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?

Since I got back Charl has been kind enough to invite me onto her radio show Ginger Girl Says on 6 Towns Radio.  It has been such a cool way to spend our Wednesday nights and is really just an extension of conversations we have between ourselves everything from Celebrity Gossip to our personal dating stories.  You can join us on Wednesday nights from 9-11pm here.

At the start of this week I spent what felt like two full days in Selfridges Birmingham, not that I am complaining, it was a pleasure especially with the brand new beauty hall.  It was my first visit since the re design and I was honestly gobsmacked, it is everything a beauty lover could wish for and more!  The surprise of lots of new brands was great, especially  Urban Decay and Charlotte Tilbury.  There is also now a Beauty Personal Shopping Service available with the lovely Rose, meaning your entire Selfridges Beauty Experience can be tailored to your needs.  I was lucky enough to meet Rose at an event in London just over a year ago and have to say she was absolutely made for this position, she is such a great addition to the Selfridges Beauty Department.  You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the beauty goings on.

Last Monday I spent the afternoon with Urban Decay.  Learning  more about their new launches and was lucky enough to have my make up done by their National Make Up Artist Karen, she is literally a magician with a make up brush!  It was really good to have a closer look at the products that had launched recently as well as the much talked about Naked 3 Palette which launched when I was away.  This little visit also made me completely rethink my foundation routine for summer, so there will be more about that very soon.

Tuesday last week was a truly great day.  I was invited by Dermalogica to take part in their debate as part of Selfridges Beauty Project to discuss the topic, Does The Stereotypical Notion of Beauty Really Empower Women?  We had two sessions throughout the day and I was delighted to be in the company of such inspiring ladies, it was really fantastic to see how beauty can empower women in so many different walks of life.  Doing things like this can really help to change the way people think about careers in beauty and to remove the stigma of it being a less academically challenging profession.  I would really love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments below.

Something else really exciting happened on Tuesday, I met a guy who convinced me to let him take me for a coffee that same night, we went for coffee, walked around my favourite area of Birmingham and will be seeing each other again next week.  The day after we met the most beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived on my doorstep, the most romantic thing anyone has done for me in a long time.  Lets be honest girls flowers are always a welcomed surprise, I will keep you all updated on this situation.

Since arriving back from Morocco I have been shopping so much, I'm going to try and put together some kind of clothing haul as that is what I have bought the most of, having shops on my doorstep again has been far too tempting.  In the last little while I have also  received some really lovely items to feature here on the blog from Skincare, Body Care, Clothing, Accessories and Pizza!  I have so many exciting features planned and genuinely cannot wait to bring you some new and exciting content.  Myself and Charl are going out today to take some outfit pictures including some pieces we have picked up recently so look out for those in the coming week.

I hope you enjoyed this little update, if you like this kind of thing keep an eye on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter where I share little bits of my days, seven days a week! 

Instead of my usual Skincare Routine post this week, Id like to share with you a skincare based event I have been to recently, hope you enjoy.

A couple of months ago I received a very exciting tweet from Lydia, the Business Manager of Lancome, in Selfridges Birmingham.  This lovely lady wanted to get involved with some local bloggers and raise interest and product knowledge of the brand.  This will be a monthly event concentrating on different areas each time, this month it was Skincare. It will include 6 local bloggers who I have chosen, I do apologise that I cannot pick everyone and to keep it simple it will be the same 6 bloggers taking part each month.