Battle of the...Body Butters!

Everybody loves a good body butter, and especially in the summer when skin is either dry and flaky, or sunburnt and red raw! Body butters are thicker than regular moisturisers, so they're perfect for those days where you need some extra moisture! There are lots of different brands, so I've done a little review for you guys and tell you my favourite body butter ever!

First of all is the classic Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter, which seems to be a cult favourite to many people. However, I personally am not a big fan! The formula is white and a very thick consistency, and I find it a bit too heavy on my skin. It never fully sinks in and I can feel it on my skin for hours after using it. However, if you have reaaaally dry skin, it could be good. I also use this when I have a bad sunburn; I apply it thickly then wash it off and it's really cooling. The scent of it is okay, to me it smells like suncream, but it's the classic S&G scent.

Next up is a much lesser known product, which is the FCUK Polished Whipped Bodycream. This is a Strawberries & Cream flavour, and seems lovely. However, the consistency is really strange. It feels a bit like jelly, and can be quite hard to rub into the skin. However it is very moisturising without feeling heavy, so it's a decent product.

Finally, we have another well-known product - the Body Shop Body Butters. I have tried the strawberry, mango, lemon, orange... I've tried so many flavours but my current choices are Almond (for normal/dry skin)  and Brazil Nut (for dry skin). These are also a really thick consistency (as all body butters are haha) and are reaaaally moisturising but the soak into the skin quickly and feel nice. The scents of them are amazing, and there's such a massive range to choose from. The issue I have with these is that the pots are really hard to get product out of because my nails are really long and the angle that my finger is in the pot means I get all the butter under my nails. Ew.

This had to be my clear winner, no arguments! The smell of this almond body butter is incredible, and the formula is so moisturising! At £12.50 a pop, it's not a cheap product, but it's well worth the money. Also, the Body Shop often do sales and offers, so you can get these for much cheaper.

What's your favourite body butter? Let me know in the comments!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Festival Fashion Faves

That time of year is upon us once again... Festivals! Here in the UK, we love a good festival, and there are so many amazing ones to choose from - T in the Park, V Fest, Leeds, Bestival... There are also some incredible acts playing at festivals this year, such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Eminem and Kings of Leon! Whether you're a festival virgin or an experienced camper, here is my list of fashion essentials for surviving a festival:

I am going to be going to V Festival this year. I have never been to a festival, so I'm guessing a bit haha, but this is what I'll be bringing.

Clothes.

Obviously clothes are fairly important, that's a given. I think festival fashion is so much fun, as you're really free to experiment and try out different looks. It's important to be comfortable at a festival, because you'll be spending long hours standing up and walking around, or sitting on the floor, so no mini skirts and heels! Having said that, fashion is an important part of festivals, and so it's fun to be comfortable but also fashionable. Here are some example outfits:

1.//2.//3.//4.//5.//6.//7.//8.//9.//

As you can see, there's a lot of denim going on, crop tops and shorts. Shorts are a festival essential because they're so easy to pair with any top you have, and are super comfortable. The two pairs I chose have a lot of detailing, and so they can be worn with a plain tank top and still look really fashionable.

I also purposely chose nothing white (although the pinafore dress is pretty pale) because there will be mud everywhere and it's not even worth bringing something white!

Finally, crop tops are huge when it comes to festival fashion, and lace is a massive trend this summer, so I picked out two lace crop tops. The first is the blue top worn under the pinafore dress. These are great because they can be worn under another top, over a tank top maybe, or just on their own with a pair of shorts.



When it comes to shoes, I obviously chose the festival staple: wellies. The first pair are Hunters, the second are not. While Hunters are the "proper" brand of wellies, to some people, I don't see the point of spending £80 on a pair of wellies I'm going to wear once, so I won't be getting any. I may pick up some Hunter socks from TK Maxx though!


Accessories.

1.//2.//3.//4.//

In my opinion, festivals don't require tons of accessories. If you want to bring them, that's your choice, but I just find it's a bit of a waste of time and space in your bag.

However, I love statement necklaces, like the two above. You could throw them over a plain white tank top and denim shorts, and you look like you've really planned your outfit. You only need one or maybe even two in your bag, and they can really change up your look.

