No Buy July, August, September Etc..

I love make up.

Make up is my passion and my hobby, it's my job and it makes me happy, but sometimes, I feel I can get lost in the constant new releases and must have new products.

MAC is probably the worst offender, new releases sometimes weekly, drive me crazy, I get obsessed and I can't wait to be the proud owner of a new collection and take photographs for Instagram.

New drugstore make up and new trends that I want to be a part of. 

Seasonal releases are so exciting and being a part of the beauty community on Instagram definitely drives me to spend way more than is reasonable.

This month I sat down with my boyfriend and decided I had let this get out of control. I want to have other memories other than just pictures of what I have bought. 

And sometimes I will sacrifice making other memories for make up, and that's not healthy. My MAC eyeshadow palettes alone cost over £300. When I add up what I spent in one month, it shocked me in to taking action. 

So for the foreseeable future I won't be purchasing any new make up. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to be gagging at the thought of missing out on Limited Edition packaging, of being the first to try a new foundation or sharing the excitement of a new blusher, but I also want to at least try to be responsible, and right now I don't feel like I am. I forget when I'm watching YouTube or looking at Instagram accounts, that big names and accounts get products sent to them, and it's not going to be realistic to try and keep up with everything, all of the time. 

Enjoying something, is different from being obsessed, and I started to get this mixed up. So instead of being the first in line to get new summer releases, I'm going to be digging deep in my collection and taking the time to really enjoy what I have. 

Sometimes I feel I don't make time to enjoy what I have, or I don't want to use what I have because it's limited edition and I don't want to waste it. 

I will always love make up and this" no buy" won't be forever, but I want to get to a point where I feel I'm not just buying things, for buying things sake.. 

I have never made a secret of the fact that I am a shopaholic and that will probably never change, but I'm hoping over this summer I can focus on utilising the products I am so lucky to have, and to find new hobbies.

Getting fit and loosing weight is going to be a big part of my summer, I'm going to brave the gym and carry on attempting to run!! 

Coming to the realisation that you have your priorities in the wrong order can be really hard, but that is where I am, and looking forward to seeing where this next chapter is going to take me.

You will still see make up pictures and blogs, but I will also be sharing other parts of my life :-) 

I hope that you can understand and that you stick around to see my make up and life journeys and changes! 

Let me know if you have ever had a similar experience, I'd love to know I'm not alone!!!

See you soon

Ally <3

Instagram - xallybeanx

Email - allybeanexchange@gmail.com

New MUA Contour Kit & Makeup Revolution!

Okay beauties! Let's get straight into this! 

Here you can see the Makeup Revolution Bronze Shimmer Highlight palette, which contains three different shades of product, in the one solid form, in a round compact. 

Next up we have the new Makeup Academy Bronze and Sculpt Contour Kit "MUA LUXE" in a gold compact, that gets interesting inside!

First Makeup Revolution, I already own a matte bronzer in an identical compact which is beautiful, it is pigmented and creamy and you can't ask for much more considering the budget pricing! This new product has a slightly different consistency, I found it to be drier and it felt chalky.. The application wasn't as fool proof as the single bronzer..

Here you can see the three different shades.

Here you can see the swatches, the pigmentation is good, but be prepared to blend it, you may find some product wants to float/fall off, having to reapply to get the desired effect. Two of the shades also seem to pull slightly pink on my skin tone, I have a yellow undertone but it still looked nice, the darkest shade didn't pull orange whatsoever. Over all I feel this £4 compact would suit a variety of skin tones and you get a great amount of product! 

On to the Bronze and Sculpt Contour Kit from Makeup Academy (LUXE).

This compact I really enjoyed testing out. When you open it up, it has two "levels" one with the highlight and one with the contour shade. 

The compact comes with a mirror and feels sturdy, I'd definitely take this in my handbag or to travel with! 

On the top level we have the highlight shade.

This has a pretty patterned effect, and seems to have a champagne tone on first appearances. 

On the second layer is the contour shade, a matte cool toned bronzer shade. This seemed much cooler toned in the pan!

As you can see from the swatches, the highlighter pulls slightly pink and the contour shade definitely has some warmer tones in there, which I wasn't expecting, as it does look so cool toned in the compact, whether that is due to the lighting (the top pan covering the light  possibly) or it just changed due to my skin tone, I'm not sure.. But I do like them. 

I wouldn't say either compact holds an ideal contour shade for myself, but they are pretty, pigmented and for £4 for Makeup Revolution and £5 for the Makeup Academy Bronze and Sculpt I think that's pretty blooming great. If you are willing to spend a little bit more, try the Sleek Face Form palettes, for £9.99 they are incredibly creamy and the pigmentation is through the roof! I feel that these two products may have been rushed in to production due to the contour craze and based on other products from both lines.. I have seen that they can do better! 

Do you have these products yet? Will you be picking them up? Let me know what you think! 💗

See you soon! 

Ally x

Instagram: xallybeanx

Business email: allybeanexchange@gmail.com

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YSL Touche Éclat Blur Perfector Review

On Friday evening I was browsing a Boots store and came across a new product from Yves Saint Laurent.

