2013 Beauty Favourites

2013 is over. It's been a pretty great year hasn't it?

I thought I'd share with you my beauty favourites from this whole year. These are products I've been loving for most of 2013.

1. Smoulder Kohl from Soap and Glory

This is a very black and very soft eyeliner. It is easy to blend and get presses lines and that's why I love it. At about £5 from Boots I don't know how I ever used another eyeliner.

2. Scandal Eyes Retro Glam Mascara from Rimmel London

I've never really been a big fan of mascara. I've always found it lumpy and thought it made me look odd. However with this mascara it is easy to get very natural clump-free lashes. Again at a very reasonable price.

3. Tinted Beauty Balm from Too Faced

This is one of the most expensive pieces of makeup I own - I am on a budget and don't tend to go for high end items as usually you can get products which are just as good but for half the price. However I saw this and just thought why not. I don't regret it either. It goes on really well and gives you a flawless finnish. Not the kind of product I often purchase, but great as a one off treat.

4. Real Techniques Brushes

Wow. Just wow. 

These are the softest, best brushes you could ever find. Made by Sam Chapman (Jim's sister) they are so professional but affordable. I currently have four (the core collection and the expert face brush). Although they are slightly more expensive than some brushes, you do get what you pay for and these are amazing quality. 

5. Lasting Perfection Concealer from Collection (2000)

I am someone who suffers from under eye circles, so this concealer is a life saver. So many beauty gurus were raving about it, I thought I'd try it. I use this ever day under my eyes (and on spots if I have any) and take it everywhere with me. Affordable with great results.

6. Freederm Skincare

This is more of a general favourite; I have been loving the Freederm rage this year. I don't get many spots and like to keep it that way. I have the Night Clearing Serum and the Gel which both do wonders for your skin. Several of my friends who get quite bad acne use this range and it has worked miracles for them. 

7. Dream Matte Mousse Foundation from Maybelline

This is the perfect foundation if you're like me and have fairly good skin on the whole. I use this everyday just to take out some of the redness from my skin. It is basically like a chocolate mousse but for your face. I love the texture of it and how easy it is to apply. I take this with me to school everyday; it's a perfect size and doesn't need powder over the top.

8. Suede Blusher (921) from Sleek

Sleek blushers are the best you can get. Highly pigmented, professional looking and at a great price, you can't go wrong. This is the most natural looking colour ever, even though it looks quite dull in the pan. I just brush this over the tops of my cheekbones and it really lifts my face.

Thanks very much for reading this post, happy new year to you all!

x

Christmas Gingerbread Men

How to make the most delicious gingerbread ever:

You Will Need:

for the gingerbread

250g unsalted butter

200g dark muscovado sugar

7 tbsp golden syrup

600g plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 tsp ground ginger

to decorate 

Icing Sugar

Hot Water

Icing Bag

equipment you will need

Pan

Wooden Spoon

Mixing Bowl

Flat Surface/Board

Rolling pin

Gingerbread Man Cutter

Oiled Baking Tray

Another Bowl

Method

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. 

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan (stirring it with a wooden spoon to prevent it burning).

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a large bowl, and stir in the butter/sugar/syrup mixture to make a dough (If it is too runny add a bit more flour, and if it is a bit too stiff add a splash of water).

Roll out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.

Cut using the gingerbread man cutter.

Bake on the oiled baking tray for 10-15 minutes, until golden and slightly squishy.

Leave until hardened and cooled.

Mix some icing sugar with the hot water, and put into the icing bag.

Decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading, 

Merry Christmas!

x

Last Minute Present Ideas

4 sleeps till Christmas - which means you probably should have all your presents sorted by now. You don't? Oh dear, let me see if I can help.



1. Get Your Bake On
Everybody loves food. Why not bake a batch of cupcakes or gingerbread? Great for friends and relatives (especially if you're having a party).

2. Make Something

Hand made presents are perfect for the grandparents. Make them a card, draw them something, or even frame a picture for them. It's almost free and easy to do at the last minute.

 3. Film Time
Why not buy them a cinema ticket? One for the New Year when no one is really doing anything. You could even buy two and go together. And you can now print tickets at home (genius).

 4. Something You Already Have

If you've got an unopened something around, why not give it to them? If you're not gonna use it, and it's a free solution, then why not? 

5. If all else fails...
... give them money. Just open your purse and (if you haven't spent it) there's some cash. Not the most original idea, but drastic situations call for drastic measures.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, let me know if you have any last minute present ideas in the comments or on Twitter.

x

My Favourite Films

I quite enjoy watching films. I thought I'd share with you my favourites.

