Leeds Castle and Recent Buys (pic heavy)

It's June, which means officially now, we can say it's summer! My absolute favourite time of year, I love going on day trips and being outside so this past bank holiday Monday was a great day for me to get some fresh Kent air when me and some friends took a trip to Leeds Castle. It was a great day, turned in to evening round our flat and just the perfect start to Summer. I didn't know what to expect from Leeds castle, I've never been before, all I knew was it wasn't in Leeds! I'm sure a lot of people expect beauty bloggers to not have a lot of substance to them, but I know I'm not alone in enjoying soaking up a bit of culture every now and then and that's why I like to post on a different topic every now and then.

So the first thing we were met with inside the castle grounds were peacocks, lots of them! They're so beautiful and impressive, and not a little bit scared of humans, this one came so close to me.

What a showoff!

An albino peacock!

The castle itself was really impressive. It's gone through a lot in it's history and belonged to a lot of different families so there is no real theme. Every room is completely different which made it quite interesting. I loved this bathroom.Loving the Japanese themed ornaments in this room.

Today was another stunning day. I've been ill most of this week with what I believe might be laryngitis, although I never see a doctor or pay that much attention to my symptoms so it could be a number of things! Anyway I don't like to stay inside and waste my holiday time off from work so I ventured over to West London today, I went to Kensington, primarily to visit the Saatchi gallery. If you're not familiar with the place, it's a gallery that has contemporary art from around the world. I went about a month ago and it was contemporary Indian and other Asian art. It's recently changed to British artists now. It is interesting, it's the kind of art where if you're not clued up on art history you find yourself questioning whether a lot of it is really art. I know I did myself. But there's no questioning some of the art in there, it's extremely talented, I definitely think there's something for everyone in there. The first couple of rooms are always really out there, and a lot of people give up and don't carry on to the top, but both times I've gone, it's got better as I've got towards the top. Saatchi gallery is on King's Road, admission is free and they regularly change the exhibition, so it might be worth a look if you're visiting the area.

I couldn't be on King's Road without popping into MAC, I just don't think it's possible. I bought a 4 pan palette and two eyeshadows, Jest and Retrospeck. They are both gorgeous neutral colours which I really thought my palette was missing. I intended my 15 palette to be a neutrals one. Since MAC eyeshadows are expensive, I wanted ones I would reach for everyday, but then that branched out to colours that were unique and I didn't own anything like them. The idea was I had some everyday colours, and some shadows to create a pink eye, and a green eye when I wanted some colour, since they are the two colours I always go for. I found that even though I had gorgeous colours in there like Tempting and Woodwinked, I wasn't reaching for them, but always went for the same suspects; All That Glitters, Patina, and Satin Taupe for a smokey, seductive eye. So now I have some more neutrals. I always seem to find a way to justify my addiction anyway! I figured also, now I have a palette for if I go away overnight, and only want to take enough eyeshadow to create one look. Now of course I need to buy two more to fill it! I think I'll be swapping them around quite a bit, but that's the great thing about the pans, they're designed exactly for that.

I think it was Liparazzi who drew my attention to these two colours. They are often overlooked, or maybe it's because everyone owns them so doesn't mention them either way I'm glad I have them now, I can see me reaching for these a lot. In the picture below Jest is on top, Retrospeck underneath. Jest gives your eyelids like a glow. I find it hard to describe the colour as it's not anything specific, it's not really golden, or pearl, but somewhere between the two. It's very pretty, and really makes your eyes look healthy and alive!Retrospeck is similar to All That Glitters, but slightly more golden and with more chunks of glitter in. It's not fall out city though, so don't panic. Below, I have put Jest next to Hush for comparison. When I bought Hush I made the mistake of not looking at the colour in natural daylight, but only what I saw in the MAC store. Under the shop lights, I saw a neutral colour that I could wear on my lid. Reality, Hush is very much on the light pink side, it doesn't look all that pink, but when swatched it has a real pink tone to it. It's pretty, and works great as a highlight for a pink eyeshadow look, but it's just not what I intended to buy. What I did want was what I found with Jest, it looks kind of pink in the pan, but it's really not an over the top pink, it's almost colourless, I guess peachy is a better word. Not too light, just the perfect tone for a wash over the lid. Here they are swatched, Hush is above and jest is below, as you can see, quite different. I also went in to Accessorize today, I bought a couple of flower hair clips. I think they're nice and summery, and look pretty and girly with a summer dress. I have an obsession with Japanese culture, so couldn't resist this cute necklace with a Japanese doll. It hangs quite high on the neck so will look good with other chains of different lengths.

