July Favourites

I can't believe another month is already over! But it has, and it's been a great month! I'm home from University, and so back at home and near the boyfriend. At the beginning of the month we went on holiday to Cromer and it was a massive heatwave and was insanely warm, and will go down as one of my best holidays ever. I've been to Woburn Safari Park and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo this month as well, and I love animals and so these were both amazing days out! So, here are my favourites that I've been loving throughout the month of July.

Hair and Skincare

Most of these products are so summer appropriate, because, as a whole, this month in England has been hot and so these have been essentials for me. 

Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Facial Wash - I absolutely love this! It comes out as a thick gel and gently foams as you apply it to your face, which are my favourite kind of face wash. It's 100% soap free, and has no fragrance, and so is really gentle on my skin. It also contains multi-vitamins and skin-loving ingredients. This, for the price you pay for it, is incredible. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Loreal Paris Express Pro Self-Tanning Dry Mist - This is in the shade 'medium', and is a spray on fake tan, and so it doesn't streak or get my hands covered in it. This tan is a gentle fake tan that looks natural, it's not REALLY dark, but makes me look like I've gained a sun-kissed glow, and as my legs are really pale, I use this all summer long on my legs.

Pampered Bath Smoothies Strawberry, Raspberry and Pomegranate - This smells divine, it's so sweet and summery, and creates the best bath soak. That's all I have to say..

Batiste Dry Shampoo Cherry - This is a cult favourite for everyone. And this one smells of cherry... what more could you want?! I use this for two purposes, either to clean my hair when I haven't got the time to wash my hair, or to add some extra volume into my roots or some grip into my hair when I want to do hairstyles that require less clean and silky hair.

Umberto Giannini Salt Spray - Salt sprays are a summer essential for me, they add some texture to a simple hair style; whether it be just down or in a high ponytail, and this one is amazing, just spray it in, scrunch it up, and BAAM your hair has more texture and volume in it. 

Umberto Giannini Leave-In Conditioner - Sun and wind damage my hair, and so this conditioner creates a silky-soft hair and controls any frizz. I spray this in just after I come out of the shower and then either leave it to dry naturally or blow dry it and it leaves my hair really sleek and soft.

Tangle Teaser Wet/Dry - I'm so late on this bandwagon, but this is a life saver, it gets knots out of your hair without pulling any hair out with it. As my hair's got longer I feel like it's got thinner, and so, although I feel this is quite expensive for a hair brush (especially as I tend to lose them), I feel like this is a great investment in my haircare. 

Make-Up

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - This is perfect for applying my foundation and concealer, especially around the nose and eyes and all those difficult places. I love this, and I think everyone, and their mom, and their cat, and, yeah, everyone they know, love these brushes.. so ...yeah

Beau Belle Powder Brush - I bought a set of brushes on Amazon, there is a review on my blog earlier, which you can read here. This one is my favourite, I love this powder brush, it's so soft and applies just the right amount of powder on my face, it's also just the right size to cover my face, and I can't recommend this brush enough, however, I only think you can buy it if you buy the set, but it was so affordable, and all the eyeshadow brushes in this set are incredible too.

Collection BB Secrets in Light - I've been loving BB Creams recently, and currently I've only tried two, and so I may be not the best person to ask about this, but it feels light and moisturising, while still applying a decent amount of coverage. Plus, it has SPF15 in it, which is an additional bonus

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - I absolutely love this Concealer for under-the-eye concealing, and it's illuminating as well. I don't think it's as great at covering up imperfections or spots, but this is by far my favourite for covering any bags and brightening up this area of my face.

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in Beige Clair - I've been using this over the top of my BB cream, as it is gently coloured and so adds an extra layer of coverage, it also keeps me looking matt all day, as well as keeping my base products in place. So it's a multi-use product, which is definitely a plus point.

Sleek Make-Up Blush Palette in Californ.i.a - This is a sleek palette containing 3 cream blushers, which are all summery shades. I love to wear cream blushes in the summer, and this palette comes with 2 shimmery shades and one matt, and they go with every makeup look I would ever do in the summer, and so this comes with me everywhere. 

Rimmel Natural Bronzer - This isn't a very good contour shade, which some other bronzers are, but its great at adding a little colour to my face, and I've been wearing it whenever I'm having one of those 'no makeup makeup' days, as it's such a natural shade.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Creamy Beige - I use this as a eye shadow primer, it is such a natural tan shade, and covers any redness on my eye lid, it stays put all day, and it means that any eye shadow I apply ontop also stays put all day. I own 4 of these now, and my other 3 are more colourful, but this one is a great base for any eye look, and I use it more or less every day.

