Instagram accounts that I love

Instagram was once a chronologically ordered platform that we scrolled to the last time we were active on the app. Even though the algorithm sucks now, I still love Instagram and I spend an average of 48 minutes on there daily. I follow quite a few on bloggers and feeds that truly inspires me to step up my game. Who is your favourite feeds to follow right now?

Gemellisx

ameliaasays

Christmas glam makeup

Who loves getting ready for an event? I don't have any Christmas parties to go to this year but it doesn't mean I can't look the part. Getting ready can be really fun! These are the products I used for this look.

3 new products to my skincare routine

It's been a whole month since my horrendous breakout and I'm at the point where my skin is almost fully healed. I still have some dry patches on my chin but my whole complexion is left with dark marks and scars. I'm slowly introducing new products into my routine and I have been dying to try some new products I have picked up in the last month.

Christmas beauty wishlist

A collection of beauty products that I have been eyeing up and will eventually own...

Colourpop no filter stix foundation review | Worth the hype?

Today I am reviewing the No Filter Foundation Stix from Colourpop which is available in 30 shades. It claims to be medium coverage and gives you natural skin-like finish. I picked up the shade 50W which is a warm foundation with yellow undertones for light skin tones. Since my Colourpop haul here, I have been desperately waiting for my skin to get to an okay stage to try out this foundation stick.

Most reached for nudes

Everyone has that go-to category that they want their everyday lipstick to be and I have 3 which all the pretty similar when I swatched them but I can tell you how they vary.

Secret Santa gifts under £15

Secret Santa, two words you either love or hate. Personally, I find Secret Santa very exciting, trying to find out the other person likes and dislikes without them knowing. These are all under £15 so you won't be breaking the bank. By all means feel free to pick up some fluffy socks from Primark and the person's favourite sweets, these are just some ideas to help you out.

November Favourites

The year is ending so soon! This will be my last favourites this year. I have done a lot of shopping in the month of November and even though it's not been a great month for my skin I still managed to have some favourites to share.

NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation Review

A drugstore foundation that claims to be lightweight, full coverage and waterproof? I have been dying to try this foundation out when it was launched, there are 45 shades that covers a huge spectrum of skin tones. The foundation claims to be a matte finish, is transfer proof and controls shine throughout the day, It is also suitable for oily, combination and sensitive skin types.

COLOURPOP HAUL 7.0

Colourpop is such an affordable American brand and I haven't made an order in ages, taking advantage of Black Friday offers I picked up a few pieces that I have been wanting to try.

HOW I EDIT MY BLOG PHOTOS | BLOG & PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

I have been blogging for a long time hence picking up a few tips and tricks. Prior to this, I took Photography during my A-levels so I have basic knowledge of the tools in Photoshop. Today I'm showing you how I achieve get from before to after. In the original photo, you can see the colours are muted and have a blue cast.

CHRISTMAS PARTY PICKS*

It is officially less than one month till Christmas and a lot of us have parties to go to and I usually spend last minute panicking. Here are a few picks and how I would style them.

MAKEUP COLLECTION AND STORAGE

A long-awaited post: my makeup storage. Prior to moving to Hong Kong I filtered and decluttered my makeup keeping items that I do actually use. This is my current set up. I won't go into too much detail about the products but how I separate and keep them organised.

UK HAUL

Spending 5 days in the UK means taking advantage of picking up new bits and bobs that I wanted to try. This is more of a show rather than tell post and reviews will come later when I have tried out the products more.

GRAD GUEST MAKEUP

I recently attended my sister's graduation and these are the makeup I used. For events like these, I need my makeup to last all day and I mix it up depending on what my dress colour is.

INSPIRED BY MILK1422 FACE CHART

I spend an average of a 1 hour on Instagram daily and I am always inspired by people's content especially Milk1422 who does amazing face charts. Today is my take on this face chart, it really inspires me to play with my makeup. These are the products I used:

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN UK

More of a life-update: I arrive in the UK on Saturday and I'm staying for 5 days mainly to attend my sister's graduation but I also have a lot of people to see not to mention the food that I need to reacquaint myself with. Here's just a list of things I want to do,

APRILSKIN MAGIC SNOW BB CUSHION

Aprilskin, a Korean natural cosmetic brand established in 2014 with Magic Snow being their top-selling product in 2015. Today I will be reviewing the Magic Snow that is available in 3 shades: light beige, pink beige and natural beige.