An essential I had to buy! Summertime means getting the feet out. I'll be the first person to put my flip flops on at even a hint of sunshine in Spring, I'm a wishful thinker! But of course I want nice feet so pumice is an essential part of that. I love the fact it's shaped like a foot too, a slight novelty factor.Not related to this shopping trip, but thought I'd throw this in anyway, I bought these a couple of weeks ago with a half price sunglasses voucher from Boots. They're by French Connection and were originally £52, which I was prepared to pay before I got the voucher. I was toying with the idea of getting these, or a pair of Chanel ones. I'm glad I was so indecisive because then I got the voucher, and the decision was made for me! Chanel can wait til I earn a better wage!

They are ridiculously too large for me, and I look like a kid wearing my Mum's sunglasses, but hell I like them.

I also filmed a Youtube video to accompany this but I'm too tired to edit right now, hopefully that will be up tomorrow. I'm such an amateur. xXx

Make-up Product of the Month: April - NARS Sheer Matte Foundation

I wanted to review this product for a while, i.e. the day I got it, as when I really love a product I want to share with you straight away. However, I don't think I should review a foundation without giving it a few weeks to see how my skin reacts to it and how the overall condition of my skin improves (or gets worse) over time first.
Most of you are familiar with this foundation in the Sheer Glow formulation. This is essentially the same foundation but called Sheer Matte, with a slightly different formulation suitable for oily and combination skin. I can't compare the two because I've only tried the Sheer Matte but I don't think there's a huge amount of difference between the two. The idea is that Sheer Matte still gives you that same "glow" even if you have an oily complexion. I would say I'm more on the combination side that oily, it's my T-Zone that suffers, and I was recommended in the store that I could use the Sheer Glow if I wanted as it would be suitable but I feel like I know my skin best and could imagine as the day wore on I would have more of a shine than a glow. Not a good look.

There is a great selection of shades available, I'm sure there's something for everyone there. I was matched with Fiji which is a light-medium shade for yellow undertones. It's perfect for my skin tone as I tend to go a golden yellow sort of tan.

I apply the foundation with my fingertips rather than a brush. I prefer the control I have over the coverage by using my fingertips, it's easier to apply it lightly. I shake the bottle upside down well before using, then apply a pea sized amount to the back of my hand and dip my fingertip in a few times until I've used all the foundation to cover my face. It's a lot more labourious without the pump I've grown used to with MAC foundations!

Not only does this foundation have excellent coverage, but it lasts ages! After a day at work I'm still shine free, the only area that might need touching up being the bridge of my nose. The real test was when I wore this at the weekend. The hottest weekend the UK has seen so far this year, and I expected my face to be a big shiny disco ball when I looked in the mirror, but I was pleasantly surprised, it really wasn't that bad.

What's particularly great about the formulation is that it doesn't leave you feeling cakey-faced. You put it on, it does it's magic and you forget about it. I also don't worry about what this might be doing for the health of my skin. My skin isn't shiny after a few hours' wear but that doesn't mean my skin can't breathe. I think the same rules still apply with this foundation in terms of it's still important to thoroughly cleanse at the end of the day and make sure you wipe it all away, but I know my skin isn't getting clogged up by using this foundation. I've noticed considerably how the condition of my skin has improved lately. I'm not going to attribute that entirely to the foundation, I have changed my skin care, using entirely Purity and Lush products now but I know this is doing my skin some good. The foundation comes with a little booklet so you can find out exactly what's in it, and it's clear there's a lot of healthy things in there, so much so, that I'm using less foundation than I would before, just because it's not needed any more.

