| Empties – were they worth it? |

Um, excuse me when did we reach the end of January? Can I please go back to being 10& feeling like the year toooooook soooooooo loooonggggggg.

Welcome back to Freckled.Rambles loves – thanks for swinging by. I know I’ve been totally shit at blogging on a regular basis & I’m going to change that! Today’s post is something I haven’t done before & I’m not sure why considering I find these kinds of posts really interesting when other people do them.

Today we’re looking at products that I have finished up (& remembered to keep the packaging) . We’ll run through whether or not I will be repurchasing, what I thought of the product & the most important thing, would I recommend them to you.

Let’s dive straight in with the makeup products I’ve used up in the last couple weeks.

• Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Porcelain
  • If you’ve followed me for a while you will know I LOVE this foundation it has been my ride or die since it was released. This is the second bottle I’ve gone through & I will 110% be buying it again. It has a medium to full coverage & is definitely build-able, whilst leaving your skin looking totally natural. All I have to say is if you haven’t got this foundation in your life get on it!

• NYX Cosmetics Matte Finish Setting Spray
  • I actually ordered a new one of these yesterday because it one of the most fantastic setting sprays I have ever tried & for $10 you cannot go wrong. If you love a matte finish without looking dry & want your makeup to stay put all day/night long this is for you. NYX is one of my all time loved brands & I am tempted to also pick up this setting spray in the dewy finish because it’s just so good!

• NYX Cosmetics Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Brown & Auburn
  • Like I’ve already mentioned I love NYX products, however I am kind of on the fence with these brow pencils. To start with, I have red / auburn hair so when I saw that instead of having to make a brown pencil work for me their was a pencil at an affordable price for my brows I was pumped – unfortunately instead of being a lovely red / auburn the pencil was bordering on fluorescent orange  – not the look I was going for. It is safe to say I will not be re-purchasing the Auburn pencil. As for the Brown shade there are some pros & cons, the colour was great & I loved the way it worked with my hair & the rest of my makeup, however I found the pencil slightly chunky & WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU NOT HAVE A PROPER SPOILE ON THE END NYX????? The little brow brush on the end of the pencil legitimately did nothing to tame my unruly brows. So I’m on the fence with this one – if you’re ok with using another brush to get your brows into shape & don’t mind a bigger pencil this could be fantastic for you. As for me I’m currently on the powder brow train & don’t plan on getting off it for a while.

I also have two skincare products which I have finished up over the last month.

• Soap & Glory Total Drama Clean 5 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water
  • I bought this product when I was back in the UK in October & thought it was the bees knees – totally fell in love. I’ve finished the entire bottle now & I have kind of fallen out of love with it (I need to quickly say this could be entirely my own fault because I’m beyond lazy when it comes to skincare) I found the more I used this product into the winter months my skin was feeling drier & drier. This most definitely could be a combination of the moisturiser I was using & the fact that it has been a delightful -25 degrees over the last few months here in Canada. I have also recently re-vamped my skincare routine – like I said I’m uber lazy & I needed something new that worked for me (keep an eye out for something coming soon about it). I might re-purchase this when I am back in the UK (it’s super hard to get in Canada at the moment) but for now I’ll say we had a good run but I’ve found a new love for taking off my makeup.

• Nutrimetics Comfort Calming Day Creme
  • I’ve been using Nutrimetics skincare for a couple years now thanks to my amazing mum. The products are full of great things for your skin & they have a really top range so there is definitely something for everyone. I use the comfort range because it’s nice & gentle on the skin, it’s not to heavy but is still very moisturising & feels great. This moisturiser is so fabulous & I will 100% be stocking up again when I am back in Australia, if you haven’t tried anything from Nutrimetics I recommend giving them ago – they also make some really sweet makeup!

There you have my very first ’empties’ post, I really hope you enjoyed & got something from it. If you use or have tried any of these products let me know & let me know what you thought of them – I love to here from you!

Also if anyone is wondering my nail polish in these photos is by LA Colors in the shade Transformer.

As always these thoughts & feelings are totally my own & I have not been sponsored for the content.

Freckled.Rambles xx.

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| Grunge meets a Pink & Purple Ombre Eye |

HAPPY NEW YEARS LOVES.

