August Favourites '13

Another month down, head back to school on Monday, 6 weeks always feels forever but flys so fast, luckily I have lots prepared so it will be a bit easier when we get back! 

Ahywhoo, as September starts I've picked my favourites for August. In August I worked out lots, did lots of work for school and went on holiday and all the bits I've picked are bits which really stood out, especially on holiday.

- Benefit Hoola Bronzer - Love this, topping up the tan, contouring, bronzing, there's nothing I don't like about this, apart from the fact I've hit pan.

- Rimmel Scandal Eyes Retro Glam mascara - In the evenings this is what I reached for, great to give really full lashes and it didn't flake in the evening heat!

- Maybelline Great Lash - This is the waterproof version and its perfect for the bottom lashes as the brush is really dinky.

- Pantene Repair & Protect Conditioner - Bought this in Spain and it was amazing! Left my hair soft and reduced the appearance of split ends, I will be trying more from this range.

- Dove Summer Glow - Used on holiday to help top up a bit more to bring out the colour, I'm still using it to keep everything even, especially on my legs.

- Nintendo DS - In the drawer with the travel plugs, much neglected but I've re-kindled my love for it, have spent
 way too many hours playing games on it!

- Books - I packed these two for holiday and loved just having time to read a book, switching off from blogs.

- Tangle Teezer - Its love, could not have been on holiday without it, even my niece who squeals if you walk near with a brush let me style her hair every night! 

Overall a good month, what favourites have you had this month? xx

July/August Empties

More empty things to chuck, does anyone else feel like a hoarder storing empty pots?

Oh well, on to the products.

*Soap & Glory Sugar Crush - Love, I was gutted when I finished this, I will repurchase.

*John Frieda Full Repair Conditioner - Another love, but time for a change.

*L'Oreal Micellar Solution - its ok, not something I will pick up again out of choice, back in love with Bioderma.

*Anatomicals Body Scrub - This was in a Glossybox and it was a nice product to use, it smelt nice and was a good scrub, glad to have tried it, I might pick up some more bits from Anatomicals in the future.

*Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion - I really like this, its a good moisturiser, plus I love the packaging, I would pick up again at another time.

*Lush Bubble Wand - I can't remember which wand this was but I loved it, I love the Lush bubble wands, time to stock up on some more!

*Premae Face Tonique - Another Glossybox sample, it was ok however I've found another one to use from La Roche Posay so I've switched.

So there we have it, my empties of the last two months - what bits have you used up this month? xx

Wobble-Less Wednesday - Chicken Tikka Masala

The one thing I hate about changing up my eating habits is that I suddenly start craving everything naughty - pizza, pasta, takeaway. So I'm on a mission to make take away options the healthy way :)

My favourite take away choice is Indian, especially the creamy Tikka Masala, but with a minimum calorie of 650 without rice, I needed to find a way of cleaning it up.

Normally I would use a jar of paste, instead I made my own paste - it was super easy and it made a jar of paste that I could use again.

I used 100g of chicken, and 60g of brown rice per person.

For the paste you will need:

2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 fresh red chillies
1 small bunch fresh coriander
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons ground almonds

First, peel the garlic and chop, before toasting in a dry pan with the sliced ginger until it browns. Then add to a blender and grind to a powder. Then throw in the rest of the ingredients and blend into a paste (easy!)

Next cook off your chicken chunks, and then mix with two tablespoons of the paste in the pan. To make it creamy I added one tablespoon of half fat crème fraiche but you could use plain yoghurt, or just have it with the paste only. Mix in some spinach and you have a yummy tikka.

I used brown rice to keep the calories down and help fill up. With rice this roughly comes out at about 500 calories, but it’s much cleaner and healthier than a take away.

This was so easy and yummy, plus I've now got a jar of paste to use for other meals - hint, mix the paste with chicken before grilling on a griddle for a lush salad topper.

What do you think? A better alternative to take away thats for sure, plus a load cheaper as well!! xx

Review - Tangle Teezer

Sometimes there's a product which you don't buy for ages and then you cave and wonder what took you so long and how you ever lived without it! Well this is said product.

Having long hair, one of the banes of my life is how knotty it gets, especially with how dry it is at the moment - damn purple hair dye! So I thought this was the time to invest in the rather oddly shaped, orange coloured, strangley wonderful device.

