www.katieemmabeauty.com

I HAVE MOVED!

I recently moved over the Wordpress (sorry Blogger users if you feel like I've betrayed you). I have my own URL, and a completely new image.

All my old posts are over there as well. But my first post for that blog will go live at 4pm today!! 

Super exited, and here's to a new era!!

Looking forward to posting over there from now on, and I hope to see as many of you there as possible xx

Places I Wanna Visit/Revist

I’ve seen thiese posts all over the internet, and after just coming back from our short break to Belfast, Kevin and I are already looking forward to our next holiday. Budget being a huge thing in our decision currently (as we are both students), some of these destinations wont be able to be achieved for a while yet. But that’s something I’ve just got to live with. But there are still some lovely places on this list we ca

Visit

Most of these aren’t in the UK. I was lucky to go on family holidays every year, however most of them were in the UK, which is still a beautiful country, but it means I haven't been to many places outside this country.

1. Italy – this has been at the top of my list for as long as I can remember. I am in envy of my father and brother, who have both been on their own separate occasions. But Italy is beautiful. It’s full of music, scenery, culture and ice cream! I literally can’t think of anything better. Unfortunately it’s a very expensive holiday destination, and so I am yet to be able to afford it… but it’s a dream that I will definitely fulfill when I can.

2. Canada – somewhere else my dad has been where I haven’t (although he was there on business… so…). I’ve always wanted to get more into landscape photography, and there aren’t many countries (in my opinion) more beautiful than Canada. And to be honest, I’ve never been one to obsess over USA – I mean I’d love to go shopping there… I think I’d go completely nuts… whoops – but I think Canada is above that on the list… sorry.

3. Bournemouth – you’re probably all thinking ‘ermm why’. But I live in Southampton now, and it’s a seaside resort I’ve never been to that’s really close. And I’ve heard its really nice, so I put this down as a really achievable place to go to make me feel better… haha

4. Spain – my first holiday abroad will probably end up being here. And although it’s more the weather and cheap hotels I’m going for, Spain is still a lovely country.

5. China – This is more of a cultural thing. I’ve been to Africa, and now I want to experience Asia. I just want to see and immerse myself in all their culture. However, this would be more expensive than I could possible comprehend right now. But it’s still one of those places on the top of my list.

  

  

Revisit

1. Pembrokeshire – for those of you who don’t know. This is a county in Wales. And I think it’s truly beautiful. Full of sandy bay and beautiful headlands, with rolling hills. It’s full of quirky little art galleries (which I love), and the walk along the coastline (which stretches the entire county) is also incredible. I really wish I could go back. I just don’t feel like I’m a confident enough driver to go there on my own and drive down their roads.. but we’ll see, maybe in a few years.

2. Southwold – this place is a family tradition. Look back at our family photo albums and if there is sand in the picture, this is where it is. We used to go AT LEAST once a year for the weekend. And we would stay in the Randolf Hotel in Reydon (just outside, like less than a mile away). This place is nothing special to most, but I’ve stayed in most the holiday cottages there (whoops) and my grandparents used to know most of the staff in the Randolf by name... so yeah, my family are obsessed.

3. Lake District – just another truly beautiful part of our country. And I want to go back. Not more to say really…. haha

4. Madiera – I went here on a family holiday a few years back for a week. And to be honest, I don’t feel like that was anything near enough to see what this beautiful country has to offer. Plus, I’d love to go back with my camera and snap a ridiculous number of photos!

5.Blackpool – this is another weird one. Basically, I went with my family when I was around 14-5, and we went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach… but none of my family (other than me) like roller coasters So, in short, I want to back, with someone that does, and go on them all..

I hope you enjoyed reading all the weird and wonderful places I wish I could visit, and I would if I could afford it (which, unfortunately, I cannot).

Where in the world do you want to visit/revisit?

Latest In Beauty Box

If none of you have ever heard of this service, you really should! Latest In Beauty are a beauty box service, but not like the others. They have made up boxes on their website, which change every month or so. You get to see everything in the box, and buy the box you want. Therefore, you know what you are getting, you know whether you want it, and you only receive products you are interested in. I have purchased numerous numbers of these over the pass and have loved them all. It's a great idea!

But, they also have a 'Build You Own' feature, where you can chose the products you want in your box. The prices are really reasonable and it's a great way of trying products that are either harder to get hold of, from brands you would never have tried, or sample sizes of products you could never afford. You have to be careful when you order you know whether the product you are buying if full size or a sample. but they always tell you the ml or weight, so they don't allude you.

