The Best Of NYX

As a makeup lover, I love to try new products and because of this I very rarely rave about just one brand in particular. However, after reading so many positive reviews and having a little trial and error myself I can finally reveal (in my opinion) the best of NYX.

High Definition Primer

Finding a good quality face primer usually leaves me with two options; 1) Spending a fortune on high end products such as mac. Mac face primers do the job but I just wish they'd be a little less expensive... 2) Buying a cheap high street primer that doesn't necessarily do as it is intended. As a result of this I very rarely use primer and if so only on special occasions such as a party or a wedding when my makeup really needs to last. When I came across NYX's High Definition Primer I instantly fell in love! The water-based primer goes on like a lotion, helping to improve foundation wear and performance. I rub it into my skin and pat all over, then wait for five minutes or so before I follow with my foundation. It has a seamless finish to it, leaving my skin feeling fresh and light and not at all oily or heavy. A little goes a long way too, making this a product that I will definitely reuse!

Matte Makeup Setting Spray

I had never tried a makeup setting spray before this blog post. When watching video tutorials or reading reviews online all quality setting sprays seemed to be very expensive. I didn't want to splash the cash on something that (at the time) seemed a little pointless. However, this NYX Matte Makeup Setting Spray has completely changed my mind! Being matte it has a shine free finish that is extremely lightweight and helps keep my makeup stay put even in humid environments.

Lip Lingerie

This is a weightless liquid lipstick that has a plush matte finish to it. My lip cream is in the shade push up, which is almost a brown spice pink colour. Once applied the colour goes a little darker but lasts much longer then you would expect. The Lip Lingerie set comes in a range of nudes, from a cinnamon pink to classic nude beige. They also make great dupes for the Kylie Jenner Lip Kits for just a fraction of the price!

Wonder Pencil

The Wonder Pencil is an absolute godsend! Described as "the essential pencil that full-fills all of your beauty desires" it definitely does not disappoint. It's great for a myriad of uses such as a under brow highlighter, to covers blemishes, contour, line lips to prevent bleeding or fading and line the waterline for that wide-awake look. I would recommend buying more than one shade so you are able to blend more efficiently. An amazing go to product!

I have really enjoyed trying out a range of NYX products. If you have any NYX go to favourites that I haven't mentioned please leave a comment below and I'll see you again soon!

Homemade Pink Lemonade

Summer (despite this years occasional snow falls) is well and truly upon is. Buds are blooming, birds are chirping and the sun is finally out! There are many little things that remind me of summer; daisy chains, making ice pops and taking trips down to the beach... even though we tend to pick the coldest day of summer to sprawl out on the sand.

One thing in particular that reminds me of those summer days is making sugary concoctions. Iced tea, very berry smoothies and (my all time favourite) pink lemonade! For this weeks blog post I thought I could share this recipe with you! It's very simple. In fact, some people might even describe it as easy peasy lemon squeezy! (Badum tss)

Homemade Pink Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 4 lemons (for garnish)

First bring the granulated sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium sized pan over a high heat and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Once dissolved, take the pan off the heat and pour the sugary substance into a container that is suitable to refrigerate until chilled (roughly one hour).

Once chilled, remove from the refrigerator and add the lemon juice, cranberry juice, superfine sugar and 1 1/2 quarts water to the container. Stir until the sugar has dissolved then once again place in the refrigerator. When making it myself, I leave the lemonade in the refrigerator for the rest of the day as I find that the more chilled the lemonade is the better it tastes!

Finally, when serving add ice cubes and garnish with lemon slices.

And there you have it, a perfect sweet drinks for a warm summers day! I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know if you recreated this recipe or if you have any of your own summer traditions.

Have a great week!

The Pursuit Of Writing

For many (myself included) blogging is a leisurely activity. Modedeviebel was created as a place to share my thoughts, travels, occasional rambles and general lifestyle musings. A place for me to come back to in years to come to see how not only my content has changed but hopefully how I have developed as a person.

However, Modedeviebel (as much as I would like it to be) isn't something I can put all of my time in to. My blog doesn't pay the rent or have thousands of followers. In fact, it is a minuscule spec of a vast blogging community that has to contend with my (at times) hectic life. I have a full time job, studies and social life that have to take priority making the task of regular post updates not as common as I would like. Over recent weeks... Ok months I have been very inactive on Modedeviebel. Life has somehow always managed to get in the way of allowing myself to take sufficient time out to plan and publish quality content. This stops today.

From now on I intend to post weekly (every Wednesday at 7pm) if not more which leads me to todays blogpost; the pursuit of writing.

Pursuit in definition, "the action of pursuing someone or something." In this case, blogging. To do this I have come up with three ways to get myself posting more regularly. So, without further a do...

Planning Ahead
Planning ahead is in my opinion one of the most important aspects of running a successful blog. This week I have drafted weekly blogposts all the way up until mid-August. This sense of direction really helps push and motivate me into writing more, as I know what is to come. This also includes my life outside of blogging. By planning your week you will surely be able to find and set some time aside dedicated to writing.

Staying on Schedule
Staying on schedule is the one I probably find the trickiest. In fact, this pointer is really just a kick up the bum for me! Being a perfectionist can be annoying as unless I am 100% happy with the content I am uploading I hate pressing the publish button, even if it is scheduled for that day. To stay on schedule you have to (see pointer one) plan ahead. Know when you are free to write and set yourself the task of writing so much in that time.

Another thing I have come to find regarding staying on schedule is the issue of not physically being able to click publish. This is the most irritating thing for me as planning a post to go live at a certain time can lead to more reads. If I somehow miss that deadline, I tend not to hit upload. However there are still plenty of ways to make your post live. With blogger there is an option of setting a date and time you wish to publish your post. Similarly, there are countless apps and websites (such as my personal favourite, buffer) that allow you to schedule tweets and facebook posts so your audience knows that you have a new blogpost up.

Photography Blocks
For myself, taking quality photos for Modedeviebel is vital. Whilst taking the actual photograph itself only takes two seconds, the process leading to that can sometimes be time consuming. Cleaning products, creating a layout, changing the camera settings. I also use all natural lighting for my photos but with weather in the UK being so unpredictable (seriously, two weeks ago it was snowing) I'm better off taking as many photos for as many posts as I can in one day. Why not? When I have some time to spare I now collect together all my items, create a layout and have a full on photography session. This way when it comes to publishing day I won't be worrying about the weather or rushing around trying to take and edit a decent photo.

And that's that! I hope you enjoyed this strange little blogpost. If you have any other tips for me I would love to hear from you, if not then I guess I'll see you next Wednesday, 7pm sharp!