2016 Beauty Wish List

I've promised myself to have a better grip on my finances this year, it's easy to lose track of how much you've actually spend on things, especially when it comes to small beautiful things that you feel you need in your life...
There are so many lovely, beautiful and stunning things in beauty at the moment and I'm sure that there is a lot more to come during the course of the year, but there are a few items in particular that I've had my eyes on over the last couple of months.
At the beginning of the year I promised myself that I wouldn't spend as much money as I did last year on make up. Unfortunately there are a few things in my collection that I wish I never brought because they didn't live up to expectation and subsequently they now sit in my makeup draw, not used, never touched and they now serve as a remind of 'I never need to try that again'. Because of this I have come up with a deal for myself, I can have one big beauty purchase once a month. Hence the items in the picture about being a bit more on the pricy side. Working in town makes it very easy to just pop into M.A.C or Debenhams or John Lewis and just impulse buy. Limiting myself to one purchase a month means I think more carefully about what it is I want, thus not spending as much on things I don't need or really really want.

So with all that in mind, here are five things that I've got in my head...

_______________________________________________________________________________Morphe Brushes Eyeshadows

Since finding Jaclyn Hill on Youtube and seeing her create and design a Morphe Eyeshadow Palette and then demonstrate the beauty of the shadows I was hooked! I'm yet to dip my toes into the Morphe world of eyeshadows but if the quality of the brushes are anything to go by, and judging by every bodies comments about their shadows I am sure to become addicted.

The 350 palette looks quite big, not something I'd be able to keep in the same place as my other make up but the colours are just beautiful and I think this one might be one of the first things I'll purchase - that is if I can catch it before it becomes sold out again!

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Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

As if I need any more eyeshadows! Makeup Geek has been a big hit with a lot of people saying that they can rival M.A.C in their texture and staying power. I've had a look at some of the colours that are available to order from the UK and they just look stunning, not to mention the price, which if the products are as good as everybody is raving about, Makeup Geek knocks M.A.C out of the water!

The one thing I am a bit conscious about with M.A.C eyeshadows it that they rather pricey, so I tend to air on the side of caution with the colours I purchase. However with Make Up Geek being so affordable I am more likely to experiment with some brighter colours (although I will still be drawn towards those neutrals too), but for the price you can be a bit more adventurous without feeling that little bit of guilt for buying that crazy colour and not using it as much as you think you should be.

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Hourglass Amibent Lighting

Blushes and conturing is a slightly alien process to me, but the highlight alone court my interest immediately and the Edit palette looks simply stunning. The size of each section of product is smaller that what you would get if you brought each individually. But this looks like the perfect all in one for travel, everything you need for the face in one palette. I've never tried anything from Hourglass so I feel that although this would be a pricey purchase at £65 It could be a really good investment piece, especially as it would taken me a life time to finish it.
(I'm not sure whether this is actually a limited addition piece or whether they have it in their permeant collection.)

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Jaclyn Hill's Champagne Pop

Yes, I know I had this in my last Wish List, but I'm still yet to see this in person!
Truth be told I'm not a huge highlighter fan, but that might just be how I'm feeling right now because it's winter and it's cold and I could rival Casper the friendly ghost with how pale I am right now.
I've never used any Becca products before but Champagne Pop has been a massive hit with people all over the globe that buying this as a first product from the brand can't go too wrong!

As of a few weeks ago Champagne Pop has been added to Becca's permeant collection which means no matter how many time this sells out, I know I should be able to get one at some point in time. 

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Charlotte Tilbury lipstick

The colours, the names even the packaging is just wow.
The packaging alone is enough to get a lipstick from Charlotte Tilburys' collection. It looks stunning, something that can undoubtably put a smile on your face to see it in your own collection.
Again I haven't seen any of the lipsticks in person, but the website is so well done that it makes me want every single colour! I've been looking at Charlotte Tilbury's lipstick for a while now, even before I purchased any M.A.C lipsticks, but the reason I waited so long was because I have been trying to figure out what I can and can't were regarding textures and finishes as my lips are so awful as they dry out so much.
I haven't decided on a colour but they are all so beautiful that no matter which one I'm sure I will love it, now just to see them in person and figure out the colours for myself.

