Beauty

Beauty - Her Cheeks Were Like the Blush of Sunset on the Sea

9:00:00 pm

At this time of year when the sun starts to make more regular appearances I always get more experimental with blush products and love a really fresh, peachy pink look with lots of highlight.  I think it just looks really refreshed from the more bronzed looks I go for in the colder months.  Unfortunately I suffer with slightly oily skin so trying to keep the products in place all day can sometimes be an issue, I have come up with the perfect cocktail of cheek products to ensure that my go to summer look stays in place for as long as possible, so I thought I should share the secret.


After applying my base of primer, foundation and concealer I can get to work on my cheeks.  Starting with Benefit's Fine One One (£23.50*, Debenhams)  create a base of colour using my Real Techniques Stippling Brush.  I try to get an even amount of all the shades in Fine One One onto my brush and just apply where I would normally apply my powder blush.  I love the cream to powder texture of Fine One One as normal cream products tend not to last very long on my skin, thankfully this one lasts a good six hours when used alone but by using cream and powder as a dream team duo I add a few more hours to that longevity.

Beauty, Real Techniques Blush Brush, Sleek Blush Pomegranate, MUA Undress your Skin Highlighter, Benefit Coralista, Benefit Fine One One, Spring Blushes, Spring Make Up Look,

Beauty, Real Techniques Blush Brush, Sleek Blush Pomegranate, MUA Undress your Skin Highlighter, Benefit Coralista, Benefit Fine One One, Spring Blushes, Spring Make Up Look,

Beauty, Real Techniques Blush Brush, Sleek Blush Pomegranate, MUA Undress your Skin Highlighter, Benefit Coralista, Benefit Fine One One, Spring Blushes, Spring Make Up Look,

When I'm just doing my make up in the daytime for a relatively natural look I don't use bronzer to contour, instead using different shades of blush to create a really subtle sculpting.  Recently I have been using Sleek's Blush Pomegranate (£4.49, Superdrug) in the hollow of my cheeks.  This may sound crazy to some as this is a very shimmery blush but it happened by accident one day and I loved the way it looked.  Sleek Blushes are one of my favourite high street brands, they really are the most amazing quality and last for such a long time.

On the apples of my cheeks I go for a much fresher coral pink in the form of Benefit Coralista Blush (£23.50, Debenhams), this little mini one I had as part of a kit one Christmas has came in so handy!  I always use this at this time of year and with only a hint of shimmer it works really well with the Sleek, Pomegranate.  In my opinion this is the perfect peachy, coral blush!

I adore a good bit of highlighter at any time of year, there is nothing prettier than when the sun catches your cheekbones and a highlighter is made much more prominent, right?  When Make Up Academy released their Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder (£3.00, Superdrug) I knew I had to add it to my collection.  It's such an affordable highlighting product, something we don't see a lot of in the likes of Superdrug.  I love the pink iridescent shimmer, it adds a really girly touch to any make up look, giving a radient, healthy, glowy finish.  This is such good value for money, I would go as far to say it is my favourite highlighter available on the highstreet.

Would you like to see a full face make up look including these products?

Fashion

Fashion - Festival Fashion Over the Years*

9:00:00 pm

NL
Festival Fashion Timeline by New Look

This summer I will be attending my first ever festival, with just over three weeks until Wireless Festival I am in the process of choosing my outfits and have been having a little look at festival fashion over the years to get some inspiration.

Depending on what type of festival it is you are attending the fashion can be slightly different, New Look have put together this really interesting Festival Fashion Timeline which you can see above, it shows so many different styles within the 'festival fashion' genre.  It was so interesting to see how the festival trend has stayed similar over the decades but still with the same inspiration behind all the outfits.

I have been looking at denim shorts, midi skirts, printed joggers, fringing, floral prints, neon and tribal prints the most but there is so many different options making the final choice is proving to be really difficult.  I am excited to see how the outfits come together, of course I will be sharing them with you so keep an eye out for them!

What key festival trends do you think I couldn't ignore?

Beauty

Beauty - Any Day is the Perfect Day for Shopping

9:00:00 pm

Batiste Dry Shampoo 'blush' Superdrug £4.99, Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner Superdrug £2.99, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer Superdrug £5.99,  Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil Selfridges £13.00Urban Decay Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss 'Lovechild' Selfridges £14.00, Herbal Essences Ignite my Colour Shampoo Superdrug £3.79Tangle Teezer - Space NK £12.50 Macadamia Deep Repair Masque -  Harvey Nichols £27.00, Ole Henrikson Nurture Me Cleansing Cloths Harvey Nichols £13.00Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer Superdrug £4.99, Herbal Essences Ignite my Colour Conditioner Superdrug £3.79


When you are living somewhere that doesn't have a Superdrug on every corner and Department stores like Selfridges and Harvey Nichols just don't exist you truly realise which products you really love and miss within your routine.  These were the first few beauty purchases I made once returning to the UK, some items I truly missed being able to purchase and some that had launched while I was away that really caught my eye.  Not having these products readily available for quite a few months has made me truly appreciate being able to use the ones I love again and try out some new ones!  I picked up everything from either Superdrug, Selfridges, Space NK, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges and everything is linked above so you can check it out for yourself.

You will see there are quite a few hair care items, I really missed being able to purchase my essential hair care items especially the Batiste Dry Shampoo and Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, when I ran out I really missed them and realised what I difference they make to the my routine.  I already have the original Tangle Teezer and adore it but it is a little bit chunky to carry in my handbag so the purchase of a compact styler was something I had been thinking about for a while, so far it is a very welcome addition.  As you all know I colour my hair so I normally just pick up any shampoo that helps to prolong the intensity of the colour, I really love Herbal Essences as the scent reminds me of my Auntie's Hair, she used to use it when I was a child.  

I don't know what is going on with my eyes at the moment but my usual concealer just wasn't cutting it, so I got these to give them a go, I have never tried either before so this was a big risk, but thankfully not an overly expensive one.  The felt tip liner I was using for the last couple of months has just ran out and I was recommended this one by Charl from Gingergirlsays.com, as someone who used eyeliner nearly everyday I trusted her opinion, I am loving this so far!

I mentioned in my Change is Good post the other day that I had my make up done by Urban Decay's National Make Up Artist, Karen and she had used both of these products, I loved the way they looked so of course I had to have them.  I can see this being the start of an addiction with these lipglosses, they are really beautiful and not sticky at all, always a winner.

You know when you see a lot of hype around a product and you decide without much thought that you need it, that is exactly what happened with these Ole Henrikson make up remover wipes.  I am mostly using these to remove eye make up before cleansing properly in the evening, they smell delicious but I'm not sure they justify the expensive price tag.  

Have you tried anything recently that you think I should try?