Things I have been recently loving | Handpicked Beauty

Hey everyone,

So I have been MIA for absolutely ages! My life has been so busy lately!  Thank you for understanding, and I am starting blogging properly again now :)

I thought I would show some things I have been loving lately! This is inspired by the lovely Becky from Milk Bubble Tea (pause and go and check her blog out..warning you will be there for a few hours at least as it's so gorgeous!) as she does super cute posts about products she has been enjoying. I don't try enough products to do a 'favourites' every single month, so I love this idea! Things I have been recently loving...

Soap and Glory 'Butter yourself' body butter. This smells and feels amazing!

I also love Hand Food, it keeps my hands soft and moisturised in this horrible cold weather!

I got this from Lush for just £1 and I use it on my hands to keep them moisturised. Also, the money goes to Charity so definitely a great thing!

I just got a new bed (yes it is the generic IKEA one which every blogger seems to have..) I love it! My Auntie made me the gorgeous bunting which I have above it. 

I have recently tried the Natural Collection lash length mascara. It's really natural so it's perfect for school, and makes my eyelashes look way longer. For only £1.99 I am so glad I bought this.

My sister Beth gave me this for Christmas and I absolutely love having a good cup of tea in it. 

I bought this ring from Accessorize and I'm totally in love with it! It goes with the majority of clothes that I have, and I think it's so elegant and pretty. I love the detail of the little gems!

I bought this after watching Zoella's November favourites video. It makes my hair so volumised and gives it more hold. I think it was about £3/4 and I love it!

I bought this super cute purse from Primark! After reading Becky's post I saw this and I was like 'I HAVE to get it!' So a quick Primark trip happened and I love it soo much! 

Hope you enjoyed this little post, what things have you been loving recently?

Emma-Kate

xxx

It always seems impossible until it's done.

Hey everyone,

So I thought each week I would post a photo of motivation for you; a photo I've seen on either pinterest or tumblr that makes me feel a little happy :) Not a 'proper' post, but just something sweet to maybe brighten your day and motivate you a little.
I love this quote and it is something I try to remember as I have a bad habit of lacking confidence and not believing in myself. There are so many things I want to do but I feel like I can't, and this quote just reminds me that if I put the effort in it is possible. Thank you Nelson Mandela, and RIP.

<3

Maybelline fit me concealer review | handpicked beauty

I purchased the Maybelline Fit me concealer a few months ago, because I was looking for a new concealer as I have gone off the collection one as I find it really thick and cakey. The colour of the collection one is so perfect for me (1 fair) and the coverage is great, but I just find that it isn't good for dry skin like mine as it cakes onto blemishes :( Fit me is £5.99 from Boots, which I personally think is a little pricey considering the collection one is about £4 and much better (and I don't even like that one!)

Fit me concealer is a really lovely product, however it does have some downsides which make it not an every day product for me unfortunately. It is basically the exact opposite of the collection one! It is super blendable and never looks cakey, so it is looks like you aren't wearing any makeup! It covers undereye circles really well too and feels so light on the skin.

It has a cool applicator (I think it's called a doefoot applicator), so it can be dotted onto blemishes and then patted in for a seamlessly blended look.

The main problem I have with this concealer is the colour. It is really orangey looking on my skin, and as I mainly use it on my chin it makes me look like I have some weird fake tan only on my chin (not a good look), so I always have to go over with the collection one anyway to balance it out. I think this is a great concealer for someone who has a bit of a tan, but for anyone pale like me it just looks really orange. I got the shade 15; there was a shade under this one but it looked a little more yellowy so I went for shade 15...looking back shade 10 might have been better for my skin tone.  I find it looks good in the evenings when there isn't any harsh light to show up the orange, so it is worth having for covering up imperfections for the night.
 It is brilliant for undereye circles as the orange cancels them out, however it isn't highlighting so if you want a brightening effect another concealer is needed. Also, the coverage isn't as good as the collection so I find that quite a bit of product is needed to get the effect I want.

Overall, I think this is a lovely concealer as it is super blendable and feels light on the skin, however the colour range isn't great and it's not great for people with lots of blemishes as it isn't the best coverage.

Have you tried this concealer? What do you think?

Emma-Kate

xxx

Barry M nail polish 'Majesty' | handpicked beauty

Hi everyone and a very happy new year! 

I recently picked up this gorgeous gold nail polish from Barry M called 'Majesty'. It was reduced from £3.99 to £2.99 in Superdrug, and I think it still is! I love Barry M nail polishes; they're so pretty and lovely on the nails, and they always dry super fast.  Majesty is no exception; it's a beautiful colour with little specks of glitter in it, and I think it's really festive and lovely for this time of year. I wore it for New Years eve and I couldn't stop looking at my nails.

It applies so nicely and also it dries really quickly, which is great for me as I get so impatient when nail polishes take ages to dry!

 A downside to it is that I do think it chips quite easily, but I didn't use a basecoat or topcoat so maybe if I do next time it won't chip as much.

