Ciara Sims

This year is absolutely flying by. It seems like yesterday that I was having my 16th birthday party and now I'm 17, learning to drive and have a job. A lot can change in a year, and usually I hate change and try to avoid it wherever I can, but I think the changes this year have done me good and I might even be starting to like it! Anyway, lets get on to talking about what I've been loving this month.


This month I've been trying to use as many products in my makeup collection as possible. So, I've been regularly switching up what eye shadow palette I'm using. The palette that has stood out to me the most this month and the one that I've been gravitating towards is the Maybelline The Nudes Eye Shadow Palette (£9.99) because it is just so simple to use. I very rarely leave my comfort zone when it comes to eye makeup and tend to stick with golds and bronzes so, this palette contains such a wide range of colours for me to be able to create what ever look I'm in the mood for. My go to look for during the day, has been putting the middle colour on the top row all over my eye area and then packing the first colour on the bottom row all over my lid and softly blending it out. I love that nude colour because it's just the perfect base for any look. It has a colour correcting effect and makes any shadow you put on top pop. The quality of these shadows is brilliant, they don't crease or fade throughout the day and they blend out easily. I'm really glad I picked this palette up and it is great for travel.

The weather this month has actually been really nice so I haven't wanted to hunt out my more autumnal shades yet. Instead I've been sticking with fresh summery colours like the Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels (£7). This is such a pretty coral blush and I know I keep mentioning it, but it's just gorgeous. The cream to powder formula means you get that fresh and youthful glow without it being sticky and heavy on your skin. Head Over Heels blends really easily which is fantastic as I've always steered clear of cream blushers because they scare me and the wear time is good. Also how cute is that packaging!


Right to Left - Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels, Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive

Another product that I keep raving about is the Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive (£4.79). This has definitely been my most worn lipstick this month and I've carried it about with me everywhere (which is why it now looks so disgusting and mashed up). Beehive is a really pretty peachy pink that is perfect for the transition between summer and autumn. It's a Mirror Shine lipstick so it's quite moisturising and almost glossy which I like during the day, because it doesn't feel heavy and you don't have to worry about it misbehaving, it just wears off naturally. My only criticism is that the packaging feels cheap and my lipstick did break quite easily because of how soft it is but I don't really mind too much because it doesn't cost the earth at all.

Me and white musk have always had a bit of a love-hate relationship. I do think it is one of those scents that you either adore or can't stand but, for me, at the minute I think it is beautiful. I've been wearing *The Body Shop White Musk Fragrance Mist (£7.50) all throughout September because I just think it is perfect for the slightly colder weather that we've been having. It's such a velvety and comforting scent that really makes you feel like you're being wrapped up in a blanket. The *Fragrance Mist is perfect for the day time because it isn't as strong and overpowering as the *eau de toilette but it's still got that deep mix of rose, jasmine, amber and wood. Beautiful.

Last but not least, no outfit has been complete this month without my Asos Rose Gold Tiny Triangle Earrings (£4). I don't usually wear earrings that much because I feel like it makes me stand out (weird I know) but these earrings are small enough that they add a bit of colour and something special without screaming out to people. I think they are so pretty and I love them.

So that's what I've been loving this September. What have you been loving this month?

Ciara x

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*This post contains items which were gifted to me. Full Disclaimer.

I never used to wear makeup to school, but now that I'm in sixth form and I can wear my own clothes I think having my makeup done just pulls everything together nicely. The makeup I've been wearing recently has been quite natural, not because I have to do that for sixth form, but because I don't have a lot of time in the mornings so I don't want to risk it all going drastically wrong. I thought I would share it with you today because its a really simple routine that is great for everyday especially if you are at school and you're not allowed to wear a full face of slap.

If you are going to be having a busy day then you need your makeup to last, and the only thing that I have ever tried that keeps my makeup on until I want to take it off is *Benefit's The Porefessional (£19.50). It smoothes out the skin leaving you with a flawless base to apply your foundation on and makes sure your makeup doesn't slip and slide all over your face. My mum swears by this stuff and there aren't many products out there that get the seal of approval from my mum, so it must be good. It is expensive for what it is, but even a small sample size of *The Porefessinal lasts forever so it is really worth the investment.

My go to base has been the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream (£6.99) purely because of the fact that I'm lazy and this doesn't need to be applied with a brush. No matter what foundation I try, I always come back to the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream because it is just so easy. It's lightweight, doesn't cling to dry patches, doesn't break me out and is a really nice colour match. It isn't super full coverage because it is a BB Cream, but it does do a great job at improving the overall appearance of my skin. It looks natural and is great for when you're having a lazy no fuss day but still want a bit of colour and coverage. The only thing I will say about this product is that the shade range is awful and Maybelline needs to do something about that right away. I did a full review ages ago that you can read here and cringe about how bad that photo is.

