Current Makeup Favourites

Thought I would share the products have I have been wearing everyday for the past few weeks. Some of these are staple pieces in my make-up bag and others I have just re-fallen in love with again. 

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation - N10
I actually hadn't used this for a while and I have just started using again. I think this foundation works really well for this time of year on my skin. I found during the summer months it didn't last as long. The smell of this foundation is divine and the colour match for me is spot on. I really like the natural glow this gives my skin and it doesn't feel heavy at all. 

Warning this foundation is pretty pricey so I would recommend trying a sample before you buy as I really do think this foundation isn't for any skin type.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - Vanilla 
This is my favourite concealer ever! I haven't found another concealer to match this. Sadly I go through so many of these in a year, I only wish the container was bigger :(

Vanilla is the perfect match for my skin tone, I use this under my eyes and around my nose and chin to conceal any red/spotty bits (we all have them). 

LUSH Emotional Brilliance Translucent Powder 
Wow what can I say about this powder other than its amazing. It sets my makeup, it doesn't dry out my skin and I have only just gone back the half way mark and I have had this beauty for over 6 months. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! 

NARS Bronzer - Laguna 
I never used to wear bronzer until I saw all the hype about this product and asked my sister to get this for my birthday. Now I am hooked!

Especially since I am such a pale girl, this really gives me some colour, a warm glow! 

I have had this for nearly 6 months now and I havent hit pan yet, hoping this lasts me till the end of the year. 

NYX Butter Lipstick - Snow Cap 
OK, so I actually have so many NYX lip products and I am excited to see stalls popping up in loads of Boots stores all around the UK. They are reasonably priced, the colour selection is great and they don't dry out my lips. This is one of the butter lipsticks which are really good for a lip-balm, glossy whisp of colour. 

I also really love the Soft Matte Lip Creams which I will be doing a blog post about very soon! 

Woops

In the process of re-vamping my blog I managed to delete one of my old blog posts called "What Shade Am I?".

I will re-do this blog post with my current favourites, so watch this space....

:)

Vintage Vibes

I have always been a fan of 'baggy' t-shirts, patterned shirts, jumpers and anything tie-dye. Until fairly recently I didn't realise this had become a whole new genre of fashion generally termed 'Vintage'.

This new trend works out well for us 'vintage' lovers as there are so many high-street retailers now selling their own vintage ranges. 

A few of my favourite places to shop for vintage items at the moment: 

• ASOS --> Brands such a 'Milk It', 'Reclaimed Vintage' etc. 
• Asos Marketplace 
• Bags 2 Bitches Boutique
• Urban Outfitters 

My most recent purchase was a 'Milk It' Camo Jacket, shown in the picture above, and I LOOOOOVEEE it!!! 

Have you found any vintage shop havens?

Flower Pressing - What's the fuss about?

I have always loved flowers from a young age; all the different colours and styles. If I see anything with a floral pattern I want to take a closer look and the name of my blog should give enough hints :) My boyfriend frequently surprises me with bouquets and the novelty really doesn't wear off for me- seeing a bright bouquet when I come downstairs in the morning brings a smile to my face,

If you are anything like me, and love flowers, finding a way to preserve such beauties is a must try! So I started trying to press flowers about a year ago. 

For anyone that doesn't know, flower pressing is the process of flattening and drying-out flowers into a 'preserved' state. Pressed flowers can be used to decorate cards or gifts or even be used to crate your own display for framing. 

You can read about many methods online and tips to finding the perfect flowers for pressing. If I am really honest, I have just been using a bit of trail and error and seeing what works and what doesn't (but there is a good link at the end of this post for more ideas).  

I have tried the good old fashion 'book' method and I recently purchased a wooden flower press from Typo.com, which I have had quite a bit of success with. 

The general idea of flower pressing though is placing the appropriate flower/stems in between two bits of paper and placing this paper in between a weighted item that can 'press' the flowers together, for example a book. 
Pressing can take anything from 3-6 days. The results are varied, some flowers work well and others not so well. But, its exciting to see the end product either way, you never know quite what to expect!!

For more information on flower pressing check out this link below - I might steal some of these ideas myself too:  

http://www.proflowers.com/blog/how-to-press-flowers

Blog re-vamp

I am just in the process of re-vamping my blog, so please excuse any mess. Some of my posts are in different formats and its taking me a little while longer than I anticipated. 

I have been pretty sloppy with my blog posts as of late, there isn't an excuse other than I have just been busy with other things. I am a big believer that blogging needs to be fun and not forced so I don't want to just post for the sake of it, or rush a crappy post that needs to be edited at a later date.

Hopefully once I have finished my re-vamp, I can get myself organised and posting again. 

Lots of Love

-X-

Disney Dream

At the beginning of June me and my boyfriend went to Orlando for just under two weeks for a long awaited trip back to Disney World. 

