Anniversary At Chester Zoo

Hi everyone! Just writing this after I got back from a really nice weekend celebrating my 4 year anniversary with my boyfriend, it was on Saturday the 29th and we went away to Chester Zoo for the day and spent the night at a lovely hotel. 

I absolutely loved the zoo and if you've never been before then I would definitely suggest it for a day out! Only thing I would say is that if you are a couple or just going with friends then go in term time, it was absolutely over run with children. Obviously the fact that it was a weekend and the last weekend before school starts and a bank holiday didn't help but by the time we got to our hotel I needed a nap from all the surrounding craziness! I'd love to go again when it is quieter, it's huge so really good value for money and they have lots of baby animals currently which were far too cute! The baby elephant in the last picture is about 10 days old so everyone was dying to see her. 

We were at the zoo for about 5 hours and we had a hotel booked which was 10 minutes away called Crabwall Manor and it was so nice, if you're in the area I would recommend it. I wish I'd took some pictures of the room but I fell asleep for an hour as soon as I got there and by the time I woke up it didn't cross my mind. We had a lovely night, we used the spa area which included the pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room and then we went back to our room and chilled out watching The X Factor and ordered room service. We really aren't the most exciting couple we just prefer chilling out and we were far too tired after a long drive early in the morning to go out anywhere but it was such a nice night! 

We spent the following Sunday driving home and chilling out before I went out with some friends from work for bank holiday Sunday so all in all it was such a good weekend!

Let me know in the comments how you spent your bank holiday weekend!

The Balm Hot Mama Shadow/Blush

Hi everyone! Last week I was browsing online and saw that Feel Unique were having a sale of up to 50% so I bought a few things I've been eyeing up. Recently I did a post on Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm and how I loved it so much that I was looking for more products, I saw theBalm Hot Mama shadow/blush for sale from £15 to £12 and I thought it looked so pretty so I had to get it! I've seen a lot of posts comparing it so Nars Orgasm but I didn't get it based on that, I just don't own a blush similar to this and it seemed like my ideal colour. 

You get 7.08g of product which is such a good amount, it will last ages. It's packaging has that retro feel to it that theBalm products typically do and you get a little mirror in your compact. I actually really like the size of the packaging, when I ordered it I thought it would be a lot more bulky but I was surprised when I got it. I thought it would be more like the Benefit Box'o'Powders which I love but they just take up so much room! 

I am in love with the colour of this product! The website describes it as a pinky-peach hue with a hint of shimmer which is definitely correct. The great thing is that there isn't an over the top amount of shimmer, it is just a nice subtle hint. I think it is a really flattering colour, my blush collection seems to only consist of corals and darker pinks so I am so happy I finally invested in something a lot lighter, and I probably prefer these colours anyway so I definitely need to stock up on more!

This was a light swatch on my arm, you can see how subtle it is but I think you could build up more product if you want an intense look. I really do like this colour and I think the shimmer is just a nice healthy glow. To be honest I don't think I will be using this as an eyeshadow, only because I love it so much as a blush and I think it is a bit more on the sheer side to use as an eyeshadow but that's just my opinion! I would definitely compare the colour to rose gold, it's so girly and such a pretty colour I would definitely recommend this product if those are the colours you like.

I'm really loving theBalm so far, I saw yesterday that they have a liquid lipstick collection called Meet Matt(e) Hughes, and there is a colour in it called Committed that I am desperate for! I couldn't find them online in the UK until I checked Debenhams but the one I want is out of stock (sad face). They are £13,50 so watch this space, if that one comes back in stock I will definitely buying it and reviewing it on my blog! Let me know in the comments if you have this product and what you think!

August Favourites

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's nearly the end of August and I'm doing my August favourites already! Time is going too fast it's so scary. Anyway there are a few products I've been loving this month and I thought I'd share them with you.

From left to right:

- Stila One Step Correct Primer. I stopped using this a few months back and only just recently got into it again after I got a new foundation and it worked well with it. I've got a bit of red pigmentation on my cheeks and I find this works well to dull it down a bit and help foundation cover it better. It is also nice and hydrating for dry skin.

- Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water. I'll be honest I've had this a few months now and when I first bought it I wasn't overwhelmed by it, I thought it was just a fancy water and was a bit disappointed. However I think this was because I need a heavier more hydrating primer, so recently when I've been finishing work and heading out somewhere quickly with not much time to reapply makeup I spray this on and it completely refreshes my makeup and makes it look almost new again. Really good for solving cake face after a long day at work!

- Benefit Creaseless Cream eyeshadow in r.s.v.p. I've been loving this this month for when I'm going out but nowhere exciting and I can't be bothered to do a full eyeshadow look. This is perfect to just put on your lid and blend out to give your face a bit more something but a nice lazy alternative to anything too full on! Also love this colour, it's such a pretty neutral that would look great on lots of skin tones.

