2014 Favourites! | Happy New Year

So here we are at the end of another year and 2015 will be here in just a few short hours. So that means that I'm going to be looking back on my favourite things from 2014. I do warn you, you'll have seen the majority of these in previous posts because not much changes from month to month so I won't say much on each product and I'll add a few extra random favourites from throughout the year at the end. So here we go!

1. Rimmel Match Perfection foundation

This has been mentioned in so many posts over the past few months from quick fix makeup must haves to monthly favourites, but it truly has been my favourite foundation that I have tried from this year and I still continue to wear it practically everyday. You can find it here for £6.99.

2. eos Lipbalms

In the picture above is the 'blueberry' flavour I believe but these lipbalms are my absolute best friend all year round. They leave your lips so ridiculously soft and they have the perfect texture. I just cannot give them enough praise. You can get these from Urban Outfitters or on Amazon for around £5 each. 

3. L'Oreal False Lash Flutter Midnight Blacks mascara

This has also been mentioned time and time again but I just cannot miss this out in this post. I am a very picky mascara person, and if a mascara makes my eyelashes look the slightest bit 'spidery' or clumped then I will not use it. But I seriously love this thing to pieces and I'm a little bit afraid to use anything else because this just makes my lashes look so much better. You can find this here for £9.35.

4. Revlon Colorstay Gel Eyeliner

Whenever I have any eyeliner on, I use this bad boy. I just think that gel eyeliner and a brush is so much easier to use than a felt tip or liquid eyeliner. This, paired with a good primer will last all day and leave you with a beautiful wing. (Well, I haven't mastered that last bit yet).

5. Urban Decay Primer Potion

I was recommended this by my friend Ailsa quite a good few months back and her recommendation did not disappoint! This thing keeps my eye makeup on my eyes rather than elsewhere on my face. It's just so good and you can find it here for £16.

6. Sleek Blushes

You've seen these so many times in previous posts but these by far have been my favourite blushes throughout the entire year. Here I have the shades 'flushed' and 'rose gold' and they can be found here for £4.49.

7. The Naked 2 palette

This thing cannot be beaten in my opinion for eye shadows. The mixture of mattes and shimmers is just perfect and Urban Decay's formula is just so pigmented and amazing! I particularly like the warmer tones to this palette compared to the tones of the other two palettes as this one suits my skin tone better. You can find it here for £37.

8. Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in 'Sugar Apple'

I wore this nail polish pretty much all the way through spring and summer, which is highly unlikely for me to do. The colour of this is just a beautiful vibrant mint colour that is just great for spring and summer. It can be found here for £3.99.

9. Seche Vite topcoat

This just cannot be beaten in the world of topcoats. It's as close to a gel polish that isn't a gel polish as you can get (if that made any sense). It just leaves your nails so smooth and can make your polish last for over two weeks. You can find it here for £9.85 or on Amazon for around £5.  

10. Orly 'Star Spangled'

I was wearing this pretty much non stop on the lead up to Christmas because it's just such a beautiful festive red glitter. Now, 'glitter' can scare people when it comes to removing nail polish but trust me, this comes off so easily because the glitter is so fine. Well done Orly. You can get your hands on it here for £10.99 (I know, a bit pricey for a nail polish, but it's worth it).

11. L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray

I used to hate wearing hairspray because it would leave my hair crunchy and tuggy, until I discovered this. It really does leave your hair feeling as normal and disappears at the stroke of a brush, while still keeping your hair in place all day. You can find this here for £4.69.

Random Favourites

Now, I'm just going to make a list of the various things that I've been liking in the movie/book section of my life and I'll add a link if I've wrote about it on my other blog so you can see more about it.

1. Mockingjay Part 1 (movie) link

2. Divergent trilogy (books and movie) 

3. The Maze Runner (books and movie) link

4. The fault in Our Stars (book and movie) 

5. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

6. Paper Towns - John Green

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed! And I hope you have a great New Year and I'll see you in 2015!

Emma x

#OOTD

Before I begin, I'd like to apologise for the state of my mirror in the first picture, I appreciate that it is truly needing a good clean but I couldn't get a complete view of the outfit without using it. Anyhow, onto the actual clothes bit.

Jumper: I picked this jumper up at Forever 21 for around £18, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot for the life of me find the link to it, so apologies. I only picked it up a few days before Christmas so it should be around still in the shops. 

Skirt: I again picked this up at Forever 21 for a bargain price of £9.50. There is a bit of a pattern running through the skirt that you can't really see in my pictures, however, you should be able to see it from the picture on Forever 21's website.

