Top things to do in London this winter

 

With London being my city and my favourite place I created a quick and easy travel guide for the tourist, shopper or cake enthusiast to point out some of my favourite places in London!

Places to eat/drink:

London is a large place and even with lots of transport systems you find yourself doing a lot of walking which makes your feet ache (I am using any excuse here for a piece of cake!) so here is a selection of quaint cafes, ambient restaurants and lively bars:

Draughts: A café which offers usual foods such as cheese boards and brownies but with an unusual twist! Draughts is a library of over 500 board games where you can sit, eat and drink to your heart’s content whilst challenging a fellow coffee sipper to a game.

Nearest tube station is Haggerton.

Sushi Tetsu: If you are a sushi enthusiast like me then you will love London as it is a sushi hub with a sushi bar around every corner. Sushsi Tetsu is a small sushi bar located near Aylesbury Street. It specialises in sushi and sashimi, the small restaurant creates a contrast the busy rush of the London streets and provides the place to relax and enjoy your dining.

Nearest tube station is Barbican

The Goring Hotel: This is a beautiful hotel which you may have heard of because it is where Kate Middleton was prepared before her wedding to Prince William. I was fortunate enough to indulge in an afternoon tea here which was delicious. If you book in advance you have the whole afternoon to enjoy unlimited teas, sandwiches and cake and to take a leisurely stroll around the gardens perimeter. Afternoon tea is perfect after a morning shop or theatre trip!

Nearest tube station is Victoria

Tanya’s café: If you are looking to stay healthy when in London then try Tanya’s café; a cafe which offers drinks, mains and treats made from raw food. The innovative store will help you feel good on the inside and fuel you for a busy day ahead.

Nearest tube station is Pelham street

The Rainforest café: I remember visiting this restaurant when I was younger. This is designed as a rainforest where you are surrounded by majestic animals and greenery- an amazing atmosphere! Popular foods such as pasta, salads and bbq chicken are served here.

Nearest tube station is Piccadilly circus

Shopping

If you are wanting a shopping trip London is the best place, with a selection of luxury, famous or traditional stores London has an item for every shopper; (even my Dad manages to find something) here are some of my favourite shopping locations:

Harrods: The most famous department store as it is the largest in Europe with over 330 departments. My favourite section is tied between the make-up and the chocolate department! However, the toy department still has a place in my heart as I remember how enchanting it was when I was younger! The Egyptian theme area is also very special due to the mesmerizing decorations.  

Nearest tube station is Knightsbridge

Oxford/Bond/Regent street: The three famous green streets which everyone fights over in Monopoly! These three streets provide the perfect shopping experience with basically every store needed scattered along the streets. Some of my favourite picks are Selfridges and the three floor Lush.

Nearest Tube station is Bond street/Oxford Circus

Covent Garden: If you are looking for a bit of everything Covent Garden is great ranging from older, traditional stores such as Mr Simms Olde sweet shop to more famous brands such as Apple and Mac. Whilst walking around the shops (inside and out) you will be entertained by a number of street artists or you can even take a trip to the Royal Opera house or Transport museum!

Nearest tube station Covent Garden

Camden Market: If you are looking for a different approach to shopping try Camden; these streets are lined with the most creative and unique stores. If you feel your haggling skills are up to date then try to earn a deal in the stalls; or if you’re feeling very brave try a different dish as there is an array of cuisines which are set up in the streets. Camden has one of the quirkiest atmospheres in London and is a great option to try a different style of shopping!

Nearest tube station Camden town

Top Attractions:

The London Eye: I have only been on the London Eye during the day but I have heard the night time experience is even more magical, with majestic views of London illuminated at night.  The eye gives you a 30 minute tour of London and the different angles give you different views of the city. If you are willing to battle the queues then visiting on New Year’s Eve will be truly magical as you can view the scenes whilst watching fireworks and seeing in the new year.

Nearest tube station is Waterloo

London Dungeons: These have been recently renovated and has added many new scenes but also kept some old favourites like the end drop ride. Here you learn about the gruesome history of England under different kings and queens reigns and about the times of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper. The actresses and actors are superb and make the experience extremely realistic.

Nearest tube station is Waterloo

The British Museum: My family and I are currently organising a trip to the British Museum as we have never visited but we have been encouraged after watching the latest night of the museum film. Also, in my travel guide (which I received for Christmas), The British Museum ranks number 15 on places to visit in the World!

