What do YOU want to see?! // BeautieCollected

I'm making today's post short and sweet, I've been a bit all over the place recently so I wanted to make sure I saved my more detailed posts for when I feel I can put my very best effort into it! 

So today's post is just going to be a question to you guys, anybody reading, whether you follow me or just read my posts because they show up on one of your social media feeds... What posts do you want to see me do? Do you want my beauty related, fashion related, room decor (you get the picture?) I am going to be doing a variety of all of these anyway, however I just want to see what are the most popular ones from you guys!

If you also have any specific posts you would like me to write about, related to beauty, fashion, food or anything like that please leave a comment or feel free to tweet me @kxtie_x !! 

Sorry today's posts isn't more exciting but this just gives me a better idea of what you guys want to see!

Get ready for a full post tomorrow!!

Take care!

- Katie x

School Essentials: Stationary! // BeautieCollected

This is going to be one of a "series" of blogposts...if you can call it that! I'm going to have a running theme of "School Essentials" and have different posts for different aspects of things essential for school e.g stationary, beauty etc. So without further a-do! Here are my stationary essentials for school!

Here's an overview of my school essentials with regards to stationary!

1) Phone&iPod - Obviously for education, these are at them bottom of the list, but I find listening to music and having periodical breaks to glance over my social media helps me focus when I have to do my homework/studying. The walks to and from college are also prime time to listen to music and relax (when I'm not trying to die up the deceivingly steep park hill)!

2) Coloured Pens - These are a must for me! I like to make my notes and work colourful as it makes them a lot nicer to look at, and in turn I'll actually study and want to use them! Mainly because it looks nice, but yeah!

3) Sticky Notes - All sizes of sticky notes are useful for note making, but I really like the little tab ones for marking important pages in my notes and textbooks! I find them so easy to use and so useful to have!

4) Pencil case - It's so handy to be able to carry a spare pen and a couple of highlighters around with you, not only is it for organisation but you'll also have plenty of supplies on you. I always carry 3 pens (2 for me and 1 for the person that you know won't give it back), highlighters, pencils and a ruler.

5) Folders - I'm a big organisation freak so for me it's really important I keep things tidy and in one place. I have one for each subject so things don't get messed up, and it's the perfect way to keep everything together!

6) Paper - It may seem so obvious and basic to most of you, but you'll be surprised how many people don't carry paper! I prefer notebooks with hole-punched paper, so I can either keep it in the pad, or put it into my folder easy!

So these are all the basic stationary essentials for me! I always buy new pens and random notebooks I don't need or use because it's the one thing I have a weakness for! I need controlling!!

Take care!

- Katie x

Rimmel vs Maybelline Foundation Review // BeautieCollected

I don't know if it's just me, but you get those days where your foundation looks flawless before you leave, you think you couldn't get it any smoother or well blended...then you leave and it's the biggest mess! Obviously part of that is down to me not being a morning person and but throwing my makeup on like it knows where it needs to go, but I also find the foundation I use adds to this!

If I use a foundation that settles into dry patches or fine lines, I find my foundation looks worse most of the time. Although I find new foundations for myself that I prefer and feel are better, I still don't feel like I've found the perfect one for my skin as an hour into the day my skin looks so dry and just bleughhhh!!

My two most commonly used foundations are the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation and the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation! I'm going to briefly compare the two then tell you which I prefer overall. If you would like more in depth foundation or any other product reviews, please let me know!!

Starting with the one I have used the most, the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation! I am in the shade 100 ivory! As far as colour goes, the matching is pretty close, I'd always recommend going a shade lighter rather than a shade darker if you can't find a perfect match, unless you are willing to mix two shades, as you can always deepen the colour with a bronzer and contour. As far as applying the product, even with a primer I have found it doesn't have the best lasting power, it tends to just disappear through the day into thin air! I also find it does settle on dry patches or finer lines in the skin, so make sure you're well moisturised!!

I've used the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin foundation for a shorter time but I feel it's worth the comparison! I am in the shade Nude and it is a pretty close match, it darkens ever so slightly when you go outside so take that into consideration! I've found the coverage lasts most of the day, towards the end you can see it getting tired and that it obviously isn't fresh as a daisy, however it does hold up much better! As the day goes on, it seems to find it's way to areas of your skin which makes you look like your face isn't smooth etc, But that's kind of down to powering also!

