Friday 29 March 2013

Easter Wishlist

 

Aww how cute?! 

 


I am sooo excited for Easter! I have a whole 6 days off work and I am currently staying at my Grandparents house in Kent along with my mum, sister, auntie, uncle and 3 little cousins. I love family gatherings as we hardly ever get to see each other so when we do we plan lots of fun activities :-) I am looking forward to doing an Easter egg hunt, watching lots of good TV and movies, eating hot cross buns, a day of retail therapy in Canterbury and spending time relaxing and enjoying the company of my family.

 

 
 
Easter means the start of spring, baby lambs, pastel colours, pretty flowers, lighter evenings, warmer weather and chocolate woo hoo! I gave up chocolate for lent so haven’t had any in over 1 month. I’m not a huge chocolate person although I do like it every now and again (I still have a massive stash left over from Christmas) but I have been surprised how hard it is avoiding it! When choosing a dessert in a restaurant almost all of them contain some form of chocolate such as chocolate chips or chocolate sauce, and because I knew I couldn’t have any I craved it even more. I am proud of myself for not giving in though - and I will definitely appreciate the nice Easter eggs I get on Sunday!
The Easter holiday and start of spring has inspired me to create a wish list of some things that I am currently lusting after - and that will hopefully make you feel in a more summery mood despite the horrible, cold weather we are currently experiencing…



What are you wishing for this month? What do you have planned this Easter?


 




Holly xx
 

 
 
 Mango dress £44.99
H&M dress £19.99
 
 


 
 



Mango skinny trousers  in Pink Mandarin Topacio blue and Apple £22.99

 


Wednesday 27 March 2013

Do what makes you happy



 
 

Go for a drink with friends, eat chocolate, buy a new dress, wear your favourite lipstick, work out, lay in bed until midday, watch a funny movie, bake a cake, dance around your room, sing along to the radio, smile at a cute guy, have a long bubble bath…
 
Holly xx
 
 

 


Tuesday 26 March 2013

Mini Haircare-haul

 
 Hairspiration: Miranda Kerr
I want luxe blowdried hair like this!
 
I have a confession to make. I am officialy a Hair and Beauty product addict. After checking my bank statement and realising that in the last month I have spent over £200 on hair and beauty products, I have had serious words with myself. At the beginning of the year I vowed to start saving and be more sensible with my money, and I did stick to it at first! I just appear to have fallen off the wagon after a tad too much online shopping and Boots/Superdrug beauty hauls, oops.
That being said I have discovered a few new hair products that I am pretty pleased with. I am always searching for new products that promise to provide volume, moisture and healthy hair. So when I see new products and ranges offering these amazing results, I just have to try them for myself!
A lot of the time I am left disappointed and wishing that I had saved my money as the product I have bought hasn't lived up to the description of giving me model worthy hair. However every now and again I do stumble across a new product that lives up to the hype and pleasantly surprises me, and that happened this week!
 
 
 
 
My first purchase is the Kerastase Resistance Reinforcing Shampoo £14.05. Recently my hair has become very dry and un-manageable, possibly due to the awful weather, so I decided it was time to invest in a good quality shampoo. I have read quite a lot of negative things about cheap high street shampoos and the ingredients used in them such as silicone - which is quite damaging for hair especially when the product is used frequently. I know that Kerastase is a highly recommended and trusted brand, and is used in a lot of salons so despite the price tag I chose this one. The shampoo promises to add volume and restore the hair’s natural fibres to create fuller, healthier hair. Sounds good to me! I have only used it twice so far but I can already tell the shampoo is good quality. You only need to use a tiny amount to create a thick lather and my hair does feel soft, shiny and has more volume after using it. Hopefully after continued use I will notice healthier, fuller hair and it will be smoother and more manageable.
 
 
 
Next up is the PhytoVolume actif volumizer spray £15.50. I read a great review about this on a blog recently and having never heard of the brand before I decided to do some research. I always love products that provide volume as big, healthy hair is my favourite. The spray is easy to use and not sticky or greasy at all like similar products can be. The smell isn’t the greatest as it is kind of clinical, but it’s not unpleasant and you can’t smell it after drying anyway. I found for the best results spray on the roots of towel dried hair just before drying, then blow dry your hair upside down. My hair did have added volume after use but not quite as much as I was expecting. I would say that for the price I probably wouldn’t re purchase this, however I will be using it every time I blow dry as I did notice a little more volume than normal.
 
 
Lastly the cheapest product - which is also my favourite of the three. Pantene deep moisture soufflé £4.49 (available in store in Boots) surprised me the most as it is probably the product that I was expecting the least from due to the low price tag and the fact that Pantene is just a high street brand. I have read many great reviews about this soufflé and I also know that it was used on models at LFW so that has got to be a good thing right?  The cold weather has left my hair and scalp soo dry so I have been searching for good moisturising products. I wanted to try this one as the price is purse friendly so I thought even if it doesn’t live up to expectations it’s not the end of the world. I used it for the first time today and already my hair is soft, smooth, moisturised and smells divine! When dispensing the soufflé so much came out I ended up wasting quite a bit and I panicked in case I had put too much on and would be left with sticky, greasy hair but luckily that was not the case and my hair is lovely and soft. I strongly recommend this product as it is cheap, provides great results, smells gorgeous and a little really does go a long way so it will last too!