The Tangle Teezer is supposed to fit perfectly in the hand due to the design, it does. The spindles on the brush are longer then most brushes and they do make a big difference to how much pulling there is - I've notice a lot less breakage when I brush my hair wet and brushing through it when dry.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I've noticed my hair is a lot less knotty, I can get a brush through much easier without the painful pulling, I think I'm converted and next on my list is the travel size, however if you can explain why a smaller brush is more expensive then I would really appreciate it!

Have you used the Tangle Teezer? Thoughts please xx

Review - Indeed Labs Hydraluron

Hello passing bandwagon, let me jump on board. I know, every blogger & their mother owns a tube of Hydraluron but one more review can't hurt?

I held off buying this for ages as it is very expensive and I didn't understand what the purpose of it was, how could skin be oily but dry but dehydrated and what was an acid going to do to help it?

After much research I decided to bite the bullet and picked it up when there was a 3 for 2 on skin care. The little tube sets you back £25, a lot for one product I feel.

I apply this in the morning before my moisturiser, it helps to lock the moisturiser to the skin, re-hydrating the skin from lower skin layers. Initially my skin just felt the same, a bit more moisturised but no different. Over a couple of weeks of regular use I have noticed a big difference to my skin, especially the dry bits on my cheeks & between my eyebrows. My skin feels softer and smoother plus things look a lot less dehydrated.

Now is in my life, I cant imagine ever being without it, Hydraluron will always be a part of my skin care I think, until something better & cheaper comes along maybe!

Have you tried Hydraluron? Any of the other Indeed Labs products? Xx

Guest Post - FreshbeautyXOX Summer Make-Up

Hi! I'm Shona from freshbeautyxox and I'm taking over Sarah's blog for the day to share with you some products I've been loving this summer! I think just about everyone changes their everyday makeup routine for the different seasons, especially for summer! I know I prefer less eye makeup, a lighter base and lots of lip products in summer!

First of all my gorgeous makeup bag is from another blogger's online store, The Beauty Closet! I have the Paisley Park Floral Makeup Bag and I really love it! It fits lots in and looks pretty which is also a plus!

For Primer I've been reaching for my new Benefit POREfessional Primer to create an even base. I won this recently in a giveaway so I haven't had it long so far but it has already found its way into my makeup bag! I find it does minimise the appearance of pores and increase wear time of my BB Cream. 

The BB Cream I've been reaching for recently is my new Diorskin Nude BB Creme which was sent to me for review consideration. I find it is a tad too dark for me but it doesn't make me look orange, according to friends it makes me look tanned! I'm loving it so far, it feels really light on my skin and evens out my skin nicely. It doesn't cover up my freckles which is good but it does cover blemishes and my red cheeks!

Next up base wise I have my concealer, the well loved Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I've only come across a few bloggers who haven't tried this! The shade is a good match for me, it covers under eye circles and blemishes and it lasts all day on me! I finish off my base with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder to keep shine at bay and to try and stop my makeup melting off my face!

For blush I've been reaching for NYX's Powder Blush in Peach at the moment which is a great summer shade. It's well pigmented, lasts on me all day and is inexpensive. I think it is just a great all round blush!

For eyes I keep it really simple in the summer reaching for just mascara and one or two eyeshadows! For eyeshadow I've been loving using Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe, it is a great base shade and lasts all day long on me. For mascara I like to have something that I can guarantee will last all day on me. If you follow my blog you'll already know how much I love the MUA Every Lash Mascara! It gives my lashes volume and length but, keeps them natural looking at the same time if I use one coat. It also doesn't flake or smudge at all and is a bargain at only £3!

Finally for lip products I have 3 picks. For me in summer I like to have some moisturising lip products as my lips tend to get really dry in the summer. First up are the new Maybelline Baby Lips that I adore! They have just enough colour for me and are really hydrating, I have 3 shades but these two are my favourites, Pink Punch and Cherry Me. Another great hydrating product is the Revlon Balm Stains, I've been using the shade Cherish a lot lately, it is a lot more pigmented than baby lips and lasts longer as well.

That's what's lurking in my summer makeup bag at the moment! A big thanks to Sarah for letting me guest post for her blog!

If you want to read more you can find my blog here: freshbeautyxox.blogspot.com

Shona xx

Thank you Shona for a great post - I may have picked up some of the Babylips in Dutyfree on my way out! Make sure you pop over to Shona's blog, she writes awesome posts! xx

Virtual Hauling - Topshop Autumn Boots

I know, I'm on holiday but I'm so excited about Autumn as its my favourite season, I like summer but I'm not really a sandals sort of girl, give me chunky boots and socks any day!

