What's In My Hand Bag - Video

A favourite video of mine to watch is always the 'whats in my handbag' type, and so I thought I'd do my own to show you all what I cart around with me daily. I'm a nosy parker at heart, so why shouldn't I give you guys the opportunity to be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hda6yJ2jL3s

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Mac Lipstick 'Hue'

So I'm back again with another attempt at a YouTube video! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BI0g__ugUk

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Evening Skin Care Routine

When it comes to getting ready for bed, surely I'm not alone in wanting my routine to be quick, simple and effective? Lets be honest, if I can have a routine that takes care of my skin but lets me get into bed just that little bit quicker, I'm going to grab it with both hands. Bed, for me, is my haven and anything that keeps me away from it is evil.

The first step is to cleanse. Everyone knows you shouldn't go to bed with all that makeup on your face, your skin needs to breathe and rejuvenate itself. How do you expect it to be able to do that if you're keeping it suffocated 24/7? I never been very good at sticking to one product, and like to grab whatever I'm feeling like to remove my makeup. At the minute I'm using The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter, Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Makeup Remover, B. Refined Expholiating Cleanser, Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint 3-in-1 Cleansing Water, Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Wash Off Deep Purifying Cleanser and good old Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Wipes! (Not all at the same time, of course!)

After I've got any surface grime off my face, I like to go in with some Garnier Micellear water on a large cotton pad to remove anything that I may have missed, or that can't be seen but is still lurking in my pores.

When the micellear water has dried/soaked in/been removed I then apply my night treatment. Currently this consists of The Body Shop Sea Weed Night Treatment. This is a gel consistency and aims to help control excess oil. I apply this liberally on the t-zone and chin and allow to sink in.

Next up is eye cream. I try to apply eye cream once in the morning and again at night, although I don't always remember to. At the moment I'm using Soap & Glory Puffy Eye Attack and to be fair, for a drugstore skincare it seems to be helping with the overall puffiness, but I haven't seen much in the way of improvement in my dark circles. Still, I'll take what I can get.

After eye cream comes a slick of Blistex Intensive Moistoriser on the lips. I always seem to have really dry, flaky skin on my lips but recently this has been doing wonders for them ensuring whatever lip product I choose to apply the next day has a beautifully soft base to work with.

At this point I'll tie my hair back, get changed into some PJ's (usually Minnie Mouse ones!) and go and brush my teeth.

Then its a quick application of either The Body Shop Peppermint Intensive Foot Treatment or Elemis Sp@ Home Treat Your Feet Foot Cream, which helps soothe my tired feet and leave them soft.

And finally I finish off with a little hand cream. At the moment I'm using Johnsons 24 Hour Radiance Hand Cream, which smells amazing.

After all this, which is a lot for me - a self confessed lazy girl, I can finally get into bed and enjoy some well deserved beauty sleep!

What's your night time skin care routine?

   

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The Miracle Hair Mask

With my hair being in a dire state, I'm constantly looking out for hair masks that will help make my hair feel healthier and nourished. I cannot tell you how much money I've spent in the past two years on hair care and treatments that have done nothing for my hair and have left my hair feeling the same and my bank balance feeling deflated.

On one of my many Boots hauls I picked up a really affordable hair mask - Boot's Ingrediants Coconut & Almond Intensive Hair Mask, that I thought I would give a try, and boy am I glad I did.

                                         

So first things first; the packaging off this product is far from impressive and had I not been having a serious trawl through the hair care I doubt I would have spotted it. Its a very basic, partially transparent, white tub with a screw top lid. The stickering is very true to most of Boot's own brand products being very plain and only giving you the basic need to know information - there's nothing 'arty farty' here. But, I don't think this product needs any gimmicky packaging, its for people who want something to help with their hair. Not someone that wants something pretty to sit on the shelf in their bathroom.

Inside the jar is a white, very creamy, gel like consistency product which I can only describe as feeling like melted marshmallows - strange I know! I apply this mask to the mid-lengths and ends of wet hair and spread whatever is left on my hands through the top of my hair. I leave it in for 15-20 minutes whilst reading blogs/magazines in the bath and then rinse it out. Shampoo and condition as normal and you will be left with beautifully shiny, soft, tangle and frizz free hair. I am super impressed.  

                                      

You get a whopping 350ml of product for just £1.99 - less than your morning coffee, and a much more practical purchase! Available here on offer at two for £2 or in larger Boot's stores.

 

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What's In My Travel Toiletries Bag..

I've finally bitten the bullet and made my first ever YouTube video, which the topic being a bit of a follow up from a post from a few days ago. I'd really love it if you'd give it a watch! My first youtube video!

