Collective Haul | Typo, Colourpop and Illamasqua

Hello hello, welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing the stuff I've purchased over the last few weeks. I've been a bit too spendy because theres yet another haul coming up after this tsk._.  Also I just wanna say I HATE the way these photos came out, hate hate hate them cause the lighting was so awful and although they looked alright on screen, on the laptop....a different story!


Right starting with the only non-beauty items, that marble mug that you see camouflaging was something I couldn't say no to when stepping into the store Typo, for the very first time. When you work in a school, usually you aren't allowed to carry cups of tea around for obvious reasons. However my DIY caramel lattes are usually what gets me through the morning, so not being able to have them was a problem and a half! Luckily this mug is now in my life and I L  OVE IT. Its a really huge size, you could fit two mugs of tea in there no problem, but also it has a secure lid which stops any liquid from getting out and is easy to remove and clean too. Plus you don't get the tiniest amount to sip from, its a large enough size - love it! I also couldn't help but pick up this set of tiny pegs and try and make my own lil polaroid wall. BTW TYPO have a random flash sale for TODAY only, srsly check it out if you want the quirkiest and cutest stationary/items/gifts.

It had been a while since I had shopped from the essence range, because its not the most easy brand available. However you can find essence at your local Wilko store if you're from the U.K (I tend to order them online though!). I picked up a couple of mascaras, which I have now given as part of gifts because they're the BEST mascaras from the highstreet! Nothing compares. I especially love this one, but I wanted to try some others from their range, so I purchased a topcoat mascara this time called forbidden volume (£2.80). It has lash fibres in it and I'm so excited to try it out and see if its as good as my favourite! I also repurchased one of their matte lip things, no idea why they call them lip glosses because they clearly aren't...but this is the shade 3 and its stunning! One of my favourite everyday shades, very comfortable more of a cream that dries down a little matte and it's just super effortless.

This haul post photography wise is such a fail, but I also picked up the make me brow (£2.50) in shade 3, which is an exact dupe for the Benefit one...honestly idk why anyone would actually pay a silly amount for a brow mascara - BUY THIS ONE. It's great, my brows stay in place all day and the colour helps to tone them down, which really is always a good thing haha.

Moving on to slightly more high end makeup, Illamasqua were one of the only stores this year to have a decent sale on (thankyou Illamasqua for understanding the word sale!). I didn't want to splurge on too much but honestly I could have easily spent £80+ because I know that what I'm getting is really fantastic quality makeup. I have a post coming up on my fave blushers from the brand, because they don't get as much love as they deserve! The first thing I picked up in the sale, was the Illamasqua precision liner in Wisdom (£20.50), which I got for less than half price! I purchased it because its a KHAKI eyeliner, and y'all may know that khaki is my all time favourite colour. Recently I've been wearing it instead of black and I LOVE how it looks! Still a sharp wing, but a lot less intense which is perfection for a normal school day. I also couldn't resist picking up their vintage cream shadow in bibelot, which is out of stock from their site but I've linked it from the selfridges site. This isn't quite as dark as it appears when first applied, but you can build it up and I love the soft golden shimmers too. Its been a while since I've purchased new Illamasqua products, so I'm really glad to have these two beauties to play with!

I did a lil shopping on beautyjoint.com, which is my go to site for U.S beauty items! I purchased two shades of the Wet n Wild come correct celebrity concealer ($4.99), because I heard its a dupe for the IT cosmetics one. I've not used it much so far, but of course I'll be sharing it with you all when I come to a verdict. I also picked up the L.A Girl Pro Primer ($2.00) which is skin coloured and is basically a matte pencil. So far so good with this, especially for that bargain of a price! A product that looks a lot nicer than it is, that glitter thing from wet'n'wild...awful. Don't bother purchasing this because its pretty much useless, I feel like they got vaseline and dunked a bunch of glitter in it and then pressed it down...nah certifeye glitter is a LOT better!

The eyeliner I've really been enjoying lately is one from boots, the collection extreme 24 hour liner (£3), which is super black and lasts really well throughout the day. I don't remember liking it this much last time I picked it up, which makes me wonder if they changed the formula? Either way, I'm a big fan. Ohhh and how could I not mention these primark NON-LATEX mini blender sponges?! They are fantastic, you get FOUR for only £2.50 and nothing blends in concealer better, ditch those brushes for the under eye cause this is what you need for flawless application. I love how easily they double in size and how super soft they feel on the skin - definitely giving the original beauty blender a run for their money haha.