I personally love this service, and I ordered one a week ago, and this is what it contains;

Percy & Reed Hairspray 50ml

Percy & Reed Volumising Mousse 50ml

Exuviance Purifying Clay Mask

Good Things Manuka Honey Radience Mask 15ml

Ciate Nail Polish

Jane Iredale Smooth Affaire 7ml

 (Facial Primer and Brightener)

Burts Bees Lip Gloss 239

Burts Bees Lip Gloss 221

I'm really happy to give everything a go, and any products I love/hate will probably work their way on this blog at some point in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled.

Have you ever had one of these boxes before? or know a service similar? If so, let me know in the comments.

How I Store My Makeup

I tried to be as imaginative as I could with my make up storage, and I'm really happy with how it's looking, and I thought I'd share with you a few of the methods I use to sort my makeup out:

I try to keep it altogether, emptying makeup bags, and my bag itself. This means that I am more likely to use more of my makeup, and so less of it goes to waste. And I store most of it in a drawer so that they are stored in the dark and dry, and it's easy to see them all laid out flat. I keep my nail polishes on show, but out of direct sunlight, means I'm more likely to use all of them, but they won't get damaged as easily as they would on the windowsill. 

As storage, I used old boxes cut up as storage to save money, and because I had them around. But many people use small plastic pots from Muji as well, which create the same effect, but cost more. I then sort my makeup by sections; foundation/concealer, face, eye shadow, lips, mascara/eyeliner.

On top of my dressers I wanted the space to look a little more interesting, and so I went onto pintrest (love that site for inspiration). I've used a toast slice holder to hold most of my palettes, as it looks cleaner and gets them used more often. I currently store some of my current favourite lipsticks in what is meant to be a spice rack. I picked this one up from a charity shop, but it's a really nice, creative way to show them off.

How do you store your makeup? Let me know in the comments.

10 Things I Do On My Day Off

Today is my day off (yes, I know a Monday!). I'm currently at university, and so taking some time off to myself, and spending the day just chilling is always needed! So, I thought I'd let you know what I get up to on my day off

1. Having a Pamper Session - I feel like it's important, when you get time to yourself to really relax. So, I take a nice long shower, paint my nails, put on a face mask, just generally look after myself. And doing this once a week really helps my unwind before I start my University week.

2. Going for a Walk - I love going for a walk. Unfortunately at University it's not quite the same, being in a city and not having my dog. But I still find it really relaxing. Plus, I'm one of those people who get's a headache if I'm inside all day.. so...

3. Reading - whether it be a blog or a book, I find reading really relaxing. I love learning things, or escaping into another world. At the moment, I've just started the Southern Vampier Mysteries/True Blood Novels/The Sookie Steakhouse Novels (gees that's a lot of names!) and I'm loving them!

4. Music - That isn't degree related. You have no idea how nice it is sometimes to listen to music of your choosing (if you didn't know I take a music degree, and although I love all music, it's still nice to have your own). So I stick my headphones on, play my favourite tunes and usually end up half skipping round the house singing at the top of my lungs (whoops!).

5. Catch up on YouTube Videos - When I have Monday's off, this is what I spend a lot of time doing. Everyone's uploaded their videos Sunday evening, and so I have a lot of material to catch up on. I love watching these to find new tips, tricks or things to try out/buy!

6. Sorting Stuff Out - I love to organise stuff! I know to most people this doesn't sound like something fun to do on their day off. But I love to tidy something up or move stuff around. I know, I'm sad.. I'm currently reorganising the posters/photos on my wall.

7. Take Photos - whether it be for this blog, or just for my own personal benefit, I love to take photos. I love my camera, and after all the money I spent on it, I feel like it gives me good reason to.

8. Online Shopping - I know, I'm a student, I really can't afford it. I really don't know why I do it. But it's always something I end up doing on my day off. I think my favourite websites are New Look, Feel Unique and Cult Beauty.

9. Plan Next Week - Ok. I love to organise. I'm sad. I get it... but it's something I have to do at the beginning of every week, so I know where I need to be, and what I need to do. Without doing this I'd probably forget to screw my head on in the morning... I'm over exaggerating, but it's still something I need to keep up to date with

10. Boyfriend - My boyfriend is luckily at the same University as me. And we love to spend time doing anything from watching films, to playing PS3 games, to literally just lying there talking rubbish.

Pandora Charm Wish List

So, Valentines Day is coming up and that's when the queue for the Pandora shop in town goes out into the shopping centre! So, I thought I'd look at the charms in the comfort of my own home, and found that there were loads of charms I wanted. I compiled theme here as a sort of Wish List, as it might help you with your own inspiration. 

I've always loved how personal Pandora charms are! I mean I'm doing a music degree, I grew up on a flower farm, I love art, and I have a pet cat... how much more personalised can you get?! 