Last time I went I way yay-high and spent most of my time queuing for character autographs :/ Not that this trip would be that much different, I swapped the autographs for selfies :D

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Hotel which is amazing! It's honestly like living in a zoo. We didn't have a Savannah View room but we could still see animals from our bedroom window! I'm talking zebras, giraffes, ostrich's, to name a few. The novelty didn't wear off, I was still in absolutely awe every time I saw a giraffe eat some leaves from a tree or a zebra run from one side of the Savannah to the other. The decor in the hotel was absolutely beautiful!

With regards to our daily activities we took advantage of our free bus transport to and from any Disney park and resort. We went to all the Disney parks at least once, and spent most evenings at Disney Springs.

Animal Kingdom
Animals, rides, shows = My favourite park

Magic Kingdom
Still as magical as I remember it :)

Hollywood Studios
Movies galore and home to some of the best rides!

Epcot
My least favourite of the Disney Parks but still worth a trip. You can experience various cultures from around the globe (aka the big silver ball).

Disney Springs
Springs is the spruced up version of Downtown Disney where you can do all your shopping or grab a bite to eat! I loved it there! My two favourite restaurants were at Disney Springs:

• House of Blues, a super cute good old American bar and grill that has amazing live music and frozen margeritas! Yum!
• Raglan Road, an Irish pub with amazing food and Irish music and dancing !

We also went to Universal Studios, SeaWorld and Discovery Cove - I got to swim with a dolphin, finally!!

Was such a great holiday, super expensive but totally totally worth it !

There are loads of pictures on my Instagram if you want to check out more :)

-X-

New Zealand Work Trip

So I have been AWOL for a few weeks, work has been pretty busy. 

I had the opportunity to go to New Zealand for work which is an opportunity I couldn't turn down, although I wont say I didn't have my reservations. If any of you have read my other blog Sunshine and Showers you will know I suffer from anxiety, and this being my first trip by myself, it wasn't an easy task. But, I did it :) Yay me! 

I only got back on Thursday so I am still suffering from jet lag. Writing this post at 07:45 on Saturday morning but I have actually been awake for several hours.

I stayed in Auckland for a week and half in a lovely hotel called the Stamford Plaza. I had an executive room, which had a huge king sized bed, 40 inch TV and a lovely shower and bathroom. The hotel had several restaurants and a buffet breakfast every morning which I took advantage of. The staff were so helpful and really made my stay as relaxing and easy as possible. My favourite part of the hotel was definitely the pool and spa area on the 10th floor. This was my wind down area after many a long day in the office!  

Although I spent most of the time working in the office and the hotel I did have some time for a little fun....

I went up the Sky Tower, the Auckland Art Gallery and I was luckily enough to take a tour to Hobbiton, the Lord of the Rings set. I went on a Bush and Beach tour which was really really great, and definitely worth looking into if you are going out to New Zealand. They do other tours as well and if I had been there longer I would have tried another. I was picked up from my hotel early on a Sunday morning and driven 2 hours south of Auckland to the Alexanders farm where the set is based. We then had a guided tour of the set, a drink in the Green Dragon and a buffet lunch. It was worth every penny and the tour guides were great fun and full of lots of facts! Could not recommend it anymore.

I plan to go back to New Zealand in the future and check out the South Island which I hear is stunning. 

-X-

Countdown to Disney

Be warned this post is overhauled with exclamation marks due to sheer excitement! 

Ahhhhh I'm so excited! Just over a month until me and my boyfriend are sunning ourselves in Disney World Florida! I last went there when I was like 10 I can barely remember it but I know it's going to be amazing! I feel like a kid again !

We are going to stay in the Animal Kingdom Hotel. I have never stayed in Disney before, and I wanted this trip to be really special so we thought what the heck. 

I must say, the Disney hotels are not cheap and I cannot believe my parents spent "how much!?!" on a family trip to Disney all those years ago! So anyone planning a trip, be warned! 

I also want to go to Discovery Cove and swim with dolphins. Its been my dream since I was yay-high. So this will definitely get booked! 

Then there is all the standard Disney parks, outlet shopping, a bit of sun and of course the amazing, totally unhealthy food!!! :)

Can you tell how excited I am?!

*Picture taken from Pinterest*

-X-

Finally feels like Spring (all photos are my own)

NARS Tinted Moisturiser - WANT WANT!

I recently purchased a sample of the NARS Tinted Moisturiser in Terre Neuve as I have been dying to try it out for months. And my gosh, I love it! I have worn it for the last three days and finally used up all of my sample :( and I literally cannot wait to buy the full sized product. 

I read soooo many reviews online about this and kept trying to work out whether I was Finland or Terre Neuve and finally settled on the latter. Here are my thoughts in a few bullet points: 

• Colour match in Terre Neuve is perfect for me 
• The coverage for me is great, it gives coverage but still lets your skin shine through - so many people said this in other reviews online and I didn't know what they meant until I tried it for myself 
• I applied the product using a brush and this worked well for me 
• I love the finish it literally feels like I have nothing on my face
• I added concealer to my under-eyes and nose area and then added some powder to set this and to my t-zone and it literally stays on all day 
• I didn't notice any extreme shine, just a nice dewy finish 
• My blusher/bronzers all apply lovely to this 
• I sometimes get dry patches around my nose or forehead but this didn't happen using NARS TM. I have to say I have the NARS Sheer Matte Skin Tint and this did give my some dry patches (nothing major - but I still noticed) 
• Perfect for everyday makeup :)
• My boyfriend commented on my make-up when wearing this so I know it must be good!

