July In Pictures

Saying as I do these every month I thought I would do this month, even though I only have a few photos! There were other events, my mams birthday and my dads birthday, but I didnt have my camera at those partys so theyre on other family members cameras, which I dont want to hassle them for so for now, heres the few photos I have from July...


Me with some of my closest friends.


Me and Natalie, with a rather cheesy grin on my part!


Taken by a friendly boy in a club, I look disgusting, but my friends are beautiful :)

Thats all folks!
xoxo

My Holy Grail Mascara Combo

I dont know how normal it is to use more than one type of mascara on a day to day basis, but that is something that is now a part of my make-up routine. I just feel I achieve a more full effect by using different mascaras that do different things. Ive used many different mascaras over the years and have come back to these three time and time again. I would go as far to say that these three ar emy Holy Grail mascaras, when used together...




Avon Supershock - Perfect for creating volume and length in one, right from the first use, Ive repurchased this countless times, its amazing.

Eyeko Big Eyes - Exactly what it says on the tin (or tube) it gives BIG eyes and the tiny brush makes it great for getting the bottom lashes.

Maxfactor Flase Lash Effect Waterproof - I like to finish with a waterproof mascara to stop my mascara running through the day, I loved the original version of this so I like to use this as a failsafe waterproof one as it also gives great volume too.

1 coat of Avon SupershockThis is enough for me for the daytime if Im not gonig anywhere or doing much. It gives good definition and great thickness in one coat. I could jsut finish with 1 coat of Maxfactor FLE waterproof and I would be done.

2 coats of Avon Supershock
Just one more coat of this stuff gives much thicker lashes, which is usually what I settle for on a daily basis.

2 coats of Avon Supershock, 1 coat of Eyeko Big Eyes and 1 coat of False Lash Effect WaterproofIf I fancy having big thick lashes then this is what I would do to achieve this look. I go kind of on the back of the lashes with the Big Eyes as the thin brush means its easy to get back there, and also do the bottom lashes with that too. Then I jsut runover with the waterproof mascara to give it staying power as my eyes are quite watery if its windy or sunny.


So thats generally how I do my mascara and my favourite ever products, whats your HG mascara that I should try? Im always open to new products.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Project 10 Pan Progress...#3

I thought it was about time I checked in with another P10P update. So, now I can officially say Ive finished P10P as in this post Ive finished up 6 products, so that takes me to having finished 12 things in total! Im ging to continue it on to be a Project 20 Pan, so so far Ive done 12/20. Heres what I think of the products Ive used up recently....

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel is by far my favourite shower gel ever. It smells gorgeous, and gives a lovely lather. It has built in body lotion so I get out the shower feeling clean but not dried out and not greasy either which is really nice. Once I stop using this and use a different one I notice my skin is much more dry, which proves how good this is. This is my second huge bottle and I know Ill buy it again once Im done using up everything else. Love love love this!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion was an impu;se buy for me on the plane to Majorca. I saw it in the on-flight catalogue and thought I would give it a go. I do really like it, but more as a night time as it leaves a greasy look to my face. A little really goes a long way with this stuff so its good value for money. I wouldnt say I was wowed buy its moisturising properties, but its good nontheless, Im not sure I would go back to it though. Maybe trying the gel formula may be less greasy.

I got this star gift set from Lush at Christmas containing six bath ballistics. Ive been savouring them and only using them occasionally to make them last. But I used the remaining ones up within a week and now have an empty box that smells like Lush goodies which Ive sadly totally ran out of now. My favourite Christmas one from here was definately the Satsumo Santa, and there was a Mrs Whippy one too which I really loved which is permanent so Ill be going back to that one when I go to Lush :)

Wella Silvikrin Hairspray is yukky. I only bought it because it was cheap, but you can realyl tell its cheap too. It stinks of proper hairspray smell to the point where I have been choking on it before. It makes our hair look crispy and sticky, and its jsut not what Im used to after using my beloved Elnett. Definately wont be buying this again!