When it comes to bags, I think a bum bag is essential. They leave your hands free to dance, hold drinks or do whatever, and the keep your belongings really close to you! Trust me, if someone starts putting their hands down there to steal, I hope you'd notice! If you like, you could bring a rucksack. Personally, I prefer a bum bag as they're safer, however if you do want one, I love the Accessorize one above.


I hope you enjoyed this post all about festivals. I absolutely cannot wait to see Beyonce, The Vaccines and Calvin Harris at V Festival! Are you going to a festival this year? Who are you most excited about seeing?!

Talk to you later lovelies, 
Emma x

Hey guys!

Today's post it going to be a little different from usual posts as this is just a bit of a life update, a chance to tell you all how my week's been, what I've been up to etc.

I've been off college this week for study leave, but I've finished exams, so it's basically been a week off! I've done a few things, such as shopping, drinking coffee and going out for lunch with friends. Very sophisticated ;) I picked up a couple of little things, a dress from Primark (but I need to swap it for a different size), a tanning mitt by St Tropez from Topshop, a playsuit from Internacionale, and a couple of other things that I can't remember haha!

I also won a Liz Earle competition this week to recieve a Cleanse and Polish cleanser, which I can't wait to try out!

On Monday I'm going back to college (boo!) so my posts will become less frequent. I'm thinking Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday maybe? It'll be about 3-4 times a week anyway. I'm dreading going back to college, I've been having a great time off, and the thought of being stuck in class during this gorgeous weather is actually painful :( but to be honest, I am starting to get a bit bored already so maybe now is a good time to go back...

Have you guys had a good week this week? Done anything exciting? Enjoying the weather?

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Confessions of a Beauty Blogger

When did you start your blog?

I started Lipstick Lessons on May 27th, 2013.

Have you had any past online presence before (other blog, YouTube)?

Yeah, I had another blog before this one but deleted it after not being able to post for a while, I've also used Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook etc. I also have a YouTube account so that I can subscribe to people, but I don't post videos.

Why did you start a blog?

Because I adore buying new products and testing things out. I love reading reviews and chatting with other beauty-fanatics. And my friends were getting kind of sick of me rambling about a sale at Benefit, or my excitement at recieving an Urban Decay sample.

When did you become serious about starting a blog?

I became serious when I realised that I wanted to study business management at university. I was thinking a lot about my future, and realised I want to work in the business sector, and it would be my dream to work for a beauty company, as their head of marketing or something.

What was your first post?

It was  just a hello post and I wrote some of my favourite products and brands. 

What has been your biggest challenge about blogging?

Pictures, definitely. I have a 10mp camera (which still isn't incredible, but it has macro and it's better than nothing) but I've lost the lead to plug it into my laptop so can't upload any pictures! This means I just have to use my phone camera, which is rubbish!

Where do you see your blog in one year?

Wow, hopefully I'll still be blogging frequently and with better quality pictures!! I'd also like to think I'll have picked up more followers, maybe even hitting the 100 mark ! But most of all, as long as I'm still enjoying makeup and blogging, I'll be happy.

What is the most rewarding thing to you about blogging?

When somebody tweets me or comments and I get to have a chat with them, I love it! I think the beauty community is lovely but it's also really big and I kind of feel like a little fish in a reaaally big ocean right now!

What is the most discouraging thing that happens to you?

So far, nothing discouraging has happened! 

What's your lasting inspiration or motivation?

At the moment, just the fun and enjoyment of blogging is enough to inspire me. But having people say they like my blog, and the thought of building my blog and gaining experience in the beauty world is incredible. I just think that writing a beauty blog is such an amazing platform and provides an incredible experience as well as building a great group of friends (hopefully)

Hope you enjoyed this tag, talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Springing Into Summer #2 - Find Your Perfect Bathing Suit

Hello ladies and welcome back to Springing Into Summer! We're onto epidsode two today - finding your perfect bathing suit (that's an American word I think, but I don't think the english have a word to mean either bikini OR swimming costume.) There are literally thousands of articles, videos and posts about this exact topic but I thought I'd throw my two cents in anyway!

