Wishlist | Beauty # 1

At the end of every month, as well as gathering up my favourites, I love to make wishlists for the months ahead.  Somehow August is nearly over, summer is slowly coming to an end and, even though I'm not saying goodbye to my bright summer lipsticks just yet, I've found myself lusting over make-up with autumnal hues and products with more subtle, natural scents. Although I probably won't be able to buy every item on my wishlist in September I hope I can at least purchase one or two! (Sumptuous Olive is definitely getting picked up in the airport on my way to Prague in September!)

Review | Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick & Creamy Concealer Kit

A couple of months ago it felt like everybody was talking about the new formulation of Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation Stick and back in June, during a well deserved but very expensive revision break, I splurged a little on the Bobbi Brown website! My wishlist of Bobbi Brown products is growing ridiculously long (the Surf eyeshadow palette is so beautiful and I don't think I'm ever going to completely get over the heartbreak of not having it in my collection) but, surprisingly, I was a Bobbi Brown virgin before this purchase! 

I bought the Skin Foundation Stick in Warm Ivory and the Creamy Concealer in Ivory. I didn't actually get a chance to get colour matched at the Bobbi Brown counter and I was really worried about finding the right shade for my skin. During my search, I stumbled across a really useful website called findation.com which asks for your shade in other foundations and it tells you the equivalent shade in other brands! I thought this would be quite useful to mention here as I know not everybody has a Bobbi Brown counter close to them and it worked wonderfully for me. 

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick £29.00
For mornings where I've pressed snooze on my alarm about five hundred times, this foundation is an actual lifesaver. When I go back to University I can see this foundation becoming a staple in my make-up bag but even though I don't currently reach for this every day it doesn't mean that I love this foundation any less! The amazing thing about this foundation is that it's so easy to apply as it blends so beautifully and mimics the appearance of perfect, healthy smooth skin. I can apply it to small areas of my skin to cover blemishes, add a thin layer for everyday, natural coverage or apply a thicker layer for the evening and, regardless of how much I apply, it won't look cakey. According to the Bobbi Brown website, the foundation contains olive extracts and shea butter which moisturise the skin. These ingredients help to explain why it covers dry patches quite well and doesn't accentuate flakey, dry skin very much which so many stick foundations tend to do! There are also oil-controlling minerals in here to help control shine. I have combination skin and tend to get a little bit oily around my T-zone and I did notice that this shine was controlled fairly well when I wore this foundation! 

To apply, I draw lines along my forehead, cheeks and nose and I blend with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I apply more to my imperfections then pop it in my handbag in case I need to touch up during the day. I find I don't really need to use concealer (apart from on my under-eye circles) when I use this foundation!

The shade range from Bobbi Brown is really impressive and this foundation is available in 24 shades, from the lightest to the darkest of skin tones. I'm quite pale and I was quite surprised that Bobbi Brown offered two more shades that were lighter than Warm Ivory! (Alabaster and Porcelain) I think the Foundation Sticks would also be brilliant for contouring with! I really love this foundation, it's a must-have in my make-up bag now! 

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit £24.50
I want to love this, I really really do. It's an award-winner, so many beauty bloggers rave about it, people are calling it a holy-grail product and it has 4.3 stars on the Bobbi Brown website... so why on earth does it crease so god-damn much on my face?

I'm actually really upset about not liking this product, especially after I've had such a positive experience with the foundation! The concealer itself has a sticky, creamy texture and applies really well if you use a patting motion. Initially, the coverage is also really great and it hides my under eye circles just as well as my beloved Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, in fact I initially preferred this concealer as it looked a lot more natural. When I first applied the product I used my fingers to apply the concealer and then I used a small fluffy brush to dust on the powder afterwards. I was really pleased with the outcome and I happily went ahead with applying the rest of my eye-makeup. I couldn't believe that after ten minutes it had started to settle into the lines underneath my eyes and began to look a little cakey. It actually looked worse when I tried to smooth out the lines with my finger and I think it accentuated the little dotty patches of my skin which I'd never even noticed before!

Since purchasing this concealer, I've played around with it a lot to see if I was doing something wrong. I did find that applying too much powder seemed to emphasise the small, dotty patches around my eyes and using an eye-cream first has helped lessen the creasing a little. I've tried the concealer on my blemishes around my face and the results are actually much than when I apply this under my eyes. But even then, the results aren't that great. However, the powder is rather good on its own I'm going to continue to use around my face!