As for any downsides, I will have to talk about the price. £29 for 30ml. Yes it's a quality product, and there's something quite satisfying about buying a product like this. Every time you use it, it feels kind of "safe" like you trust the brand because it's got such a good reputation. But £29 for 30ml? I wouldn't spend more than this I'm sure (don't quote me). It's a whole £10 more than MAC SFF and Select foundations, and I can't say that I think it's worth it. I love the skin benefits I've gained from using NARS, but unless you're really struggling with MAC, this won't really be the miraculous product I think a lot of people expect it to be. If your budget stretches this far, I'd recommend trying it, but I think there is possibly a few cheaper alternatives.

MAC To The Beach Collection

I waited for this collection to hit the shops before I purchased anything, purely because I don't trust the website for accuracy of shades or finishes to the products. It turned out the products I wanted from looking at the website were the ones I liked in real-life and ended up buying anyway.

I could have quite happily gone a little crazy with this collection to be honest, a lot of it really appealed. I was subdued though and just got what I went in for, I do find it hard to part with a lot of money in one go which isn't too terrible I suppose. The only part of this collection that I would have avoided is the eyeshadows. The only colours that grabbed my attention were Shimmermoss and Humid, both of which are permanent items, and one I already own. Sweet and Punchy is a limey yellow colour, it's pretty but not something I'd see myself wearing, I own one yellow eyeshadow which rarely sees the light of day, so didn't want another to add to it. Yellow is a very hit or miss colour, I think I only need to ever own one yellow.

Both of the eye kohls were gorgeous colours, but I have dupes of both of them, (check out the GOSH Velvet Touch eyeliners if you're after a dupe) so again not something I needed.

The blushers in this collection are Hipness and Getaway Bronze. Hipness is a repromote from a previous collection and is a vibrant coral pink and Getaway Bronze looked more golden than anything else to me. I think I'd go lightly with either of these blushers.

The bronzers are both available from the permanent line, I'm still using my Refined Golden from the Style Warriors collection! It is beautiful and still a firm favourite of mine. There are also two cream bronzers with this collection, which I didn't expect to like, I've never been a fan of cream blushers, possibly due to the incompatibility with my skin type. But these seemed to be different, the formulation is one where the product goes on creamy but turns to a powder like form once you've applied it. I think this would have great staying power, so if you're actually going "To The Beach" you might like this!

The highlight powder "Marine Life" is possibly the item from this collection on everybodys wish list. It was on mine too. Then I saw it and realised I really am too sad to actually be able to use it, it's too pretty and sparkly. The gold sheen on top is only an overspray and wipes away after the first couple of uses. As much as wanted to buy it, £20 is too much to part with something I know I daren't use. I think this would be more suitable as a blush than a highlight product, the lighter part used on it's own might pass as a highlight, but the darker, coral part is more of a blush I think would look great on the apples of your cheeks.

So that's an overview of the majority of the products, now on to what I actually did purchase. I loved the colour of Beachbound lipstick. I thought it was both unique yet wearable at the same time. It's an orangey golden shade in a glaze finish which means it's not so pigmented. I bought Flurry of Fun to go over the top of it, which you can see from the pictures the outcome. While I like the two together and thought the colours complimented each other, I don't really believe that a glaze lipstick needs a lipgloss on the top and that these products are best worn separately. The other lipsticks were a little too dark for my liking, whilst Lazy Day was just a little underwhelming. I chose Flurry of Fun from the Lip Glasses for being the most interesting to look at and completely different from anything I already own. It's again a tone of orange which might sound scary, but I think Lip Glasses are the best place to experiment with new colours as they're never as intense as a lipstick. It contains glitter particles which are multi-coloured, with mostly a greeney blue glitter. Sounds weird, but it's actually quite a nice effect. It reminds me of the way sand reflects the sun, not sure if that was what MAC were aiming for, but that's what I think of! I think it works well with a neutral eye make-up look as it can look a little busy on your lips, but is a nice playful look if you don't over do it with busy eye make-up.