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The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

The body shop has been really impressing me recently, from hair care, skin care, makeup - everything seems to be hitting the spot and this cleansing butter is no exception!
If you know anything about me, you'll know that I am the laziest girl ever in the history of the world when it comes to taking care of my skin, and I have been known to sleep in my makeup out of sheer idleness. Naughty I know, and believe me, I'm paying for it now. So I'm always on the look out for a cleanser that will remove all the makeup and grime of the day really quickly and easily and therefore allow me to get into bed even quicker! This butter does just that. 
Let me just take a minute to appreciate the packaging, which I actually think is super cute. Its a little silver tin made out of metal and feels very sturdy and protective (so much so that I've got a plan for this tin when its free from product) and of course has The Body Shop's simple yet very pretty normal sticker on the front. My only gripe with this tin is that I'm currently sporting 'stiletto' nails and of course when I go to swipe some of this up, I get it all under my nails - not the biggest problem in the world!
"How does this work", I hear you ask! Well, you take a little of this butter and warm it up slightly in the palm of your hands before massaging it into the skin on your face, when you've had enough of rubbing it in I like to take a flannel or a muslin cloth and gently swipe everything away and TADAH everything's gone. And yes, I do mean everything. Even mascara. Amazing, right?
This cleanser has really changed how I think about taking my makeup off at the end of the day. Gone are my 'face wipes' and makeup remover lotion. There's a new guy in town and I am loving him! I haven't broken out because of this and although my oiliness doesn't seem to be getting better with it, it hasn't gotten any worse either.
This Camomile Butter is suitable for all skin types and as all of The Body Shop's products is completely cruelty free.
If you're looking to pick this up, as well as some other bits it might be worth while to know that this is the last weekend that you can get 40% off online - just use the code '14315' at the checkout. (Plus, they have a 50% off sale on selected items too!) Or, if you're a fan of beauty boxes, Latest In Beauty have this in their 'Luxury Samples' for only £8.00 for a full sized tin!

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Whats In My Travel Makeup Bag?

Going away for a night or a weekend always brings on the stress of what I have to take. Truth be told I'm a home girl - I love being in my own surroundings, with all my own things. That and the fact that a night away usually means a night away from my puppy, Todd. However, occasionally needs must and so I thought I'd show you what necessities are in my traveling makeup bag!

So, we'll start with the bag. This one is a Ted Baker 'Wash Bag' that I picked up in April this year for around the £29.00 mark. You can find these cheaper and more expensively priced depending where you're looking. I love this one because it's large enough to fit everything I need into it, it's patent which means the front wipes clean which is no hassle at all and of course its a beautiful nude pink. If you don't know it yet, that's got to be my all time favourite colour!
Inside we have (in order of application..)

Maxfactor Face Finity All Day Primer; When I'm away for a night or two, or an extended period of time I like to have products with me that I know  will work. Max Factors Face Finity Primer keep my makeup on for longer while keeping it looking fresh and velvety, which is all I'm really looking for in a primer. It doesn't make me break out and includes an SPF 20. The chunky glass bottle means that this takes up a fair amount of room in my makeup bag compared to a tube, but its a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation NC40, L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation W4 & Vichy Dermablend Foundation 45 GOLD; When I'm away I like to take a few different options of foundation with me. You never know how your skin is going to be behaving and I like to have all bases covered, so to speak. I generally wear the True Match Foundation and Vichy' Dermablend during the day and MAC's Stuido Fix if I'm going out at night, or when I know I won't have any time for touch ups. All three foundations are in my daily rotation including others, but hey! I can't take them all with me can I?..
Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Medium, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer Warm Medium 3 & L'Oreal Lumi Magique 1 Light; I tend to only use concealer for covering my ever present dark circles. I hate to cover spots up more than is necessary as I just think this can make them worse. Seventeen's Phwoarr Paint in medium is slightly salmon-y toned and so works a treat for cancelling out any blue tones in my dark circles while the Last Perfection Concealer evens out the colouring and blends everything in nicely. I haven't noticed either concealers creasing on me, they're both really creamy and last a whole day. They're also not too expensive and are easy to get hold of, so if they got misplaced I wouldn't be devastated. For easy highlighting I love to use this L'Oreal Lumi Magique which is a spot of dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat. 
Soap & Glory One Heck Of  A Blot & Bourjois Healthy Balance shade 52; I'm a powder girl. I like to say that because I'm oily, I have to use a powder to set my concealer and foundation but truth be told I've always used a powder to set my foundation - even before my skin became oily. There's just a certain security that wearing a transclucent powder offers, knowing your makeup is not going to budge one little bit for at least a few hours can put you at ease to go and do the things you want to. I use Bourjois Healthy Balance to set my foundation in place using either a big fluffy brush or a puff and then blot throughout the day whenever nessascary with One Heck Of A Blot which just drinks shine and oil right up. Both include mirrors in the compact and so make great travel companions!