REDISCOVERIES

Over the last month, I've used up a couple of products and have been going through my collection to see what can replace them. I've also had a huge breakout after Halloween so I needed some skincare saviours.

IOPE AIR CUSHION COVER REVIEW

Still on the hunt for a BB Cushion that suits my ever changing skin. Today I am reviewing another Korean product: Iope Air Cushion Cover which has 4 shades: Ivory, Cool Vanilla, Vanilla and Beige.

AUTUMN/WINTER OUTFIT INSPIRATION

Can you tell I am obsessed with this beautiful yellow colour? I am actually really excited to start layering up especially since I'm going back to the UK for 5 days for my sister's graduation. We know that England is getting really cold and I'm all for chunky knits. 

WARM TONES FOR THE COLDER SEASON

The colder seasons always makes us venture into the darker smokier and warmer shades, today I am sharing my picks of makeup that I will be using over the next few months. Hope you spot some favourites.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY LIPSTICK COLLECTION + GIVEAWAY

Charlotte Tilbury, one of my favourite brands I proudly own. I have collected a few lipsticks and thought I will share which shades I own. The packaging of these lipsticks is eye candy worthy on my vanity with its rose gold packaging. It is slightly weighted for a sturdy feel and all have that delicious vanilla scent.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS | HERA UV MIST CUSHION REVIEW

Cushion foundations are such an easy way to quickly 'tap' your base on. Today I have the Hera UV Mist Cushion to review. Hera is a Korean skincare, makeup and fragrance brand. I have the shade 23 Beige.

3 FAVOURITE CREAM/BALM LIPSTICKS

Gone is the all matte girl. My current favourite lipstick formulas are satin or a creamy finish. My lips and skin are constantly so dry and I have been loving this more natural finish.

NIGHTTIME CLEANSING ROUTINE

Since moving to Hong Kong, my skin has changed a lot. I now have dry skin which causes dry patches hence exfoliating a lot more. My nighttime cleansing routine is a lot simpler than before.

LIFE UPDATE | 1 MONTH IN HONG KONG

Just a little update on how Hong Kong has been treating me. I'm really grateful that I have family here so I can stay with them and embark on this new adventure.

FULL FACE OF PRODUCTS I HAVEN'T USED IN A WHILE

Once I find a product I love, I stick to it and all my other makeup items get neglected. Giving my makeup a little rotation I used things that I haven't in a while.

TRANSITIONING SKINCARE FOR AUTUMN WINTER

As the weather is becoming colder, our skin gets drier, therefore, these are the products that I have in my collection that I will be reintroducing into my routine.

AM I NEGLECTING MY EYESHADOWS?

Since moving to Hong Kong I have realised that I need to make an effort of using my eyeshadow palettes, rather than naturally reaching for one like I used to. When I was in the UK I wore a different palette almost every single day and here's why I don't anymore.

MINIMAL MAKEUP

Hong Kong is such a hot and humid place and I've learnt not to 'cake' it on even though I love it. It may seem like this is a lot of products but for me, this is the everyday minimal. I do change up my foundation depending on my skin as the weather is making my pores more obvious as also dry.

LANEIGE SLEEPING LIP EYE AND FACE MASK REVIEW

I love sleeping masks, it saves a lot of hassle and instead of applying my extensive routine it helps restore my skin moisture overnight. I picked up these a while ago and have been using these on and off.

ASOS BEAUTY WISHLIST

Welcome back, there are always new launches and makeup that I would love to eventually try but my bank balance would cry. These are the things I have been eyeing up from Asos, they have a great range of brands on their website and with next day delivery (the UK only) what's not to love? 

A WEEK OF MASKS

I love doing these posts sharing my weekly mask favourites. I have a lot and there is a lot that I left behind in the UK. These past two weeks my skin is going through a change getting used to the humidity and the constant in and out of the air con situation. To helps breakouts, restore hydration and soothe my skin I have been using the following.

CURRENT EVERYDAY MAKEUP

As the weather is a lot more hot and humid in Hong Kong, I have been changing up my makeup a little bit going with less coverage and the less is more concept. For a general everyday face when I'm not testing out makeup or creating new looks these are the products I have been reaching for.

