5 Product Face ft. Under £20 "Challenge"
8/28/2015
It's mash-up time. Thankfully, it isn't a song mash-up as I would hate to damage your eardrums and have you all claim compensation. No, I'll stick to torturing the cat with my Barbara Streisand impersonations. Instead, you have a post mash-up about make-up. Cheap, cheerful, and applied alrightish (Is that a word?).
and lastly
I'm going to level with you, I'm not the biggest make-up user. I enjoy applying it some days, and I have a unhealthy addiction of binging on Youtube tutorials, but I'm far too lazy for it on a whole. Most days I stick to concealer, brows, and maybe some blush if I'm feeling crazy. I am also a complete cheapskate when it comes to buying cosmetics. I practically sobbed handing over £9.99 for a foundation. (L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation in the shade Rose Ivory, just FYI. Medium coverage, applies easily and looks rather natural. It offers up a variety of shades too. I would definitely recommend.) So a 5 product make-up look that comes in at under £20 is ideal to suit my needs. It took roughly 8 minutes to apply, and how did it last? Well, you'll have to scroll down to find out. *Evil cackle*
Here's my face, and the result:
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| I'm new to this blogger thing. Please don't kill me for the photo quality. And I'm aware the crease shadow looks uneven, but I promise that is merely the shadows caused by British weather and crappy posture. You get the general idea.
I am personally pleased with what it turned out like. It's has a little bit of a vintage vibe, which fits my style. And the lipstick and blush are a match made in heaven.
You may be wondering, how much did it cost? Well, let me tell you the products first, and how I used one in a multitude of ways.
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Products used:
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Shade 1, Fair || £4.19
Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Palette || £3.99
Shade 1. White Chocolate used for the inner corner, centre of the lid, and highlight.
Shade 4. Chocolate Milk used all over the lid.
Shade 6. Espresso used on the crease, and for brows.
*I have always been more of a shadow person when it comes to brows, as mine are naturally full. We can't all pull off the Cara. This is actually the best suited colour I have ever managed to get my hands on. And once brushed through with a stipple brush, appears flawless.*
*I have always been more of a shadow person when it comes to brows, as mine are naturally full. We can't all pull off the Cara. This is actually the best suited colour I have ever managed to get my hands on. And once brushed through with a stipple brush, appears flawless.*
Fashionista Blush in Shade 12, Cinnamon || £1.00.
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black || £4.99.
and lastly
MUA lipstick in Shade 11 || £1.00
Which comes to a grand total of... *insert imaginary game-show style tallying music* ....£15.17!
Although these products have been my go-to's over the past few months, I thought I'd take them out for a test drive and pay attention to the results in aid of this post. Oh, but before I get to that, I should mention that I used Sudocrem as my base. Which is also an amazingly affordable addition to any girls skincare routine.
So, my verdict. All in all, I'm pleased. During the day I did have to touch up the lipstick a handful of times, but I was drinking and have a terrible habit of biting my lips. I'm fully aware of how disgusting it is, don't judge me. The mascara had a little fall out, but nothing a quick swipe with a tissue couldn't fix. Or you know, the waterproof version. Everything else has appeared to of stayed put rather well. The blush is hands-down my hero product. the pigmentation is surreal for the price and I find it doesn't fade. I will certainly be picking up a few more colours from the range. I may even dedicate an entire blog post to them, swatches must be shared.
So, my verdict. All in all, I'm pleased. During the day I did have to touch up the lipstick a handful of times, but I was drinking and have a terrible habit of biting my lips. I'm fully aware of how disgusting it is, don't judge me. The mascara had a little fall out, but nothing a quick swipe with a tissue couldn't fix. Or you know, the waterproof version. Everything else has appeared to of stayed put rather well. The blush is hands-down my hero product. the pigmentation is surreal for the price and I find it doesn't fade. I will certainly be picking up a few more colours from the range. I may even dedicate an entire blog post to them, swatches must be shared.
Could you get better quality make-up? Obviously. Would it be more expensive? Undoubtedly. I'd much prefer to spend that money on a new dress or skincare. So until I am rolling in the cash, or am more willing to splash out on some high end make-up, you'll likely find me redoing my lipstick with a compact mirror. (Which was 79p in Home Bargains. Seriously, cheapskate. Or a savvy saver.)
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day.
- Anne x
Germany, Part II: The Tourist Edition.