The Touche Éclat Blur Perfector is a balm like powder that is supposed to blur any pores and make your skin appear smoother and clearer. 

Essentially blurring your complexion, this balm acts like a silicone primer would. However this new product is to be used as a final step to your makeup routine, it can also be used as a mattifying touch up throughout the day. 

The balm has a silicone texture as you apply it, which then turns to a completely weightless powder. It is almost difficult to feel it on your skin it is so smooth! 

It comes with a velvet pouch so it can go in your handbag without damaging the beautiful compact. The leather pouch also has a seperate section for the white sponge it comes with, for application.

I used it today after I had completed my usual makeup routine and I was so looking forward to seeing amazing results of blurred and perfected skin! Unfortunately for me, this didn't happen.

What did happen, was as I pressed the sponge lightly across the areas I wanted to be "blurred" my makeup was being taken off! I ended up having to reapply my foundation to my nose...

Also, after about two hours I noticed the area around my mouth the blur Perfector was starting to almost, become more powdery, and it looked awful. It looked like dry skin and really stood out - definitely not blurred! 

This product retails for £31.50 and too be honest, I was expecting much better results and I am disappointed.

I'm going to go to the counter I bought it from and ask for advice with application ~ if I'm still not happy (who wants their makeup being stripped off after they have just applied it!) I will return it.

I will keep you updated via Instagram!!

See you soon!

Ally <3

Instagram - xallybeanx

Twitter @allybeanmarsh

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Concealing and Setting Routine <3

Hi Beauties, here is my concealing and setting routine ❤️

So I recently bought the MAC select cover up. It is beautiful and wonderful and I love it. It gives a very natural finish and gives light to medium coverage. 

I also recently picked up the new Rimmel Lasting Finish concealer, this has slightly better coverage but is also quite a dry formula, so I'm unsure of how I feel about it just yet. 

I apply the select cover up and then dab, with my fingers, right in the corner of my eyes to add a bit more coverage. I then apply a setting powder. I use Too Faced Primed and Poreless powder and MUA Probase Prime and Conceal Powder depending on the coverage I want that day! But I recently rediscovered this Bourjois Poudre de Riz. I used to hate this powder! It is scented and is so incredibly fine that it flies everywhere... But I gave it a go last week and actually, it sets so perfectly and gives a beautiful finish under the eyes. 

Next up I take my Seventeen Define and Conquer contour palette. I adore this. It has a matte highlighting shade and a contour/bronzing powder. I picked up the medium shade, because the bronzer in the light kit, had a much more orange tone in it. I go over my entire under eye area (upside down triangle!) with the highlighting shade. It immediately adds light and brightness to my skin.  I don't always use the contour shade but it is gorgeous and stays put all day when I do use it! 

I finish everything by applying MAC Charged Water Skin Hydrating Mist. I'm trying to use this more often that MAC Fix Plus... But this hurts my eyes slightly even though they are closed when I spray! 

I'm thinking of doing a blog about raved about products and their alternatives for dry skinned girls... If you would be interested in that please do let me know 😊

See you next time!

Ally <3

Contact me:- 

allybeanexchange@gmail.com

Come and find me:-

Instagram - xallybeanx 

Twitter - allybeanmarsh

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Mac Cinderella Collection 💎

Hi Beauties! 

Let's talk about the Mac Cinderella collection shall we! 

This highly anticipated collection dropped at counter and MAC stores last Friday (Friday 13th March 2015) and I was there waiting before the store opened. With lots of other excited make up lovers.. In a long queue. 

This was the first interesting part. I've never seen a queue for a collection and I've been there for the release of over ten new collections. 

The stunning collab between MAC and Disney has been released to accompany the new Cinderella film. The packaging has had a lot of bad press, bloggers weren't sure, and felt it looked cheap and tacky. However, having stared lovingly at the pieces since I bought them, I don't think it does look cheap. Yes the gold could of been a touch lighter.. But actually it's as sturdy as any other packaging we have come to expect from MAC and the gorgeous periwinkle blue with a lilac duo chrome really makes it special. 

The actual products are stunning there is no denying it. When I got them home, I held my breath when I opened the packaging. It is understated, subtle beauty. The whole collection was based on natural tones. I didn't get the eye palette as I have most of the shades, there was only one limited edition shade out of six in the palette.

The powder I chose was the beauty powder in the shade Mystery Princess. In the pan it looks like a champagne, with flecks of silver. It is so beautiful I didn't want to use it, and I didn't until a wek later!! 

Here are the swatches. You can judge for yourself the pigmentation of the powder... I wasn't impressed and too be honest, I thought I would never end up using it, because, based on the swatches, what would be the point? 

But actually, if you apply your bronzer or contour powder, then this beauty powder, and put your blush over the top, it gives the most gorgeous glow. It isn't a pop of highlight, it just looks healthy and pretty, which for on the day I want a "no make up make up" look, is perfect. 