And I also placed a cheeky colourpop order in the holidays - they always get me with their free shipping over $50! When they released their peachy collection, I was instantly drawn in (although I do think it was an odd time of the year to be doing so!). I was unsure about which ones to purchase, but then I saw this had put together a trio called Just Peachy ($15.00) which includes two mattes and a satin. You don't save a tonne, but its a lovely little kit and I have been obsessed with the shades, fingers crossed the review and swatches will be up tomorrow! I picked up a few bits for friends, and so I just had enough for one more eyeshadow...game face! It's a gorgeous metallic copper shade which is so easy to apply and beautifully pigmented. Game face all over the lid, blended out with warm mattes is going to look stunning. Finally they gave me a free liquid lip, in the shade wild nothing, which is a deeper mauvy rose colour and I LOVE the frosted packaging of this one! Not had too long to try the shade out, but I will be reporting back soon.

And here are some of the swatches! I'm so glad I've finally been able to publish this blog post, its literally been a draft for about 6 weeks ._. I hope you can take advantage of the Typo sale - if not today don't worry, if you sign up to their newsletter you get 20% off! And no this post isn't sponsored by them loool, I wish!! I just really enjoy the store and the quirky range of products they have, so I wanna share it with you all.

P.S I'm really sorry I didn't get this up in time for you to also take advantage of the sale, but please do follow me on social media for the best deals - especially twitter (@blushinggiraffe), because I can share things MUCH quicker on there!

Have you tried anything in my haul? What have you been buying recently? 

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Collective Haul | Typo, Colourpop and Illamasqua

Hello hello, welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing the stuff I've purchased over the last few weeks. I've been a bit too spendy because theres yet another haul coming up after this tsk._.  Also I just wanna say I HATE the way these photos came out, hate hate hate them cause the lighting was so awful and although they looked alright on screen, on the laptop....a different story!

Requested | Whats in my work bag?

Hi everyone, it has been faaar too long! Todays post was inspired by a lovely reader of the blog, who asked me to share one of these 'whats in my bag posts'. Can I just state how much I adore Claire's versions of these on Youtube? Total magic! ✨ I am going to get straight into the post, so as you may know if you read my blog now and again I'm currently a trainee teacher. So it was really important for me to get myself a decent sized bag which I could carry my laptop and a folder or two in comfortably. Before I got really into makeup, I use to be obsessed with handbags haha, however since the last three years my money has been spent on makeup and food I had to cut out one indulgence and bags it was. However when I graduated, my current handbag was in such a state that I had to go on a hunt for a sturdy one that wouldn't cost an arm or a leg. Of course TKMaxx was the store that delivered in the end, because their handbag selection is probably the best on the highstreet.

I came across this awesome Valentino bag, which obviously isn't anywhere near new in season, but it came with a dust bag and it IS valentino....so it counts as my first real designer bag right? Haha, I honestly am not fussed by labels at all and I don't aspire to own any designer gear any time soon, its more the fact that its a great size and comfortable to wear that drew me in. The best part was by far the price, its less than £50, I wish I could link it for you all but its one of those in store gems :(  I appreciate that it has a strong shoulder strap so I can wear it closer, or when it's a little less empty I can wear it with the longer strap and have it hang as a bit more of a casual vibe. The only real gripe I have is the fact that it doesn't have studs at the bottom, so as you might be able to see the corners are already a little worn ._. I may have to ask my uncle to attach some on if he can without damaging the bottom of the bag, because I would like to to last of course.

Right moving swiftly on to whats inside the bag, I HAVE to carry my diary around with me everywhere because I honestly have the memory of a goldfish and if I don't write stuff down theres not much hope. I also sometimes carry my bullet journal the khaki book pictured above, because when I make the time to use it, I LOVE IT! Bullet journaling is really great, but it is something you have to take time out of your routine to do, or even schedule actual time in to do. I have the Leuchtturm 1917 in the plain style and what makes this book a little bit too expensive, is that they have numbered pages which works really well with the whole index system of the book and style.

I also have my keys of course! And I used to have a bunch of keyrings, including a little teddy and a few of those pom poms, but they all fell off and the only thing that remains is the beautiful Palestine keyring which I adore. I normally always have one or two of these lanyard things, I spend Mon-Fri in two different schools and without my I.D it makes getting around them pretty hard because schools have tight security! That different coloured marble thing on the right hand side is my laptop, I always carry this around which definitely makes my bag heavier but I being on this course means I'm always having to check my emails or printing something out haha.