Theres a sad story behind my Snow Fairy Shower Gel having ran out. Ive been using it sparingly as a treat because I love it and don want it to run out. Well I heard banging and claterring coming from the bathroom and found Davids little brother making "Wizards potions" in the sink and he had poured in every last drop of my Snow Fairy. I was furious to say the least, but left the shouting to be done by his mam, I cant shout at other peoples children! But alas, I no longer have Snow Fairy in my life until Christmas *Sob*.


Sorry for the stock photo, but David's Mam threw away the empty bottle of this before I got a chance to take the picture. This Imperial Leather Japanese Spa shower gel is really nice. Its cheap for a start, and smells pretty amazing. Apart from my strange love affair with Clean on Me and Snow Fairy, Im quite happy with a good shower gel that smells nice, lathers nice and leaves you feeling clean. This ticks all the boxes so I happily used it all up.


So...12/20 Not bad going so far!

xoxo

Haul: From My Dear Friend Who's Moving to MILAN.

Yes, a lovely family friend of mine is moving to Milan. In fact, she will be on the plane there as I type this. Im so so soooo jealous, but hopefully next sumer I will be taking a trip over there...free accomodation and tour guide, yes please! Anyhow she has literally got rid of everything she owns as she didnt want to take everything with her, so heres a few of the freebies I got, all completely unused...until i got my paws on them :)

Excuse my Mr Men cup of (dirty!) brushes in the background haha. Im really looking forward to reading the Audrey Hepburn book which is written by her son. I love her, and know Ill find it really interesting. Ive alreayd looked through at al the beautiful photos and cant wait to read it!

Also I got these little tea lights of oneof my favourite Yankee Candle scents for summer, clean cotton. So no doubt they wil all be burnt out pretty soon, now the make-up...

Jan reassured me that these were all unused and she had aquired them all pretty recently, so I wasnt going to shove ancient products on my skin so I gladly took them off her hands.

Ive never used any Gatineau products, but family members have told me its really good, and these are two 50ml tubes of the cleansing cream, but need to be used wet. It says its anti- aging which I dont suppose I need but Ill give them a go, they smell lovely and fresh too!

When I stayed at The Langdale with David last year, all the products in our room sand in the spa were Elemis products. I loved each and every product I used, they were in a different class from products I normally use, so luxurious and beautiful. So I was really excited to try this Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel. Again, its anti-aging, but it also exfoliates and is good for dul and tired skin, which mine has a tendency to look like this. Its packed with exotic fruit extracts and general good stuff for your skin such as Vit E, so Im looking forward to using it!

Then theres the little pot of The Body Shop's Vitamin E Night Cream. I already use the toner and the body lotion and its generally one of my favourite lines to use, and I have been needing a night cream too as Ive recently just been usng the same moisturiser day and night. I used this last night, it has the lovely smell that the whole range does, is thick but not too thick, and leaves my skin feeling hydrated and velvety after application. This little tub will last ages, but I think I may have to buy it myself when this is done.

I was really excited to try the Smashbox products Jan gave me, as Ive never used their products before. The waterproof eyeshadow/liner is Starstuck I find to be a gorgeous dark taupey brown colour (swatches below). However Ive lost my thin liner brush, so Ive been using it more as a base/cream eyeshadow and it worked really well to create a dark smokey eye, its really gorgeous and long lasting!

The Smashbox Double Exposure Cheek and Lip colour in Speedracer is a fantastic creme blush. Its creamier than my Mac one, and goes on a dream, no patchiness at all. It a lovely natural colour, as if you have a hint of a tan across your cheeks and would go with any look. It looks more orangey in the swatch than it really is, its more brown toned, but really flattering, love it!

The Smashbox Eyeshadow in ASAP is right up my street. To me its like a cross between Mac's Woodwinked and Satin Taupe, which are both favourites of mine. Its really good quality too, comparable to my MAC or Urban Decay shadows.It gives a lovely finish and its just a fantastic addition to my collection.