 

Nearest tube station is Tottenham Court Road

West End: London provides an excellent range of theatres and there is one to suite everybody, here are a selection of some of my favourites:

·         The Lion King

·         Wicked

·         Mamma Mia

·         Grease

·         Charlie and the chocolate factory

·         The Woman in black

 

 

To organise your trip use Eventbrite where you can manage, customise and sell tickets to your own event.

 

Best Drugstore Concealer Revealed

Over the course of this year I have been swabbing and swapping different concealers from the drugstore (due to many late nights and early mornings) which has lead me to give you advice on the best concealers and the ones which well... are not really worth the money...

No7 Match Made concealer £7.50- One of the good things about this concealer being No7 is that you can t get a match closet to your skin shade. and with 17 shades you are sure to find a match, mine is in the shade calico which is an amazing match  for my skin. However, for me, that is the only positive as I am not a fan of the formula as I find it hard to apply and hard to blend meaning there is a distinct line between my foundation and concealer. Also, the 16 hour lasting power is not essentially true as I find myself having to top up in places every two hours.

Maybelline The Eraser Eye £7.99- I remember there being a massive hype about this concealer around summer time and this even made it into one of my favourites posts; however now it is not such a favourite. It blends well with foundation but that is about it, I think it may partially because I purchased this in the shade nude whereas I now definitely know I am in the shade light! I think having only two shades as option though really does limit this concealer. Also I just don't really get along with the applicator, you have to turn the package for product to come out onto the sponge which only fits under certain parts of your eye and does not fit into the corners!

Rimmel Long Lasting concealer £5.49- This concealer blends really well and I like the applicator which means I can apply it in the corners of my eye and around my nose. I purchased this in the shade soft beige and I do find the colour has a bit of orangey undertones but overall this is a solid concealer.

Collection Lasting perfection £3.99- I have this shade in fair and it is amazing as it brightens underneath my eyes and blends well with my make-up. The applicator means I can apply the concealer in the corners of my eyes and it leaves a seamless finish! This concealer certainly lasts a long time as well as I don't find myself having to top it up at all during the day.



Collection, Rimmel, No7, Maybelline concealers

So overall I would say the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer is the best for value, application and colour but the Rimmel Wake Me Up closely follows, certainly making it into the top two. For me the Maybelline one just doesn't really work, maybe because it is in the wrong colour and because of the applicator. And the No7 match made concealer? Considering it is one of the more pricier concealers it is really not worth it.

Bold metals collection brushes by Real Techniques

Real Techniques brushes are my 'got to' brushes as I already own the eye set of brushes and the powder brushes, however I never quiet found the excuse to splurge £64 on the bold metal brushes; until of course I managed to bargain them for £32 on the Boots website! When I opened the package it was like a light entering the room (cringey I know;) I absolutely adore the gold, rose gold  (I can just hear everyone cheer at the colour of rose gold) and silver colouring of the brushes. One of my favourite parts of the brushes is the sharp edges at the bottom of the brush which then become more rounded nearer the top, this makes it easier to hold the brushes at the correct angle to apply and blend your make-up. The only thing is that now doing my make-up can be a bit of an arm workout as they are quiet heavy brushes, but what can be expected, I mean it says 'metal' in the name (and I do need to tone up my arms after all the Christmas eating!) Here is a run through of the brushes included:

103 Angled powder brush is an exclusive brush to this gift set; as stated in the name this brush is angled so is brilliant to contour your face. I usually use this to apply bronzer in the cheek bone area and to blend powder into my foundation.

300 Tapered brush forms a bit more of a tip, as it is a more smaller head I use this to sweep highlighter across my cheek. The tip allows a more precise application of make-up so you could also use it when highlighting brow bones and the cupids bow.

200 Oval shadow is the most rounded brush and I use it during the eye make-process. I do not use this to apply individual eye shadows but instead at the end to blend the different shadows together for a seamless finish.

How can I forget, included in the pack is also a rose gold and silver coloured real techniques make-up pouch which you can fit your brushes in to take away!

Luxurious gifts for that someone special

We all have those people in our lives who we want to show a bit of appreciation and go a full out splurge on but sometimes it is hard to decide what items are worth spending the cash on. Here is a full blown out list of some items which I think would be great for that extra special somebody.

Hourglass ambient lighting pallet £65

This is the beauty rave of the year and I am sure the majority of beauty lovers would really appreciate opening this on Christmas day; I should know as it is on my list!