Maybelline The Colossal Go Extreme Volume Express Mascara - This is just about to dry out, and I am definitely picking up another one. This mascara is great. The brush is huge, and dense, and so makes my lashes look very voluminous. I then tend to use a lengthening mascara to help separate and perfect, but this is a great mascara, and is something else I've been using everyday. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Stellar Pink - This could be considered quite a dark shade for summer, but it's one of those lip colours that you can build up, so it can be quite sheer or really vibrant. It's a shimmery pinky-red-nude shade (I know a lot of colours), and is so easy to wear, the formula of these are incredible. They are moisturising, and stay put for quite a while, and I love these lipsticks!

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 32 - We all know my obsession with these lipsticks, but I love this shade because it's a coral colour, and so summery, and I get so much wear out of it in the summer. Nothing more to be said really...

Non Beauty

Tanya Burr - Love Tanya - I recently got hold of this book, and I love how it's written, I love that it gives you space to write your own thoughts and views and I love the content. Basically, I love this book. It's also in a really nice hard back copy and so will stay really nice for long time. 

Ben and Jerry's Half Baked - Everyone loves Ben and Jerry's, but this is one of those flavours you don't often see, but I really love. It's a combination of Cookie Dough and Fudge Brownie, which are both mine and my boyfriend's favourite flavours, and so we often share this.

Tesco Sweet Vanilla Candle - I love vanilla flavoured anything, so this candle is delicious, and it was only £2.

Sophie Kinsella Confessions of a Shopaholic - These have been out for ages, but I love them both. The books are so witty and funny, and are a great light reading. The film is also amazing, I watch this when I'm having a lazy, girly evening. Plus, it makes me feel so much better about my own spending problems....

ZSL Whispnade Zoo - I included in this photo the stuffed, because I went to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, and it was one of the best days of my life. I can't recommend this day out enough, it's quite expensive, but we were there all day, and so it was totally worth it.

Collective Highstreet/Drugstore Makeup Haul

The first place I went was Superdrug, where I did a bit of damage (to my bank account, not the store, I'm not a vandal...) I love the Superdrug in my home town, because it has stands for so many brands of Makeup that Boots doesn't. So here's what I bought;

There was two Barry M Nail Polishes for £6, so obviously I picked up two. I absolutely love Barry M Nails, and am trying to collect the whole Gelly Collection. So I picked up the two shades Rose Hip (a very pale pink), and Satsuma (a pretty orange shade). These are such summery shades, and I absolutely love them! 

I know I'm very late to this trend, but I picked up the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair, I've been wanting this for ages, but every time I go in Boots, there's never one left in my shade, even the tester is missing! It's now reduced to £2.99, so a complete bargain! 

I've recently bought another MUA Lipstick, and really licked it, so thought I would pick up another, this time in a shade that I have never worn, because I thought I'd pick up a cheaper one to see if I get into it. I bought the shade Wild Berry, which is a matt shade, and only £1.

I absolutely love Rimmel Lipsticks, and so when Kate released a new range of lipsticks, I just had to pick one up, so my first shade I've bought it the shade Berry Nude, 48, it was £5.49, and I'm really exited to wear this shade, as any nude shades are my fav.

I got another product half price from Rimmel (it was buy one get one half price), so I picked up a Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in the shade Lovey Dovey, as I am yet to try this range of nail polish, and this shade caught my eye. At full price this is only £2.99

I've been wanting a Sleek Blush for a long time, but my Boots don't stock Sleek, so when I went into Superdrug, I couldn't resist. So I picked up the shade Flamingo which caught my eye, because it's just so gorgeous, and was only £4.49 

I went on a bit of a nail splurge in various other shops, which wasn't intentional, but just happened. 

I had £1 left on a Topshop voucher, and this shade was in the sale for only £2, so I had to pick up this shade; 401, Moviestar. It is a really nice, shimmery, metallic purple, and it absolutely gorgeous, I can't wait to wear it.

I picked up this Aquarium Collection Barry M Nail Polish, Mediterranean 441, because, well just look at it, it's gorgeous. And it was in a sale in River Island (of all places) for only £2. Omg I am in love, like completely in love,

My last purchase was more of a fascination than anything, it was only £1.20, and it's the Accessorise Nail Polish, Ombr Lilac, which, to be honest, I don't know how to use, but I'm sure I will learn.

I do this a lot, I didn't intend to buy any of this stuff, but I was in town waiting for my boyfriend, and it just sort of happened.. whoops...

This or That

High End/Drugstore

I don't own many High End products, so I feel I'm a little bias in this question, so I'm all about the Drugstore, the products here are perfect for me, and they're all so affordable, which is perfect for me, because I have a slight shopping problem.. haha

Straight/Curly

This is one of those things where if you have naturally straight hair you want it to be curly, if you have curly you want it to be straight... I naturally have straight hair, and although it makes it easily manageable, sometimes I wish it was naturally curly so it actually did something, my hair doesn't hold curls because it's so long, so...