INNISFREE HAUL

I haven't been shopping that much and only picked up necessities until I walked past the Innisfree store, I picked up a few bits which I can't wait to use.

CURRENT MOST REACHED FOR LIP PRODUCTS

I've been in Hong Kong for over a week now and these are the lipsticks that I have been reaching for. I have been consuming a lot of food and have been reapplying my lipsticks a lot. See my most reached for lippies below.

FLIGHT MAKEUP

I do one of these every year when I go on holiday. When I land it's almost 5:30pm, so all I want to do is grab a quick shower and then unpack a little and then head for dinner. I normally crash if I don't keep active but getting back to the post. I need to look presentable when I get off that night to afternoon flight.

MORE WET N WILD? CONCEALER, HIGHLIGHTERS AND LIPSTICK REVIEW

There were a couple more things that I wanted to try, so if you haven't read my last one, check it out here. This time I picked up the: highlighters, lipstick, concealer and a makeup brush.

AUGUST FAVOURITES

Hi guys, so when you reading this I should be in Hong Kong now, I'm sharing my August favourites which I love doing every month. This last month I have been loving the following;

DERMALOGICA BLACKHEAD FIZZ MASK & BREAKOUT CLEARING BOOSTER REVIEW*

I was sent this duo from Influenster and there's nothing I love more than trying out new skincare, in the package it contained the Blackhead Fizz Mask and Breakout Treatment.

TOO FACED BETTER THAN SEX MASCARA DOES IT COMPARE WITH L'OREAL LASH PARADISE?

Another one of those cult items that people rave about; The Better Than Sex Mascara. I got my hands on a travel size one and always have been interested in the claims that it says: 100% dramatic volume, 100% longer lashes and 90% on achieving a dramatic look with one coat.

THE NEXT CHAPTER: I'M MOVING TO HONG KONG

I've always in the back of my head knew I was eventually going to do it. And I have so many questions that I have asked myself:

- Have I left it too late?
- Am I going at the wrong time?
- Am I ready for this sort of change?
- Am I going to make it?
- What do I have to lose?
- Am I going to come back?
- What regrets will I have?
- Who will I miss?
- Am I ready to let go?

This has gone through my head many times and there are many more 'what if' questions. I've had many breakdowns over the past few months; booking my tickets, changing my dates, slowly decluttering. If you've been following me on my social media and noticed in my blog posts, I've been really trying to use up my products because I can't take everything with me. That includes doing blog sales and listing all the things that I deem I don't need on eBay, Depop (username klau93) and the Mercari app (Joyce Lau).

TESTING WET 'N ' WILD | PHOTOFOCUS FOUNDATION, CONCEALER, BLUSH AND MORE

Finally Wet 'n' Wild are back in the UK available to purchase from Beauty Bay, I picked up a couple of things and have made another order since some of the items were sold out. These so far counts as my first impression but I do know what I like and dislike. I only selected the items that I truly know I was going to use since I don't want to hoard too much makeup.

CURRENT NIGHT TIME MASKS AND MOISTURISERS

I constantly change around my skincare depending on what my skin needs, these are the current go-to moisturisers and masks that I am reaching for.

TRYING OUT CLEANSING OILS AND BALMS | DHC, CLINIQUE, EMMA HARDIE AND CAOLION

I always stick with my trusty Body Shop Cleansing Oil and when I ran out instead of purchasing a new one I decided to go through all my balms and sample products that I have been hoarding. Today I am reviewing:

- Clinique Take The Day Off
- DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
- Caolion Pore Triple Action Cleansing Stick
- Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

SKINCARE GIVEAWAY

So in this giveaway, you will win the following:

• Pixi Beauty Glow Mud Cleanser
• Burt's Bees Peppermint Lip Balm
• Masue Bar Eye Patches
• Be Fine Clay Mask
• Skin Republic Bubble Purifying Mask
• 2 x Origins Flower Fusion Mask
• Skin 79 Nose Pack
• The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
• The Ordinary High Spreadability Fluid Primer

This ends on 8th August Midnight and the winner will be announced on the 9th of August via Instagram.

JULY FAVOURITES

Another month has gone by it's time to share my monthly favourites. Last month I had a few skin issues around my eyes so I completely skipped eyeshadow for most of the month and really focused on the skin. To see what they are read on.