The GOSH Effect Powder  in Apple Jam is just like a Barry M Dazzle Dust. I dont know how often Ill wear a lime green sparkley eye look, but you never know! It swatches really nice and Im such a magpie I can never resist sparkle. It looks kind of golden in some lights, like the swatch below...so its kind of more wearable than a pure lime green. I like it a lot.

The Rimmel Lasting Finish lipsticks and my all time favourite lipstick range. Thyere great quialty, smell amazing, really pigmented and dont dry out my lips. Oh, and theyre drugstore prices, yey! This colour (shown below) is 124 Bordeaux. Its way darker than I would ever pick up in the shop myself, but its actually gorgeous! Its a lovely deep red wine colour which will be so lovely for winter time. I dont have a deep red like this in my collection so Im glad to have this now, and in my favourite lipstick formula too!

The Rimmel lipstick above...so pretty!

Top Left: Gosh Apple Jam Effect Powder
Bottom Left: Smashbox Cheek and Lip Colour in Speedracer (way more browntoned in real life)
Top Right: Smashbox Eyshadow in ASAP
Bottom Right: Smashbox Waterproof Eyshadow/Liner in Starstruck

I really want to try more Smashbox products, because these gave a fantastic first impression!
xoxo

Review: Aussie vs. TIGI Bed Head....Volumising Shampoos and Conditioners

I know the title is a bit of a mouthful...but hey at least you know what youre getting with this post! Im the kind of person who doesnt like to have a load of shampoos on the go at once. I buy one, I use it up, then I buy another one. I dont know why but even when I love a shampoo/conditioner, once Ive used it up I still want to try a different one, always on the hunt for the perfect combo for my hair.

 I recently finished the Aussie Aussome Volume shampoo and conditioner, and had bought the Tigit Bed Head Styleshots Epic Volume pair for when I finished my Aussie ones. I have been using the TIGI ones for about 3 weeks now so I think I can come up with a fair comparison type review of which ones are better, in my opinion anyway.

Firstly let me say my hair type is limp, kinda lifeless, very fine and flyaway...prone to static and also sticking to my head :(. Now were past my self pity, lets see what these products do for this annoying hair type of mine...

Im gunna start by saying I LOVE the Aussie range as a whole. Thyere a very ethically awae company, read up on them and youll see just how great they are! Im not going to go into product descriptions because frankly they bore me to tears reading them on blogs. Bascially these products claim to be lightweight and great for fine hair and above all, volumising, which is what you wold expect when theyre titled "Aussome Volume".

With these products the first thing I noticed was the distinctive smell, its gorgeous, but I cant put my finger on what the scent is...but its lovely anyway. I found the shampoo lathered brilliantly and left my hair feeling completely clean, like it had taken away all the gunk and hairspray and whatever, and lft me with shiney, bouncy and fuller hair. I genuinely accept that these do add volume to my hair. The conditioner is beautifully light, it doesnt feel thick and awful in my hair, it still gives a lot of moisture though and leaves my hair silky and smooth but not weighed down or greasy looking at all. I found my hair could go slightly longer between washes when using these products, about a day longer than before I used them, which means I have to use them less often so they last longer...value for money!

Theyre widely available at "drugstores" and supermarkets, and arent too expensive and are often in deals and such, I got mine for £10 for the pair. Honestly, these are the best products I have found for my hair and I would 100% rcommend them!

Unfortunately, Im not so impressed with these products from TIGI, which I'm kinda disappointed in saying as I have a whole bunch of their styling products and swear by them. Firstly, these are usually rather pricey at around £10 each, but I got mine from Cheap Smells for £15. They claim to do all sorts, boost volume body and shine, proect from heat, humidity and colour, and repair and strengthen hair. Big big claims!!

If Im totally honest, I dont think its worth the price tag. Ive pad £2 for a bottle of Pantene and got better results than I get from these. I hate to rant about products generally but I jsut cant get away with these. They smell like strawberry bootlace sweets, which to me is a little sickly and overpowering to be slathering on my hair, but luckily this doesnt linger after showering. The consistency is veeeery thick I find, and it takes a bit of elbow grease to get it to lather up over my head. Because itsd thick it takes longer to rinse out too, and once I have spent forever rinsing, my hair doesnt feel alotgether clean. I honestly am rinsing properly, and it still feels like theres product build up in my hair, even once I blow dried. I mean yeh, it cleans my hair but nothing special, and I wouldnt say it did much volumising at all.

