Easter Weekend

Hi Everyone,

I'm lucky enough to have had a fabulous Easter weekend at the seaside in Dorset and thought I would share a little bit of it with you all! It was a wonderful weekend of eating, drinking and hanging out with friends and it was just what I needed after a hectic few weeks.

We drove down on Friday afternoon as a merry group of four, to stay at the home of one of our friend's parents. We managed to avoid the majority of the famous Bank-Holiday traffic apart from around Stonehenge- although at least I managed to catch a glimpse of it for the first time! The house was a beautiful countryside cottage with a wonderful cosy feel to it and we spent many a happy night in with a glass of wine (or two...).

The highlight of the trip was definitely our day at Hive beach, where we visited the amazing Hive Beach Cafe and tucked into delicious fresh lobster and chips! This was followed by a HUGE ice cream sundae and a stroll along the beach... Bliss. We also had some incredible meals out where we were staying in Sherborne, and on Friday went to the lovely restaurant The Green where we sampled such delights as their crab creme brulee (actually delicious) and scallops with black pudding crisps.. yum!

The weather was not great on our last day but we still found time for a cream tea at a local cafe before hitting the road back to London in the pouring rain... A fitting end to the Bank Holiday weekend. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend- was your as food orientated as mine?!

Rosie x

A snap of Stonehenge taken from the car!

March Favourites

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re all enjoying the weekend and the warmer weather! All this sunshine has put me in a really summery mood and I’ve become one of those Brits that throws on a pair of shorts and flip flops at the first sign of a bit of sun!

Today’s post is about a few new products that I have been enjoying using recently. As you can see from the pic I have a bit of a thing for MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes at the moment and I’ve pretty much tripled the size of my collection in a month! The next one I have my eye on is Lightscapade and I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts if you’ve tried it.

Debenhams have been doing a 10% discount offer lately on their website so I used the opportunity to buy a few bits (as you do!) and picked up the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, which I’ve had my eye on for a while. This is a beautiful ‘gilded peach bronze’ colour according to MAC and has a good amount of shimmer to it without being overpowering. I have been using this product more sparingly during the day to avoid looking too ‘sparkly’ at work, but can’t wait to try it for a night out!

I also managed to pick up Mineralize Skinfinish in the shade ‘Stereo Rose’ from the MAC website as part of their limited edition Fantasy of Flowers collection. I had read about this first on Lily Pebbles’ blog and having seen a few photos I knew that I had to try it for myself. This has become my go-to blusher of late as it is a perfect rosy-pink colour with just a hint of shimmer. It is buildable and just generally very pretty!

I also bought the Extra Dimension Skinfinish in ‘Fairly Precious’ which is more sparkly than the other two I would say and perfect for creating a fresh, dewy look. I love the light pink colour of this and would also wear it as an eyeshadow, although I would say that it is slightly less versatile than Soft and Gentle as the pink tone can’t be used all over.

Also on my favourites list is a MAC lipstick in the shade Hue. I picked this up in a blog sale a few weeks ago (I think I mentioned this on my blog already) and I’ve basically worn it nearly every day since. It is the easiest colour to wear- a lovely pinky nude that is not too pink nor too brown for my skin tone, and the formula is lovely and creamy and seems to last quite well despite being a ‘glaze’ rather than my usual favourite ‘cremesheen’.

A friend of mine at Revlon recently gave me a little goody bag and in it was this fab brow pencil and gel called ‘brow fantasy’. Unfortunately it is a little light for my natural colouring (I was given the shade Dark Blonde) so I have to use a touch of powder as well to darken my brows up, but I love the idea of this product and the gel works really well to tame any unruly hairs!

For contouring I really love this bronzer by theBalm in Bahama Mama. I read sooo many good reviews of this before purchasing and I can’t disagree with any of them- the colour looks scary in the pan but is more grey-toned than a lot of bronzers so leaves a natural shadow appearance when contouring rather than an orange stripe down your face! A light hand is all that’s needed with this but I really like it and the packing is really cute too.

Finally I picked up this bargain highlighter by Along Came Betty in Tesco for £2 and I really like it! I apply it under or over foundation depending on how strong I want the highlight to be, and it works really well. The colour is a subtle champagne gold (not dissimilar to Benefit’s Watts Up!) and if you wanted to give a stick highlighter a try without spending a fortune then I would definitely recommend it.