- MAC Amplified Creme lipstick in Blankety. Absolutely love this and I've been reaching for it a lot more recently! Definitely my favourite nude I own, when I came back from holiday and was a bit more tanned my other nudes were a bit too pink for me but this has been amazing when I'm tanned and pale! Probably my favourite MAC lipstick I own and the creamy formula is so nice.

- Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm. I recently blogged about this and if you read that then you will know that I am obsessed with this. My new holy grail highlighter and I can't imagine this changing unless I find something really amazing. 

- St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub. This is a must for anyone who is looking for an exfoliator, the dry skin around and on my nose has been so bad this month for some reason and after using this it clears it up so well. I don't find it harsh on my skin either, I have this in the travel size as I bought it for holiday but it's lasting absolutely ages so I would definitely recommend!

- Make Up Forever HD Foundation in soft sand n120. Again I posted on this recently, I haven't had it very long but I've been reaching for it everyday. I won't say too much about this as I've gone into detail on my previous post but it really is worth the hype that it gets!

Let me know in the comments what you've been loving this month!

MAC Cremesheen Pearl

Hi everyone! I'm a sucker for MAC collections and there has been absolutely loads coming out recently to feed my addiction. I was on a little ban though, and one day I checked the website and they had released their Cremesheen Pearl collection. There is 10 lipstick shades and 5 lip glass shades, and it is described on the website as a shimmer twist on the classic cremesheen finish. They are infused with pearlized pigments and a moisturising serum blend, and they are all Asian inspired shades. When I saw them on the website I resisted because I was like do I really need any more lipstick? I went shopping about a week after though and they had the collection at the MAC counter and they were literally so pretty I couldn't resist! I did only get one though so that was some will power.

I got mine in the shade Koi Coral, I was really torn between this and Nippon as they were so similar but I thought Koi Coral was so pretty and a bit more me. 

It is a really subtle coral colour, not in your face at all. When you wear it you can definitely see the pearl pigments in it but it is just the right amount. I couldn't think of a nicer girly colour and if you love your pinks and corals then this shade will be perfect for you!

You can see the pearl pigments in the swatch above, obviously as it's cremesheen it isn't as pigmented as a matte lipstick but I love the cremesheen formula, it's so moisturising and feels nice and creamy on your lips. 

The whole Cremesheen Pearl range has some gorgeous shades I would have loved to have got more but I was trying to be good! A lot of the shades are still in stock on the website as I'm writing this so I would definitely recommend grabbing some while they are there! Let me know in the comments if you have any shades from this collection! 

the Balm Cosmetics Mary Lou Manizer

Hi everyone! I don't know about you but the certain beauty products that are all over the internet and featured on so many blogs make me question whether they live up to their hype. A product which I have heard and read so much about is Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm, this was the first introduction I have had to this company as I basically knew nothing about them other than this product. I've put off buying it for absolutely ages because I was unsure whether it would live up to it's reputation. also when you are first hearing about a company I think you are also a bit more reluctant to spend your money on it as you don't know much about it. Anyway I finally gave in because I'm obsessed with highlighters and I was like this product seriously must be good as people never stop talking about it!

I bought it from Debenhams when I was having a little spree for £17.50 which is a bit more expensive but you get 8.5g of product which for a highlighter will last ages! It is described as a 'honey hued luminizer', this is perfect for me because I prefer gold highlighters as I think they suit my undertones much more and I love the bronzed look!

I'd been reading a lot about theBalm and they do have that quirky sort of style to all their products which I think makes them interesting over your bog standard boring packaging. When it arrived it definitely did look really cute in a silver compact with a vintage style model on the front and it has a big mirror inside the compact which is handy. 

It's funny because when you first look at the product it doesn't look like it would give a really good highlight as it almost looks a bit flat, I think this is down to the lack of shimmer in it. However when you swatch it you can see it's almost like a different product! It's so bold and gorgeous and literally everything I would want from a highlight.

You can see here how pigmented it is, I'm obsessed with the formula when you swatch it you can feel how creamy and buttery it is. Obviously with it being so pigmented a little definitely does go a long way so application is important. My favourite way to apply it is with a small fan brush as it goes on so nice and not too full on. I was so obsessed with I first put it on, I can definitely say it lives up to the hype and more! It gives such a nice glow, by far the best of any highlighter I have used. I'm definitely now converting more to powder highlighters, before I was only into cream or liquid highlighters but I think with powder products such as this you get a much more intense highlight.

I wish I hadn't been so stubborn and just bought it ages ago now because I'm in love! It's definitely my go to highlighter now, and it will last absolutely ages because you get so much product. After being so happy with my first product from theBalm I'm desperate for more, if you've got any product recommendations from this company let me know in the comments!