Love Me Beauty | July 2016

It's that time of the month where another Love Me Beauty box arrives at my doorstep and after having a good rifle through, I get to share it with all you lovely people.

Love Me Beauty is a subscription box service with a difference, you pay a set amount each month and get given credits; with those credits you get to choose what you want in your box from the great selection on their website, which is updated every month. When you first join Love Me Beauty, they ask you questions for your own profile and they will then select the ideal products for you each month, or you can just browse the entire shop and pick whatever you want! Honestly, it's the best subscription box out there because you will never get sent a product that you don't want, a common occurrence with the other beauty boxes. I don't endorse any companies I don't believe in, so please check out LMB - I have a discount code of GEORGIA20 that you'll be able to use for 20% in your first month.

Sales spiel over, let's take a look at the products I got in my box for July (spoiler alert: it's probably my favourite one yet):

• A Love Me Beauty makeup bag - each month the products come in a different little bag and I love this super cute baby blue!
• Yes to Cucumbers soothing face wipes which I'm going to pop straight in my travel bag
• A full-size OPI nail polish in 'Strawberry Margarita'
• Mini travel Caudalie samples of their Vinoperfect Radiance Serum and Divine Oil
• A sample sachet of the Argentum La Potion Infinie
• FULL SIZE (!) Pixi Correction Concentrate 
• and a FULL SIZE Pixi Nourishing Lip Polish (which is my new favourite product ever)

Please check out this awesome brand and use my discount code as above for some money off, you won't regret it for a second!

Georgia Travels

Up until the age of about 19 I was always far too anxious to have any desire to travel the world, until one day it was like a light switched on in my head and I came down with the most intense feeling of wanderlust. I suddenly wanted to explore the whole world and it kicked off with me one day deciding I was going to New York and then a week later I had the flights booked. My love affair with NYC is well-documented, but I don't think I've ever mentioned about my need to also see every other big city in the world. I'm a busy city kinda gal.

So one day I mentioned to a friend how much I wanted to travel the USA. Turns out, so did she, and here we are months later planning our once in a lifetime road trip round America. I think we've got the basic backbone of our trip planned out so far, but our visa will allow three months and that's a lot of the USA to see. I'm not entirely sure where this blog post is going or what the purpose is, but I suppose it'll be something to look back on in future, comparing the early planning stages to the reality. I'm scared and excited and nervous and every single emotion you could imagine all rolled up into one little ball and I can't wait to spread my wings.

So, June 30th 2016, here is a list of what I'm thinking so far. Me and Simone need to sit down and form some sort of plan, but for the moment, this is my fantasy:

• We want to head off in the last couple of weeks of April 2017 because...
• ...DRAGCON! RuPaul's annual DragCon is taking place at the Staples Centre in LA on the last weekend in April and I'll be damned if I'm not going to be there to get my drag on.
• There's a book convention in Chicago in May and we love books, so we'll be there. Also, I can't go to Chicago and not go to what is rumoured to be one of the best drag bars in the USA, Roscoes, so that's where you'll find me.
• Hedwig & The Angry Inch - my favourite musical EVER is touring whilst I'm out there and I'm so bloody excited about it!
• Viva Las Vegas. I kinda want to go on the rollercoaster that's on the top of one of the hotels but my lift phobia may put a stopper in that one.
• Camping at Yellowstone/Yosemite/any of the national parks - has to be done.
• I was raised on Elvis, so it's always been a dream of mine to visit Graceland in Memphis
• The French Quarter in New Orleans - probably not for all the cultural reasons that other people would want to visit, I just want to see the place where The Originals is set! 
• As a creepy serial killer 'fan' (is that the right word?), it would be wrong for me not to visit Alcatraz and soak up the history.
• Orlando. One of my favourite places in the world, I can't wait to visit Harry Potter World again and cry (again).
• NEW YORK PRIDE. I was devastated when I couldn't go this year, so it's #1 on my list for next year. I can't wait to celebrate pride in the place the whole pride movement started and my favourite place in the whole world.
• Vidcon. Hopefully it's not going to coincide with NY Pride again like it has done this year but I would love to go to Vidcon and surround myself with all my favourite creators/stalk Hannah Hart.

That's pretty much everything on my list so far and I think in three months I'll be able to tick them all off. Let me know if you have any recommendations for us to visit!