Maybe this concealer just doesn't agree with my under-eye circles, or maybe it works much better when combined with the corrector... I'm really not sure. I think I might go to a Bobbi Brown counter and ask the make-up artist to show me how to apply it correctly and see if there's an improvement but for £24.50 I'm rather disappointed and I won't be repurchasing this product again! Even though I haven't had such a wonderful experience with the concealer, I really love the Bobbi Brown foundation and I still intend to try more products from them!

Have you ever tried out the Bobbi Brown concealer? If you have, any tips or advice would be really welcome!

I'd love to hear what your favourite Bobbi Brown products are!

The Liebster Award #2

After a lovely week of celebrating my boyfriend's birthday and attending Leeds Festival I'm back from my little break from blogging. When I logged back onto Blogger I was so surprised to find out that I'd been nominated for 4 Liebster Awards by some amazing ladies who all have wonderful blogs!
 Thank you so much Abigail, The Cherry Boudoir, Lany and Tessa for nominating me! 

If you're unfamiliar with the Liebster Award you can read the rules on my first Liebster Award post which you can find here!
(Warning: This is a suuuuuper long post!)

Festival Beauty Essentials

Before I start rambling about festivals, I'd just like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has followed my blog so far! Yesterday, I reached 100 followers and I can't believe how wonderful everyone in the blogging community has been. I've talked to some lovely people, discovered so many amazing blogs to follow and I'm enjoying blogging more than I could have ever imagined. So, if you're reading this thank you so much and if I could I'd hug each and every one of you! 

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I know festival season is almost over but Reading & Leeds begins this Friday and, in a way of controlling my excitement, I thought I'd write a post on my festival beauty essentials! Of course I'll also be taking dry shampoo and a ridiculous amount of baby wipes with me but the items I've decided to feature in this post are the things that help me feel a little bit more glamorous and put together as I trawl through the mud in my pac-a-mac and eat an unsightly amount of fried food. 

Wishlist | The Olive Clothing Edit

Dusty Flower Skort £38, Stripe Tee £17, Summer Check Shirt £48

At one point, during endless hours on Instagram, I stumbled across a brand named Olive Clothing and I think I've fallen in love. I hope you understand how ruthless I have been whittling my wishlist down to only three items, if I could I would have listed half of the website on here! Originally, this post was going to be a combined fashion and beauty wishlist but, as half of the fashion items were from Olive, I thought it would be nice to do a smaller list featuring the brand.

Olive clothing is based in Cheltenham and was created in 2010. If you're lucky enough to live in that area you can visit their flagship store on Pittville St. Olive Clothing is one of those brands that makes simplicity look so beautiful and elegant. They mix classic chic with current trends and create timeless, feminine pieces made with quality materials. Currently, I have an obsession for classic prints and Olive clothing have nailed them all - the breton stripe, the ditsy floral print and the feminine, checkered shirt. All 3 items are lovely, affordable pieces that can definitely transition into Autumn and I hope I can get my hands on them soon!

(Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Olive Clothing and they have not sponsored me to create this post. I'm just a girl who's fallen in love with a brand and needs to share her obsession on the internet!)

What's currently on your wishlist? 

Review | Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Hair Healer Leave-In Conditioner

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Hair Healer Leave-In Conditioner - £5.99 

Haircare isn't something I tend to spend my money on often, for some reason it's an area of beauty I simply tend to ignore. Like every other girl I've invested in a good shampoo, conditioner and heat protectant but apart from that my hair remains product free, with the odd exception of hairspray if I'm using curlers or dry shampoo if I'm being a little bit lazy (which is a lot of the time)! Lately, I've noticed that my hair was looking rather dull and dry and I began to hate wearing my hair straight because it looked so damaged and limp. A few weeks ago I decided I actually needed a new product, something that would help hide my pesky split ends and give me soft, glossy locks. Luckily, I didn't have to tackle the labyrinth of haircare in Boots as I'd I managed to stumble across a free sample of Charles Worthington's Leave-In Conditioner and I thought I'd give it a try. I actually ended up loving it so much that I had to buy the full sized product when my sample had run out.

Review & Swatches | the Balm Nude 'tude Eyeshadow Palette

(Swatches left to right: Sassy, Snobby, Stubborn, Stand-offish, Selfish, Sultry, Sophisticated, Seductive, Sexy, Silly, Serious, Sleek)

the Balm Nude 'tude palette £24.99 (or £26.50 from feelunique)

Just over a month ago, I found myself in need of a new neutral palette. I'd hit pan on a couple of my favourite shades in my Naked 2 palette (mostly the highlighting and lighter shades, seriously does anyone ever hit pan on black eyeshadow?) and I found myself in an exciting and rare scenario where I actually needed to buy another palette and I wouldn't feel guilty about the purchase. My first instinct was to head straight to an Urban Decay counter and check out the original Naked or the Naked 3 but, as I was browsing the Birchbox shop, I stumbled across this palette from the Balm!

