29 July 2015

Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette Review

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be writing a post about this product, I was scrolling through Beauty Bay the other day and saw they had the Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler palette in stock and that it was limited edition so I had to order it straight away. I love ABH but for someone living in the UK I feel like it's such a nightmare to get your hands on, I'm still desperately hoping Beauty Bay stocks the ABH liquid lipsticks as ordering from America means possible customs charges and I can't deal with that! Anyway it came within two days and I was in love when I saw it.


I love the Gatsby style packaging and also the size of the palette, obviously it was going to be smaller as it is a travel palette but I like this anyway because I feel like big bulky palettes take up so much space and when you're already running out of room getting more of them isn't ideal! Whilst the feel of the packaging isn't the most luxurious for £23 I think it's such a bargain, I know you aren't getting as much of the eye shadow as you would in other palettes but I still think for an ABH palette it is a really good price and the quality is amazing! 


Again considering the palettes is only £23 you get a brush which I think is a really good brush compared to the standard of some that come with other palettes. I absolutely love the warm toned colours, I try to avoid cool tones at all cost I just really don't think they suit me. The mixture of colours also means you can try out so many different looks and also the mixture of matte, satin and metallic is really good. I thought I'd give a run through of the descriptions to each of the eye shadows as sometimes pictures don't do them justice.

Soft Peach - Nude Pastel peach with an ultra-matte finish
Morocco - Deep burnt orange with an ultra-matte finish
Heirloom - Pinky eggplant with a sparkle finish
Bellini - Golden peach with a satin finish
Pink Champagne - shimmery pink with a titanium finish
Chic - Taupe grey with a shimmer finish
Spoiled - Gold-flecked peach with a metallic finish
Fudge - Rich chocolate brown with an ultra-matte finish
Azure - Vibrant blue with a metallic finish
Intense Gaze - Bronzed pink with a satin finish
Metallic - Brassy gold with a metallic finish
Noir - Deep carbon black with an ultra-matte finish

My favourite shades are definitely Bellini, Spoiled and Intense Gaze they are so pretty I'm obsessed with them! The quality of this palette is amazing, the eye shadows are really creamy and I think the pigmentation is great. There are some colours that I may or may not use as they aren't really me, for example Noir, I'm just not one for black eyeshadow. Whilst the blues come across scary at first for someone who flocks to a neutral eye all the time I think they are so pretty and when you're feeling adventurous they would look so nice. Again at £23 I think this is such a good price and I would 100% recommend this as the quality is great and the colours are so pretty! Let me know in the comments what you think of this palette!
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27 July 2015

July Favourites

Hi everyone! I've actually never done a favourites post before so I thought I'd do a post about all the things I've been loving this month.


1. OGX Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Oil. I was absolutely obsessed with this on holiday when my hair was insanely dry from the sun, I got the shampoo and conditioner as well but this one is my favourite from the set, and it smells amazing!! You can spray it onto damp hair before you blow dry it or just all over dry hair. It's so light, really doesn't feel oily at all and it's so easy to use which is why I love it!

2. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. I've had this for a while but as it's summer (even though in the North East it has basically rained the whole of July) I want something light and dewy that still gives nice coverage and this is perfect for it! Also if the sun EVENTUALLY decides to appear where I live then it also has SPF15 which is a bonus for daily wear in the summer.

3. Benefit Roller Lash mascara. I wasn't too sure whether I'd love this at first as I was so used to intense eyelashes that my favourite mascara, Too Faced Better Than Sex, gave me and this is basically the opposite. However, again for the summer I think that the fluttery eyelashes this mascara gives you are ideal and I find it really easy to use because of the very slim wand. Only thing is I would still use an eyelash curler with it even though the product claims you no longer have to but I do have the straightest eyelashes ever so this might just be me!

4. Glow by Topshop highlighter in Gleam. I've only just got this and I am obsessed!! It's the nicest mousse formula ever and it gives such a pretty bronzed highlight. I love how it's loose so you can easily apply it with your finger although a little really does go a long way so you have to be careful. Also at £9 it's such a bargain and it's so easy to find.

5. Clinique Cheek Pop blusher in Peach Pop. This for me is the nicest peachy/coral blush for the summer and the formula is amazing! It's great because I feel like when you apply it there is not a lot of excess product so you can't accidentally go overboard and look like a clown. It's so creamy and I really want to get the other colours.