Athletic/Straight up and down girls

You want to try and add a little something to your bust area, so ruffles are the way to go! These can make your chest look a bit bigger, and so making your figure look a little curvier. Big prints are also great to break up a straight up-and-down figure. Ideal bikinis for you:

Both suits are from New Look. The ruffles add curves to the bust and hips, while the cut outs give the illusion of a curvy waist.

Curvy girls

Curvy girls are pretty lucky with bikinis, as so many different ones will suit your shape, so it really depends on your personal taste and which part you wish to highlight. Go for a block colour on the bottom and a pattern on top if you want to draw attention to the bust, or vice versa. Also, if you're very busty, look for a bikini with underwire to offer support, and avoid strapless bikinis - we don't want any nasty accidents if you know what I mean! Halternecks are great for extra support too. Definitely check out the Kelly Brook range at New Look for great affordable bikinis for curvy girls!

All suits from New Look again haha, I'm obsessed. Both these suits are underwired and  halternecks, so they're perfect for bustier girls!

Muffin-topped girls

So many girls have little muffin tops (you know the extra little roll you get just above your bikini/trouser line? Not too attractive!). Now this is what I personally struggle most with, and the majority of magazine articles etc tell me to avoid bikinis. But maybe I don't want to! If you really want a bikini, go for one with a higher waistband as it's much more flattering. Also, try out a push-up bra to balance out the bottom half with some bigger boobs! If you do want a swimming costume, you can find some great ones at Tesco with tummy control panels in! 

These two suits are from Tesco. The bikini is great because the top has padding and push up, and the bottoms come up a little higher and have built in tummy control. The swimsuit has tummy control panels, and is a super cute pattern!

I obviously know that there are thousands of other shapes, because not one woman has the same body shape as another, however most girls can find themselves somewhere within these three shapes. Please let me know if you have any questions, or comment below what your favourite bikini is that you'll be rocking this summer!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Wishlist #1 (June)

Summer is rolling around the corner and I absolutely cannot wait! It seems to be making me want to be even more and spend more money. Oops. That's probably not helped by the fact that I'm off school on study leave at the moment but have finished my exams, so spend all day reading beauty blogs and online shopping! Oh dear...

Benefit Primping with the Stars Kit (Top left) OR Benefit How To Look The Best at Everything Complexion Kit - I love the look of both of these kits and can't decide which one to get! I'm considering purchasing one as a post-exam treat, but they both look so amazing! I'm kind of leaning towards the Primping with the Stars, because  it has a wider variety of products, and I'd like to try Benetint, Girls Meets Pearl and Stay Don't Stray. However, I also reaaally want to try the Hello Flawless Foundation which is in the other kit! Have you tried either of them? Which would you recommend? Help!

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation - I've seen this foundation everywhere at the moment, and I'd really like to try it! I'm still pretty bitter that I missed the 50% sale, because I don't really want to fork out £27 on a foundation.

MUA Undress Me Too Palette - I'd really like to try this as I think I'd get so much use out of it! I got the Urban Decay Naked Palette for Christmas and I'm in love with it! I've seen so many blog posts about the similarities between Naked 2 and Undress Me Too so I'd rather pay £4 for the MUA palette than £36 for the UD!

New Look Pinafore - I think this is so so cute and will be perfect for summer! I'd team this with lace or brightly coloured short sleeve crop tops, and I think it'd look really lovely.

Internacionale Bum Bag - I'm going to V Festival in August, and I'll probably need a bum bag. However I don't want a boring one, and this one would be so perfect. The gold studding makes it a lot more modern and fashionable, and I'd be so happy strutting around with this on haha!

What are you dying to buy this month? Have you tried any of the products in my wishlist? What do you think of them?

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Battle of the... Fake Tans!

Hey girlies! So summer is flying around the corner, and that means time to get tanned! If you're anything like me, you won't be blessed with the beautiful gene of "being able to tan rather than just turning into a lobster". So yeah, lying out in the sun achieves nothing for me, but I love to have a healthy glow so I've tried my fair share of fake tans. Here I'm going to be reviewing and comparing four of the tans I've tried most recently are choosing my winner!