(Maybelline foundation on top, Rimmel foundation on the bottom)

Consistency is ever so slightly different too, the Rimmel is a lot more runny and liquid-like. Whereas the Maybelline one is thicker! This also proves in the coverage, as the Rimmel is a lighter coverage than the Maybelline!

Overall, I feel, based on personal preference, the Maybelline is my preferred foundation. I may go into more specific details in a post entirely dedicated to the Maybelline foundation, but this will do for now!

If you have any high or lower end foundation recommendations let me know as I'm definitely up for trying some new ones!

Take care!

- Katie x

Retiring Old Faves! // BeautieCollected

I'm pretty sure we have all experienced the pain of having to stop wearing your favourite pair of shoes because you've shown them too much love. I usually come to terms with it pretty fast as the idea of having a valid excuse to buy more shoes excites me, however I'm not taking very kindly to this retiring pair!

These are my trusty companions! My black converse high tops which I've had for over 2 and a half years! Because these are my go-to pair of shoes for whatever the weather, they've quickly become worn in and dirty. Add a new puppy to the mix and then you have a recipe of shoe lace chewing and whatever else he decides to do with them! I have no doubt in my mind that I will still wear this pair of shoes for the next 3 months, but I think it's about time I bite the bullet and buy myself some new ones!

The religious buying of converses is a habit I'm happy to have!

Take care!

- Katie x

Current Music Faves ft. Spotify! // BeautieCollected

Like many people my age, I'm a music fanatic! Every spare moment that I'm not in class, at work, watching tv or doing something that needs focussed attention I have my music playing, no matter what volume! For me, having to wait to buy songs on iTunes is a hastle as you have to wait for the release date then you have to physically buy a copy of the song! Don't get me wrong I love to have my own copy of songs as I have them anywhere on any device, but the beauty of Spotify is that you pay a £10 a month charge to have access to any songs they have on their database for that time period! It's perfect as you can set it to offline mode to be able to access all the songs without the need for a wifi connection!

Spotify is a great service and I definitely recommend you check it out - I'm pretty sure they still offer a 30 day free trial! So snatch it up while you can!

I have 3 playlists on spotify, one is a random mix of all sorts of songs that you just want to listen to, the other is for more 'alternative' style music (rock, punk rock etc.) and the other is just Ed Sheeran because why not?! (I must say my music taste is all over the place, I go from Ed Sheeran to Rise Against in a matter of seconds, but I love it)

I'll share with you my favourite songs of the moment too, since I'm here talking about music! These are in no particular order, as I'd spend way too long trying to put them into an order that I don't feel betrays my love for any of them!

1. Take It Back - Ed Sheeran

2. Nina - Ed Sheeran

3. Savior - Rise Against

4. ...To Be Loved - Papa Roach

5. See You In My Dreams - We The Kings

6. Hero of War - Rise Against

7. Oh Cecilia - The Vamps

8. Rude - Magic!

9. Black Widow - Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora

10. Classic - MKTO

So there's a sneak peak into my Spotify playlist and my favourite music of right now! I hope you enjoyed the read and look forward to upcoming posts!

Take care!

- Katie x

Real Techniques: Quality on a budget! // BeautieCollected

When I was first starting out discovering the wonderful world of makeup and beauty products, no matter how many products I bought, or the types, I would never buy any brushes! I don't know why I neglected such a staple (for me personally) as now I find I use them to apply everything I put on my face. Not only does it make the makeup applying process 10 times easier, but the overall finish it gives can be really quite amazing depending on the quality of product and the brush you use.

The main reason I think I didn't buy brushes was because the only ones I'd heard people talk about were MAC, and let's be real...as a 13-14 year old, I'm not going to spend a whole month's pocket money on one brush!! So with that, I just made do. However, now that makeup has become a bigger part of my life I thought it was the right time to find suitable brushes to do the job! At the time, the first brush I picked up was a Real Techniques brush. Being an avid watcher of the youtube beauty community, I had heard many good things about them and they were just that little bit more affordable than MAC or Sigma.

Real Techniques is a brand of makeup brushes created by the youtubers Sam and Nic Chapman (www.youtube.com/pixiwoo), there is an extremely wide range of brushes to choose from and ones for every job you could think of and some for jobs you didn't even know existed! With this wide variety available, you can't really go wrong! Most of them have names to guide you first time buyers along! I'll show you the one's I have and I'll tell you how I feel about them!

(EXTREME DISCLAIMER: I'm sorry about the dirtyness of my brushes in these pictures! I forgot to wash them in time for this post but I thought I'd be authentic and prove I do use them!)