Benefit You`re So Party £39.50

This is a great gift set for teenage girls who love Benefit make-up; it contains some of Benfits most popular pieces including: they`re real! mascara, hoola bronzing powder, the POREfessional mini and an ultra plush lip gloss mini in hoola. These items will be great for the upcoming party season!

Clarins Eau Dynamisante Collection - Wake-Up Treats £32

 

I usually find Clarins is a brand which slightly more mature women like as I know my mum is a sucker for Clarins. This gift includes a selection of: The Eau Dynamisante Spray 100ml, The Eau Dynamisante Moisturizing Body Lotion 100ml and The Eau Dynamisante Shower Gel 50ml.

L' Occitane Sparkling Verbena Collection £49

L’Occitane gifts are perfect for those nearest and dearest as they have a selection of beautifully pre-wrapped gifts (to save you the tedious task)! This gift here includes their: eau de toilette, shower gel, body lotion, extra-gentle soap and cooling hand cream gel; it is also in their most recent and my personal favourite scent ‘Verbena’!

Jo Malone Candle  £42

All of Jo Malone's items are luxurious but a candle which really caught my attention was the Almond and macaroon one which I then pointed out to my mum which she then added to her list (great!)

Molton Brown Hand Wash Bauble £11

These must be Molton Brown's best sellers as they are extremely festive: a beautifully packaged bauble with a luxurious hand wash! This year they have released a limited edition fragrance of Elderflower.

My Christmas list

It's that time of year where you are having to send your Christmas wish list off to Father Christmas (your parents are frantically running around departments) and yet it is completely blank. For those of you struggling I thought I would share my little long list with you:

One treasured piece on my wish list is the Chanel Illusion D'ombre Long wear Luminous eye shadow (a bit of a mouthful )which is a beautiful burgundy colour, I spotted this beauty in House of Fraser with my mum and it was a matter of 'who saw it first' on to who got to write it on their Christmas list. In fact I went a bit Chanel crazy (poor parents) and my list also included le crayon yeux precision eye definer in gold and Le vernis nail colour in rouge noir.

I'm not really a massive reader (except of blog posts) and have only actually read one book this year (which is gone girl by Gillian Flynn and I highly recommend it) but I managed to include some books into my list, even if they are not the usual novel. I love the quirky books in Urban Outfitters and I have asked for the 'Lonely Planet Best Place To Be Today' book because as you know I am a bit of a travel junkie. Urban outfitters just about has a book for everyone there whether you are a nutella addict or looking for a joke about cheese, cant guarantee there would be a book for you. Another book I have asked for, which is admittedly is very childish and I am wayyy too embarrassed to go and buy the book myself, is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid 'Old school,' these books make me laugh too much and I was in stiches with the last one. They are probably 10 years below my reading age group but oh well!

Clothes wise I don't really trust anybody with buying me pieces but I have added a pair of top shop's black jeans to my list. I love the Joni style of jeans and (much to my family's disapproval) picked up a pair of the ripped ones a few months ago. I only own two pairs of comfortable jeans so I thought it would be the time to invest in another pair.

Some things which I am way behind the time with and I have finally caught up on and have slipped into my list is the Urban Decay setting spray and Naked 2 pallet. I have never owned a Naked palette and I didn't want to jump straight in with the latest 'Smokey eye' pallet as admittedly I am rubbish at a Smokey eye. I felt the naked 2 best fitted my preference of a nude, goldy toned eye. Another major blogger make-up item is the hourglass blushes, bronzers and ambient lighting edit. I have asked for the mood exposure blush as I think it is a beautiful, subtle, plum colour.

Anyway, that about rounds up the main items on my list, I hope they gave you ideas, moreover, I would love to hear your items which you have asked for Christmas so I can sneakily add some more to mine!

Winter blog post ideas

Christmas is the best time to go all out on your blog posts and to add some festivity to them, however it sometimes reaches the point where the lazy evenings get to us and we all lose that spark of writing; so I wrote a list to act as a little inspiration for what to write about during the winter season. Some of the posts I have left open to interpretation so you can add your own touch to it.