MAC Mineral Skin Finish Medium Dark, The Body shop Honey Bronzer 04 Deep Matte; Having a bit of colour is one of my main priorities, and so I never ever skip bronzer. These two are both beautiful, quite sheer bronzers that can be built up to a bolder colour if you so wish. They're both completely matte which I love, there's nothing worse than a shimmery face in my opinion, and so look really natural and give a lovely sun kissed appearance. My only gripe with the MAC MSF is that there is no mirror in the compact. And for £22.00 you'd think they could afford to enclose one!
MAC Powder Blush Melba & Sleek Powder Blush Life's A Peach; Whenever I'm away its important to me that I take items that I know work for my skin and colouring. These two blushers are my all time favourites and seem to last a life time. Mac's Melba was the first blusher I ever bought at seventeen, and have only ever had to buy two as they last such a ridiculously long time. I've had this one for about two years and I still haven't hit pan yet. Sleek's Life's A Peach can look a little scary in the pan and it looks so, so bright however once applied its quite sheer and just gives off a lovely flush of colour. Both are perfect for day or night wear and compliment any makeup look.
Beauty UK Simply Define Eyebrow Pencil Dark Brown, MAC Eyeshadow Pot Charcoal Brown & Eyebrow Fix Clear Mascara H&M; If you've read any of my previous posts you'll know that I'm so undecided on a permanent eyebrow routine and so I find it really difficult to know what to take when I go away. I always like to have a trusty pencil with me, and this one from Beauty UK is both really affordable and works well. The colour is near on perfect, not too ashy and not too warm and the little brush attached to the clear lid is perfect for giving your brows a good brush through. I also have to take a powder for my brows, just in case which brings us to Mac's singular eye shadow pot in charcoal brown, one of the first products I ever bought for use on my brows. This eyeshadow is really matte and a good colour for any brunette. It also lasts a really long time, and has great pigmentation. I also don't notice this disappearing through the day either. When brows are being a little unruly, you of course need a little clear mascara to help set them in place. This one from H&M is really affordable, does the job and doesn't leave brows feeling or looking crispy.
Sleek i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette Au Naturel 601 Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24Hour 35 On And On Bronze; Its not very often you'll catch me wearing eye shadow, but you never know what life might throw at you so I always like to have one handy. Sleek palettes are really versatile, strong and safe feeling and have a whopping 12 pans included, so whatever look you're going for this palette is sure to have it. This palette consists of  eight matte shades and four shimmery shades from an off white colour all the way through to a charcoal black. I also love that this palette has a huge mirror inside so no matter where I am, touch  ups are easy and simple. For an eyeshadow base, its got to be Maybelline Colour Tattoo. This is a cream shadow with can be used underneath other eyeshadows to prolong wear or for a simple look can be used along over the lid. This lasts on the eye forever and is super affordable.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Liner in Black & MAC Eye Pencil in Coffee; In the daytime I like to wear a brown eyeliner. I don't know why exactly, I just like that its not quite as stark as black. Mac's Coffee eyeliner is the perfect brown shade and applies really smoothly. However, sometimes the occasional calls for a nice black, winged liner and my go to liquid is Rimmels's Glam Eyes. The nib is super fine and easy to work with.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Black & Killer Lashes' Mascara Black; My two favourite ever mascara's always come with me when I go anywhere, and its easy to see why. Too Faced's mascara is a bit of a cult classic and everyone seems to rave about it. The formula is perfect, not too wet but not dry either, the brush is huge, holds a curl and is so easy to build up to your desired look. My other favourite mascara actually came in a 'fiber lash' kit, but unfortunately the fibers irritated my eyes. The mascara on the other hand is perfect, it has a plastic brush which is great for separating the lashes and adding length. I find that these two work perfectly together!
Sleek Face Contouring Kit Light; A really easy, travel friendly contour kit is this on by sleek. Included is a bronze 'contour' powder and a beautiful, pearly highlighting powder. I use this to finish off my makeup, taking a brush and applying the contouring powder in the hollows of my cheeks and blending in, then a little of the lighting powder goes on the very tops of my cheek bones to give a beautiful, chiseled finish.
Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray; And no travel makeup kit would be complete without a setting spray. This one from Urban Decay keeps makeup on for longer, helps control oil and is a really handy size! Perfect.

MAC Myth Lipstick Satin, L'Oreal Paris L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick Nude Ballet, Bourjois Rouge Edition Lip Velvet in Peach Club & Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner 024 Red Diva; Although I'm a nude girl through and through, I do like to take a little colour away with me, just in case. In reality I just think I get separation anxiety when I'm away from my makeup collection! Mac's Myth is my go to lip colour, but I also love L'Oreals Liquid Lipstick and if I'm feeling brave a little of the Bourjois Lip Velvet in Peach club with Rimmel's lip liner in Red Diva is the perfect choice and lasts all day long. 
Having all this makeup is pretty useless without the right tools, so tucked away in their own little bag are;

Cosmopolitan Eyelash Curlers Nanshy Flat Top Kabuki Brush Real Techniques Setting Brush  Real Techniques Powder Brush Real Techniques Blush Brush Real Techniques Expert Face Brush Real Techniques Duo Fiber Eye Brush Real Techniques Shading Brush Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush Real Techniques Accent Brush Real Techniques Detailer Brush ELF Small Angled Brush Elephant Tweezers Real Techniques Mini Trio
Whats in your travel makeup bag?!

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Real Techniques Mini Brush Trio

Real Techniques seem to be my brush brand of choice at the moment with more then half of my entire makeup brush collection being made up of them. Its easy to see why they have become sort of a cult brush brand within the beauty blogging world and with any makeup enthusiast. 

A couple of months ago I heard on the grapevine that Real Techniques were releasing another brush set to go with the already available nineteen brush's/brush sets and I got excited. A real bug bear of mine is having to cram my makeup brushes into an 'essentials' makeup bag to cart around, risking the brushes getting damaged, misshapen, lost and dirty and I'm guessing I'm not alone. Enter the Real Techniques Mini Brush Trio.
This set contains three mini brushes perfect for on the go. They are smaller than the original brushes so fit nicely in your day to day makeup bag but still have the same wonderful quality that we all know and love. Included in the set are; Mini Foundation Brush (Yellow/Gold Handle) perfect for foundation or concealer touch ups throughout the day. Mini Shading Brush (Purple Handle) for eye shadow touch ups and going from a day to night look for drinks after a day in the office. Mini Face Brush (Pink Handle) perfect for applying powder, blusher and bronzer throughout the day. Of course these brushes can be used for a multitude of different things. The set also comes complete with a small pouch to keep your makeup brushes in, however I already have a small pouch that I much preferred and so threw the Real Techniques offering away (before I'd thought to take a photo, sorry!) The brushes are super soft and are indeed just mini versions of their full sized relatives and I really cannot fault them one little bit. The brushes are of course made out of synthetic Taklon fibers and so are completely cruelty free - which is a big deal for me. 

