September Favourites

Its the end of September which means its time for a favourites post. All items mentioned are linked.

1. Soap and Glory Brow Archery
I've really loved this product for my brows this month. I had them tinted when I returned from my holiday late August so they were quite full already but recently the colour in the ends has begin to fade so I use the felt tip side of this to fill in the sparse areas.

2. Earth Therapeutics Precisso Blending Sponge from Kohls
I actually prefer this beauty sponge to my Beauty Blender and this month I have used this sponge most days. I find that it reallly blends your makeup out flawlessly but also makes it look natural. I love it.

3. MAC Cremeblend Blush in LadyBlush
I hauled this product late August and I've been using it ever since. This blush creates such a natural flush of colour which is great for me as I love natural makeup.

4. Abercrombie Top
I have been loving a top I bought this summer. I got it from Abercrombie and its just a plain grey t-shirt that says 'Stay Classic' on it. I have been wearing this in practically every outfit (I'm at school so its only weekends). I wear it dressy with a blazer and casual, it looks great both.

5. Shake it Off by Taylor Swift
I have had this song on repeat this month, I absolutely love it. I think its so fun, catchy and easy going. I   just love it.

6. Gossip Girl
I started watching this programme and watched 3 seasons in 3 weeks. Its such a great show and I've been addicted this montm=h.

7. Netflix
I watch Gossip Girl on Netflix along with lots of other films and tv shows. I think that its got such a great selection of good films especially for the price. Its super cheap when you think that you couldn't even get a DVD for the price of a month on netflix watching any tv show or film. Its a great bargain and since I'm a new member, this month has been free! I love it.

xoxo

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Minimal Product Makeup Look With As Few Products As Possible!

This look is quite a natural, everyday makeup look but with as few products as possible. This is for those of you who have very little time in a morning and need as few products as possible. I managed to do this look with just four products in total.

First take a medium coverage foundation. Rimmels Match Perfection or Maybellines Super Stay 24-hour foundation are good drugstore ones to use. I find this is great to use as both foundation and concealer because you can apply it sheerly to the whole face and more heavily to problem areas. You can use your fingers to apply this quicker.

Then take a bronzer, I'm using NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder in Sunny and use this to warm up your face as well as in the crease of your eyelid to add definition. You can also use this in your brows to slightly fill them in. You could also use this as an eyeliner.

Then take your favourite mascara, I'm using Benefits They're Real.

Finally take a lip balm or lipstick and use it both on your lips and cheeks. I'm using Baby Lips in Cherry Me. Blend it out with your fingers on the apples of your cheeks for a subtle glow.

xoxo

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The Beauty Blogger Tag

I have done a Beauty Blogger Tag before but this one is actually different questions. I tag Harrietjacksonx and beautybyeden to do this tag.

1. Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?
I started because my best friend who also has a blog (harrietjacksonx) practically forced me into making one and I;m so glad she did because I love it! I started it last November, so thats about 10 months!

2. Whose blog did you fall in love with first? 
Other than my friends blogs, I would have to say Zoellas. I love her blog.

3. What was the first blogsphere hyped about product that you bought? Was it worth the hype?
I think that that was the peach BabyLips. I love it and have bought lots more BabyLips since then and probably will buy lots more in the future!

4. What are your five favourite things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

•  Writing Posts
•  Your Comments - this is probably my favourite thing. You all leave so many lovely comments! 
• Reading other peoples blogs
• Other bloggers - I love finding out more about other bloggers and when you leave links to your blogs in the comments.
• Having a reason to splurge! - I always feel guilty when buying more makeup because I have a lot and don't really need more but thinking that I can review it makes me feel a little bit less guilty!

5. What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger?

This has helped me search more into products before buying them because I realise that there are so many blog reviews out there, just like my own that I can read before spending my money.

6. Have you changed anything since becoming a beauty blogger?
Other than the re-design of my blog a few weeks ago, I have changed the background for my photos and tried to improve them as best as I can.

7.  Is there any advice that you would give beauty bloggers just starting out?
I have to say to have patience because it takes a while to get pageviews and followers in the beginning and just remember that after first creating your blog, it takes time for people to find it and tell others about it. Once you have some followers, it becomes so much easier to gain more so just have patience with it. I would also say to gain pageviews and followers, it helps if you show interest in other peoples blogs by following them or leaving comments. Thats a good way to get your blog seen.

8. What are your top five makeup brands?
Maybelline, Rimmel, MAC, Soap and Glory and Bourjois probably.

9. Recommend your top five beauty products?
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Obviously this is a hugely talked about product. It is such good quality and super affordable.

Benefit They're Real Mascara - I have mentioned this before on my blog because it is a newly found product but I love it. It makes your lashes look amazing.

Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil - This isn't talked about that much but I really love it.

SunBum's Key Lime Lip Balm - I haven't actually talked about this before either but I really love this so much. It is factor 30 and tastes like lime. I can't get enough of it!