Bag: You cannot go wrong with a good satchel and I managed to pick mines up at River Island for £30. There is also a smaller option available if you don't need to carry as much as I normally do.

Necklace: Again, I couldn't find the link to this necklace, however I found a necklace that is very similar here. I picked mines up in the Dorothy Perkins section of BHS, however it was nowhere to be seen on their website!

Bracelet: Nomination bracelet. I've had mines for years and they can practically be found on the majority of jewellery websites.

Thanks for reading this blogpost, I hope you enjoyed! I hope you all had a great Christmas and there will be a special post up on Wednesday for 2015!

Emma x

Sponsored? Don't think so!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I hope you are all having a very merry Christmas and that you are eating as much food as you can possibly hold in your stomach. I know I will be! I hope that you're all enjoying the company of your families and enjoying the present that you got (even though that's not what its really meant to be about). I've got to be honest, I'm not all that religious but I do celebrate this day as a day that you spend time with your friends and families and appreciate each others company in whatever way you wish. We have a tradition in our family that everyone stays Christmas night at our house, and on Boxing Day, we play a few of the games that we got the previous day. 

This may well be one of the most boring and pointless posts I've ever done but I just wanted to wish you all a happy Christmas. And yes, I did have a photoshoot with my Christmas tree to get those pictures. 

I'd love to hear your Christmas traditions if you'd like to leave them in the comments:)

Merry Christmas, 

Emma x

Christmas Present Ideas

It's that time of year again when you are being asked what you would like for Christmas, and if you're anything like me the answer probably be 'I don't know'. So today I thought I'd share with you some ideas of things that you might like to get or give. 

1. ghd products

ghd v rose gold styler found here for £130

ghd curve soft curl tong found here for £110

Now, I know it's a big present to start with and costs near enough an arm and a leg, but ghd products are the best thing ever to exist for hair styling. This year I'm going to be getting their limited edition rose gold straighteners from my mum which are just so GORGEOUS because she broke my last pair. I've heard exceedingly good things about their curling tools which are coming out soon so you might want to check those bad boys out on the ghd website linked here.

2. The Naked Palettes

All palettes can be found here including the basics palettes. Full palettes are £37 and basics are £22.

If you do not have one of these then you most definitely want one in your life. Again, a bit on the pricier side if it's just for a friend but I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. There is also the option of the Naked Basics palettes which are cheaper and offer a more limited range of colours. You cannot go wrong with this products if it's going to a girl that loves makeup.

3. A Nice Makeup Bag

'Giller' Ted Baker wash bag found here for £29

Every girl wants a nice bag to keep her makeup in. And these bags can be found in a variety of prices; from 20-odd pound Ted Baker bags to £3 primark ones. They can also be found in a variety of sizes and shapes and God knows what else so they can suit any girl. 

4. Pyjamas

Penguin Fleece Pyjama Bottoms found here for £6

The majority of girls seem to have this fascination with Christmas pyjamas, so why not get a pair? Again you can get a really large variety of these and they can range in prices. My favourite place to get Christmas jammies is actually either Primark or Asda as they are pretty decent quality and you don't have to break the bank! Another option for a nice little home comfort is a nice pair of cosy slippers or fuzzy socks.

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed! And I hope you have a great Christmas!

Emma x

November Favourites 2014

It's that time of the month again, it's favourites time! After taking a few months off of favourites I have a few new picks that I'm loving that I'm going to share with you. Let's just jump right in, shall we?


I'm going to start off with the products that I don't really need to swatch or anything.
1. Argon Oil
I managed to get this specific argon oil for around £1 in body care so I decided to give it a whirl. I simply put this through the bottom 2 thirds of my hair when it is wet and by the time it's dry, my hair is amazingly soft and shiny. A must have for all with hair. 

2. #DACLIP
If you have seen any of Essie Button's videos (which you should have), she is a huge fan of hair clips. I am also a follower of this clan and love using these to get my hair out of my face whether I'm relaxing at home, going out and about or applying makeup. They have so many uses! I managed to pick these up in Superdrug for a few pounds, however I couldn't find them on their website!