6. Benefit Hoola bronzer. This is the travel sized Hoola that I got when I bought their Do The Hoola bronzing kit which I did a blog post about and I'm totally converted and desperate for the full sized one! I had never actually used bronzer regularly before as I found that all the ones I tried made me look orange but you get such a natural look from this that I can use it for daily wear to add some colour. 

7. Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream. I think I have definitely found my go to moisturiser here, my skin is so dry especially my nose and after I've exfoliated I put this on and it instantly sinks into the skin, you aren't left feeling greasy at all it just leaves your skin feeling so much softer. You hardly have to use any product which is also great as it means it will last ages and it also smells amazing.

8. Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake. I wanted some cheaper lip products to try out this summer and for £2.99 you really can't go wrong although I wasn't expecting to be blown away by something so affordable but I actually really like this. I have the shade Cotton Candy as well but Fairy Cake is my favourite as the colour is a really nice bright coral pink without being too in your face. They can be drying but as long as you put a lip balm underneath I don't think it's as issue and they do last quite a long time as well, plus they smell so much like vanilla and sugar, I'm obsessed!

Thanks for reading and let me known in the comments what you have been loving this month!
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10 July 2015

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream Review

Hi everyone! I wanted to do a review on a product that I wasn't too sold on before actually trying it, the idea of the product seemed a bit too good to be true to me, however I'm in love! Before I went on holiday I knew I would have to buy a darker foundation anyway to match my face but I was undecided on what to get as I didn't want anything heavy or matte, I just wanted a light natural foundation. After looking around a bit I saw that Bare Minerals had come out with a product called Complexion Rescue and it is described as a tinted hydrating gel cream. The website states that it is a 'multi-tasking genius that combines skincare benefits and naturally radiant coverage in one.' To me it sounded like a perfect holiday foundation, good for your skin while you are out in the sun with a natural radiant look. It also says on the website that after wearing for a week you have a 215% increase in skin hydration. I was sold on the description because it sounded amazing but I was a little bit cautious as I was scared it would be too good to be true! 


I bought the product anyway from my local Debenhams where the woman working at the counter matched me up to a shade darker than I was so that when I was tanned it would be perfect, she managed to match it perfect as well I can say now I am tanned! For anyone wondering I got mine in the shade Natural 05. Another plus is that it contains SPF30 which is again perfect for a holiday. I didn't use it until the first few days in until my colour started to change but when I did I fell in love! It has surprisingly good coverage considering it isn't designed to be a full coverage foundation, yes concealer was needed over problem areas but I didn't have to layer the foundation as one layer was enough. It's got a really natural dewy glow and it just makes you look really healthy! Plus it's nice and cooling on the skin and feels very light. 



The colour looks a lot lighter on my hand because my face never goes as dark as the rest of me (sadly) but you can see how it's a thick consistency, not runny at all, full on matching the gel cream description. It's nice and easy to blend as well, I had no problems getting a natural finish. Another thing I love about this product for a holiday is the packaging, it comes in a squeezy tube which you can see above so smashed bottles will never be a problem. It comes with 35ml so just a little bit more than the standard 30ml foundations which is also a bonus. 

I would definitely say this is my go to summer foundation and I am considering buying it in my normal shade after my tan fades as I'm so obsessed! So great for when your skin is looking better and you want that light natural coverage that makes you really glowy and healthy, it retails for £26 so it is a bit pricey however a little goes a long way and the 35ml bottle will last ages! 

I'll put a picture of me wearing it on holiday below however it was taken on an iPhone camera so the quality is rubbish and doesn't show how nice the foundation actually is but I'll put it in anyway so you can get an idea.


Overall I'd definitely recommend this foundation, it's ideal for summer and it also made my skin feel 10x after wearing it for a while, the claim that it hydrates your skin is so true, thanks for reading let me know in the comments if you have this product or are thinking of getting it!xxx
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9 July 2015

My Cape Verde Holiday Experience

Hi everyone! If any of you have been reading my most recent posts you will know I have been on holiday, I've been away for two weeks and came back home on Tuesday and I am experiencing serious holiday blues! It's my first shift back at work on Saturday and I'm feeling very sad about it, never mind I am getting my university exam results tomorrow and I am so nervous I could cry!! I've definitely come back to reality with a bang but to make myself a bit happier I thought I'd do a post all about my holiday and how much I loved it!

