Friday 28 June 2013

Guest Post: Summer Essentials


Heya Guys! As you probably know Alice has gone on holiday to Mexico {I know;How lucky is she!!} Whilst shes away Alice has graciously let me do a guest post. So in the spirit of holidays and Mexico I've decided to share with you my Summer essentials! 

It's obviously not everything I use during summer, otherwise we'd be here for hours, but these are my most loved items and things that I couldn't get through summer without!




| St. Tropez Gradual Tan |

This is the best gradual tanner out there! It's expensive, I know but it consistently gives a gorgeous beachy glow after only a few applications. Its perfect for the beginning of summer when the sun is just starting to show but we still have out winter legs or if you can't spend as much time under the UV rays as needed! The best bit is that it won't go blotchy or give you that oh so lovely oompa loompa look. 





Lip Balm |

Lip balm is definitely a year round essential but over the last couple of years I've found myself using far more lip balm in summer than winter, strange given that winter drys the skin out more. That aside my two all time loves are the Burts Bees lip balm and Lucas Paw Paw ointment. Burts Bees have the most moisturizing lip balms that I have ever used and they smell so,so good!
The paw paw ointment technically isn't a lip balm. Its derived, obviously from the fruit and its a thick almost greasy ointment that can be used for anything from insect bites to sunburn to cracked skin. But its the best for giving smooth lips! It's made in Australia which is pretty cool. I did a bit of searching and found this site, so if your in the UK you won't miss out. 




Daisy Eau So Fresh |

I am in love, love, love with all Marc Jacobs perfumes. It may have something to do with the bottles, I mean just look at them they're gorgeous! The Eau so Fresh is a great variation of the original Daisy. While the original is a very strong, floral and woody; the Eau so Fresh has a sweeter and more girly scent which makes it my go-to summer perfume. Try it out!!







Tony and Guy Sea Salt Spray |


If your a lover of no fuss, beachy waves then this sea salt is for you! I spray this all through my hair when it's damp, brush it through, twist it into a
 tight-ish buns and sleep on it. When you uncurl it in the morning your left with these gorgeous, effort free waves. The best thing about doing it this way is the curls aren't the same size, each one is different so it gives that surf effect without getting all wet and salty!





| Estee Lauder Daywear Moisturizer | 

And last but most definitely not least is moisturizer. With all that sun it's extremely important to keep you skin hydrated! I love this one from Estee Lauder, it smells A-MA-ZINGGG, it's like summer in a tub! It also has an SPF of 15, which is good but I'd still add some sunscreen just to be on the safe side.



So there we are all my essentials to get me through the sunny months! I hope you enjoyed seeing what I use and I'd love to hear what your summer favourites are! I and I'm sure you guys too, can't wait to hear all about Alice's holiday and all the fun she's had!!





I also have a beauty and lifestyle blog, where I share with the rest of the world all about what life in Australia is like! You can check it out here






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Sunday 23 June 2013

Summer Holiday/Vacation Haul


Everytime I go on my holidays, I feel I need to buy new shoes, new clothes, a new hat, a new beach bag, the list goes on! I've purchased quite a few holiday things for my trip to Mexico (then Mallorca!) - many of which I posted about in my 'Beach Essential's post but these are things I bought the other day when out shopping in Leeds.


I wanted a casual looking crop top to wear with a pair of denim shorts and a nice chain-like necklace and when I saw this one for a tenner in River Island, I knew I had to have it. It actually looks more neon and yellow (less green) in real life but I really love it, especially the colour!It goes nicely with this gold necklace that I bought from New Look for £6.99.

I repurchased my Essie polish in the colour 'fiji', which really shows how much I love it as I have never re-purchased a nail polish (I have too many to go through)! I absolutely adore this colour for summer, it's the perfect off-white pink colour and looks amazing with a tan.
Secondly beauty wise is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I like to spritz this on my face during the day to prevent my face becoming all sweaty from sunbathing. It feels amazing and I also like to take it on the plane with me for a bit of moisture to my face.

I also purchased some ear plugs. I wanted these for the plane journey (mainly for coming back as it is a night flight). I find it impossible to sleep if it is noisy, so hopefully these will do the trick as I just cannot sleep on planes! I will probably buy more of these for Magaluff as I believe it is noisy 24/7 there and I do need my sleep!!


I got this beach bag from Primark and it'll be perfect for chucking my towel and some books in to head down to the beach with. It was £4: I wanted something cheap because I probably won't use it again after this summer. 


Not the best picture of me, but here I am with my new floppy hat! Believe it or not I got this hat from 'Bon Marche'. Typically labelled as a 'granny' shop, I was shocked that I could find such a nice beach hat in there. My mum was looking and I tried it on and really liked how it looked. Definitely an essential to protect you from the sun and I love with these type of hats, you can adjust the front to create a shape that flatters your face!


May I call these the blogger sandals? I've seen people such as Lily Melrose and Barbara from The Persian Babe on YouTube with these and I absolutely love them. I think they're a bit different from your usual summer sandal and I love all the buckles on them. Can't wait to wear these on both my jolly hols!

