New clothes!!

With my holiday coming up on the 1st June I have been buying a few summery items. I'm guilty of purchasing clothes quite regularly but I do also sell unwanted ones on eBay (that's my excuse anyway). First stop was Missguided which I love and am always buying things from their website as the prices are good and they are always adding new stock all the time. 

Here I bought a powder blue skater style dress with black and white roses all over it and a pair of shorts with black and bright pink squares. The dress is jersey material with an elasticated waist and little cap sleeves, perfect for daytime with some flip flops or in the evening with some jewellery and cute handbag. The shorts are tailored and fall just on my waist with a zip fastening down the side. I absolutely love these and can't wait to wear them with a crop top and flat shoes or heels and a clutch for a night out. 

Next stop was New Look which has become a regular place for to visit since I moved house and there is one within walking distance of my house. 

As well as shopping for holiday clothes, I've really been trying to step out of my comfort zone and buying brightly coloured items and also things I usually steer clear of. These flowery shorts caught my eye but I wasn't sure if I could carry them off or not, they look like pyjama shorts to me which isn't a good look combined with my knobbly knees! I decided to take the plunge and buy them though as I'll wear them on holiday and if I don't want to wear them when I get home, I can always wear them in bed. Win win! They were £14.99 which I think is an ok price especially if I get the use out of them. 

The first thing I saw when I walked into New Look was this gorgeous jade green coloured maxi skirt. Every year I look for new maxi skirts and dresses as I live in them through Spring and summer, here and abroad. I really can't wait to wear this as it's soft material and quite light which is good as I get hot really easily. I'll wear it with either a vest or a crop top and dress it up in the evening with jewellery. It was £14.99 and comes in a few different colours other than the green. 

This silver coloured necklace is just perfect for dressing up casual outfits and I will get a lot of wear out of it as I also wear jewellery at work and day to day. It was £7.99 which I don't mind paying for something I know I will repeatedly wear. 

Lastly is this basic white vest which is thin and light enough to wear alone with shorts or a skirt or over your bikini at the beach. I will probably wear it tucked into all my pairs of shorts that I have bought recently! It was £5.99 and comes in different colours. 

Xx

May Glossybox

I was really really looking forward to receiving my May Glossybox as I had seen on Instagram that the box is celebrating 50 years of Superdrug and also contains a few full size products. I admit I had a sneaky look at posts by other bloggers to see what they had in their boxes when I hadn't received mine yet, then I felt bad that I had ruined the surprise! 

I finally got my hands on my box yesterday and immediately opened it. 

I first noticed the Vaseline Spray and Go body moisturiser as it's full size and something I haven't tried before. I have always been dubious about Vaseline products as I know a few people that have reacted to them, not that I'm ever allergic to anything! This seems like it will be really good for me as it's non greasy, easy to use and minimises mess and effort! I have a lot of body moisturisers but I don't put them on everyday as they're a bit of a pain having to put my hands in tubs and gouge cream out. I hate getting it under my nails or waiting ages for it to soak in so this will make it a lot nicer for me! 

A product I have tried before is the Maybelline Great Lash mascara and I didn't think too much to it to be honest. I had it a few years ago and ended up throwing it out because I just couldn't get used to it but I will definitely try it again and persevere this time. 

Next up is the blowpro Volumising Conditioner, which I have never tried before. I have heard of the products before but only briefly so I will be interested to see if it does anything to my hair. Anything I put on my hair seems to weigh it down I can't even spray hairspray on it as it immediately goes flat and the curls drop out. 

One product I'm not keen on is the 2true PRO 3D Candy Nail Art. They are tiny coloured balls that you stick to your nails with basecoat and then apply a top coat to keep them in place. I'm not one for the odd nail trends- caviar beads, velvet, even the matte nails don't interest me! I'm just old fashioned and like a good old normal nail colour and a shiny top coat, I don't think you can go wrong with it and it looks smart. I might give these to my sister to try as I don't think I will give them a go, they probably look great on the right person! 

My last full size product is a Sheer Conditioning Lipstick from B. It's not full coverage and feels quite moisturising on my lips- this will be the Shea butter I suspect. I received the shade Merlot which is a red shot through with a gold sparkle, not what I usually wear as I prefer pinks and corals but I'll give it a go. 

The two samples- Ghost Eclipse perfume and Garnier Body Oil Infused Nourishing Lotion. I like samples of fragrances as I can easily pop them in my handbag for nights out rather than carrying around a full size bottle. This is described as fruity-floral, which is two different things in my opinion. I like the fruity aspect but not the floral scent as I find it can give me a slight headache but I will use this and may fall in love with it, watch this space! The body lotion appeals to me as it's non greasy and non sticky and contains four oils to really nourish dry skin. Although I have oily skin on my face, my body is actually a lot drier surprisingly. I go on holiday in two weeks so this will come in handy to take with me and may result in me buying a full size one when I get back. 