Basically in summary I LOVE it and I cant wait to purchase the full-sized product. 

Have you tried the NARS TM or any other tinted moisturisers? 

The High-Street Edit

So I have been building up my make up collection over the past year and I have a lot of high end beauty products but there are some high street bargains that I absolutely love and are staple pieces in my daily make-up routine. 

Lets start with the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer: I actually only discovered this just over a month ago and it is honestly one of my favourite primers. It seems to work with all of my foundations and it really does make a difference to the look, finish and longevity of my make up. It is a cream based primer but it has a tacky sort of feeling once its been put on which I really like as it feels like its actually going to do something. The packaging is easily transported and the price is about a fiver -- BARGAIN!!

Next up is the Soap & Glory Wonderbronze: I use the NARS Laguna Bronzer as well which is great but that is my special bronzer since its so expensive. This is a much cheaper daily alternative. 

What I love about this bronzer is it has a real sheen glowy feel to it and on my fair complexion it works really well. Its also very build-able and you don't feel like you are painting your face brown if you get what I mean. I cant remember the exact price but its around a tenner (maybe a little more) but I have been using this alot and I'm still yet to see pan! 

MaxFactor Cream Puff Blush in 15 Seductive Pink: I am super impressed with this stuff. The colour is gorgeous, and it really stays on all day. It actually stays on longer then most of my high end blushers which is really saying something. The actual blush is a power/cream combination and it really blends into the skin well. You don't need alot either! I think I paid about £6 for this, and I am looking to get a few more shades at some point too! 

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter: This was a random purchase I made one Saturday when I was actually looking for toiletries. I paid £3 for this baby and I just loved the shimmery colour. Its really nice on the skin and you really don't need much to give a highlighting "pop". For the price you cant really go wrong. 

And at last but not least is my new holy grail powder, the LUSH Emotional Brilliance Translucent Face Powder: I have been looking for a decent setting powder for a few months now and I have definitely found it. It is translucent so adds no colour which for me is great. I'm already really pale and I don't want any additional coverage on top of my liquid foundation. 

I use this to set my under-eye concealer and also to dot around my t-zone. It helps keep my make up on and it doesn't feel heavy. The only downside is the container; it can be quick messy to apply and I find the Real Techniques Setting brush the best to use as it can pick up a bit of powder and its small enough for me to swizzle it around in the lid. But it doesn't really bother me! This cost me £13 and I will definitely be repurchasing!!!!!

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation

I'm going to start this post straight off by saying I don't actually know what I think about this foundation yet. I don't feel wowed yet but there is still time...

I got this for myself as a birthday treat last weekend when I was in my birth town of Chester (its so pretty there). I got the foundation from Debenhams with 10% off so it was around £33 instead of £36 which isn't a massive saving but its better than nothing. 

I got colour-matched by the lady at the counter, matched me to B10. I think the colour match is perfect for my skin. I actually thought this colour would be a bit too yellowy but its not. 

One thing I do love about the foundation is the packaging. It is lovely and I don't think I would need too much convincing to just have it on my dresser for "display purposes" if the foundation itself in the end doesn't suit. The foundation comes in a lovely misty glass bottle and it has a pump which is amazing! I don't know why foundations don't come with pumps? I makes no sense to me. 

Anyway onto the application...I have worn this foundation on three different occasions and I will briefly explain my experiences with each:

Wear 1: I used my standard pre primer and post powder of Soap and Glory One Hell of a Blot Primer which is great with all my other foundations but the Chanel Les Beige's just seemed to slip off my parts of skin within a few hours of me putting this on, I also had a really shiny t-zone :(. 
I had to re-powder around my nose in particular as it looked red and almost as if I hadn't been wearing any foundation there at all. I also wasn't too keen about how it felt on my skin, it didn't feel light and moisturising, even though it is meant to be. 

Wear 2: I used a different primer, the L'oreal Matte Gel and the foundation seemed to sit a little better on this and I wasn't getting as much shine coming through. However, I still felt paranoid about my nose so I put EXTRA foundation and powder on but felt I still needed concealer after a few hours. 

Wear 3: This was probably the best out of the three. I used the L'oreal primer again and this time used a new powder to set my makeup, by Lush. Overall the foundation stayed on better but I did blow my nose at one point in the day and the foundation looked cakey and dry around my nose after this and I don't usually get that with my other foundations.

I am currently still not sure what I think. I am going to try a few combinations of wearing this and also try applying with a beauty blender. 

Let me know your thoughts on this foundation if you have tried it!