What's in my make-up bag. Reviews #1.

MAC Opulash Optimum Black Mascara  Review

I'm not very brand loyal when it comes to mascaras. I don't think I've ever bought the same one twice as there's so many out there, I just pick whatever I fancy at the time. I've bought both high street and high end mascaras in the past and I can't really tell much of a difference between the two to be honest. The CHANEL Inimitable Intense was good, but I only found it lasted a few weeks before it was just the same as all the other mascaras out there and for the price that it retails at, I didn't really think it was worth it. 

I decided to purchase this mascara as I'd heard great things about MAC in the past but hadn't bought anything of theirs before. However, I have to say I can't see myself getting this mascara again. It seemed great at first as it had a very thick formula with a thick brush which really seemed to coat my lashes well and gave them lots of volume. But it also clogged up my lashes, making them all stick together into like 5 or 6 super thick eyelashes if that makes sense. This made it quite difficult to get off with a make up wipe and made me rub quite hard onto my eyes which is never good as the skin around that area is so sensitive. As well as clogging my eyelashes, the brush itself had a lot of mascara build-up on it pretty quickly and I keep finding lumps of mascara around the rim which isn't ideal.

Having said all of this, I think it's time I go out and buy myself a new one and if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them!

DIORSkin Forever in 023 Peach

Unlike with mascaras, I've been using this foundation for almost 2 years now and it would take a lot of persuading to make me buy anything else. It gives excellent coverage without looking too caked on and lasts me all day so I never need to re-apply. It's quite expensive (£32 I think it is) but it lasts me around 4-5 months so I definitely get my money's worth. The shade that I'm using at the moment is 023 Peach which was recommended to me by the MUA at the DIOR counter as she said I have a 'peachy skin tone' but I know that in the Winter I get quite pale so I usually switch to a lighter shade then. This foundation also has an SPF of 25 which is great as sun protection is key guys! However, I don't tend to wear this foundation in hot weather as it is quite thick so I usually go for a tinted moisturiser or, more recently, a BB cream. (I will try and get a review up of the latest BB cream that I've tried, by the way.) But other than that, I think it's the perfect foundation for me. My skin gets very dry and sensitive at times but this foundation doesn't irritate it in the slightest and I love how you can build it up depending on what the occasion is and how much coverage you want. 

Lovelovelove

xoxo

What's in my make-up bag.

Slightly random but I thought I'd do a post on what's in my make up bag at the moment. A kind of chance for you to be nosey and for me to do a few product reviews at the same time (everyone's a winner!). I'm not going to include all the product reviews in this post as it would make it painfully long but I'm going to aim to post a couple tomorrow and a couple on Saturday before I head up to Manchester on Sunday to visit my friend from uni, yay. Like most girls, the contents of my make up bag is changing constantly as things just seem to be continuously running out so what's in my make up bag right now will probably be different to what's in it next week but oh well. 

 I recently bought my new make up bag after having a purple one from River Island for literally like 3 years which desperately needed upgrading. I really love my new one and I wanted a chance to get some pics of it so here we go! It's by Chloé and I actually got it off ebay for a really good price which was great as a full price Chloé  bag of any sort is merely a pipeline dream at the moment. Here is a list of all the products (well most) that are in my make up bag right now and like I said, I will post some reviews in the coming days of the products which I feel I have the most to say about!

Mascara: MAC Optimum Black

Eyeliner: DIOR Crayon Eyeliner

Eyeshadow Palette: CHANEL Les 4 Ombres in 10 Dreams

Liquid Eyeliner: Rimmel Exaggerate 

Bronzer: Collection 2000 Mosiac Glow in 6

Lipstick: DIOR Addict in 681 (my favourite of many, many lipsticks)

Lipgloss: AVON Plump Pout (again, my favourite of many)

Foundation: DIORSkin Forever in 023 Peach

Perfume: OH LOLA! by Marc Jacobs

Much Love

xoxo

River Island Autumn Preview Picks.

So I was having a little browse on the River Island website earlier and saw that they have released a preview of their A/W line which is actually now available for purchase. I have to say that I absolutely love the vibe that they've gone for and if the rest of the collection is like this I can definitely see myself doing a lot of shopping in River Island this Winter. Here are a few of my favourites from the preview, but it was such a tough decision as to which to choose because their were so many items that I loved. As you can see from the selection here, the line mainly consists of rich, deep colours in a number of different textures from, leather to chiffon, to knitwear to create a kind of luxe feel. I've always preferred dressing for Winter as opposed to Summer as I love layering up clothes and getting all cosy in chunky cardigans and that sort of thing so I cannot wait for the full collection to hit the shops. 

River Island, you done good!

Much love

xoxo

We all need a little inspiration.

"You ever heard the expression, 'the best thing's in life are free'? Well that expression is true.  Every once in a while people step up, they rise above themselves. Sometimes they surprise you and sometimes they fall short. Life is funny sometimes. It can push pretty hard but if you look close enough, you can find hope in the words of children, in the bars of a song and in the eyes of the person you love. And if you're lucky, I mean if you're the luckiest person on the entire planet, the person you love decides to love you back."

Gran Canaria 2012.

(Maxi Dress: Primark) 

(Chiffon Blouse: Topshop. Shorts: Primark) 

(Dress: Topshop) 

(Dress: Topshop) 

(Maxi Dress: H&M) 

(Dress: New Look) 

(Dress: River Island)

Last week I was fortunate enough to spend a wonderful week on holiday in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria. Having never been to any of the Canary Islands before I didn't quite know what to expect but I had an amazing, unforgettable week (not to mention discovering the delicious Canarian potatoes which I will attempt to recreate as soon as I pluck up the courage to do so in the kitchen.) 

Here I've posted my evening outfits which I wore to dinner and then for drinks afterwards in the various bars. I probably didn't dress as formal as I usually do for nights out back home, but when temperatures are surpassing 35 degress celcius staying cool is definitely a priority so anything that wasn't loose fitted was a no-go. My most recent purchase of the above outfits was the River Island dress which I picked up in the sale just before I left. To be honest, I wasn't that keen on it when I saw in on the hanger but decided to try it on nonetheless and now I absolutely love it. It's perfect for barbeque's and summer nights (not that the weather in England at the moment holds a promise for many barbeques, boooo.) 

Also, I feel like I need to give a special mention to my trusted high-waisted denim shorts in the second photo. I got them from Primark about 3 or 4 years ago for around £8 and they still serve me very well to this day. I absolutely love high-waisted things and these are one of those items in my wardrobe that I would never ever dream of throwing out. 

I'm not sure if I'll be going away again this Summer. There is the possibility of going to the Alps in Bavaria, Germany in August as I have family over there but we shall see. I'm already having withdrawal symptoms from the sun and cocktails and hating having to dress in what can only be described as 'definitely not summer clothes' due to this abysmal British weather. Let's hope it picks up!

Much love

xoxo