 


Also purchased this week is an old favourite of mine: Morroccan Oil light £12.85. I swear by this hair oil! It definitely leaves my hair looking healthier, shinier and I am sure it helps it grow faster. Unlike a few other oils I have used, the Light oil doesn’t leave hair greasy, and a little bit really does go a long way so it lasts too. I really want to try the other products from the Moroccan Oil range but unfortunately my current funds won’t allow me to. Boo hoo.
 
Have you tried any of these products? Can you recommend any good products or brands to try? Please share :-)
 
Holly xx
 

 
 

Monday 25 March 2013

Everything happens for a reason

 
 
 
 
 
Sometimes I find it hard to think what that reason may be, but regardless, I know there is one.
 
Holly xx
 
 
 


Sunday 24 March 2013

Elf Beauty Haul

 
 
 
Elf  is one of the few high street beauty brands that I haven’t tried, but after reading numerous reviews and blog posts about it I was intrigued to check out their website and see what they had to offer.



There is a detailed description and a selection of photos provided for each product on the site so you can see clearly what the item looks like and have a good idea of the colour, there is also an option to read other customer’s reviews which I always find helpful.

Elf stands for eyes, lips, face so as you can imagine there is a wide selection of products to choose from and they all come in cute, chic packaging which I love. The brand really defines the term budget beauty as prices start from as little as £1.50 and most products are under £5. The shipping and delivery costs are also very reasonable which is something I always look for when shopping online.

 
 
Facial whip, nail polish and studio lip gloss.
 


My favourite buy has to be the Shimmering facial whip. I don’t usually use a highlighter when applying my make-up base but after trying this it will definitely be part of my party make-up routine. It creates a gorgeous glow – especially when applied on the apples of your cheeks along with a peachy-pink blush. I also love the Eye shimmer palette. I adore make-up with shimmer and sparkle and after lip gloss; eye shadow is my favourite product. I love trying new looks and blending different shades and colours, the shades in this palette are so pretty and blend really well to make eyes pop out.

 
 
 
Shimmer palette.
 
 
 

I was slightly disappointed with the Mineral lipstick. The packaging and texture of the lipstick are both fabulous, and the stick is moisturising and easy to apply but the colour disappointed me. I chose shade ‘Party Pink’ – which on the website looks like a medium pink tone somewhere between baby/nude and bright pink which is the shade I was looking for. Unfortunately it’s duller and darker than I was expecting so I’m not too sure about it, but I guess this could change after I wear it out with a full face of make-up? I wish I had chosen another shade now as there are so many pretty ones! Ah well there’s always next time…

 
 
 
Mineral lipstick.
 
As a whole shopping with Elf beauty  was a good experience and I certainly enjoyed the (pretty long) time I spent looking through the pages on their site and being spoilt for choice over what to buy. This is always a good sign as variety is the spice of life! I was impressed with the fast delivery, low prices and the fact that the quality of the make-up is just as good – if not better than some more expensive brands that I have tried. I strongly recommend Elf and I will definitely be shopping with them again.




 
Have you tried any Elf products before? Can you recommend any other good beauty brands to try?

 
 
 
Holly xx
 
 
 

Sunday 17 March 2013

My Weekend 16/03/13

 
 


Before the gym.

 
After breakfast on Saturday morning I went to the gym for a work out, this is my favourite time to go as on week nights the gym gets busy so the equipment you want to use isn’t always free, I much prefer having the gym to myself.


 
Favourite breakfast: Oat and raisin granola, natural yoghurt and coffee.



Gym essentials: My Nike Dual fusion trainers.

 


Smile :-)

Ready to work out.


Afterwards I went to the salon to get my eyebrows threaded and tinted as they were definitely in need of some TLC! Then I quickly dropped by Boots to grab some dry shampoo and hair mousse as I have almost ran out. By the time I got home I was starving so I whipped up a couple of Tuna pitta breads and devoured the remaining home-made cream coffee cake made by one of mum’s friends.


 
Organising my lipgloss.
 


All tidy :-)


One of my favourite activities is cleaning my room. I am a slight clean freak so everything has its place and I don’t like any mess or clutter around me so my room is always tidy but every week I like to hoover and polish, make sure all of my clothes, make-up and beauty products are tidy and then light some candles. I decided to sort through my ever growing lipgloss collection. My room is my favourite place to be and is where I spend most of my time at home so I like to make it as nice and relaxing as possible.
Once my room was done I had a lush relaxing bubble bath, had a gossip with my sister when she got home from work and then started getting ready for my friend’s house warming party.