That’s it for my favourites this month- as you can see it has been quite highlight-heavy! I’d love to hear what you’ve been loving recently so feel free to leave me a comment below.

Rosie x

Product Review: NARS Travel Set

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I'm sorry for my irregular posting over the past few days! I have been really busy moving house and we are still internet-less at our new place so I am a bit limited in when I can blog... Sooo annoying as I have picked up loads of products recently that I'm dying to review!

Today I thought I would show you one of my favourite newbies to my make-up collection: this gorgeous NARS travel set featuring the famous Laguna bronzer, Orgasm Blush and Albatross Highlighter trio. I was so excited to try all three of these products and can't believe that I managed to snap them all up in one bundle!

This set I don't think is available anymore as I have been scouring the NARS website for it with no joy. I picked it up in a blog sale for just £16 over at the lovely Lipstick Fridays (she still has loads of amazing stuff for sale if you fancy a look!) and I couldn't be happier. The bronzer looks to me to be pretty much full sized and the products had only been lightly swatched so I definitely feel like I got good value for money there.

So what's the product like? Well, one of the major plus points for me HAS to be the packaging. I mentioned that it's a travel set and it is genuinely one of the most travel-friendly products that I own- perfect for throwing in your handbag for an afternoon touch up. Yes, the Albatross pan is a little on the skinny side (which is a shame as I think it may be my favourite of the 3!) but all in all it is a really handy set to have around.

All three of these products have something of a cult following so I won't bang on for hours, but they are all beautiful shades that I'd imagine would compliment many skin tones. The Laguna bronzer I had heard was great for contouring and so far it hasn't disappointed- although I did notice that it is not quite as matte as some of my other contouring products. It is less orangey than some other bronzer shades though and really pigmented so very easy to contour with.

The Orgasm blush I was really keen to try having been given the shade Super Orgasm (oo er!) by my boyfriend a while ago. Orgasm is less sparkly than Super Orgasm and slightly more red-dy and gold-toned which I really like as it gives the cheeks a really healthy, natural flush.

Finally the beautiful highlighter Albatross, which looks so scarily white in the pan but on the skin transforms into a beautiful yellow-tone highlight! I LOVE this product and have been using it every day on my cheekbones and brow arch to provide a subtle highlight. Fortunately a little goes a long way with this product and I have barely scratched the surface.

Overall I'm delighted with this purchase (as you can probably tell from my lengthy review!). I should also mention that the case is really sturdy and has a huge mirror which makes touching-up on the go an absolute breeze.

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Rosie x

PS. there is still time to enter my MAC Giveaway! Just click here

500 Follower Giveaway!!

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm delighted to announce that I am doing another giveaway! This one is to celebrate reaching 500 followers, which is truly an amazing milestone in my eyes. I am so grateful for every reader and every comment on my blog and so this is just my little way of saying 'thank you'!

The prize is a MAC lipstick of your choice, so long as it is from the permanent collection. I know that this is not the most imaginative prize going but I have seen it on other blogs in the past and I just think you can't go wrong with a good lippy! All I ask is that you make sure that you are following my blog on Bloglovin and that you leave me a comment below to let me know what shade of lipstick you would like. Good luck everyone! Now onto the boring stuff...

Rules:

• This is a UK only giveaway I'm afraid. I apologise to any international readers that may be disappointed, I would love to do an international giveaway soon.
• I will check all entries so please make sure that you follow my blog and leave me a comment!
• I will post the winner on my blog and on Twitter, and will basically try my best to contact you in any way I can! If I don't hear anything back within 3 days then I will select an alternative winner.
• The giveaway is via Rafflecopter and winners are chosen entirely at random.
• The prize is bought with my own money and I will post it to you via First Class. I will get proof of postage but cannot be held responsible for items getting lost.
• The giveaway will close on 7th March 2014.

Thank you to everyone who enters, you have all been so encouraging since I started blogging and I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note the image used is not my own.

Rosie x

FOTD - Bronze Smokey Eye

Hi Everyone,

Today's FOTD post features one of my favourite looks- the bronze smokey eye. I must admit that I am not the most adventurous with my eye make-up on a day to day basis but I am getting better after following some absolutely amazing MUAs on Instagram. This one is pretty quick and easy and is just about subtle enough for everyday wear, although I did use false eyelashes today which definitely is not something I have time for every day!