What did you get in your Glossybox? 

Xx

New makeup bag and a few beauty items

The weather here at the moment is very sunny and warm (by England's standards) so I've been trying to make the most of it by walking as much as possible. I have mentioned before that I am fortunate enough to live within walking distance of the shops in my town, which can be deadly if you're a shopaholic like me! I needed a new bronzer so I took a trip to my local Boots and picked up my usual one- Bourjois Bronzing Powder in shade 52. This is the one that opens like a book to reveal what looks like a bar of chocolate. I really like this bronzer as it isn't very shimmery, although it does contain some flecks of glitter but these aren't visible on my skin. The packaging is also very appealing for me as I'm forever dropping and cracking my makeup but this is impossible (so far) to damage as it's enveloped completely in rigid cardboard with a magnetic lid that stays shut very well. 

Also on my list was a new body scrub as I had nearly finished my old one. I go through scrubs and body products fairly quickly as I constantly wear fake tan so I'm either trying to scrub it off or prolong it with body moisturiser! I usually get the Soap And Glory Scrub Of Your Life, which I was intending on getting until I saw this Sugar Crush Body Scrub. My sister bought me the body cream version for Christmas and I really like the scent. It's very sweet smelling but also refreshing due to the lime in it, so only buy this if you really like quite strong fragrances. I also have the shower cream of this too, yes I'm obsessed, which I mix with the body scrub so make it a thinner consistency otherwise it drags a bit on my skin. 

I had been meaning to get a new makeup bag for a while as mine was stained inside and out with foundation and various things that had leaked. I had tried washing it a few times but the stains wouldn't budge so I resigned myself to the fact I needed a new one and also needed to look after it better than my previous bags! The last few makeup bags I have bought have been by Ted Baker as they're a great size and always have a gorgeous design on the front. This flowery one caught my eye as it is made of clear plastic, genius! Why I didn't think of getting a plastic one before, I don't know but it's such a great idea. Now I won't stain it with makeup from my brushes etc as i can just wipe it clean! 

Xx

Boots product haul

Now my boyfriend and I have moved house temporarily, we are making the most of being in pretty much the centre of a town-easy for coffee, dangerous if you're a shopaholic like me! It was lovely and sunny here at the weekend so we took a wander as I needed to go to Boots to pick up some beauty items and thought we may as we'll pick up some bits for our upcoming holiday on the 1st June. Whilst there, I went a little crazy and ended up spending a stupid amount but we will actually use everything we bought.. I'll make sure of it! 

Now first off we needed sun cream which I dread buying every year as it can be quite expensive. After comparing a few, I settled on the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 10 and my boyfriend picked up the Nivea Moisturising Sun Spray SPF 15. We tend to start with an SPF of 20 and work down to a 10, we have some SPF 20 already so will finish that before we start these. We usually stick to these brands as we find them to be reliable and non greasy and easy to apply etc. I needed a new cleanser and this was the hardest thing to pick as I can be quite indecisive-this was one of those days. I have a few products from La Roche Posay and have done previous blog posts declaring my love for the French brand. Today I picked up the Physiological Cleansing Gel which is for normal to combination skin and I hope I get along with it ok. I do have a couple of cleansers already and usually use Bioderma morning and night but I really fancied something to use in the morning or on days I don't wear any makeup, something I could actually wash with water. I'll be doing a blog post on this after I have used it for a while. 

I also picked up three different size clear bags. I figured I could use the smaller one for my liquids that I carry on to the plane, the medium one for my makeup and the large for our creams etc so if any explode we should minimise the damage! I will use them for my makeup kit after we have been on holiday. I can't remember the prices of all the products sorry but I know these bags were £8. Money well spent! 

Now onto the minis! I'll run though them quickly otherwise this will be a very long blog post! 

Minis- Soap and Glory Clean On Me shower cream, Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo and conditioner, Aussie 3 Minute Miracle hair mask (my hair goes weird on holiday), two Lynx shower gels and a Lynx body spray. Also in the photo is Hawaiian Tropic after sun, the thing I actually went in for! Smells like limes and is lovely consistency. Buy one get one free on Hawaiian Tropic aswell! 

Essentials- a pack of tissues- never know when you need them! Hay fever tablets, Soltan lip balm to protect them from burning-it's happened before and is so painful, elastic hair ties-metal free so they don't get tangled in my very long hair. Also Jolen bleach as I (embarrassingly) always bleach the hair on my tummy as I can see it even though everyone else says it's not noticeable! I think they're just being kind! 