Are any of you lot going on holiday this summer?!



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Tuesday 18 June 2013

Una Brennan Deep Clean Mattifying Moisturiser: Review

Hiya everyone,

I haven't done a review in a while so here's one of a product that I really like at the moment. Despite my love for La Roche Posay's Effaclar Matt, I decided I wanted to try the Una Brennan Mattifying Moisturiser as it contains what every acne sufferer wants in their skincare products: Salicylic acid. I absolute adore the Super Facialist range from Una Brennan, in particular their Pore Purifying Clay Mask as my skin is so clear after using it. I thought incorporating this moisturiser into my morning skincare routine would improve my skin even more.. and boy was I right!





The consistency is thicker than I expected but it isn't horribly thick or anything.
The smell is the same as the face mask from the range, so you'll know what I mean if you've tried it. It's quite a potent smell, but I don't think it's too offensive and I'm guessing it's the smell of tea flower.

In terms of skin benefits, I feel that it has improved my skin and provides a good base for make-up. I believe this is due to the Salicylic Acid as it is a 'keratolytic' which means it breaks down and exfoliates dead skin cells. It is particularly good for the blocked pore (comedonal) type of acne because it penetrates the hair follicle and helps keep the pores from getting clogged. Salicylic acid is also an anti-inflammatory meaning it minimizes the redness associated with acne breakouts. In addition, salicylic acid has some anti-bacterial effects, helping to reduce the number of acne causing bacteria on the skin.

In terms of mattifying the skin, it does the job when first applied but I haven't seen a difference in how long my make-up lasts. It becomes just as oily after a few hours, so I definitely recommend using a primer as well as powder, too.

It is £12.99 which I feel is quite pricey to say it is from Boots and that the face mask in the range is only £8 but in my opinion it is worth it. The La Roche Posay Effaclar Matt was around the same price and despite a bit of a nicer consistency, it didn't really benefit my skin. Therefore, I would repurchase this and urge people to try it and tell me what you think :)

Has anyone else tried this before? If not, what is your favourite moisturiser?



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Monday 17 June 2013

Importing Google Feed to Bloglovin' ...

Hiya everyone, I'm sure many of you know that Google Friend Connect is saying goodbye on the 1st of July, therefore everyone is switching to Bloglovin. If you already have a bloglovin account, I would love it if you could follow me on there. However, you can follow all the blogs you follow now on bloglovin. Heres how:

Go to http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader



Click that blue button that says 'Import from Google Reader'
All the feeds will be imported and it doesn't take long!

Benefits of Bloglovin':

As much as I loved the simplicity of Google Reader, Bloglovin has such a nicer layout: you can see the photo, the post title and a snippet of text. It may take a bit of time to get used to but I'm sure we'll all love it soon enough! I remember when everyone got upset because everyone started using Facebook instead of Bebo.. oh those were the days.

In the meantime, you can follow my blog here:

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Friday 14 June 2013

Beach Essentials


Hi everyone, hope you're all ok! I have just finished my exams today which I am sooooo relieved about and it means I can do more blogging :) As I'm going to Mexico in the next couple of weeks, I thought it was about time I did a holiday inspired post. Mexico's are known for their beautiful beaches and that is where I will be spending most of my time so a 'Beach essentials' type of post seemed most appropriate!


Obviously you gotta have a nice bikini for the beach! These are two of my favourite bikini's: the two I bought this year. The white one can be a bandeau or can have the halter-neck attached too. It's from Matalan, believe it or not, and is absolutely gorgeous. I love a white bikini for summer especially with a tan. The second one is an orange, slightly coral, bikini from H&M. I thought it would be a lot more expensive than it was but it came to about £8 for the top and the bottoms which is ridiculous!! It is the most gorgeous colour and I love the tassel detail. Even the ties are blue turquoise beads which make it look soooo much more expensive than it actually is!


When you want to go in for a little bit of shade or for a nice stroll along the beach, you need a cute pair of shorts and a slouchy top. I love these cropped baggy vests from Topshop as they're so loose fitting therefore perfect for the hot weather. My purple hotpant shorts (also from Topshop) are also great for the beach look. I have so many pairs of shorts to take with me but these are one of my favourite pairs as they're super short and comfy. Lastly here is my beach cover up - can also be worn if strolling along the beach. It's white and has cut out detailing. It has frilly tassels at the bottom which gives it such a beachy vibe! This is from Matalan and was around £12.


You're definitely gonna want some nice sunglasses to protect your eyes from the blinding sun when you're on the beach! I got these from Topshop on Oxford Street last year and they're still my favourite ones. Wayfarer style suit me the best out of all sunglasses types and I love the croc-esque print they have. I purchased this sunglasses case to match the other day from Poundland! It's a hard case so will keep them protected but also matches the print on my sunnies, win!


Suncream is obviously an essential at the beach, as you should wear it everyday anyway! Here I have Piz Buin's SPF 15 which is non greasy and non sticky and absorbs instantly. I don't see the point in spending lots of money on suncream; if it has these qualities and protects you from both UVA and UBV rays, then you're covered! I will probably start on SPF 30 for the first couple of days then move on to this when I have a reasonable tan.