I've never been really big on eye shadow, and so I don't tend to take the Mini Shading Brush out with me, but I could see it being a real staple for those who wear eye shadow on a daily basis.  Although I don't tend to use the traditional flat foundation brushes to apply foundation, I do think that this one is perfect for applying concealer under the eyes or where it might wear off during the day (I'm talking to you, oily t-zone!). My favourite of the bunch has got to be the Mini Face Brush. Everyone needs this brush in my opinion. First of all, it takes some getting used to using, as of course the brush is so much smaller than my usual bronzer/powder brush however when you have got over this it is the most perfect touch up brush ever. 
As with all the Real Technique brushes, these all wash fantastically and I have seen no shedding whatsoever. 
So if you're looking for some perfect makeup bag essentials then look no further. This set is available here from Boots for only £9.99.
I can honestly say there is not a single brush from Real Techniques that I haven't loved. Is there anything they can't do?!
Have you tried this set or any other Real Techniques brushes? What brushes could you not live without? 

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This Weeks Beauty Buys

I feel like I haven't spent much money recently, probably because I haven't had any spare money - don't you hate it when all your bills come in one swoop and leave you penniless? Yeah, well that's been me recently. I have been putting quite a lot of hours in at work though and so on Monday I reaped the rewards with a fair pay cheque. And then I shopped. And oh boy, did I shop. So if you're in the mood for a large haul post, read on..
I've been itching to use every single one of these products, but for the cause of blogging I've hidden them away in a big old box until I could get around to typing up this post. See what I do for you guys? That, my friends, is sacrifice!
On Sunday I got round to watching a few of Anna's video blog's over on ViviannaDoesMakeup here and she convinced me that there were a few products I needed in my life. All these products came from multiple shops/online orders so instead of dividing them up I'll just put where I got them from and how much they were somewhere in the title!
Because there is so much, I've had to split everything into two sections, one being skin and hair care the second being makeup and extra treats..
Skin & Hair Care;

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Natural Bronze Body Lotion (£3.60 in BodyCare) So we'll start off with a repurchase. This is my go to tan, and I must have bought well over ten bottles of the stuff. It provides skin with a beautiful bronze glow whilst moisturizing and leaving skin soft. It also smells beautiful which is something that I certainly look for in a self tanner. It wears off nicely and doesn't look like a bad skin condition when its ready to be removed. One layer of this provides you with a subtle hint of colour but it can be built up to a full on bronzed goddess look. 
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion For Stretch Marks (£3.20 in BodyCare) Whilst I was in store to pick up my tanning moisturizer I also spotted this little gem hidden away. My weight has always fluctuated, it goes up and down like a yoyo, something that's never really bothered me but it can leave behind some unsightly stretch marks on my thighs. At £3.20 I thought I'd give this a go and see if it can improve them at all. According to the bottle it contains collagen and elastin among other ingredients which are meant to improve the elasticity of the skin.
Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Foamy Fruity Body Scrub (£8.00 Boots) This is a fantastic all round body scrub that helps to remove dead skin cells and impurities to reveal soft, glowing skin. This smells fantastic and includes loads of skin benefiting ingredients. This is one that I have to hide away as everyone in the house seems to gravitate towards it, it smells that good!
B. Refined Exfoliating Cleanser (£2.73 SuperDrug - Usually £5.49) Recently, I've really been struggling with my oily and blemish prone skin and it feels like forever since I last had a 'good skin day'. I don't know what happened, I used to have such good skin. I've decided that the only way I'm going to get back to that good skin is through skin care, hence my sudden improved interest. This exfoliating cleanser is designed for oily skin and contains salicylic acid to remove impurities and unblock pores. I'm hoping it might make a difference!
Soap and Glory Peaches And Clean 3-in-1 Wash Off Deep Purifying Cleanser (£8.00 Boots) Another cleanser! This one is pretty simple, its just to take off your makeup at the end of the day. It smells so good and reminds me of the peach flavored frube yogurts from being a kid!
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner For Dry & Damaged Hair (99p each SuperDrug) These are some of my favourite hair masks to use, and if I'm being honest, I love all Aussie products. I find that they do do what they say they will, leave my hair feeling really soft and shiny and much healthier and they smell so good - luxurious even. I find that the sachets are really handy and easy to travel with, and are much more convenient than having another bottle taking up room in the bathroom!   Blistex Intensive Moisturiser Hydrating Lip Balm (£2.59 SuperDrug) This came as a recommendation from Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup - she said she uses it daily, putting some on her lips before bed and wakes up with the softest, smoothest lips ever. That sounded like something I'd be interested and so I picked up a tube. I'm a bit hot and cold on lipcare, I'll stick to it religiously for a few days and then it will dwindle out so I'm going to make an effort with this one and see if it can improve my constantly dry lips.
The Body Shop Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue (£9.00 Instore) One thing I am so guilty of is not taking care of my feet properly when I'm on them 90% of the time. I work in hospitality and before that I worked in retail so I've really put my feet through their paces through the years and have decided I should try and take care of them before its too late. This foot cream smells so strongly of peppermint I may just have to keep it on my bedside cabinet to wake me up in the mornings! The ingredients are meant to soften hard skin and prevent dry, cracked heels.
The Body Shop Rain Forest Moisture Hair Butter For Dry Hair (£3.00 Instore) This is a really great, affordable hair mask that helps the manageability, texture and shine of your hair. It smell's incredible and makes hair feel so much healthier. Winner!
Coconut & Almond Intensive Hair Mask for Normal to Dry Hair (£1.99 Boots) Another hair mask. I know, I know, I'm boring! But the state of my hair really bothers me, and short of having it all cut off, this is what I have to do! Can we just take a minute to appreciate that you get a whopping 350ml of this for less than a cup of coffee?! That's amazing. It smells delightful and feels really nourishing. The only downsides are that I can never find this in store which means that you have to order it online and the second is that if you don't thoroughly rinse this it can leave your hair feeling a bit lank and greasy.
SuperDrug's Own Coconut Oil (£2.29 Instore) I absolutely love coconut oil. It has so many different uses. This makes sore/sunburned/dry skin feel amazing and nourished and can be used as a leave in conditioner and also a hair mask. Its incredible. Seriously, go get some. Now.
Soap and Glory Puffy Eye Attack Turbo Boost Hydragel (Boot's £12.50) I've been trying to find something to help with my natural, terribly dark under eye circles but on an affordable scale. This eyecream from Soap & Glory has had rave reviews so I'm hoping for good results!
Makeup & Other Treats;