3. Bourjois Kohl and Contour Eyeliner in 'Ultra Black'

I do not think that you could get a better highstreet eyeliner if I'm being honest. This beats my old Revlon Colourstay hands down. It has amazing lasting power, is pretty smudge-proof and has amazing colour payoff. You can find this for only £4.99. *swatch at the end of the post*


4. No 7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in 'Winter Berry'

This is, plainly enough, just the perfect winter berry lip, just as the name states. The formula of this is also amazing and keeps your lips moisturised all day long. This is seriously just perfection in a bullet. Found here for £9.95. *swatch at the end of this post*


5. Sleek Blush in 'Flushed'

This is, again, the perfect winter shade. It gives you the great 'I'm in from a cold day but I don't look like a clown' kind of look. Because, the good thing about this is that it's pigmented, but not too pigmented to the state that it takes loads of effort to blend it all out nicely. It's just amazing to be quite honest and can be found here for £4.49.

6. No 7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow

This is just the perfect shade for everyday use as it's natural, but still adds a lovely cool-toned sheen to the lid. It also has pretty amazing staying power when combined with a primer. The only downside however, is that it's part of a trio so you have to buy all three to get it because this single shadow was limited edition. I'll link the 'good earth' trio so you can pick it up if you wish anyway, it can be found here for £9.50. 

Here are the swatches in order left to right.

Thanks for reading this blogpost, I hope you enjoyed this monthly favourites!

Emma x

That Red Lip Classic Thing That You Like | Perfect Reds

Today I'd like to focus on a few, of what I see as, perfect red lip colours. A red lip is always a great little pick-me-up and makes you immediately feel put together. Also, because Christmas is just around the corner, it's always good to have that red on hand. 

First I have the Revlon Colorburst Lip Lacquer in 'Provocateur' - £7.99 - which provides a very high shine pinkish-red colour that is bright, but can be blended down a bit. I love this colour as a stain as it gives a perfect healthy look to your lips. It's just an all-around great shade, however it isn't for everyone so I'd recommend trying it before buying it.

I then have the Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 'Hollywood Red', which is a better option for all of those with dark hair. It is priced at around £7 I think and the overall colour payoff and staying power of this is incredible and well worth the purchase. A very classy looking lipstick that just looks flawless. There is also a lip liner available in this shade which also comes in handy.

Thanks for reading this blogpost, I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned throughout December for some Christmas posts.

Emma x

Title: 'Style' by Taylor Swift

"Wow, I like your lipstick"

We all have that lipstick that makes us feel amazing when we wear it. For me, at the moment anyway, it's been a nice vampy dark lip.These two lippies at the minute have been my absolute go-to for a pick-me-up or to make my makeup a bit more interesting. 

Lets start off with the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the shade 'Black Cherry' which can be found here for £7.49. First off, the colour of this is beautiful, it's a dark brownish-cherry colour that is just perfect for colder seasons. Also, the formula of this is pretty moisturising. The staying power isn't the greatest if you've been eating or drinking but it's easily topped up. The finish of this product has a lovely creamy sheen which makes your lips look pretty plump and juicy, which is never a bad thing. It's just a beautiful shade, but don't get me wrong, it's sometimes not the easiest shade to pull off and a lip liner brush is essential! It might not be best for you to wear this if you are just starting out with makeup as well because you don't want to look to full on.

If you would prefer a slightly lighter, more matte look then this is for you. This is the Maybelline Colour Drama Velvet Lip Pencil in 'Berry Much' which can be found here for £4.99. The colour of this is a bit more purpley than the previous one, but is still pretty dark. The product has a pretty good staying power and is a little more drying than the Revlon lipstick. This product has a pretty satin-like finish and has just enough sheen to look gorgeous. You might need a lip liner brush for this product also because I can sometimes find it a bit difficult to see where the product is going to go on the outside of my lips. 

Thanks for reading this post, I'd love to know what your favourite lipsticks at the moment are so make sure to let me know in the comments.

Emma x

Sponsored? Don't think so!

We Will Remember Them

November 11th is a day widely remembered by the vast majority of the world. It is a day that we remember the fallen soldiers of not just the First World War, but we remember the fallen of all wars. The picture above is from a ceremony I attended with my school in my hometown where we each lay a poppy cross with a soldier's name that is from our area who died in the First World War. If you read my other blog you will have also known that in September I went to Belgium with my school's history department to see the World War One battlefields, an experience that truly broke my heart. I will insert a few pictures from my trip below and if you want to find out anything about it like all the places we went or anything then just let me know.

So I hope today that you had your two minutes silence to think about someone, a complete stranger even, who gave up their today to give you a better tomorrow.

 Pool of Peace

Sanctuary Wood Museum and Trenches

Tyne Cot Cemetary

The Menin Gate

When you go home tell them of us and say 'for your tomorrow we gave our today'.

Emma x

P.S.- I will also be putting this exact post onto my other blog (heartingthg.blogspot.com). Just to let you know incase you thought it was a complete stranger.