Here's both of my brushes in their dirty glory! I have the Expert Face Brush and the Powder Brush! I'll talk about them in the order I use them!

The first brush I use is the Expert Face Brush, which retails for £9.99 in the UK. I use this brush to apply my foundation and I've found it's big enough to do the job relatively fast, but small enough for you to be able to get into the creases around your nose as well as getting really close to the hairline for a well blended look. As well as any other brand of brushes, it really is important you keep them clean, as they'll start to build up the germs from your face and it just won't be pretty and could cause breakouts! But as well as that, I have found that if I didn't wash them regularly then my foundation would just look streaky and gross! Apart from the obvious maintenance issues, this is a great, soft brush for applying foundation! It doesn't shed and dries as if it were brand new!

The other brush I have is the Powder Brush that is retailed for £12.99 in the UK, which I believe it or not, use to apply my powder to set my foundation! I love big powder brushes as it covers the whole of your face quite quickly and you can just throw your makeup on and it can still look fabulous! The brush remains soft for such a long time it's unreal! I prefer to pat the powder onto my skin than drag it, so I don't disturb my foundation or any dry patches of skin, but that's just technique! Maintaining again is a big thing! I don't feel I need to wash it so often, but I do obviously keep on top of it and it does make a difference in the way my powder is applied! It again doesn't shed and dries as if it was brand new out of the box! A definite must have powder brush for anybody's collection!

That's a wrap on today's blog post! I hope you enjoyed this mini review! Let me know if there are any other products or things you'd like me to review by dropping me a tweet (@kxtie_x)!

Take care!

- Katie x 

September Favourites // BeautieCollected

Even though it's not the end of September, I feel it will come around so fast that it's about time to write September off as a job well done. What better way to do that than to share with you my favourites of this month. I don't have too many as I haven't really had much in terms of products and things as I've been so wrapped up in the start of college and working, but there's enough to warrant a blog post! So here are my September 2014 favourites!

Starting off with beauty related favourites, my first favourite product of the month is the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin foundation. The colour match for my skin is one of the closest and best I've found, and for the price, the quality is amazing. The way your skin looks is flawless and it really does blur out any imperfections and lasts all day!

Diverting from makeup slightly, my next favourite is the Batiste Dry Shampoo. This has had a lot of positive and negative reviews over the years, and the first time I used it, I really didn't understand the hype. It left my hair feeling like I had product in and never really helped it look fresher than it was. However, I rediscovered it as I was thinking of giving it another shot and I'm so glad I did! As long as you blend it in correctly there should be no crispy product feeling in your hair and it is perfect to help your hair last that extra day!

Sticking with the hair theme, after going to get my hair done, the stylist was using this brush on my hair and I loved how it helped the styling and the general brushing out of any tangles I had. This is the Denman Classic Styling Brush, I would definitely recommend anybody tries this out as it ensures my hair is tangle free!

My next product is the Garnier Mineral Invisible 48hr Antiperspirant. Although I'm not overly excited about the scent of this product, it doesn't last on the skin long, so I can't complain. I've found that this is a long lasting antiperspirant and really doesn't call for touch ups during the day, although I always carry it just in case!

I'm not usually a fan of extremely sweet scents, but this is that fresh kind of sweet that you can't help but like! This is the new Impulse Sweet Smile (Pear&Jasmine) scented body spray. I always carry a body spray around with me and right now this has been my go-to one and I love it!

To just freshen up on those lazy kinda days where you can't be bothered but need to feel like you've tried I've always used the Johnson's baby wipes, they are soft and delicate and if they are good enough for babies then they're good enough for me!

Now onto non-beauty favourites! For music I've been really REALLY loving the Ed Sheeran 'X' album released in June. I have a big place in my heart for Ed and maybe one day I'll write a blogpost all about my love for him, but I really do find him a very talented human being and I've loved his music since his very first single. This is a must have on my playlist and it will never get old!

A couple of movies I've liked this month is Spring Breakers and the other is Bad Neighbours. I used to be a movie junkie and my collection is very expansive, however I kind of neglected that and never updated my collection, these are two recent purchases and I love both of them! Definitely worth a watch (If you're of age of course! xD)

I've become a candle-burner. Although I make my mum nervous that I'm going to burn the house down, I find candles quite calming, especially when their scent is to die for! This is the TU Madagascan Vanilla scented candle, I bought two as the shelf said they were reduced to clear, so I snatched them up! If they are out of stock once I've burnt these two I'll have to find a replacement! But for the time being this is a fave!