Pink Butterfly Kisses Murano Charm £30

White Looking Glass Murano Charm £30

Curious Cat Charm £25

Artist's Palette Pendant Charm £40

Piano Charm £30

Lavender Daisy Meadow Charm £45

Darling Daisy Spacer Charm £30

Openwork Flower Charm £20

What are your favourite charms? Or what charms do you want? Let me know! 

Trip to Belfast 2015

Day 1

Victoria Square and Walking Around

Day 2

Brunch, Queens, Botanic Gardens, Museum

Day 3

Big Fish, Aunt Sandra's Candy Factory, Belfast Giants Game

Day 4

Shopping

I am currently in a new relationship (we've been together nearly 3 months now), and after showing him the excitement that is Blunham (a tiny little village with nothing in it, and miles from anything at all), he wanted to show my his home town; Belfast.

Highlights include:

Harlem Food and Wine - if you find yourself in Belfast city centre, this cafe/restaurant is amazing! A little pricey, and it was pretty hectic when we went. But, the food is amazing! The chips are literally to die for, and my chicken Caesar wrap was super nommy!

Belfast Botanic Gardens - I love Botanic Gardens, not living far from Cambridge, I've visited their one on numerous occasions. Although Belfast's is significantly smaller, it's free, and there are still some great photos to be taken!

Aunt Sandra's Candy Factory - Ok, after we got there we discovered the average age of attendees were 7... but it was still good fun! There's a man with the strongest Belfast accent telling you he's Willy Wonka's Cousin, telling you his story. Before demonstrating how to make bubblegum sweets and candy floss (which you get to eat!)!

Belfast Giants - Although I had no idea what the rules were, and for the large majority of the match couldn't work out why people were being fouled.. it was great! The atmosphere is amazing! They give out free food, and have silly competitions during the intervals, you get your selfies up on the big screen, and you sit with all the local Belfast supporters to watch one of the most popular Ice Hockey teams play! 

Shopping! - I guess you can theoretically go shopping anywhere... and although that may be the case, shopping in Belfast is really nice! Victoria Square is the main shopping centre, with nearly every shop you could need, in a nice, modern, clean space. And if you go to the top floor (which we did on the first day), you get a great view of the city centre!

Summer Product Empties:

So, these are some of my favourite YouTube videos to watch as I love to see peoples impressions on things.. after they've finished the entire bottle, as by that point they are able to build up a really good impression of the product they've used.

Sorry mine is so huge, I've been meaning to write this post for a long long time, and so this will be a really long post. Enjoy!

Hair Care

Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner Uplifting Volume - This has to be my favourite Shampoo and Conditioner of all time, I have gone through many bottles of these in my lifetime. It gives your hair a little boost of volume, but it's still manageable (as I find most volumising shampoos make my hair a nightmare), it also leaves you hair really soft, shiny, and smelling delicious. Plus, the scent lasts for nearly 2 days, so people are always smelling my hair with this! Love Love Love!

Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner Rose Scent - I still like these products, but I think they don't smell as nice, or make my hair as nice (what a terrible adjective...) as the other Herbel Essences products, and so although I did like it, I won't repurchase, as I just feel there other products are better.

L'Occitan Shampoo and Conditioner (Tester) - I couldn't decide whether to include this or not, because they are tester samples. But I just felt so strongly about these. So, the full size bottles of these are about £17... EACH!!!! So, I expected these to make my hair feel like gold, or something crazy... But it left my hair looking lifeless, and my hair felt like straw, and so I used the three uses I got out this bottle in a row... but I was so happy when I came to the end of these bottles, because they just really didn't work with my hair, and I really wouldn't buy the full bottles... plus £17?!?!

L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner - Still can't make my mind up about these, they definitely made my hair look thicker, but also made my hair get tangled faster, and get greasy quicker.. and so... I don't know, I really don't.

L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickness Booster - This product was a weird one, it was like a clear liquid.. when it went on your hair it made your hair feel... terrible... And I don't really know if it worked or not... and so I don't think I'll repurchase

Batiste Dry Shampoo Cherry - Come on, who doesn't use Bastiste Dry Shampoo.. this stuff is a life saver, it smells delicious. Enough said.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Deep Conditioner - This was amazing, the sea air while I was in Cromer really dried out my hair, and this product just fixed it, almost instantly, and I don't think my hair has ever felt so soft and smooth.

Bath Products

I Love... Perfectly Peachy (Tester) - I only managed to get one bath out of this, but I just have to say this. This bubble bath scent is seriously strong, like really really strong. So, unless you literally love the smell of peaches more than anything in the world, it's a little sickly..

