Well...it's been a while.
Since we last spoke there has been A LOT of change in my life. I moved to London, got a new job, turned 21, passed my driving test, visited New York, Ibiza, Barcelona and Malaga, both my parents got new jobs, we got an extension built on our house, I made new friends, I got a tattoo, I got a boyfriend...lots has happened.
I guess you could say i'm becoming an adult, officially. Which led me to this blog post. Adult. It's a word thats always had mixed feelings for me. Growing up I was never excited about getting older. I remember friends who couldn't wait to turn 18, the prospect of freedom. For me, I was scared. The thought of being an adult and having to get a full time job, pay bills, drive, do my own washing, cook my own meals, become independent...as silly as it may sound, it all seemed impossible to me. Surely I couldn't do that. But here I am, 3 years later and a very different person indeed.
And then it got me thinking, being 21 feels a very confusing time. I think about my future and there are so many question marks. What career path do I want? Do I want to go travelling? Do I want to work and live abroad? How much money do I need to save if I want to move out? Who should I vote for in the general election? Should I have gone to university? Do I want to study? What do I support? What don't I support? Who am I as a person? What do I believe in? Like I said...there's a lot of questions.
Im not sure where I was going with this blog post, I guess its more of a collection of my late night thoughts than a typical post you might read on here. Its currently 1:02am and I start work in less than 7 hours, wish me luck. But its something I felt I had to get off my chest, and I hope that in writing this someone else feels the same way that I do. We're at a time in our lives where everything is changing and its easy to feel lost. But I am trying to trust the change and hope that somewhere in the storm I manage to land on my feet.
With love,
Chloe x
Tees for Bees
Let me tell you a little bit about a company called Tees for Bees...
Tees for Bees was founded by a woman named Kelly who after quitting her job decided she wanted to invest her time into something that was important to her, bees!
Taken directly from the Tees for Bees website, Kelly says:
"Bee populations have been on decline since the late 1990's, which is troublesome because bees are deeply connected with many ecosystems and they pollinate 80% of all flowering plants, including most of the crops we eat. The declining bee population is also representative of a larger issue: the destructive effects that we as human beings are having on nature as a whole. Nothing in nature operates in a vacuum; if the bees are in decline, so too is the health of our planet, and by extension, our health as human beings. If we want to help nature, I believe we should start with the bees."
So in short, no bees...no world.
Tees for Bees aims to raise awareness for Save the Bees through their on trend and funky fashion items. In the Tees for Bees shop they sell a wide variety of products from t-shirts, sweaters, tote bags, tank tops and more. There is something for everyone! But the best part is, Tees for Bees donates 10% of their profits to save the bees charities, how amazing is that?!
One of my favorite things about this company is their Brand Ambassador programme. By becoming a Tees for Bees Brand Ambassador you are helping Kelly and the team to raise awareness for the Save the Bees campaign through wearing the brand and telling everyone about it! So if becoming a Tees for Bees Ambassador is something you are interested in, apply here: https://tsforbees.com/pages/ambassador.
On becoming an ambassador you are given a free delivery discount code for you to share with your family and friends. You can also use this to get your hands on some stuff for yourself which is exactly what I did! I decided to buy two of their Save the Bees print tees which you can see pictured below. I decided to also create an eyeshadow look inspired by each of the tshirts using the Certifeye Tropical Wonders palette just for fun!
I was really impressed with the quality of these tops! I sometimes find with printed tops that the writing feels as though its just been stuck on top with no real concern for how long the print will last: will it wash well, will it fade? However with these tops you can tell the printing has been done properly and I have already worn one of them which washed really well and the print has remained in perfect condition. If you would like to check out their website click here: https://tsforbees.com/
Of course by wearing your t-shirt and donating to the Save the Bees campaign, that only does so much. If you are interesting in helping the bees further I have 3 things that you can do to help bees this winter:
Although I am an Ambassador for the Tees for Bees I have not been asked to write this post. I just really wanted to share this amazing company with you as I love it and I think you will too. I also wanted to help raise awareness for bees as it is vital that we start helping them in any way that we can. If you would like to do an order from Tees for Bees please feel free to get use my discount code : CHLOEB which will give you free delivery.
Thank you for reading.
With love,
Chloe x
Tees for Bees was founded by a woman named Kelly who after quitting her job decided she wanted to invest her time into something that was important to her, bees!
Taken directly from the Tees for Bees website, Kelly says:
"Bee populations have been on decline since the late 1990's, which is troublesome because bees are deeply connected with many ecosystems and they pollinate 80% of all flowering plants, including most of the crops we eat. The declining bee population is also representative of a larger issue: the destructive effects that we as human beings are having on nature as a whole. Nothing in nature operates in a vacuum; if the bees are in decline, so too is the health of our planet, and by extension, our health as human beings. If we want to help nature, I believe we should start with the bees."