So when I was in Topshop recently I couldn't help gazing at the gorgeous boots. I've picked mine for A/W but thought I would show you some of my favourites from Topshop.

Which ones are your favourite?

xx

Blog Swap! Guest Post Lost in Lipstick - Summer Essentials

Hey everyone, my names Rachel and I write a blog called Lost In Lipstick http://lostinlipstick.blogspot.co.uk/  I write about beauty, fashion and lifestyle so there is a little bit there for everyone! I was looking for bloggers to write guest posts on my blog and the lovely Sarah suggested we do a guest post swap. I've never written a guest post before so I hope you like it! I have decided to share with you my Summer essentials. These are the products I have been using throughout Summer, even though we don't have fantastic weather here in England! But we did experience a heatwave so we actually had a mini Summer this year!

Avene Thermal Spring Water - This is a relatively new product to me but It has been a Godsend to me during the heatwave we recently experienced. I did debate for a long time about getting a thermal water spray but I am so glad I have this one in my life. It just isn't the same as a regular water spray. As it's in a aluminium can, the water stays cool so it is always refreshing. It almost allowed my skin to breathe in the hot weather.

Liz Earle Eye Bright Soothing Eye Lotion - This has been in my life for about a year now but it became part of my everyday routine in June. I suffer from hayfever and it's the one negative of Summer for me. Every morning when I woke up, I would have to apply this to two cotton wool pads and hold onto my eyes for a while just to soothe them and make the puffiness go away. Even if you don't suffer from hayfever, it has been a lifesaver at those 6am wake up calls! Definitely one for those who are not a morning person!

Apivita Suncare Face Cream SPF 50 - In the past few years, I have become more educated in the effects of sun damage and it's not something I want to experience in my life! It is extremely important to wear sun cream if you're going to be outside for more that 10-15 minutes. I have recently started using at least factor 25 on my body (when I was younger, I used to settle for factor 10! Tut tut!) and at least factor 30, preferably 50, on my face. My face is the one part of my body that is always exposed to the sun when I'm outside and it's the first place sun damage shows so it's especially important to protect your face. 

 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Natural Bronzer Body Lotion - Since becoming more educated about sun damage, I'm not that bothered about a real tan, it only fades after all but the damage will never fade. Most days I embrace being pale but some days, I just prefer to fake it! Sometimes having a tan just makes me feel happier and more confident in myself. This is a gradual tanner but as I am so pale, one application provides a lovely bronzed glow. It can go patchy on dry areas so my top tip is to apply moisturiser to any dry areas you have like elbows and knees beforehand. 

Clarins Liquid Bronzer Self Tanning - I'm sure everyone has heard of this by now. I bought it in Spring and I have been using it throughout Spring and Summer. I use a cotton wool pad to apply to my face and neck at night time, once my moisturiser has sunk in. When I wake up in the morning, I have a lovely, natural, healthy glow. To maintain the tan, I reapply every other day. I have never experienced blotches or streaks with this tan and it always looks super natural. If you have beautiful skin, it's a great alternative to make up when it's just too hot to worry about foundation!

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint - I'm sure everyone will agree with me here in saying that during the heatwave it was just too hot to wear make up. However, I am not blessed with clear skin. When I have had to go out and it was a make up occasion, I would opt for this lighter coverage over a heavier coverage foundation. This has been perfect as it feels light on your face and has the added benefit of SPF 15. (Please note, I have not relied on this for protection when I have been sitting in the sun for long periods of time.)

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Blueberry - I am a massive nail polish addict and it's saying something when I have about 70 bottles but I re-apply this over and over again. That is what I have been doing since purchasing this shade. It is a beautiful colour, perfect for Summer, and due to the formula it lasts longer on the nails than regular polish. This is my second bottle of Barry M Gelly Nail Polish and I will definitely be purchasing some more in the near future. 

Bourjois Cream Blush in Rose Tender - Cream blusher is something I had never used before becoming a beauty blogger. My first cream blusher was from MUA to make sure I liked the difference from powder blush. After seeing all the hype surrounding these beautiful round pots of colour, I knew they would be my next cream blush purchase. Also this cream blush turns into powder on your cheeks so it's great for newbies! 