MAC Painterly Paint Pot - This is a great base for your eyeshadow or I love to use it on its own to cancel out redness on my lids.

xoxo

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August Favourites

I know that it is a little early for August Favourites but I wanted to get this post up before I went home. I have a mixture of products that I have loved this month, here they are!

1. Isle of Luxe Coconut Scrub

I went to Celebration in Florida and in a restaurant they were using this scrub as soap in the toilets. It was available to buy and I just had to. It is incredible and hard to explain. You use it as a scrub as normal and it has anti-bacterial soap in it but this scrub makes your hands feel so smooth. The scent is gorgeous too but it is unbelievable how silky it makes your hands feel! At $25.95 it isn't cheap but I would 100% purchase this again.

2. The Body Shop's Coconut Body Scrub

As you can tell I'm really into the Coconut Scrubs! I purchased this from Ulta and I love using it once a week really just to pamper myself. During summer your skin can get very dry but using this makes it good as new. 

 3. Icing's Expert Stippling Brush

In my last favourites post I mentioned my love for MAC's Face and Body foundation. I decided to buy myself a stippling brush to apply it with and this one does the job really well. I think it compares to MAC ones, I would recommend looking at these brushes.

4. Clarisonic Mia

I love this thing. I have used it every day since purchasing it. I can't say that my skin is perfect yet because as the sales assistant warned me, for the Clarisonic to work I may get a few breakouts within the first month or so of using it to get all of the bad things out of my skin. Despite this, I feel that with my Clarisonic, my skin feels so fresh and clean. I will review it when I get home to England.

5. Gelish A Mint of Spring

My sister actually purchased this with my Sallys Card and I have been obsessed with the colour. As you know by now, I love blue on my nails and this colour I have been in love with! Also, since it is gel, it stays on for a good few weeks. I love it.

6. Clinique Acne Solutions

Although I haven't found this to completely vanish my blemishes, it helps to reduce them. It really helps to reduce the redness and make them calm down. I really like this stuff and will repurchase it.

7. Simple Eye-Makeup Remover

My final beauty favourite is this, I really like it for removing waterproof mascara. Although I'd have to say that I still prefer my homemade makeup remover. I have a post on how to make that here.

8. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I love the whole concept of this, just like the no makeup selfies for cancer research. I have loved watching so many people take part in this for ALS.

9. Once Upon A Time

My final favourite of this month is this TV Show. I have been meaning to get into it for a while and after buying the first season I watched it all within 5 days. I love this show. It is about several fairytale characters being stuck in the real world and not remembering who they are as the Evil Queen has cast a curse. It sounds a little far-fetched but I am really enjoying it. It is the perfect mix between reality and fairytales. I would definitely recommend watching this if you don't already.

Those are my favourites this month! What have you been loving?

xoxo PinkCupcake xoxo

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2014 Goals

So its coming to the time when everyone begins to both reflect on the past year and think about their wishes and 'resolutions' for the next year. In todays blog post I'm going to reveal my goals for next year blog and beauty related and general life goals. I am also going to say at the end what my plans are in terms of my blog for next year. This is not a review, haul or beauty tutorial so if you follow me for that reason the feel free to click off this post now but I know that lots of you show a great interest in my life so for all of you, keep reading.

Goals for 2014:
Blog Goals:
1. Reach 3000 followers.
I know this is a big ask but seeing as I have gained 1000 in the past month, I thought it was a reasonable target.

2. Become peoples 'favourite blogger'.
This in itself would be a huge ask. I am so grateful to all of you and it would really make my day if one day I can earn the title of your 'favourite blogger'. I will work hard to achieve this title.

3. Improve my posts.
Obviously there is plenty of room for improvement and I would like to fill this space so that my blog is the best it can possibly be next year. Help me improve by answering the questions in my previous "Your Wishes" post.

4. Keep to my posting schedule.
You are all so kind to me that I really want to stick to my promises and post when I say I will. At the minute this is every Monday, Friday and Sunday. Whether that will change, I don't know.

5.  Make 'PinkCupcake' a well-known blog.
Despite having 1000 followers, my blog is definitely not a 'well-known' one. I would like for next year my blog to become a success and for people to have heard of it outside my group of followers. Spread the word!


Life Goals:
1. Always see a silver lining.
This was my 2013 resolution and it will be repeated every year because I think that it's important to remember the good things in your life and not focus on the bad. I will always strive to be a happier person.

2. Eat healthy and Drink lots of Water
I need to begin to eat 5 fruit and vegetables a day and a wider variety of foods and drink lots more water to stay healthy.

3. Be a 'fit' person.
By 'fit' I mean exercise a lot. I want to take up jogging again and stick to running every Sunday that I can.

4. Look after my skin.
I want to remember to cleanse and moisturise every day and night to maintain good skin.

5. Study hard.
With my GCSE exams coming up, I want to study hard and work for good grades at the end of the year.

6. Have fun!
Overall, my main goal for next year is to simply have fun. At my age, and at any age for that matter, we should all have fun.