 



My outfit before heading to the party.
Leather jacket – H&M, Vest top – Firetrap, Stud leggings – New look, Stud wedges – ebay.




Pre party posing.


 The party was great and the house is beautiful, it may not look that way Sunday morning though! My friend Harriet made a fruity punch that was yummy but deadly! My poison for the night was this cool Cosmo cocktail that I picked up from an American store. You literally just add vodka and it makes a cosmo!




Skinny cosmo mmm


Sunday has been spent the same as most others: RESTING! Lazy Sunday mornings watching episodes of The City in bed, painting my nails, browsing the internet and reading blogs. Mum has made her delicious vegetable soup (THE best soup ever!) and my sister has touched up my roots for me. Now to chill out next to the fire with a film, cup of tea and my laptop :-)
 

I <3 The City.



Vegetable soup Mmm.


 
Baby pink nails.
 

 
and toenails.
 


My favourite Mickey Mouse cup!

 


What have you been up to this weekend?
 

Holly xx


 

Mini Beauty Haul

 
After discovering Fragrance Direct last weekend I couldn’t resist treating myself to some amazing discount beauty and fragrance products and had a mini splurge. I was excited to find my parcel had arrived in the week and couldn’t wait to try the products.
 


 
First up I ordered the Carolina Herrera 212 VIP Eau de Parfum. I love buying new perfumes and this one smells lush and at the price of £26.99 Fragrance Direct sell it at the cheapest price I have seen so I added it to my bag. It’s quite a strong but sweet fragrance so you don’t need to use a lot and I also love the cute handbag-friendly sized bottle and glam gold packaging.
 

 
I was hoping the site sold Bourjois Healthy mix foundation as I have read so many great reviews about it on other blogs, but unfortunately they don’t stock it so I opted for the Bio Detox organic foundation in colour Beige 54 £2.99 (RRP £10.99). The foundation provides great coverage and has a lovely matte texture. Sometimes foundation can be quite oily on my skin and leaves a shine but I didn’t find that at all with this one. The only downside is I was expecting there to be a pump but there isn’t so it is quite hard judging how much to use, but to be honest I can let this slip because of the great price!



 
 I was disappointed to find the Bourjois Mineral Matte Make-up brush 99p was actually miniature and not suitable for applying my face powder which is why I purchased it. I think the picture is mis leading as it makes the brush look much bigger and it doesn’t state the actual size in the product description. I guess the price of 99p for a full sized make-up brush is a little too good to be true!




 
I have been looking for a baby pink nail polish after lusting after the OPI Pinking of you nail lacquer but not wanting to pay the full price for it, so when I saw the W7 Nail Enamel in baby pink priced at just £1.25 I decided to try it. Of course I am not expecting the quality to be as good as OPI but due to it being a fraction of the price I am willing to accept that. The polish does need a good few coats to prevent the colour looking streaky but overall the polish goes on well, drys quickly and the colour does look very similar to the OPI polish. Result!


 

 
I have never tried a Dainty Doll product before and have only heard good things about the brand so I decided to order a lipstick in shade 003 It’s my party. The packaging is slick and looks expensive although price is anything but at just £1.99 (RRP £12.50). The shade is darker than the picture on the site shows and also darker than I would normally wear, the colour is more suited for a night out as opposed to day-to-day wear. The texture is creamy and glides on to lips nicely – it is also quite moisturising which I like as I cannot stand lipsticks that dry out lips. I would recommend this brand especially if you are a fan of Rimmel lipsticks as I found this one quite similar.
 

Have you tried any of these products or purchased from Fragrance Direct before? What did you think?
 Holly xx







Thursday 14 March 2013

A smile is the best make-up

 




 
 
My best friend, my sister and me having a really good time on my 21st birthday :-)
 
 
What makes you smile?
 
 
Holly xx

 
 
 
 
 
 


Tuesday 12 March 2013

Complex Simplicity


 
Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are pure, simple and untouched. Basic fashion such as monochrome, straight lines and neutral colours, minimalism and plain designs all demonstrate elegance and simplicity. Here are some photos and items that create a simple and natural look.
 
 
 
 
 
Zara shopper link

 
 
Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom-Honey Candle link
 
 
 
French Connection Natsue sleeveless dress link 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zara Soft touch T shirt link
 
 
 
 
Gucci Flora Glorious Mandarin Eau de Toilette link



 
 
H&M Blazer jacket link
 
 
H&M Skirt link
 
Elliot by Kurt Geiger link



 
The Simple Living Guide link
 
 
Dior Skin Nude Natural Glow radiant foundation link
 
 
Tom Ford lipstick in Blush nude link
 
 
Kivik two seat sofa in Svanby beige link
 
 
Ethereal beige coat link
 
 
 
 
 
Ludde Sheepskin rug link
 
 
Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette link
 
 
Essie Naked truth nail polish link
 
 
 
Zara brown shopper link
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Holly xx