Liebster Take 3

Firstly, sorry that I've been so awful at posting this week! I've been super busy, but have some posts lined up for the next few days so hopefully I will get them written and posted for you guys! It's also been quite an exciting week, as I am now officially the treasurer of the University of Manchester Blogging Society! Yet again, I have been putting off answering my build up of Liebster award questions... but since I have been nominated for four liebsters just this week, I thought it was time I stopped putting them off and got round to answering your lovely questions! 

Like last time, I am simply going to pool all the questions and pick my favourite ones to answer... make sure you leave your comments below with any other questions you may want answering in the future!

1. If you won the lottery what is the first thing you would do with the money?

It depends how much I'd won! I would definitely travel the world, buy a nice house, treat myself to a handbag (or two!)... and I would give lots to family and charity too.

2. What is one of the things that makes you the happiest?

Nights in with my friends, baths, and reading Harry Potter

3. Why did you start a blog?

I'd been thinking about doing it for a very long time... I read a lot of blogs (my favourites being Zoella and Milkbubbletea), and found it amazing that someone can gain such a large following from something that seemed to easy to set up... so one day I literally decided to start amyelizabethfashion, and less than two months down the line it has grown so much bigger than I ever imagined, so thank you for reading!

4. What's your favourite ice cream flavour?

The cookies ice cream that you can get from a specific kiosk on the beach that we go to in Majorca

5. If you could have one wish, what would you spend it on?

Sounds so cheesy, but I would wish for happiness in my future and for all my friends and family

6. How many siblings do you have?

One, an older brother

7. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Oh god, I have so many dreams and ambitions I wouldn't know where to start! I'd love to be working in buying / merchandising for fashion or cosmetics. I want to be married, although the prospect of imagining myself with children is too scary to picture.

8. Are you happy?

Yes. I really am truly content with where my life is at right now. I have a lot to be thankful for, and it's sometimes hard to remember all the little things in life when you begin to dwell on those things that are not so positive

9. What's your favourite meal of the day? (Breakfast, lunch or dinner)

Breakfast! Although I quite often skip breakfast, I absolutely love breakfast-type foods... I am a complete and utter cereal addict

10. When was the last time you felt nostalgic?

On my birthday

11. ... About what?

I guess just thinking back over past birthdays and realising how much has changed in the last year or so of my life. I truly am a different person than I was this time two years ago, and that is a change that I feel has been made for the better. Although it's still super scary to realise that I'm not a teenager anymore!

12. Are you messy or neat?

Neat... I cannot stand mess!

13. What motivates you the most?

Knowing how good it feels to succeed. Also there's nothing more satisfying than proving the people that doubted you wrong

14. What is your favourite beauty brand?

Benefit

15. What is your favourite clothes shop?

Probably Miss Selfridge

16. Starbucks or Costa?

Costa

17. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

Receiving comments... it's so lovely to know that people actually take time out of their day to read and respond to what I have to say!

18. What do you like most about yourself?

I like my ability to see the good in people, and my strong sense of determination and work-ethic. 

19. Which famous person (dead or alive) would you invite for dinner?

Tim Burton or J K Rowling

20. If you could, would you visit the past or travel to the future?

The past... I don't want to know what the future has in store, but I would love to go back to the past, but only if I could watch from an outside perspective

Complexion Perfection - Benefit Foundation Brush

Hello again lovely followers! I told you a while back that I was in desperate need of a new foundation brush as my old Boots "No 7" brush was definitely at the end of its life... luckily for me, my mum was well prepared, and I unwrapped this brand new Benefit foundation brush on my birthday a few weeks ago! I've waited a while before writing this review as I wanted time to fully get used to the product so that I could review it much more honestly for you guys!