I will shortly be doing a holiday checklist post so be sure to check that out if you are going on holiday soon! 

Xx

Mac upcoming Collections

I'm a little slow on the uptake for mac collections, I'm still trying to get my hands on the cool and warm neutral 15 palettes! The only ones I have been prepared for are the Rihanna collaborations and now own a few lipsticks from her collection. So I have looked ahead and seen on Instagram and twitter that on June 14, Kelly and Sharon Osbourne are releasing their own makeup together with Mac! 

Sharon's will be more for darker haired women and Kelly's is for lighter haired/complexions. I'm really intrigued to see what they come up with, I'm assuming there will be a bright red somewhere maybe and a bright pink probably in Kelly's collection. I'm guessing from these ads released that Kelly's will include a peach nude lipstick and possibly some sort of kohl. Sharon's won't be as bold, instead being more muted and classic. They're my guesses anyway, we will have to wait until June to find out how right or wrong I am! 

The Simpsons collaboration will be a bright affair judging by this picture posted on Instagram by Mac a few hours ago. I am looking forward to seeing what this collection entails, bright makeup isn't really my thing but I might be pleasantly surprised by it. At least it won't be boring! Just when I wondered what Mac would come up with next- they never fail to surprise me. It makes a welcome change from samey Rihanna collections, while being popular and wearable, it's nice to see something more out there. I don't think there is a release date for The Simpsons yet but I'm assuming it will follow after Sharon and Kelly's. Can't wait!!

Xx

April Favourites

I always mean to do monthly favourites but time flies by before I get round to it and then I'm too late. So I'm being organised this time, I can't promise it will be a regular thing though but I'm trying! This month I have been loving quite a few things: 

Firstly, as my holiday is slowly creeping up, I have been making a conscious effort to exercise. My trainers have seen better days due to also wearing them to help my dad do the gardening (!) but I am planning on getting some new ones in the near future. I used to jog a couple of times a week but I have injured my knee so I can't anymore, instead opting for aerobic exercise routines on YouTube with my sister and one of my friends combined with a few power walks when my knee will let me! I've been drinking a lot of green tea with lemon as I don't like plain green tea and struggle to find a nice one that I can stomach! This PG Tips Zesty Lemon one seems to do the trick though and I don't find myself struggling to put up with the taste. 

Beauty favourites this month are in the form of Bioderma, L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Fragrance, Fake Bake Original Tan and Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in Tantalizing Taupe. I use Bioderma every morning to cleanse my face and every evening to remove my makeup. I just soak a few cotton pads with it and wipe over my face until it is clean. It's so easy to use and I'm sure it will be in every monthly favourite! I'm nearly out of my L'Occitane Cherry Blossom and I always repurchase this over and over again as it's such a lovely fragrance that lasts on my clothes all day. Now the sun is shining I have been regularly tanning again. I do it on and off or if I am going somewhere nice but when it gets warmer I can't reveal my lily white legs without it on pretty much constantly! I find this Fake Bake one is a lovely colour and has quite a pleasant smell. I have been in love with this Maybelline lipstick since I received it in one of my Glossyboxes a few months ago. It's been really hard for me to find that perfect nude and while this may not be it, it is certainly the closest I have come! I have dry lips and this is quite moisturising and long lasting. 

A couple of random favourites this month- my new sunglasses from River Island, I think they were £10 or thereabouts and one of my favourite films Pitch Perfect!  I have worn the same £3 pair of tesco sunglasses for a few years now as I could never find any that suited me as well as my old faithfuls. Needless to say, they are now in the bin as I have these gorgeous ones! They're UVA and UVB protective and are so lovely that I find myself wearing them even if it's not very sunny outside. Pitch Perfect is such a funny film and I could watch it over and over again, which I have these past few weeks! Our housemate had never seen it and doesn't own any DVDs that I would watch so I vowed to convert him, starting with this. He is now addicted to it and even downloaded some of the songs onto his phone. Mission accomplished! 

Xx

Real Techniques Makeup Palettes

I have just discovered these makeup palettes from Real Techniques, the makeup brush brand from Sam and Nicola Chapman. I'm glad they have branched out to makeup as they have a full set of makeup brushes out and then released travel brushes so I wasn't sure what else they could bring out. I have quite a collection of their brushes already so I may buy these palettes to increase my collection! 

Each palette contains four eyeshadows, a gel liner, a highlighter, a blush and two lipglosses. I don't usually like palettes with glosses/shadows etc in but they have made the glosses in their own mini tubes instead of being with the eyeshadows, thank god! The palettes are called 'modern natural' and 'night owl' and are available on the Real Techniques website for $25 each with shipping to other countries. They are limited edition though so hurry!!