Gift ideas:

• Luxury Christmas gift ideas
• Christmas gifts for under £20
• Gifts for Secret Santa
• Beauty gift ideas
• Gifts guide for specific group (age, gender or relation)
• My Christmas wish list
• Stocking present ideas
• Gift buying on a budget
• Round up of your favourite stores gifts
• The best shop for gifts
• Gifts to avoid
• Overall gift guide
• Selection of edible gifts (because everybody loves food)
• Presents for a pet
• How to avoid overspending
• Giving to those without this season

Food:

• Favourite Christmas recipes
• Baking ideas for Christmas
• Step-to-step on a Christmas recipe
• Party food ideas/ favourite recipes for a dinner party
• Traditional Christmas recipes
• Try to make a Christmas recipe healthy (good luck trying)

Beauty:

• Christmas day make-up
• Christmas inspired colours nails
• Skin care during the winter
• Hairstyles for Christmas parties
• Winter pamper evening
• Festive flagrancies for your body 

Fashion:

• Winter essentials
• Winter look book
• Christmas day outfit
• Trends which will be massive this winter
• Predicted trends for 2016 (sounds scary to say 2016)
• Top tips on boxing day sale shopping
• Christmas accessories

DIY:

• Home made Christmas cards
• Home made Christmas decorations
• Gift wrapping ideas

Home:

• Christmas decorations
• Best Christmas décor shops
• Christmas room tour
• Collection of the best winter candles/ incenses
• Winter interiors  
• How to decorate a small space
• How to make your home festive on a budget

Face masks

In the Wintery months the perfect thing to do is to soak in a warm bubble bath with a box of chocolates and a face mask on. Face masks are an area which I feel many people are shady on as there isn't really anyone to tell you which is best, here are a selection of my favourites:

Lush Cranberry face mask- Whenever I have bought a face mask from Lush before it has always been the one which has most appealed to me by ingredients or name not the mask which is suited best to my skin. When I told the lady in Lush that I had dry skin and the only two masks I had used was cupcake and catastrophe cosmetic she was shocked as apparently these are the worst masks for dry skin. Instead she suggested the masks Oat fix and their festive mask cranberry.  I tried cranberry and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, unlike cupcake it has quiet a nice fragrance added to it and is not overwhelming (I hate a poignant scent on my face when I am trying to relax in the bath.) After using the mask my skin feels extremely clean and it feels like the remaining dirt on my face has been removed.

Super facialist pore purifying clay mask- This is an affordable face mask which I have recently re purchased from Boots. The face mask is thin which means it is easy to apply and remove and wont make a mess of your bathroom sink! This mask is great for when your pores feel clogged and leaves your face feeling clean. This mask does make my face tingle slightly but that is because I have very sensitive skin. I am yet to purchase more  products by  Una Brennan.

What face products are your favourites?

The perfect drugstore brow

Eyebrows. The bane to many teenage girls lives, the reason why many people loose 30 minutes sleep in the morning. I am not saying that my eyebrows are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G but I am pretty sure these drugstore products have helped them look more tamed!

 To start with I brush through my brows with the Maybelline master shape brow pencil to shape them naturally. Next I lightly brush through them with the Maybelline brow drama which I use in the shade light brown, this colours the light eyebrow hairs to thicken my eyebrows and the formula dries to keep them in shape. I ensure to do this stage lightly otherwise the liquid would dry on my eyebrows and crumble. Afterwards I use the pencil on the Maybelline master shape to further fill in my eyebrows, I use the pencil to define the arch and extend my brows. Finally I use the Real Techniques brow brush to give my eyebrows a final sweep into place.

In my search for the 'perfect brow' I found some top tips on how you should measure your eyebrows on where to start, arch and end.

1. To measure where to start, line your brush at an angle with the edge of your nose, the place in which the pencil meets your eyebrow zone should be where your brow begins.

2.Then line straight with the pupil in your eye, where this meets you eyebrow should be the section where your brow should begin to arch.

3.Finally, line the brush at an angle with the edge of your nose and the corner of your eye, where this lines with your brow should be where it ends.

What are your top tips when filling in your eyebrows?


My eyebrow products

October Favourites

So I actually forgot that it was the end of the month even though Halloween is a big event which signifies this event. This month has been a complete blue, I think this is partly because I was away in Germany and Poland, anyway these are my favourite products this month:

As I had broken up from school my nails were allowed a little bit of colour so I reached for this KIKO nail polish in Taupe. I absolutely adore the brand KIKO as they have the most reasonably priced make-up, unfortunately there is only a few stores in the country but luckily one has opened near me! I love subtle nail colours and this shade was perfect, it is a feminine, sophisticated colour and the formula of the nail polish leaves a shiny nail and I received many compliments over the course of my trip in Berlin.

