Exploring Cornwall Week #12

September 3, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

Cornwall has been absolutely glorious these past few weeks, so we have been spending quite a few afternoons at the beach and making the most of the Summer sun. We took a trip to Falmouth but didn’t realise that it was Falmouth Week, which attracts quite a lot of people. They have sailing events, food fairs, local theatre productions & of course fireworks so it was quite busy but we still managed to explore and the weather was perfect.

We did the park & float, which was fun – so you leave your car on the out skirts of Falmouth & take a 20 minute boat ride up the river. Its lovely to see Falmouth from the river & you pass some luxurious yachts as well as a few cruise liners. Even though it is a little more expensive than your typical parking its a lot more fun. We also stumbled upon a really nice pub called The Star & Garter which was really nicely decorated and was friendly indeed, we spent a while in there relaxing and making the most of their view over Falmouth & the river. We are excited to visit Falmouth again when it isn’t so busy, I spotted quite a few restaurants & cafes that I want to try.

The Summer holidays are nearing an end, which means Cornwall will quieten down & thats when I like it most, when the weather turns cooler and you get the coastline to yourself. Its so romantic and peaceful.

Shopping My Stash August 2016

September 2, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

I have been de clutering my makeup stash for the past few weeks & the positive side to that is finding product you forgot you had. So I have been shopping my stash again, if you don’t already do this, I highly recommend it. Its nice to rotate your makeup so you’re not always using the same things.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo[+] Unifiant*

I have only just posted about this & its not a product that I have rediscovered, instead this is quite a new release and one that I have fallen in love with already. Its an extension of the already very popular Effaclar range from La Roche Posay they have added mineral pigments to give you a lovely even coverage. They currently only have 2 colour options & I have the lightest but this feels beautiful on the skin, very lightweight and lets your skin breath. I am excited to keep using it as I have been getting a few blemishes around my jawline and I am hoping this helps cover them and also clear them up a little quicker.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Seduction

I am 100% not a lipgloss wearer, I only own two (which for a makeup junkie is quite impressive) this Charlotte Tilbury offering is simply beautiful. It gives my lips the perfect sheen and the colour payoff is impressive, also it has good staying power for a gloss. This is a pretty nude pink shade and I think its a nice everyday colour, every positive thing you have heard about these glosses is so true. They’re comfortable, great quality and this shade is pigmented. I am excited to rediscover this, I don’t wear much on my lips in the Summer, apart from a lipbalm with SPF, so I am excited to wear a few more autumnal shades.

Essence Make Me Brow

LOVE this product, it is comparable to the Benefit Gimme Brow and this brown shade is a perfect match for my dark brows. It gives them a good amount of colour and covers any sparse areas and keeps them in place too. The brush is small and helps you to be precise with the product and only £2.50 everyone should add this to their makeup bag. Again as we head into Autumn I tend to fill my brows in a little darker and I will be reaching for this a lot more.

bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer

This is an incredible concealer, it has such a fluid consistency which makes a little go a long way and also means it feels very hydrating. I do have quite a few lines around my eyes and if my concealer is to heavy or drying it sinks in to them, this is one of the best concealers for not doing that. Thats not to say that after a long day its still 100% in place but it does stay in place for a very long time and its doesn’t accentuate my problem areas. Its great at brightening and offers good coverage for dark circles and redness too. This will be coming with me to my brothers wedding later this month as I know I can rely on it to coverup any imperfections.

Rimmel Blush in 050 Live Pink

These are the sweetest little blushers & super affordable too. I have also been neglecting my blusher drawer since getting the Zoeva Blush Palette and I have not really used anything else. This is an easy to wear soft pink shade with a pretty of gold sheen. Its quite pigmented but not too bold, I love how tiny it is & I’m thinking I might take it to Amsterdam with me. Let me know what Rimmel Blush is your favourite

INIKA Mineral Foundation

I have been using my Jurlique Rose Silk Powder a lot over the Summer because its translucent and doesn’t give me any added coverage. As we head into the cooler days I do like to wear a powder that gives coverage too, the INIKA Mineral Foundation is a beautifully lightweight loose powder and I use it to set my foundation on days when I want my makeup to look flawless. This can be worn as your foundation and its really natural but also offers a good amount of coverage but as I said I enjoy using this as my setting powder & it does an amazing job. I have had this pot for over a year & I have used it a fair amount over that time and I still have so much product left. I am very excited to use this again. Oh & this is available in 8 shades.