Hope this helps anyone thinking of buying from this collection.

xXx

Beauty Product of the Month: April - Lush Shower Jellies

I currently have two shower jellies on the go so just wanted to share my love of them with you. I got one as part of a Lush gift set, and the other was given to me for free from a Lush store that was about to be renovated and they needed to clear a lot of stock. Sweetie Pie was from a gift set I was given a while back and is overpowered with the smell of blackcurrant and a hint of bergamot. It also has glittery bits in which are more for an aesthetic purpose and wash off before you notice them on your skin.

The one I was given was called Whoosh which has contains a blend of lemon, lime and grapefuit juices as well as rosemary and geranium making it a very fresh scent, one that I immediately associated with a masculine smell so this is a great one to buy for your man.

When I first used the shower jellies, admittedly I was not impressed. I found them messy, and very difficult to use. On the packet it recommends how to use them, by crumbling, freezing or storing at bathroom temperature. I froze Sweetie Pie, which made a nice treat during the brief hot spell we had a few weeks ago (where has the lovely spring weather gone by the way??), it didn't freeze completely due to how it's made which is from a seaweed derivative, but it hardened and was easier to break a piece off. For the most part though, I store this in the bathroom, and use it with a shower poof. You need to crumble off a generous amount, probably a little bigger than a pea size amount, and bury it in the shower poof, hold it under the shower and then it's ready to use. This technique means it lathers pretty well and you don't end up wasting a load of product. Now I've found a manageable way to use it I can comment more on the product's value for money and am able to say at £2.30 this is actually brilliant value. It's lasted longer than a bottle of shower gel, and like the majority of Lush products, the smell lingers long after you've used the product, not something you find with conventional shower gels, but something I appreciate since I choose my bath and shower products based almost solely on the smell, and would like them to last longer than the duration I'm using them! The carrageen extract which holds them together helps to infuse the ingredients and acts as a natural surfactant which helps the product lather up which is why these have long lasting smelling power!

The only down side I'd bring up about this product is the choice. I've mentioned two of the shower jellies available, and asides from these, there's only The Joy Of Jelly left to try. I know Lush are famed for their bath products, most notably the bath ballistic, but I would like to see a brand that I deem to be one of the most "green" out there, to recognise most people shower, since it's quicker, cheaper and overall better for the environment. So I would like to see a wider range of the shower jellies available, maybe featuring some of Lush's classic, signature scents.

Has anyone tried and liked the shower jellies?

Easter Holidays (shopping, YSL, and chocolate!)

I've enjoyed a rather lovely two weeks holiday from work so Monday morning hit me rather hard. At least waking up is getting a little less difficult now it's actually light and starting to warm up.

I mentioned previously that I had a family wedding to go to during my time off. The wedding was in Cyprus so me and my boyfriend made a holiday out of it. It was really nice to get away for a week and basque in a bit of sunshine, I haven't had a holiday like that in a while. I did a little bit of shopping before, mostly for holiday essentials, beach towels, bikinis, suncream etc, but also a bit of clothing. One of the things I bought was this dress from New Look. I was quite impressed with New Look on this trip, they had a few things I really wanted, but I was sensible. I honed in on this dress which was available in grey, cream and black. The black is exactly the same as the front and it's quite sheer and light which is why I thought it would be perfect for a holiday. It did originally come with two pin on flowers but I wasn't too keen so removed them. It's quite a figure hugging dress so looks pretty good with a waisted belt.