I hope that 2017 is everything you want & make sure you get out there & slay everything you do. I have been uber behind in life rolling into the new year so I thought for the first little while, whilst I get myself sorted I’m going to have some short & sweet posts of looks I created over 2016 & their tutorials on the tube.

I  adore this look because it is so blown out, grungy & smokey that you feel super bad arse wearing it & lets be fair, who doesn’t love a black lip.

tutorial here

Freckled.Rambles xx.

 

| Sultry Burnt Orange Cat Eye |

Hey, hey loves!

Today’s post is short & sweet because I just wanted to let you all know that I’ve got a new tutorial up on my youtube channel. You should 100% go check it out & if you haven’t subscribed already do that too – I’d love, love, love to get to 50 subscribers for Christmas!

You can get to the tutorial here > CLICK ME

Thanks for dropping by & I’ll chat with you all in my next post!

Freckled.Rambles xx.

| Must Have Winter Hair Products |

Frizz. Breakage. Lifeless.

Do any of these adjectives describe your hair? It’s possible with the winter months creeping nearer your luscious locks are freaking out. Don’t fret though I’ve discovered a few products which are perfect for giving your hair a boost of love!

I’ve found it can be tricky finding cruelty-free Haircare – annoyingly so as the beauty industry is gradually moving towards a completely cruelty-free process & it’s important that the entirety of the industry follows the same process. So you can imagine how happy I was when I luckily stumbled across these beauties in Save On Foods, downtown Fernie.

I had never heard of the brand Inecto before I came across this shampoo & conditioner on the very bottom shelf for a uber cheap $4.99 each!

What does the brand have to say about their Super Nourishing Coconut Shampoo?

When you’ve got it, flaunt it. Say goodbye to dry and damaged hair. Infused with 100% Pure Coconut Oil, this daily shampoo cleanses and moisturises for amazing soft and frizz-free hair.

I’ve been using this shampoo for the last week & a half & it most definitely lives up to this claim. My hair has never felt so nourished & coming into winter I normally struggle with my hair being very frizzy but with this shampoo it has been silky smooth!

As you can see I have the coconut shampoo & the argan oil conditioner, normally I’m super OCD about my shampoo & conditioner being the same type. For you though I don’t mind & the conditioner is fabulous, it states on their website that:

Say hello to hydration! inecto Marvellous Moisture Argan Conditioner nourishes your hair and adds moisture leaving your lovely locks fully revived and feeling heavenly soft.

Once again I have nothing bad to say about this condition it is the perfect end to lock in moisture & it truly leaves my hair feeling luscious!

This photo is totally unnecessary but I wanted to show you all the snow which has started to fall outside my apartment!

Now for the final product which wraps this ‘love your hair’ post up I’ve got the Project Beauty Hairgurt – Hair Masque!

I got this product in a BoxyCharm earlier in the year (I may have already written a review of it somewhere) & I love it, I’ve been using it for a couple months once a week & it is my hairs saviour. Not only does it smell like heaven – Strawberries & Banana – it also really works.

I use my shampoo & conditioner every two to three days (depending how lazy I’m feeling) & then once a week I swap out my conditioner for this hair yoghurt. All you do is wash your hair like normal, get it nice & wet put this masque all the way through – I use an Australian twenty cent piece size worth of product – then hang out in the shower for 5 to 10 minutes & rinse.

If you’ve used any of these products or you have a product which really works for your hair in the winter please leave me a comment below, I’d love to know about it!

Bye for now loves, it was great chatting with you!

Freckled.Rambles xx.

P.S. if you haven’t seen my latest makeup tutorial over on my youtube channel you should definitely go check it out & subscribe xx.

< video here >

| Festive Fall Makeup Tutorial |

Hey loves,

Want to see how to create this glam, festive fall inspired makeup look? Just click the link below & head over to my youtube channel to check it out – make sure to leave me a comment if you’ve come from WordPress.

< video this way >

Freckled.Rambles xx.

| Makeup & Travel — UGH |

It’s a pretty dreary fall evening here in England, the rains been on & off for most of the day – as has my suitcase packing.