My hair gets greasy after about 12 hours after using this, which I dont enjoy, saying as I was used to clean hair for 3 days with the Aussie ones. I feel it weighs my hair down and my hair's flat as a pancake on my head, no movement or body to it really. This is no reflection on the TIGI brand for me, as a whole I love most of the stuff I have tried from them, and these shampoos may be more suited to thicker hair, but not for fine ahir looking for volume like they claim to be. Yes, I will continue to use them...will I buy them again? Nope, Ill be going straight back to my beloved Aussie products!


xoxo

TAG: Would You Rather: Beauty Edition

 I saw this tag on a favourite blog of mine, Vintage Makeup. She tagged all her readers at the end of the post so I thought I could give it a go...

Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eye liners, lipsticks and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eye shadows?Eyeshadows definately, sometimes I cant even be bothered with eyeshadow, but nearly always use all of them other products on a daily basis so defiantely lose the eyeshadows.

Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Never cut it again. Surely it cant go on grwoing forever and ever until its trailing the floor?! Or am I totally wrong haha.

Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
Pink usually. I still love my corals, just most of the year Im pale and pink tends to suit me more then.

If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?
Can I say both? I guess not...so Ill say clothes, saying as I could revamp my whole wardrobe with that and feel tonnes better about myself, I feel fine with the make-up I already have.

Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner or eyeliner as lipstick?

Eyeliner as lipstick I guess....cant really imagine lipstick on my eyes!

Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
Ive never been to a Sephora but I feel they stock a lot more than MAC does as obviously MAC just has MAC, so Ill go with Sephora

Would you rather use only one eye shadow color or one lip color the rest of your life?

Tough one, lip colour I guess!

Would you rather wear winter clothes in the summer or summer clothes in the winter?
Id hate either, but winter clothes in the summer. I cant stand the cold so shorts in the snow is a huge nono for me.

Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?
Bright!

Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?
Messy bun

Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip gloss?

Never use lipgloss, I dont use it much anyway.

Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? Or sharpie them in everyday?
Draw them in every day.

Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?
Nail polish!

Kardashians and OPI....

I for one am very excited about what Ive just read here!

I dont know any details, just what is said on Khloes webpage, but how gorgeous are them colours. I dont want to take the pictures from her pages so you can just go via the link, but my favourites are "All Kendall-ed up" and "Kourt is Red-y for a Pedi".

Im a sucker for anything Kardashian themed, I admire the entire family so much for making their way in the world and doing so well for themselves. I know people whing about seeing them everywhere but personally I find their lives inspiring and theyre all such good businesswomen! Kourtneys my favourite.

xoxo

My Bucket List

I know this may appear morbid, but trust me its not intended that way. This is just a list of some things I want to do before I die. Kind of like a life to do list. To me this is the opposite of depressing, it gets me excited for all the things I want to and intend to do in my life and I cant wait to get out there and do it all, even if it is a bit ambitious, I wil try my very best :)...

1. Swim with dolphins.

2.Learn spanish properly.

3. Live abroad. Ive said all my life I want to move abroad, even if its not forever. Im thinking Spain, France and America, I love both them countries.

4. Reach the peak of Ben Nevis. My family was very in to walking and camping when I was younger. I got to the half way point of Ben Nevis when I was 12 (pretty good going if I do say so myself). But now I really really want to get to the top!

5. Take my mother on a retreat to a beautiful spa.

6. Own a bakery. All I want is to make amazing cakes.

7. Get my degree!

8. Go somewhere tropical and get a local man to climb a coconut tree then drink the juice out of the coconut while watching the sunset on a perfect beach. Heaven!