Summer/Winter

Although I love jumpers and Christmas, nothing beats the sun, the warmth, the seaside and everything that comes along with Summer. A blue sky instantly puts a smile on my face, so I'm definitely a Summer girl

Coffee/Tea

I basically live off tea, and don't like coffee... so this is easy, tea all the way

Late Night/Early Morning

I'm really not very good at late nights, I get grouchy, and I'm one of those people who are far more productive in the morning, so I'm definitely an Early Morning person.

TV/YouTube

I only really watch TV on Netflix, which I am obsessed with, but not sure if that counts as TV or not... and so, I guess it's YouTube, I love to binge watch Beauty Bloggers or Cover Artists for hours... because I have too much spare time..

North/South

Well, I live in the South (I spend half the year in Southampton, how South can you get?!), and I hate being cold, and so it has to be South

Heels/Flats

I'm terrible of walking in Heels, and I'm all about comfort, plus I'm only 1cm shorter than my boyfriend, and so I'm all about the flats.

Night In/Night Out

I don't really drink, and I love sitting at home in my PJs, with my family or friends, binge watching Netflix with my cuppa, so I'm definitely a Night In person

Save/Spend

I am a slight shopaholic, and I'm terrible at Saving, so I guess it has to be Spending... 

My Pandora Bracelet

I don't actually think there's anyone left in the whole world who hasn't heard of Pandora by now. The company is HUGE, and their charm bracelets are everywhere, nearly everyone I know owns one.
 But, still, I wear this more or less every day, and I am completely loving this. My boyfriend bought me it for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago in Silver, because I don't know why, but I've always preferred silver jewelry over gold, plus the gold Pandora bracelet is scarily expensive so we won't go there...

The charms are quite expensive, and so I haven't been able to collect many, as I tend to receive them purely from my boyfriend. And I also have a few cheaper charms that I've picked up from craft fairs over the last year or two.

I currently own 6 real Pandora charms; the hearts safety chain, duck, teddy bear, perfect flower charm, interlocking heart pendent and purple faceted murano glass charm. As well as 4 fake ones, bought either from Amazon or from craft fairs, and they just help fill it up while I gather real charms. 

I think this makes the perfect gift and I am so happy I've been able to own one, and although it's a little pricey, it's real silver, and you can personalise it beyond belief as there are so any charms out there, which range from 50p to £30, so it's amazing. I wouldn't recommend this enough.

Latest In Beauty #3:The Glamour Summer Edit

Latest in Beauty have teamed up with Glamour Magazine to put together this box of treats for only £17.99, considering the joint price of these products is worth over £90, which is incredible, and there are some products in here I am really really exited for! I just couldn't not get this box.

Nails Inc. Gel Effect Polish £15.00 Covent Garden Place - Another one of these! This one is such a vibrant, barbie pink, and I love to put this colour on my lips, so a great addition. So exited!

Vita Liberata Trystal Minerals £23.33 - This is a new beauty launch of the year, and I saw it advertised online about a month ago, and it really intrigued me. It's a powder that you brush over your face, and it looks a little like a light dusting of bronzer, but it develops a natural looking tan that says it will last for 5 days. So. I'm very intrigued.

Pixi Glow Tonic £9.99 - People in the blogging world have been raving about this tonic water for ages, but it's fairly expensive, so I didn't want to try it and then hate it, so this sample is great as it allows me to give it a go.. for free (? no really not free, I paid for the box... but still)

L'Occitane Shampoo and Conditioner (Full Size £17.00 each) - I would never pay £17.00 for shampoo or conditioner, but I have super long hair, and these are meant to be relaxing (as the contain essential oils), so I'm going to use these on my next pamper evening, it's going to be so relaxing!

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon £7.99 - I already own the red shade of this and absolutely love it, so much, it's so easy to apply, it stays in place for most of the day (I only have to touch up after I eat lunch, and dinner), and the colour is incredible. In the box I recieved the pink shade, which is basically a 'your lips but better' shade, so I'm so happy I have this, like you have no idea, I really want to collect all the shades! (I sound a bit mental...)

Caudalie Divine Oil (Full Size £27.00) - This is a multi-purpose product, which is exiting. You can massage it into your skin and hair for a great summer glow and you can add it to your bath for a super relaxing bath. So, what more do you need?!