Quick Fix Makeup Must-Haves

I think every girl has been there at one time or another; when you have 10 minutes to get out the door and you still have a bare face. I know, it's a scary situation, but it's okay. Today I'm going to share with you the products that I use when I'm in a rush, so here goes.

First of all I use my Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer (£7.99) under my eyes to get rid of any dark circles I have. I just blend this out with my ring finger until it's the way I like it. I then use my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) to cover any blemishes and I again blend it out with my fingers. I then use a pump of the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation (£6.99) and blend it out with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush (£10.99).

I then brush a thin layer of my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (£3.99) all over my face with my Coastal Scents N27 brush. Next I apply Sleek's blush in 'Rose Gold' (£4.49) to the apples of my cheeks and blend it along my cheek bone with my Real Techniques Blush Brush (£9.99). I only apply this to my face because the shimmer in the blush acts as a kind of highlighter when it is blended up the cheek bones so it saves me using another product. It also goes with pretty much all lip and eye looks so it's a good all-round blush.

Next I'm going to move onto brows, because even if I'm in a rush, the brows need to be done. I use the shade 'bark' from the Sleek Au Naturel palette (£7.99) with any old angled eye shadow brush and then brushing them through with the Coastal Scents lash and brow comb. I then brush through my brows with the MUA clear mascara (£1) to keep them in place. 

Now moving onto eyes, which I don't really spend much time on if I'm in a rush. I just tight-line my eyes with my Bourjois Kohl and Contour eyeliner in 'Brun Design' (£4.99) and then curl my lashes with one of the boots eyelash curlers. I then apply one coat of my L'Oreal False Lash Flutter mascara in 'midnight extra black' (£9.35). 

I then apply the Baby Lips Electro in 'Strike a Rose' (£2.99) to give my lips a little sheer pop of colour. 

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed it! What do you do when you're in a rush? I'd love to know!

Emma x

I'd also just like to sneak in a quick little apology for not posting in absolutely ages, but I was feeling a bit uninspired and I'd rather post things when I want to post rather than force a post that would be rubbish. Hope you understand.

50 Random Questions Tag!

Today I fancied going back to a good old fashioned tag post, so I'm bringing you the 50 Random Questions Tag. It seemed pretty cool so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Here goes:

1. Would you rather be twice as smart or twice as happy?
I'm already pretty happy at the moment but with the stress of exams and university to come I'll take twice as smart!

2. What's your worst habit?
Hm, tough one. Probably thinking I'm always right (which I am most of the time) or procrastinating.

3. Are you dating?
Nope (forever alone).

4. Do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?
I used to but I do not anymore.

5. What is the one thing you'll never do again?
I don't think I've done anything in my life that I would necessarily 'never do again'.

6. Do you collect anything?
Nail polishes. So good luck if you want a nail polish collection, you'll be in for a treat.

7. Worst injury you've ever had?
I broke my thumb when I was 3 if that counts?

8. What is your favourite pet/animal?
Favourite pet would have to be fish because I don't have to touch them and they're beautiful and favourite animal are definitely dolphins.

9. What's your dream vacation?
DIsneyland in Florida as well as all the other parks while staying in a 5 star Disney hotel.

10. Honestly, are things going the way you planned?
At the moment kind of, but to be honest I didn't have much planned.

11. Do you have any tattoos?
No and I think my mum would die if I got one.

12. What's your secret to lure in the opposite sex?
Haven't solved that one yet.

13. Any phobias?
A few; dogs are a major one, fear of falling, fear of the unknown, and fear of not being able to control a situation.

14. Do you bite your nails?
Never have.

15. Do you ever count your steps as you walk?
I catch myself doing it subconsciously on the odd occasion. 

16. Heels or flats?
Flats all the way.

17. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
The thought never even crossed my mind.

18. Do you always smile for pictures?
I couldn't say I always do but I do the majority of the time.

19. Do you ever dance even if there is no music playing?
All the time (#dancerproblems).

20. Do you miss anyone right now?
Yes.

21. What's your favourite colour?
At the moment mint green.

22. Do you want kids?
Absolutely.

23. Are you patient?
Depends what time of the month it is.

24. Can you swim?
Yes.

25. Tea or coffee?
The idea of hot drinks gives me shivers. 

26. What do you wear to bed?
The trusty jammies.

27. Ever used a gun?
If you mean a BB gun then yes but otherwise no way.

28. Do you sing in the shower?
I sing everywhere I go.

29. Are you stubborn?
I hate to admit it, but yes...

30. Are you lazy?
It is one of my horrible habits.

31. Can you change the oil in a car?
At the moment I am not at the right age to drive yet so not at the moment.

32. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
Nearer the start or the year I think?

33. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
Depends on how much money I was offered...

34. What is your favourite food?
Hm, Pizza Hut and Bella Italia are my baes and toasted bagels are delightful. There are so so many more.

35. Do you still watch cartoons?
Adventure Time and Regular Show are da bomb. Don't worry, I will never say that ever again.

36. What movie(s) can you watch over and over again and not get bored?
Hunger Games, Catching Fire, pretty much anything Disney and so many more.

37. What superpower would you have for one day?
Flying. I have had so many flying dreams.

38. What's been your favourite age so far?
Hm, 6 I think; care free and young.

39. How old are you?
16.

40. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
That haircut looks ridiculous, and change those clothes. Oh and be yourself.

41. If you knew you would die in one week, what would you do?
I'd do all the adrenaline junkie stuff like those 'squirrel suit' jumps off a cliff, paragliding and skydiving. And in between that I'd visit Disney in America.

42. What celebrity would you trade lives with?
Jennifer Lawrence so I could call Josh Hutcherson any time of day.

43. Do people ever take you seriously? 
When I want them to, yes.

44. What happened the last time you cried?
The Book Thief. That's all that needs to be said.

45. Who knows you best?
I'd say my mum but she doesn't know about this so my best friend.

46. Do you sleep with your closet door opened or closed?
Closed. Always closed.

47. What is your song of the week?
Love like this by Kodaline. Amazing stuff.

48. Last person you kissed?
Most likely my little brother (on the cheek, I'm not a creep).

49. Best thing to eat for breakfast?
Bagels.

50. Does anyone know the password to your email?
Yes, and they also know the pin number to my bank account as well. Should I be worried?


Well that brings me to the end of this tag! If you enjoyed it feel free to try it out and let me know! if you'd like to see more tags then let me know what ones you would like me to do for ya and I'll get them done. Hope you enjoyed!

Emma:) x

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aobblogger
Instagram/Pinterest: AspectofBeauty

Back to School Essentials 2014

School is approaching, and it's approaching fast which means that it's time to do some back to school shopping. These are all the bits I think are essential for going back to school.

First off let's start with the smaller items I have. I like to use flashcards to revise throughout the year and near test times. I just picked these up from WH Smith for a couple of pounds but they are pretty much sold anywhere that has stationary. Then we have my school year diary. These are, in my eyes, essential to survive in the endless pile of homework and tests and really help keep me on track with what I have to do and in what timeframe. I picked this up here from WH Smith for £6.99. You can also get all different types of diaries or planners from various places but I just thought that this one was nice and classy. I then will move onto my Casio Scientific Calculator. You can get lots of different types of scientific calculators but this one is my personal favourite. You can get these from Tesco and WH Smith and Tesco for about £10.

I will now move onto paper. Now, this might seem pretty odd to be talking about paper, but this is my favourite paper in the history of the world. It's the perfect thickness so pens don't seep through, it has perfect line size and margins and it's just perfect. I get this Oxford Refill Pad from Tesco for £3 (it's on sale at the minute for £1.50 so I'd pick it up while you can).

 Okay, now more paper. I like to use notebooks for copying notes for studying. You can get these all from Tesco. I got the  striped notebook for £3.75, the light blue notebook for £3, and the dark blue Oxford Project Book for £5. I especially like the Oxford book because again it has the same thick paper and it also has dividers which can be moved. I like to use this for English because it has different sections which helps split the different texts that we are studying.

I will now move onto folders. I like to use these folders to keep class work separate in my bag and help me stay organised. I got these from Tesco for only a couple of pounds but I couldn't find them on their website but you should be able to find them in most stationary shops.

I will now move onto ring binders. I need to use these for some classes to keep work in and I managed to pick up a few really nice ones! First off I got the green stripe folder from Tesco for £1.75. when I was on holiday I then managed to get the other two Cath Kidston folders on sale. Sadly I couldn't find the link to them on Cath's website but I got them for around £6 reduced from £9. I thought that these were a really cute pattern and were too beautiful to resist!

Moving onto my pencil case and pens etc. I'm not going to name where each pen is from but the majority of them are BIC pens. My pencil case is also Cath Kidston and matches one of my folders. I got this for around £12 which wouldn't be what I would usually spend on a pencil case, but the floral pattern pulled me in.

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed! If you would like any other Back to School posts then let me know! 

Emma:) x

Follow me on my social networks:

Instagram/Pinterest: AspectofBeauty

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aobblogger