In the past, I have only ever really used cheap makeup brushes, or my hands to apply foundation (I know this is the ultimate makeup sin but I'm always in a mad rush so don't judge me!), however, since I've started using this brush I can hand on heart promise you that I will never go back to my old ways. This brush allows you to effortlessly apply foundation evenly all over your face, reaching places that your hands simply can not. According to Benefit, the brush uses two-tone synthetic hair for a "natural looking streak free finish".

The brush itself is incredibly easy to use, and I know genuinely believe that investing in some good "tools" will make an incredible difference to your overall makeup look, helping you to achieve a flawless, professional finish. Since I've started using this brush, I also find that I apply a lot less foundation to my face, as the coverage is much more even and the foundation seems to "stick" better, meaning less of the product is used. This not only has the advantage of allowing your skin to breathe, but it also means that your products will last longer, so it really is a win-win situation!

Priced at £19.50, the brush is quite pricey, and if it had not been given to me as a gift, I don't know if I would have personally spent that much money. However, the quality is phenomenally better than any previous foundation brushes I have used, which goes to show that it is sometimes worth investing more in a product if you wish to achieve a better end result.

Leave your comments below as usual... I love reading them and will always try to reply to as many of you as possible! I'd also love it if you'd follow me on bloglovin' and check out my twitter and instagram

A Week of Instragram #7

You can follow me on instagram HERE

Starting from top left:

1. My beautiful Bath Muffins from Fizz Cosmetics! (read review here)

2. A gorgeous belated birthday necklace and bracelet from my friend Megan

3. Beans on toast- i.e. the single best meal in the world

4. A natural photograph from my birthday where me and my boyfriend started to laugh

5. Some vanilla cupcakes that I baked and decorated!

6. My gorgeous British Shorthair cat, Stan, enjoying a nice relaxing morning

Wow, this week was very food and cupcake related! I haven't baked in a while, but made some lovely vanilla cupcakes this week, which helped to distract myself from my chocolate and biscuit cravings! (19 days and going strong!) Continuing on the cupcake theme I also received and used these lovely Bath Muffins from Fizz Cosmetics which were a fantastic way to relax on Friday night after a long week of uni. I have been home quite a bit this week, so it was lovely to spend time cuddling my three beautiful kitties too!

There's a few more birthday related pictures featured this week too! Firstly the beautiful charm necklace and bracelet from my friend who unfortunately couldn't make it to my birthday meal, and another photo of me and my boyfriend laughing.

Leave me your comments below and let me know what you've been up to this week, I love hearing from you all. I'd also love it if you'd follow me on bloglovin and check out my instagram and twitter!

Bathe in Glitter and Sparkle all day- Fizz Cosmetics*

Morning lovelies! Another nice and early post for you, but I'm off to Loughborough this morning to see my boyfriend and I was far too excited about these products that I couldn't wait to blog about them! It excites me greatly to say that Fizz Cosmetics actually sent me this lovely box of goodies for FREE! I am the biggest lover of baths... when I am at home I have a bath every single day (sometimes I even have two), and I can literally spend hours in there reading what ever book I currently have on the go. As you all know, I am also a huge lover of cupcakes, so the fact these gorgeous bath bombs, (or "bath muffins" as they're marketed) are shaped so gorgeously like little cakes, in terms of presentation they are actual perfection as far as I'm concerned.

As soon as I picked them up from my post box in Manchester, I drove straight back home and the first thing I did was run a bath because I was literally that excited to try these products out... my only dilemma was that I received such a vast collection of these gorgeous products, (containing four bath muffins- "Cotton Breeze", "Citrus Burst", "English Country Garden" and "Retro Fest", along with two "Pink Fizz" bombs and black raspberry and vanilla bath soufflés!), that I literally could not decide which one to try first! Put it this way... I have a lot of baths to look forward to!

The product I finally chose to use first was the "English Country Garden Bath Muffin" because it smelt exactly like parma violets sweets which were my absolute favourites when I was younger! The muffin fizzed up as soon as it was placed in the water, leaving my bath a lovely shade of lilac and full of glitter! I was literally in bath heaven. The "icing" of the muffin contained cocoa butter which soaked into my skin whilst I was in the bath, and as I got out I couldn't believe how soft and moisturised my skin felt. I am already looking forward to my next bath, and I can not recommend this company or these bath muffins enough! 