Last year my boyfriend Matty and I went to Mexico on holiday and this year we really wanted another chill out all inclusive holiday and my aunty told us about Cape Verde, it's off the coast of West Africa, there is basically nothing there apart from amazing beaches and massive hotels that look like giant sandcastles so we had booked that last September with Thomson so we were waiting absolutely ages for it to come around! We had to fly from Manchester as the airport closest to us, Newcastle, doesn't fly to Cape Verde but it's an extra day on your holiday so it wasn't that bad. Matty didn't want to drive so we stopped over the night before we flew as we had a 9:15am flight and we stayed in the Radisson Blu Manchester airport hotel and it was amazing!! Couldn't put in to words how nice it was, the perfect place to go before you start your holiday. It even made me feel relaxed as I get so stressed before we go on holiday as I'm always panicking that I've forgotten something or worst of all, my suitcase with get lost. I am honestly so scared of it happening that I half and half all of me and my boyfriend's things into each suitcase, then if one gets lost you still have half your stuff (sad I know). Anyway we had a lovely night there and left the room about 6am to go and check in and chill out in duty free and have a look about. We boarded about 9am and the flight wasn't the best, Thomson have to use their smaller planes to go to Cape Verde as the airport is so small, meaning no entertainment on a 6 hour flight which made it quite boring. I bought the book 'Girl On A Train' and I was so bored I read the whole book on the flight there (that ruined my opportunity to read by the pool as I only brought the one book!). When you land though it is the craziest thing ever, literally looks like you are landing on Mars!


Sorry about the quality I just took this on my phone but you can see here how it actually looks like Mars, there is almost nothing there. Don't be fooled by the appearance though it is such a beautiful island and I will highlight this later with photos of where we stayed!

Anyway we got our transfer to our hotel the Riu Touareg and when it appears after literally driving through vast emptiness, there is a few goats roaming about and that's it this giant sandcastle hotel emerges out of nowhere it is so gorgeous! 


I didn't take this photo as I couldn't get a good one as we were driving up but you can see here how huge and pretty it is! It is such an amazing place to walk around you feel like you are in a Spanish town, they had this square where everything went on at night like the food and the entertainment and the architecture of the hotel is so gorgeous. The weather is perfect as well, it's around 26 - 29 degrees in June but there is a breeze all the time so you can sunbathe without feeling uncomfortable in the heat. We mostly just chilled the whole time we were there, we started going to the pool at first but all the really annoying people that go to the pool at like 7.30am were there as you couldn't reserve sunbeds and we started to get fed up of having to wake up so early just to get a sunbed so we went to the beach instead where there is always loads of them. Now I really am not a beach girl, I love the pool and I hate sand and how it gets everywhere and I don't go in the sea because I have always been scared of it after I watched Jaws when I was a kid but I was converted here! Seriously the most gorgeous beach ever, it's just soft sand, not that horrible sand with stones in that stabs your feet, just soft sand and in the sea there was no seaweed it was just so perfect! Also the waves were the biggest I've ever seen and I braved it and went in until I got wiped out by one and didn't venture in again after that! 

Matty on the beach on our first day there.



It really was the nicest chill out holiday, we sunbathed all day then went for food and watched the entertainment shows on the night, we had a couples massage in the spa as well. Anyone else think that massage time is the fastest in the world, just like a treadmill minute is really long, a 50 minute massage literally feels like 10 minutes because you're so relaxed! 


We always got a serious tan while we were there, so if anyone has any tips for prolonging a tan I'd love to know as mine fades so quickly and I need to keep it going as long as possible!

I'll put in some more pictures of totally random things, ignore the goofy ones we aren't good at taking nice pictures!




There was also cats everywhere and lots of kittens that the hotel feed I'm guessing as a form of pest control but this was my favourite thing ever as I love them and they would let you stroke them and I fell in love!


That's probably my favourite picture of the whole holiday even though we look like idiots! I'm so sad to be home I'm definitely missing the amazing weather and the little holiday bubble you get yourself into while you are away, not enjoying the real world now I'm back! I would definitely go back and would recommend to visit Cape Verde however bear in mind outside the hotel there is basically nothing to do as it is really underdeveloped however as tourism is increasing they are already working on developing the island. If you are into exploring and lots of adventure then it won't be for you but if you love chilling out in a gorgeous place then it's perfect! I hope you enjoyed reading this post as it's a little different from my usual stuff and a lot more about me, leave a comment on where you are going or have been on holiday even though it'll make me jealous! Thanks for reading xxx
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