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Peach Club, Frambourjois & Hot Pepper (Boots £8.99 each) After reading oh so many reviews on these little lovelies I just had to pick some up. They're all very bold colours which is a little scary for me as I'm a nude lip girl through and through, however, I am loving these and I can see them being my go to lip colours allllll the way through summer! They're creamy, quick drying and the staying power is fantastic. The only downside for me is the overpowering chemical smell but it doesn't seem to linger around for too long. Collection Cream Puff in Fairy Cake No. 3 (Boots £2.99) Another lip colour, what has gotten into me!? I love that this is labelled as a moisturising lip product as I have really dry lips. Upon swatching this feels really creamy and the colour is so pigmented and unlike the bourjois lip velvets, this smells good enough to eat! Bourjois Healthy Balance Shade 52 (Boots £8.99) I first got this powder when I was about 18 and I have no idea why I never repurchased it other than that I always seemed to be on a mission to try every product I could. I'll use this to set my foundation and for touch ups on the go. Its a very soft, finely milled powder with just a touch of colouring/coverage. It also has a huge mirror in the lid ideal for on the go. Barry M Brow Kit Shape And Define (Boots £5.99) I'm a bit weird when it comes to my brows, I like to change the way I do my brows pretty much every day depending on how my brows are behaving. Seriously, I use brow kits, brow pencils, brow mascara's, brow powders - the lot. Enter this little guy. I feel that this product has been released to rival Benefit's Browzings at a much more affordable price point. I've had a couple of Browzings in the past but always find that I run out of the wax and always have loads of powder left, whats up with that? This offering from Barry M includes tweezers and a double ended brush for application and a highlighting powder. Beat that, Benefit. Bourjois Delice De Poudre Chocolate Bronzing Powder Shade 52 Medium/Dark (Boots £7.99) Another repurchase, one that I will continue to do so over and over again. If you're looking for a drugstore bronzer then look no further, this is your guy! Its a beautiful matte bronzer perfect for an all over glow and contouring to boot. It smells delightful and has amazing pigmentation. Ah-mazing.
The Body Shop Insta-Blur All In One Primer (Instore £14.00) Another primer happened. I think primers are my favourite product to buy, ever. I just cannot get enough. With the promises that this bad boy boasts it was hard to say no. Shine controlling, reduces the appearance of pores, hides blemishes, helps even out the complexion and extends the wear of makeup. If this works, and I have a sneaking suspicion it might then I may as well through all my other primers away (we all know I won't actually do that though).  L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara Extra Black (Boots £10.99) So after watching Anna rave about this mascara I just had to pick one up. However, I couldn't bring myself to get the waterproof version as I just can never get it off my eyelashes, so I settled with this one. I'm looking forward to giving this a try tomorrow and have my fingers crossed I'll love it just as much as Anna does. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Translucent (SuperDrug £3.99) Another repurchase, and one I just cannot bear my makeup collection to be without. Its simple enough, soaks up oil and banishes shine and is brilliant for setting foundation and concealer. Best of all, the price point, super cheap! Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (Free in Glamour Magazine - Not sure on price, think it may have been £2.99) A bit of a cheeky one, but I've included this because I genuinely only picked the magazine up to get my hands on the eyeliner. The magazine is actually in the bin. Sorry glamour, I'm a cosmo girl myself. This eyeliner retails at twelve pounds, so I made quite the saving. Its a felt tip liner with a very fine point perfect for those skinny lines and flicks and best of all its super black, not that dried out grey colour that a lot of felt tip liners give! Cosmopolitan Maximum Effect Lash Curler (SuperDrug 99p) Seen as mine were looking a bit worse for wear and I had run out of the little cushions I decided it was time for a new eyelash curler and found this bargain for just 99p. To me, an eyelash curler is an eyelash curler and as long as they're not painful to use then they'll do for me. What a bargain!  Barry M Nail Paint in 318 Peach Melba (SuperDrug £2.99) I'm really loving pastel oranges at the moment and so this one screamed out at me to be bought. Its a beautiful shade that I will be sporting on my nails throughout the height of summer I think. Barry M nail paints are always a really good quality and really affordable. The only things I don't like is the overpowering scent and the teeny tiny application brush, nothing I can't get over though! Essie Nail lacquer in Not Just A Pretty Face Spring Collection (Boots £7.99) Essie has been a firm favourite of mine when it comes to nail varnish for a long time now and I know I'm not alone. I picked up this beautiful pinky nude colour for two reasons, the shade is gorgeous and such a 'me' colour that I knew instantly I'd get a lot of wear out of and the second reason was because of the name. It's just so cheeky and something that I often say to Chris when we're playing! Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely EDP 100ml (The Fragrance Shop £16.99) Next was a lovely big bottle of a super pretty perfume. This is one of those classics that every girl has owned at one point. Very summery, floral and pretty its a true summer fragrance and at just over £15.00 for a huge bottle, who could resist?! FCUK Anniversary Edition 100ml (The Fragrance Shop £12.00) After I had bought Lovely, I received a special offer on my reciept and of course, as I was in a thrifty mood I decided that a girl really can never have too many perfumes and popped that one into my bag too. This smells sort of like Paco Rabanne's Lady Million but a much more subtle, casual fragrance. This one is going to live in my handbag for refreshing bursts of fragrance whilst I'm out and about enjoying the summer! Pastel Necklace (Primark £6.00)
Last but not least is this gorgeous necklace from primark. I love a statement necklace and find that they can liven up even the simplest of outfits. This one is bang on trend for the summer with pastels being at the forefront of everyone's fashion choices and is a welcome addition to my collection. It's an absolute steal too, as if you needed any persuading to go and pick this up! So that's the lot guys. I'm very happy with everything that I picked up but am now feeling rather guilty after my thrifty week (£196.10 - Whimpers), and even though I've already got my eyes on some other bits I'm going to have to put myself on a spending ban until the end of the month - Yeah, okay we'll see how long that lasts!