8/22/2015
Previously on RootingBranches.. Oh, hell. Fancy reading/seeing it for yourself? Click here. I'll give you a few minutes. Righteo, ready for days three and four? I just know you are at the edge of your seat waiting. Or just very, very bored. Either way, enjoy!
Day Three:
For breakfast this day we went full on German, but I suck and only took shots of the drinks and bread. Awesome start to becoming a blogger, I know. It can only go up from here.
For the life of me I do not remember the name of the breakfast we had, but it involved eggs, a tomato/egg mix, bagels, cheese, a baked feta thing, and salad. It was random but oh so good. The place we ate at was called Beyti, and it is actually owned by my friend Esma's cousin, therefore I highly recommend it if you are ever in the Aachen area of Germany.
Day Three:
For breakfast this day we went full on German, but I suck and only took shots of the drinks and bread. Awesome start to becoming a blogger, I know. It can only go up from here.
The tea in the fancy glass is actually a traditional German tea. The glass is apparently meant to resemble a woman's hourglass form and they often come in various sizes. It tasted like a mix of Green Tea and Chai. The other is a good ol' coffee. I resembled the walking dead at this point, which is very likely why I forgot to photograph the actual food. Besides this bread basket:
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From here we get really touristy, Esma was a wonderful host/guide and surprised me with a tour of the city. It involved a double-decker bus with some rather graphic warnings (see stickers on back of the seats). I laughed too hard, but come on.. It's a decapitated human.
Here are the non-blurry shots I got during the bus ride:
This tour also gave me the opportunity to stand in three countries at the same time. Germany, Holland and Belgium. It was surreal but - for lack of a better word - awesome. I will treasure the memories of this for a lifetime, but what truly made it magical was the company.
It was getting somewhat late by the time the tour ended, which was actually rather sad as it meant the duration of our time together was coming to an end. Only one day was remaining. The realization of that fact coupled with the sudden shopping spree we had, made for some rather down ladies. So, we made a pit stop for food before heading home to wallow in our sadness. (Kidding, kind of.)
Esma ordered pasta with fried chicken, and I had a mozzarella, tomato and salad wrap. This may have been my favourite meal of the trip, but I could only be thinking that because I was so very hungry at this point. I think even microwave chips would tasted like gourmet food.
We also had virgin cocktails (wildness, oh so wild), which were delicious but random. I want to say they were called "Mandarin Punch" but I can't be certain.
And then our evening came to an end. Somewhat. We still had enough time to chop half my hair off, oh yeah, that happened. You know what's really great? Not only having a beautiful, hilarious, kind and generous friend, but having one who works some serious magic with a pair of scissors.
Day Four:
This was by far the hardest day. Don't misunderstand, I was thrilled to be going home to my family and my most certainly missed cat, but leaving a friend who you have no idea when you'll get to see again is bloody tough. She was't feeling very well, yet still managed to be helpful and the amazing friend that she naturally is. I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to praising her, but I can't not write the truth. I wouldn't of enjoyed this trip as much as I did if it wasn't for her. At the beginning of these four days, I thought my biggest struggle would be getting home-sick. I hadn't been away for this long before, and the notion of four whole days in a different place, away from my comforts, seemed like a short lifetime. But I came to learn on this trip that when you are with a close friend, no amount of time is ever enough.
We took some obligatory selfies in the car, before heading off to the overstuffed and hellish airport.
She even fed me during the car journey. I may wife her up.
And then we arrived at the airport.
After a disheartening goodbye and a gruelling 80 minute wait at the gate, (Top tip: Remember to charge your rechargeable charger if you are ever going on a flight. Phones die.) I was on a plane and ready to fly home.
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So there you have it. My trip in a two part blogpost nutshell.
I've been asked by countless people "Would you go again?", but I don't think that's a fair question. Germany was a beautiful country, and I would happily visit again. But I would also revisit a tent in the middle of a forest if it meant having the privilege of spending more time with my best friend. She's often my better half, and I can't thank her enough for what she's done for me over the past 5 years of friendship, let alone these four days of enjoyment. Life is certainly more fun with her in it. Thank god for the Internet.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around for any future blog posts.
Have a wonderful day.
- Anne x
(You are going to need to scroll down a bit if you are just here for photos.)
What better way to start a new blog, than with a blog post discussing another first of mine? No, please don't go there. And no, I'm not doing the Youtube 'First Time' tag in written form (although that isn't a bad idea). I'm here to write about my first vacation. Well, that's a lie. Technically it's my second. But the first consisted of being cooped up on a farm in Ireland for a week. Which may have been great, if it had not been for the flu. Yeah, this time was far more thrilling. Before we get started you should know something about me, I don't exactly excel at being out of my comfort zone. Yet last week I managed the impossible - I not only stayed with a friend for 4 days, I travelled abroad alone, went on a plane for the first time, and did something that I desperately wanted.