The dress isn't overly "dressy", I've mostly worn it with metallic sandals for a more casual look, but I did see these shoes also, and quite surprisingly, in New Look. I just love the detailing on them, and the killer heel. They are completely impractical but so pretty I couldn't not have them in my collection, and at £30, I think they're a bit of a bargain! I didn't take a decent picture of the dress on. Here's me and the boy in the hotel lobby.

on holiday, I buy perfume from duty free as there's normally good deals. However, with the pound being so weak, it really wasn't any cheaper in euros so I waited til I got home. YSL's Parisienne was on my wishlist, and I had a £5 off YSL voucher, double points coupons and a 150points when you spend over £15 coupon...Boots made sense! Also, currently when you buy YSL perfume you get a free goody bag comprised of a body lotion and shower gel fragranced with the same perfume.
I love free things, especially when you're not expecting them! Parisienne is what I'd describe as a very safe fragrance, not like the Jo Malone cologne I bought which is very distinct. This one is quite a classic scent which I was after, as I'm coming to the end of quite a few of my perfumes and need one that I can reach to at any time of day or night. I think this is a timeless fruity fragrance, classic and modern at the same time (if that's possible?!). I wouldn't pin it on a particular generation is what I mean I suppose.

At 23 years old I'm apparently too old for easter eggs, so I was given a chocolate champagne bottle instead! Yum.

I thought I'd end on a rather beautiful sunset over Cyprus and reminisce on a lovely, happy holiday.

FOTD 16th April 2010 using NARS Sheer Matte Foundation

Here's some pictures of the makeup I wore today, as I haven't done one of these in an age. Below is with flash...
and in natural light...
I kept my eyes pretty neutral using MAC's All That Glitters on the lid, Wedge and Tempting in the crease, Woodwinked in the outer corner. I lined with Loreal's Superliner in Carbon Black, and used Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara on my lashes.

I kept the eyes simple since I wanted to do a statement lip as shown in the trout pout below.

I'm wearing MAC's Pink Nouveau which is a hot barbie-esque pink. In real life it's pretty dramatic but I realise in the photographs it's not that bold.

On my cheeks I wore my favourite bronzer MAC's Refined Golden, it's a beautiful shade that came out with the Style Warriors collection but I believe is part of their permanent collection anyway. It's a gorgeous shade, not too false looking, very suitable if you have yellowish tones to your skin. I'm definetely a fan of bronzers in general so I'm happy that my winter skin has gone and I'm back to my "natural" shade. I don't deliberately tan my skin but I only have to catch a glimpse of the sun and I tan. I think everyone has a shade they're meant to be.

I am wearing NARS Sheer Matte foundation in these photos which I'm pretty happy with. I will post a review of this foundation soon as I've only read people's opinions of the Sheer Glow.

Make-up Product of the Month: March - OPI Alice in Wonderland Nail Laquers

I was only after one red nail varnish when I purchased these. My brother recently got married in Cyprus and his fiancee wanted me to bring a red varnish with me to paint her nails in case she forgot. Now, I have plenty of red nail varnish, it's one of my favourite colours to paint my nails with and when done properly, looks classy. Anyway, I thought I had an excuse to buy yet more and after seeing this set I was sold. I bought this just before I saw the film so it was quite fitting. I've never bought OPI before, I've always thought them a bit overpriced. I know you get a lot in the container, more than most brands, but I've never used an entire bottle of varnish up before so didn't think it's worth it unless you're buying a colour you know you're going to use frequently. This set is great because the four mini nail laquers are 3.75ml each, for just over the price of one full sized laquer. This way I get to try out some slightly more unique colours too.I love this one called Absolutely Alice. It's a bright blue, glittery varnish, not like any I've seen before and is great for making a statement.Below is Mad As A Hatter, possibly my favourite from the collection as again it's really unique. This is with two coats, which when photographed probably doesn't look like enough coverage, but in person, it's enough! The only downfall of the glittery varnishes is they chip like crazy. It has that consistency where once it chips you can sort of peel off the rest of it.

Next there are two reds in the collection and below is my favourite of the two. It's called Off With Her Red! and has an almost orangey tone to it. I think it's a very flattering tone with a creme finish. It's nothing ground breaking or unique, but is a lovely shade and one I'm pleased to own as I didn't have a "tomato red" shade like this already.Thanks So Muchness is a deeper berry red which is more pearlised than the other red. Personally I'm not blown away by this shade. It's nice but not too dissimilar to shades I already own.

So there we have it, a nice little collection, and for me a good introduction to OPI. I would love to hear any recommendations of other shades I should own in the full size as I think I could be swayed into buying the full size!