Plans for my blog in 2014:
Next year I want to make my blog more personal. Since PinkCupcake7 is an anonymous blog, I thought I'd have to stick to simple reviews and tags but now I have realised that I can go a lot further with my blog, staying anonymous. Next year I am going to feature more lifestyle posts as well as sticking to my beauty-related posts. These may include things like "Whats in my bag?", "School essentials" and "Whats on my phone?" etc. Basically, I want to do a wider range of posts. I'm also hoping to do more tutorials and videos, I have really enjoyed both filming and editing videos so next year I am hoping to do more of that. Comment below how you feel about these minor changes to my blog in the upcoming year.

Thank you everyone for reading. I can only hope that all of these things come true. I'm grateful for everything I already have, I just think its important to set yourself goals.

What are your goals and hopes for next year?

xoxo PinkCupcake xoxo

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Christmas Day Outfit

Hi everyone!
Christmas day is almost upon us! Yay! I love christmas but usually I have to say that when it comes to looks, I don't make an effort on christmas day. I'll not even have a shower so my hair will be greasy, no makeup and I won't get out of my pyjamas until lunch, even then I'll only have some joggers on. However this year, I wanted it to be different. I want to make a big effort and look nice on christmas so this is what I am going to wear.

So this is a burgundy dress with lace detail at the top. It has an underskirt making the bottom of the skirt come out. It is quite dressy however it is reusable and I will wear it again.

This is quite a comfy dress really and it fits very well. It has a zipper up the back from the waist upwards and a ribbon tie around the middle making it fit securely and look a lot nicer. This also makes it look a lot more slimming and shows off your waist more. You could probably pair this dress with a belt to show of your waist further and create a bigger slimming effect.

I probably won't wear shoes on the day because I won't be leaving the house but if I was attending a bigger occasion or a party or something, I would pair this dress with quite simple shoes. In the photo, I have some new black heels of mine from the Lauren Conrad range at Kohls, these were on sale so I took the opportunity. This dress would also look nice with nude shoes.

I purchased this dress at Dillards but I have previously seen a very similar one at JCPenny. I would say that this dress isn't the cheapest in the world but if you're wearing it again it will be worth it, it is very good quality. I also think it's worth mentioning that you should try this dress on before purchasing it as the sizes can be very inaccurate. For example, I'm usually a size 0 but this dress is a size 2-3 and I'm definitely not a 2-3. I'm so glad I tried it on otherwise I wouldn't have bought it! 

xoxo PinkCupcake xoxo

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BabyLips by Maybelline Review

From Left to Right: Dr Rescue (Coral crave), Moisturising balm (Cherry Me), (Pink punch), (Peach Kiss)

Today I'm going to reviewing the BabyLips range by Maybelline. For me, this is a much loved range from a much loved brand, so I thought it would be the perfect thing to review. 

I have purchased 4 of the BabyLips moisturising balms and I love them. I feel that they really do their job by repairing chapped lips and hydrating them throughout the day. "Our exclusive formula moisturizes lips for a full 8 hours. Lips renewed in 1 week." This is the description Maybelline give for their product and I agree. I think that this product does moisturize your lips very well, I'm not so sure about 8 hours though, I like to reapply my BabyLips throughout the day to keep my lips hydrated and to keep the colour fresh. 

The 4 BabyLips lipbalms that I have are from 2 of the 3 ranges. Maybelline has released 3 ranges: the moisturizing balms (In the shades: Cherry me, Pink punch, Peach kiss, Grape vine, Peppermint and Quenched.), the Electro lip balms (In the shades: Pink shock, Fierce n tangy, Berry bomb, Oh! Orange!, Strike a pose and Minty sheer.) and the Dr Rescue lip balms (In the shades: Too cool, Pink me up, Soothing sorbet, Just peachy, Coral crave and Berry soft.)  I have 3 of the moisturizing balms and 1 of the Dr Rescues, unfortunately I have not yet purchased one of the Electro balms but it is on my christmas list! I have the colours Cherry Me, Pink punch and Peach kiss and I love all of them however, I find that Pink punch clings to the dry patches of your lips and therefore takes a lot of rubbing in and so for that reason it is my least favourite of the 3. I find that it is very unnatural looking and I prefer a subtle look on the lip for day-to-day. The Dr Rescue lip balm that I have is in the colour Coral crave and i love the colour, it is very sheer and subtle. I find that as this lipbalm is menthol to protect and soothe pain caused from ulcers, coldsores and general pain around the mouth, it has minty, fresh scent.

Overall I would highly recommend the BabyLips range from Maybelline and look forward to purchasing more.

xoxo PinkCupcake xoxo

To purchase any of these items: http://www.maybelline.com/Products/Lip-Makeup/Lip-Balm/Baby-Lips.aspx

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