So first of all, I tried the Garnier Light Glow No Streaks Bronzer for Fair Skin. This retails at around £12 but using my staff discount at Debenhams, when I used to work there, I got it for much less. Anyway, I reaaally liked this fake tan! It's a spray on tan, and it applies really easily and evenly without any streaks. It gave me a really beautiful brown colour that was dark, but looked perfectly natural! Also, although it did smell a little, it didn't have the traditional "biscuity" smell that so many fake tans do. However, I also think that I can get tans that are just as good for much less than the price of this one, which is the only reason this didn't win!

Next, I tried the No7 Perfectly Bronzed Self Tan 360 Quick Dry Spray Tan. I was super excited to try this, as it seemed great. The nozzle is really good and sprays the formula really finely and evenly. However, I didn't feel like this really made much difference to the colour of my skin at all! It gave me a very slight glow, but to get the same colour as the Garner one above, I had to apply about 6 layers! Ain't nobody got time fo' dat ;) On the plus side, this didn't smell bad at all and if you're looking for a really subtle colour, this could be good, Also, I think I got the one for light skin, so you could try the darker version!

If you've been around the beauty community for a while now, I'm 100% sure you will have heard of St. Moriz tanners! They tend to retail for about £3.99 in Boots or Tesco, but I get mine in Home & Bargain for just £2.99 a bottle! Naturally, I was pretty skeptical, but I picked up this St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse in Medium after reading quite a few great reviews. The formula is a very light foam-y mousse which is very dark in colour, as you can see from the picture on the right (Scary, I know!), but when you rub it in, it goes much lighter. However you can still see it, so you can see any streaks or dark patches! The actual tan develops very evenly, and lasts for a good few days. It's a lovely deep colour, and I couldn't go without it! Two quick pointers; apply using a glove! If you use your hands, you will NOT get it off easily haha! And also, when you first apply it, it kind of looks a bit of a dirty brown colour. Don't panic! This is just the colourguard thing, have a shower a few hours later and you'll be left with a gorgeous colour, trust me.

Finally, we have the Garnier Summerbody Moisturising Lotion Sun-Kissed Look. This is a gradual self-tanning moisturiser which claims to give a sun-kissed glow. I don't really like the scent, but the formula is moisturising and goes on white so blends in instantly. The downside to this is that you can't see any streaks before it dries. Also, you have to apply this relgiously for days before seeing any result, hence it being gradual, but for me this is too high-maintenance haha! However, again I have the light version but a friend uses the dark one and says it gives a great tan so I might have to pick one up in the darker colour!

So.... now to annouce the winner!

Drum roll please!

This was a clear winner for me as it is the cheapest, but provides the most even, darkest tan. Perfect for anyone!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

A Little Skincare & Makeup Haul

Hey beauties, today I'm bringing you a little beauty haul that I've accumulated over the past 2 weeks! I've not had much time for shopping, what with exams, but I picked up a few little treats to get me through the endless hours of revision and crying (I joke, kind of...). 

First things first, Simple Skincare products. I picked these up in Boots when they were having a 3 for 2 sale. I needed a new moisturiser and was on the look out for an eye cream because I had just been using my regular facial moisturiser, but it's really not too good for the delicate skin around the eyes!

Simple Kind to Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser - I decided to get the rich moisturiser this time because my skin has been so dry it's not even funny! It's a bargain at only £3.89, plus it lasts me a good 3 months. However it's pretty heavy so if you don't have super dry skin like I do, stick to the light moisturiser.

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes - I'd never tried these but decided to pick them up as my 3rd free item, and I've used them a few times and really like them! They're gentle, but remove all the makeup on my face.

Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm - I reaaaally like this. It's a light eye cream which you apply morning and night, and it helps de-puff eyes and just keep the eye area moisturised!

Mum actually bought me this super cute Primark Wash Mitt, and it was only £1, so who could refuse! I've not used it yet, but it seems really soft and nice to use.

Finally, I picked up two makeup items. 

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Apocalyptic - I got this from Tesco on sale for just £4.50! I cannot rave enough about this amazing lip product, it's my absolute favourite find of the month and I shall be reviewing it soon!

