems with other people! 

check it out with this invite link: VENT

Beauty Blender

This month I have also been loving my new beauty blender! I don't even have to explain my love for this as it's so easy to use and makes your skin look flawless! So obsessed! 

Collection Mosaic bronzer/ NYC sunny bronzer

This month I have been loving these two bronzers to warm my skin up with before contouring. This makes you look so naturally glowy and tanned and especially makes us vampires look more human! The collection one is really glowy as it has a shimmer through it and looks very pretty and the NYC one is matte and helps you looked nice and bronzed!

The body shop shade adjusting drops

Again, vampire problems mean I can't cream contour very easily, so these shade adjusting drops have been saving me! They are amazing and just mix with foundation or concealer to make the perfect shades! I love them and have been using them none-stop!

Milani Baked blush - Rose d'amor 

I'm not much of a blush person but I adore this blush so much! It's a beautiful natural pink with some shimmer through it, and it looks stunning! I think it just pulls every makeup look together and gives your skin that extra ba-boom! Perfect for the summer!

Teen Wolf

I am so obsessed with this show! I watched the first two series when it originally aired in the UK however it is now available on Netflix so I had to re-watch it and I'M OBSESSED! I'm IN LOVE with all the characters and I neeeeed Netflix to have the rest of the series on! I need seasons 3,4 and 5!

Daredevil

Me and my Dad have been obsessed with Daredevil as well! It's Marvel, so right up my street and it has crime and law mixed in as well, not to mention a very attractive lead *winks* so I am obsessed! Deffo need to get cracking on season 2! 

NYX brow gel

I am a huge fan of eyebrows, I love filling them in and I believe there is nothing greater than a strong brow! (obviously there's greater things I'm just kidding....) So this brow gel is AMAZING! It's really thin so it's easy to use and it's so creamy you can't so wrong! I think this is a perfect dupe for the ABH dip brow pomade!

NYX Lip lingerie "satin ribbon' / primark  lip liner

My go to lip combo this past month has been this nyx liquid lipstick and this nude primark liner. This is a match made in heaven! This liner is so creamy and looks amazing under the lipstick, as they're so similar it makes application so easy and this combo id bullet proof! I can eat a whole burger and it will stay on! (tried and tested) 

Thankyou so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you've been loving recently on my instagram @foreverfern_

Thanks again!

Fern :)