Prep:

Ultima II Procollagen Extrema Day Lotion (I love this moisturiser and it is sparkly too!)

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Face:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20

Benefit Erase Paste in Medium

Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium

Brows:

GOSH Eye Brow Kit (colours light and medium)

Cheeks:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (to contour)

Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-On Illuminator in Light (to highlight)

M&S Limited Collection Highlighter Drum

MAC Powder Blush in Melba

Eyes:

No.7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black

Estee Lauder Doublewear Stay-in-Place Gel Eyeliner in Stay Onyx

Eylure Naturalites Natural Volume False Lashes

From the Urban Decay NAKED palette: 

-Shade 'Naked' on lid

-Shade 'Virgin' on browbone

-Shade 'Creep' along lower lash line

-Shades 'Darkhorse' and 'Smog' along upper lash line

-Shade 'Half Baked' on lid

Estee Lauder Doublewear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black

Lips:

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Nude Beige

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres in No.19

Phew, that was a lot of products! I hope you enjoyed my face of the day and I'd love to know what your favourite make-up looks are.. Maybe I'll try them next time!

Rosie x

Valentine's Look!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, we have been right in the midst of all the recent flooding and spent most of the week staying in a hotel!

Today I thought I'd share my (slightly belated) Valentine's look. I really wanted to stick to natural-looking, glowy make-up this Valentine's Day as we spent it at home enjoying a home cooked meal (yum!). For the base I used MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 which I mixed with a little MAC Strobe Cream to give a slight glow. I used my normal concealers (Benefit Erase Paste in Medium and Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois) and dabbed a bit of Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator across my under-eye area and down my nose.

For my brows I used a MAC eyeshadow in Brun. I set the look using MAC Skinfinish Natural powder in Medium, before doing a slight contour using my Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced. I added some subtle sparkle to my cheeks using M&S's Limited Collection Highlighter, and used a small amount of Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in shade 02 on my cheeks to add a light flush.

Now, onto the eyes! The eyeshadows I used were all from the Urban Decay NAKED or NAKED 3 palettes. For the base I used the shade 'Virgin', and then dabbed the shade 'Half Baked' all over my lid (both from the NAKED palette). Under my eyes and in the outer corners I used 'Darkside' from the NAKED 3 palette, and in my crease I blended in 'Smog' from NAKED. I lined my waterline with a white liner from Revlon, and in the outer corners used my No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Gunmetal Grey. Finally, I finished the look with a bit of Benefit They're Real! mascara and a slick of MAC lipstick in Hue (recently purchased in a blog sale for a bargainous £6!).

That's it folks! I hope you like my Valentine's look and please send me your links if you have done your own!

Rosie x

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Hi Everyone,

Today I am reviewing the Micellar Cleansing Water by Ganier Skin Naturals. I spotted this on the shelf in my local Boots store and knew straight away that I had to try it. I am a big fan on the Bioderma Micelle Solution (although not such a big fan of the price!) and was really hoping that this would be a more affordable option.

I reviewed the Bioderma Sebium H20 back in September after hearing so many good things about the range in the blogging community (full review here). I loved that it worked really well as a make up remover but without any of the scrubbing or rubbing that I was used to. I hate using makeup wipes and have oily skin so oil or cream based cleansers do not work for me, but the Micellar Solution ticked all the boxes, especially as it is so gentle.

The Garnier offering comes in a much bigger bottle (400ml which claims to be 200 uses!) and feels like great value for money at £4.99. Heck, I paid £4.50 for just 100ml of Bioderma so it's definitely the cheaper option! Like Bioderma, the Garnier Micellar Water is super gentle and effectively removes makeup without any hassle. It doesn't have much of a scent and feels no different to water on the skin. It leaves my skin feeling gloriously clean and fresh and even removes tough eyeliner and mascara which I wasn't sure it would.

So far I would say that the Garnier Micellar Solution is a great substitute for the pricier Bioderma option. It has all the same great benefits without the guilt- what's not to love?! Plus the bottle feels like it will last me a lifetime. If you are looking for a great value, gentle cleanser that leaves your skin hydrated and make-up free then look no further! I am loving this product right now.

Have you tried it? Let me know your thoughts!

Rosie x