Seekers Of The Sun Luxury Temporary Tattoos £4.99 - I haven't really go into these, but next year (I know, very planned in advance), I'm planning to go to the 'Common People' music festival (in Southampton, where I'm studying), and so I will probably use them then, and probably not before, but they're really handy things to have.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish (Full Size £18.00) - This is an ultra all in one! It's a exfoliator, toner and a moisturiser all in one!!!! OMG!!!! So, you massage it into problem areas to remove dead skin cells and smooth out the skin, so it's going to be great! I just know it!

Eucerin Transparent Sun Spray £16.50 - This is a super high SPF (It's SPF 50!), and it's just a simple spray on, it doesn't need rubbing in, so your hands don't get sticky or anything. So its a really hassle free SPF so, really really handy.

Latest In Beauty #2: Capitol FM

This is the second box I picked up, and I think it may be my favourite because some of these products are what I've been wanting/looking for for a long time, but here is what it contains;

Latest in Beauty has teamed up with Capitol FM, to create a box full to the brim of holiday, festival and party picks for the summer this year! For a box worth over £57.00, paying £17.95 for this is an absolute bargain. I have to admit, I picked this up because I was going to buy some of these products anyway, and it actually made it cheaper to buy all the other products with it, so who could complain really?!

Carmex Moisture Plus Lip Balm in Berry £2.99 - I absolutely love Lip Balms that have a colour tint to them, because you can both place a colour on your lips and care for them at the same time. And Carmex are renowned for their Moisture Plus Lip Balm, so this was something I would've eventually picked up anyway.

Colab Sheer and Invisible Paris Floral Fragrance £2 - I really wanted one of these, as they're meant to rival the Batiste Shampoos (which are one of my staples), and so this is one of the products that drew me to this box. It's in a small, travel friendly size, and so ideal for in my handbag and for weekends away. Absolutely perfect.

Dr.Organic Organic Dead Sea Minerals Bio-Plasma Mud Mask £7.99 - I love face masks, and although I have dry skin, and so sometimes find these types of skins dehydrating. But I love to give my face a good cleanse, so I'm exited to try this anyway.

Fudge Urban Hair Art Sprays £3.99 - I've always wanted to try some products in my hair that will colour the ends and I can just wash them out. Because, I love my natural hair, and I'm really indecisive, and so it's great that I don't have to commit to anything (haha!). This is a purple (my favourite colour) hair spray which I'm going to spray onto the bottom of my hair like a dip dye... really exited for this!

Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Ultra Radiance £6.49 - This is a factor 30 sun lotion, which says it's ultra radiance. Not much more I can say about this really, it's basically a moisturiser with factor 30 in it.

I Love... Perfectly Peachy Bath and Shower Creme (Full Size £2.99) - I'm looking for a bubble bath come shower gel for my bath that isn't lavender scented (which I use to help me sleep), and so if this is nice, it's really affordable to buy the full bottle (as this is only a sachet), so if I like it I will definitely buy more.

Malin and Goetz Trio - I've never even heard of this company, but they're little samples of three of their products that contain extra natural elements to supply extra vitamins into your face. So, I can't wait to use these three products;
Grapefruit Face Cleanser

Vitamin E Face Moisturiser
Lip Moisturiser 

MUA Mega Volume Mascara £3 - I really love MUA makeup, and my current mascaras are coming to the end of their life, and so if this works, it'll be great to replace one of them.

MUA Eyeshadow Pallet £4 Poptastic - I don't often wear bright coloured eyeshadows, but I really love the gold colour here and I know I will get a lot of wear out of this colour, and it's just a great addition to my collection anyway.

Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish £15.00 Soho Place - There is one of these in all three boxes I have, and this one is the most gorgeous green, with the subtle hint of blue undertones. It's so bright and vibrant, and so summery. I am head over heals with this colour.

Latest In Beauty #1: Get The Gloss

I went on Latest in Beauty this week, and bought three boxes which all arrived yesterday, and so the next three days, I'm going to write my initial impressions of the boxes. I absolutely love these boxes, because you can see what you're getting in the box before it actually arrives, and it's not a subscription service, so you can just pick them up when and if you want it.

Latest in Beauty teamed up with Get the Gloss to bring together this box of 8 summer must-haves, at at the combined worth of over £85, Latest in Beauty are selling it for only £19.00! So, I can't wait to give some of these products a go.

Philip Kingsley Swimcap £12.00 - My hair gets stripped by chlorine, because it's so long and thick, my hair care gets excessive, very quickly, and so I love to try new things out. This says it helps to protect your hair against damage from swimming pools, so.. this will be helpful all year round, as I love to go swimming!

Nails Inc. Gel Effect Nail Polish £15.00 (Regents Place) - I've recently become obsessed with Gel Effect Nail Polishes (mainly the Barry M), and although I wouldn't personally pay £15.00 for nail polish, I am exited to see how much the money difference will make in terms of chipping (as I think the Barry M Gellys are incredible). Also, the colour is absolutely gorgeous! Have you seen it?!

Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Refine and Polish Miracle Balm (Full Size is £57.00) - This is a small tester of a product that claims to be both an instant exfoliator and a face mask in two. The full price of this is really expensive, so I'm so exited to try this and see what it does for my skin.

Salon Science AquaCacteen Hydro Soothe Cooling Spray £14.00 - This is to help re-hydrate your scalp, which is a problem most common in summer. The bottle you get is huge, and I doubt I will ever get through this, but it's a nice product to have in my cupboard for the days my scalp feels like it needs it.

Anne Semonin Eye Express Radiance Ice Cube (Full Size is £43.00) - You get one sample of these eye solutions for dark circles and puffiness. It's formulated with marine spring water with minerals, it helps refirm and moisturise the skin. And I only have one, so I'm guessing it's one of those products that has noticeable results with just one use.

Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator SPF8 (Full Price £42.00) - Just a simple (but very expensive) face moisturiser. I have a lot of problems with the skin around my eye, and am yet to find 'the perfect' (if that's problem) face moisturiser. And so if this does actually work, I am so desperate I would probably buy it...

Bourjois Aqua Blush £8.99 (Pink Twice) - I saw this in Boots a couple of weeks ago and nearly picked it up (good job I didn't really). It's a liquid blush that's applied with a 'chubby' stick, and I am so exited for this. It's quite sheer. and so very blendable but also buildable. So I am so exited! You have no idea!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR £14.95 - Not entirely sure what this is for.. It says its an oil for hair, face and body for moisturising, but it's glittery and gold... so not entirely sure what I'm doing with this, but I'll give it ago, and report back if I find some strong opinions about it.

This box is absolutely great, and I really recommend you pick it up (however, I always think these boxes are great...). You can't argue with the value for money, and if you want to find out more about it, the link is here.

Filthy Gorgeous Magnetic Nail Polish

I picked one of these Nail Polishes up while I was in Norwich, as it was on sale and it really fascinated me. They had two colours on sale; a metallic red one and a metallic green one, and I thought I would get more wear out of the red one and so I picked this one up. I couldn't wait to try it out and see how it actually looked on my nails...

The science behind this nail polish is relatively simple. The nail polish contains magnetically charged iron oxide pigments which create the rippled effect when they are magnetised with the magnet.

This is the shade Heartbreaker, and I have to admit, I absolutely love this shade, I think it's absolutely gorgeous. The polish is designed to be applied in one coat, which to start off with I wasn't convinced it was going to work, but it looks absolutely stunning. The colour pigmentation is really strong and it didn't chip for days. Absolutely love this shade as a standard nail polish.

To create the rippled effect, you apply one finger at a time and while the polish is drying, you hold the end of the nail against the small ridge. It says the magnet needs to be held near the nail for 5 seconds, but simply 1 second does the job. It's a really simple process, and although I smudged the nail polish a few times this go round, it got easier by the third nail and it would be something that would be really easy to pick up.

However, I really don't like the effect it creates, it makes your nails look clumpy and strange, and although I think this nail varnish looks stunning without the magnet, it's not something I think I'll be doing again all too soon. Although, it may be because either my magnet was faulty, or I was just doing it massively wrong, but this was how I felt about this nail polish.

My Summer Essentials

Summer is my favourite season of the year! I love the sun, I love the beach and I love warmth. So, I look forward to these type of things every year! This is just a collection of all my summer essentials, that I use on (very nearly) an every day basis, they are my go to things, and summer would not be the same without them.

An honorary mention has to go to bikinis, which I haven't got here, and that's not because I don't think they're an essential... it's just because my washing machine decided to eat mine (as well as some other stuff of mine) when I put things in the wash a while ago... argh.

But, as we're in the middle of summer, this is what I've been using and will continue to until the days become colder and shorter (NOOOO!) 

 Sunglasses - I own a few more pairs than these three, but these are my favourite. The front and back pair I've owned for a few years, and are from New Look and I have loved these for ages, the middle pair is fairly new. I love sunglasses, they add an extra layer to your outfit which I love. Plus, there's nothing more unattractive than walking around, scrunching up your face because it's too bright...

 Kimonos - Once again, there is a mixture here between new and old. I have fallen in love with  these this year, and these are the 3 that I've been wearing on rotation recently. They are absolutely great because they add an extra layer in the day to cover your shoulders from the sun (as I burn like crazy), and add a light layer to keep you warmer when the evenings cool down.

