One of the hardest things in every girls life is what to wear/how to do your make-up when the venue is nice, but not TOO nice. You want to look fancy and done up, but not so much people think you're heading to the club afterwards. Whenever I have such a conundrum, I turn to my trusty, very much tried and tested 'go-to' make-up.

It all starts off with a nice base. If you want to recreate this look, I don't think what foundation products you use are hugely important. Just for reference, I used MAC Studio Fix foundation, Rimmel Stay Matte powder, Bourjois bronzing powder and Benefit Sugarbomb blush. (...and breath)

I start off by dabbing Maxfactor Max Effect Dip In Eyeshadow in 'Silver Lounge' in the inner corner of my eye.

I then use Clinique Spicy eyeshadow quad. I use the medium brown over my eyelid.

I then use the darker brown in my crease.

This is where the look is versatile. You can keep going with the crease, adding more of the darker brown and then onto black if you like. I stopped here, as I wanted a more simple look. I then added eyeliner and mascara.

I put on MAC Kinda Sexy lipstick, curled my hair (max 10 mins, I am becoming a pro), changed my outfit and I was ready to go!

(apologies for the slightly blurry images, my camera was playing up!)

Mascara is probably my favourite make-up product and I'm always keeping an eye out for anything new emerging in the market. It would definitely be hard to miss the launch of this mascara, it was everywhere (or maybe I just pay attention to these things more than the average person, hmm...)

When I first caught sight of the whole marketing campaign, I was slightly confused. The posters, stands, advertisements etc. etc. all had images of pandas all over them. Having had it drilled into me since I started wearing make up: "Do not, under any circumstances, put make-up on in a way that could be described as 'panda' eyes", the idea that L'Oreal were actually celebrating 'panda' eyes made me want to run in the opposite direction. 

However, I was wrong (of course). The whole 'Miss Manga' campaign actually pays homage to Japanese Manga black and white comic books and enforces the Japanese Kawaii look, ie. big, cute eyes. The brush is especially formulated with a 360º  brush to intensify and amplify both upper and lower lashes. Hearing this, I was sold already.

This mascara is my new favourite. It manages to capture the lashes, and coats them really well with a black that stays on all day. I always put mascara on my lower lashes too and it works well for them also. 

It adds both volume and length and I love that. The only downside, however, is the fact that the lashes can get slightly clumped together. This isn't so much of a bad thing because it is easily fixable however it is irritating to have to be looking out for it every time you do your eyelashes.

You can see what I mean especially in the above photo!

All in all I really do like this mascara, and will probably be repurchasing. The pros are it gives an intense black, it adds length and it adds loads of volume! The only con is sometimes the volume can be too much and it can come across as slightly clumpy.

Before a start, a little disclaimer: this is, much to my dismay, being written via my phone and I have STILL found myself without a laptop. Insert huge sad face emotion here. I think I shall save the laptop story for another day, however just putting it out there as there may be some unexplained typos or whatever, and that is just because iPhone keyboards are definitely more fiddily, and this is the first time I've used the 'blogger' app so please bare with me. Yes, I do understand I sound a bit like an old woman here. Accept it. 

Getting onto the point, because I have no laptop to be able to transfer photos from my camera onto my blog blah blah blah, basically I don't have many resources to make a good post. So I thought I'd just blab on about a topic that's been heavy on my mind recently. No, not the Scottish referendum. (Actually has been on my mind but maybe not a topic for a beauty blog). What I like to call the Mascara Dilemma. 

Now, I don't know if I'm alone in experiencing this. My friends have assured me I'm not. I certainly hope I'm not. Anyone reading this, please let me know if you are with me on this. 

I, for the life of me, cannot keep a mascara. Now, I don't mean I lose it or damage it. And I don't mean one singular mascara. I mean the product in general. I can only repurchase a mascara twice before it STOPS WORKING. What is that about? The mascara I last month was raving about has now made my lashes clumpy stumps. (Yes I just said clumpy stumps). I didn't even realise this was happening at first. Every new mascara I'd buy, I literally thought was my new favourite mascara. And it definitely is at the time. But after a while, boom, it's time to buy a new one and start the process all over again. 