MUA Eyeshadow in shade 17 - This is a matte dark brown which I use for filling in my brows, and at just £1, I thought it'd be a great choice for a beginner brow-filler!

Hope you enjoyed this little haul ladies, tell me if you've picked any of these items up and what you thought of them!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Colours of the Rainbow TAG!

Hello my beauties! Hope you're all doing well and looking forward to the weekend! Today I'm going to be doing the Colours of the Rainbow Tag which I've seen floating around YouTube a lot. Basically, you pick your favourite product (beauty or clothing) for each colour. For example, for red you might pick a radiant red lipstick, or for pink, a pink lipgloss. Also, most of the beauty gurus were using the ROY G BIV rainbow, but I'm unique so I'm using the rainbow I usually use, with the little song- Red and yellow and pink and green, orange and purple and blueeee, I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow tooooo.

Red - The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel. As you can see, my bottle has nearly run out, because this is my favourite shower gel ever. It smells delicious and leaves my skin feeling really fresh and clean. I love using this after a workout because it's really refreshing and cooling, much nicer than a floral scent.

Yellow - Yankee Candle in Vanilla Cupcake. I love Yankee Candle, and the Vanilla Cupcake scent is incredible. It's super sweet and yummy, and this burner got me through my revision! The burner is also from Yankee Candle, in case you were wondering. 

Pink - Possibility Raspberry Pavlova Ultra Rich Hand&Nail Cream. I picked this up from Home&Bargain for about £1.50, and it's incredible. It's super moisturising and rich, rivalling Hand Food by Soap & Glory, but smells even more incredible. It honestly smells like raspberry yoghurt or a sweet dessert... It's incredible.

Green - Tangle Teezer. I have really curly, somewhat frizzy hair that's really hard to control. I've struggled for years to find something than will brush the tangles out without making it extra frizzy, but this is perfect! It looks like something you'd brush a horse with, but it works really well! It's available online or in hair salons mainly, but occasionally I've seen it in other shops too, so just keep your eyes peeled.

Orange - Rimmel Scandeleyes Mascara. This is my absolute go-to mascara, and I use it every single day. I also have the extreme black one and the show off one, but this is my favourite. As you can see from the bottle above, it's a very well-loved tube haha!

Purple - GOSH Special Edition Nail Polish. Unfortunately the name of this polish has come off so I don't know, but it's a lovely colour. It's a gorgeous lilac which I wear year round, but it's especially nice in spring and summer as it's a gorgeous pastel colour. If you do want this colour, Barry M's Nail Paint in Berry Ice Cream is virtually the same colour.

Blue - Forever 21 Polka Dot Jeans. These are my favourite jeans that I own, and they're perfect for spring/summer. In England, the weather tends to be rubbish year round so I need some warm jeans I can wear in summer, without looking winter-y. These are a light-wash blue skinny jean with white polka dots and they're perfect!

Hope you enjoyed this tag! Let me know if you do it, I'd love to read your responses. As for who I tag, I tag:

Claudia @ lipstick-theory.com

Julz @ julzobsessions.blogspot.com

BreezeyBee @ breezeybee.blogspot.co.uk

Hannah Roberts @ hannahmariebeauty.blogspot.co.uk

And anyone else who wants to do it! 

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Soap & Glory Story - My Collection

Hello my beauties! Hope you're all doing well and looking after yourselves. Today I'm showing you my full Soap & Glory Collection, so I hope you enjoy. It's a little excessive I suppose, but most of the products came in my Best of All set which I got from a friend for Christmas, and I receive loads of S&G products for every birthday! I'll also be giving them a kind of mini review, just rating them /10 and possibly giving a little opinion on them. However, if you'd like any more in depth reviews of specific products, just comment below and let me know! If not, I'll gradually review them all over time :)

 Here is my entire Soap and Glory Collection! I have 18 products I think, but some are the same etc etc. I'll name them all now, and those marked with a (*) were part of the Best of All set (Which came in the lovely pink carry case you can see behind the items). Also, obviously for Sugar Crush and The Righteous Butter, only 1 of them came in the Best of All set!