Priced at only £3 for one muffin, or £9 for a gift box of four (containing one muffin of each "flavour"), I can not find a reason for you not to buy them. They are cheaper than a number of branded bath bomb products I have used in the past, and are certainly of a higher quality that some of the standard drug-store products on the market... plus Fizz Cosmetics offer a lovely range of gift sets which would be the perfect gift for your mum as we approach mothers day!

Let me know in the comments below if you'd consider trying these products, I love reading your opinions and I will always try to reply to as many of you as possible! I'd also love it if you'd follow me on bloglovin' and check out my twitter and instagram!

Benefit Hoola Review

YAY! I finally own a Benefit "Box o' Powders" product to go with my extensive collection of Benefit makeup! This lovely "Hoola" bronzer was a birthday present from my brother, and was received at perfect timing, just as my old bronzer had completely run out. 

"Hoola" is the UK's number one best selling bronzer, and after using it for a little under a week I am in complete agreement, it is by far the best bronzer I have ever used! I simply dust the soft bronzing power all over my face, (using my usual bronzer brush, not the brush provided), leaving my complexion looking healthy and giving me a natural tan. I then use the natural-bristle cheek brush provided to add some more contouring underneith my cheek bones to really make them stand out! The bronzer is pure colour, with no added sparkle or shine so it really does leave a very natural colour on your face. The brush provided is the perfect shape for contouring and leads to perfectly even application if swept under the cheek bones from just past the corner of the lip, right up to the top of the cheekbone, just in line with your ear.

This product is matte, lightweight and will hopefully be long lasting! The staying power of the powder is phenomenal, it even puts up a good fight with a makeup wipe, so there's no fear of it rubbing off during the day. The only down side to this is if too much is applied, it is quite hard to blend into the face and you will end up having to take it all off and start again. However, once you've perfected the application process, you really can't fault it!

Like all Benefit "Box o' Powders" it is priced at £23.50, which seems like a high price for such a little box... but seeing as a little bit goes a very long way, I have a feeling this product will last a very long time! It is such a gorgeous colour and feels so lightweight on your face that I feel it is worth paying the extra money for.

Let me know what you think in the comments below! I love reading them all, and I will do my best to reply to as many of you as possible! I'd also love it if you'd follow me on bloglovin and check out my twitter and instagram

#LOVEDENIM with Debenhams

So Debenham's are running a fab competition, "#lovedenim", in which the prize is a fantastic £500 worth of vouchers! Bloggers were asked to create two mood boards featuring their top denim menswear looks. The first showcasing a casual outfit idea for going to a gig, and the second your ideal smart dinner date outfit for a man

Lee Dark Washed Luke Slim Tapered Leg Jeans,

Jasper Conran Navy Mottled Striped T-Shirt,

KG by Kurt Geiger Black 'Kerland' brogue ankle boots,

Fred Perry Navy Tipped Trim bomber Jacket,

Fred Perry Navy Canvas Buckle Bag

[All available from Debenhams]

My casual outfit focuses on dark navy's and worn-grey tones. The bomber jacket is a silhoutte which just keeps coming back season after season, and the "sports luxe" trend is a personal favourite of mine for menswear. The jeans are slim fit, and the T-shirt fairly tight fitting, so the bomber jacket adds an interesting silhouette to the outfit and works as a feature piece.

Jeff Banks Designer Wine Straight Leg Jeans,

Rocha John Rocha Brown Wool Blend Tweed Blazer,

Ben Sherman Plain White Oxford Shirt,

Red Herring Brown Striped Heeled Brogues,

Guess Men's grey chronograph dial with bracelet watch

[All available from Debenhams]

For the more formal outfit, I decided that the denim should play a feature part, and these wine coloured Jeff Banks jeans really help to make a formal outfit still be young and on-trend. The tweed jacket and simple white shirt add sophistication, creating the perfect formal outfit for an aspiring trend setter.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of my looks, and wish me luck for the competition!

