Blogust Day 3- AuGuest #1

Hello!

How are you?

I'm Lizzie from creative blog Head full of flowers and today, thanks to the lovely Charlie, I'll be talking to you about some of my favourite products from my summer makeup bag!

When it comes to summer makeup, I like to stow away my heavy foundations and dark lipsticks in my vanity case and instead opt for products that are lighter, brighter and easier to travel with.

Usually summer time brings about me transitioning from foundations to bb creams and tinted moisturisers, however this year I've fallen for a gorgeous, light weight foundation 'Barry M Flawless Matte Finish Foundation' which still gives me the coverage I desire but allows my skin to breathe. I really love how this foundation contains ingredients that actually help to improve your skin, which makes it perfect for events like festivals, as your skin looks even better by the end of the day. It's also great for layering, making it the perfect quick and easy day-night foundation as you can always pop on another coat, add a little winged liner and you're ready for an evening dining by the beach.

MUA pro base is another must have for my summer makeup bag. It's great for concealing dark circles without caking or slipping; making it great for even the warmest of weather. It's also great for smaller spots and discolouration so on those occasions where the sun catches my cheeks a little, I know I have back up!

If you have ever visited my blog before, you'll know how much I love to DIY when it comes to cosmetics. My translucent loose powder recipe which you can find on my blog is a must for my summer makeup bag, it's light and airy and perfect for stopping my makeup slide in the heat. As a sufferer from oily t-zone syndrome I can honestly say this powder is fantastic for oil control, especially handy considering the weather we've been having recently!

I'm incredibly prone to dry lips all year round and definitely no less in the summer time. Vaseline lip therapy balm is a must for me, my favourite balm being 'rosy lips' as it smells amazing, is incredibly moisturising and still gives me a little colour: perfect for summer!

While I'm usually more of a bronzer gal in summer, I've really been loving MUA's blusher in lolly recently. Lolly is a really sheer matte blush and is perfect for giving me a little extra colour in the cheeks, creating a really soft and natural contour.

Gel liner will always be my first eye makeup love but when it comes to creating natural, summery looks, miners chubby eye pencil is a must have. The pencil is really creamy, easy to apply and great for day-night looks.

While I love playing up the eyes; summer, warm weather and travel aren't always agreeable with big dramatic eyes and bulky palettes. Instead, for 'every day' I like to chuck two shadows into my makeup bag: 17s gold emerald for the daytime to bring out my green eyes and then 17s dark matte black for an easy smokey evening eye.

If I could only use one product ever again, it would have to be mascara. My favourite for summer being MUA's extreme volume mascara in extreme black. If I'm going out but not in the mood for a lot of makeup, a few coats of this will have me ready to go. With long lashes anyway, I love how this mascara gives natural but undeniable volume: drawing all the attention to my eyes and away from that big spot in the middle of my forehead. Or so I like to think!

I like to carry two summery lipsticks with me during the warmer months: MUA's matte lips 'totally nude' which is the perfect every day nude colour and Rimmel kate moss vibrant coral in 110 which is much brighter but if lightly dabbed on, also great for adding a summery pop of colour for every day. Both are incredibly rich and creamy however totally nude leaves a matte finish while vibrant coral leaves you with a sheen finish and is a lot more pigmented. Both lipsticks are also perfect for doubling up for the evening, vibrant coral for a statement lip and totally nude to work perfectly with a smokey eye. They both have fantastic staying power and I don't find that either budges for a good hour or two after application, even if I'm drinking a lot in the warm weather.

And finally, something for the brows! While I often like to use MUAs matte eye shadow palette  in shade 'truffle' for my brows during the summer, Laval dark brown eyebrow pencil is still a firm favourite in my makeup bag, whatever time of year. Unlike many other pencils I've used, laval brow pencil doesn't budge, slip or slide in the heat: it stays put all day long.

And that's all my summer makeup bag favourites!

What are yours?

Thank you so much to Charlie for allowing me to guest post, as a huge fan of her lovely blog here, it has been a real privilege. It has also been a massive privilege to have the chance to talk to you, her wonderful readers, so a big thank you to you also!

If you fancy stopping by my happy little blog and saying hello- please do so! You can find me there at Head-full-of-flowers.blogspot.co.uk or on twitter, pinterest and instagram @Liz___zie

Have a wonderful day,

Lizzie

Blogust Day 2- Music Monday #1

Welcome to Music Monday! Every Monday in August I'm going to be talking to you guys about my current favourite albums and artists. I'm hoping you'll get to know me a bit better through this AND we can start talking music, which is a big passion of mine.

This week I'm kicking off with In the Lonely Hour, the debut album from Sam Smith.

Sam is a British singer and song writer with the most beautifully soulful voice. His album was released back in May this year and ever since I've been completely hooked. Until the release I was making do with the few songs that had already been released, but since it's been out I've been listening to the whole album over and over and over again. It's just brilliant.

