FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

So, I've spent the last couple of months trying to improve my skin by giving it a little break from liquid foundations and using only tinted moisturisers and Bare Minerals foundation and so I had forgotten how much I absolutely adore Estee Lauder Double Wear (in 'Ecru'). After my holiday, I noticed that the suncream had done me no favours in the blemish-department and so have returned to my old faithful high-coverage miracle and I can't see myself ever turning back. It dries upon application, leaving a flawless, matte base that does not budge all day.

So, so many times I have gotten a whiff of a beautiful scent, desperately seeking out the person in question to find out what it is that they are using, only to be (luckily) told that it's the low-priced bad boy that is the Lady Gaga EDT. This perfume lasts so much longer than perfumes that are triple the price and at this price, it's a wonderful bargain. Another scent that I have been absolutely loving this month is the Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist in Coconut Passion. If you have not smelt this, then you are seriously missing out. It is holiday in a bottle- by far the best day-scent that you could ever imagine. There's not a time when I've not got this in the bottom of my handbag, ready to spritz to give myself that holiday vibe.

I've been trying to rid myself of my blotchy, red face of late and so have been trying out a couple of new steps in my routine; 'what are your favourites?' I hear you ask.. Well it has to be the Aveeno Positively Radiant Serum and Eye Cream. I like to use the over the top of my Hydraluron serum and they just make my skin look and feel to fresh, hydrated and definitely much, much brighter. They sink in pretty quickly, so it's not too much hassle to wear underneath makeup too, pretty handy when you're in a rush. (um, is it just me that's always in a rush or?!)

As just said, I have constantly been in a rush to get to work since getting back off holiday (I blame the late-night cocktail sessions and the lazy morning that I got far too used to). This month, my go-to lip combo has to be Mac 'Please Me' & Maybelline Coloursensational Lip Liner in 'Velvet Beige'. I can see myself having to repurchase them asap because they are getting pretty used up. They are natural enough to make it kind of low-key for work, but they are enough to make me look like I have full, luscious lips.. (which I so dont). They are also very easy to apply whilst driving, which is a massive bonus but don't tell my mum that; she'll be wayyy angry. *Both hands on the wheel, eyes on the road*

Whilst on the subject of makeup, another favourite of mine is the Yves St Lauren Touche Eclat. This cult beauty product has always been high on my wish list, however I've never really needed it.. wait, is there ever really a makeup product that you need? Duh, of course there is. Anyway, since steering clear of the fake tan, I've realised that covering dark circles is a lot harder when you're pale, but this wonder product has really helped make me look more human- I'm not sure how I lived without this before. Also, the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette is another thing that I've found a liking for; at first I figured that the colours are, well, basic (obviously), but I found it hard to work with however I took it on holiday and wow, it's the best palette I've ever owned. 

The last thing on my list this month is the Malibu Miracle Tan, however I have totally forgotten to add it into this photo so I'll pop a link onto the end as to where you can get it. Being ghostly pale, it takes me a very long time to get an actual tan that's not from a bottle.. I burn easily and even when I do tan, it goes a very funny reddy-brown (not at all bronze-goddess, more burnt-lobster, sob). So when my sister gave me the this product to try, I figured that I didn't really have  much to lose. Quick info; you pop in on before and after sun exposure (it doesn't contain SPF) and it supposedly brings the melanin upwards, giving you a quicker, deeper, long-lasting tan. I used this morning and evening on a week's trip to Gran Canaria and I can assure you that I am actually brown. Real, proper tan-brown! So much so that I actually went out to town and everyone complimented me and asked which fake tan I was using as it looks so natural! Go and get one of these right now.. I will be stocking up, that's for sure! (you can get this here)

xxx

MASCARA 101; MY TOP 5 MASCARAS

Mascaras. My untold one true love.

I remember the first mascara I ever had. I was 14 and it was a Natural Collection number that I had sneakily bought with my pocket money on a little trip to Boots after school. It was brown (of course) and I used to wait until I had left the house and was on my way to school so that I could quickly pop a slick of this badass stuff on my peepers, because don't we all know that having lush lashes is totally the way to get your crush  all  of the boys to fancy you. Duh?

Ok, so I was one of the lucky few to have been blessed with naturally great eyelashes. Those lashes and my (obviously) witty personality are practically the only things that I have going for me, so you can imagine why I developed a bit of an obsession with mascaras from then on, right?