9. Take a swim in a Lagoon, complete with a beautiful waterfall.

10. Have the princess (non-tacky) wedding of my dreams, and the wonderful marriage of my dreams.

11. Fly first class.

12. Go here for on my honeymoon with my wonderful man.

13. Spend time designing my perfect house.

14. Ride in a hot air balloon.

15. Accept my "imperfections" as being qualities that make me who I am.

16. Raise a puppy.

17. Go horseriding in the countryside.

18. Throw a dart at the world map and go wherever it lands.

19. Go on holiday with the girls.

20. Attend a football match.

21. Do something crazy/spontanious with my hair.

22. Go to New York and go on the SATC tour to see Carries house!

23. Become financially comfortable to live the life I want.

24. Learn to like healthier food and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

25. Throw a gigantic party.

26. Make a difference to others lives.

27. Stay in the most expensive suite of a hotel, just once.

28. See a show on Broadway.

29. Grow my own vegetables.

30. Own a pair of black Louboutins.

 

Haul: Miss Selfridge, New Look and Primark.

Saying as Im on Project 10 Pan Ive been spending my spare pennies on clothes rather than make-up, which was the ain of P10P saying as my wardrobe is rather dismal. Along with the stuff I got in the RI sale, heres a few things Ive collected over the past few weeks...

I know, Im ridiculous, but at the time I thought this was an easy way to show you two bikinis at once which are the same, but a different colour, looks pretty stupid now. However, these were a bargain from Primarkat only £6 for each set. Theyre more of a bra style rather than a halter neck, and theyre quite padded and clip at the back rather than tie so they give realyl good support. Sometimes I feel more vulnerable in little string bikinis and these are definately the kind I would feel more comfortable bombing inthe pool with my brother on our famiyl holiday without having to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions!

I love this crochet design, and had seen more expensive versions in next and Miss Selfridge that I loved but couldnt really afford. So I snapped this up in Primark when I seen it. The bottoms were £3 and the top was £5, so another steal! I like the little bead detail, and its little gems like this that are worth a visit to Primark as they look way nicer than you woul expect for a bikini for £8 in total. Im so glad I waited and didnt buy the £25 version from Next now!

Normally I hate New Look sales, even more so than other stores. They just never seem to ever hav anything decent. I sene this hanging in the sale rails though and really liked it, and for £6 I thought it was such a bargain, especially as it comes with a lovely tan belt. I orignally thought it would be good to wear as a little t-shirt dress on holiday, but once i tired it one its WAY too short for that, bum cheeks on show is a no go! So Im just going to wear this with leggings, meaning its great for autumn too. Its an empire line cut too so its really flattering and hides any food babys ;).

This little beauties are my favourite purchase for summer, and they were kind of a little treat to myself. I kept looking at them on the Miss Selfridge website for weeks and weeks and reaaaaaally wanted them. But the £35 price tag put me off. So when I came into a litle spare cash, and Miss Selfridge had a free shipping code, and my bestie gave me a cheeky text with her NUS code for 10% discount I jumped at the change and just ordered them. I love the frayed detail and the worn look of them, especially the gold stud detail underneath the frayed bits, lovely detail!

How gorgeous is that! Especially when they catch the light in the sun. I jsu tlove that theyre kind of original, but my god these literally are hot pants. By that I mean theres often a little teensy bit of butt cheek on show, which I would rather wasnt to be honest! But hey, it just means I have to hammer the zumba to rock the Beyonce bum look with these babies!

Hows everyone doing anyways? Feels like ages since I talked to anyone on here.

xoxo

Haul: River Island Sale!

I hit the River Island sale on the opening day last week-ish. Sorry Ive only just got round to putting this post up, but I was in there the other day and from what I could see they still had most of the things I got in stock, so you may still be able to grab a bargain

I went in there with the intention of picking up a load of cut price basics for my holiday to Lanzarote in October, and I was quite successful....

I picked up these vests for £3 each. I know Im really boring, but I know these colours will go with a lot of things both in the summer and in the winter, and theyre really good quality too.