LIQUID LIP LOVIN

L-R Stila 'Dolce', KVD 'Lolita', ABH 'Ashton', Jeffree Star 'Unicorn Blood', Sephora 'Marvellous Mauve', Kylie 'Candy K', Kylie 'Reign'

I am back on the blogging bandwagon with a super-cute marble flat lay. Look at me being all pro n stuff. I figured the best way for me to get back into blogging was to talk about my latest makeup obsession: liquid lipsticks. Along with the rest of the beauty world, I can't remember life before liquid lipsticks anymore.

My collection is small-but-growing, so I figured I'd talk you through each of my shades so if you're wondering what brand is best for you, you can make an informed decision on your next liquid lip purchase. I'm definitely going to be filming a video on this in the near future so expect more in-depth information in that, but I've still got a couple of shades on my wishlist that I want to purchase before then (it's a disease).

Still Stay All Day 'Dolce': This was very much an impulse purchase whilst I was buying my lunch in M&S one day (M&S does makeup?!?!?) and I was so pleasantly shocked at how much I loved this. I don't think I've ever heard another person talk about the Stila liquid lips but this one is fantastic. Only slightly drying, very long lasting, non-patchy and the most beautiful shade. The signature Georgia nudey-orangey-pinky shade but it's got teeny tiny gold glitters in it!!! GOLD GLITTER IN A LIQUID LIPSTICK, GUYS.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick 'Lolita': My one true love. I love it so much that it's nearly run out and I am savouring the last few applications for very important dates. It pains me that I can't get KVD with ease in the UK because this is my favourite lip shade ever, as well as favourite liquid lip ever. Non-drying, non-patchy, non-flaky, comfortable to wear, long lasting. Everything.

Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Ashton': I've only had this a couple of weeks and I've literally worn it every single day since. It's a very brown undertoned nude that's comfortable to wear and easy to apply. The formula is so opaque that you just need one quick coat and you're done. I will say that this one is pretty drying though so load up with the lip balm beforehand.

Jeffree Star Cosmetics 'Unicorn Blood': I've had this shade for about 4 days so I haven't had enough time to form a rounded opinion yet in the couple of hours I've worn it. I will say that it doesn't dry down completely matte which is unusual, and it is not the prettiest to eat with. But I can't do a liquid lip post and not include the iconic Jeffree Star. I've got Androgyny and Celebrity Skin on the way so I'm going to test out all three and film a video with some coherent thoughts!

Sephora Cream Lip Stain 'Marvellous Mauve': Ah, my first ever liquid lip love and it still doesn't disappoint. I would definitely say that alongside KVD, this is the best. Opaque, comfortable, and even though it's matte, it still feels creamy on the lips?! What is this sorcery?

Lip Kit by Kylie 'Candy K' and 'Reign': The much sought-after Kylie Lip Kits with the age-old question: are they worth the hype? Yes. I know there's the Colourpop controversy surrounding this brand, but personally, even if the formula is still the same as Colourpop, these shades are beautiful. Candy K is the perfect muted pink for daily wear and although the liquid lip itself is very drying, wearing the lip liner underneath improves the comfort 10x. Shoutout to the lip liner: it's the creamiest I've ever used. Reign is a metallic brown-red and unlike anything I've ever seen with any other brand. Perhaps not as wearable as any other shades, but totally worth it for makeup fanatics who just like to know they have pretty colours.

And there you go, an essay on liquid lipsticks for my big blogging comeback. Enjoy and look out for my upcoming video with more in-depth details. Thanks for reading, you babes.

The Best Makeup Brush Cleanser EVER?

My relationship with Dr Bronner's 18-in-1 Pure Castille Soap goes back a long time. I started using it to about two years ago to clean my makeup brushes, and although I dabble in other brush cleansers from time to time, I always end up coming back to Dr Bronner.

It's an all-natural, totally organic 18-in-1 liquid soap which has so many uses. 18 apparently, but I'm sure you could find more. Over the years I have used it as body wash, dish soap, shampoo, face wash,  but mostly as my go-to makeup brush cleanser. It's gentle enough to use even to wash your vegetables apparently, but can't say I've been brave enough to try that one. It's magic soap. As well as all of the above, it also comes in a variety of scents: my two favourites being almond and citrus.

We're here though to talk about makeup brushes. Nobody likes cleaning makeup brushes (if you do, hit me up, I've got a job for you). I'll be the first to admit that I put off cleaning my brushes for as long as possible and spend a lot of days applying foundation with my fingers as I can no longer bring myself to put my buffing brush near my face. But Dr Bronner's soap makes the cleaning a lot less of a painful process. It's a very thin liquid soap that doesn't tend to foam up massively, but there's something in this that just dissolves the makeup on your brushes with very little effort. Run the brushes under some warm water, add some soap, swirl the brush in the palm of your hand, rinse, and voila! Perfectly clean brushes that smell gorgeous. 