Okay, so one of the things that I am not is a 'brand whore', I am a firm believer that you can achieve just as great results from a drugstore mascara as you can from a premium brand of mascara, you just have to know where to look. Don't get me wrong, I love a good high end mascara- I love the luxurious packaging and the status that it brings with it, but truth be told, I begrudge using it and try to save it for special occassions and generally when it comes to me finally using it, it's all clumpy and dry. Not happy.

Anyway, enough babbling. Let's get down to business.

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mega Volume £8.99

I really didn't fancy this mascara at all when I saw it advertised, but when I was given it to try out, my opinion changed in an instance. Not only did it give my lashes great length, but it gave them a beautiful fluttery, full-lashed look. I love how it makes the base of the lashes look very thick and flirty, too. Unfortunately, I don't use this as I received the purple shade and it's just not a colour that I'd generally use on my eyes, but I will definitely be grabbing the darker shades of this as it's just too good to miss out on!

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes So Couture, So Black £8.99

I've mentioned this on a number of occasions- it genuinely is a fantastic product. The depth that it gives your lashes is unreal; you don't need to touch eyeliner when you've got this on as it's so pigmented. The only downside to this mascara is that it can get slightly flakey towards the end of the day, but this is a very minor downside to the product that I can definitely see past (I'm sure that you will too).

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes £22.50

Okay, so the fanciest and most expensive of the lot is up at number three. Yep, this is another amazing mascara- it gives great root lift, wonderfully spread out lashes and keeps your lashes curled all day. What's not to love? Oh, maybe the price.. The only reason that this made the 3rd spot is because being the tool that I am, I picked up this mascara is brown instead of black and it's just not dark enough for me. I keep meaning to rebuy this in the darker shade, but I know that my next two mascaras are better than this one and they're both half the price.. 

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Noir Excess £10.99

Again, another mascara that I'm sure that you will have heard me rant and rave about, but I just can't get enough of this. I have already repurchased it at least 6 times and use this on a daily basis. I love to layer this mascara up to give me the false-look effect. It makes my lashes seem like there are 2884187 of them fluttering up there, it lasts all day with no flakiness and the pigment makes me look like I've made more of an effort than I actually have. Result!

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic  £10.99

This one had to be my number one!

You know when you have that product that you have always wanted to try but you just never get round to trying it? Yeah, that's what this product was for me.

I asked for a new L'Oreal mascara for Christmas (because, if you haven't noticed, L'oreal have got it all sussed out when it comes to award-winning mascaras) and was lucky enough to receive this bad boy. I gave it a go on Christmas Day, getting wonderful results and haven't looked back since. On a daily basis, I will get some form of compliment on my lashes, and I can promise you 100% that it is all down to this beauty of a product. 

If you haven't tried this mascara, I urge you to give it a go.

So, have you tried any of these great products? What are your go-to mascaras?

Let me know 

xxx

FIVE THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND: GET STARTED ON YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

1.  DON'T BREAK YOUR HEALTHY EATING!

I know that it's tough, but seriously, you'll feel better for it come Monday and you realise that you've blown all of your hard work. This weekend, why don't you try some new recipes- Pinterest is fantastic for healthy recipes. 

2. START TRAVELLING;

Apparently one of the top New Years resolutions is to travel or visit somewhere new, so why not start it early. Just a quick travel to a new city will give you the bug and whilst you're there,  you can start planning where else you would like to go this year.

3. DON'T GO CRAZY WITH YOUR SPENDING;

Another top resolution is to save money. Now, coming from one of the biggest money wasters you'll ever know, this sounds crazy but really, do you need that new lippy or eyeliner or can it wait?

Have a happy weekend! 

xxx

DIY OMBRE BALAYAGE

Aloha.

Just a sneaky update this morning;

I gots myself some new hair. Okay, well it's the same hair, however it's taken a bit of a beating with a good few bleach sessions the last couple of weeks. 

I've been lusting after the ever-popular ombre balayage look and you all know how indecisive I can be.. Three months ago I had plum hair, two days later it was dark brown, then ombre, then dark again.

ugh, will I ever be happy?

After spending hours on end trolling through social media sites to find the 'perfect' look, I decided that I'd give balayage a go myself.

Disclaimer; I have ombre'd my hair myself before, but never have I tried balayage, so I figured "how hard could it be?!"

So, what's balayage I hear you ask? It's basically hair painting. Yep, that's right. You literally paint different strands of hair to create a natural, sunkissed look. It's a lot less subtle than highlights, but just adds some dimension to a normal head of colour.

