Uncategorized – Lily Pebbles

THE ALL-STAR OMBRE BLACKSTARS

lily — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 07:00:25 +0000

I’ve built up quite the collection of By Terry Ombre Blackstars and I haven’t actually done a dedicated blog post about them! They’re just one of those products that I can’t stop buying and they have become staple products in my collection. I know that a lot of people have a problem with their £29 price tag and trust me, I hate to waste money so I wouldn’t have gone back for more if I didn’t think they were completely worth it! For those who like to spend less on makeup, I’d recommend the Bourjois shadow sticks from this post but today let’s talk about these and why I think they’re so kick ass.

The first one I picked up months ago was Brown Perfection which is one of the more matte formulas I have. As you can see from the swatches above, three are more matte and two are more shimmery. Brown Perfection (far right) is nice to use as a liner and is nice when it’s really blended out on the lid, but it is quite dark so definitely one for those who like an intense smokey eye. Misty Rock (far left) came next and this is without a doubt my favourite from the bunch. It’s a pinky/purple toned shadow with silver flecks that give a ‘wet’ look to the lid. It’s versatile, can be worn under the eye as well as on the lid and always gets me lots of compliments!

Bronze Moon, Velvet Orchid and Midnight Forrest were all bought over the past few weeks as my obsession grew. I don’t know why I waited so long to get Bronze Moon (worn in bottom photo), it’s the perfect shimmery bronze for all over the lid. This is probably the easiest to wear and the most likeable from the shades I have. Velvet Orchid and Midnight Forrest (worn in top photo) are quite adventurous choices for me but I love the formula so much that I knew they’d be easy to work with. The slightly more matte formula makes them quite intense so I like to apply them close to the lash line and then blend out with a fluffy brush. Although technically they are a purple and green, they are very easy to wear and I think they really compliment my brown eyes.

So why do I love these so much? The packaging is so handy and easy to throw in your makeup bag. The quality of the shadow is insane… highly pigmented, easy to blend but sets in place and doesn’t budge at all. The complex pigments in some of the shimmery shades are unlike anything else I’ve tried and means that you don’t need to use multiple shadows to get a nice effect. It’s a one shadow does all kinda thing!

A LOOK BACK AT 2014…

lily — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 07:00:00 +0000

Happy new year!!! It’s 2015, which is so strange because I swear that just sounds too futuristic for my liking. To start off the new year I thought it would be nice to take a look back at some of my favourite posts and videos from 2014. I’ve taken a look through my analytics and it seems that your favourites are pretty much the same as mine, so let’s go back in time together…

I spent this year really focusing on my videos and the quality of the content I’m uploading. I also wasn’t afraid to upload a few non-beauty videos here are there and funnily enough they’ve become some of my favourites. The Then & Now video I did with my best friends is something I frequently watch and I had such great feedback from younger teens who got some great advice from this video as well as mums who passed this onto their daughters. On another life subject I spontaneously filmed Protect Your Skin, a video talking about my moles, the insecurity I have with them and the process I have to go through to get them checked. Not the most glamorous subject, but again, the feedback on this video was incredible!

When I reached 200,000 subscribers I made a fun little stop motion video to say thanks and when Anna and I went to Ghana with Comic Relief I worked really hard to document the trip as well as I could and I’m so happy I have this video to look back at.

I uploaded a style lookbook for almost every season this year and a few of my favourite style videos included my Winter Coat Collection, my Summer Lookbook and My Shoe Collection. My favourite beauty videos were Quick Beauty Tips for Busy Women and 4 Makeup Looks for University/College.

So lets talk blog posts and typically you guys prefer the ones that have been thoroughly thought through and planned. Tips for Taking Passport Photos is one that often gets checked and I often find myself sending the link on to people who have asked for tips. The idea of The Skincare Guide was a way to keep up with a multi-step skincare routine and I still use mine every day! If you have a lot of beauty products then using The Repurchase Test will help you decide whether you really need another one. The Beauty Bloggers’ Drugstore Favourites was a fun one to compile and write so I’m glad that went down well and finally, my Brookies recipe – well we know how much you guys like that one don’t we!

So those are some of my favourite posts and videos from 2014 and hopefully, if you missed any first time round, you can catch up now! I hope you all have a lovely New Year’s Day and keep an eye out for a new video from me tonight at 6.30pm!

2013 Favourites Revisited

lily — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Every year I do a roundup of favourites from the entire year, but before I go through my 2014 favourites I thought I’d revisit my videos from last year and see which products I’m no longer obsessing over. If you want to remind yourselves of all my 2013 favourites you can watch part one here and part two here.