Anything that makes cleaning my brushes less painful can only be good.

Anastasia Cream Contour Kit

No long ass introduction required for this one; I got the Anastasia Cream Contour Kit from CultBeauty and it is beautiful.

I already own the powder version of this palette and I love it, it's perfect for the every day subtle contour look. However, it's no secret that I love drag and drag makeup. My queens give me life and a yearning for some serious contour looks that powders just can't quite provide. Thus enters the Cream Contour Kit. 

Being the ghostly pale girl that I am, I decided to go for the 'fair' kit; it comes in fair, light, medium and dark. (Can I just say I am loving the inclusion of a palette for us fair people out there, reppin' the Casper look.) The fair palette gives me two matte highlight shades, 1 shimmery highlight and 3 cool contour shades. As far as I can tell, the fair palette is the only one of the 4 to include a shimmery highlight and the other two highlight shades are as pale as you can get without being full-on white. It's a dream. The first of the contour shades is gorgeously grey-toned, giving an un-clockable contour. The other two contours are definitely more on the brown side, but super blendable. I like to use the darkest shade right next to my hair line to really define those shadows. Something to note is these do not look orange at all. Nobody wants an orange contour. 

The creams in this are so highly pigmented that I've taken to wearing this without foundation. The highlight shades are close enough to my own skin tone anyway that if I blend enough with my trusty Real Techniques sponge, I can create a flawless and foundation-less finish. Although the creams are very thick, they do sheer out a lot when blended, especially with a damp sponge. The finish isn't overly tacky or slippy and I like to set with a loose powder all over the face before spritzing with my Urban Decay Setting Spray for a totally budge-proof finish. 

Eager as always to try out all the new makeupz, I wore this for a casual trip down the pub with my friends and lost track of the amount of compliments I received. 'Has your face lost weight?' was my personal favourite of the evening. I tend to measure a good product by the amount of compliments I receive so Anastasia, you've done it again.

2015 IN REVIEW

Seeing the #2015bestnine hashtag on Twitter, where you can view your most liked Instagram posts of 2015, has inspired me to have a look back over the past year and highlight all of my favourite things about 2015. It's been a strange year of learning how to be a grown up and learning how to go out into the big world all alone and I think I killed it. In a good way. I think.

• Started a new job in an office, which I swore I would never do. But it's helped me grow as a person, mature and learn how to work in an adult environment. And I'm still there 11 months later!

• Learned how to adult. Sort of.

• As a musical theatre nerd, I crossed plenty of shows off my list this year: Wicked (for the 6th time), Matilda, Jersey Boys, War Horse, Phantom of the Opera, Gigi, Hedwig & The Angry Inch and The Woman in Black. Next up: The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

• I made a pact to myself at the beginning of the year to read at least 20 books and I swear I'm almost there! Personal favourite of the year? After The Crash by Michael Bussi.

• I WENT TO NEW YORK. Again. This time with two friends and I navigated the week long trip like a pro. Me and NYC are made for each other, my one true love.

• Finding myself in a new environment and surrounded by a constant stream of negativity, I've had to become a beacon of positivity and love for myself and other people, meaning my outlook on the world really had changed for the better.

• I saw Idina Menzel live for the second time and cried like a baby when she sang No Day Like Today.

• Through binge-watching Rupaul's Drag Race on Netflix multiple times, I have discovered a love for everything drag. It has opened my eyes to new parts of my community, new people and has cemented my love for everything and everyone LGBT. If you're at all curious, check out my favourites Jinkx Monsoon, Courtney Act, Violet Chachki, Alaska, Miss Fame and Katya, you won't regret it.

• I crossed something major off my bucket list by going for afternoon tea at The Ritz for my 21st birthday.

• For 10 months I worked 6 days a week, at two jobs. I like my sleep and I love my bed, so I've always thought of myself as a very lazy person but the fact I worked 6 days a week for so long has proven to me that I'm actually not lazy at all. I just like my bed, okay?

• I learnt how to save money. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to get better at saving, and now now on the 28th December, my savings account balance is looking very healthy indeed. Go me! 

• In September, me and my sister flew out to meet my Grandparents in Dubai. It was the best week of sun, relaxation, shopping and food. Oh lord, I cannot tell you how good the food is in Dubai. Plus me and my sister got upgraded to a suite because I won't go in lifts. Score.

• The Pretty Little Liars finale. No spoilers, but can I just say that I guessed who A was months before it aired and everyone laughed at me saying how stupid my theory was. WELL WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?

