What I'm Taking Travelling- Cosmetics And Toiletries

Now that the boyfriend has officially graduated, I've started making preparations for our travels throughout the month of August. After mmm-ing and aah-ing about what to do during the summer months, we finally decided on Interrailing through Europe. So with only a trusty 25 litre rucksack, we're going on a big long train journey through France, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary. The real issue, however, is how do you maximise space when you only have a limited amount of space and it all come down to taking the bare minimums and the versatile items.

First off, we have my cosmetics bag, a little yellow print bag that I bought from Boots that is the perfect size for all my little bits and bobs. Inside we have-
1. Lush Grease Lightning- Hot weather, especially in cities, nearly always break me out and I've been lovely this natural remedy recently
2. L'Oreal Millon Lashes Mascara. A necessity, of course.
3. Maybelline BB Cream. I discovered this last year, when after a holiday, I discovered that I didn't match any of my then foundations and this BB cream was light and best shade I could find without breaking the bank for a new foundation that I only use for a month of the year.
4. Nivea Oil Free Moisturiser. My favourite moisturiser. It feels light and keeps your skin hydrated. Perfect for hot weather.
5. Collection 2000 Concealer in Dark. Again, this is used for when I have a tan but on the days when I just want to cover up a few blemishes rather than have a face full of make up.
6. Prestige Eye Shadow Palette. I've had this palette for donkey's year and I'm pretty sure it might not even exist any more. It has 4 neutral eyeshadow colours that you can use if you need to dress up a bit more and saves me taking my huge MAC palette with all my depotted shadows in it.
7. Vaseline. No one likes chapped lips.
8. A good Kohl pencil. The easiest way to do a smokey eye and can be used with the eye shadow palette.
9. NARS Orgasm blusher. My favourite blusher and the packaging has a little mirror which is always useful.
10. MAC Dipdown Gel. Because even my simplest day time make up rocks a good filled in brow.
In addition to this, I will also be taking my stippling brush, gel liner brush, blush brush and one eye shadow brush.

Next we have haircare and toiletries. I cannot live without my holy trio of haircare products so to save space, and the fact that a little really can go a long way, I've filled up little 100ml bottles, which can be picked up for very cheap in either Superdrug or Boots, with my cannot-go-withouts aka TIGI Bedhead Curl Creme and Spray to accompany my Argan Oil Spray. Next are travel friendly sized shower gel and toothpaste which can be thrown away once used and then purchased anew in the country you're in. Then, in the tub, we have a small amount of St. Ives Apricot Scrub which I use regularly on dry patches of skin... and when I'm peeling...

Aaand then a few other essentials. 

Make up wipes just for the sake of easiness but then can also double as a nice refreshing wipe after a hot sweaty day travelling. We then have the LUSH Jungle Solid Conditioner and Trichomania, both of which I've been loving using recently and both of which smells absolutely amazing. In fact, if I have the Jungle one in my bag, my whole bag will smell of it within a day. Might turn out useful in a rucksack...
And finally, ear plugs. An absolute essential if you're travelling on public transport and/or are staying in hostels. I know from past experience that you only need one heavy snorer in your room to ruin a nights sleep, so these are really, really worth it!

These are all things that I would like to have with me at all time. Of course, especially in Europe, you're never going to be too far from a supermarket and can always stock up or refill when you need to. However, for the sake of space and weight, it really is useful to decant favourite products into the 100ml bottles so you can travel with them and you'll be amazed at how far it goes. But most of all, it's about enjoying the travelling experience and at the end of the day, no ones really going to remember the bleary eyed girl with a scruffy top knot trudging through a train station at six in the morning. And you're never going to see them again either so there we go.

Because I love Boots, and let's face it, who doesn't, you can save yourself money a fair ole bit of money by using Voucher Codes so make sure you check out their deals!

Enjoy the sunshine!

xx

My Make-Up Storage

I decided on a whim today to finally photo my make up storage. This is the first time ever that I've got a proper table and units set up. For many years before, I just had a box on the floor.... but floor box no more! My gorgeous little dressing table is actually a second hand table that I DIY-ed and now I thought I'd show how I've got it all set up.