These vest tops were also £3 each. Theyre really thin but good quality so great for when its hot. I like the stripey one best but I know Ill wear the nudey one underneath more see-through things a lot. For three quid I thought they were good bargains!

I think this t-shirt was £4, and I really like it. Love the colour, and again it feels really good quality. Ive had similar tops from New Look that only lasted a few washes but this one seems better than that.

I photographed this top from the back as I think its the prettiest part. Theres a long split down the back and its tied at the bottom. Its cropped too, and really sheer, so for me I would want to wear something underneath it. I got it in the brightest colour there, they had dark blues and greens but I went for bright pink, totally out of my comfort zone but I think its really nice on and totally different from anything I own. Oh, and this was only a tenna! I think it would look nice dressed up because the material and the cut feel/look quite expensive, but David thinks I should wear it over my bikini through the day on holiday if we go for a walk or something...thoughts?

I was really shocked to find this gorgeous skrit for £10. I picked it up straight away. I wanted this before it was in the sale but Im glad I held back when I seen it originally as Ive saved about £20! Its lovely and floaty, and the kind of skirt that makes you want to twirl around like a princess haha. The photograph doesnt do it justice, its much lighter and fitted in real life and the pleats are really pretty. They had loads of these left when I went in on Saturday so I would suggest going to find one because its so pretty.

Im pretty sure everyones sick of the shorts now as theyve been in two OOTD's. But I will honestly wear these to death, and the good thing is you wont even notice because theyre already spoting the kind of shabby worn look so any damage I do to them will only add to this. For £10 I ha dot pick them up as they were originally £35, and I probably would have paid that for them, so Im really pleased with these.

I picked up this necklace last minute for £2. The four leaf clover is super sparkly, but not in a really tacky way, and I like that its on the brown strap too. I love last minute purchases before you hit the checkout when you actually still like them when youget them home haha.

This little leaf bracelet on a creamy peice of string was only £1! I thought it would be nice to layer with loads of other bracelets which is a look I love for summer time.


Im pretty happy with my purchases as Im normally rubbish with sales! Anything youve found in the sales that you think I could look for?

xoxo

FOTD/OOTD...Summer Sunday

Today was spent with the family, sat in the garden, making dinner with Mother Bear then going for a walk on the beach with Papa Bear. I wanted to look half decent, but be in something that wouldnt make me boiling in the wierd heat weve been having/in the kitchen slaving over the stove. So this is how I ended up...

Face:

Bourjois Health Mix Foundation in 52

Bourjois Chocolate Bronze (countour)

MAC Springsheen Blusher (apples of cheeks)

MAC MSF Natural in Medium (to set)

Eyes:
ELF Eyelid Primer
Urban Decay Half Baked e/s (all over lid)
Urban Decay Buck e/s (through crease)
Urban Decay Virgin e/s (inner corner/tearduct)

Lips:
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Ravishing

I really love the goldy colours and the coral for summer with my make-up :)

Im gunna apologise now for the state of my OOTD pictures, I cant get a good angle or anywhere to put my camera to take decent pictures, so until I do these awful ones will be up...

As you can see, the mirror cuts my head in half :( oops!
T-shirt - River Island sale £4
Shorts - River Island sale £10

I know Ive had the short sin another OOTD, but I really love them, theyre really comfortable and jsut the right length. I hate shorts longer than this as I feel frumpy, but these ones arent too short to the point where they totally disappear when you sit down. I dont feel uncomfratble in them or anything so Ive been wearing them a lot. I love the colour of this top, its really soft and comfy and good quality too. Ive had similar ones from New Look which have died on me within a few wears but I can tell this one will last me *touches wood*. I jsut wore flipflops with this and I was good to go :)

xoxo

Sometimes...

...blogging can get on my nerves, it can stress me out, and sometimes I think "whats the point". The whole point is that on nights like tonight I can come home from a lovely night with my boyfriend, find lovely comments of encouragement and general support and it makes it all worthwhile. It makes me smile...



I know Im soppy.
But I seriously love you guys!


Thats all
xoxo