• Halsey released Badlands. I died.

• Demi Lovato released the Confident video featuring freaking Michelle Rodriguez. I died again.

• Cara Delevingne consistently being the hottest human being I've ever seen. Still dead.

• Series 3 of Orange Is The New Black featuring Ruby Rose. Hello.

• Brighton Pride WHERE I SAW RUBY ROSE IN THE FLESH. LIKE ACTUALLY STANDING IN FRONT OF ME. SHE WALKED HALF A METRE AWAY FROM ME AT ONE POINT. I'm having heart palpitations just thinking about it *fans self*

• Of course, starting this blog has to feature on the list! Even if I am rubbish at blogging. I'm trying to get better, promise.

• I hit 8000 subscribers on my Youtube channel which was all kinds of awesome.

• Me, my sister, and two of our best friends went away to Disneyland Paris for 4 days and had the most magical time of our lives. We're all Disney fanatics and getting to visit as sort-of-adults was just as magical as when we were 6. Nobody should ever be too old for Disney.

• I discovered my soulmate in MAC 'Soar' and we've been inseparable ever since.

• Continued having the best friends ever. You're all just awesome and I love you. But if you ever mention I said that I'll deny it.

• Took major leaps with my anxiety. This is something I never talk about online as I feel it's become a cliché. It's something I've suffered with for my whole life, especially when I was a child and it's taken me years to combat it. I still definitely have anxiety and those invasive thoughts are still very much in the forefront of my mind, but I've learnt how to manage it my own little way. I said to myself at the beginning of the year that I wouldn't let anxiety rule me anymore, and although it was a bit rocky through the summer, I've come back fighting. I've travelled the world alone (aka parent-less), tackled my fear of public transport and made a conscious effort to fight my social anxieties. I'm a work in progress, but I'm so proud of how far I've managed to come this year and hopefully 2016 will be even better. Maybe I'll even be able to combat my fear of lifts. Probably not though.

Hopefully in 2016 I'll be able to do even more awesome things and I'm already looking forward to writing my 2016 review this time next year. Maybe I should sit down soon and write my New Year's Resolutions post, you know, I might be able to actually stick to them if they're down in writing. For now though, I have 3 days of 2015 left to enjoy and I'm going to spend them doing what I love most. Sitting on the sofa and watching Rupaul's Drag Race on Netflix. 

Mini MAC Haul

I've been so restrained with my MAC purchases recently. I hadn't been into MAC for at least a month which is nothing short of a miracle, so I decided to treat myself. With a visit to MAC.

I went in with 2 very specific purchases in mind: 'Cyber' lipstick and 'Vanilla' pigment. Of course they didn't have either in stock so I switched up my game plan and even added two extra products to the basket to console my poor broken Cyber-less heart. And so we have four new products in the MAC family: eyeshadows in 'Coppering' and 'Amber Lights', alongside two lip liners in 'Nightmoth' and 'Soar'. (Yes, I FINALLY GOT A NEW SOAR!!!)

It's well documented that MAC eyeshadows are up there in my favourites, and so to quench my thirst for orange eyes at the moment, 'Coppering' was ideal. A true warm copper, packed with shimmer and super pigmented, this shade looks gorgeous swept over the lids and messily blended across the lower lash line for a 90s grunge-esque look. Even more shimmer can be found in 'Amber Lights' (What? It's Christmas!). It's a gold shade with that coppery undertone and will be perfect for the upcoming Christmas party I have to attend. 

As for the lip liners, I'm not sure I ever told you the tragic tale of 'Soar'. A real-life Romeo and Juliet. After months of searching, I found a lone liner hidden away in MAC Times Square and we fell in love. We were totally inseparable until I lost it. So, the hunt for Soar started again. When I say I searched everywhere, I mean it. Even the sales assistants in Dubai could smell my desperation. Finally, after three months we are reunited and the pink-mauve beauty hasn't left my lips since. 

'Nightmoth' came along when 'Cyber' wasn't in stock. I asked the sales assistant what the closest shade was and she suggested this, and I have to admit, it's very very close to the shade I wanted. A very dark purple, this seriously packs a punch when I layer it over my lips. Almost black. Not one for the faint hearted, and I love it.

Hopefully that'll stop my MAC itch for the moment, but anyone got any MAC recommendations if I ever maybe might happen to pop in again? Maybe.

Side note: in the 20 hours between taking the above photo and writing this post, I have also bought another lipstick in 'Viva Glam II' and 'Half-Red' liner because clearly I have a problem, but I'll save that post for another day.