Removing my make-up is the absolute bane of my life (and I guess many others!) Luckily the Micellar cleansing water (which I had already heard many good comments about) makes this task a little less troublesome. It is a simple formula, good for even the most sensitive skin, and removes make-up so easily leaving your skin feeling clean. Unfortunately the only area this cleanser struggles in is the eye area and that is when the CLARINS eye make up remover is a gem. This leaves my eyes clean and refreshed ensuring  have no panda eyes in the morning!

At the end of the month my mum bought me a new fragrance from PINK. I have found myself giving myself a sprtiz of this scent everyday as it is very poignant and floral. I love PINK perfumes as they are all high quality and this one matches, if not tops, all of the others.

Finally is the cranberry face mask from LUSH. In the Autumnal months I always try to take better care of my skin and in the realisation that I had some pores I popped into lush and was recommended this face mask. This leaves my face feeling so clean and I have noticed a difference around my nose area, I will be doing a post on my favourite face masks so watch out for that where I will go into more detail.

What have been your favourite products this month?

Advent calenders

I know, I know it is not even near December yet and I am sure that some of you are screaming at the fact that I am already planning my countdown to Christmas! But advent calendars have started to come out in shops and I want to get my hands on a good one this year! I would like to try and have a beauty advent calendar as well as a chocolate calendar(can't get rid of the classic)! So I have been searching high and low for some of the most inventive advent calendars and these are some of the beauties that I have stumbled across:


Benefit- A calendar with 12 mini beauty goodies from benefit is far from disappointment. Benefit have included 12 of their favourite products for you to unwrap, this is a great way to discover new products of Benefit or stock up on your favourites. £34.50



Lush: A favourite shop especially around the festive season is bound to have some amazing gifts. This is a massive calendar which opens up to reveal 12 doors each hiding a bath treat. Winter is always the best time for a warm bath so unwrapping a treat everyday will be an amazing way to relax in the cold season. £50.00





Jo Malone: If you are willing for your advent calendar to be your one and ONLY present then go for this luxury calendar with 24 minis from Jo Malone. Indulge on the selection of 24 body crèmes and colognes with seasonal scents. £260.00

Charlotte Tilbury:Another luxurious advent calendar is the Charlotte Tilbury one, this includes 12 make-up products, some being full sized and others being travel sized. This is a great way to discover new favourites by the brand and a great preparation for the make-up across Christmas.

The Body Shop: This is a great beauty calendar for a mixture of make-up, shower gels and moisturisers. 24 days worth of treats are crammed into this box including some of their limited edition Christmas flavoured products.



Yankee candle: Everyone loves a good ol' candle; this little bundle of joy includes 24 tea light candles of different seasonal scents with a surprise on day 24! £27.99

The Autumn Tag

Hello, I am very excited to finally being doing a post on my favourite season AUTUMN! This is my first tag post and I would like to thank As told by Alisa who kindly nominated me to do this post, so lets go...

Ok, we're talking coffees—what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero, etc?

I don't like coffee. The taste- or even the smell- is too strong for me and just overpowers my taste buds! But I like hot chocolate, can I talk hot chocolate? For me it would have to be a Costa one accompanied by one of their brownies or ginger bread muffins!

Accessories—what do you opt for: scarf, boots, or gloves?

I would have to go for boots for this one as I am not a massive fan of layering myself up too much. I think boots are an absolute staple for Autumn and I own two pairs which I know will be worn for all of these upcoming months; a little black pair with mini heels for everyday shopping and a pair of timberlands for Autumn walks, e.t.c.

Music—what's your favourite music to listen to during autumn?

Being completely honest I am still trying to get over the end of Glee and I the only songs I have really been listening to Glee versions. However, over the last few weeks, after seeing Christmas decorations in shops, I have started listening to some Christmas songs to get into the spirit early!

Perfume—what's your favourite scent for this time of year?

I usually don't change up my scents throughout the year and just purchase new perfumes when I run out or there is a new product on the moment. Currently I am using the Chloe mini perfumes which I purchased in the summer (in duty free)!

Candles—what scents will you be burning this season?

I love burning candles in the Autumn as it creates a warm, pre- Christmas atmosphere. My most recent candle which I have been burning is cinnamon brulee, I love the cinnamon smell but sometimes it is a bit overpowering so the cinnamon brulee flavour by Langleys home adds a sweetness to the smell and makes the aroma of the room smell like you have just been baking cakes! Another candle flavour which is on my wish list (and yes a candle wish list does exist) is pumpkin spice as this is properly festive for Halloween.

