Sunday 27 October 2013

Face Of The Day


Hi Everyone

Today I thought I'd do another Face Of The Day post for you all as I was really pleased with my make-up. I hope you like the finished look! All the products used are included below.

Base:

L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation in W3 (applied with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush)
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium
Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in Pale Yellow

Brows:

My usual- the GOSH Eyebrow Kit in 001 using my Bare Minerals Brow Brush

Cheeks:

Topshop Bronzer in Sandcastle (applied with a Real Techniques Contour Brush)
Natural Collection Blush in Peach Melba
Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light (only highlighter used)

Eyes:


Urban Decay Naked Palette - colours used are Naked, Virgin and Sin

No. 7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black
Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Retro Glam Mascara in Extreme Black

Lips:


Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick in Orange Punch (sorry but I couldn't find a link to this exact one online!).


I'm also wearing my Beyond Bronze by Fake Bake Instant Tan in Matter Medium which is why I'm a teeny bit orange! All in all I think this is a great, simple look though and I hope you enjoyed it!

Rosie x


Sunday 20 October 2013

Current Favourites: Nude Lipsticks

L to R: M&S Limited Collection Lipstick in Pink Shine, Collection Volume Sensation in Satin Bow, ELF Jumbo Lipgloss Stick in In The Nude, No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Daydreamer, Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 101.
Top L: M&S Lipstick in Pink Shine, Bottom L: No.7 Lip Crayon in Daydreamer, Top R: Collection Lipstick in Satin Bow, Middle R: ELF Lipgloss Stick in In The Nude, Bottom R: Rimmel Lipstick in 101



 Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying what's left of the weekend, although this weather is awful! It has been so dark and wet all day that I've barely been able to bring myself to leave the house.

Today I wanted to do a post on one of my major obsessions: nude lipsticks. I have been hugely unadventurous in the lipstick stakes recently and I have found myself acquiring a load of nude shades; my favourite of which I am going to share with you in this post. Nude lipsticks have been a long-standing favourite of mine for a while as they are so easy to wear, look very natural and compliment almost every makeup look. I could not live without a good nude lipstick in my makeup bag, and here is the lowdown of my current favourites.

First up is the Marks & Spencer Limited Collection (and Limited Edition!) Lipstick in the shade Pink Shine. This is from M&S's Christmas collection and comes in the cutest purple packaging decorated with snowflakes and reindeer. This is the newest addition to my nude lipstick collection but is already a firm favourite for the easy-to-wear shade, moisturising feeling and sparkly particles which give a lovely, glossy look. I have never bought an M&S lippy before but after trying this one will definitely be investing in more- the Christmas collection can be bought here and they have a gorgeous plum shade available too which may have to be my next investment!

Next is the Collection Volume Sensation Lipstick in Satin Bow. I have actually already done a review of this lipstick here but it is certainly a favourite of mine and therefore well worth a mention! It is a lovely, moisturising formula which feels very nice on the lips, although the lipstick itself is starting to melt a bit in the packaging which is a bit of a shame.

The E.L.F. Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in the shade 'In The Nude' is more of what I'd call a 'true nude', in that it is much more neutral/ brown-toned rather than pink. I like to wear this lipgloss for work as it is a very natural, 'your-lips-but-better' type product, although the smell is quite medicinal and not all that pleasant!

The No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in 'Daydreamer' is also more of a browny-nude, and it is super glossy which I really like. I love this shade for Autumn- it goes really well with bronze and gold tones which I always associate with this time of year. It is the most expensive of the five lipsticks mentioned in this post at £9, although Boots regularly have offers on at this time of the year and I grabbed it for £6.

Finally, the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate lipstick in colour '101'. This is definitely more of a pink-toned lipstick; I would describe it as a 'dusky pink'. Nevertheless, I am including it as a nude lipstick as the effect on the lips is still reasonably natural, and this is a regular favourite of mine when I want to add a splash of colour on my lips but don't want to go for anything too dramatic.

Have you tried any of the products mentioned? I am always on the lookout for new nude shades so let me know your favourites!

Rosie x



Tuesday 15 October 2013

Product Review: Sleek Blush in Rose Gold



Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all having a great week- I have been a busy bee attending classes at college, going to work and juggling an essay!

Today I am doing a review of the Sleek Shimmer Blush in Rose Gold. I picked up this very reasonably priced blusher (£4.49 from Superdrug) a few weeks ago after reading lots of rave reviews from other bloggers claiming that its a great dupe for NARS' Orgasm blush. Never one to pass up on a bargain dupe, I thought I'd give it a go!