1. Chalet Girl

This is a very girly rom-com, but it's quite funny and I like to watch it when I'm feeling down. It's a very feel-good film.

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I'm a bit of a potterhead, and this is my favourite Harry Potter film. It'll make you laugh, cry, and hide behind the sofa.

3. Son of Rambow

I don't really know how to explain this film. Not the kinda thing that I'd normally watch, but I defiantly recommend it. 

4. The Kings Speech

Saw this in the cinema a couple of years ago. Absolutely hilarious. 

5. The Time Traveler's Wife

Stunning film. So sad and yet so happy. You notice something new every time you watch it.

6. Bridge to Terabithia

This film has young Josh Hucherson in it. Yes. If that doesn't make you want to watch it then... It'll proabably make you cry though.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, make sure to let me know your favourite films in the comments below!

x

How To: Get in a Festive Mood

It's so close to Christmas you can almost smell it.

I've been excited since about July. However some of my friends are just not getting into the Christmas spirit. I thought I'd create a step-by-step guide on how to get in a festive mood, to help my friends (and you if you're feeling like the Grinch).

1. Listen to some Christmas music.
Have a bit of a dance and sing-song. It really helps, I promise. There are some great Christmas albums around, buy one. Or download it illegally somewhere. Whatever takes your fancy.
I'm listening to Merry Christmas Everyone (traditional) and Shane Dawson's new song, This Christmas Life, which is actually pretty good...

2. Look the Part.
I wish I was rich enough to buy a cute Christmas jumper. I'm not. (Christmas presents are expensive okay) Instead I bought a red nail polish for £2.99 (Candy Apple from Maybelline). It's really great and festive. I also have a reindeer necklace which I am *rocking* at the moment.

3. Go Shopping
Whether this is online shopping or real-life, window shopping or actually-buying-stuff, this helped to get me feeling festive. All the Christmas displays and offers... Ah bliss.

4. Smell like it.
Do some baking or buy a nice-smelling thing that makes your house smell. I just said 'smell' way too many times. I like to make gingerbread (click here to see my recipe). It smells amazing and tastes great too.

5. Decorate
Lights, tinsel, fake snow, green, cards, trees, lights, stockings, red, did I mention lights?
Decorating is not expensive. Tinsel costs like 99p nowadays, and you can just use bits and pieces from around the house. For example I found some red ribbon (which had been used as packaging), chopped it up and tied little bows around my wardrobe door handles. Ta daa!

6. Watch some Christmas
There are millions and billions of Christmas movies, and loads of YouTubers are uploading Christmassy vlogs and videos. I suggest you watch some.

If all that doesn't make you feel festive, then I don't know what will.

Thanks for reading!

x

Christmas/WInter Essentials

As it's almost Christmas, I thought I'd share with you some things that I think are essential for these cold winter months...

1. A onesie!

These were huge last year, but are still pretty big this winter. How cute is this polar bear one from boohoo.com? Only £25! Defiantly going on my Christmas list...

2. Hot Chocolate

I don't think I really need to say anything about this. Hot Chocolate is the perfect winter drink, great for warming those hands up! 

3. Bobble Hat

These are a massive fashion trend this year, and are available in so many different colours and patterns. This one is only £3 from Primark! 

4. Hot Water Bottle

When it's freezing cold what better to have than a hot water bottle? With this adorable hedgehog (£25 from John Lewis) all you need to do is pop it in the microwave. 

5. Christmas Films

No Christmas is complete without a christmassy film or two. In my house The Santa Clause gets watched on Christmas Eve every year without fail.

6. Warm Slippers

There's nothing worse than freezing cold feet. These super cute mouse slipper-boots are available from Next for only £18.

7. Christmas Jumper

Warm, cosy, cute... What's not to love about a Christmas jumper? This gingerbread one is available from New Look for £24.99 *adds to Christmas list* 

8. Gingerbread

Homemade gingerbread is absolutly delicious, and a great gift for the Grandparents! Here's my recipe.

Well those are my essentials this Christmas, what are yours? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @MyCupOfTea0503. 

Thanks for reading this,

x

My Skincare

I quite enjoy taking care of my skin (yes I'm weird) so I thought I would share the products I use with you! They are all available from Boots or Superdrug.

*From Left to Right*

This product is the Freederm Night Clearing Serum. I'd head all my friends raving about this brand and when I saw it on offer in Superdrug...
You basically just apply this product all over you face and neck every night with you fingers, and then hey presto! I think it works well, it's kinda hard to tell as I use it with a mixture of other things, but it has worked miracles for my friend who gets bad acne.

