Body Shop summer haul!♡ | Handpicked Beauty

Hey everyone,
so before I start: GOOGLE READER SHUTS DOWN ON MONDAY! It's being made out to be like the end of the world, which lets hope it's not, but I'm sad about losing touch with people. You can import your google reader blogs to bloglovin', so I've done that :) And please follow me on there: LINK. Ok, that was dramatic but necessary.

Onto the haul! So recently I have been shopping, as I'm going to Mexico soon and I felt like my skincare needed a bit of a change. I felt like I wasn't removing my makeup properly which horrifies me. As an avid lover of the BodyShop, I went in and came away with quite a few items for summer! I also purchased some clothes from other shops but I'll save that haul for later.
All of the BodyShop products work so well for me, and I love that they aren't tested on animals.

Anyway, I've tried a few of them already so I can do a mini-review, but I will be doing an in depth review on how these are working for my skin after I've had them a bit longer.

So the first thing I bought was the tea tree pore minimiser. I have combination skin coupled with rather big pores, and during summer `i can become prone to blackheads and clogged pores. This acts like a primer, or on days when I'm not wearing any makeup I just apply  this, and it fills in my pores so they won't become clogged and at the same time it helps my skin out.

I bough the Vitamin C Energising facespray because it seems like a really refreshing, nice spray to use when I'm in the heat in Mexico. It also claims to be skin brightening and wakens your skin up, so I can't wait to use this.

 I also bought the Carbon Define Eye Pencil in the brown shade, as I think brown is more natural and less harsh than black. It's lovely for a winged liner look, and to subtly define your eyes without looking like you've applied too much makeup.It comes with a sponge at the end to blend it out into a more smoky look or to smudge it along the lash line, which is so cool.

After applying it.

After blending it out.

I then purchased the Berry lip roll on. It's basically a roll on oil for the lips; it's so easy to apply and keeps your lips super soft.

 I bought quite a few skincare items from the Seaweed range, as it is formulated for oily skin but isn't too harsh. I bought the Purifying facial cleanser, which is a really softening cleanser. It slides off all your makeup, and any excess oil and leaves your skin feeling tingly and clean.

I then bought three mini items: The deep facial cleanser, the gentle eye makeup remover and the clarifying toner. These were on a 3 for 2 and at only £3 each it seemed a great idea, as I could try out the products without committing to the full bottle. I use the eye makeup remover, the cleanser, then the clarifying toner and then a moisturiser. I will do a full review on these products soon!

I also bought the Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask, as I can use it once a week in conjunction with the rest of the seaweed products. It has a really strong, beachy scent and it is a really thick mask. Clay masks are great for oily skin, and I've used it once and it left my skin so soft and clean; it was amazing!

I also bought a cotton headband to hold back my hair whilst I do my makeup. I guess I could have bought a cheaper one from Primark or something, but this is so soft and makes me feel like I'm in a spa! It's so useful.

Lastly, I got the Love ETC... body wash for free because I spent over a certain amount. I love the Bodyshop! Because it was my birthday recently, they gave me a free £5 product and as I am part of their reward scheme, they gave me 10% of everything! :D



Hope you enjoyed this haul and let me know which products I should review soon...
I only have one more exam left so I am so excited for Summer!
Lots of love,
Emma-Kate
xxx

PS: I was wondering, is Bodyshop a drugstore brand or?
x

NOTD | Barry M nail paint in 'Lemon'

Hey everyone,

So recently I have been really starting to get into nail varnish. I've never been much of a nails kind of person, as I'm not allowed it for school, but I've slowly been building up a small collection and I've been trying out new colours and things! I wear nail polish at the weekend and as it's nearly summer my nails can be free haha :P

This nail polish is a Barry M nail paint in the colour lemon. It's such a bright shade for Summer, and I have been trying to get into more colourful, tropical colours as the weather gets warmer and this is the perfect nail polish for that! It's so warm and gorgeous, and it reminds me of the sun and happiness. Just looking at my nails makes me feel so happy, which is always a good thing! 

In terms of durability, this nail varnish is OK. I am super impatient when waiting for them to dry so they did get slightly smudged then, but they lasted about 3 days before they starting chipping and getting annoying. I'm not sure whether this is good or not as like I said, I don't have much experience with nail polish but I was pretty happy with that, as I wouldn't leave it on much longer to be fair.

All in all, I absolutely love this colour and I would recommend it highly.

Lots of love,

Emma-Kate

xxx

Tropical Summer Makeup | Handpicked Beauty

Hey everyone,

So this is a really pretty, summery look which I think is so fresh and bright as the weather (hopefully) gets warmer! It combines two of my favourite colours; mint green and rose gold to create a beautiful look which is perfect. I think it's quite wearable but if you want to tone it down a little you can, by adding less eyeshadow, but equally you can make it more dramatic by bringing in some liquid liner and more mascara. Hope you like it!