What do you love most about autumn?
 
Everything! I adore Autumn and it is by far my favourite season! I love arriving home and going inside to the warm from the chilly outside; the leaves which cover the ground and the whole lead up to Christmas! Overall, in my opinion, Autumn is such as cosy season and I am often inside with wooly socks, snug in a dressing gown and eating some Autumn themed treats.

Favourite makeup look?

During Autumn I love to embrace the seasonal colours and style a gold, bronzey eye. I also wear a lot of dark reds and purples on the lip, the colours which I love to wear are in my Autumn lips post (cheeky self-promo there!)

What are you looking forward to the most in autumn?

Something which has come round so quickly is my Berlin trip with the school. I love school trips as it is a time to go away with friends and this Berlin to Poland trip has been planned for over a year. The trip will be a mixture of fun from being with my friends but also great sadness and reflection as we go to visit Auschwitz and the Berlin wall. I certainly can imagine this will be an extremely moving experience.

I hope everyone enjoys there Autumn and I nominate Ela from Ela Bella World! Hopefully I will be doing a Winter tag soon!

The travel essentials

This Friday I am travelling with my school to Berlin in Germany which will then be followed by an overnight coach journey to Krakow in Poland. This is going to be a moving and emotional trip as we are visiting locations such as Auschwitz and the Berlin wall; it is certainly guaranteed that it will be an eye opening experience. So in preparation for this trip I have been frantically shopping to buy clothes and holiday necessities . Here are some essentials which everyone needs when on a trip:

Dry hair shampoo- When you are away you don't want to be wasting your time washing your hair, however when you look back at snapshots you also don't want to have greasy hair. Dry hair shampoo is perfect to maintain clean hair when away and also adds extra volume!

Compressed deodorant- Obviously when you are away you want to stay refreshed and smell pleasant, compressed deodorant is the best as it is not only environmental friendly it also takes up less room in the suitcase!

Adapter- When away in a foreign country an adapter is a NECESSITY! Obviously you want your phone charged and electrical appliances like straighteners to work. With the change in plug socket you must remember to pack an adapter.

Sweets- When on the plane or travelling you most likely want to have a sweet in your mouth, especially if you are on the plane you would want some sweets to suck on to stop yours ears popping.

 Eye make up remover- Even when you are away you have to remember to remove your make-up!

Cleansing water- This is the best formation of a cleanser to bring away as it is light on the skin and makes the process of removing make up quick and simple.

Hair bands- These always go missing so quickly so I always take a packet as when I am away I usually want my hair out of my face.

What are your essentials to bring away on holiday?

Autumn lips

MAC DIVA- This is probably one of MAC's most popular shades and is a dark red with purple undertones. I am ashamed to say this is my very first MAC item but I will definitely be purchasing some more (perhaps velvet teddy)! I love the matte finish and I am also very impressed with the quick dry and staying power. This is such as typical Autumn, berry colour so I know I will be reaching for it a lot this season! Overall this is a great lipstick with a reasonable price tag for a high end brand: £15.50.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy DISCREET- Discreet is a nude shade with brown undertones and is perfect for a natural make-up day. The texture of the lipstick is very creamy and has a full coverage. This has a slightly higher price tag of £25.00.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour ROSE TEA- Another one of Estee Lauders lipsticks, this is a nude with pink undertones. I love the creamy finish and the pinky nude compliments the autumn colours. This lipstick has a label of £22.00.



NO7 Moisture Drench SOFT PAPRIKA-This is the most affordable lipstick and is from NO7's match made perfect range where your lipstick is matched to your skin tone. My foundation colour is CALICO and soft paprika is a shade which is meant to compliment my skin tone. This is a slightly different option from the other colours as it is a bright, bold red with pink undertones. This is a real statement lipstick for nights out and has a label of £9.50.

What are the lipsticks that you have been wearing this Autumn?

Estee Lauder gift

I have been eyeing up this Estee Lauder gift for a while now and when I went to the Boots Christmas event I thought it was a great opportunity to purchased extra products to be able to receive this beautiful package (I managed to pick up £10 worth of reward points on my Boots card!) To receive this gift you have to purchase two products, one of your choice and another either being skin care or foundation.

 

The gift includes a very retro bag, bold red flowers with dark blue. I always find these bags useful for when you go on holiday as I always need loads of them to store my make-up and other essentials in!