The little leather square is actually a spare bag in disguise, I love it! My uncle gifted it to me and it has already come in really handy - on that note if you're ever interested in leather, suede and sheepskin garments then do check out their business crossbow factory, based in East London. They obviously tend to work with designers and larger companies, but if you're a fashion student or in the area then get in contact for sure ^_^

Getting into the makeup side of things, I ALWAYS have my Charlotte Tilbury airbrush powder in medium, which also happens to be linked in my little shop right next to this photo ayyyyyyee! Anyway this is the best powder I have ever tried ever, I usually don't set my whole face when I first apply my makeup, so this is my touchup powder if I'm a little too shiny - because it restores my makeup like nothing else could and I feel like it blurs my skin a little too. I should probably mention that I DO wear this powder on special occasions or when I'm going for a lighter dewy base. To apply the powder I have this mini ecotools brush, which I got in their travel set - can I just take this moment to say how under rated ecotools brushes are, srsly they're so good for the price especially.

I sometimes have my Tarte gifted mascara because it's the best EVER. Often these days I won't have time to do any eyemakeup, but if I do get stuck in traffic on my commute, a quick layer of this just makes such a difference. And I have a bunch of different lip products, to be really honest with you I usually have 4 or 5 because I'm super indecisive. I also always pop on a lip product last minute before I leave my car, so having options is always useful. I've linked some of my favourites below ^_^

And thats about it really, aside from chocolate wrappers receipts and change haha. I used to carry everything AND the kitchen sink around with me, but the heaviness of a laptop and sometimes folders is more than enough for me these days.

What do you ALWAYS have in your bag?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Requested | Whats in my work bag?

Hi everyone, it has been faaar too long! Todays post was inspired by a lovely reader of the blog, who asked me to share one of these 'whats in my bag posts'. Can I just state how much I adore Claire's versions of these on Youtube? Total magic! ✨ I am going to get straight into the post, so as you may know if you read my blog now and again I'm currently a trainee teacher. So it was really important for me to get myself a decent sized bag which I could carry my laptop and a folder or two in comfortably. Before I got really into makeup, I use to be obsessed with handbags haha, however since the last three years my money has been spent on makeup and food I had to cut out one indulgence and bags it was. However when I graduated, my current handbag was in such a state that I had to go on a hunt for a sturdy one that wouldn't cost an arm or a leg. Of course TKMaxx was the store that delivered in the end, because their handbag selection is probably the best on the highstreet.

Review | Zoeva En Taupe Brush Set

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing really well. Due to lack of lighting and zero time I've posted a little later than I had planned, but hey I am back and with a review of a beautiful brush set that I've hardly heard of on the net! Zoeva brushes are very well known to be great cheaper alternatives to brands like MAC and Sigma. I had wanted to pick up some decent eyeshadow brushes for the longest time, but felt like with the amount of brushes in my collection I really couldn't justify a £50+ brush kit. Then one day I randomly stumbled across the En Taupe Brush Set (£40), and I was instantly drawn to it. The price is decent, because its a 7 piece kit with 6 full size brushes and a really nice brush case/pouch...so each costing around £5.71. You can buy a single zoeva eyeshadow brush for almost a tenner, so thats why the brush kits are really popular and well worth the money. I'm going to be reviewing each brush in detail and then summing it all up at the end, enjoy!

Starting with one of their most popular brush, the 227 soft definer (£9.00 individually) is well known to be a dupe for the MAC 217. I love it too, just as much as everyone else because it really is a 'one-brush-wonder'. You can do a basic or even slightly intricate eyeshadow look with just this brush, it is just flat enough to be good at applying a shade all over the lid, whilst also being fluffy enough to blend shadows out. I don't have the biggest lids, so I really appreciate the size of this. It's one of those brushes that I could do with having a couple in my collection, I've used this the most from all six and I really do think everyone should have a 227 in their life!

Moving on to another favourite, the 238 Luxe precise shader brush (£9.00 individually) is another brush I think everyone needs and one that isn't talked about much, but its made such a huge difference to my makeup routine! This cute little brush is fantastic for adding colour along the lower lashline, which has been a big game changing step in my eyeshadow application. It also makes a great inner-corner highlight brush, as well as a good one to use for smudging darker shadows along the upper lashline, if i'm not going for a crisp wing. Another thing I love it for, is adding a darker shade into my eye shadow look. We've all been there where we've used a fluffy crease brush, dipped it into a dark shadow and then ruined everything because thats just TOO MUCH shadow. The precise shader is the perfect way to introduce a tiny bit of shadow into the crease, to the further blend out with a different brush. Oh AND of courseeeee its excellent for adding glitter or a pop of colour in a small area. I mean I thin the amount I've written for such a tiny brush says it all, love love love it.

