Beauty UK's Matte Bronzer in Dark

It was a fair few months ago that I purchased Beauty UK's Matte Bronzer in No.2 Dark, I wasn't particularly looking for a new bronzer but saw it sitting there for £3.99 and so thought I'd give it a whirl. I hadn't seen any reviews on this product, in fact I was completely unaware that it even existed yet a random, spur of the moment purchase has now become an essential part of my makeup routine.

There are two shades available of this matte bronzer, No.1 Medium and No.2 Dark, of which I own the darkest option. Normally I would choose the lightest shade available but upon swatching 'Dark' I found it looked like a great contour colour compared to the Medium. The online description says it's 'a soft bronze powder that naturally illuminates the skin for a natural looking glow' and it also claims to 'eliminate unwanted shine and provide a smooth satin finish for a healthy bronzed look'. Honestly, by reading that description I probably wouldn't look twice at the product as it seems to be marketed as a bronzer for oilier skins while I presumed it being matte as referring to the finish of the product.

The pigment and colour pay off you get from this bronzer is really amazing especially when you consider how affordable it is; to contour one side of my face (cheeks, temple, jaw) I need only a small amount of product on my ELF Tapered Brush and even then still need to tap off the excess beforehand so it doesn’t look overdone. I love the versatility of this product as I can use less for a daytime look to just give some shape to my face or more for nights out to make my cheekbones look a bit more defined and to balance out my face when I’m wearing eye shadow too.

I know a lot of people favour more grey-toned shades to contour with now as opposed to browns as it’s supposed to look more natural and create more of a realistic shadow effect but, for me personally, this deep shade of brown works well with my skin tone and gives the look I want when doing my makeup. When I contour I don’t mind if people know that I’m trying to do so as you only need to look at my  filled in eyebrows and lipstick that never leaves my lips to know that I quite clearly wear makeup so people knowing that my cheekbones aren’t really that defined doesn’t bother me haha.

The product is a little powdery in that when you put your brush into it there is some product that’s lifted and sits on top but I just shake the compact to get rid of it...and this ladies and gentlemen is one of many reasons why my mum strongly suggested I have laminate in my new room and not carpet. The powderiness is worth noting if you prefer a bronzer that is more finely milled and creates less mess as it may be easier for you and avoid wasted money.

This is hands down my favourite product I've found to contour with, I was using Sleek's Contour Kit beforehand but, truthfully, always found it a little difficult to work with as I felt it blended out far too easily and left my contour a little patchy. In comparison now as well, looking back, I feel Sleeks' offering looks a little orange on my skin, I love how I realise now after using it for months on end #regret. I was going to repurchase the Contour Kit before finding this product as I've hit pan (uh love it) on the bronzer but was reluctant as the highlighter is still very much going strong so am glad I now don't need to.

From left to right: Beauty UK's Matte Bronzer in No.2 Dark, Sleek's Contour Kit in Light

I can contour so quickly and easily since using this product as it's so fuss-free and I've learnt how much I need, where to position it and how to blend it. Have you tried this bronzer at all in either the Dark or Medium shade? What's your favourite product to contour with?

Primark Haul

A Primark haul has occurred again which isn't surprising when you combine me with cheap clothing and a recent pay day. I hadn't had the chance to go to Primark for quite a while and so was excited by all the Autumn/Winter clothing they now have in store along with all the housey items, dang, I love it all. I actually bought a lot more but when I got it home to try it on none of it looked how I imagined it (damn you high expectations) and some of the items just didn't sit properly which I find is often the case with Primark. 

Oversized Jumper- £8

I debated round the whole of Primark whether to get this jumper or not as I've always loved this bright yellow/green colour but wasn't sure whether it'd make me look ill, but, after taking it home and trying it on, I've found I absolutely love it. On the label it's called Mustard even though it's got more of a lime tinge but the colour is really suited for the colder weather and it's so warm and comfortable, I've definitely worn it too much already. I bought a size up from what I usually would as I wanted it to be cosy but after checking the receipt and seeing it's intended to be oversized anyway I could have got my normal size so is something worth bearing in mind if you buy this or any of the other colours.

Twisted Knot Earrings- £1

Recently I've been loving really simple stud earrings and so picked these up for just £1 (keels over in shock). For some reason the backs that came with these earrings wouldn't stay in place and kept sliding off so I just got another pair of backs from another set of earrings I have and the problem is solved, Dani the Handyman.

Flower Necklace- £4

I honestly don't think a day goes by where I don't have a necklace gracing my being at some point as, to me, they complete an outfit entirely. I only ever seem to wear gold necklaces or monochrome ones so thought I'd mix it up a bit by buying a colourful one; the smaller gems surrounding the flowers are emerald green and a lighter green then with silver gems in the middle of each flower. This necklace surprisingly works really well with my new jumper and even though the necklace is a bit of a pain initially to get all the flowers to lay flat I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it.