Back row, L-R = Clean on Me body wash*, Foam Call body wash, Peaches&Clean facial cleanser*, Calm One, Calm All bubble bath, Daily Smooth body butter (x2), Smoothie Star body milk*, Heel Genius foot cream*, Hand Food hand cream*.

Front row, L-R = Sugar Crush body scrub* (x2), Hand Maid hand sanitizer, The Righteous Butter body butter* (x2), Thick&Fast mascara*, Sexy Motherpucker lipgloss*, The Righteous Butter body butter mini, Girligo body moisturising mist.

So now for a bit more of an in depth look at the body and face washes. 

Clean on Me Shower Gel - 4/10. Personally, I really don't like this as it doesn't lather well and is just too thick.

Foam Call Body Wash - 8/10. This lathers amazingly well and leaves my skin feeling super clean.

Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash-off Deep Cleansing Milk - 7/10. Gorgeous smelling, thick, luxurious cleanser which leaves skin feeling smooth and silky.

Calm One, Calm All Bubble Bath - 3/10. I cannot  get this to actually produce any bubbles!! However, some people have used and loved this, so maybe I'm doing something wrong? Haha.

Sugar Crush Body Scrub - 9/10. Love love love love love this product! Ahh it smells incredible and leaves my skin feeling soft and silky. Only downside is it can leave a weird residue on the skin, but it's worth it!

The Righteous Body Butter - 4/10. Shock, horror, I'm giving this a bad review! But I really don't like this product, it's tooo thick for me and doesn't soak into my skin, I hate the feel of it! I only use this when I'm sunburnt.

Daily Smooth Body Butter - 7/10. Great moisturiser, similar to above but a bit less thick.

Girligo Body Moisturising Mist - 7/10. A moisturiser that sprays on in a mist-form, which I really like!

Smoothie Star Deep Moisture Body Milk - 10/10. Favourite. Moisturiser. Ever. Enough said!

Heel Genius Foot Cream - 7/10. A great, moisturising treat for the feet with a peppermint-y smell.

Hand Food Hand Cream - 7/10. The famous Hand Food, which I'm sure you've heard of! A super moisturising treatment which isn't too heavy and soaks in well.

Hand Food Hand Cleansing Gel - 6/10. A great little sanitiser but not any better than normal sanitisers to be honest, just a bit more expensive since it's pink!

Sexy MotherPucker Lip Gloss in Punchbowl - 8/10. A plumping lipgloss that isn't sticky or painful on the lips.

Thick&Fast Mascara - 7/10. Not the most lengthening mascara, but it's good for separating lashes and adding some length. I like to use this for bottom lashes and for a more natural look on my upper lashes.

So, wow this was a very picture heavy post, I apologise for that! However I hope you enjoyed this collection post, let me know if you're as obsessed with Soap and Glory as I am, and give me any suggestions as to new products I need to try!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Springing Into Summer #1 - Get Your Bikini Body!

Image from google edited by me.

Hello girls, and welcome to my new series; Springing Into Summer. Summer is flying around the corner at a ridiculous rate, which means time for summer clothes, makeup and holidays (unless you live in England, like me, where summer still means umbrellas, jumpers and wellies...). I absolutely cannot wait, as I have so much to look forward to; two weeks in Spain, and V Festival at the the end of August, as well as lots of partying and going out with friends, a few days staying at a cottage in Wales... I have a feeling it's going to be great! 

However, summer also means shorts, bikinis and crop tops, which for a lot of people can lead to a lot of body-confidence issues and crash diets in order to look "Sexy for Mexi(co)" or sticking to "No Carbs before Marbs". But honestly, crash diets and ridiculous amounts of exercise aren't going to work, especially not if you still don't feel confident and happy with your body. So this blog will hopefully give you a few tips to tone up, get healthier and love your body. If you would like me to do a post about weight loss, then comment below as I am currently losing weight (Lost 2st since Christmas yayyyy), but I don't want to focus on that today, because this post is about bikini-confidence, not weight loss.

1. Stick to a healthy diet for at least a few weeks before your holiday.

Really, you should be eating healthily year round, but trust me I know that's not always easy! However, eating healthily is so great for your body; you feel extra-energised, you don't feel bloated, plus you'll generally feel a little more confident with your body knowing that you're eating healthily, rather than eating McDonald's and Chinese every other night! 