So in short, no bees...no world.
Tees for Bees aims to raise awareness for Save the Bees through their on trend and funky fashion items. In the Tees for Bees shop they sell a wide variety of products from t-shirts, sweaters, tote bags, tank tops and more. There is something for everyone! But the best part is, Tees for Bees donates 10% of their profits to save the bees charities, how amazing is that?!
One of my favorite things about this company is their Brand Ambassador programme. By becoming a Tees for Bees Brand Ambassador you are helping Kelly and the team to raise awareness for the Save the Bees campaign through wearing the brand and telling everyone about it! So if becoming a Tees for Bees Ambassador is something you are interested in, apply here: https://tsforbees.com/pages/ambassador.
On becoming an ambassador you are given a free delivery discount code for you to share with your family and friends. You can also use this to get your hands on some stuff for yourself which is exactly what I did! I decided to buy two of their Save the Bees print tees which you can see pictured below. I decided to also create an eyeshadow look inspired by each of the tshirts using the Certifeye Tropical Wonders palette just for fun!
Of course by wearing your t-shirt and donating to the Save the Bees campaign, that only does so much. If you are interesting in helping the bees further I have 3 things that you can do to help bees this winter:
- Plant bee friendly flowers in your garden. As we are fast approaching into winter many bees will start to huddle in their hives on the colder days. But on the warmer winter days bees will go in search of fresh nectar which can be provided by these flowers: mahonia, heathers, winter honeysuckle, winter aconite, hellebores and snowdrop.
- It can be tempting to want to give your garden a little TLC as your summer and autumn flowers have died, but it is better for the bees if you leave it. In the weeks leading up to winter the hard working female bees will leave their eggs sealed in a nest they have made, which are often in dead stems or burrows in the ground. By digging in your garden or pulling up dead flower stems you could ruin their chances.
- Create a bee friendly habitat! There are many different ways in which you can make your own bee hotel, or if you aren't very good when it comes DIY (like me) you can also buy them online! I got mine from Amazon (pictured below) for just £7.50 but there are so many different types for different price points so its worth shopping around to find the right one for you. However if you are up for giving a little bit of bee hotel DIY a go, here is an article by Friends of the Earth about how you can do this: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/make-a-bee-house.
Although I am an Ambassador for the Tees for Bees I have not been asked to write this post. I just really wanted to share this amazing company with you as I love it and I think you will too. I also wanted to help raise awareness for bees as it is vital that we start helping them in any way that we can. If you would like to do an order from Tees for Bees please feel free to get use my discount code : CHLOEB which will give you free delivery.
Thank you for reading.
With love,
Chloe x
Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette Comparison - Which One Should You Get?
It is no secret that I am a bit of a makeup junkie, especially when it comes to eyeshadow palettes. Yes....I have 17 of them, 4 of which are Urban Decay Naked Palettes (I am a bit of a collector now). People often ask me which of the Naked Palettes is my favorite and which should they get - so I have decided to do a break down of each of the palettes and compare them. In no way am I a makeup artist, in fact I am the opposite. Everything I know about makeup is what I have learnt from watching tutorials and practise, practise, practise! So what I am trying to say is I am not a professional and I do not have the skills of a makeup artist. I am just simply a girl who loves experimenting with makeup and would like to share a little bit of what I have learn't with you. The world of makeup can seem very overwhelming, so I am here, from one girl to another to help some of you decide which one would work best for you.
Pros: Perfect for day and evening looks, universal shades that suit all skin tones.
Cons: Only 2 matte shades.
My Favorite Shadow: Sidecar.
My Least Favorite Shadow: Gunmetal.
My Look: I started off by taking Buck on a fluffy blending brush and just lightly blending that through my crease. Next I took Half Baked on the flat end of the brush provided with the palette, added a spritz of MAC Studio Fix Setting Spray and applied all over the lid. I then took the other end of the brush and dipped into Smog, adding that to the outer half of my lid and blending it into the outer v. I took this brush again but this time with Darkhorse and started darkening up my outer v and dragging the shadow across to get a winged out effect and using the original blending brush I used earlier to blend out any harsh lines. Next I took my Morphe M508 smudger brush and starting with Half Baked I added that from my inner corner across the lower lash line, then adding Smog to the middle of my lower lash line and finishing with Darkhorse on my outer lash line, mirroring the effect I had created on my lid. Finally I took the same Morphe brush and dipped into Creep and did a smudged out wing liner. To finish off the look I put Virgin in my inner corner and on my brow bone to highlight and added mascara.
Pros: Amazing range of shade colours, would look good on all skin tones, versatile in terms of the looks you could create.
Cons: Some eyeshadow fall out, darker shadows, not on trend with the cool tone colour scheme.
My Favorite Shadow: Snakebite.
My Least Favorite Shadow: Pistol.