Textured Coatigan- £12

I honestly love this item, I feel like it's called a coatigan but I'm not entirely sure, more like a jacket/cardigan type hybrid. The picture doesn't do it much justice unfortunately as it's difficult to photograph but it's an oversized, slightly cropped sleeved piece which is great for throwing over a pair of leggings and simple vest. It's perfect for this time of year in England where it's quite cold but not cold enough for a full on coat but not warm enough for just a cardigan, hence why I feel it's a coatigan haha. It's got two front pockets and would look great dressed up or down and is again something I'll wear constantly until I find something else to become obsessed with.

Navy Bag- £10

The first time I walked past this bag I laughed and said it looked like a beat box bag (the pockets just really give off that vibe to me even though my friends practically died mocking me when I told them that) but the more I looked at it the more I convinced myself I needed it. Navy, again, is a Wintery colour and I only have black or grey bags so is a good addition to have, saying that though they also have an all black version and a burgundy one. For only £10 you get the three zipped sections at the front and then inside a zipped section and two pockets, regardless of this extreme storage opportunity everything still ends up at the bottom of the bag, nothing will ever be able to tame my lack of organisation. 

Navy Flats- £4

Following on from the theme of navy I desperately needed some basic flat shoes as my dog lovingly destroyed my go-to pair and all the others are hideously misshapen from being thrown in a box when we moved. These literally are the most basic shoes known to mankind but look nice paired against black leggings and will go with mostly everything.

That's everything I bought from Primark as everything else is currently waiting patiently in the bag to be returned. What do you think of the items I bought? Have you bought much from Primark recently?

Homeware Purchases

I've always loved homeware items but, since moving house and having appointed myself as Head Interior Designer (haha), my love for it has grown much more. Everything house-related that I've bought so far has been really affordable so all items can be bought on a budget, does anyone else get a thrill from finding something amazing in a shop that's considered cheap?! As you can tell I am a full on adrenaline junkie. Not.

We've had most of the rooms decorated now and decided to have a feature wall done above the mantelpiece in the living room; my mum chose some samples from Homebase, including this one, which we were going to buy but then while in B&M we found the exact pattern but for a much cheaper price so it's worth looking around for these type of things. The wallpaper is quite reflective in certain lights and is perfect for our living room as we love neutral colours but wanted to incorporate colour too so the pale blue background will tie it all in together when we've finished the rest of the room.

Home Word Ornament- Dunelm Mill

Does anyone else panic when they have to say Dunelm Mill out loud? Firstly, I always think it's Dunelm Miln and secondly the way the two M's run into each other is so awkward and unpronounceable. Moving on from my proposition of possibly renaming a well-established shop, I found this item in the sale section and it was something crazy like £1.87! I can't find it online but there are similar ones like this one here and also on Amazon/eBay. The pattern doesn't work against the wallpaper but at the minute we don't have a coffee table or any side tables so the only place it can go is on the mantelpiece. First world problems.

Vanilla and Amber Room Spray- Dunelm Mill

This smell quite nearly finished me off, it's the perfect smell for a home in my opinion as it's so warm and musky. I always forget to use room sprays and will then make up for it by going crazy spraying every room in the house once in a blue moon but I'm going to make a conscious effort to use this one more frequently. It's £2.99 for a 100ml bottle but when I got to the till it was £2.09 instead as there's currently 30% off this one and a few of the other scents in the range.

Pack of 4 Coasters- B&M

As soon as I saw these coasters I fell in love, a lot of the things I've bought that aren't included in this post are bird or owl-related including mugs so the mini animals on the coasters will look adorable teamed with the other items. I literally want every single part of our house to have a nice detail to it, place mats are next on my agenda even though we rarely use place mats. Ever.

Hanging Bird Decoration- Debenhams

I am so useless at remembering prices of things and, again, I can't find this item online either (technology, you fail me) but it was around the £2-£3 mark in the sale and I believe it was originally £7. I love everything about it and can't wait to have it hung somewhere in the house; it's quite small but will look really nice near the right items.

Tea, Coffee and Sugar Cannisters- Morrisons

So much regret with the way I've placed the cannisters, tea sugar coffee definitely does not work in the same way as tea coffee sugar. Me and my mum spent such a long time looking for some nice, affordable cannisters but all the ones we found were quite average and we'd sort of stopped looking for them until we went into Morrisons and randomly saw these ones. The colours fit in really well with the rest of the kitchen and they were only £2.99 each so for all three it came to just under £9. They're ceramic so of course I had to knock them together by mistake and chip one of the lids, woe is me.

I'm planning on doing more home-based posts when we're fully finished and box free (we still have a quite a few lurking around the house) as I love reading other people's posts/videos on homeware hauls and house tours. Also, at my old house my room was very vintage with lots of ornaments but for my new room I want it to look minimalistic and simple with the colour scheme being mainly monochrome but with hints of colour so I'll be doing posts on how that comes along too.

Where do you usually buy your homeware items from? Have you found any bargains lately?