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My Favourite Blogs Tag

Before starting my own blog up I spent a whole lot of time reading other peoples. Recently in the blogging world I've been feeling a bit of a bad atmosphere and thought that this tag was the perfect way of sharing a little love.. 
I read this tag first over on Miss Makeup Magpies blog here. When is comes to Vlogs, there's a good few people that I just love to watch. I could literally sit and watch their video's for hours and hours (until Chris starting whinging that I'm interrupting whatever program he's watching). So for me, it was really hard to pick a winner but I did manage it! With her really friendly personality, the products she talks about, her set up and lighting, she's got everything down to a T and she is of course the wonderful Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup! You can subscribe to her YouTube video's here. She's really made me want to get into doing Vlog's but I don't think anyone needs to see my face, so for now I'll be sticking to my good old written blog!
For OOTD (Fashion Posts) and events posts there was only one person I thought of and that of course is the beautiful Miss Emma Charlotte here. Living in a small town in the North West of England means that nothing exciting like product launches ever happen and so I have never had the chance to attend one, so I'll go on living vicariously through Emma. I love her photo's, and am forever jealous of her style picks. She's a brilliant writer and makes you feel as though she's really having a conversation with you. She's also one of the friendliest bloggers I've ever spoken to and always makes the effort. Just a really lovely girl!
For favourite photography within a blog I really love Bed In The Kitchen here. Jaye's pictures always look so clear and professional without looking too staged, if you know what I mean. They really add to her written blog and always to be really good quality! 
There are so many product reviews in the beauty blog world, which is no bad thing of course but it means when you're coming to chose a favourite it can become really tricky.. Seriously, I almost contemplated drawing a name out of a hat for this one and then went and had a little look at some of the contenders blogs, drum roll please.. Raspberry Kiss here. Shannon gives really fair, unbiased reviews of products and she has certainly enabled me to buy a fair few!
For style of writing has to be Kenzie (Lemonaid Lies) here. Kenzie has a really fun way of writing and can make you feel like you've been friends for years whilst still being really informative. She also has a huge range of subjects that she blogs about which I love. As much as I'm obsessed by makeup it can be refreshing to occasionally read about something else!
My favourite blog theme is from HelloOctober here. I just love how simple and clean cut it is and yet still looks really pretty and inviting - not clinical at all. Her whole blog is really, really pretty and just makes reading her posts that bit more enjoyable!
Gah! Another hard one - Makeup posts. I'm going to go with makeup tutorials for this one, which I've found plenty of, but the one that sticks out in my mind has to be the amazing Lily Pebbles here. There's just something about Lily that I love.. She just comes across so classy and elegant but friendly too..
I don't tend to read that many lifestyle posts, but when I am in the mood for one there's only one place I head to and that is The Londoner here which just gives me a little glimpse into a totally different life. I love everything about this blog, the topics, the theme and style, the writing - everything impresses!
For nails its got to be Sammy from The Nailasaurus here. Seriously, if you haven't seen this blog go and look now. Sammy has the most beautiful nail designs that I've ever seen in my life and makes me green with envy!
When it comes to hair, everyone that read's my blog will know what a terrible state my hair is in. So of course I have to go and make myself very jealous of everyone with beautiful hair. Enter Nicole Guerriero here. Okay, okay you caught me. I don't just love her for her hair tutorials - I love her for every video she's ever made.. but her hair is absolutely amazing and I just don't know how she keeps it so healthy and looking so nice!
So there you have my favourite. Of course there are soooo many more blogs that I adore and read regularly!
Who are your favourite Bloggers?