And what about the lipsticks? Again you can see and judge for yourself, there is barely any pigmentation and I do find both shades difficult to wear on their own. Over a lip liner (Maybelline Sweet Pink) they both look very similar, which is slightly irritating. But they are pretty, and again, for minimal make up days they are lovely. 

I had to admit to myself that this collection was basically bought for the packaging. 

As I mentioned, I went to my local store to buy mine and there was a queue before it opened, originally I was going to swatch everything and make sure they definitely warranted the price tag but because of the queue and things selling out within minutes, the panic set in and I bought anyway. I don't regret the purchases but I wish they packed a little more punch! 

Did you get anything from the collection? How do you feel about the formulas? Let me know what you think! 

See you next time <3

Ally <3

Follow me on Instagram - xallybeanx 

Follow me on Twitter - @allybeanmarsh

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Behind The Picture

 Inspired by RawBeautyKristi on YouTube and Instagram... I thought I would show an extremely small snippet of the struggle to take a perfect Instagram picture.

Life behind those perfectly posed for and positioned pictures is very different.

Let's have a quick look!

Happy Valentines!! 

 

It took a while to get that "kiss" right... 

And my unit is covered in tissues because I have a cold!

Showing that perfect nude lip!

Trying to find the best light means venturing outside, in the wind and being pretty fed up with winter lighting inside!

I wasn't happy with how my face looked today 😐 so I cropped it and just showed my lips!

In this picture... I am wearing my Cookie Monster pyjamas 😐😐😐

... LIFE 😬

Much love

Ally <3

Instagram @xallybeanx 

Twitter @allybeanmarsh

Email allybeanexchange@gmail.com

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BEAUTY RESOLUTIONS 2015!

How ARE you?! 

It's been a while and I am so very sorry, I lost my blogginess there for a little while.. I was poorly for about six weeks and felt like I couldn't shake it off! But I'm back and I have some hopefully interesting content for you so stay tuned!!

Is it too late for resolutions? Certainly not, especially beauty related. 

Here are my beauty resolutions for 2015, join me won't you?!

1) Take Better Care Of My Skin.

I am so lazy, when it comes to skin care. If I can get away with quickly throwing some cleanser on and rinsing off in 0.5 seconds to get in to bed quicker, I will. But I need to invest some time for a face mask here and an exfoliation there. 

2) Use More Lip Products

I threw away about 74 lip products in the last few months and most went because I just... Didn't... Wear them. I find this horrifying but I also feel I'm not 100% sure what colours suit me, and what finish I prefer, so at some point in the next few months I will be restocking my lip products... Any recommendation for gorgeous products would be appreciated! I will be braver and wear colours I usually reserve for the odd day or night out... Don't reserve.. Use! 

3) Use Unfinished Products

Yeah.. Hands up if you have a large collection of opened, but unfinished products... *Guilty* I will make it my mission to use and get rid of products that need to go! You know, to make room for new ones...

4) Don't Feel Guilty About Buying New Products.

If I want to treat myself to a new foundation, or make up brush, or Mac Palette *coughcoughcough* then I darn well will. Sometimes I go through patches of using what I have already, which I think is important and useful, but I won't then berate myself for coming out of that patch and trying new products or restocking old ones. Make up is a hobby and I'm happy with that. I'm currently saving up Boots points so I can splurge without feeling super guilty! 

5) Put Energy Back In To My Hair

Last summer I had my hair cut quite short and I LOVED it, but I did find that it was frustrating at work, when it flopped into my face and I couldn't tie it back. So I started letting it grow, now it's all uneven and looks pretty awful, but I'm in that phase where I don't know if I want to grow it or go short again. I need to remember to at least go and get the end trimmed, use leave in conditioners and generally stop being lazy. Indecisiveness is my Achilles heel with my hair! 

6) Use Body Scrubs And Butters

I have skin on my body, and not taking care of that isn't nice for anyone. So I will be purchasing some body scrubs, and I will be using body butters I have already (see #3) and I will buff my skin into submission and moisturised goodness.

7) Do More Face Masks 

(See #1) Really... Do more. It helps.

8) Improve Sleep Routine

Aaaah this old biscuit.. As someone who suffers from CFS and all the joys that go with it, my sleep routine is patchy at best. I really want to try to at least stabilise it this year. Try to set a time to go to bed and get up. If I pass out on the couch at 3pm at some point that's okay. But I will carry on trying because no one likes eye bags or fatigued skin!

9) Embrace Your Make Up Free Face

I have no qualms about not wearing make up, but I do think constantly that I must look lazy, or people will assume I am lazy, or that I look awful today because they saw me with a full face yesterday. 

Really... Who cares. We are all human and it's okay to go out without your eyebrows preened and your lips lined. It's all good. You do you. Don't feel guilty for it, let it happen.

No one has probably noticed anyway 😊

10) BLOG. 

I love this little blog and it makes me happy. And if I can share beauty and life related ditties on here and it makes other people happy or they find it useful, then I should do it. It's easy to be lazy and not get round to something, but the feeling of actually blogging and doing it, is so worth it.

See you next time!

Ally <3

Follow me on Instagram - xallybeanx

Follow me on Twitter - @allbeanmarsh

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