I haven’t used Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub since the beginning of the year as I found it became a little bit too sweet and sickly so I moved on to other scents. Skincare wise, there are a few bits I’ve moved on from as my skin has changed. The Origins Super Spot Remover I found was a little too harsh and although I do use it sometimes, not as often as I used to. Pixi Glow Tonic is still one I would recommend but I’ve personally been using the Clarins toner and First Aid Beauty exfoliating pads more often. I also stopped using Hydraluron quite a while ago, I found it was too tacky and once I tried the Sarah Chapman serum I was fully converted!

Last year I mentioned Maybelline’s ‘Mint for Life’ and Butter London’s ‘Cotton Buds’ nail polish as favourites but as my collection has grown and had a clear out, these two haven’t been used much this year!

‘Notting Hill Nude’ from the Rimmel Moisture Renew range was my nude discovery from last year, but this year when sporting a nude lip I’ve been reaching for gloss over any nude lipstick. The Rimmel Apocalips got moved to the ‘spare makeup’ drawer and products like the Bourjois Rouge Velvet were promoted instead. I found them to be a little bit too wet and glossy for my liking, although I still think they’re worth trying if you haven’t yet!

There were quite a few hair products in last year’s favourites that I haven’t used in a while. The Phyto Detox Clarifying Shampoo got swapped for the Ojon Cleansing Conditioner and although I loved Bumble & Bumble’s Straight shampoo and conditioner I only repurchased once before moving on to try other things.

So although this post was a bit of a downer, I thought it might be interesting to look back at old favourites and see how things have moved on. My 2014 favourites video will be up on Sunday 4th at 9.30am!

BOXING DAY SALE PICKS

lily — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Now, personally I’m not a huge boxing day shopper but in case you guys are I’ve put together an edit of some of my favourite sites to shop the sale and a few good bargains that I’ve found. I hope you had a fantastic Christmas day and after buying all those presents you can now enjoy some shopping for yourself!

Selfridges – link

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Floral Phone Case that I have and love!

The Ciate Dolls House Nail Polish Collection full of beautiful pastel shades.

Cult Beauty – link

Liberty – link

ASOS – link

I love this Slouchy Coat in Texture and I’m massively into midi coats so this wool one would be my pick!

Space NK – link

Here are a few picks from the Space NK site…

Neroli Spice Candle // Elemental Herbology Globe Trotter Kit // REN Anti Ageing Kit // REN Rose Duo Gift Set // Laura Mercier Golden Honey Bath Duo //

The White Company – link

I’m obsessed with The White Company, especially their sales (for obvious reasons)
Winter Red Votives Candles // Wire Trug // Lounge Zip Through Hoodie // Grey Knitted Jumper
…and basically all the candles

Urban Outfitters – link

I LOVE this checked scarf // or this snood for a pop of cobalt blue! // here’s your cosy coloured knit sorted

Let me know if you pick up anything good in the sale!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

lily — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000

This is just to wish you all a very merry Christmas! Thank you for all of your kind support throughout Vlogmas. There are three more vlogs to go so keep checking my YouTube channel for those videos. Posts will resume on Boxing Day but until then, relax, be merry and enjoy spending time with family and friends eating good food, listening to music and laughing at terrible cracker jokes.

Lots of love, Lily xx

THE WEEKEND MAKEUP LINE UP

lily — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Last weekend I had to keep things travel friendly, neutral and reliable on the makeup front. In a last minute rush to pack for the weekend I threw in some of my most loved makeup bits that I knew would get me by and would be easy to whack on.

The Charlotte Tilbury foundation is lightweight and very natural looking on the skin. The packaging is perfect for travelling and can be applied without a brush which is very handy…(literally). My NARS concealer comes everywhere with me and I have multiple backups. It’s that good. A while ago I spotted this NARS duo in Space NK and it’s seriously the ultimate duo. Laguna bronzer on one side, Deep Throat blush on the other – my two faves. Two products in one palette and the whole thing is the same size as the full size Laguna bronzer! I find these two shades so easy to wear as neither are too strong so they’re perfect for a weekend look.

When deciding on which eye products to take I settled on a palette I keep going back to, the YSL Couture Palette in 02 ‘Fauves’. I love all 5 shades inside but in particular the top left and bottom right shades are my favourite combo for the weekends. I also took my Charlotte Tilbury ‘Elizabeth Violet’ eyeliner because I love the subtle purple showing through the lashes. Talking of lashes, I’m not that fussy with mascara at the moment but I’m still using Tarte’s Gifted which works wonders on my lashes.

On the weekend I like my makeup to be simple and although it looks like there are a lot of products here, as you would have seen in Tuesday’s post the final makeup look was very natural. Simple, easy weekend makeup.

Charlotte Tilbury Foundation // NARS Concealer // NARS Duo // Anastasia Brow Wiz // Anastasia Clear Brow Gel // YSL Couture Palette // Charlotte Tilbury Elizabeth Violet Eyeliner // Tarte Gifted Mascara // Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara (not used) // Colab Dry Shampoo