BerryWeekly: Weddings, Lashes and Bill Gates!

Hello!!

I hope you're having a fab Friday (or weekend, or tuesday or whenever you're reading this!). If you're like me, all you hear and think about right now is EXAMS. For those of you in the UK, you'd know that although May is the season the sun pops out, it's also the time of year to stay in and STUDY.
Although, on the positive side: it'll be over before we know it!

Last weekend, I had a VERY important wedding to attend: the eldest of my first cousins got married! It was a super fun weekend and I want to do it again!! Anyway, considering I had dressed up for it and all, a selfie (or few) had to be taken, ovi*:

Secondly, the new mascara featured in this post is amazing!! I have been loving it and have received a few compliments so far! It's amazing!

Finally, a quote to keep you inspired, and possibly make you chuckle:

Well, that quote reminds me that exams are not everything - so stress less and be happy!

I hope you all had a fabulous week and tell me: any exam tips?

*ovi= obviously 

Purchase of the Week: Rimmel Kate Rockin' Curves Mascara + Goodie Bag!

Who doesn't like free Makeup Goodie Bags?! 

Hello!

Happy Wednesday! Shopping always makes the day better, especially if it's a haul like this one! The Kate Moss by Rimmel Mascara came out last week and seeing as I run a beauty blog and the fact that I needed a new mascara - obviously I had to pick it up! With it's weird shape of wand, I was a bit skeptical but intrigued nonetheless... 

That's the shape of the wand and after trying it out today, I can truly say I already love it! It gives great volume and length, making your lashes look fuller and lovely! I used it with a mascara base by Kiko and it worked wonders!

So, I had mentioned a 'Goodie Bag' earlier and you might be wondering how that came about... Well, Boots and Rimmel had a scheme whereby the first 180 people to order the Rimmel mascara were to get 4 products from the Kate Moss line for FREE! I was in awe and really wanted the product now more than ever! As soon as I got the e-mail from Boots that I am now able to purchase, I went for it, and 3 days later, I had this baby in my hands! 

The goodie bag was packed with great stuff! It had a lipstick (pictured above) which is a lovely baby pink shade. A green gel liner was also included, which I am super excited about!! As well as a lovely bronze shadow stick (I think it's waterproof :O) and a peach/nude shade nail varnish - all of which I'd use! 

Want an in depth review of the mascara? Leave a comment! 

Have you tried anything from the Kate Moss line?! 

Current Everyday Makeup - Less than 5 minutes!

Hello!

Compliments are great, aren't they? Well, when I wear this look, I get a few of them and I thought I'd share a QUICK makeup look that takes me a maximum of 5 minutes to do every morning before I leave the house - because, let's face it, who's fully awake enough to do an entire face of makeup when you have to leave the house in 15 minutes?!

Something that adds a little extra but doesn't make you LOOK extra is the perfect mix for me. This way, I'm wearing makeup, yet tend not to look overdone - because at a college where most people are in jogging bottoms, this isn't cute!

 First of all is the eye makeup. I love eyeshadow pencils. I use the Barry M Eye and Lip Crayon on my lid, then use 'Erotica' from the Too Faced Natural Eye Palette in my crease.
This defines my eye shape and adds a little depth.

I also curl my lashes and then apply mascara - at the moment I've been using Maybelline The Falsies… not sure it beats my favourite mascara of all time, though!

My eye looks red here - I think it's because I'm tired… that's why mascara is important - to make you look more awake - I obviously need it! haha! 

Next is Blush and I have been using 'Golden Hour'. I found this in my mums vanity so I don't know where it's from. I LOVE it, though and have hit MAJOR pan on it - well, basically it's finished! :(
It was a rose gold shade and was gorgeous! I need to find a dupe… ASAP!
I just sweep this on my cheek bones using a MAC 168 brush.

Finally, I use a lip colour! Recently I have been reaching for my Revlon Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Peony. I apply a bit on my lips and then use my fingers to rub it in. It looks so nice and even if it wears off a little bit throughout the day, it doesn't make your lips look bad.

I also use translucent powder if need be but try and avoid foundation.

This has been my current everyday makeup taking me less than 5 minutes!

What's your must-have makeup for everyday?