 Pastel Coloured Nail Polishes - most of these are in my favourite range of nail polish (Barry M Gelly), and the last one is a 2True nail polish. But I absolutely love pastels in the summer, because they are, well, summery. Pastel colours look so great with a tan, and these 5 colours get me by perfectly, the 2True being a more natural pastel colour, while the others being brighter and more colourful.

 Coral Toned Lips - lipsticks have to be my favourite make up item, ever! I find coral colours are perfect for the summer months, and these are my favourite three. I have a my Rimmel Kate Moss in the shade 38, Max Factor Colour Elixir in the shade English Rose and my favourite, Christian Dior Diorific in the shade Diva - which is a gorgeous red-coral and stays in put for absolutely hours and feels so creamy on the lips, I am in love.

 SPFs - I burn like crazy, and so these are essential for me, as they should be for everyone. I've gathered all these products together in this category (and these by far aren't my only SPFs) because I have a few different products with SPF in them, starting from SPF 15. They all help to protect my skin from the sun.

Hair Flowers - There's something about summer and putting flowers in your hair. I'm going to upload a post in the next week or two about how I use some of these to create my go-to summer hair styles, but I absolutely love to use these. When I grew my hair out, I gathered together a huge collection of hair accessories to 'jazz' up my hair with minimal efforts. Most of the hair accessories in the left photos are from Primark (who do some great hair things), and the paper flowers on the right are just from a craft shop and I love them so much. 

Denim Shorts - Need I say more?! These go with everything, they should be a staple in everyone's wardrobe. I live in denim shorts (and skirts.. but still) in the summer. I have a light washed, high waisted pair and a darker denim pair, both from New Look. New Look do some great denim shorts, go check them out!





Body Butter - this is my last summer essential. In the summer you usually show a bit more skin, and so this deeper moisturiser gets your skin looking soft and beautiful to be shown off to the world. During the summer I love to use fruity scents, such as Raspberry, and yeah, not more I can say about this really.

Superdrug Haul

MUA Cream Blush, Scrummy - £2 I have one of the powder brushes from MUA which is absolutely stunning, considering it's only £1, so I thought I'd try a cream blush. I am yet to try a cream blush, and don't know if they'll be entirely my thing, so I thought I'd try a cheaper one to start of with. Even though it's only £2, MUA products are actually incredible.

MUA Trio Eyeshadow, Innocence - £2 These are baked eye shadows, and look absolutely beautiful. I went with the trio of more neutral shades, as these shades are the ones I use most often, and so I thought they'd be the most wearable.

MUA Lipstick, Tulip - £1 I have heard great things about these lipsticks, and I really wanted to try them, because if they really are as good as they say, then it will allow me to try colours (such as dark purples) that I would've probably not for a smaller cost. To start off with I tried a relatively 'safe' pinky colour, as I absolutely love wearing these shades and so I thought it would be a really nice shade to start off with

Collection Blush, Cheeky - £2.99 I don't own many blushes, but this pink blush will be a great addition to my collection, and it is really buildable and blendable. 

Collection Deluxe Lipstick, Prohibition 01 - £2.99 The packaging of these are not incredible, but they were less than £3 and their creamy formula felt really nice when I swatched it on the back of my hand, so I had to pick them up. This is a dark, almost berry toned, red, so although it's quite a wintery colour, I still really wanted to pick it up.

Collection Deluxe Lipstick, Talullah 02 - £2.99 This is a far more summery colour, its a dark pink, nude colour, and it looks beautiful, so I picked up this shade as well, not more I can say really.

Rimmel Long Lasting Lipstick, Drop of Sherry 058 - £4.99 I've bought many of the Kate Moss range of lipsticks from this company and absolutely love them, to pieces. But, I don't own any other ranges of lipsticks from this range, so I thought I'd pick one up. It's a slightly shimmery, berry tone and looks absolutely stunning. I love this lipstick, and I absolutely love Rimmel lip products, I think they are my favourite as a whole.

Rimmel Apocalips, Atomic Rose 206 - £6.49 I am yet to own one of these, I know I'm very late on the whole band wagon. but, I picked one up now. This is a matte shade, and is a dark peachy pink, I was put off these at first because the way they apply on your lips is like a lip gloss, and I don't really get on with lip glosses, I find my hair ends up getting stuck to them, and they drive me nuts. But this, on the lips, is more like a moisturising lip stick, and so I actually really like these, which surprised me. 

Boots Haul

There was 3 for 2 on both Max Factor and Maybelline makeup, and so, I just had to make use of it. 

Max Factor Colour Elixir, English Rose 510 - £7.99 These are a mixture between a lip butter and a lip stick. They are really hydrating, and I often forget I'm even wearing any colour on my lip. Unlike a lip butter, the pigmentation of these is incredible, and the colour range is right up my street. English Rose is like a classic shimmery pink, it is absolutely beautiful, and shades like these are what I wear as an everyday lip, so it will get a lot of use.