 

My favourite product which is included in the Pure colour lipstick in the shade 17, Rose Tea-which is a pink shade with brown undertones. The coverage is buildable so you can apply it to how it suits you and as it is a cream lipstick it leaves a matte finish.  

 

The gift has many skin care items packaged inside, one being the advanced night repair. This one of Estee Lauders best sellers and is a serum to fight aging. Unfortunately this is not an essential to me so I will most likely gift it to somebody else. An item which is a necessity is the Take it away make-up remover which is suited to all skin types. The formula is a cream so I massage it gently into my skin and rinse afterwards which leaves my skin feeling fresh. The Daywear advanced multi protection Anti oxidant crème is another anti-aging item. However, this one is more suited to me as it helps to prevent young aging and helps to leave a smooth finish on the face. This is great for dry skin which is fortunately my skin type.

The Modern Muse perfume is also included which is a strong floral, woody scent which leaves a warm impression. This perfume only needs a couple of spritz to completely enrich your body with it scents and I can imagine this would last me a long time.

An empty bottle of the double wear foundation is included in which I assume I would take to the counter to be filled with my colour which is pure beige; this is another one of Estee Lauders key items. Finally, included in a small book kit the Illuminating perecting primer and the Double Wear concealer in the shades: light, light/medium and medium.

Overall the gift is of high value and contains many products of generous size to test. I would definitely repurchase the Rose tea lipstick! What has been you favourite gift from a make-up company?

Autumn interior



So it is definitely official that we are finally in Autumn!!! I absolutely love using the excuse that

it is a new season to buy some new pieces for my home and I know I can't switch up my whole interior every season! For me, Autumn screams orange and brown interiors with a woody feeling to create a warm atmosphere to prepare for coming cold months, here are some pieces I selected to make your home to feel more 'Autumnal':








M and S Stag Table Lamp-£49.50 

 

  

 

 

M and S Grapefruit and Ginger scented owl candle-£12.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 George Silver Lantern- £12.00

 Very Set of 2 Antique effect trunks -£99

 

 

 

 

 The Cotsworld company Evelena Clementine Throw-£35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next Ginger rustic woven cushion-£16

 

 

 

 Next Lit Gingko Tree -£50

 

What items have you picked up this season because of their Autumnal vibe?

Where have I been?

Firstly, I believe I owe everyone a MASSIVE apology for being absent for a month. I had my schedule planned around school for when I went back however, when I went back the work just overwhelmed me and I was slightly surprised for it to be announced that I had mocks for the rest of my GCSE's which I will embark on taking in the summer. I then felt very unprepared and stressed, I had to dedicate all my time to revision and if I am honest I think it was MATHS which took all my time (further maths is the hardest subject I have taken so far!)

You may now be asking if I will be able to handle my blog still, and the answer is YES! The main reason I created my blog was for an escape and because I love writing, I think I just got a little side-tracked.

To ensure that I am posting regularly I am going to try and set a goal amount of posts a week, a great starting point I thought would be two posts per week. This way I am posting content frequently but giving myself enough time to write good quality posts (which is of course the main idea.)

I would like to thank those who will continue with me on this journey and to say I hope you enjoy a slightly better organised me!

Oxford street lush haul

Recently I took a much waited for trip to the lush on Oxford Street which is (apparently) the biggest Lush store in the world and it lived up to that title with three floors of lush. Seeing as they had exclusive 'Oxford street' only products I had a "little" splurge on their bath items.
 

shark infested custard, dreamtime, Melting marshmallow

The whole of the upstairs was dedicated to bath bombs, bars and these exclusive bath oils which  I loved so much I picked up three of them! The don't make bubbles in the bath or change the colour but they make your skin feel silky and they smell gorgeous. I picked up the melting marshmallow, shark infested custard and dreamtime.

 

Melting marshmallow was certainly my favourite bath oil as they fragrance was very sweet and reminded me of the scent of the cream candy bubble bar-good enough to eat! I liked the feeling of my skin after this oil as it hydrated my skin without making it feel like I had thick wrapping over my body.

 

I know the name shark infested custard sounds slightly bizarre but the vibrant yellow caught my eye and it smelt delicious. Even though I loved the smell I wasn't overly impressed with how my skin felt afterwards, this bath oil may suit some better then others, as my skin felt like it had a thick layer of oil afterwards and I didn't appreciate this feeling.