The album includes fifteen tracks:

Money On My Mind

Good Thing

Stay With Me

Leave Your Lover

I'm Not The Only One

I've Told You Now

Like I Can

Life Support

Not In That Way

Lay Me Down

Restart

Latch(Acoustic)

La La La- ft Naughty Boy

Make It To Me

You'll probably recognise the names of some of the tracks, such as Money On My Mind, Latch and La La La, but you really need to listen to the whole album.

Sam's voice is versatile it brings an edgy sound to the poppy beats but his voice is equally soulful and sound beautiful on the more emotional tracks such as Stay With Me, Lay Me Down and Leave Your Lover.

What more can I say? GO CHECK HIM OUT!

Blogust Day 1- Charlie's Chatter #1

SURPRISE! Hello to you all and welcome to August and day one of Blogust! This month I'm going to be posting every week day of the month- that's a whopping 21 posts this month, rather than the normal 4!!

To keep things interesting I'm introducing all different kinds of series here on CC&B.

On Mondays can expect Music Monday where I'll have a good old natter about music I'm loving currently and think you should discover too!

Every Tuesday of the month there will be an AuGuest post- I'm really excited about this one- I have four wonderful beauty and fashion bloggers that are going to be guest posting over here- we've got some great posts lined up for you all!

Wednesdays will be something random from me, probably a bit of beauty chatter or a product review- I'm a beauty junkie, I just couldn't help myself!

Thursdays for the month of Blogust are going to be #TBT- I'm going to be talking you through some one the most iconic beauty figures of yesteryear and helping you recreate their looks.

And finally, on Fridays comes the turn of Charlie's Chatter..This will be my chance to just have a good old chatter about what ever is on my mind that day...I've also got some pretty important changes coming up in the month of August which I'll be talking to you about at some point.

So there you have it, the plan for Blogust!

I hope you're all looking forward to it as much as I am..Let me know if you have any requests for throughout the month. Let's make August a cracker!

July Favourites

Hello you lovely people and welcome to my July Favourites.. Yet again another month has flown by without me realising and it's that time of the month when I bunch together my favourites from the past 4 weeks and tell you what I've been enjoying!

First up is a base product in the form of the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30. This little one is described as a hydrating colour corrector..I use the shade "Medium" and find that it actually works very well on my pale skin. It looks a little scary when first dispensed on the back of the hand (it's reaaally dark) but as soon as it's smoothed onto the skin it perfectly matches my skintone whilst adding just a hint of warmth. I find this goes on best with fingers, rather than a brush. What I really love about this product is the way it makes my skin look; it evens everything out without making me looking ill, it reduces the look of pores AND it actually looks better and better the longer it's been on the skin. Love it.

Next up is the Mega Plush Volum' Express mascara from Maybelline. I used this for a while last summer and then stopped for a while, but recently rediscovered it. It really does give me HUGE lashes; it gives masses of volume and adds to the length and looks super black. I'm not really sure why I stopped using it!

Moving on to lips, this month I've really been enjoying quite sheer pink hues. I've got to mention the Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Kissy Fit and the Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in the shade Pink-a-boo. Kissy Fit is quite a hot pink that looks very juicy and bright on it's own, but it also really amps up a lipstick if you choose to wear one underneath. Pink-a-boo is sort of that perfect nudey-pink with a very subtle shimmer running through it, it's really pretty and is very comfortable and moisturising on the lips.

My next favourite is the VO5 Smoothly Does It Tame & Shine Spray. I love wearing my hair is loose beachy waves, but when the summer comes around as does the frizz. This light mist tames the frizz, restores the shine that can sometimes be difficult to maintain in blonde hair and has a built in heat protectant. I spritz a little through my hair before heat styling and then a little after as a finishing spray. It doesn't weigh my hair down and has a nice light fragrance to it.

My final favourite is a brush..Unfortunately I don't have an exact name for it but, it's the double ended synthetic brush that comes with the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. Specifically, I've been really enjoying the domed end of the brush. All this month I've been using it to apply my concealer and I've completely fallen in love. It blends the product into the skin seamlessly and allows my to build up thin layers when I need to. Great for under eyes and any pesky blemishes. It's fab.

So that's it for July. What have your favourites been?

Just to let you know my scheduling is going to be completely different in August so keep your eyes peeled for tons of new posts!

Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll speak to you all soon.

Top 5...Lipsticks

I'm back with yet another instalment of my Top 5 series! Today I'm talking you guys through my all time favourite lipsticks, there's a range of brands and shades that I'm looking forward to showing you. I'm going to be focusing on particular shades, rather than certain finishes or a specific shade, purely because there are SO many lipsticks out there, I want you to know what my actual recommendations are. Let's get cracking!