My table is quite handy as it has a little shelf in front of the mirror. Here I store a mixture of my daily hair and skin products and my two perfumes. Tucked away underneath is all my regular everyday make up which is usually sprawled all over the place rather than being so neat! I also have my plug/earring Buddha box that I inherited from my Dad.

To the left, to the left.... My make up storage. This was a little something that I bought from The Range, a homeware shop I know we have down South but I'm not sure where else. It's got three tiered shelves and a draw where I store all of the make up that I don't use as much any more. The first row is dedicated entirely to lip products and I'm pleased I've managed to downscale my number of lipsticks and then I have a few glosses and lipliners thrown in.

In the middle are blushers that I use regularly so the like of my NARS Orgasm and MAC Springsheen. The NARS ones slot in niely but MAC, being round, are definitely a bit more awkward to store.

On the top is a mix of everything. I have all my make up brushes, mainly eye ones that I don't use that often, sitting in the left corner, then eyeliners, highlighters and concealers and finally some foundations that I don't use much any more.

Behind in the left shelf corner, are a few other skin saviours such as Bio Oil, Tea Tree Oil and Germolene, which combined come together to form my ultimate spot fighting trio. Oh, and a happy little Buddha!

My table handily has a little draw underneath it where a few more beauty bits lie. Nail varnishes, hairgrips and hair bands, eyelashes and  face wipes. All the little bits and bobs you don't want lying around. They're kept organised by some little black drawers that I stole from an office organiser.

And there we have it, there's really not more to it than that.

Hope you enjoyed reading!

xx

Product Review: NARS Sheer Glow

NARS Sheer Glow in Barcelona

You might have seen on Twitter a while ago me tweeting about being in beauty blogger torture, agonising over whether to buy NARS Sheer Glow foundation. I had gone into my nearest Space NK to be colour matched but walked away from it and it's hefty price tag, instead deciding to think on it and give myself a chance to see how it settled on my skin for the rest of the day. I naturally fell in love with in with it and spent a good few days arguing over it in my head.

Then, brainwave! ASOS stocks NARS. And ASOS also does student discount. But to top it off, to show it really was a sign that I should buy it, Barcelona was one of the 5 shades stocked by ASOS and they were having a up to 30% off of beauty products for 24 hours on the day I happened to be looking it up. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.

I've included a picture of make up less face so you can see just how good the coverage is. I had dark pigmentation/fade marks on my skin and it does a damn good job covering them all up. In the other photo, I am wearing just the foundation, no concealer nor anything for the bags under my eyes. It's incredibly good coverage without being cake face. A lot of people describe this foundation as being dewy which would perhaps put off people with oily skin like myself. However, I would add that it does not make you look greasy in any way and instead gives off a rather flawless complexion. I can see why it's hyped up so much. Another surprise is that it didn't slide after a few hours walking around in the humid heat, unlike my previous favourite Hello Flawless by Benefit which is also a water based foundation.

NARS themselves recommend application by fingers which I tend to not do, out of habit. I used Real Techniques Foundation Brush and Stippling Brush, both of which worked very well, although I think you would use more product with the foundation brush.

The only slight disappointment is that, like other high end foundations such as MAC and Estée Lauder, it comes in a glass bottle without a pump, which you have to buy separately. However, if you're stingey like me and don't want to fork out extra money, you can still survive with a steady hand and a gentle tap.

And that's my glowing review of NARS Sheer Glow.

Do any of you have it? What are your opinions?

xx

P.S. Don't forget to check out my blog sale

MAC Modesty

L-R. MAC Chatterbox, Fanfare, Modesty and Rimmel Spotlight Beige

MAC Modesty is a recent acquirement thanks to the duty free MAC stand in Gatwick North. I was looking for a nice new nude, nothing to pale that would drown me out. They didn't have Blankety, so Modesty caught my eye instead. Modesty is a cremesheen finish and described as a muted nude. I've compared it against my other favourite nude, Spotlight Beige by Rimmel. As you can see, Modesty is a bit more pink-y with a purple undertone than Spotlight Beige which is more peach based. I've also included for reference the differences between those two and other MAC lipsticks- Fanfare (another favourite) and Chatterbox, a strong pink. I really like this colour as it's not too pale for my skin tone. I have Hue by MAC and found that it makes me look a bit anaemic as it's too pale for my colouring and I usually have to warm it up a bit by adding some pink in. As Modesty, as it was described, is a muted nude, I think this lipstick would be equally suited to darker and lighter skin tones. It's very wearable for the daytime and looks equally good for a night out with a bit of extra lipgloss on the top a la Kim Kardashian.