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One other thing I am interested in investing in this year is a designer foundation, however as the prices can vary and are a lot more than anything you can find in the drug store, I will take more time deliberating over which brand to try. If I don't like it, then thats a wasted bottle and wasted money. This one will defiantly need more research into but if you have any recommendations leave a comment below!

Charlie xo

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31/52

1. No filters needed - the picture above was one of the sun rises from this week! The sky looked beautiful in a violet colour, a little bit later it turned a bright orange colour!

2. The mornings are getting brighter, we are beginning to see a full sunrise before getting to work now, spring is on its way!

3. There was still snow lying around at the beginning of the week, not a lot but it was there - there was a lot more ice around out house than there was in the city so walking to work wasn't as bad as I imagined

4. Another morning the sky wasn't as colourful as the picture above but there was a big rainbow, also a very nice way to start your day.

5. There was a bit of craziness at work during the week and I not happy to say but my anxiety peeked just a bit, so I am incredibly thankful for Alex at work, she a star coming in to help me out when she could of had a day off!

6. I tried going for a run at the beginning of the week, although I should really say it was actually a jog, pretty please it didn't pass out, throw up or died - pretty successful if I do say so myself.

7. Its been a long week, too many down and no up unfortunately, things just seem to go from bad to worse, so to finish at 1pm on thursday and get out of work to enjoy the limited sunshine was great. I feel like I go to work in the dark and leave in the dark, so to see everything in daylight was really nice to see!

8. Sunday roast on a saturday... I'd have it any day!

9. The last few weekends I've been working, so I was over the moon on friday afternoon, a weekend to chill is just what I need and time to spend on my blog is what I plan too do!

10. I woke up at 07:30 on sunday so it's given me extra time to work on my blog and get a post ready for later on in the week, it also meant that I got onto the internet before the rest of the area did and I managed to watch one episode of Pretty Little Liars, have to restrain myself from watching another though, binged watching is not something I want to do again! (ps. Hercules is now on TV perfect for a chilled sunday afternoon!)

Hope you have a had a good week!

Charlie xo

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30/52

1. I love blogging here on my little piece of the internet, and I love the photography process - although it is the most time consuming, so to get to focus solely on that process made me remember how much I do love this thing!

2. I've worked in retail for a few years now and I enjoy it, not all the time but a lot of the time, especially when I'm working with great people, well this week I had a love comment from a customer I was serving, it was nice to be thanked and commend on my customer service, defiantly made me feel lot better that day!

3. Pancake day, we experimented a bit more this year than we have in the past, normally is just pancakes, sugar and lemon or maple syrup, we branched out and tried Nutella and banana, have to say I'd have it again! But the could be the chocolate talking!

4. It's funny how much a prepared lunch is so much more satisfying and filling than having to go out and buy your lunch, I've been enjoying a lot of home made/ put together salads for my lunch at work this week.

5. I know I'm late on this bandwagon, but I've started to watch the TV series Pretty Little Liars, I'm only on episode 4 but I can easily see me getting into this, just have to avoid all those spoilers.

6. It's been  while since I've gone outside and just looked up at the stars, I can see them when we drive home for work but, just popping into the garden just be fore bed to look up at them really makes me feel all peaceful. Its the one thing I love about living in the middle of know where, there's light pollution to wash out the brightness of the stars.

7. I had to catch the train to work on saturday, I get there to find out that the train I normally get has been removed from the time table (annoying) which meant I had to wait another 25 minutes till the next one (annoying) however it was all made ok when I got to see the sun rise over the sea, being that bit later meant that the sun was fully up and quickly rising (something I don't get to see when driving in) and it real is a beautiful sight.

8. A long week at work is coming to an end, I  haven't looked forward to having sunday off in ages, even if it is just the one day I am looking forward to spending my time how I want too, (I hear as an introvert alone time is defiantly needed to recover and recharge your batteries)

9. Apparently it's tried to snow and sleet over the week, but being in work all day meant that I haven't seen it, I've just had to listen to everyone else talking about it. However whenever I've left work there hasn't been any sign of snow.