So there you have it, my Summer essentials. I hope you enjoyed reading this and maybe I persuaded you to make a few new purchases! Make sure you pop along to Lost In Lipstick (LINK) and say hello! It would be great to meet some new people. I'm also on twitter if you want to say hello on there I'm @lostinlipstick. Thank you to Sarah for letting me write a guest post for her blog.

Rachel x 

Thank you so much for an awesome post Rachel, I may have popped a few of these onto my shopping list for my holiday! Make sure you check out Rachel's blog xx

Top 5 Summer Nail Polish Colours

We all know I'm a polish addict, but there are always some colours that I reach for more in the summer then at any other time of the year, Neon pink just doesn't look the same in December! So I've rifled through my collection and picked my top 5 colours for the summer as well as some of the polishes in those colours! 

Green - 

I love greens and mints in the summer, very fresh and bright withouth being too over the top. My go to colours are Topshop's Pool Party and Barry M's Greenberry.

Coral -

Coral colours live on my toes in the summer, theres just something about coral toes and sandals. I think Essie make some of the best corals, Cute as a Button is great, whilst this No7 polish is cute, but I'm naughty as its a Limited Edition!

Blue -

Blue colours are on the border with green, but a good blue is nice and light for summer - especially if the sky is the same. Models Own make fantastic blues in a wide range of shades. Beths Blue in a perfect sky blue whilst Baleric Cool is the perfect sea blue/green.

Neon -

Oh Neon, you do scare me some what - I have to wait until I'm tanned as Neons look awful against my pale skin. Again, my go to for Neons are Models Own, is there anything they can't do! I picked out Bubblegum, the exceptionally bright pink and Beach Party, a gorgeous neon orange. I love these on my nails, even together with orange base & pink dots.

Dark -

Sometimes I start to crave darker colours on my nails. There is something about dark nails against tanned skin, I do love it, especially on shorter nails. I dug through my stash and there was only one choice for brand of dark colours and its OPI. The two colours that I've been loving is OPI Pepe's Purple Passion and Lincoln Park After Dark. I love both of these, a dark vampy purple looks great on toes and tips! 

So there are my top 5 colours for summer, what colours do you reach for in the summer? xx

What's in my' Makeup' Bag - Holiday Edition

Hola! I love these sorts of posts, it gives me a chance to be nosey into other peoples bags and I love seeing what people pack, even if it proves that I pack too much! 

I'm only away in  Spain for a week, however I have no idea what we'll be getting up to, so I may have packed more than I need but I don't care.

My makeup bag is a really old one from Benefit, but its perfect for travelling. For bases I've packed a couple of options, for lazy days wandering the streets I've packed Maybelline's Dream Pure BB Cream and for the nights my Nars sheer matte foundation - I love this as it has no SPF so I can wear it for photographs in the evening. Concealer is the Benefit Fake Up, only for during the evening if needed.

To add some contour I've packed Benefit Hoola as its the perfect colour to top up the tan, and the new Rockateur to add some peachy glow to my cheeks. As a highlighter I've chucked in SunBeam from Benefit, I don't get a great deal of use out of it so better make the most in the sun.

Eyes comes from Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Eternal Gold for a lazy eye, or if I fancy a bit more then I have a MAC palette with All the Glitters, Woodwinked, Satin Taupe, Cork & Wedge. I've packed a mini Benefit They're Real Mascara as well as a waterproof mascara, Maybelline's Great Lash is fab. I'm also testing the Rimmel Mascara to see how it fairs! Eyeliner is from Laura Mercier its a cream liner that doesn't budge no matter what. Eyebrows are Benefits Browzing, nothing beats it as far as I'm concerned at the moment.

Finally on the lips I've packed Maybelline's Electric Orange and No7 BBLips in Belle Pink.

So there you have it, a very Benefit centric make up bag, I can't help it there's a lot of fantastic products from Benefit!

There you have it, a makeup bag What's in my Bag for my holiday! 

xx

Goodbye England, Hola España!!!

Image - Weheartit

Greetings from Estepona!

So if you haven't guessed it from the last weeks tweets & general excitedness, I'm away in Spain for a week. 

I'm currently in Estepona in the South-East of Spain. I've come out here with my boy and his family. His grandparents used to live out here and so its filled with memories for his family, I'm quite excited to share this trip with them as sadly Nan & Pop passed away in the last few years.