Foods to fill up on: Fruit is great in summer, as you can get strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, mangoes, pineapples... The list goes on! Vegetables are also great when your trying to eat healthily, as they're filling and provide loads of essential nutrients and fibre, but are low in calories. Finally, protein is great if your trying to tone up, as it encourages muscle growth (don't ask me why, I'm not a scientist, I just know it is!)

Foods to avoid: Don't ban any foods, as that's pretty unhealthy. It's not any food that's unhealthy, it's the amount you eat of it that's unhealthy! However, avoid fizzy drinks (even if they're diet) as they cause water retention and this makes you bloat. Also, try to limit your intake of fast food/greasy food as much as you can, as this also causes bloating and break outs, and just a general feeling of sluggish-ness.

2. Tone up!

For some reason, I find exercising pretty fun (although finding the motivation to get to the gym is a different story), so I have a lot of tips about toning up. So many women are afraid of doing weight training because they think they'll turn into a super muscley body builder, but this is such a myth! Women have lower levels of testosterone than men and so it's much harder for them to build muscle. Weight training defines your muscles and burns so many calories, so if you are looking to lose weight and tone, then add some weight training to your cardio routine!

Workouts to try out: Cassie @ Blogilates - Don't be mistaken into thinking that pilates is relaxing and easy; it's the complete opposite! These online workouts are so tiring and painful, but they're great for toning. Cassie has so many different workouts to target any area you could want; inner thighs, love handles, abs, arms... Do one of these a day for just three weeks before your holiday and you'll see a huge difference!

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred - I love Jillian Michaels (you may recognise her from The Biggest Loser USA) and find her really inspirational, and this 30 day shred is incredible. There are 3 levels to it, and each level lasts 10 days. I have linked level 1, but a quick youtube search will bring up all 3 of them. Enjoy!

3. Love yourself and work that bikini!

Trust me with this, every single girl on the beach feels/has felt self-conscious in their bikini! It takes a lot of confidence to strut along the beach wearing next to nothing, surround by hundreds of people, many of who will be slimmer and more toned than you, many of who will be curvier or bigger than you... But here's the secret. You know that really slim, gorgeous girl you wish you looked like on the beach? She wishes she had your curves. You know that curvy girl that looks incredible in a bikini? She wishes she was slimmer. Nobody's 100% happy with their shape, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear a bikini with confidence.

Tips to remember: - You probably don't know anybody else on the beach except your friends/family, so nobody will be looking at your body. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself.

- A tan can make everyone look a bit slimmer, so if you need to fake it, fake it! Get a spray tan or slap some fake tan on, anything that boosts your confidence (but avoid the sunbeds, please!!)

- Try not to compare yourself to anybody else on the beach. I know it's hard but it doesn't help anything. 

- If you're really self conscious, stick to lying on a sun lounger! Everyone looks slimmer lying down, so just chill out and read a book, and if you need to go for a walk, cover up in a stylish sarong.

- Find a bikini or swimming costume that suits your shape! This will be in my next post, so keep your eyes open!

Wow, this was a long post! Hope you all enjoyed it, and remember, the main thing is to enjoy yourself! Whether you're in LA or your back garden, just have fun and try to forget any body worries. Keep your eyes open for the next post which will be up next week, and will be about choosing the perfect bikini/swimming costume for your body!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Skincare Routine

Helloooo my dears! Today I'm going to be showing all of you lovelies my skincare routine aka just how lazy I am when it comes to skincare ;) I don't do much in the way of skincare, although it's a lot more than I used to do (I literally used to just wash my face with water, I hardly ever even removed my makeup *gasp*). Also, sorry about the watermarks from emmasbookofbeauty.blogspot.com, as that was my old blog name. However my skincare routine is still exactly the same, so I thought I'd just repost this. Hope that's okay!

How cute is this little bath that we have in our bathroom? I fill it with my favourite bathroom essentials at the time; soaps, skincare things, hand sanitiser etc. I love it!

Before we start, I have combination skin, but it's more on the dry side. Also it can be fairly sensitive and likes to start glowing red at impromptu moments. Great. 

