With summer comes heat, and with heat comes sweat and the inevitable smudging and melting of make up. Bearing this in mind, I decided to expand my matte lipstick collection by picking up three shades of the MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer online to give a try. The shades I got are Criminal, Reckless and Serene (left to right). 

Reckless and Criminal really impressed me. Both were highly pigmented and incredible colours. While slightly sticky at first application, they quickly dried and mattified, and after this you could hardly feel them on. They are slightly drying due to how matte the finish actually is. They do not transfer at all and keep their opacity for several hours, even after eating, drinking and sweating. 

However, with Serene I had some issues. While it applied similarly to the other two, I found after a few seconds of it being matte the product almost seemed to peel off my lips from the centre. It gave a much streakier finish and also did not have the same opacity as the other two lacquers. Due to the picture being slightly off on the website, I found the colour to not match me at all and instead make me look ill or an odd colour. However, on application I'm really not sure who this would suit...

All in all for £3 each, the quality of Reckless and Criminal was unexpected and far surpasses what I actually was expecting. Definitely a recommendation for those two, and maybe stay away from Serene.

Shannon

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I spend nearly all of my time watching some sort of media, be it YouTube, films or tv shows. One I have been loving recently and mentioned on my weekly roundup a few weeks ago was Daredevil, a Netflix original that I have fallen in love with in a big way. 

As an actor, the acting is one of the first things I notice in anything I watch. I want it to be believable, I want the subtle idiosyncrasies that real people have and the continuity of real life, and this delivered. Big time. The show stealer for me was Charlie Cox in the role of Matt Murdock. He really stepped up to the part and showed a complex character full of internal conflict and a want to do the right thing, but not knowing how to get there. He also really played with the Catholicism of the character and how it would influence his actions, and we as an audience can see this. 

We also see the strengths of the other actors, with the likes of Elden Henson as Foggy and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, the main antagonist. Henson shows a complexity to the character of Foggy that I believe someone else may have missed. This really helps add to the friendship between Foggy and Matt and makes it incredibly believable. D'Onofrio also shines in this, with the audience ending up almost sympathising with the character we should hate. A highlight from the entire series is the "ill intent" monologue, as it truly shows his capabilities. There are many other scenes that come to mind, but in order to avoid spoilers, I will not mention them.

Another thing I really liked about the show was the continuity and style. Each episode started off exactly where the last one had finished, and so as a result felt like an extremely long film.  There was also a huge amount of detail .e.g. a healing bruise over a few episodes. This just helped add to the realism. Things such as lighting and cinematography also impressed me massively as despite it being a  TV show, they were incredibly thought out and clever, helping to set the scenes nicely. 

All in all, the only real fault I can find with it is that Season 2 isn't out sooner! Definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a new TV show to watch.

Shannon

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Just a quick unedited look at my trip to Germany's astounding capital city; Berlin!

While being a tourist and seeing all the cliche things was fun and really interesting, as shown by the vast amount of photos I took, I also managed to see an old friend and go to one of the coolest bars I've been to. The setup was like a chemistry lab down to the decor of periodic tables of alcohol and the measuring flasks full of alcohol. If you're ever in Berlin and want to check it out, the website is www.zyankali.de 

((I also think their alcohol is 10x stronger than normal alcohol as one cocktail made me slightly lightheaded, just as an extra word of warning!;)))

Berlin is definitely a city I need to go back to as it is full of so much more I didn't get to see or do.

Thanks for reading,

Shannon

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I am a lipstick addict.
My family have noticed, my friends stage interventions to stop me from buying more, but my collection is unashamedly still growing strong. However, there are few in my collection I wear on a regular basis and fewer that are my absolute go to for travel or day to day wear. 


The first of these lipstick is the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy. This is a recent purchase, picking it up in the Duty Free on the way back from Berlin, and I have fallen in love. It gives a sheer colour pay off but it still adds a little something to your lips, making it an ideal your lips but better shade. It is also incredibly easy to apply due to its creaminess, making it an ideal daywear lipstick as touch ups are incredibly easy. 

The next is Velvet Teddy by Mac. There isn't much I can say about this that hasn't been said already, only that if I want something a bit more sophisticated than Boy, but still neutral, this is the ideal choice. It's extremely long lasting due to the matte finish and compliments my skin tone nicely, leaving it again a great choice for day to day wear. 