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My Tattoo's

There's something about tattoo's that really draws me in. I know they're not for everyone, but for me they just make me feel a bit prettier. In total I have seven tattoos from my feet all the way up to my shoulder. Seven may seem like a lot to you, but they're all fairly tiny and most are hidden or very easy to cover up. 
I started with my first at fourteen, which was a huge mistake. The ink never settled in my skin and feels bumpy, I got the worst telling off I've ever had when my mum accidentally saw it and threatened me with telling my dad for a year and its on my lower back which I would never chose to get now - but we all do silly things when we're young don't we? And as its on my back I never see it, so sort of forget its there. I'm not going to include a picture of this one for two reasons; the first being I really don't like it and the second being that I'm alone in the house (if you don't count my puppy, who is no help for taking photo's) and I don't know if you've ever tried but taking a picture of your back is really hard!
When I was eighteen, and on a day out with a friend we decided it would be fun to go and get a tattoo each. I was going through my 'obsessed with Minnie Mouse' stage and so thought it would make a really cute tattoo on my foot. Let me tell you, it was the worst pain I'd ever felt, and worse still was having to go back two weeks later and have some of the shading gone over that I had managed to scratch off by wearing shoes. Ouchy. 

When I was nineteen I decided that I wanted another tattoo, this time on my ribs. I chose a word that I wanted and thoroughly researched the correct translation into arabic - there's no way I was going to risk having 'soup' or 'potato' written on me. I wont actually tell you what it says as its very personal to me, but I think this is my favourite tattoo out of all.

At twenty I decided that I wanted a few different, small tattoo's that I thought were really pretty and cure. I have a crucifix on my right wrist, a very small star on my right shoulder, an infinity sign on the left hand side of my ribs and a heart on the side of my ring finger. There's no real reason behind these ones, I just liked them and still do. 

Tattoo's aren't for everyone and I would not suggest any one to get a tattoo at an early age as I did, its something I really do regret. Your body hasn't finished developing at that age and your skin still needs to stretch which can result in your tattoo going badly. 
What tattoo's have you got? Are there any that you want or are planning on getting?
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Thou Shalt Not Covet's 30th Birthday Super Give Away

As I was scrolling through twitter looking for new blogs to have a nosy at this morning I discovered a super give away with £1000 worth of prizes - A THOUSAND POUNDS WORTH. Sounds amazing right? Well it is, and best of all, you barely have to do anything to be in with a chance of winning all the amazing products. 
Prizes include a Nanshy brush set, three gorgeous bags from cloudberry, three lime crime clueless witch velvetine lip, two really nice mac products, a whole heap of Makeup Revolution goodies and so, so much more.
You can enter here here and follow the steps on the raffle copter to earn more entries. Whilst you're there I'd encourage you to have a read of other posts - Michelle is a brilliant blogger, and I've really enjoyed everything that I've read today.  I've got everything crossed to win this enormous giveaway and I know that there are prizes to excite everyone in this give away.
Good luck guys!

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Purse Friendly Tanning

Everyone that knows me knows that I do not naturally tan. Not even one tiny bit. I have, what I like to describe as, 'ginger skin'. By this I mean I have a lot of ginger relatives on both my mothers and fathers side of the family, and although I have quite dark brunette hair, I inherited their skin - pale, freckly, burns very easily and doesn't tan. This is no bad thing of course, but i'm the kind of girl that just craves to be bronzed. I really rate those pale and interesting girls out there, I've just never been able to make it work for me. 

I have a pretty strict regime when it comes to fake tanning, and I take it perhaps a little too seriously. I have certain days where I must exfoliate, and different tanning products that I use for different needs/scenarios.

Sunday is the night where I can sit in the tub for as long as I want. This us usually my do all night, I wash my hair, exfoliate my skin, shave, have a face mask - you name it, I do it on a Sunday evening. I call Sunday my 'prep for the week night', which means I usually have a makeup free day and do everything I can to make my beauty regime for the rest of the week run as smoothly as possible. I also usually start my fake tanning process on a sunday night too, starting with a good old scrub to get all the old stuff off and leave me with a blank canvas.

When it comes to tanning I've tried a lot of products from high end £40+ pounds a bottle, to the cheap as chips bargains that you can find in the likes of Home Bargains and various supermarkets and I have to say that most of the time, its the more affordable products that I find work the best for me. Here I have complied a list of my favorite purse friendly products that help me to achieve that bronzed goddess look and avoid that oompa loompa look!

So first thing first, you cannot expect a good tan without a good prep. For this I just use a pair of exfoliating gloves and a body scrub/shower gel. I really love to use the St. Ives invigorating exfoliater (yes, I know its for your face but its works well as an all over scrub) and if I haven't got any of that left I use my favorite shower gel which is either The Original Source Company in lemon and tee tree, or coconut. Seriously, they smell amazing. At this stage I like to shave my legs too at this point. Ain't no point in nice tanned legs if they're fluffy hey!