Finally, my biggest favourite has to be my iPod Touch (5th Gen). I bought myself this with my first wage as my old iPod became smashed up and very slow! It quickly became the love of my life and I literally use it everyday! I don't know where I'd of been without it and it's just so easy to access everything, from social media to games! Although for some reason this one doesn't have a back camera, which really does limit my ability to post food pictures on instagram! (my instagram is kxtiebacchus if you want to follow me!). It was a splurge, but a well needed one at that!

So that's all for my September favourites! I hope you all enjoyed this post and stay tuned for more coming soon!

Take care!

- Katie x

Everyday Makeup Essentials 2014 // BeautieCollected

Hello! Today I thought I'd follow along with the 'essentials' theme with something linked quite strongly with beauty and appearance...yes! My makeup essentials - I never really ventured into using makeup or even wearing it until I was around the age of 13-14, no matter how many youtube videos and blog posts I read, I didn't have the confidence in my self to think I could pull it off. But looking back, it isn't rocket science! So here are my everyday makeup essentials and my go to products of this year to date!

Here's a quick overview of all my daily essentials! I looks like a lot more than it really is!

Starting with the base of makeup itself, my current foundation is the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin foundation (Shade Nude). This has only been apart of my makeup collection for a month or two, however it has quickly become a favourite! It's lasting power is incredible and it doesn't look cakey if you are wanting to build the coverage slightly. I would say it's a medium coverage to high coverage foundation and is definitely worth a try.

I've never really been a concealer person, I always just focussed my attention on areas that needed a bit more coverage, but for under my eyes I've really been loving this Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 Concealer. It has highlighting aspects so it makes your under eyes look brighter and more awake as well as adding sufficient coverage! I'm not a big fan of the application however, even though I do only place it on the skin and blend with a separate brush, but when the product dries it can clog up and make it hard to get more product out! But overall a great product!

No matter how many powders I try, I always come back to this holy grail product. This is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Translucent. I love this powder as it doesn't add anymore coverage and make you look like you've layered your makeup all wrong, but it removes the shine and oily look from your face and it's great to use as a touch up through the day!

I'm not a big blush user but one product I do like to use to add colour to my face, especially in the autumn - winter months is bronzer. The one I've used as my go-to is the Bourjois "Chocolate Bronzer". The one I use is in the shade 52, it adds a nice subtle glow as long as you aren't too heavy handed when applying it! It doesn't leave an orange look to your face and looks very natural!

On those days I just want to add a little something extra, I add a small dab of Benefit's High Beam highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones and occasionally on my brow bone. It adds a lot of light to the face and gives you a glow to the skin, but it still looks natural which is always the look I tend to follow!

Although the colours in this palette are gorgeous I only really use the matte brown and black shades. This is the Sleek Storm Palette and I use the matte brown shade to fill in my brows and give them a cleaner more presentable look. I often use the black to either set my gel eyeliner or just to smudge along the lash line as a softer eyeliner option.

For eyeshadows themselves, I have been loving the MUA Professional Heaven and Earth palette. The colours are all neutral and can create a lighter or deeper look. My go to look is the shade on the bottom row, 2nd from the left all over the lid, with a mix of the 2nd from the right on both the top and bottom of the palette. They create a nice defined look without being too harsh and is totally wearable for everyday!

Whenever I wear eyeliner, felt tip liquid liner is always the way to go! The one I use on my top lash line is the L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim in Intense Black, and I use Barry M's Bold Black Waterproof Eyeliner on my waterline whenever I can bare touching that sensitive and very watery part of my eye! The lasting power of both these eyeliners is amazing and I would definitely recommend them as an alternative to some higher end brands. Although the L'Oreal liner can transfer to the crease of your eye if its a hot day or you have oily lids! So I recommend using a primer!

I'm always cautious about trying new mascara as I love the look of thick, long lashes but I never know the best products! The combination of Maybelline's Great Lash in Very Black and Rimmel's Scandal Eyes in Jet Black Waterproof is the perfect one for me so far. Once I have curled my lashes, the great lash helps separate the lashes and the scandal eyes adds colour and definition, and surprisingly a lot of length. I did let them dry out a bit before using them as I felt the formula was a bit more wet than I usually like, but they are great products together!

As for lips, I either go bold or go very subtle, lately I've just been wearing a lip balm as it's moisturising but gives a sheen as if you are wearing a lip product. May favourite lip balm at the moment is the Nivea Hydro Care with SPF 15. 

