KIKO: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Nottingham is such a great city and we're really lucky to be able to offer great shopping and a good night out, but there are always those pesky shops that are a little too far away that you can't take advantage of. Cough. Forever 21. Cough.

Thankfully, we got our shit together recently and was able to open a Kiko shop. Fantastic for shoppers, not so fantastic for my bank balance because I am officially obsessed!

For those of you that haven't had the pleasure of visiting a Kiko store, it's basically a very bright, very simple shop covered wall-to-wall with makeup. It's all their own brand and there are different sections e.g. lipsticks, foundations, bronzers etc and the sections have different priced ranges, so it's suitable for everyone. 

I just nipped in one day when I was in town and thought that I'd pick up a couple of bits to try out. Read on to see what I thought... 

Lip liners;

I was in desperate need of lip liners and I had heard a few people rave on about how great their liners are, so this was an obvious choice for me. I was just going to pick up one, however they were on offer and were under £2 each so figured I may as well pick up a couple. 

These liners have quickly become a staple in my makeup bag as they are so pigmented, they last all day, are so creamy and compliment my skin perfectly. I'll definitely be going back to pick up some more of these and for under £2, they're a complete bargain. 710 is my favourite out of the three as it's just a beautiful berry shade that will look lovely in the coming months. 

Eye Shadows;

I also picked up this eye shadow in a pretty, pale shimmery colour (Infinity 202 I believe). It's beautifully pigmented and really brightens my eyes, especially in the corners. This was only £1.50 & they're meant to go in to palettes so that you can custom make them, which is fantastic. I'll be popping back in soon to make my own up for sure.

Have any of you been to Kiko? How did you find it?
I'm really impressed and no doubt will be spending a heap more money in there in the future!

Find your local Kiko store here.

xxxx

GETTING FIT

images taken from Pinterest

We made it to the weekend. Phew! 

So this weekend's post may be slightly controversial and possibly won't be to everyone's taste, but this is what I'm up to this weekend and I thought that it would be nice to share it with you all.

There may be some of you lucky little ducklings out there reading this that are 100% happy with your body and your fitness level, but for the girls out there that are at a constant battle with weight/fitness and food habits, it can be somewhat torture to overcome.

Admittedly, the girls that are featured above are not what everyone considers to be perfect and in no way will I ever get that kind of body, it's just something to aspire to. 

Body weight and shape shouldn't be the be all and end all of your confidence. For me, as long as I am healthy and can walk up a hill and not get out of breath, then I'll be happy.

This being said, for a long time now, I've been at my least fit state and it's gotten to a point where I put off doing certain things or going to places and so last month, I vowed to myself that I would get fitter and make an effort to live a healthier lifestyle and so far, it's going surprisingly well!

I've started running using an app called Couch to 5k which, using interval training, builds up your stamina over 9 weeks, leaving you able to run 5k straight. I'm still on week 1 and so I don't really have much to comment on so far, but I'll keep you updated on my journey.

I have also been making the effort to get my ass back into the gym every night after work. With the running and the gym, this should hopefully help to shift a couple of pounds.

And it's not just the exercise that I've been working on, I've also cut out alcohol to take my body through a detox, I've started following Slimming World and also take my daily vitamins (something that I have always tried to do, but forgotten about). I also make sure that I get the full 8 hours sleep and try to get up at the same time every day (without snoozing may I add) and this has made me feel 100% better within myself. 

I'm not sure how long I'll last on this newly-found health kick, but hopefully it'll stick and become the norm. Watch this space for my updates on the running- why don't you give it a go too!

xxxxx

REVIEW: LANCOME TEINT MIRACLE

Three guesses what this post is going to be about...

Yep, you got it. It's the Lancome Teint Miracle foundation. 

So I believe that this foundation has been out for a good few years now, however it's one that I've never really thought to try. Truth be told, I generally tend to stay away from Lancome altogether. I've not had any bad past experiences with them or anything, I guess I've just never had any memorable ones.

One day last month, a lovely girl from work and I were chatting about makeup (because what else would us girls talk about, right?) and I was saying how I'd bought a few foundations recently that have turned out to be slightly dark for me. She then, to my fantastic surprise, offered to swap a couple of her lighter ones for my darker ones. 

The following day, I was handed this and couldn't wait to get home and give it a go.

(Just for the record, the original bottles that you can buy from store are much prettier- it's glass (I believe), square and has a great pump on it, however this is the bottle that you use in store to top up sample bottles and seeing as she used to work in store, she picked this up on the cheap-o.)

So, I've been using this every day for the past few weeks give or take a few days and I can honestly say that I've been loving it!

To say how thin the consistency is, the coverage is very, very high. I've barely touched any concealer since wearing this, which makes getting ready really easy. The foundation does smell slightly, which may be slightly too perfumed for some people, so make sure that you give it a sniff before you buy just in case.

It's very blend-able too, which is a massive bonus. There's nothing worse than a foundation that you can't seem to blend, leaving you with funny patches over your face. I've also noticed that you can build it up, so if you feel like you need a little more coverage on certain places.

Another great thing is that it comes in plenty of shades- there are 20 on the Boots.com website and so there may even be even more in store or on the Lancome website.

The only downside that I've found is that it doesn't seem to last very long, which is such a shame. I've tried using different primers, different setting powders, even different skincare regimes, however nothing has worked and I end up looking a little sweaty and patchy- not the look that I tend to go for.

Also, the price! It's £29.50 which is fine, as long as the foundation does it's job, however for that price, you can purchase the infamous Estee Lauder Double Wear and have a hefty, great foundation for the price.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great go-to foundation for the day-time when a heavy face and long-lasting coverage is not needed (maybe shopping, lunch, even work) but I'd definitely leave it to the professionals if you're going on a night out or you need your foundation to last all day.

Have any of you tried this foundation? Let me know!

xxxx

Purchase from Boots here for £29.50

MY WEEK IN PHOTOS

Good morning!

Today I thought that I'd share with you what I've been up to this week so here it goes.. 

1.we had a BBQ (mmm) // 2.Stroopwafels & melted Nutella- need I say any more? //

 3.Trying out my new dressing table lights.

4. WE BOOKED TWO HOLIDAYS. Yep, two. Me & Luke are going back to Dublin in the next few months & then we booked to go to Gran Canaria, all incl. in February eeeep!

5.Garden party at my mum & dad's // 6.Going through old photos of me & Luke, aww.

7.Yet another selfie. // 8.See number 4. // 9.Saw Inside Out with my sis.

So there it is, my weekly roundup. I'm super excited for my trips away, especially to show Luke around Dublin and then just to chill in the Canaries just after my birthday.

Also, I would totally recommend watching Inside Out (it's a kid's animated film, but it's really well made) and, bonus, it even has a short story at the begin that is a bugger for making you tear up. Take tissues!

See ya later & enjoy your week!

xxxxx