Another brush that I adore is the 230 luxe pencil brush (£9.00 individually), it's basically the perfect size for blending out shadow along the lower lashline, you can apply AND blend shadow in small areas with this unlike the one above - although I still love that one but we've already discussed that haha. I also like this for adding deeper shades in the crease, and for very detailed blending of small areas. Though I'm not sure I'd spent almost a tenner on it, I'm very glad that it is included in this kit!

The 317 wing liner brush (£8.00 individually) is another dupe for an unethical brand that I shall (and have) only mentioned once in this post lol. It has a very prominent slant, which makes it fantastic for both winged liner and the brows too. I hardly used it when I first go the kit, however I really do enjoy it with the ABH dip brow and the colourpop alternative too. Whilst I don't have the time to do a wing with a brush and a gel liner pot on the day to day, when I do have more time to play with makeup this is THE brush to use. It's a good one, not a total must have but I'm pleased to have it.

Moving on to the 322 brow line (£8.00 individually), this is by far the most unusual brush in my collection and I wasn't sure what to do with it at first! I've kind of discovered that it works beautifully with the dip brow again, especially if you have thicker brows or want to go for more of a bolder look. I think some people also use this to clean up their brows. I tried this once and it worked well but its was just quite time consuming...for a special occasion sure, for everyday? No chance! Haha. Again its a good brush, would I pay £8 for it alone? No. However it works well for the brows and the brows are such an important feature of the face, I ain't mad about having another brush specifically for them.

And finally the second blending brush in this kit, which is also very well known and loved is the 228 luxe crease brush (£9.00 individually). This is great, I usually opt for this when I apply a wash of colour over the lid, or add some warmth into the crease. The bristles of this brush are quite a bit longer that the 227, which means doesn't pack on as much colour and thats also why I think they're both like sister and go so well together, especially when doing a lot of blending! I appreciate that its still quite long and streamlined, so although you can blend out shadows quickly, you can still be pretty precise.

A little photo to show you the difference between the 227 and 228 (on the right). If you're looking for some decent blending brushes that'll last you a good few years, but you don't want a whole brush kit, these two are your best bet!

Round Up:

Rating: 10/10

Pros: Affordable and fantastic value for money, it includes brushes that I can't see my collection being without now! But also the brushes that I'm not crazy over, I still use frequently, so there really aren't any dud brushes at all. They're comfortable to hold and very well made brushes which'll last a good few years. I really like the case you get with it, I'll often travel with it and finally I have a place to keep my beauty sponges too haha. The quality is definitely on par with more expensive brushes, so having it in a value set makes it even better. Also having a brush set means I've been able to try out brushes that I wouldn't usually even considering buying individually.

Cons: Although the brushes do retain their shape just fine, sometimes they get a lil stained. Since taking these photos I have washed them a few times and it tends to depend on the kinds of shades I'm using. However thats really my only con!

Overall: I honestly think this is the best eyeshadow brush kit they offer in terms of price and variety of brushes too! It definitely deserves more recognition which is why it had to be my first review of 2017 - if you've been umming and ahhing over zoeva eyeshadow brushes, I really don't think you'd regret picking this up. Also it'd make a fantastic gift for any lady in your life, if she has a lot of brushes already she won't be mad at more and if she's just getting into makeup, this'll be SO useful and she will love you.

Have you got any Zoeva brush kits? Any fave brushes?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Review | Zoeva En Taupe Brush Set

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing really well. Due to lack of lighting and zero time I've posted a little later than I had planned, but hey I am back and with a review of a beautiful brush set that I've hardly heard of on the net! Zoeva brushes are very well known to be great cheaper alternatives to brands like MAC and Sigma. I had wanted to pick up some decent eyeshadow brushes for the longest time, but felt like with the amount of brushes in my collection I really couldn't justify a £50+ brush kit. Then one day I randomly stumbled across the En Taupe Brush Set (£40), and I was instantly drawn to it. The price is decent, because its a 7 piece kit with 6 full size brushes and a really nice brush case/pouch...so each costing around £5.71. You can buy a single zoeva eyeshadow brush for almost a tenner, so thats why the brush kits are really popular and well worth the money. I'm going to be reviewing each brush in detail and then summing it all up at the end, enjoy!