I'm sorry it's been a while since I blogged. I've started on redecorating my room and so it looks like a bit of a bombsite at the moment and all the repainting has been taking up a lot of my time. But it's a learning curve at least. I learnt all about caulk and different sanders- oh the thrills!... I'm about half way done now and then it's just the finishing touches. It's been good having a good clearout. It's so easy to accumulate years of junk without even realising, especially since I've had to move everything out of my student house!

So that's what I've been up to recently!

Hope you guys are enjoying the nice warm weather!

xx

Benefit Sunbeam Highlighter

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me tweet lusting over Benefit Sunbeam. Every time I see it, I just think it looks like the perfect golden highlighter and even more perfect for summer. So, in the middle of exam season induced shopping trip, I bit the bullet and picked it up in the nearest Boots. The result was a lovely little bottle of pearlescent gold highlighter. The little instructions booklet that comes with it recommends it being used on the cheekbones and under the eyebrows, but it could be used on any feature that naturally catches the light. It's actually quite sheer and I was surprised it wasn't as noticeable as I thought it would be. Having said that, I didn't want it to look like I dumped my face in a pot of gold glitter. I also have Girl Meets Pearl from Benefit and they are quite similar but GMP is pinky toned which might be better suited to fairer skin rather than the gold in Sunbeam that would work with olive and darker skin tones.

You can blend it out with fingers but I found it worked really well with my Real Techniques Stipling brush. I also like to blend it either with my foundation or my moisturiser if I'm going for a no make up sort of look. Make me look a bit more alive. You can see it applied on my cheekbones in the last picture and it really is a nice subtle glow- after all, it is a highlighter and not a bronzer, however I do think the two would work well together for a nice bronzed summer look- if we ever get a summer...!

Benefit Sunbeam retails at £19.50 and is avaliable in most Boots and Debenhams.

What do guys think of Benefit highlighters?

Hope you're having a good weekend!

xx

More NARS- Casino Bronzer and Orgasm Blusher

NARS Bronzer- Casino

NARS Blusher- Orgasm

Yeah so I caved and bought the famous NARS Orgasm. I originally avoided it because I thought it would not live up the hype. But I really really like. I'm not a big blusher person. I tend to find one I like and stick to it. I've been stuck on Natural Collections Peach Melba for months but Orgasm has shot it straight out of the water. Its a lovely peachy pink with faint gold shimmer. It's subtle which is what I like about it and it just adds the right amount of colour/life to my cheeks.

Next is the bronzer in Casino. I had heard good things about the bronzer in Laguna but when I saw it in the shop, I was surprised at how light it was. Considering I can go quite tan in the summer (if we ever get one), I thought Casino would suit my skin tone better. In the light, it has the faintest faintest touch of shimmer and I can't wait to wear this in the summer. As with any NARS product, the quality is amazing- finely milled and well pigmented.

So I just really wanted to share these buys with you.

What are your opinions on Orgasm?

xx

Oh No Look What Happened- NARS

NARS Lipgloss in Giza and Belize

NARS Blusher in Mata Hari

So the other day, I completely smashed one of my housemate's fancy wine glass. Just clipped it on the side of the drying rack and the damn thing cracked. I said I would replace it and it turned out that the wine glass really was a fancy one from House Of Fraser. I hated the thought of paying out for delivery as well just for one thing so to make it worth it, I decided to have a look through the NARS section... you know... to make it worth the delivery...

I've been curious about NARS for a while now and have always been super aware of their price tag. I really want to try Sheer Glow but having recently fallen in love in my new Benefit foundation, I didn't see any point in pursuing it. I toyed with getting the infamous Orgasm blush but I always thought it sound a bit overrated and why not go for something different.

And so this is what I ended up with. I've been getting a lot more into lipglosses recently and wanted to add to my collection. Giza is quite a warm peach and Belize a nice pinky neutral. Everyone knows that Turkish Delight is said to be Kim Kardashian's favourite but when I saw it in the flesh, so to speak, recently, I saw how pale baby pink it was and from past experience, I know those shades don't work well with my skin tone. I wore Belize out for a night out last night and absolutely love it, its a new favourite. Giza, I'm not so sure on yet and might have to wait until I've picked up a bit of a tan for it to work well.