I found this blush really hard to photograph purely because it has so many different elements to it that the shade varies with the light. If I had to describe it I would say it is a bright, pink-coral shade with gold pigments in which give it a slight shimmer. Although it looks as though it is really pigmented it is actually very subtle on the skin, but could be built up for a more dramatic look.

All in all I really like this blusher. I am not normally a big fan of 'shimmery' blushes, but this one is subtle enough for everyday and doesn't leave my face lit up like a Christmas tree. If I had one criticism of this it would be that it is less of a coral shade than it appears in the pan, but this is really not a deal breaker for me and I will definitely keep using it. Seeing as I don't actually own the NARS Orgasm blush I can't really comment on Sleek's offering as a good dupe, but it is definitely another winning shade which I will be using again and again.

Have you tried this blush? Let me know your thoughts!

Rosie x



Friday 11 October 2013

Versatile Blogger Award!

Hello my lovelies!

I was so, so pleased when the lovely Lauren from Tea and Post nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award last week. I love Lauren's blog and would definitely recommend checking it out!

I was not very clued up on this particular award tag, but basically the Versatile Blogger Award is awarded by fellow bloggers to acknowledge blogs that they rate really highly and which have touched them in some way. The posts should be unique, well-written and injected with love! I am so grateful to Lauren for nominating me for such a lovely award and I'm really excited to share my own nominees.

How Does It Work?
1) Display the Award Certificate on your blog.
2) Announce your win and thank the blogger that nominated you.
3) Present 15 deserving bloggers with the award.
4) Link your nominees in your post and let them know they've been nominated.
5) Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

So, without further delay, my nominations for this lovely award are:

1) Liza
2) Lianne
3) Jenny
5) Hannah
6) Lisa
8) Rhi
9) Kirstie
10) Bethany
11) Nicola
12) Anouk
13) Emma
14) Hayley
15) Becca

Thanks to all of these bloggers who have all inspired me one way or another!

And now for my 7 interesting facts...

1) I'm currently doing the 5:2 diet and today is a Fast Day... NOT GOOD!
2) I have never broken a bone (touchwood!)
3) I love milkshakes when I'm hungover- chocolate is my favourite flavour.
4) My favourite foundation at the moment is my Estee Lauder Double Wear in Desert Beige.
5) The last film that I watched was Love and Other Drugs and I've since developed a huge crush on Jake Gyllenhaal! Yum!
6) I would love to go to Tokyo, I think it just looks like such an amazing place.
7) I am trying to buy a house with my boyfriend! Very exciting :)

I hope you've enjoyed reading this award tag and do visit all of the blogs mentioned (including Lauren's!) as they are all fantastic.

Rosie x

Sunday 6 October 2013

Product Review: Collection Volume Sensation Lipstick in Satin Bow


Hi Everyone,

Today I wanted to do a review of a new lipstick that I picked up recently: the Collection Volume Sensation Lipstick in Satin Bow. I must admit that I am not generally the most adventurous blogger in terms of my lip colours and I definitely gravitate towards the nude shades. This colour is a lovely deep, pinky nude colour and is perfect for every day wear.

Collection say that their Volume Sensation range contains 'up to 40% volumising ingredients' (whatever that means!). I must admit that I haven't noticed any real 'volumising' effects but I love the creamy, moisturising formula of this lipstick. It has great staying power and the colour goes on really smoothly. For £2.99 this lipstick is a real beauty steal and has fast become one of my favourite nude lip products. My only gripe is with the packaging- I haven't had this lipstick long but it's already smudged quite a lot inside the tube which makes it quite messy to apply. Overall, a great little beauty bargain if you're looking for an easy to wear shade for everyday use.

Have you tried any of the Collection Volume Sensation lipsticks?? I'd love to know if you've noticed any 'volumising' effects!

Rosie x

Thursday 3 October 2013

Haul Post: Topshop Makeup


Hi Everyone,

I hope you're all having a great week! Just a quick post today to share with you a couple of new bits and pieces that I picked up recently from Topshop. I have been having a real love affair with Topshop makeup recently and decided to try a couple of products that have been on my wishlist for a while.

First up is the Topshop Bronzer in 'Sandcastle'. This is a lovely, matte bronzer which is perfect to give an everyday glow. It also works really well for contouring and I have been cheating on my previous favourite (the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer) with this new purchase ever since I bought it last weekend. I also really love the packaging of this bronzer- the silver compact is very simple but chic, and I'm sure that this will become a full time handbag favourite of mine. The colour Sandcastle I would say is a good choice for lighter skin tones, but apply sparingly as a little of this product goes a long way.