2017 Goals

Hello all! I do apologise for the pretty late post, but I hope you had a great start to 2017🎉. I have been trying to get an assignment done, which is due in a few days so its been a very homey couple of days for me. I also didn't have anything that stood out to me massively that should be a goal for the year, until I sat down and really thought about what I wanted to achieve this year and I managed to six in total.

1. Lose my muffin top! 🍰🏋🏽‍♀️

I have put on a fair bit of weight whilst at Uni and now that I'm out of University, I really want to get my fitness back on track. Whilst I don't really mind being a bit heavier, because honestly when I lose too much weight my face looks gaunt, I would like to lose some of my tummy weight. This sales I found the most perfect Zara mom fit jeans but sadly my tummy meant they didn't fit and the size up wasn't available in store or online :( I should have kept them for my goal weight, but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I just want to get fit and active and hopefully lose the muffin top in the process! Sometimes in photos I notice my stomach sticks out more than I would care for, plus I do suffer with a  lot of bloating...only making the issue worse. So heres hoping I get into a good routine in 2017, not just with the gym but with drinking more water and avoiding the sugary stuff too.

2. Wear all the clothes in my wardrobe or pass them on. 🚪

I've noticed that my storage areas have become full to the point of almost bursting recently, but there are definitely items in there which I haven't worn in months. Basically they're just taking up a whole load of space which is very unnecessary, so I'll be a lot more vigilant this year with passing stuff on or chucking it out if its too old.

3. Keep my dressing table relatively tidy. ☀️

I have a long table/storage system in my room, which serves as both a dressing table and a desk. This year I really want to use it as more of a desk, as well as a dressing table so I need to ensure I make the space clear and inviting to actually work on. Plus when the table is clear, it makes a huge difference to the rest of the room and the more I remind myself, the easier this will be.

4. Use up all my backups! 💄

I have got a drawer full of items which are either backups, or things I purchased cheaply from fragrance direct a good year or two ago. Instead of regularly swapping them out and using them, I tend to just leave them be. So this year I want to get through the draw and use my moneys worth! Whilst I won't be imposing any sort of makeup buying fast in 2017, generally I won't be as financially free to pick up whatever. At least for two thirds of the year! So I think its more important than ever to use up the stuff I have. Sometimes I get so tempted to repurchase things I know work well, however its a massive waste of money to have products left unopened at home, whilst I'm buying more and more.

5. Make time to blog 💻

2016 wasn't a great year for blogging for me. I didn't manage to post double digit amounts very often but I don't feel too guilty for that, as it was also a year to work very hard and achieve milestones. However at the second interview for my teacher training course, I was asked about my hobbies and both the head and deputy said how important it was to make time for them. Teaching is a physically and mentally draining job, especially when everything is so new and overwhelming. So this year I really want to schedule more time into my calendar for blogging. I'm not saying I'll get 12 posts up a month, every month. BUT I'm going to try and be a little more consistent!

6. Refrain from buying the odd thing here and there. 💸

What I mean by this is the odd meal deal here, the odd latte there. These things add up more than I realised at the end of 2016 and considering I'm running a car on a limited bursary, I really need to watch where my money goes. The only problem with the school I work at, is its a 30 second drive away from a bunch of fast food and a huge supermarket...which also sells Krispy Kremes! I'm a huge advocate of treat ya self every now and again. But there has to be a limit, otherwise its not a treat its careless money down the drain. I'm a little worried that if I don't break out of this habit before September (when I'll actually be earning money in'sha'Allah!), its gonna stick and I don't want to be irresponsible with money my whole life. Some people are great at saving from a young age, like my 15 year old sister, others like myself are not so much. Instead of having a goal as 'to save', which is unlikely given the amount I have to live off of from my bursary, tackling the cause of the problem seems like a more sensible and long term goal to reach for!

Have you set goals for 2017? Please link your post below ^_^

Thank-you for reading ♥

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2017 Goals

Hello all! I do apologise for the pretty late post, but I hope you had a great start to 2017🎉. I have been trying to get an assignment done, which is due in a few days so its been a very homey couple of days for me. I also didn't have anything that stood out to me massively that should be a goal for the year, until I sat down and really thought about what I wanted to achieve this year and I managed to six in total.