As for Mata Hari, the first thing I thought when I saw it was holy crap that's bright. It's a fuschia blush with quite a blue undertone, I'd say. It is really well pigmented and nicely milled also so it's a fine powder when applied. But fear not! With a light hand with a blusher brush, this is perfectly work able with and gives a nice flush on the cheeks. Too heavy handed and you might end up looking like a china doll. I've been meaning to branch out a little with blushes- I pretty much only every use my Natural Collection Peach Melba so this is a nice change. I will let you know if it appears in any of my photos so you can see how it looks one. I'm too busy being a tramp and doing general house work before Barcelona to put make up today, sorry!

Tomorrow or, at the very latest Monday morning, 

I will have a post up on what I'm taking to Barcelona with me in my hand luggage. 

I have about half the photos taken but I'm a very last minute packer...

Hope you guys are having a good one!

xx

Product Review: Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation

As you saw in my last post, when I was in Bournemouth the other week,  we stopped off at the Benefit counter in Debenhams and I picked up the Hello Flawless foundation. I got perfectly matched the shade in Honey. As you can see, at first, it looks a bit dark but once it was blended out, it worked a dream. I've included some picture of me before (with all my glorious blemishes) and then after, with the foundation applied.Hello Flawless is an oil-free foundation which is an extra bonus and it has a very smooth texture and doesn't require any shaking before applying to make the sure the product is mixed. It's really good coverage for something that feels so sheer- not cakey at all and even after a whole day at uni, it was still sitting pretty. I'm going to compare it with my other favourite sheer foundation which is my good ole MAC Face and Body which, while being lovely and sheer, it did have a tendency to slide after a while, particularly in my oily T zone area for example. Overall, it really does make your skin look flawless and hydrated.

You couldn't talk about Benefit without mentioning the packaging. It's probably a lot simpler in design compared to other products but still looks very clean and cute. It is a pump bottle so you're able to use however much you need. It also came with a small sample of the Porefessional inside it which was a pleasant surprise.

In the UK, it retails at £24.50 which is around the same price range as most high end foundations such as Estée Lauder and MAC foundations but I'm so impressed that I would say that this Benefit product is worth the price tag.

I hope you guys are doing well

I have a completely free weekend for once and plan on enjoying it!

xx

Building Up My MAC Palette

Top row- L to R- Shroom, Ricepaper,  Naked Lunch, Woodwinked, Mythology

Bottom row- L to r- Mulch, Satin Taupe, Embark, Cranberry, Carbon

It's been a secret guilty pleasure of mine slowly building up a MAC Pro Palette. I love the idea of paying for the shades that you want and will use. Yes, it's a little pricey considering it's MAC, but every palette is, in my eyes, unique to the owner. Rice Paper was my first purchase and since then I've been building it up slowly/when I can afford it. As you can see, mine are fairly neutral, which is realistically what I would use on an everyday basis. The problem is now that I want to finish it off and fill it up. I think I might get a deep purple next and then I'll see.... If you have any favourite shades, let me know! I actually have a habit of keeping a post it note underneath so that I remember which ones which.

So anyway, I just thought I would share this all with you. I'm impatient for the end of exams and for the snow to go away! I'm really not a winter person... Me and the boy have booked a city break to Barcelona for the start of the Easter holidays, which, is incedently really early, so I'm trying to create a Sephora and other European make-up/skin care list. Best to make the most it, right? Can you recommend anything?

Hope you're all keeping well and warm

Have a good weekend 

xx

Top 12 of 2012

So I thought today of all days would be the perfect time to share with you my Top 12 of 2012. It's a complete mix of things- beauty, clothes, music etc etc but these are really things that I could not have lived without throughout 2012.

In no particular order

L'Oreal Mythic Oil

I've had this for quite a while now actually but it's still something I couldn't live without. I use it religiously every time I wash my hair and it's great for curly hair like mine. It also helps keep it healthy and happy and I'm proud to say my hair is in great condition.