Want Millions of Lashes? - Mascara Review

Hello!

You may, or may not know this about me: I'm a mascara FREAK. Okay, not a freak - but I do love me some mascara... for dinner... joke. Anyway, as you can tell, I'm in a suppperrr hyper mood right now and I don't know why, but I was taking some pictures for my beach essentials post after doing my makeup and decided to take some pictures of my mascara and therefore decided I write this post!

If you're like me, then there are those days (most days) where you head out the door with a bit of mascara and chapstick on, and call it a day. Well, that means you need your lashes to look stunning, so I hope this post is a real eye opener to what is out there in the market today! See what I did there? ;)

This mascara has been raved about in the beauty community but not as much as it deserves. I can honestly say it is THE BEST mascara I have tried and would definitely repurchase the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes, but probably won't for the time being as there are constantly new mascaras on the market I am dying to try - so keep your eyes peeled for more mascara reviews in the future. Again, see what I did there? haha!

There are a couple of things I like to look for in a mascara and that is: Curl, Length and Volume. I always choose Black coloured mascara too, in case you were wondering. Now for me, this mascara ticked all the boxes.
 I can say that the hold of curl is incredible. I come home from an intense 6 hour day and my lashes still look amazing, curled and nicely shaped. I curl my lashes and the curl holds, naturally I have pretty straight lashes but with this mascara on you could be fooled if I say I have naturally curled lashes. Even on days that I'm in a rush and don't have time to curl my lashes, they still look like they've been curled.
 The length definition is also lovely, My lashes reach my brows - almost. This is again amazing for me as I don't have naturally long lashes but this makes it look like I do - and I love it. And the length lasts all day too.
 My lashes are naturally very thick, though, but this does add volume to my lashes, just as it says on the bottle.

My favourite thing about this mascara, compared to other mascaras, is the wand. It is just. perfect. It is a big brush with a tapered, pointed end. The pointed end is ideal to reach the corner lashes, making your eyes look doll-like. It also separates lashes so it genuinely looks like there are millions of them, so it won't get your lashes in a twist! hehe - wow, I'm on a roll today!

I don't have anything bad to say about this mascara. In fact, I love it so much, it's been more than 3-4 months that I have owned it, which means it's life expectancy is over (check out my makeup expiry dates post for more info.) yet I can't bring myself to throw it away... it just sits in my mascara draw in peace.

I even layer it over my not-so-favourite mascaras to give it an oomph - trust me, it works wonders!
I bought the falsies mascara to try out next, not sure if it'll beat this one in my books but it had been HUGELY raved about in the beauty community and I want to see what the hype is about!

What's your favourite mascara?

Keep blooming, berries!
xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Make-up Health Risks - Use by dates

Hello!

Foods have a use-by date, but did you know that your foundation does too?
You may have heard about the 3 month mascara rule, but mascara isn't the only product which has a use-by date.

A friend of mine sent me an image which states how often makeup should be replaced or thrown out, I then did some more research on makeup expiry dates and wanted to share with you all how important that image actually was.

Only 1 in 4 women notice and use the makeup expiry date rule, which means the other 3 in 4 women (which may be you) are putting their health at risk. How? Well, over time bacteria builds up in our makeup products and we keep applying that to our delicate skin which leads to infections and possibly much worse.

"How do I know the use-by date of my product?" she asks. Well, my friend, here is another version of the image my friend sent me:

These time periods start the day you open the make-up. It can be difficult to keep track though as, unlike food, the expiry date is not written on the packaging.

To keep makeup the most hygienic and ensure that it can be used for a longer period you can do simple things such as washing your brushes between uses so bacteria doesn't build up, make sure lids are closed tightly and check for unusual smells or discolouration which can be signs that you need to chuck out the product!

Honestly, just be aware that after a certain period, it is time to replace that lipstick of yours, because to be quite frank, I've had my foundation bottle for more than 6 months and I'm not about to buy another one anytime soon, nor am I counting the days I have owned my blusher for. If hygiene is kept to a high standard, you look after your products and they don't seem to be causing an issue, I'm sure the 'expiry date' can be longer than mentioned in that table!

Do you keep track of your makeup expiry dates? Let us know!

xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Photo from HERE