We flew out yesterday morning very early from Gatwick, its a bit of a shock to the system that early but well worth it. 

I'm not blogging whilst I'm away, however I have scheduled posts for the week, plus two Guest Posts from some lovely bloggers! I'm not going to vanish completely, I will be on instagram I'm sure, maybe even some WIWT pictures, plus there will be lots of pictures when we're back next week.

For now, hasta pronto!! xx

Review - Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids in Electric Orange

Oh orange lips, what is it about orange that I'm drawn to? I very rarely wear anything on my lips but recently there is one colour that I crave and its orange!

At the recent Beds/Hertsbloggermeet that I went to I was chatting with the girls about my need for an orange and they suggested Electric Orange from Maybelline. After swatching it in Boots it was more or a need then a want, so off I trotted clutching this as it has been my go to colour for the last few weeks!

Electric Orange is part of the vivid range and its very bright. A red toned orange its slightly kinder on my pink toned skin on a good day. It wears really well, lasting a couple of hours without drinking. Its a creamy finish so no too glossy but it doesn't dry out my lips which is great as I'm a complete numpty and always forget to apply a balm to my lips.

Theres just something about orange in the summer sun, this will be coming on holiday with me! For £7.19, its Love!!

What do you think? Love an orange lip for the summer? xx

WIWT - Grey Skirts & Blue Sky

 

 How awkward do I look in these pictures! I've discovered  that I really need to work on how to pose, need to read more fashion blogs I think.

Anywhoo, this is what I wore to Brighton the other weekend, I wanted to be comfy walking around for the day. I adore pencil skirts, I normally wear this one at work, but saw someone dressing it down the other day & wanted to wear it then otherwise I end up with half a wardrobe for work and the other half for the rest of the time. I teamed it with this purple faded T-shirt from Primark, kinda risky as the T-shirt is very see-through as I found out on this day, plus purple socks from Topshop. Trainers are a primark special, comfy and I will probably throw them when their dead. 

Finally, my latest crush is backpacks so I picked up this one from Topshop. I love the faded black with floral detail, it carries my camera as well as everything else I carry about with me - I may even do an ode to this bag soon as it really is love!

What do you think - pencil skirts dressed up or down? Any tips on posing? xx

Off we went to Brighton!

A couple of Sundays ago, myself and the boy headed off to make the most of our weekend with a little trip to Brighton. I love heading down there, its so nice to get away as well as wandering around seeing all the people. 

We headed to the Aquarium as I had a voucher for us both, I love seeing all the fish, makes me want to be a mermaid swimming under the sea. We saw lots of fish, star fish, the smiley rays, two GIANT Sea Turtles and the sharks. It was awesome, wandering about, making silly faces.

Next we headed to the pier to play on the 2p machines and eat ice cream. Whilst there we had one of those You've Been Framed moments, standing on the pier each with a '99 when this Birdzilla of a Seagull swooped in and pulled out only the flake from the boys Ice Cream!! I've never seen anything so funny, I literally had to sit down I was laughing so much, however karma is a bugger and 5mins later another Seagull swooped in and stole a chunk from my Ice Cream!!

We played on the pier, won lots of tickets and traded them in for a few lollies and the odd pencil, oh well! We sat on the beach for a bit until our tummies began to rumble so there was only one place to head and that was for fish and chips at Harry Ramsden.

I had fish, chips and beans whilst the boy had mushy peas - yuck!

We hopped back on the bus and jumped in the car, zoomed up the M25 back home and straight to bed, all that sea air had tuckered us both out.

These are just a few snaps from the day, next time I want to  explore more of Brighton, where else would you recommend to go? xx

FOTD - Simple Summer

So the summer holidays are three weeks down & I'm starting to go a little mad with boredom. They're also making me incredibly lazy and I spend days without any makeup on, often in my pjs watching naff tv!

So I decided it was time I threw on a bit of face & went out into the real world again. Here's what I popped on my face for the occasion:

Garnier 5Sec Blur Primer

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Medium

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

Benefit Browzing in Medium

Topshop lipstick in Secret Admirer 

This seems to bet go to lazy face at the moment, maybe switching up the lipstick if I feel like it, just depends if I plan to leave the house for more then a trip to Asda or popping into school to sort some stuff!

What do you throw on for a lazy day face? Any of these products ones you like? Xx