10. It snowed again on sunday, only a little sprinkling of snow, but it was nice to finally witness snow falling even if it was for just five minutes.

Happy Valentines day to everyone, hope you are all having a lovely day.

Charlie xo

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MAC lipsticks

I havent been a lipstick lover for very long, it grown a lot since being introduced to youtube to be honest, hearing other peoples opinions and reviews on formulation was the starting point. Whilst my collection has grown a lot M.A.C lipstick have been the ones to wow me the most, so heres a post of the beginning of something addictive...

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#1 Patisserie - Lustre

Patisserie was the first M.A.C lipstick I tried, I've never had much luck with lipsticks and I didn't know anything about the texture and formulation of M.A.C lipsticks let alone whether I'd be able to wear them. 

I would describe Patisserie as a neutral peachy colour, almost your lips but with more definition and dimension, I know that sounds weird but because the lipstick has tiny specks of gold glitter in it, when applied to your lips the shimmer adds something to you lips which almost looks like you are wearing a lip gloss. Now don't recoil to much if you hate the thought of glittery lips, it is barely noticeable, you only really see the sparkle in the bullet.

The texture of this particular lipstick is not my favourite, I feel as though it has a grainy texture, and I don't like the feeling of applying it to my lips, however this could just be because I often struggle with cry lips. For this reason I don't reach for this lipstick too often, however the colours is lovely and I like the overall look of it on my lips, shiny but not to glossy. 

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#2 Cosmo - Amplified

My second M.A.C lipstick, I wanted to try a different formulation to learn what ones I liked and disliked from M.A.C.  The Amplified formulation is creamy and smooth, easy to apply and the colour comes out bold and is a completely opaque pigment which lasts for quite a long time on my lips.
Cosmo however, although being an opaque formulation doesn't come across too bold or in your face, it is a lovely pinky brown shade which pretty much goes with anything!
It is very wearable, my lips but better and easily buildable, I don't struggle to much with the formulation, although I do tend to have a routine of applying a lip balm before any lipstick I don't feel like this one dries out my lips if I forget. This one is defiantly a staple in my slowly browning collection.

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#3 Creme In Your Coffee - Creme Sheen

I wanted to try a darker colour than anything I had tried before. All previous colours I had tried were very neutral, so I wanted to try something a bit more on the brown side. I had been looking at different textures and finishes that M.A.C had to offer and I wanted to test of the Creme Sheen formulation as it is one of the most popular finishes that M.A.C does. 

Creme In your Coffee is a lot darker than the lipsticks above, I would describe is as a cool toned brown with a slight under tone of purple. Easily build-able and starts off quite sheer, but with just enough colour to give a tint to your lips if you use the lightest of hand.

Out of the five I tend to use this colour the most, especially over the last few months when we got into Autumn and winter. It has a creamy consistency, moisturises my lips enough to keep them looking healthy and the colour is one of my favourites.  I really do love the formulation, however I tend to have to reapply it a lot more often than any of the other lipsticks in this list. 

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#4 Velvet Teddy - Matte

Venturing on from playing around with Creme In Your Coffee I decided that I really liked the brown shades. I wasn't holding much hope that my lips would be able to deal with a matte formulation, in fact I was ready to have to give this one away if it it dried out my lips to much. However I have been pleasantly proven wrong in my assumptions. Although matte formulations are known for drying out your lips and making it difficult to apply and wear, this is probable my second favourite lipstick out the five. So long as I prepare my lips in advance and keep them well moisturised I can happily put this on and not worry too much about how my lips are looking!

Velvet Teddy was pretty much out of stock 80% of the time last year because of Kylie Jenner and with her bringing back the 90's lip trends. With or without her influence (or even if this was the colour she used) Velvet Teddy is a beautiful colour. I would describe it as an pink based brown, highly pigmented and easy and creamy to apply, you don't even need a mirror!

I didn't have much hope for Matte formulations but since trying M.A.C Velvet Teddy I feel as though I can wear them without suffering with dried out lips at all!

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#5 Dark Side - Amplified

A colour truly out of my comfort zone, but it looked so beautiful I just had to give it ago!