Those of you who have been following me for sometime now will know that I spend a fair whack of my time travelling between Australia, Canada & England. You’ll also know that these aren’t short holiday trips & are instead your ‘pick up everything, move to a new country, hang out there for a bit & go do the same thing all over again in six months time’ kinda  thing. Anyone who has done the long haul flight thing will know that it isn’t good : cramped spaces, crying children, subpar food & uncomfortable air-conditioning make the journey arduous. Although theres no room for complaint when that long haul flight is taking you somewhere fantastic!

Now that I’ve just word-vomited all over this post what I wanted to talk to you all about was makeup & travel. I may even turn this into a mini series of makeup & travel related info – if you’d like to read that let me know in the comments. So, like I mentioned I’ve spent the last couple days trying to pack up my life again to move back to Canada (I was living in Ontario up until a month ago) for the winter season – bring on snowboards & caesers.

Packing is for me one of the most stressful things, I procrastinate, complain & am downright annoying leading up to any travel because of the fact. I find it so supremely difficult to pack – especially makeup – so I thought today lets talk about the perfect amount of carry on makeup (I’m not at all brave enough to admit to you all how much makeup is in my checked bag at this point).

Firstly, its very important to get yourself a solid makeup bag (although it definitely doesn’t need to be an actual makeup bag) here are a few bags which, let’s face it are too cute & will fit everything you’ll need:

Option 1

Option 2

I love both of these styles, the second set from Cotton On in Australia is fantastic because you get three varying sizes & the racoon is to die for, whilst the first set is sturdy & would be ideal for bottled makeup (like foundation & moisturiser).

Once you’ve sorted out a bag it’s time to work out what items you need & want with you at the airport & on the plane (bus, train, magic carpet or whatever form of transport you’re taking). Depending on the length of your flight you will need & want different products -lets say we’re going on a 10hr flight – the most important thing to have in your makeup bag is moisturiser! I use the Nutrimetics Comfort Calm Day Creme – 60ml.

Obviously when you’re packing your carry on bag with cosmetics & skin care you need to make sure that all of your products are under 100ml, that is a perk of this moisturiser but you can always buy a travel makeup bottle, all drugstores sell them & transfer a smaller amount of product for the flight.

The second key item you need in your makeup bag is cosmetic wipes. After 10hrs of flying your skin feels like its acquired the germs of every person on the plane & wiping it all away with a wipe is bliss – it’s also important if you had makeup on going to the airport because you do not want to clog your pores by wearing makeup for the entire flight. As I’m sure you know there are thousands of makeup wipes on the market but these are a few I recommend.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

All of these wipes are great & cruelty free. The Say Yes to Cucumber wipes are a great travel size & will fit into your makeup bag with ease (these are the wipes I always have in my travel bag) but the other wipes are also fantastic, nourishing & affordable.

Once you’ve got these basics down its time to think about the quantity of actual makeup you want to carry with you. Luckily most makeup comes in under the 100ml mark so you shouldn’t have to worry about that too much. I find it easiest to split my makeup into three main categories: face, eyes, lips. For me the most important category here is ‘face’ I love for my skin to look flawless even after hours on a plane so I ensure I have the following items:

• Primer – Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer
• Foundation – Too Faced Born This Way Foundation
• Concealer – LA Girl Pro Concealer
• Oil control / setting powder – OFRA Oil Control Pressed Powder
• Bronzer – Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
• Highlighter – Cougar Mineral Face & Body Shimmer
• Brow Pencil – NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil 

I’m not going to tell you which brand or specific item to buy in these categories – the items I’ve listed is what I have in my bag. Personally if my face & eyebrows are done then I’m good to go on a flight, but it can be nice to put a bit of something on the eyes & the lips to feel completely put together – especially if you’ve got somewhere to be straight from the flight. My current travel on lip & eye products are:

• Small Eyeshadow Palette – LimeCrime Venus Palette
• Mascara – Nutrimetics Professional 4-in-1 Ultimate Mascara
• Eyeshadow Primer – Smashbox 24hr Photo Finish Shadow Primer
• Nude Liquid Lipstick – ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Time Square

Finally you’re going to need some tools to get this all onto your face & I feel like this in an area where it can be easy to over do it on the amount of brushes you pack. Last week I put a little post together of an ideal beginner brush kit (here) & realistically this could be a travel kit as well, but you might need to cull even more space so here’s a revised list of brushes.

