Louise Kaitlin

Changing my makeup bag over from winter to summer is the most exciting thing ever! I love having a revamp with my everyday makeup look to suit the season. I usually do one of these every year and so here is 2018's "What's in my summer makeup bag?".

First things first, I want to clarify that i do not wear makeup everyday and recently i've been battling with my skin which you can read about in my post about coming off the contraceptive pill. So, i am trying my hardest to not coat myself in makeup when i don't need to.

Base:
Foundation is a hard one because when its boiling hot the last thing i want to do is apply a foundation that's bound to melt off half way through the day but when I'm having a bad skin day, i feel like i need some coverage to make myself look some what presentable. I usually opt for the L'oreal True Match Foundation in the shade 1N as its super light and runny and therefore, it's not too cakey and thick for a summers day.

Concealer is a must whatever time of year. Once again the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer has made its way into my makeup bag. If you've never heard of this product then where have you been? It's probably one of the most raved about concealers of all time. I use the shade Light as its perfect for my pale complexion. What's also great about this is the coverage it gives! My oh my! It can literally cover ANYTHING! And to top it off, its so cheap and can be brought in Superdrug or Boots.

Bronzer is also a must in order to look like a bronzed goddess. This W7 Honolulu bronzer is b e a u t i f u l... honestly such a gorgeous warm toned shade that brings shape and definition to your face. I usually go a bit crazy with this and put it everywhere because you can't be too tanned can you?

Again, another staple in my summer makeup bag is a good highlighter and the one i've chosen is actually part of a palette. This palette is the Makeup Revolution Good as Gold palette that comes with 4 different highlighter shades (the big square pans) and 8 eyeshadow shades (the smaller pans in the middle). My favourite highlighter shade is the two you can see in the photo. A beautiful champagne white colour which is blinding! and a gold which is slightly warmer and adds to that bronzed goddess look ;)

Eyes:
For eyes, i keep it very simple and very natural during the summer. I tend to head towards my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette as the shades are all light pinks, golds and browns which are extremely complimentary during the summer season. Love love love love!

Keeping with the simple natural theme, i tend to next only apply mascara. My all time fave through thick and thin (if that's the saying) is the Maybelline Lash Sensational. OMG! Again, another product that is highlight raved about online. This mascara is not only thickening, its lengthening and bold. It really brings my makeup together!

Lips:
Lips change a lot of the time too. I have so many different gorgeous nude shades but i've chosen this deeper pink colour to share with you because of its formula. Its the Maybelline Lipstick in 630 "Velvet Beige". Its formula is super hydrating and smooth, it's not glossy but its not matte. Its a nice in between consistency and that's why i've been drawn to it so much this summer.

I've also included a lip balm because i think it's super important to keep your lips hydrated and protected from the sun during the hot months. This one is the Nivea lip balm, super simple and super cheap. It has added SPF which is also a bonus because who wants burnt lips?

Last note... I know a lot of you will ask, my makeup bag is from Primark and was £5. Its a beautiful white with little flowers and gold accents on the front and it's the perfect size. If you want a better picture of it, there's bound to be one on one of my instagrams (linked all over my blog, literally!)

I really hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, as always leave a comment and i'll reply to everyone! See you next time.

Love From,
Lou X

When I look back on my blog, over the years there has always been 1 specific topic post that seems to do the best in terms of views, comments and interactions. The original post was titled 'Organisation Tips for Blogging' which I believe I posted back in 2015. In 2016, I did an updated version where I discussed some new ideas on how I keep up to date with blogging. A lot has changed in a year and previously 3 years from the original post, so I thought I would do an updated updated blogging organisation tips (that's not a great title but you get the idea).

Being a full time undergraduate student at university is stressful in itself, but combine that with working part time, volunteering and trying to maintain some kind of social life (note i said some kind) makes life even more hectic. With assignment dates here and there, I must admit i do find it very difficult to make time for blogging. But i've come up with the best way for me, to at least help maintain some kind of clear direction when it comes to sitting down and writing something.

Notebooks
What can i say? Who doesn't like buying cute new stationary? I know I do! With university being 99% computer and online based, it makes it very difficult to have a good excuse to buy some cute supplies. But... blogging gives me that little bit of justification i need ;)

I usually have 2 notebooks to use. The biggest A4 one is kept at home ALWAYS. It does not leave the house purely for the reason it holds many a secret for my blog and i know if i lost it or left it somewhere i'd be devastated. The smaller A5 notebook is the complete opposite. It comes EVERYWHERE with me. For those days where i'm sitting on the train to uni and a blog post idea pops into my head and i immediately want to start planning. Weirdly enough, this little notebook has become very useful in the car too. It's weird but when i'm driving i get all these great ideas and must write them down before i forget. (Don't worry, i always pull over somewhere safe before i whip the little book out!)

Phone/Apps
Living in 2018, its safe to say pretty much every single person has access to a mobile phone on the go. I mean if you're like me, you will not leave the house without it in your hand. This little handy device is great for when you really are stuck with writing a spur of the moment idea down. Also, there are many many apps you can download that are targeted to bloggers, helping you keep all your ideas in one place.

I also use my phone for scheduling what days and times i will upload my blog posts. I must admit sometimes i don't stick to a schedule because some days i want to just sit and write and upload all in one go regardless of whether it fits into a particular time slot. But keeping up to date with days you have time to upload is very important when it comes to maintaining a continuous upload.

All my university assignments, lecture times and volunteering slots are all stored in my phone calendar, so adding when i want to or more importantly when i have time to write a blog post is important. Whip out your phone ladies and gents and start scheduling your life.

Similar to phones, why not schedule and plan on your laptop. At the end of the day most of us probably use a computer or laptop to upload photos and actually write blog posts, so find an app to download to help keep it all in one place.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this little spur of the moment blog post. You all seemed to really love my other one so i really hope you enjoy this one too!

Let me know of any other blogging organisation ideas you have by commenting below this post as i love love love hearing what you guys have to say and maybe one of your guys' ideas might make its way into my little schedule.

Love From,
Lou X