Perfect for autumn/ winter, Dark Side is a vampy burgundy/plumb colour which is highly pigmented. Although this colour does tend to wear off a lot quicker than any of the other colours in this post (besides Creme In Your Coffee), I like to pat the colour on to get a berry stain which is more suitable for everyday, twice the amount of use which is always good! 

The formulation is creamy, pigmented and smooth to apply. With the colour being so dark (or at least it is for me) and creamy I am surprised that it doesn't tend to bleed, however I am so new to dark colours that I do NOT have a steady enough hand for this, so a lip liner is a defiantly yes for me!

I feel pretty content with this small collection at the moment and havent really been looking for any others, however I'm sure that will change! If you have any suggestion please leave a comment below with any recommendation to look into!

Charlie xo

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29/52

1. A monday spent at home relaxing and getting some things sorted for the week, a productive yet peaceful day

2. Mum and I went out for the day on tuesday and spontaneously decided to look in Clarks for a pair of black boots. I've been looking for some riding like boots to wear at work, and it has been the hardest thing to find. I will admit I am picky when it comes to shoes but I struggle to find ones that fit me nicely and comfortably enough to be able to wear there pretty much there and then. So this spontaneous trip into Clarks was perfect as the first pair I picked up fitted so well that I now wear them everywhere! Right place right time maybe?

3. I know this is such a small thing but whilst my dad was away with work, mum had brought some Viennetta ice cream - something I haven't had in years! Although they have drastically cut down on the chocolate sheets in the ice cream (you had to hack through it with a very sharp knife) it was still a flash back to when I was a kid and the treat for the week was Viennetta Ice cream!

4. The weather hasn't been the greatest this week but one day in the week we had a pretty colourful sun set, always puts a smile on my face.

5. Considering how crazy things went at the beginning of the week with things at work, I am incredibly thankful for the people at work and how they kept things together and kept all calm, it could have easily of stressed people out but everybody at work came together and it really helped out the entire team, it could have gone a lot worse but everybody was super helpful, we really do have a good team!

6.  This week I woke up to find that Lotties Thoughts had reached 100 Followers on Bloglovin! It was such a great feeling to see and it honestly has made my week, so a huge thank you to anybody reading and coming back week after week, it really does mean a lot to me to see this grown, so a big thank you to everybody!

7. I don't normally get home until gone 7pm after a day of work, so it was a nice change to get home at 17:30, having that extra time to sit down and relax before getting back on with things for the next day was really nice

8.  I think if you work in retail and have a lunch break you must know how it easy it is to just pop out and get a meal deal for you lunch. I often have to buy something for my lunch because I either don't have anything in the fridge of even forgot to make something the previous night. But this week I prepared a salad for my lunch and I have to say it was a lot better, I felt better because I know what is in what I am eating, I didn't spend money on it and it actually filled me up for longer. Pluses all round! I strongly recommend it if you are anything like me, it really is a lot better than a meal deal!

9.  Working at the weekend does have its benefits when you can catch up with people you haven't work with in an age! Plus its even better if you spend pretty much the entire day laughing

10. I don't know whats going on right now? Maybe its the January and February blues but apparently we are having a Sunday Roast again... Aren't you surpassed to fatten up before winter? Don't get me wrong I'll love it but this means I have to exercise hard!

I hope you all are having a good weekend and the the next week will be better and brighter!

Charlie xo

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FOTM | January

FOTM is something I want to try and do throughout the year. Face of the Month, is looking back on the month, this month being January and seeing what make up look I have worn the most and looking at the products I have loved.

So here goes - my Face Of The Month for January, my makeup and the products I've loved...

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THE PRODUCTS

Foundation: Rimmel London Match Perfection in 010 Light Porcelain
Concealer : MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20
Base for Eyes: MAC Paint pot in Painterly
Shadows: Mac Copper plate and Satin Taupe
Mascara: Max Factor False Lash Effect in Black
Under eye concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection in 1 Fair
Brows: MAC Quarry and Rimmel London Brow This Way
Inner Corner and Brow Arch Highlighter: MAC Shroom
Blusher: MAC in Blush All Day
Lips: Blistex in Mango and Rimmel in Asis

Charlie xo

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