When I do need a bit of extra coverage I always reach for the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19). I wont bang on about this, you know the drill by now. This stuff is amazing and you all need one. You can read more about it here.

I've talked about this blush loads of times on my blog recently and that's the Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels (£7). This is a really pretty cream to powder, coral blush that does a great job of perking up the skin and giving you a natural girly flush. I think this colour is really radiant and because it is a cream product it is versatile. You can dot a tiny bit on for an inner glow kind of effect or go the whole hog for a really bold pop of colour on the cheeks. I love applying this with my Real Techniques Blush Brush.

I then set my makeup using the Soap and Glory One Heck Of A Blot Translucent Powder (£12). I used to love this stuff and think it was amazing, and it is good don't get me wrong, but recently it's not been working for me as well as it usually does. I don't know if that's because I've had a couple of breakouts and so my skin is a bit oilier but I've noticed that this needs applying a lot more than usual. However, this is a fantastic powder and one that I would recommend to everybody who likes a matte base. It isn't heavy or cakey on the skin and is great at blending out your blusher or bronzer when you've gone a bit too far. The compact also contains a giant mirror so it's great for on the go.

For those of you who are at school, I think one of the best budget, neutral eye shadow palettes out there is the Collection Eyes Uncovered Eye Shadow Palette in Nude (£3.99). This contains every single colour you will ever need for school. I love this palette for everyday because you've got a really nice highlight and liner colour and some gorgeous goldy, browny, taupey shades in there. The quality is amazing for so cheap. The eye shadows are really buttery and the colours never fade and fall out isn't an issue. Collection is such a great budget brand and one that is really overlooked (apart from that famous concealer of course). I seriously recommend that everybody picks themselves up one of these palettes.

For mascara I've been using the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara (£10.99) for my top lashes and Natural Collection Water Guard Mascara (£1.99) for my bottom lashes. I've had the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in my collection for a while now (it probably actually needs binning) and it's just such a good staple. It's a really good all rounder in that it curls and lengthens the lashes while making them jet black and keeping them looking almost feathery. The Natural Collection Water Guard Mascara is perfect for bottom lashes because it's waterproof so doesn't budge and leave you with black marks all down your face. It also comes in a Brown/Black offering which I use during the day because it's really natural and adds definition to the eyes without being too harsh.

This month my everyday lipstick has been the Rimmel London Lasting Finish By Kate Lipstick in 03 (£5.49). It is such a pretty pinky brown nude that just looks effortless and cool. This is such a blogger thing to say but it's the perfect cross between 'my lips but better' and that famous Kylie Jenner lip. I love it. 03 is just a standard lipstick in that it isn't drying or mositurising and just lies somewhere in between. It does have a tendancy to bunch up around my lips when I'm talking a lot, so I have to watch that and carry it with me, but overall it's a really nice budget lipstick and smells amazing. I definitely need to look into getting some other colours in the range.

So there is my (very tired) September face appropriate for school. What's been your go to beauty product recently?

Ciara x

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*This post contains items which were gifted to me. Full Disclaimer.

We all have days when we are in need of a little bit of inspiration and even if we don't need it, it's nice to be surrounded by stunning images and breath taking quotes. Here's how I keep inspired.

Tumblr is my inspiration station. I love it so much and I wish the mobile app showed the blogs how they really look on the computer. I've spent quite a bit of time getting my Tumblr to look just how I like it and I love looking through other blogs. The creativity on Tumblr is amazing.

Whenever I buy a magazine I always cut out images that stand out to me and stick them into a sketch book. This is something I find really relaxing and it's somewhere I can look to for fashion and beauty inspiration. I guess I am a bit old fashioned in the sense that I really like to write things down and stick images into books or on my walls rather than always doing it on my phone. I just really like to be able to physically hold something. Also this sketch pad doubles up as photography backgrounds sometimes.

Pinterest. Not a lot to say about this one really. Pinterest was made as a source of inspiration. If you're not on Pinterest then you need to be and you can follow my Pinterest boards here.

I take film studies at A Level so clearly that is something I am interested in. I love cinematography and think it is so fascinating. Often I will scroll through the film accounts on Twitter for inspiration because some of the shots from films are breath taking.

Two walls in my bedroom are absolutely covered in posters, postcards and pictures. I love it so much and each thing either creates a memory or gives me something nice to look at. Also, I'm not allowed to paint my walls so it allows me to make my room a bit more colourful and more 'me'.

Recently I've been really getting into Instagram. I've had it for years but I never really used to post that much. However, now it is something that I really enjoy doing. I also love seeing all my friends pictures and there are some amazing accounts out there that will give you endless inspiration. Some of my favourites are - @isaboleta, @sihamhamdan and @cecietcelacestca.

How do you find inspiration? Don't forget to leave me your Pinterest/Instagram/Tumblr links!

Ciara x

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