Max Factor Colour Elixir, Dusky Rose 830 - £7.99 This is still a pink, but much darker, much closer to a red. It's still an 'everday' colour. Although this shade and the previous are quite similar, I love the formula of these lipsticks, and so just had to have another one.

Max Factor Colour Elixir, Pink Brandy 825 - £7.99 And because of the 3 for 2, I picked up this third shade, which is a more coral toned pink. Coral shades are perfect for summer, and so when I saw it I really loved it, and had to pick it up

Maybelline Colour Sensational, Stellar Pink 150 - £4.99 I know a lot of people who own these, and love them, but apart from that, I know little about these lipsticks, and so wanted to pick one up to try it out. I bought it in a purple toned pink, which is a shade of lipstick I am yet to own. The colour swatch for this showed that their pigmentation was incredible, and I am really exited to use these. 

Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss, Stellar Berry 360 - £6.99 I've never been one for lip glosses, I find they make your lips sticky, and your hair then gets stuck to them. But I really want to get into them, and so I chose to try out this, as I actually picked it up as my third item to give it a go. It has a really high pigmentation, and it's berry colour makes it ideal for winter... which it isn't right now, but it still doesn't mean I'm not exited to use it.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo, Creamy Beige 98 - £6.19 I already own three of these, all in very shimmery shades, and when I saw this I had to pick it up. It's a beige colour, and is more of a matt shade than the other three I own, and so would be more ideal for an every day, neutral eye base.

New Beauty Find: Beau Belle Make Up Brushes: Review

Make up brushes are really expensive, considering a large proportion of make up can easily be applied with your fingers, I've never really invested in a really good set of brushes. I saw these on Amazon just over a month and a half ago, and just had to get them. They just looked gorgeous on the photos, and the price is incredible. They are reduced from £44.95 to £19.95, and so are well over half price, and a really great deal considering you get 13 brushes as well as the holder in which they come.

Considering 'Real Technique' brushes are at least £10 per brush, and these work out as about £1.50 a brush, I really wasn't expecting them to be anything incredible, but I really wanted to try them, so I ordered them anyway. 

Had a bit of an issue with delivery, which was up to the fault of Royal Mail (the courier service they use), but when the seller was made aware of this, they were really quick to fix it and really apologetic, and it was really appreciated. 

When they did arrive, they were gorgeous. The box they come is gorgeous, it's this deep, chocolate brown, leather like material, it separates into two half and connects together with little pop hinges. It's something not every company would give you, and I think it's really nice, and makes them really portable and keeps them safe.

I still haven't found a purpose for a few of these brushes, but there is literally everything you could possibly need in this set. The brushes are amazing, and the handles and detailing is beautiful. The brushes are so soft, they feel really nice on your skin, and apply your makeup in a delicate, effortless manner. 

You get 4 face brushes; a powder brush, a contour brush, a foundation brush, and a general face brush. The powder brush is by far my favourite of all of them, it's super soft, and although fairly dense, it doesn't apply too much powder on, and so doesn't leave your face feeling too cakey, which I find some other powder brush do.

You get a small angled brush to do your eyebrows and a spoolie to comb everything into place, I haven't reached the point where I do much to my eyebrows, so I don't really use these, but they feel soft on the back of my hand...

You get 4 general eye brushes, and 3 very small, precision brushes, which can allow you to apply eyeshadow and blend it out, and the quantity of brushes is amazing, it really helps to apply eye shadow, and some of the small precision brushes would be ideal for liquid eye liner. 

Just in case you wanted to know where to get hold of them, I bought these brushes here.

For the price you pay they are an unbelievably high quality, and the seller is really quick to respond to any issues, if you have them. So I would highly recommend buying these brushes from this site. 

Norfolk/Summer Holiday Haul

While I'm on holiday I really can't help but shop, I never buy things here I need, just things I want, or things that really interest me. I went away with my boyfriend, who reads books ALL THE TIME, and it sorta rubs off on me when I'm with him, so there are a lot of books in this haul, but I thought you'd like to see what I've been reading/planning to read. 

PAPERCHASE

Butterfly Pencil Case/Purse - £3 This was in the reduced section of Paperchase, but I absolutely love it. Since leaving school I've never needed a pencil case because I just go to lectures with a pen and a highlighter, but I thought this would be great to carry them in. It's really cute, and a perfect size to carry the few essentials I need on campus at University!