Lavender Bath Foam - I love Lavender bubble baths, and this is just one of the many I've tried, was nice, smelt gentle, but still nice..

Tesco Relax Bubble Bath - Same as the previous one, but came in the largest bottle and so lasted for ages!

Pampered Bath Smoothies - I really like the bubble bath, it smelt sweet without being overpowering, and bubbled nicely...

Zoella Bath Fizzer - yes, I have a bath obsession. But, I prefer bubble baths, and so although these did smell nice, they weren't really my thing, and so I don't think I'll be repurchasing.

Body Wash

Bomb Cosmetics Mint Choc Chip Shower Butter - The texture and formula of this was amazing, it was a very gentle scrub, that gently foamed and so was inbetween a soap and a scrub. Plus, it seemed to be really moisturising. I really want to see what other scents they have and repurchase a different one, as this was bought as a present, and for me was a bit of an odd scent.

Extracts Mango and Nectarine Scrub Gel - I didn't really like this, the product was a gel that didn't really do anything... but it did smell nice, so...

Gold Body Wash - just a simple, slightly floral body wash

Kath Kidston Flora Shower Gel - ditto 

Zoella Scrubbing Me Softly - I really loved this, and will definitely be repurchasing. It was a scrub that wasn't so gentle it didn't do anything, but wasn't so harsh it irritated my skin. It smelt amazing! Like all of this range. Plus, it just make my skin feel amazing. And it was only like £5!

Baylis and Harding Pink Peony Shower Creme - This was weirdly inbetween a cream and a soap... but was nice, and smelt pleasant, but don't think it'll be something I'll go out and buy.

Body Sprays

Nivea Double Effect Deodorant - This has been by go-to deodorant for years, and will be for many more. It works as a deodorant, which is obviously important, but is also moisturising... amazing.

Soo...? Deodorant/Fragrance Range - I found these at the back of a cupboard while I was sorting out, and so many of them were nearly empty, hence why I've got through so many, but they smell nice and I've always been more into these type of fragrances over perfumes.

Skin Care

The Raspberry Kiss Body Butter - The texture for this was sort of off putting, I can't really explain it. But it smelt really nice and summery, and was one of the lighter body butters. It did take a little time to soak into the skin and dry, but it was also very moisurising, so...

Callibelle Soft Cleansing Milk - This is the first cleansing milk I've tried, as I found this in the back of the cupboard, still sealed. It was a really effective makeup remover, while not being harsh on my skin. I really liked this makeup remover. However, I found it was a bit messier than a Micellar water, and so that was one of the downsides. But it was still really nice.

Lacura Body Butter - This was a really thick, beautifully smelling body butter. It was really moisturising, and so was perfect for my dry skin. I couldn't use this when the heat was really hot because it was just too heavy on the skin. But some body butters are like this.

Nivea Hand Cream - This hand cream is really affordable, lasts for AGES, and is also really nice. I love applying hand cream. However, I found the bottle was sometimes too big, as it takes up a lot of space in your bag when you're taking it round with you.

Skin Therapy Facial Wash and Simple Kind to Skin Facial Wash - Both nice face washes, both gentle, unscented, and I would probably repurchase either.

Malin and Goetez Grapefruit Face Cleanser (Tester) - This broke me out. It's probably because I have fairly sensitive skin, but yeah, for that reason I won't repurchase and I can't really remember anything else about it, except it didn't work with my skin.

Malin and Goetez Vitamin E Face Moisturiser (Tester) - However, this was really nice. Absorbed really well, left my skin hydrated without looking greasy. If I can find a full size bottle at a sensible price, I really want to buy this for the winter.

Make Up

Collection BB Secrets - I love BB Creams during the summer. This BB Cream was nice, but nothing amazing, it left my skin looking a little too shiny, but you can correct that with pressed powder. I probably wont buy it again, because I want to try out other products.

Mabelline The Colossal Go Extreme Mascara - This brush was really thick, and so I didn't use this on its own, I tended to mix it with a mascara with a less dens brush. However, it really was 'colossal' volume!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - I have already repurchased this, it's great for under the eyes, as its not drying and, like the foundation, is brightening. I love this!

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eye Liner - The tip on the end of this eye liner is really fine and precise and so make eye liner really easy to do. I will definitely go back to this when I've finished some of the other products I have.

Nivea Hydro Care Lip balm  - Just a simple, hydrating lip balm with built in SPF 15. It was great for summer, and was really afforable. I really recommend this lip balm.

I kept my comments, one the whole, short and sweet, but I hope you enjoyed reading what I thought about the products that I've used up over the 3 months I've had off University this summer.