 

Dreamtime was a lavender scent, and as you have probably guessed, is a very relaxing fragrance, this would be perfect for a long, candle-light bath!

 

My absolute favourite lush products are their bubble bars, I think they are great value for money as you can get more than one bath out of them and they create magical displays in your bath. I picked up granny takes a dip which is a famous bath bomb in lush (which rumour has that it is being discontinued.) I must admit I wasn't blown away by the colours made in the bath, but that may be because it is a bubble bar instead of bomb. You can certainly get four baths out of this though and the bar creates a lot of bubbles. The second bubble bar which I purchased was rose jam, this smelt delicious, once again very sweet. This is known as a bubbleroon because it really softens the skin as it contains coconut oil and shea butter -I can certainly say that it passed the test! Once again you can get three or four baths out of this and it creates plenty of bubbles so is a great value for money!

 

A purchase which I am very proud of is the comforter shower cream, I had already tried the comforter bubble bar and I absolutely adored the BERRY fragrance so I knew this would go down as a treat. The shower cream itself is very thin and quiet runny so it is hard to control it but leaves your skin smelling amazing. I love the appearance of the cream, a vibrant pink containing gold glitter, the lady in lush was explaining to me how the glitter somehow dissolves in the water (probably more scientific than that) so you don't come out with glitter all over you!

What is your favourite Lush products?

Oh yeah and did I mention they had a mini spa there as well?

August favourites

August has whizzed past even though it feels like my holiday was months! I am so excited for my favourite season Autumn and I guess it wont be long before we see Christmas decorations on the shelves (I already saw some Christmas tree and snowman cake toppings in Sainsbury's!) Anyway, on with the items which I have loved this month:



Benefit High beam has slipped into my hands this month as I have tried to catch on with the strobing/highlighting trend this summer. I also tried Benefits watts up but I preferred this product as the application is a lot easier and because it is a liquid formula the highlighter blends easier. This highlighter lives up to the name of being a highlighter however  my goal for September is to get my hands on the Becca champagne pop which is so highly recommended. Another beauty item which I have been enjoying this summer is a recent purchase from Bourjois and is their  from their colorband line. This product can either be used as an eye shadow, which is why I originally purchased it, or an eye liner which I have been loving to use it as. The only eyeliner colour which I have ever used is the traditional black but as I love a bronze eye I have been applying a lot. I am absolutely rubbish with eyeliner but I can miraculously apply this eyeliner in an okayish way.

Following my trip to Oxford street lush I have found a new favourite shower gel which is The Comforter. I have already used the bubble bar flavour the comforter and I adore the berry fragrance so I already knew this would top my list of shower gels.

This month I have really caught the Great British Bake Off fever (which on that note is a TV favourite) but following my love for the show I have been getting my bake on a lot more. This led me to purchase the Lola's cupcake recipe book in hope that I could sculpture some of their cupcakes. I really love this recipe book as it has pictures of each cupcake and I do love images in a book as a visual aid. The book contains some of the most adventurous recipes from Oreo cupcakes to chocolate tray bakes-it really is a cupcake addicts delight!

Nearing the autumnal months I thought I would invest in a candle with a warm, baking fragrance and I am in love with this scent, it has been so hard to resist not to crack it open now! Here I have the Vanilla cinnamon brulee flavour by the company Langley's home. This flavour is a twist on cinnamon and smells like I have just been baking cupcakes! The brand is really affordable as well as for this candle which would be £25 in Yankee candle I managed to purchase for £5.99!

In the shock realisation that I am going back to school in less than a week I went for a bit of stationary shop- the only thing which makes going back a little more bearable! I came across these pastel Sharpies which I really don't need but I thought just looked really pretty! I have seen so many shades of sharpies but never in these pastel colours, I probably won't use them for ages but at least I will always have them in my pen pot. Also, Sharpie is such as trustable brand for markers, even if you cannot write on the other side of the page!

Now for a clothing favourite which is these espadrilles from Superdry. These are my first ever pair of espadrilles and I managed to pick them up in the sale! The colour goes with all my clothes and they are just so casual and comfy! They are so flexible as I could pair them with jeans or a skirt.

Saving the best to last, my final favourite is Glee Season 6, it makes me want to cry that it is the final season and I am already on episode ten:( I love the music, characters, EVERYTHING about this show and I think I am going to have to do another post on my love of glee otherwise I will just ramble on about my love of glee forever!

What products have been your favourite in August?