Vintage Bomber

Vintage Bomber Jacket; £15

Topshop Jamie Jeans; £40

Next Vest Top; £4.50

Morning lovely followers! Today I'm bringing you another OOTD, featuring this amazing vintage bomber jacket that I picked up from a vintage shop a year or so ago! I have been in love with this jacket ever since I found it, but it's always so cold in Manchester that it is incredibly rare that I ever get to use it... instead it spends its life hung up in my wardrobe at home waiting for its annual outing. Therefore since we're being teased with such lovely Spring weather at the minute, I decided it was time to take full advantage, and swap my heavier winter coats for this gorgeous lace bomber.

Today I've paired it with my favourite pair of Topshop Jamie jeans, which have added elastic so are more of a cross between jeans and jeggings. They are so unbelievably comfy and I definitely need to invest in another pair as these are starting to get quite old and worn out. Being quite small, I find it very hard to find jeans that fit properly, but due to the added stretch these jeans fit like a glove!

Since the jacket itself is quite decretive, I don't like pairing it with other patterned or colourful clothing as I like it to be the feature piece of my outfit. If worn with the wrong look it will not give off the same casual vintage effect and will leave your outfit looking mismatched or overworked. Therefore, today I have paired it with another of my trusty basic Next vest tops! The bomber is a silhouette which just doesn't seem to be going out of fashion any time soon, and I absolutely love the sport luxe silhouette teamed with the girly lace fabric of this jacket... and I'm hoping that this year I may actually get some wear out of it (fingers crossed the nice weather continues!)

Let me know in the comments below what you think and I will reply to as many of you as possible! As usual, I'd love it if you'd follow me on bloglovin' and check out my instagram and twitter!

Rimmel Pin Up Vinyl Gloss

How gorgeous is this lipgloss colour?! I have never before seen a lipgloss with the ability to apply such a strong colour to my lips and I am in genuine shock at how good this product is, especially as it is priced at an incredibly low £4.99! 

As we know, I can sometimes be a bit of a makeup snob, and usually pay a bit more for "branded" products rather than buying a typical drug store brand, but this product has made me completely change my opinions and has left me wondering why I never bought this "Rimmel vinyl gloss" before! The staying power of this lipgloss is actually second to none, and I can manage a full day with no reapplication whatsoever, except for after food and drink (but to be honest, you will never find a lip product which will fully withstand this!) The strong colour sits on your lips more like a lipstick would, but has the added advantage of bringing an incredible shine and glossy finish that you only get from a lipgloss! 

At first glance, due to the very tacky and sticky nature of the gloss itself I thought it would leave this same sticky feeling on my lips. This is a pet hate of mine when it comes to lip products, as I like my lips to feel smooth and moisturised and cannot stand being left with sticky lips that feel dirty under my lipgloss! You wouldn't pile a load of sticky, thick foundation onto your skin, so why do the same to your lips? However, I was more than pleasantly surprised that the lipgloss dries very quickly and actually leaves behind no sticky residue at all!

This lipgloss is a definite must as we head into the summer months, the colour is beautiful and will brighten up even the simplest of makeup looks, whilst the product itself is so small and easy to apply that it is perfect to just pop in your bag and apply on the go. The Rimmel Vinyl Gloss comes in 16 shades, ranging from this bright pink "pin up", to a bold red "summer sparkle", a variety of nude colours and even a "Crystal Clear" transparent gloss, which would be perfect for adding some extra shine on top of a lipstick you already own!

As usual leave your comments below as I love reading all your opinions and I will try to respond to as many of you as possible! I'd love it if you'd follow me on bloglovin' and don't forget to check out my twitter and instagram.