I love this nail polish so much and it is one I will definitely wear to occasions like meals out or any parties. I'd love to get more- they do a clear glittery one too which looks amazing.

Have you tried any Barry M nail polishes?

Emma-Kate
xxx

Lush Haul!

So I went shopping to delve into the post christmas sales, and obviously I had a little peek into Lush. They have an amazing sale on with most of the Christmas stock 50% off, so I bought a few to treat myself! I really don't' mind using the Christmas stuff after Christmas because I love it either way. And to get 5 bathbombs for half price I'm not complaining! Snowfairy was sold out so I am really guttered about that as I was so excited to use it :-(

THINK PINK

This bath ballistic is quite small and dinky, and it's bright pink! It looks so cute and pretty, and I really hope it makes my bath really really pink.


CREAMY CANDY BATH
I've only ever used one of Lush's bubble bars once and it was ages ago, so I've wanted to try another for a while! This smells so incredible, like sweets-I'm rubbish at describing scents so it's probably best if you just try it in the shop :). I love that you can break a little off and use it bit by bit, so it's not all gone in one go. I love bubbles, and when I tried a bit of this it made my bath so bubbly and relaxing.

SNOWMAN

This one is super cute! It smells quite almondy and calming, and I love the way it has a little scarf and carrot nose :) It looks so adorable and I can't wait to use it on a cold winters day :)

FATHER CHRISTMAS
Father Christmas bath ballistic is a pink and white Santa face. It smells really festive and gorgeous!








GOLDEN WONDER
This is my third golden wonder this Christmas! I love it so much; it turns the bath turquoise and so glittery, and I always feel like I'm in an exotic ocean. It kinda reminds me of when I went to Mexico. It smells so so incredible! It's shaped like a present so is a brilliant gift for someone (It's not that festive so it's a great present for a birthday too) so I would defnitely reccomend snapping it up before it dissapears until next Christmas! I think it's about £2 reduced from £4, which is so reasonable. It's one of my favourite bath ballistics from Lush and I loveeeee it.

Did anyone else get anything from the Lush sale?

Emma-Kate

xxxx

The christmas tag!

Hey everyone,
I can't believe that in less than 48 hours it will be christmas! I'm so excited, and I thought
 I would do the Christmas tag because it seems so fun and festive. I am so excited for new year and I have loads of posts planned so I can't wait :)

Questions

What is Your Favourite Holiday Movie? 
Home alone 2 or the polar express!

Whats Your Favourite Christmas Colour? 
Red, gold and a pine tree green.

Do You Like To Stay in Your PJs Or Dress Up For Christmas?

In the morning, me and my brothers and sisters all run down stairs and open any presents in our pyjamas, and then later when I go out to a church service I wear a casual dress or skirt or something. We usually spend christmas day witho ur family and it isn't really formal, so I like to wait until a new year party to dress up properly :)

If You Could Only Buy One Person a Present This Year Who Would It Be?

Either my Mum or Dad, because they do so much for me and they deserve endless presents :)

Do You Open Your Present Christmas Eve Or Christmas Morning?

On Christmas eve, me and my siblings all give it each other presents and we give presents to our parents, but any presents from my parents to us are opened on christmas morning!

Have You Ever Built a Ginger Bread House?
Yes, I buy one from IKEA every year and spend an afternoon building it :)

What Do You Like To Do On Your Christmas Break?

I've had write a few exams before I broke up for the holidays, so I chill out, watch festive films and do some baking, and just relax and allow myself to have a bit of 'me time'. From Christmas day onwards, it's really busy because we meet up with both my mum's and dad's side of the family, and we go and stay at my Auntie's farm in Wales for a night or two. It's so amazing seeing everyone!

  
Any Christmas Wishes?
For all the family to be together and have fun, because my Grandad hasn't been well so I will be so grateful if we can all have a laugh together without any health worries. Also to just destress :)
 Favourite Christmas Smell?
IKEA berry candles (So amazing) or the Yankee candle 'Christmas eve'. I also love Cinnamon stick too!
  
 Favourite Christmas Meal Or Treat?

Mince pies...I love them so much! Or vegetable crisps; that sounds so weird but they taste amazing and as I don't eat normal crisps they are such a tasty but healthy snack :)

Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope you all have an amazing Christmas <3

Hello December.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/241787073718020911/

Long time no blog! I have been soo busy lately and I feel really bad for not blogging. On Friday I have two exams and the week after I have one, and in January I have got some too! I'm so stressed about it but today I thought I'd just take a step back, breathe and blog. So happy December everyone! 

December is my favourite month EVER. The frosty air, merry atmosphere, twinkling lights, wrapping presents and cosy socks in front of the fire is my dream scenario and I am so happy Christmas is coming up! My brother is coming home from university on Friday so I am so excited to see him and have Christmas with the whole family together :D 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/310396599289172576/

                                        What is your favourite thing about December? 

                                                                             ♡