Time to hear from you

Friday, December 12, 2014

As the end of the year rolls around once again, it's time to look to the new year ahead of us and continue to grow and evolve. Isobel Rose is my biggest passion, and you - the readers - are what keep me coming back for more, so I want to continue to improve myself and my content to keep you coming back! I love the interaction with you guys, and it will always put a smile on my face when I see a regular commenter leaving a little message for me.

As thanks for completing this survey for me (and for being generally awesome!) I will be holding a little giveaway in the new year for all of my lovely readers. One of the ways of entering will be by completing this survey, so if you do this be sure to check that off when the giveaway is announced! There is no real way of me checking so this will be more of an honour system, so hopefully I can trust you guys to keep up your end of the deal ;) 

 So, I guess all that's left to say is thank you for all of your support, and here's to another great year in 2015! 
Isobel x

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A guide to Vampy Lips

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
I have a bit of a thing for dark, vampy lips - it's hardly a secret. Over the years, my collection has grown quite a bit and now I have quite the smorgasbord of tones and finishes to choose from when the darker days arrive. So, without further ado, here's a guide to the darker lipsticks I own to help you pick out your next purchase!

Rimmel Matte Kate Lipstick in '107' (£5.49):
A berry-wine colour, and as the name suggests, matte. Perhaps better for those who are not yet comfortable with a darker lip but want to try it out. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in 'Grand Cru' (£8.99):
This is perhaps my favourite formula of lipstick around - the applicator makes creating a sharp line super easy, the colour is still quite easy to wear and the wear time is incredible. 

Topshop Gloss Ink in 'Sloe Gin' (£8.00):
'Sloe Gin' is definitely the pinkest of the lot - it's a lovely raspberry colour with a super glossy finish. I find this one a bit fiddly to apply, but if you put the time in then the final result is stunning.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 'Black Cherry' (£7.49):
I believe that this is the first ever 'darker' lip colour that I bought, and for good reason. The formula is gorgeous and creamy, the colour is dark but not too daring and it's not only affordable but also incredibly easy to get your hands on. A great vampy colour to start with.

MAC Lipstick in 'Rebel' (£15.50):
This is where it starts to get a bit more intense, but boy do I love this shade. You can wear it lightly as a berry stain (like I did here), or full on as a much vampier lip - it's velvet texture makes for a matte look with a bit more dimension, and it lasts really well without drying out your lips. 

Topshop Lipstick in 'Beguiled' (£8.00):
'Beguiled' is a nice middle ground between 'Rebel' and 'Diva', and is a nice, cheaper alternative to both. I probably wouldn't' have bought this on its own as it is so similar to 'Rebel', but I after getting it as part of a Christmas gift set from Topshop, it's still a well loved member of my dark-lip collection.  

Lord & Berry 20100 Lip Crayon in Diva* (£10.00):
As the darkest colour I own, I find this quite hard to wear with my pale complexion - but when I do - it's really awesome. I'm glad I had the chance to review this because it probably wouldn't be something I would buy myself, but it's a lot of fun to use, but requires a bit of courage!

BEST FOR BEGINNERS:
Rimmel Matte Kate Lipstick in '107'  and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 'Black Cherry'
MY TOP PICKS:
MAC Lipstick in 'Rebel', Lord & Berry 20100 Lip Crayon in Diva* and Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in 'Grand Cru'

YOUTUBE / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

The products marked with an asterisk (*) were sent to me for reviewing purposes, but all opinions my own.
No payment was received for this post, apart from the products themselves.

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A Winter Day in Bath

Monday, December 8, 2014




After a week or two of hellish university life and the last of my big assignments completed, I decided that the weekend was mine to enjoy. The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, so on my way to get my hair cut at my favourite place in Bath - Melanie Giles - I managed to snap some pictures. I absolutely love that place - the way it's decorated and set up is stunning and I'm always happy with my results - not to mention that the hair-washing chair also has a massager built in! After my pampering session I wandered back into town, taking in the festive vibes and getting some Christmas shopping done along the way. Although Bath is a tad too busy for my liking at this time of year, there is no denying that it has such an amazing atmosphere - from children giggling on the carrousel to the mass of Christmas goodies at the ever-popular Christmas Market - it's hard not to be taken in by it all. As the light started to dwindle, I met up with my friend Kiara and continued shopping before heading to Gourmet Burger Kitchen for a delicious treat. As for Sunday, I pretty much hibernated in my room watching YouTube, reading blogs and catching up on some of my favourite TV shows. So, all-in-all, a pretty jolly weekend indeed. What did you guys get up to this weekend? 