After getting out of the bath I try to moisturize quickly while pores are still open from the hot bath, this helps to soak in as much moisture as possible which really aids the application of fake tan. The last thing you want is for tan to be sticking to dry patches or building up around elbow's and knee's. A really good, affordable moisturizer for this is the L'oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Firming Tan Optimizer (£4.66 here on special offer) which promises to optimise tan by giving twenty four hour hydration for before and during the tanning process, which aids a streak free tan and leaves skin feeling smooth and soft. This version of the product also claims to improve skins firmness and make it appear more toned in four weeks. I don't know how much I buy into this claim, but non the less, its a brilliant tan optimizer! If i'm not going to use a 'proper' fake tan then I skip the seperate moistorizer and just go on in with my Palmers Natural Bronze Tanning Moistorizer. I have repurchased this products at least ten times over and always have a couple of back up bottles tucked away in a draw. I have never used a body lotion that tans as well as this one does. It gives a beautiful glow with just one application but can be built up to a deeper, darker tan over a few days. It doesn't cling to dry areas and looks flawless. An added bonus is that it doesn't streak when you get rained on, which can happen quite a lot around here! And it smells beautiful, just like all of Palmers Coco Butter products.

After the prep I usually leave it over night and tan the next day. This helps make sure that everywhere is in tip top condition and also saves my bed sheets from terrible staining! (Plus, on occasion when I have left tan on over night, I've been shouted at the next day when Chris has woken up with half his body tanned!) Depending on what my needs are depends on what product I use; The St. Moriz Tanning Mouse in Dark £4.99 (also available in medium and light) is my go to tan in the height of summer, as it has a tan color on application and continues to develop for up to six hours, progressively getting darker as it does so. I try not to wear white on days when I have first applied this product as it can leave quite bad staining and has been known to ruin a fair few white tops of mine! Cocoa Brown One Hour Tan Mousse £7.99 is a brilliant, fast developing tanning foam that doesn't feel sticky on the skin and can be left on longer for a deeper tan. My only gripe with this one is that even after three hours the color isn't as dark as I would really like (I've only just discovered they do in fact make a 'dark' version), but its a fab product for when you've haven't got any base color at all and don't want to look emulsion-ed. The Santa Monica £3.99 in medium is another mousse type tan that is brilliant for day to day, and can be worn all year round as it isn't too dark a color and doesn't look too 'fake' for a fake tan! Lastly we have the St. Moriz Instant Self Tan Mist £4.99 in dark which is so easy to use, if a little messy. Its brilliant for those hard to reach places like your back which personally I struggle with when I'm alone in the house! I apply all of these products using a fake tan mitt which can be picked up from primark to st tropez depending on what price point you're looking to pay.

After the top coat of tan has been washed off I usually go in with a moisturizer again just to help keep the tan on for as long as possible and looking its best! A fake tan, if applied and maintained properly, can last for perhaps a maximum of two weeks. After that point you will need to exfoliate and start the process again!

I don't think I'm the last word in tan by any stretch of the imagination, this is just the process that I use and although I've had some fake tan disasters throughout the years my tan at the moment looks rather natural and I'm happy with it. 

Do you have a fake tanning routine? What tanning products do you swear by?

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A Little Body Shop Splurge

So, in the last few months my skin has gone from pretty normal without the hindrance of spots to an oily, spotty mess. And I have no idea why. With that in mind I have been trying to find a skin care routine that works for me and helps to banish some of this excess oil. 

Today my beau treated me to a tourist day (we live in Blackpool, and every now and then we like to go out and do the tourist-y things - visit the attractions, eat hot dogs and hot sugared doughnuts etc.) and on the way back to the car park he let me sneak into The Body Shop. I've been looking at some of their products online for a while now, but wanted to wait until I could go and speak to an adviser about my skin needs. 

I told the lady that was serving me that I was struggling with my oily skin and that I was looking for something that would just take everything off my face at the end of the day. She recommended the following;

Because I have oily skin, she recommended that I try some of the sea weed treatments that The Body Shop do, one of which I have already tried and decided to repurchase. I hadn't thought that it had done much to help with my oil, but since I haven't been using it I have noticed things getting a little bit worse. You use this one as the last step in your skin care routine before bed time, when it is said that your skin does the majority of its rejuvenating and therefore needs a little help. It comes in a pump bottle, which makes the product really easy to dispense and I find that one pump is enough for a full face application. I also picked up the Iconic Seaweed Clay Mask to use as a once a week treat, the product comes in a nice little plastic tub with a screw top lid and a very brief description, but I'm guessing everyone has used a face mask at some time in their life so it should be pretty straight forward. This clay smells nothing like I would have imagined it would have (the name doesn't exactly evoke a pretty picture does it) and is in fact very clean and almost fruity smelling.

I was then directed towards the Camomile Cleansing Butter which I have read so much about this past week on the bloggersphere! It seems everyone has gone crazy for this balm like cleanser and it didn't take much persuasion for me to pop one into my basket. This is said to literally melt all types of makeup off your face, leaving skin soft and fresh. I'm really excited to use this but at the same time don't want to make it look grubby - its looks so pretty and nice right now! I also picked up a muslin cloth to use to remove the cleanser from my face. I know a normal flannel would work just as well but I sometimes find them to be a little rough on my face. 

Not a massive haul, but a good little splurge non the less and i'm looking forward to getting ready for bed so I can put these to good use!

Seaweed Night Treatment - £11.00
Iconic Sea Weed Clay Mask - £12.00
Camomile Cleansing Butter - £12.00
The Body Shop Muslin Cloth - £2.50

What skin care do you use? Have you used any of the skin products from The Body Shop?

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