Was it tough to gather the courage to do such a big thing? Of course. A friend of mine sent me a quote a few months back, and it has stuck with me: "Normality is a paved road: It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it." I often found myself repeating it when in need of a little pep talk over the course of the past few weeks. A pep quote, if you will. So punny. (It's a rather ironic quote really, given the fact that I have a phobia of grass. Yup, you read that right. Boy, oh boy. This first post is already riveting.)
So I sent off for my passport, and the rest as they say, is history.
Was it tough to gather the courage to do such a big thing? Of course. A friend of mine sent me a quote a few months back, and it has stuck with me: "Normality is a paved road: It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it." I often found myself repeating it when in need of a little pep talk over the course of the past few weeks. A pep quote, if you will. So punny. (It's a rather ironic quote really, given the fact that I have a phobia of grass. Yup, you read that right. Boy, oh boy. This first post is already riveting.)
So I sent off for my passport, and the rest as they say, is history.
Day One:
You are likely here for photos, so let's go. It started with.... Oh. Well, the first day lacked photos. Now that's anticlimactic. I flew out at 7:55am, which wasn't as bad as I thought. Landed at 10:25am German time, awkwardly cuddled my best friend, and off we went to Primark. Yes, that soon. She has a shopping problem, I support it. It's a whole thing. Primark in Cologne is hell, but glorious. It depends on whether you are the marathon shopper or the one getting dragged around in circles. We spent close to 3 hours in there and I left with a dress, and some pyjamas. One dress and pyjamas. I suck at shopping. Oh, and some shoes. Which killed my feet but looked so very pretty. We then had the hour long journey back to hers and ate pizza, watched Grown Ups 1&2 (Good, but I don't know whether I could re-watch them), and talked about boys. Literally. We are women, come on.
Day Two:
First, food. No, no. First, the restaurant we ate at. It was beyond pretty.
Now the food...
Strangest breakfast I have ever had? Yes. But it was after midday, so.. brunch? Esma (my friend), ordered the top photo. Chicken kebab, with some very peculiar sides. I had the bottom, which was a dish filled with pasta, mushrooms, broccoli and cheesy goodness. It was odd, but delicious.
We then wandered the streets for a short while. I took one too many photos, but it was all so overwhelmingly beautiful, how could I not?
(Ah, yes. I also tried frozen yoghurt for the first time. There were brownies and blueberries in it. Two words: mouth orgasm.)
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We bought a cupcake from this little place:
I bought some food gifts for the family waiting at home, and then we headed off to a mall. That's right, a mall. I'd never felt more cool. (Or American, ironically.) And I ate the cupcake in the car. It was one good cupcake.
I lapsed in photo taking when at the mall. Partly because there was quite a few people so I felt a tad uncomfortable taking photos, and secondly because I had a minor allergy attack which resulted in feeling a little run down after ward. Nevertheless, we had fun. I once again failed in the art of buying bags of clothes, but hey, we found sunglasses that the 80's want back. So it evened itself out.
After a quick stop to visit Esma's mum -- who, by the way, is one of the nicest and most welcoming human beings I have had the pleasure of meeting. It's no wonder she has such a kind-hearted daughter -- and then we headed off to the Netherlands to catch dinner and a movie. Basically, we had a date night. For food we ate Burger King, which was as exciting as it was healthy. Fries are delicious in any country. We got attacked by bees which was less fun, but almost hilarious. And then we headed into the cinema.
It took a tiny bit of persuading the previous night, but I talked my dear friend into watching Ant-Man, which was an astounding success, thank god. We both loved it. If you are debating watching it now or in the near future, I highly recommend it. But I'm not a reviewer yet, hey, I know.. Check out my boyfriends review on somewhatnerdy. You can even click here and it'll take you directly to the review. He's gods gift to the movie reviewing community, so I would definitely recommend you showing him some love. Anyhoo, back to the date night. The cinema was incredible, I only wish I had the balls to take a photo of it. It had a red carpet. A red carpet. Incredible stuff. The only down point was the stale popcorn. It was a rather late showing though, so I'll let that one slide.
The view on the way home was incredible, and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.
An overview of day three and four will be up tomorrow.
Thank you for reading!
Have a wonderful day.
- Anne x
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