Next we have the Clean and Clear Exfoliating Daily Wash. This is an oil-free face scrub which I use every morning. This just gets rid of any dead skin and I love it; I notice a decline in my skin if I don't use it for a few days. However would not recommend it if you have sensitive skin as it is a bit harsh.

Next up is another Clean and Clear product; one I have been using for years. This is the Blackhead Clearing Cleanser, and it is amazing. Literally. I first bought this a couple of years ago, and am still using it today. I'm someone who gets quite a few blackheads (they're tiny spots normally around your nose) and this says it has 'results from day one' so I was curious to try it. It does not disappoint. Highly recommend this, and it's only about £3-£4! I use this every evening.

After that there is the Simple Soothing Facial Toner. I just apply this all over my face after cleansing with a cotton pad thingy. I'm not sure what it does but I bought it and thought I might as well use it. It just makes my skin feel nice after cleansing and gets rid of any makeup I've missed.

Lastly we have the Simple Anti-Blemish Moisturiser. I use this every evening all over my face after cleansing and toning to add a bit of the moisture I have removed back to my skin. I'm a fan of anything which is 'anti-blemish' and I think this moisturiser does a good job with that. I get slightly oily skin and this product is not as 'wet' as some moisturisers I've used in the past. That probably does not make any sense. Damn it. I mean it's still wet, but not quite as sloppy as other similar products... I'm just gonna shut up now. It's a great product.

So that concludes my skincare! I have a few other items around, but these are the ones I use regularly.

Thanks for reading this post, please comment with any good skincare things you use, I'm curious!

x

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I've had my tickets for Catching Fire booked for months, set a countdown on my phone till when I would see it, and reread the book about 100 times. Yes I was excited.

I was hoping this film would be better than the first one, and I was not disappointed. The film stuck much more to the (amazing) book which the first one hadn't. I found myself pulled strait into the film.

I won't give too much away to those of you who haven't seen it yet - only that you'd better bring some tissues and prepare yourself for a few jumpy-moments. 

I would recommend that you read the book first if possible before watching the film, as the story at the end can be quite hard to understand (I had to explain it to my friend as she hadn't read the book). 

But defiantly go see the film! It's well worth it and I will be buying the DVD when it comes out. 

Have you been to see it yet? What did you think?

Thanks for reading this (rather short) post

x

Everyday Makeup

Welcome to my first blog post!

I thought I'd share my everyday makeup look with you today, it's not anything special but I know I am always interested in what other people do with their makeup and thought you might be interested in mine!

All my products are from Boots or Superdrug (the main drugstores in the UK).

Lets get cracking!

Firstly I apply the Witch BB Cream all over my face with my fingers. I prefer this to wearing a foundation at the moment as it looks much more natural and is better for your skin. I have found it is perfect for school, however it isn't as long lasting as a foundation.

Then I use my Corrector and Concealer Palette from Sleek under my eyes and on any blemishes. I bought this palette last weekend, and am already in love with it! It leaves a really natural finish, does a great job and lasts all day! Another product that is perfect for school.

After that I use my black eye pencil from Collection. I'm not entirely sure what it is called because it is so well worn the writing has come off. I use this along my top and bottom lash line, and use it to lightly shade in my eyebrows. It actually works very well on eyebrows, even though it is black and my eyebrows are blonde. I just have to remember to go very lightly or I end up with 2 slugs as eyebrows.

I then use my Rimmel Scandal Eyes mascara in black on my lashes. The packaging on this mascara rather put  me off buying it as it looks quite loud and crazy, however it is really easy to get nice natural looking lashes with the product if you just use the tip of the brush.

I then use my Bourjois Bronzing powder in No.52 on this tops of my cheekbones. This warms up my face and gives it a bit of shape so I don't look like a skeleton.

After that I use my Sleek Blusher in Suede, number 921. This colour looks very plain in the case, but looks gorgeous brushed on the apples of the cheeks.

Lastly I set my makeup with Rimmel Stay Matte powder. This powder is amazing, end of. It sets makeup perfectly and leaves a flawless finish. This is another product that is perfect for school (I take mine with me every day in case I need to top up).

I don't normally wear anything on my lips apart from a lip balm, I'm loving Maybelline Baby Lips in Hydrate (the blue one) at the moment as it keeps your lips soft in these cold winter months.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, much appreciated!

If you'd like to be told when I next do a blog post, please follow @MyCupOfTea0503 on Twitter.

Thank you!

x