First up is my go-to pillar-box red. The Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Lipstick in the shade 01. I'd describe this as having a demi-matte finish; it's hydrating and strongly pigmented, with a slight sheen. It's probably the most comfortable red lip you'll wear (if you're opting for a lipstick formula) as it's non-drying and serious sticks around the lips. I used to be rather afraid of red lips as they're super bold, there's no hiding with a red lip on, but since discovering this product I've been embracing the bright lip and rocking it often. This is also extremely purse friendly, go grab yourself one!

Next we have my winter nude..A little deeper than you're average nude but still goes with everything. The Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in the shade 77 Asia. It's a sort of deep browny nude with a purple mauve undertone. Wow, great description, not. But you'll be able to see what I mean from the swatch. This too, wears very comfortably and hangs around for quite a while. Oh, and did I mention the smell? The moment you take of the cap you're fit with quite a sweet smell, that I can't really describe but, ooo, it is yummy.

Moving on to my favourite Autumn/Winter deep berry lip... The 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in Rich. A very very deep maroon- this actually leans towards the pinky end of the spectrum when one thin layer is applied but as soon as you start to build it up it transforms into the perfect vampy deep red. I've talked about it previously so won't go on and on, but I love it!

If I'm feeling a bright, bold lip, but don't fancy red I'll grab the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Shimmer Lipstick in Candy. Don't be put off by the "Shimmer", in this particular lipstick the shimmer doesn't actually translate onto the lips. It's a beautifully bright blue toned pink..think a muted version of MAC's Girl About Town. Somehow though, it's an extremely wearable shade.

And last but by no means least, my all time favourite lipstick, though sadly now discontinued... Clinique's Colour Surge Bare Brilliance Lipstick in Blushing Coral. This is so pretty, my words won't even do it justice. It's a sheer coral shade with an extremely fine gold shimmer running throughout it. It's the PERFECT summer lip and looks great with pretty much any skin tone! Fear not though, I've found a dupe! MAC's Lustre Lipstick in Charismatic, whilst not exactly identical, comes very very close. It's actually described as a "Terracotta with gold" so is a tad more orangey, but is still extremely similar! Phew.

It took me AGES to narrow my stash down to these 5. Let me know what your absolute favourite lipsticks are..What should I try next?

The Girl Power Tag

This week I'm coming at you with one of the best tags out there in my opinion, the Girl Power Tag. This one has been doing the rounds on the net for a while now, so I thought it was about time I jumped on the bandwagon. Let's get into it...

What does Girl Power mean to you?

For me, Girl Power is being confident in yourself and your abilities and not feeling like you're incapable of doing something just because you're female. It's about being strong and confident and not taking "No" for an answer.

What is the best advice you can give girls who want to be powerful?

Have faith in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you? I'm not talking about being arrogant here, this is more about pushing yourself to do something that you might normally hold back from.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

This is such a hard question!! I'd probably go for mind reading. Imagine all the interesting things you find out..and you'd always know what other people are thinking and feeling.

What beauty product makes you feel powerful?

I feel powerful and confident when I've got winged eye-liner on. It makes my eyes look super feline like and cool, plus there's the added satisfaction of getting in right and not ending up with eyeliner on your chin!

Why is it important to have powerful women as role models?

Role models are SO important..they're the people we look up to, to inspire us to do incredible things. Without inspiration and someone leading the way, it's hard to believe that you too can do something great.

Which public figure do you think is powerful and why?

I personally think Angelina Jolie is extremely powerful. Since 2001 she has been working closely with the UN and charities such as UNICEF to raise awareness about refugees in third world countries, she has also taken part in countless missions in areas such as Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. I think she's an absolute inspiration and is a great example of someone in the public eye using their position to help those in need. To me, she is a symbol of Girl Power.

So there is the Girl Power Tag. I encourage ALL girls out there to do this tag too, it's really quite a thought provoking one.

Milk Free Pancakes

The other day I was craving pancakes, when I found to my dismay that I'd run out of milk. Fear not! To the internet I fled and stumbled across this milk-free pancake recipe. Obviously I tried it out straight away and served myself up a giant plate of pancakes. They were so yummy I thought I'd share the recipe with you....

You will need:

1 cup of plain white flour

3 tablespoons of caster sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

a good chunk of butter

3/4 water

1 egg

Step 1:

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.

Step 2:

Melt your butter

Step 3:

Mix you water, butter and egg in a plastic jug.

Step 4:

Add in your dry ingredients.

Step 5:

Mix everything together to get rid of the lumps.

Step 6:

Cook the pancakes over a medium heat. Once the pancake has movement on the one side, flip it over to cook on the other. Cook until golden brown.

Step 7:

Serve with your preferred topping....(maple syrup, golden syrup, fruit, melted butter etc)

And that's it! It took me about 15 minutes to cook up these babies and let me tell you, they were so tasty! I couldn't even taste the difference without milk. Send me your pictures if you have a go at them!