Here is the finished look:

I don't think that I did too bad (trying not to blow my own trumpet!)

xxxx

FIVE THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND: SWITCH UP YOUR HAIR

1. BALAYAGE OR OMBRE;

One of the quickest and easiest way to freshen up your look over Christmas. 

Ombre is the gradual lightness from roots to ends whereas balayage tends to begin with an ombre effect, but then has highlights running through the lengths, creating a somewhat natural, sunkissed look.

Yep, you can get this professionally done at your local salon, but if you're on a budget (I mean, it is Christmas after all) then grab a box dye and give it a whirl yourself. 

I promise it's pretty fool-proof!

My favourites are:

 L'oreal Wild Ombre Kit £7.49

BLEACH DIY Dip Dye Kit £7

BLEACH Balayage Beach Lights £7

2. CUT IT SHORT;

Now this is one that I would probably recommend you visiting a salon for unless you are super-brave (which, admittedly I once did).. Go SHORT!

I absolutely love seeing an angular bob; they're sassy, chic and so stylish, although they are pretty high maintenance so this is probably not for you girls who like to roll out of bed and be ready in 5 minutes! Another downside- it's winter, so invest in a chunky knit scarf to keep that bare neck toasty.

If you don't see what I mean, pleaaase go onto Pinterest and type in 'medium bob'. 

You'll soon be itching to grab those scissors! 

3. GO A LITTLE CRAZY WITH PASTEL;

Strangely, I think that this is the only trend that I've not tried, but one that I so wish that I could pull off. You've got the entire colour spectrum out there, so go wild!

Take a look at the BLEACH London range here. 

4. GIVE IT SOME TLC;

Chuck on a store-bought mask or make your own and shiny, healthy hair will be yours...

My fave store-bought masks;

Ojon Damage Reverse Mask £34.50

John Frieda Full Repair Damage Mask £6.25

 

A couple of home-remedies;

Avocado flesh & a tablespoon of honey; leave for 20 minutes and rinse off.

Three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil & two eggs; leave to 20 minutes and rinse off.

5. GIVE A FRINGE A GO;

Cut one in yourself or, again, nip to your local salon for a couple of quid and ask for a fringe putting in. Now, this depends on how brave you are feeling- are you going for a cute side bangs or a bold full front fringe. Either way, it'll spruce up your 'do with minimal effort!

So, what are you thinking of doing?

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH MCBUSTED // CAPITAL EXPOSED

Okay, a little bit of a different post here today, but it's something that was so fun and different that I figured it deserved a mention.

So last week, I bagged myself tickets to the Capital Dino & Pete exposed with McBusted show. Basically, it's a live radio show where McBusted join them, play games, do interviews and perform live to a small audience in a secret location.. Sounds cool, right? 

We arrived at 6.30am (early, right?) and unfortunately spent an age queuing and waiting to get inside the venue. Now, me being me, I was tired and hungry, having skipped breakfast, and noticed that James had a heap of croissants next to him, so I tweeted them for a croissant. After a number of exchanged tweets, Matt eventually threw me a croissant.. I didn't actually catch it, but it's my new claim to fame.. 'Aren't you the croissant girl?'

After several hours, the show ended and I got the pleasure of meeting Dino and Pete whom my boyfriend listens to religiously (yes, I did cringily ask for a video from them directed towards my boyfriend..) but really, it was a wonderful morning and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Did anyone else go to this? 

BANISH AUTUMN: HAPPY HAIR

This blustering weather can also take it's toll on your hair, making it dry, frizzy and making any split ends look 10 times worse than what they are.

Here are my top 3 products to help combat horrid hair:

£10.99 - available here

This stuff is Gods gift to all girls who look at their hair and realise how dry their ends are. You put a small amount of this balm onto the ends of your hair which turns the balm into a sort of oil, moisturising your locks and turning them silky soft.

£5.99 now £2.99 - available here

I like to use this conditioner when I'm in a rush and don't have time to wait for a mask to work it's magic. This Dove conditioner is a non-greasy, dry oil product so it definitely replenishes hair just in 3 minutes. I love to whack this on, do my thaaang and rinse it off just before I'm about to jump out of the shower to get the best benefits.

£6.29 - available here

I like to use this once a week as it leaves my hair looking like I've just got back from the salon; full, healthy and glowing. Love this mask!

How do you keep your hair tip-top shape?

 

xox