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#PaleGirls: Inner-Eye Highlighters

Saturday, December 6, 2014
Being as pale as I am can be a bit tricky at times - orange foundations and cheek highlights that look like blushes on me are all part of my daily frustration. During my time spent dabbling in the wonderful world of makeup, I have found a select few inner-corner eyeshadows that actually perform as intended on my ghost-like skin (we're talking NW15/20 in MAC and pretty much the lightest shade in every other brand). So, before you go out and buy a highlighter that your favourite 'beauty guru' swears by - but will actually turn out to be practically invisible on your skin - I've compiled a list of my favourites for you to take a look at...

MAC Phloof! (£13): 
After trying out numerous other highlighting 'favourites' like Brule, Vanilla or Shroom from the brand, I came to the conclusion that I am simply paler than most of my favourite bloggers/YouTubers and I had to look elsewhere for my fix. Whilst studying makeup in London one summer, I came across perhaps one of my favourite all-time shades from MAC ever - Phloof! It has a gorgeous buttery texture and a frosty finishes that completely illuminates your eyes, waking them up instantly. 

Urban Decay Virgin (£14 single/£37 for the Naked Palette):
Virgin has definitely become my most used shade from the UD Naked Palette - and for very good reason. Just like Phloof! it looks amazing on paler skin to liven things up a bit. If you already own the Naked Palette or are itching to buy it then certainly give this shade a go - but if you don't want to spend the £40 on the entire palette, Virgin is also sold as a single eyeshadow for £14. 

Urban Decay Venus (£22 for the UD Basics Palette):
The shade of Venus doesn't really differentiate from the others that I've mentioned, although I think it's perhaps slightly lighter than Virgin. Again the texture is gorgeous and the colour payoff is great so it's an all round winner for me. Unfortunately, unlike Virgin, this shade isn't sold individually from the palette, but to be honest is a single shadow costs £14 and the Naked Basics Palette only costs £22 - you can buy the whole palette and enjoy not only Venus but five other fantastic shades.

Have you got any favourites that I've missed? Let me know!
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Brows for Blondies

Tuesday, December 2, 2014


Okay, bare with me because I'm going to get a bit old-timer-y - but when I was younger, trying to find a product for my poor, patchy little platinum eyebrows was quite the chore. Basically, the choices were barely there invisible brows, or ginger ones. Now, don't get me wrong - ginger brows are fine, but just not on a little blonde girl. I spent many a year sporting one of the above options, both of which looked frankly ridiculous until I decided enough was enough. Until fairly recently, the only way to get a decent brow colour match for us blondies was through higher end brands that were frankly way beyond my budget. I believe that I started off with MAC eyeshadows (which in all honesty aren't that expensive) and have been dabbling ever since! I like to use different formulas for different occasions - powders are great for a soft, natural look, gels can create a much stronger look and stay in place for ages, and pencils are generally the best all-rounder and most convenient for me, but it's all up to personal preference, so get trying!

Powder:
- MAC e/s in Omega - definitely the most tame of the above, perfect for helping disguise any patchiness and just helping to make the brow that bit more polished.
- MAC e/s in Copperplate - I love this in combination with Omega when I need that extra punch of pigmentation - Omega at the front of the brows and this in the ends makes for a soft yet polished look. 

Gel:
- Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in #10 - this is definitely one of the stronger colours which makes it perfect for a super strong brow. Also, being part of the MUFE Aqua line makes this thing pretty much invisible against all type of weather - I've even been swimming with it on!
- Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium - this doesn't have a huge amount of pigmentation, so gives a softer look like a powder but without the same precision. Great for polishing off already pretty groomed brows and keeps them in place all day.

Pencil:
- MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Fling - the waxiness of this combined with the great pigmentation means that I've gone through about 15 of these in my time - it's definitely a go-to for me. 
- Soap & Glory Archery Pencil in Blondshell - this is probably one of the best colour matches that I've come across for us blondies in the drugstore. I think that I prefer the MAC alternative just because it's a tad more pigmented, but this is a great option to try out if you don't want to spend a fortune. 

* My favourite tool to use with the two eyeshadows and the MUFE gel is the MAC 266 or 263 - these are super thin and excellent for brow work. 

Are you a blondie who struggles to find brow colours to match?
Have I missed out any of your favourites? Let me know!
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