The final one in my trio is again Mac, in the shade Sin. I am a sucker for dark gothic lips, even in the summertime, and this fulfills all my goth lip needs. It's a matte finish which I find essential for dark lips, and so long lasting it can be worn throughout meals and still look okay after. The only issue I find with this is that I can't wear it every day due to it being drying to my lips, but for going out and nighttime wear, I love it a lot and find it hard to beat!

I hope you enjoyed my post on my favourite lipsticks and maybe one of them caught your eye to pick up! 

Shannon

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I think I've found a new favourite film. I also think it is not going to move from this position. Ever.

Reviewing films/books/any other thing I could talk about is something I've wanted to try for a while, and so I thought why not start with something I loved, so here we go!

For those who are unaware, Boyhood is a coming of age film about a boy named Mason and follows his life from a small child up until leaving for college. The thing that is so interesting and unique about this film is the fact that every single character was played by the same person over a twelve year period, so these actors and characters really were growing up on screen. 

I have an undeniable interest and love for films that show people as people instead of an ideal character that the audience cannot reach, and I believe that every character is real and relatable. We see struggles the family go through, and how these develop the characters and their attitudes to life without it delving into melodrama or unnecessary issues or pain being brought up. It stays very close to truth and realism which just adds to the relatability.

Another way it stays close to realism is the fact that all the different topics covered were filmed in real time and so things such as the Harry Potter book being released and the rise in social media all coincided with my age at that time. It let me reminisce on times in my childhood that I maybe had forgotten about, for example the excitement every time a new Harry Potter was released, and it was refreshing to see it captured in film form. It also struck a chord with me in regards to Mason's later years of high school, with his interest in photography and yet not working hard enough in class and his relationship, and it truly felt like I had stopped watching a film and instead was just watching a boy grow up into the person he wanted to be.

The way the film ended filled me with a lot of hope and genuinely made me happier. I will not delve into too much detail of the plot just in case I spoil it, but as someone who does fear the future and the fact I still have no clue what to do in further education, the end made me realise a few things.

I can see why this film has generically amazing reviews, but can also see how some people can see the lack of appeal. It is almost three hours and if realistic films are not to your fancy you may find it incredibly boring, but I find everything from the editing and cinematography to the performances and soundtrack perfect and I really do respect how twelve years of work added together to create a truly realistic and inspiring piece of film. 

xx

Before I say anything about the product, can we just admire how defined my jawbone looks? If only that were real life.

Anyway...

I bought this product on recommendation of Zoella in her November favourites due to the fact it looked incredibly similar to the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets that I do love so much and also the fact it looked an incredible colour on her lips. This is in the shade 005 Parisian Passion and I thought it would be an incredible A/W shade.

Honestly, I am incredibly disappointed by this product. I have applied this a grand total of three times, and two times out of the three I have wiped it off not half an hour into wearing it due to how uncomfortable it felt. The colour pay off is not incredible, it is quite sheer unless built up a lot and is nowhere near as dark as I expected. However, the main issue with this product is the formula. It is much more of a gloss than a lacquer/liquid lipstick which I am not a fan of, especially with a bold lip. I like my darker colours to be matte in order to pack a much harder punch. It is very sticky, which is another pet peeve of mine, and does not stay put. It smudges everywhere even when applying, meaning that your lips look a mess from the beginning. I don't know if it's the formula or doe foot applicator which makes applying it so hard, but I found it difficult to apply it and get clean lines. It also came off quite patchy which is an absolute no. 

All in all, despite my expectations, this product has made me incredibly disappointed. I don't know if this formula is due to the shade, but I am not particularly keen to spend another £8 on a product I dislike this much. I'll stick to my Bourjois thank you!

xx

I love Urban Decay and I love Pulp Fiction, so when I found out that this collection was a thing that was happening, I got incredibly excited. Unfortunately this is the only product I picked up due to money, but my god it was a good choice. 

Let's talk packaging shall we? I love it a lot. It is cardboard but feels durable. It isn't as easy to just throw in your make up bag as the Naked Basics palette but isn't as big as the normal Naked palettes. I love the reflectiveness of the black as it gives it a slightly edgier feel than just the regular matte black they could have opted for. I also like the use of the red font and the quotes on the front and back as it just adds a little something to the palette. I love the monologue anyway, and now to have it written on my make up just makes me feel a little bad ass. Only me? Yes? Damn okay. 