PRIMARK

Sunglasses - £2 I already own 5 pairs of Sunglasses, but this year they've become a true love of mine, and according to the weather people, Summers from now on are just going to get hotter and sunnier.. so... I'm one of these people who buy lots of cheap glasses rather than one expensive pairs, I love wearing them as accessories, and find most the time I'm using them as a head band.. but I really like these glasses, they're really stylish and I don't have a pair like this.

Hair Accessories - £2 I have such long hair that I love to buy things to put in it. I love elastic headbands like this, because they're so easy to wear, keep the hair out of my face while I'm doing stuff, but also make it look like I've made an effort with my hair, when literally all I've done is washed and brushed it!

QUIZ

Jumpsuit - £19.54 (£22.99) OMG! This jumpsuit, there was a dress in the same pattern that I loved as well, but I couldn't afford both. Below is a picture from the website, but I absolutely love this! It's so stylish and fits like a dream, and I am literally obsessed.

NEW LOOK

Kimono - £14.40 I love this, it's made out of a sorta silky material, and it really light weight, and bright, and so summery. I love Kimonos, they can really add an element of style to any outfit and make great cover ups to protect my shoulders against the sun, because I burn really, really easily, because I'm as pale as a sheet of paper.

JARROLD

Filthy Gorgeous London Magnetic Nail Polish - £3 I bought this because it was in the sale, and so was really, really cheap. But mainly, because it looks fascinating, it's a sort of metallic red, which you apply like a normal Nail Polish, and then use the magnet in the lid to give it an interesting effect. I don't entirely know what's going on, but  I will write a blog post when I get an idea of what you actually do, because this looks so different.

Game of Thrones Books - 3 books for £24.97 I'm already reading the second book, and I've been watching the TV Series, and I am in love! So I bought three more books so that I can keep reading.

Diary of a Shopaholic (Book) - £3.99 (£.7.99) I'm sure I read this like 5 years ago, but I couldn't actually remember when I was in the store, and so I decided I had to pick it up, I absolutely love the author, I think her writing is hilarious, and the film is also great fun. This is just one of those light weight books I love to read for a bit of fun

THE BOOK HIVE

Light (Book) - £7.99 I read this series while I was in school, but the last book wasn't out. When I was in this store, I saw it in the Teen Section, and it suddenly all came flooding back. This series is really good. The idea is that there is this area in the States, which they fall the Fayz, where all the adults disappear, and only the kids under a certain age are left. The books are all about how they deal with it, and the heirachy that forms, there are some great twists and turns which I won't tell you, because I don't want to ruin anything. But it's a really easy read, but with a great plot line, and I know I'm now an adult, but I really wanna know what happens..

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

One Republic, Girls Aloud, Pharrell Williams - 3 for £10 I love music, I'm a University Music Student, so this really shouldn't be any surprise. But I love to buy CDs, I have a slight problem. I have 100s of CDs that take over my room... but.. yeah. So I added 3 more to my collection while I was in this shop in Norwich, because they were 3 for £10... so...

I know these aren't all beauty items, which is the main theme of this blog, but I like to share other things with you, and I really loved this holiday, and really love shopping... :)

Hope you enjoyed seeing what I bought while I was away (obviously I bought food...but didn't think you'd really wanna know about milk, bread and chocolate...)

Summer Holiday to Cromer

I recently arrived back from my 6 days in Cromer, it was a wonderful holiday. We stayed in the Cromer Country Club which was lovely, it's like a mix between a holiday cottage and a hotel, which was really handy.

Because I'm a nosey person, I love to see what people get up to on their holiday, so here's a few snaps of mine :) 

The pier, has a wondeful cafe and bar, which we used regularly while we stayed there.

Hat: New Look

Jacket: Zara
Top: Primark
Trousers: New Look
Shoes: Office (but quite a few years ago)
Bag: F&F

Top and Shorts: New Look

Shoes: Primark
Glasses: New Look
The flowers in my hair are just paper flowers from a craft shop

#Selfie

This is the loser (Haha, joking obviously) that I spent these 6 days with, I gotta say, we look absolutely stunning in this photo.. haha

 Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, this place was absolutely beautiful, I really recommend you go if you're ever near Norwich 

Top, Necklace, Bracelet, Belt: Primark

Jacket: George

Shorts: New Look

 Strumpshaw Fen RSPB Reserve

 The Pier in the sunset

The next set of photos are from Amazona Zoo, which is a little zoo in Cromer, it has plenty in it, and was perfect for an afternoon (day) out :D

 In this zoo, they had this trampoline thing, which obviously we went on because we are children...

Skirt: Zara
Top: Holister 

 The beach at Wells-Next-The-Sea

Norwich Royal Arcade

Not everyone is interested about what I got up to on holiday, but I absolutely love the British Seaside, it makes me think of childhood, always, and I don't think I'll ever stop going.