Does this happen to anyone else and what do you think causes it? My flatmate likened it to deodorant and thinks after a whole your body gets used to it and stops working. I think that's a pretty good theory but wouldn't it be the same with foundations, eyeliner and basically all other make up? I don't experience the same thing with any other product really. I know it's always a good thing to change up your beauty routine but there's definitely a point where it gets too far! 

Please let me know if you have experienced this too. We will all get through the mascara dilemma together. 

Woohoo! I spent this weekend, much to my delight, in London! My good friend Ursula lives and goes to university down there so I thought it was due time for a visit. Oh, and the small fact that Taylor Swift was performing this weekend, but more on that later...

I'm not so used to flying on my own, but it was so much easier than I expected. Absolutely nothing went wrong and the whole process was very relaxed and panic free. It was a freezing day though so had to wrap up warm!

 I had a whole row to myself on the plane and in the airport, while waiting for Ursula, two girls came up to me and offered me their underground ticket as they didn't need it any more! What a great start to the weekend.

We headed to Convent Garden and had a looked round the shops and then had some lunch and a catch up. That night we went to see 'The Light Princess' at the National Theatre and it was truly amazing. It was about a princess who floats (sounds weird but go with it) and the way the staging works in order to have her in the air at all times is pretty remarkable. And the fact that she sings the whole way through is even more amazing! Anyone that has the chance should definitely give it a watch.

The next day we set off towards the aquarium and of course, had to take a few tourist shots.

We both love all sea life (we are Pisces so that might explain it) so the aquarium was a must. I wasn't expected huge things from it but I was pleasantly surprised! You for sure get your moneys worth of entertainment. They have all sorts of weird and wonderful aquatic animals in there, as well as turtles and penguins! I could barely contain my excitement when I heard about the penguins. 

The penguins moved about so fast it was hard to get any photos. I did get an adorable video though.

Then, on Sunday night it was time for TAYLOR SWIFT! I've loved Taylor since 'Our Song' came out in 2007. I've never seen her live before so I jumped at the chance. I didn't actually take many photos of videos because I kind of wanted to experience the concert not though a camera screen but it was AMAZING. I wish I could see it again and again.

Today I'm doing a post about my favourite skincare items that are cheap, basically! I do use more expensive items too, and generally believe that when it comes to skincare you get what you pay for. However, these products are the exception as they work so well and I would actually pay more for many of them!

Mudd Original Mask- £4.99 (for 10 applications)

I actually cannot say enough good things about this face mask. I first heard about it when my sister told me that her friend who had been struggling with spots used it and it had cleared them up. Although it hasn't quite cleared ALL my spots up (I've accepted that this is just impossible) I do find it really, really works. It does remove some of my spots but I also think it just makes my skin a lot more manageable in general. I have quite an uneven skin tone so sometimes this makes putting on foundation quite difficult when my skin is not nice and smooth. If I've used this the night before I notice SUCH a difference in my skin and how easy my foundation just glides on. You can buy a smaller version of this for 99p but I'd say it's worth getting the bigger version.

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser- £5.33

You can never go wrong with a bit of Soap and Glory. This describes itself as "milky-creamy" and that's what I love about it. It smells so nice and just feels so fresh and lovely on your skin. It doesn't feel full of chemicals like some other cleansers. I don't know if does a great job with removing make-up but I'll forgive it. I usually cleanse again after using this anyway.

No.7 Quick Thinking Wipes- £7

Despite them being my whole skincare routine when I was 14, I'm usually not too keen on face wipes. I find they make your skin feel dry afterwards, and they usually tempt me to just grab a wipe and pass out in bed after a long day and not actually wash my face. These wipes, though, are totally different. My skin actually feels really fresh after using them, and by using a wipe instead of just a cleanser, you're able to make sure EVERYTHING is off, including stubborn mascara! At £7, they are probably pretty steep for wipes but right now Boots are giving away £5 off no.7 skincare vouchers so I've been stocking up!