L’Oreal Eyeshadow in Eau de Rose

I have so many nice palettes that I very rarely use my smaller quads or single shadows very often and when I first bought this a few years ago I used it all the time. I love the dark mauve shade in this quad, its such a rich shade and you know its the perfect Autumnal shadow. All the colours in this quad are pretty, the lighter colours are nice worn alone all over the lid if you want more of a subtle look, or you can go to town and smoke it up with that beautiful deep shade. I love the packaging of this too & the way the shadows are all slotted together, the colours look so pretty together in the pan. I am very pleased to have this in my everyday makeup bag.

La Roche Posay Unifiant / bareMinerals Concealer / Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre / Rimmel Blush

Givenchy Phenomen`Eyes Mascara

This isn’t a rediscovery either, I’m just trying to use it up. It is the perfect case of not needing to splash out on a high-end mascara because price doesn’t always reflect quality. This is a very black mascara but i’d say that is the only positive thing I can say about it. The wand is just odd, the ball makes it very strange to use, and very hard to get used too. The formula smudges too, don’t use this on your bottom lashes at all as it ends up transferring so badly. I would recommend any of the Lancome or Marc Jacobs mascaras over this, if you want a high-end option but we all know that the drugstore options are incredible too! Not a fan of this at all.

What makeup products have you rediscovered this month.

Product Empties – Concealers and Highlighters

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

I’m trying to get my makeup collection down to a more manageable size. It is a slow process but I’m organising everything so my collection feels more manageable. I started last week by clearing out my Liquid Eyeliners, throwing away any old ones which were past their best & this week I’m doing the same with my concealers. After I have finished going through each section I will show you what products I’m left with & do a bit of a makeup collection post. So on to the concealers, these again are all quite old & past their best,

Yves Rocher Radiant Youth Corrector Pen*

I have had this for a while and I absolutely loved using it, you don’t hear too many people talk about this brand but they do fantastic sales & their makeup and skincare are very good quality. This is quite like the YSL Touche Eclat & it works to brighten rather than conceal, it’s a subtle salmon pink shade so is perfect to neutralise and brighten darkness and shadows on the face. I like to apply this under my eyes and on my chin before going in with my concealer and it helps give more coverage and lessen those darker problem areas. It has a light creamy texture, is easy to blend and doesn’t cake and sink in to fine lines. I would 100% repurchase this.

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer

This is one of the better budget concealers I have tried over the years. It has a slight yellow undertone to it which makes it good at covering redness. I use this mostly around my nose & a little on my cheeks to counteract the redness in those areas & it works well. The formula is quite thin so it might take a few applications to build up depending upon how full you want the coverage. I like to try more affordable options & I was impressed by this Miss Sporty offering. One product I do LOVE from this brand is their Mineral Earth Eyeshadow, it is well worth picking up & its only £2.99

Primark PS Love Concealer

This is from the Primark Beauty range & it’s not great. It’s a little too oily and doesn’t stay in place for very long at all. I do like the neutral shade and it worked well to add a little more coverage to problem areas, like blemishes. This was very affordable and might work a little better if your skin isn’t oily like mine.

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Touch of Light Highlighter

This is a similar product to the Yves Rocher. I find its very good at brightening under my eyes and for adding a subtle cheek / nose highlight. It catches the light beautifully without and sparkle, it looks natural and radiant. I like to have at least one of these pen style highlighters in my makeup stash because they are subtle but can instantly brighten any look.

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer

LOVE this concealer & I’m gutted that it ran out, this is my 3rd tube and will be a forever repurchase. Its affordable, fantastic quality and as the name suggests very long wearing. It’s a nice light creamy beige and I use this everywhere & anywhere. It works well under my eyes as a concealer and it is also very good at covering marks & blemishes. If you take the time to blend this in, it will stay in place for hours. Out of all the concealers mentioned this one is great for not sinking in to fine lines, its light texture means its hydrating but still provides a nice medium coverage! Add this to your ‘To Try’ list.

I’m now left with 4 concealers in my collection, which is a much more manageable number but I would repurchase the Yves Rocher, Seventeen Stay Time and the Miss Sporty one too.

Let me know what your favourite concealers are right now & also if your makeup stash is overdue a clear out.

*PR Sample

Exploring Scotland #11

August 24, 2016 - Vicki Leave a comment

Every couple of months we head up to Scotland to visit family and we always pop over to St Andrews, which is only a 15 minute drive from my parents house. I have posted lots of photos from here on my blog, its just such a pretty place no matter what the weather.

Its quite a small town but has something for everyone including a beach, Castle, beautiful restaurants & shops. It is a bustling place, what with it having a University, big golfing community and plenty of tourists. It is a very friendly place to visit. We like to just wander through the cobbled streets, stopping of for numerous coffees along the way and always make sure to walk along the beach, even if its blowing a gale.

I did notice on my last visit that Jo Malone & Bobbi Brown have opened little boutiques there, could be quite dangerous.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit I highly recommend popping over its like being on the set of a Harry Potter film.

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