• Foundation brush (for foundation & concealer) – Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
• Powder brush – Real Techniques Finish Perfected Brush & Morphe MB7 Angle Buffer
• Shadow brush – Morphe G26 Oval Shader
• Blending brush – Morphe G24 Blending Fluff

With these five types of brushes you will be able to flawlessly revamp your face following a long flight without killing your carry on weight limit. As always all of the products I have listed are cruelty free & are in my opinion top products.

There you have it, I hope this post will be helpful for you on your next journey in some way. It’s time to get some zzz’s, it’s 11pm here in Gatwick & Josh & I have got a packed day of travel tomorrow!

Freckled.Rambles xx.

 

 

| Soap & Glory – DRAMA CLEAN |

Welcome back or welcome to Freckled.Rambles, I’m glad you made it!

Today we’re having a look at Soap & Glory’s:

DRAMA CLEAN 5-in-1 Micellar Cleansing Water

I picked this makeup remover up about 5 days ago – classic me arrived in the UK with no makeup remover, I didn’t even have a ‘Say Yes to Cucumber’ travel face wipe left – I honestly shock myself with my lack of preparation sometimes. Not to fear, Josh & I flew down to the local Boots to free my skin of the latest makeup endeavour I’d embarked upon.

Although I went in hoping to get something from the Say Yes to Carrot range I’m not a particularly brand loyal kind of person, I love to try out new products & my only requirement is that the brand is cruelty free. Browsing through the shelves I was faced with a conundrum – not one brand of makeup wipes came from a cruelty free brand – I thought the trip was going to be for naught & we’d have to go somewhere else, when I turned around & with a feeling of excitement I saw the Soap & Glory stand. For some reason I had it in my head that Soap & Glory was not a cruelty free brand, I’ve always looked at their products & steered clear but in my time of need I had a quick google (why I had I not done this previously I do not know) & found that they are in fact a cruelty free brand HORAY!

I’m sure most of you have heard of, if not tried Micellar Water or as Soap & Glory have nicknamed theirs – ‘Miracle Water’. Way back when before I new the importance of cruelty free makeup & skincare I used the Garnier Micellar Water to remove my makeup, so when I saw that Soap & Glory had a Micellar Water I knew I had to try it.

Ok so what do Soap & Glory have to say about this product:

No rubbing required! Remove make-up, dirt and impurities in one clean sweep with our astonishingly gentle yet effective Drama Clean™ 5-in-1 Micellar Cleansing Water (or as we call it ‘miracle water’). This no-need-to-rinse, oil-free, non-drying, complete face and eye-makeup-removing marvel is the smart-girl’s way to get skin super clean, soothed and smoothed.

What’s in it that works?
• D.CLOG™ WATER – micellar cleansing technology swiftly ‘magnetises’ make-up, dirt and dead cells away.
• GO-JUICE™ – with vitamins A and C rich peach and goji berry extracts to help soften skin.
• COOL CUCUMBER WATER-JUICE – refreshes and revitalises.
• BOTANICAL CORNFLOWER EXTRACT – calms the delicate eye area.
• ALOE VERA LEAF JUICE – marvellously soothing and moisturising.

& what do I think?

Firstly, this makeup remover is soothing, gentle & leaves my skin feeling fresh – I have combination skin & it does not leave it feeling to dry or too oily – so that is a massive tick. Secondly, the claims made that ‘no rubbing is required’ are almost entirely true, except for removing my mascara where a touch of elbow grease is required to get the stubborn stuff off. Personally I don’t mind this because I’d prefer to use Coconut Oil to remove my mascara & this makeup remover to take off everything else. Finally, the smell isn’t anything special & I wouldn’t recommend getting this in your mouth but for me I don’t need my makeup remover to smell like roses so it doesn’t turn me off using it, although I know for some the smell is a vital aspect of the product, so just keep that in mind.

• Price: £6
• Volume: 350ml

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this product, it ticks all of the boxes which are important (to me at least) when it comes to a makeup remover from the drugstore & I will 100% be trying out some of the other skincare products from Soap & Glory.

As always, this review is not sponsored (if the day comes when brands appreciate my opinion on their products that much I’ll let you all know) & is just my humble thoughts on a new product I picked up. 

Thank you for dropping by & I’ll chat with you in my next post.

Freckled.Rambles xx.