I also managed to get the Topshop Glow Highlighter in Polish. I have wanted to try this for a while but couldn't seem to find it in my local Topshop store- fortunately the one in Westfields had it in stock. This is a really lovely highlighter product; I have been applying it with my Real Techniques Blusher Brush along the top of my cheekbones to give a subtle glow. For daily use I would apply under foundation, but I'm looking forward to going for a more dramatic look on a night out. I am also desperate to try one of the MAC Mineralise Skin Finishes, so hopefully this will be one of my next purchases!

Finally, I stocked up on my favourite: the Topshop Lip Crayon in Wave Goodbye. I won't bore you by going on about this product yet AGAIN, but it's safe to say that it is a permanent fixture in my makeup bag.

These are the things I picked up recently- have you tried any great Topshop makeup products recently?

Rosie x

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Lifestyle Post: The Hand And Flowers



Hi Everyone,

A few weeks ago I had an amazing treat when my boyfriend took me to The Hand And Flowers pub in Marlow. I've been meaning to do a post on this ever since as the food was absolutely divine! For those of you that haven't heard of it, The Hand And Flowers is a pub owned and run by Tom Kerridge, a two Michelin-Starred chef who regularly appears on programmes like Masterchef and Great British Menu. His restaurant is tucked away in Marlow, a town about an hour out of London, and serves posh pub-style food with a bit of a twist. Sorry to those of you that maybe aren't interested in my lifestyle posts, but I'm afraid I'm going to bore you all with the details of my delicious meal! This sort of posh nosh is not exactly a regular occurrence in our household and I was really spoilt rotten, so please forgive my gushing!

Sadly it was absolutely chucking it down on the day we went to Marlow. We were staying overnight in the nearby Crowne Plaza hotel and had to take our car down to the restaurant and walk back to collect it in the morning. The Hand And Flowers looks very quaint and cottage-like from the outside and when we stepped in, soaking wet, it felt a bit like we'd come in through a back door. The restaurant itself is small but has a nice feel to it: lots of big, wooden tables, low ceilings and a warm, bustling atmosphere. We were seated really quickly having booked up in advance (you need to book quite far ahead, especially on a weekend!) and the waiter brought us some delicious fresh breads with lovely, salty butter and deep-fried whitebait with a Marie-Rose sauce. I'd not had this before but the whitebait was really lovely and worked well as a snack- it's a small fish that tastes quite smoky and salty, almost like mackerel.

The starter I'm afraid I didn't photograph as I was nervous of looking too 'touristy'. I had the Salt Cod Scotch Egg with Red Pepper Sauce and Chorizo. It was absolutely delicious. The egg inside had a soft, runny yoke and the sweet, red pepper sauce worked really well with the other flavours on the plate. I would definitely recommend it although my boyfriend had the Blowtorched Scallop in a Beef and Mead Bouillon (broth), which he said was amazing as well.

Now, onto the main course! I chose the Slow Cooked Duck Breast with peas, duck fat chips and gravy. This was a dish that featured on the Great British Menu 2010 and I was not disappointed. The duck as you can see was beautifully cooked and covered in a sweet, sticky glaze. The peas were served with mint and pancetta and the chips were just to die for! All in all it was a delicious plate of food. Sorry for the low quality photos- it was pretty dark in the restaurant and I only used my phone. Hopefully you can get an idea of the food though and what it was like.


My Duck Dish


Finally we just about had room for dessert. After so much rich food I went for the Sweet Malt Gateau with Malted Milk Ice-cream, Yeast Tuile and Creme Fraiche which wouldn't normally be my first choice, but sounded like it wouldn't be too heavy on my already very full stomach. It looked really pretty when it came out and when all the elements were combined it tasted almost like sticky toffee pudding. Individually I wasn't so sure- the malt gateau reminded me slightly of a Soreen malt loaf, although the ice-cream was very nice.

Tim (my boyfriend) went for a Raspberry and Rosewater Souffle with Caramelised White Chocolate Ice-cream and Basil Sauce. I have to say that this was a better choice by far- it looked so impressive when it came out! We weren't 100% sure how to eat it- whether to pour the sauce over the top or just dip? In the end he just poured it and although the basil taste did slightly overpower the other elements of the dish in my opinion it was still a nice dessert.


Sweet Malt Gateau
Amazing Souffle!
Overall we really enjoyed our trip to The Hand And Flowers and I would love to go back. Although the food isn't cheap, there is a lot of choice and it has a lovely, buzzing atmosphere that a lot of high end restaurants seem to lack. It was a wonderful evening out of London and I would recommend it to anyone that is a fan of that style of food. If the A La Carte menu is not for you there is also a really reasonable Set Lunch Menu which I've heard is really good too and about £20 for 3 courses.

Details of the restaurant and accommodation here (they have a limited number of boutique rooms available at The Hand And Flowers itself which looked beautiful!), A La Carte Menu here and Set Menu here.

Rosie x