This palette has a very neutral array of shadows, and all compliment each other nicely. The quality of the shadows are what you expect from UD, creamy, buttery, easy to blend and great pigmentation. They are great for a natural smoky eye and can also be used for day or night. I love the touch of the shimmery black shade Furious which can be used as an eyeliner dupe if you're either looking to experiment or are just scared of eyeliner some mornings (me included!). Anger is also shimmery and is great for an inner eye corner highlight. It really widens my eyes and makes me look alive which is great for any early morning starts. The other three are matte which I prefer to shimmer. This means that there is no shimmer overload if you accidentally put a little bit too much on, a problem I found with the Naked Palette and ended up with discoball eyeballs. Not flattering. 

For £17.50 I found this to be a real steal, especially compared to normal UD prices, and I know I will be using this for a long time to come. In the meantime, if anyone wants to send me the lipstick from this collection in the post, that would be just grand! (Kidding.)

(Kind of.) 

I would like to start out by apologising for how rubbish I've been with posting recently! I don't have access to a proper camera, which is always a great thing for a blogger, so taking photos has been a nightmare. Because of this, please forgive the photo quality as I have had to resort to my iPhone in order to get this up today. I also have my driving theory coming up soon so my highway code has been engrained into my mind after hours of just staring. It's safe to say I am not going to pass...

ANYWAY! I have decided to start a new series called Most Worn, where I talk about my most used product of choice. As you can tell by the title, today's is lipstick. 

The packaging of the product alone shows how much I have loved this lipstick. Topshop lipsticks are widely regarded as high quality in the beauty world, and rightly so. I only own two, but both are favourites of mine. Beatnik is a your lips but better shade, and as a result, can be worn with any sort of look. It is my go to shade if I have no idea what look I am after and I feel it adds just a little something. It is quite glossy but not overpowering, with no or little glitter. It's extremely creamy to apply which feels nice on the lips but means the lasting time isn't great, which means reapplying throughout the day is a necessity. I also find the packaging annoying as when you first buy the product it looks really pretty as the white gives off a clean effect which for some reason I like a lot, but because it is white it means that it gets dirty. Quickly. It also chips easily which means if you just throw it in your bag with keys and coins lying around, chipping is unavoidable.

I do love this lipstick a lot despite the lasting power and tatty packaging, and when I go back to college it is definitely replacing my colours as my staple again. 

As a lover of different moisturisers and body creams/butters, I decided that this product was definitely worth a try after the high rating and good reviews it has had on the internet, and I am happy to say it does not disappoint! I understand that it is hard to find nowadays, but my mum actually had a tub that she hadn't opened yet, giving me the perfect chance to try it despite this. 

The product contains extracts of orange blossom and pomegranate, shea butter and sweet almond oil. The shea butter and sweet almond oil really work as a moisturiser and makes the skin very soft when the bodycream is applied, and also I have a huge amount of love for almond products anyway so this was a huge plus.

The texture is quite thick and yet it is still very light, and when you put it on your body it really does melt into the skin as the packaging claims. I like the consistency as it is not as thick as a body butter which means it is easier to work with, and yet it is not thin and a liquid like moisturisers which I sometimes find difficult to use as some are very runny. I also don't have to wait around for it to sink into the skin which you have to do for some moisturisers or body butters, and as I am an extremely impatient person this is a huge bonus for me. It doesn't leave a greasy or oily residue when it's sunk in, and at no point from getting the cream out of the tub to when the cream has sunk in is it sticky or just uncomfortable to have on your skin. 

The scent is a very long lasting smell which may not be something everyone wants, but as someone who rarely wears perfume I don't find this a problem. It is quite a heavy scent and if you are looking for something light and fresh, this probably isn't the product you want, but I love it. It has citrus-y notes with a slight hint of vanilla and an overall floral scent. It is definitely a more subtle scent than a lot of body creams, but you can still smell it without it being overpowering. I find after using it, throughout the day my skin stays moisturised and glow-y, and the scent stays put for the most part, unless I'm sweating like a pig! It has benefited my skin a lot since I started using it. It is great for dry skin and really moisturises it, meaning that you can get the summer legs you've been wanting. 

All in all, a really great product and I'm so happy I managed to find it! If someone finds it online or in a store, please let me know so I can maybe repurchase when this runs out.  If you want me to do more reviews, or have any tips, please let me know as this is my first time so I really don't know if this is any good.