So first up is my makeup remover. I know people do things in different orders, but I like to remove all my makeup before cleansing my face. I use this Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Make-up Remover, which claims to have "1 Vital Vitamin" "No Oil" and "No Perfume". Snazzy, eh? This does a great job of removing my eye and face makeup, and really is very gentle. Plus, it's £2 from Boots/Superdrug. Can you say no? (No, you can't.)

Next up is my cleanser of choice. I use two, this one and the one below. This one is the Soap&Glory Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash-off Deep Cleansing Milk (whoa, mouthful) and I'm so in love with this! It smells like peach yoghurt (mmm) and feels a bit like it too (eww haha). But it leaves my skin feeling really clean and fresh, but also so soft. The only issue I have is that it can be a bit too strong for my skin, if I'm having a particularly sensitive day, so I tend to only use this at night, and only about 4 nights a week. This is available from Boots for £11.

The other cleanser I use is The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser. I really really like this cleanser, because it comes out in a really foamy texture, which means you don't have to spend ages rubbing it into your skin, trying to get it to foam up! This again leaves my skin cleansed and fresh feeling, but is nowhere near as moisturising as the S&G one, but also is less harsh, so I use this in the mornings and some nights. This is £5 from The Body Shop.

Finally, here is my moisturiser! I use the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser, and it's really good. This has two vital vitamins, two "skin loving nutrients" and no perfumes.It's really moisturising and even for my dry skin, the light moisturiser is more than heavy enough! It's a very heavy consistency at first but it soaks in pretty quickly. This is also £3.89 from Superdrug/Boots (SO CHEAP!)

For some reason, I forgot to take a picture of my exfoliator (whaaat) and this post needs to be up asap therefore, I'm using a stock photo. However, you can see from the top post that I genuinely do own and use this product on a day-to-day basis (I've repurchased it twice as well). I'll hopefully replace for my own picture as soon as I can. 

So the exfoliator I use is the The Body Shop Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash. This is very lightly exfoliating, and to be honest I'm starting to think it doesn't do that much for my skin. It leaves it feeling lovely and soft, but I buy it in the hope that it will help with blackheads, and I don't think it does. But it's alright, and I use this about 3 times per week. It's £6.50 from the Body Shop!

I'm on the hunt for a better exfoliator, and a good face mask! As I said above, I have combination, but mainly dry skin, and although I don't often get blemishes, when I do they stay for ageeees. Also, I have blackheads and large pores on my nose which are vile and I would like to sort out! Any suggestions? I don't mind price (Well, not toooo excessive), just leave your ideas in the comments below!

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Lipstick Lessons! Thank you so much for visiting my little corner of the internet; it may not be much yet but soon I shall build an empire... (okay, I joke, but hopefully I can build and improve my blog over time). This blog will be a beauty blog, a fashion blog, a lifestyle blog... basically it'll be a little bit of everything. I'm going to post a few little facts about me below so that you can all hopefully get to know me a little better! (PS if any of you are a bit confused because you already follow this blog, I have deleted all old posts and changed my URL etc. I had to take a 6 month hiatus from my blog due to a death in the family and then exams etc etc, so decided that since I only had 5 followers, it was best to just rebuild my blog with a new name. Hope everyone understands!)

Name? Emma Alyson

Age? 17

Country? UK

Currently... Studying Maths, Spanish, French and Music AS levels at college, and hoping to study Spanish with Business Management at university in London

Hobbies? Playing music (I play piano, guitar, saxaphone, clarinet and I sing), writing songs, dancing, drama, reading blogs/watching youtube... And obviously shopping ;)

Favourite...

Skincare brand? Simple

Bodycare brand? Soap & Glory

Makeup brand? Urban Decay or Benefit for higher-end products, Rimmel for cheaper items

Clothes shop? Internacionale, Primark, New Look, Forever 21

Order at Starbucks (coffee is my addiction)? Iced Skinny Hazelnut Latte

I hope you got to know me a little better through this blog post, and please comment and say hello as I'm new to this whole beauty-blogging business! (And follow for more alliteration haha)

Talk to you later lovelies,

Emma x