Products used:
Natural Collection eyeshadow duo in Apple Frost
Sleek Contour palette in light -review-
Accessorize highlighter -review-
Acessorize eyeliner
Jack Wills mascara
MUA white eyeliner
Rimmel Apocalips in 'Stellar' -review-











I applied the rose gold shade from the Sleek palette all over the lid as it is so bright and pretty and makes your eyes stand out so well. 
I then applied the mint green shade from the natural collection palette under my eyes and in a flick on the edges of my eyes, as it is so pigmented and really makes your eyes pop! I think it is such a gorgeous way to wear colour for summer, without looking too overdone.
I then took the white eyeliner from MUA and applied in on my tear duct and half way down my waterline as it makes you appear more awake and brightens your eyes so nicely. And for £1 it's so pigmented! After that I took the 'frost' shade from the natural collection palette to go over the white eyeliner, and into the inner third of my eyelid to make the white stand out more.
I applied a bit of accessorize eyeliner on the corners of my eye to make them more defined, without looking too over the top.
I then coated on lashings of the Jack Wills mascara.
To finish off, I used the same rose gold blush on the apples of my cheeks and I used Rimmel Apocalips in 'Stellar' to give the whole look a tropical, fruity vibe.

Hope  you liked this look! 
Good luck to everyone with exams at the moment, 
lots of love,
Emma-Kate
xxx

PS: Please follow me on Bloglovin' (Link is above and to the right) so I can keep in touch with you all after GFC closes down! :( Also please leave your Bloglovin' links below so I can follow you too :)xxx

My top 5 beauty picks for summer♡ | Handpicked Beauty

Hey everyone,
I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favourite products for summer :)

Hope you like it! 

EK

xxx

Sleek Contour Palette: Worth the hype? | Handpicked Beauty

Hey everyone,
I have recently bought the Sleek Face Form Contour Palette in light, because as summer approaches I have been wanting to warm up my pale face a bit. I've never used a bronzer or contour powder before, so I was so excited to finally buy this! It is so affordable for £10 from Superdrug, which is an amazing price considering the pigmentation and quality of the product.

The bronzer is really pigmented, so you have to be careful that you don't apply too much at once, but this means it lasts for longer. I do find it has a slight orange undertone but it's not really a problem if you blend it out properly. This adds a really nice summery glow to the face and defines your cheekbones nicely, so I am so happy with it! The first time I wore it, several people told me I had a tan and looked like I'd been in the sun, so that is a huge bonus for me. I apply it in a B shape across my temples, the hollows of my cheeks and under my jaw. I also use it as an eyeshadow to naturally contour the eye socket, and to slim my nose.

The highlighter is a lovely goldenly pinky colour, and is a really natural shimmer for the face. I don find that it isn't very pigmented and noticeable on the skin but I think this looks more natural and when it catches the sunlight it makes the skin look so dewy and glowy. I apply this gently over my cheekbones, down my nose, my chin, the corner of my eyes and my brow bone. All of the powders are so smooth and finely milled so it feels so silky and light on the skin.

The palette also comes with a rose gold blush, which is a dupe for Nars Orgasm. It is SO gorgeous for summer, and I find it goes really well with my pale complexion. It brightens my skin and looks so pretty! It is super pigmented so like the bronzer, you only need a small amount on the apples of the cheeks to achieve a pretty glow. It is a shimmery shade, so if you apply too much it can look a bit too glitzy, but I think in moderation if you use a light hand whilst you apply it, it will give you the perfect natural shimmer for S/S13!

Overall, I am so glad I purchased this, as it was really cheap and does an amazing job at adding dimension to the face and letting your best features stand out.

Lots of love,

Emma-Kate

xxx

NOTD- Barry M gelly hi-shine nail paint ♡ | Handpicked Beauty

Hey everyone,

So before I start I want to say sorry for not posting as much as I'd like to. I'm under a lot of pressure at the moment and  I've got lots going on, so my blog has become somewhat neglected. I'm really upset about this because I love blogging, but obviously when I have exams I can't put as much effort in as I want to. So it's almost summer and I am going to post every single day when it is! Yay!

Also with GFC closing down, I'd really appreciate it if you guys followed me on Bloglovin' instead because I'm worried I will lose touch with some of my favourite blogs. The link is above, or to the right! :D x

Anyway, onto the ACTUAL post! Today I thought I'd review a recent nail polish which I purchased-Barry M gelly hi-shine nail paint in the colour lychee. It retails for £3.99 from Boots, which I think is a really reasonable price for what you are getting. 

It is a gorgeous oat shade and it makes your fingers look longer and more ladylike I think! 

It comes in a glass bottle which makes it look like a more expensive product, but I prefer the ones with black lids rather than silver. I found parts of the silver coating on the lid flaked away so it looks quite tacky :(

The nail paint itself is really good quality and hasn't chipped after 3 days which I think is pretty impressive!

It isn't as shiny as I thought it would be, as I think the name suggests it's going to be like, reflective kind of shiny, but it wasn't all that different from the normal barry M nail paints. It applies really smoothly and it was basically opaque after one coat, but I applied a second coat to be sure.

I didn't apply a topcoat or base coat and this is the result I got so maybe using those, it would be even better!

I think this is a really sophisticated pretty shade, and I think Barry M have done a great job :D

Have you tried any of the Hi shine polishes, or any of the other Barry M nail paints?

Lots of love,

Emma-Kate

xxx