Botanics Skin Calming Night Cream- £6.99

What I really love about this stuff, and the whole Botanics range, is the amount of natural ingredients they include in their products. This night cream include marshmallow, which is meant to calm the skin, and linden flower, which soothes and hydrates. I love using this in winter when my skin is slightly dry and irritated, I just lather it on and let it do it's magic overnight!

Salcura Antiac Liquid Spray- £9.99

I love this spray. Again, it's includes loads of natural ingredients, the main one being tea tree oil. It targets acne, and its such an easy process, you pretty much just spray it anywhere you're having acne problems and then gently rub it in. I've definitely seen a difference with my spots since I've started using this. It's admittedly on the higher scale of 'budget' but it's definitely worth it.

No.7 Total Renewal Exfoliator- £11

This includes aluminium-oxide micro-crystals which exoliate away all your dead skin cells and smooth and renew the new ones. Earlier I mentioned my skin can get quite uneven, so I love using this and making my skin feel much smoother.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Facial Wash- £4.94

This is the ulimate face wash to use in the shower. If you've used it before, you'll know exactly what I mean. It says it leaves your skin with an "uplifting, clean feel" and that is exactly it. It has such a fresh, nice smell and it's very lightweight, it just feels great on your skin. It does a really good job of removing make up too!

A few weeks ago me and my flatmate went to Vodka Rev for supper. I'd been there before, downstairs, for pre-drinks before I head out in town but I had never tried their food before. Admittedly, I didn't even know they did food until one of my friends pointed it out to me. It's situated on Belmont Street, which is a really busy street in Aberdeen. It's home to a lot of bars, and there's a couple nightclubs on the street but they're all really old buildings which I think looks cool.

You'd never guess that there's a really busy, loud bar downstairs because the upstairs is actually really chilled out and cosy.

We arrived and were greeted by the really friendly people working behind the upstairs bar. We got cocktail menus, food menu and were told to take a look at the specials menu that was up on the wall.

First, we ordered some cocktails. I got the Pretty Pretty Bang Bang, which has Stoli and Absolut Raspberri vodkas, strawberries, Grenadine and Red Bull. My flatmate Georgi went for the Long Island Iced Tea with Stoli vodka, Cointreau liqueur, Bombay Sapphire gin, Bacardi Superior rum & Sauza tequila with a squeeze of lemon then topped with Coca Cola. You could tell they were really strong (at least you're getting what you paid for) but they surprisingly tasted really nice as well!

Then, for the food. After much deliberation, I went for the Chicken, Chorizo and Pesto Pappardelle which consisted of thick ribbon pasta tossed with fresh rosemary, sliced chorizo and sun blushed tomatoes in a light and creamy sauce of pesto and sugar snap peas. Georgi went for the Peppercorn Burger, a burger with cheese, creamy peppercorn sauce and served with onion rings and chips. The menu was big and there was lots of things you choose from. You can definitely tell it's a place more aimed at young people, though, and the menu has alot of things like burgers and nachos with seems to appeal to younger people a little bit more. 

Not only was the presentation immaculate but the food tasted so good too! I'm told that on Mondays, the whole menu is half price so I will definitely be heading there again very soon.

  

If you’re anything like me, you're also guilty of justifying being lazy as going for the 'messy look' when, really, you just can't be bothered to get out of bed and decide to sacrifice having nice hair and make-up for an extra few minutes in bed. Sometimes I even go as far as sporting the 'Kesha look', a look that no pair of eyes should be forced to see and one that will certainly never make it onto this blog. Anyway, this look was one where I left the shower, spent about two minutes on make up and once I realised it was raining I decided that there really was no point even attempting to tame my hair. I was going to embrace the mess. So I threw on some Revlon lipstick in an attempt to trick everyone into thinking I'd actually made an effort today, and went for a bit of a rock chick vibe with my outfit. A very, very simple rock chick as my wardrobe is kind of lacking in interesting outfits and I was in a rush to leave my flat. Here is my look for today, can you tell I was ready in ten minutes or has my 'messy look' worked? :)