My Look: I started off the look by taking Tease on a fluffy blending brush and building up the colour in my crease and outer v. Once I was satisfied with how that looked I took YDK on a flat eyeshadow brush and added some MAC Studio Fix Setting Spray and applied all over the lid. I decided I wanted to darken the look up so I took Busted on a large shading brush and began to build up the colour, making sure to stop every now and then and blend it out with my fluffy blending brush. Next I took my Morphe M508 smudger brush and applied Busted on my lower lash line. To complete the look I added a winged eyeliner, mascara and put Bootycall on my inner corner and on my brow bone to highlight.
Top Tip: Shadow fall out is quite common with very pigmented shadows but can be easily prevented if you wet the brush before application. You can do this by spraying setting spray on the brush or even adding a drop of eye drop formula. It is important that you always add the shadow to the brush first and then add the liquid. If you wet the brush and then put it into the eyeshadow pan it will cause the eyeshadow to harden and will make it more difficult to apply next time.
A shadow that particularly grabs my attention is 'Blackheart' which is a black matte with flecks of pink micro glitter in it which is unlike any other eyeshadow that I own. Overall I would say that the Naked 3 is perfect for someone who likes pink toned nudes and more natural looking shadows. It is a palette that would be perfect for everyday looks and especially for people who are just starting out with eyeshadows as its not too scary and all the shades are easy to apply and blend. The Naked 3 retails at £39 and comes with a double ended eyeshadow brush.
My Look: I started off by blending Nooner into my crease and outer v, building up the colour and making sure to blend out the edges so there weren't any harsh lines. I recommend using a fluffy blending brush to do this and just have patience with building up the colour. I then took Buzz on a flat brush, added a spritz of my MAC Studio Fix Setting Spray and applied all over the lid. Next I used my Morphe M508 smudger brush with Blackheart to do a thin line across my eyelid and on my lower lash line. For my inner corner and brow bone highlight I used Dust. To finish off the look I added a white eyeliner to my waterline and popped on some mascara.
Pros: Perfect for more natural day time looks (for example for work or school), Blackheart and Trick are STUNNING.
Cons: Might not work all skin tones, wouldn't be well suited for people who like to create really bold looks.
My Favorite Shadow: Trick.
My Least Favorite Shadow: Darkside.
If you like warm toned shadows then you are going to LOVE the Naked Heat palette. This palette is entirely made up of red and orange undertones and has 8 mattes and 4 shimmers, very different to the previous Naked palettes. Personally, I love this palette and for anyone who is looking for a warm toned eyeshadow palette, this is your gal. Although this palette screams Autumn to me, warm toned shadows are so on trend at the moment that you could definitely get use out of this palette all year round. As some of the shadows are more subtle than others you could easily create a natural or dramatic look with this palette so its perfect for everyday and evening makeup. The only thing I dislike about this palette is the lack of a highlighting shade. The shadow Quince, which I'm assuming was intended for highlighting is a really disappointing shadow that lacks substance and pigment. Other than that, I really have nothing bad to say about this palette as she is one of my all time favorites! The Naked Heat retails at £39 and comes with a double ended eyeshadow brush.
Pros: Very on trend colour scheme, have a good variety of both mattes and shimmers, would look good on all skin tones, works well with blue or green eyes.
Cons: Lacking a good highlight shade, wouldn't be suitable for people who don't like warm toned shadows.
My Favorite Shadow: Cayenne or Lumbre.
My Least Favorite Shadow: Quince.
My Look: Honestly, this look didn't turn out how I wanted but I thought it was important to still show you as eyeshadow looks don't always turn out how we wanted them and that is the tea. I started off by taking He Devil on a fluffy blending brush and put that through my crease. Once that was all blended out I decided to deepen up the look with En Fuego which I took on a tapered blending brush through my crease, outer v and in the inner corner of my lid. Next I took Dirty Talk on a flat eyeshadow brush and applied to the middle of my lid. With another flat eyeshadow brush I dipped into Lumbre, added a spray of my MAC Studio Fix and applied right on the centre of my eyelid, on top of Dirty Talk but not entirely covering it to give a Spotlight effect. This stage didn't quite go to plan but I still think the look is pretty! I then took my trusty Morphe M508 brush with En Fuego and smudged that out across my lower lash line. To complete the look I took a white highlighter and applied across my brow bone and inner corner and finally added some mascara.
So there we have it, my Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette comparison! Obviously I have not covered all the Naked Palette's in this post, just the ones that I own. But if you would like me to review some more eyeshadow palettes, perhaps the new Urban Decay Naked Cherry palette then please let me know!
I worked really hard on creating this post so I hope you guys enjoyed it. I would love to hear your feedback so post a comment or get in touch with me on one of my social media links.
With love,
I worked really hard on creating this post so I hope you guys enjoyed it. I would love to hear your feedback so post a comment or get in touch with me on one of my social media links.
With love,
Chloe x