I thought I'd add this is as a little extra, but my favourite nail polish of the moment is this Maybelline Color Show in Winter Baby. It's the perfect white which isn't too glossy and it has a surprisingly long lasting power and doesn't chip for a while even without a base and top coat! With autumn and winter on our doorsteps I'm almost certain I will be turning to darker colours soon but it's always nice to cling onto summer that little bit longer, even if it is through your nails!

So that's it for today's post, I hope you enjoyed the read and if you have any suggestions as to what I should post, feel free to leave a comment and I'll have a look!

Take care!

- Katie x

Skincare Essentials // BeautieCollected

Hello there! I'm Katie and this is going to be my first ever post! I've put a lot of thought into what I wanted my first post to be, I thought just writing about myself would be ever so slightly boring - so I opted for a post with a bit more to offer! My skincare essentials!!

I was lucky to have relatively good skin growing up, that was until I was in year 9 (around the age of 13-14), that's when the hell we call ACNE reared it's ugly and rather irritating head! Since then I have always battled with acne, although I am fortunate to not have it quite so severe it can still be a pain to control! As for my skin type, I have quite a mixed skin type: I have combination to dry skin, however I do suffer with oilyness here and there! That being said, all the products I use cater for acne prone, combination skin types!

Here is an overview of my skincare essentials!

The first product I use everyday is the Clean&Clear Advantage Fast Action Daily Wash! I have found that many affordable skincare brands claim to do a lot of things, then never really deliver, however this face wash, and the Clean&Clear brand in general really do deliver in terms of helping clear and then prevent acne in the long term! This is a face wash that I have repurchased twice already and I will continue to do so! I definitely recommend this to people who struggle with acne!

Following on from using the face wash, I always moisturise my skin, the one I am currently using and loving is the Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream. I never understood the importance of moisturisers until I started getting those annoying dry patches dotted around my face. The fact is, moisturiser isn't for old people! You can use it whenever and honestly it does keep your skin in better condition!

As a little "as and when" product, I use the Clean&Clear Advantage Spot Treatment Gel. I use this when I have one of those pesky spots that's huge and just needs to go ASAP! I personally wouldn't say it's an overnight miracle worker from my personal experiences, however after two days I definitely see a difference!

After moisturising and taming any unwanted break outs I always apply a primer. The one I love at the moment is the Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer. I only apply this before my makeup, however for me that is daily so this is essential for me. Primers help create a smoother base for your makeup and also helps the longevity of it throughout the day! Out of all the ones I have tried, this is definitely my favourite so far!

After long days of college, work or general errands, the feeling of removing makeup and cleansing your skin is heavenly. The L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection Micellar Water has become my new favourite way to remove my makeup! You don't need a lot on your cotton pad and it seems to effortlessly take off all the makeup from the day, even waterproof eyeliner and mascara! When washing it off in conjunction with the face wash it becomes silky and soapy on the skin and does a great job at cleansing! I wouldn't recommend using this and not washing it off however, as it does leave an almost oily residue!

To moisturise at night I like to use a heavier cream. This one is the Nivea Daily Essentials Regenerating Night Cream, I've found using day and night creams helps give my skin the right amount of moisture through the day. This Nivea cream is thick enough so you actually feel like it's going to do your skin good! Waking up in the morning, you can see how well the cream and sunk into the skin and moisturised through the night!

We all have out cheat days, those days when you're too lazy to fully cleanse and moisturise your skin! Nobody wants to admit to it, but we've all done it! For my lazy days I use the Olay Essentials Wet Cleansing Wipes - this is a pack of 20 which has lasted me quite a while in all fairness, however they are the perfect solution to those lazy nights where you don't want to stand in your bathroom washing your face then making sure you moisturise! They remove all makeup and leave your skin feeling just as clean!

I also have a couple of products that I interchange into my routine as and when I feel I'd like a small change in products but I know I'll get the same results!

Here are my two "bonus" products! At the top is the Clean&Clear Advantage Clear & Soothe Foaming Wash, and the bottom product is the Clean&Clear Advantage Spot Control moisturiser! Both of these products do work miracles for me, they were what helped control my recent run of acne, I tend to see the results better over a longer period of time, rather than instantly, but non the less these are fantastic products and anybody who suffers from acne should have a think at looking into this Clean&Clear range for some amazing products!

That's all I have for this post, thank you for reading and I hope this may have given some of you an idea of some new products to try out soon!

Take care

- Katie x