I use a different sunscreen for my face, as I have acne prone skin which is particularly oily. I bought the La Roche Posay Facial SPF 30 last year and a little bit goes a long way. I still have probably more than 3/4 of this bottle left, so it is definitely coming to Mexico with me. It isn't sticky or greasy and doesn't break me out.

In the little pouch (from a pack of 3 from Superdrug), I have a Soap and Glory Hand Gel, a Liz Earle Skin Tonic Spritzer, the Nuxe Reve De Miel Hand and Nail Cream and the Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm.


Lastly, I would just put a book and my iPod in there for a bit of light entertainment. I like listening to music when I'm sunbathing and reading a book whilst in the shade or tanning my legs. I need some book recommendations and/or some recommendations for new music, so please leave them in the comments below!

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Love Alice x


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Monday 10 June 2013

My Prom 2013

I have never done a 'lifestyle' kind of post (e.g what I'm getting up to) and I don't know why as they are my favourite posts to read! Just recently, I left sixth form (I will be going to university in September), which meant that I had my final prom. I thought I'd do a little post on it where I can share some pictures with you all!

Before... 



My prom was held at the Marriott hotel in Leeds which is pretty fancy inside. The meal wasn't great but I think that was mainly due to the fact that I would have rather had something else, but we all had to have what most people voted for. Drinks were expensive but I expected that in the first place so I just had two glasses of rose wine.

All my gals round the table

Me doing a lovely face across the table at the sight of food - I look very bog eyed!
After the meal, we hit the dance floor for a little disco type thing. It was hilarious when we'd all had a bit to drink: we were all trying to get the teachers up to dance! (They were a little embarassed.)
After prom, about 11.30pm we hit up Leeds and went to Baa bar, which I had never been to before. It's great for having shots and even though they're sickly, some are quite nice unlike your typical vodka shot hahaha. Everyone went out in town afterwards as the hotel is pretty much in the centre of town. It was a fun!

Me and 2 of my best friends in a bar
Overall it was a great night and I loved getting all dressed up! If anyone is interested my midi dress was just a £20 one from Missguided.co.uk and my shoes are my black wedges from Zara. No one really bought real 'prommy' type prom dresses as we'd done that at the end of high school in Year 11. I wore what I'd pretty much wear out on a night anyway.

Let me know if you like these kind of lifestyle posts!

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Thursday 6 June 2013

L'Oreal Lovin'

Hi everyone, hope you're doing well! I've being a bit absent from the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks due to having no laptop and lots of exams! But here I am with an AMAZING new laptop writing a post! :D As you may know I'm a lover of high street make-up, but I also love the odd bit of luxury. I feel that L'Oreal make-up gives you something in between as it's probably the most expensive brand in the 'drugstore' so I decided to do a post on my L'Oreal faves. 

L-R: 'Superliner' eyeliner, 'Nude Magique' CC Cream, Glossy Lipstain, Micellar water, Telescopic mascara (waterproof), Telescopic mascara (original) and Volume Million Lashes Mascara.


I'm sure you're aware of my love for The L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution if you have read my previous posts, as I've featured it in a couple of 'recent purchases' and done a review here. It's just as good as bioderma and for a fiver, you can't really go wrong. (however I'd love it if an even cheaper brand came out with one!)

Next, is the L'Oreal Paris Glamshine Stain Splash which I have in 'Juliet'. It is a great stain that makes your lips looks nice and glossy and it stays on for-everrrrrr. It's the longest lasting lip product I have come across, anyway.

The L'Oreal Superliner is my favourite eye liner as it is in the form of a felt tip pen. It gives precise application which is perfect for me, as full-on liquid liners don't agree with my often shakey hands!

Lastly, is the Nude Magique CC Cream that I plan to take on holiday to wear during the day. It gives some colour to the face and has SPF 12 in it. I don't like putting a high SPF on my face as I like to get quite a bit of colour there, however I think at the start of my holiday I'd have to use my La Roche Posay facial SPF 30 to give sufficient protection. I love the idea of a bit of coverage alongside skin benefits and protection, so this is great! I got the 'Anti Redness' one which has smart pigment capsules to make the face appear less red. This is great for me on holiday, as my face goes even more red than normal when I'm in the heat.

               


One thing that L'Oreal do the best out of ALL make-up brands (big statement!) is their mascaras. They are simply incredible and better than any others I've tried. The Telescopic Mascara is more of a lengthening mascara and Volume Million Lashes is more of a volumising mascara. I use Telescopic on a day to day basis as it really extends my lashes but doesn't make them look clumpy or over-done. I have recently bought the waterproof version so that I can take it on my jolly hols to wear poolside. The Volume Million Lashes mascara makes my lashes look great and thick, so it's perfect for going out on a night time.


So there are some of my favourite L'Oreal bits. I also love their shampoo's especially the Elvive Repair Shampoo (forgot to include it!) I would love to try more L'Oreal products, in particular their infallible eyeshadows and their lipsticks. 

Let me know what your faves are from the brand or even what your favourite beauty band is!!

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