Real Techniques Eye Brushes

A fairly recent purchase and something I never quite got round to photographing for my blog. I love these brushes and they're great quality. Now I've started branching out a bit in regards to eye make up, I feel I can properly follow all those lovely tutorials you see on Youtube

MAC Fanfare Lipstick

I bought this a while ago and haven't stopped wearing  it since. It goes great with my skin tone and isn't too much of a bright pink so it can be worn day or night. A very flattering and versatile lipstick.

ASOS Leather Jacket

This jacket has done me proud. I basically live in it. 

It's warm, well made and a bargain at £100 for real leather

MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow

My first MAC eyeshadow and the one that set me off on a quest to complete a 15x palette... I'm 2/3 of the way there now. A gorgeous pale gold that works great as a base and lightens up the eye area. 

Great if you're a glasses wearer like me

Body Shop Seaweed Range

Throughout this year, I've been working my way through quite a few new skin care brands and while usually initially impressed with them, so many of them ended up drying out my skin. Enter The Body Shop. A great range and perfect for combination/oily skin. This range has not dried me out, is gentle on the skin and gets stubborn eye makeup off

Converse

Again, quite a recent purchase but again something that I have lived in. Apart from when it's really raining, cuz they're not so great for that... Very comfortable and makes an outfit look instantly a combination of casual and cool

Urban Outfitters Graphic Tee's

I've always loved UO t-shirts. They're great for when I need to chuck something on for uni with a pair of jeans but at their full price, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. But when they're in the sale and/or there are student discounts going around, I jump at the chance.

Ben Howard

2012 was the year I discovered and fell in love with Ben Howard and his music. I first came across him when he did an eerily good rendition of Call Me Maybe. Since then, I've hunted down as much of his music as I can but my favourite would still have to be Keep Your Head Up

Vera Wang Princess Night Perfume

My boyfriend bought me this perfume after months of hinting on his way back from a holiday in the summer. It's a very sweet fragrance- perhaps not to everyone's liking- but I love it and recommend everyone to go give it a whiff if they have the chance

Swimming

Bit off an odd one but 2012 was the year I started to swim. I've never been a particularly good swimmer having nearly drowned when I was very young. I started going with my sister in the summer and have kept it up since. It's great exercise, has really helped my asthma and my confidence in the water. I've also taught myself how to do the strokes properly and I plan to keep improving

Origins Night-a-Mins

Jusssst sneaking in to 2012, is this moisturiser. I know I've only had it a week but it's left such an impression on me, I had to include it. It's helped reduce the appearance of blemishes as they fade and has left my skin feeling much healthier and softer in the mornings

And those are my top 12 of 2012!

Let me know if you have anything similar on your blogs- I love seeing what products people have really enjoyed this year. 2012 has been a great year for my blogs- it's grown so much (thank you Twitter...) and I'd like to take the chance to say hello to all my new followers this year and thank you for joining my blog!

I hope you all have a great NYE and I'll see you all in 2013

Onwards and upwards!

xx

Product Review- Laura Mercier Eyeshadow

Laura Mercier Eyeshadows in Black Kharat and Guava

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I haven't been too thrilled with a lot of stuff in the shops at the moment so when I went in again for a second browse, I ended up lurking around the beauty counters in John Lewis. I remembered vaguely of an eyeshadow me and a friend saw aaages ago and we both loved, so I tracked it down to the baked eyeshadow Black Kharat. And it is gorgeeeouusss. The photo's really don't do it justice. It's an amazing black gold with a gold pearl. It's really subtle- enough so to be worn during the day. Another thing with baked eyeshadows is that they can be worn wet for a more intense look which I have yet to try! I'm scared it'll ruin the eyeshadow but definitely on the pricey side at £18- more than a MAC eyeshadow.

The one is Guava which is a bit of disappointment. Once applied on the actual eye, it really doesn't show up that much, especially if it was used as one wash of colour. Might be enough for a highlight but not much else. It's also reeeally finely milled so it's a little bit on the powdery side of things. I'm sure I'll get some use out of it as I do use neutrals a lot but I'm not so impressed with the quality.

So that's my review of Laura Mercier eyeshadows. 

I really want to try the tinted moisturiser which I've heard a lot of things about so if anyone's used this or has a review on it, please let me know and leave me a link- I'd love to read it!

Have a good day guys :)

xx