The Liebster Award

The lovely Anjna from Anjna Harish: Thoughts of a Girl has kindly nominated me for the Liebster Award. For those who don't know, the Liebster Award welcomes new bloggers (those with 200 followers or less) into the blogging community and I think it's such a wonderful idea to help bloggers interact with each other! I'm honoured to be nominated at such an early stage in my blog, so thank you Anjna! 

July Favourites 2014

Somehow it's already August, and it really is true that time seems to pass by quicker as you get older! July was a wonderful month, full of travelling, sunbathing and spending time with my favourite people and I'm quite sad to see it end. Hopefully August will be just as exciting and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the sun to keep shining - I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to my summer wardrobe just yet! 

Beauty Favourites

The Body Shop -  Coconut body butter:  For as long as I can remember, the body butters from The Body Shop have always had a place in my bathroom cabinet. My mum has used them for years and the coconut scent was actually the first body butter I ever used! They have a creamy and rich texture and sink into the skin fairly quickly, keeping my skin nourished and soft all day long. They're a beauty favourite of mine all year round but the coconut body butter has stolen my heart this month!  The smell is incredible and it's an instant cure for post-holiday blues. One sniff of coconut and I'm whisked away to a beautiful tropical island! 

theBalm - Nude 'Tude Palette: I'm actually quite surprised by this one, have I finally met a neutral palette that rivals my beloved Naked 2? The texture, pigmentation and color selection in this palette is wonderful and the packaging is so cute! I'll be writing an entire post on this soon.

Victoria's Secret - Pure Seduction Bloom fragrance mist (limited edition): Ah Victoria's Secret, ever since you landed in Leeds my bank balance has suffered immensely (but my underwear draw looks fabulous!) Fragrance mists are perfect for summer, they're light and refreshing and I've been loving Pure Seduction Bloom this month. It has notes of red currant and violet blossom and it's the perfect mix of fruity and floral.

Essie - Meet Me at Sunset: My favourite way to wear my favourite colour of the month!

Garnier - BB Skin Perfector in Light: As temperatures started to rise this month, I needed something lighter for my face. After trying out a sample of this at the end of June, I fell in love and purchased the full size in Boots. The coverage is quite light but easy to build up, although if I have a bad skin day I have to add a touch of bareMinerals to completely cover my imperfections. This BB cream is weightless and it's also oil free so my skin only needed one touch up with matte powder throughout the day! It looks natural, adds a subtle glow and even has SPF 20! 

Non-Beauty Favourites

Staring at Stars - Camisole in Boho Floral Print: I picked up this top in Urban Outfitters and I'm completely in love with the print. It's something that I think will always be in style and it looks effortlessly cool, especially when paired with beachy hair, white shorts and gladiator sandals! The material is light and it has quite a loose fit, yet it's slightly cropped so it doesn't swamp your body. Urban Outfitters also make a matching skirt in this print too! 

Clarks - Oditi Lucky Sandals: Clarks have always made the comfiest shoes and I've literally worn these sandals every day this month! I love the gladiator style and they look great with every outfit. They're currently in the sale (sold out online but you might be able to find them in store) and they come in pink too!

Jack Kerouac On the Road: This book is actually one of my all time favorites but I've been rereading it for my dissertation and I think I might love it even more after a second read! It's based on the life of Kerouac and his friends as they travel across America between 1947-1950, however it's the style of writing that makes this book so incredible. It mimics the world of the Beat generation perfectly and you really have to read it to understand how wonderful this book is! I've actually never watched the film version of On the Road, I don't think a film could ever capture the beauty of Kerouac's writing, but it's definitely on my list of films to watch in August.

♫ Lana Del Rey - Brooklyn Baby

Let me know what your July favourites are in the comments below!

Meet me at Sunset...

Every so often, usually once or twice every season, I find myself completely obsessed with a new colour. (For example, this Spring I found myself in love with a turquoise green-blue shade, think China Glaze’s For Audrey and Tiffany’s classic blue!) My obsession always gets a little bit out of hand and when I’m shopping I gravitate towards absolutely anything that’s in my new coveted shade, convincing myself that it’s entirely acceptable to feel like I need to buy five lipsticks, four tops and two handbags in my new go-to colour.  So, in an attempt to control myself whilst simultaneously satisfying my colour craving, I allow myself to buy up to five new items, a sort of colour capsule, that includes make-up, clothing and accessories. However, if the colour can transition into the next season I don’t feel too guilty if I splurge and buy a few extra things! 

Inspired by hot summer nights, sunsets over the Costa del Sol and blazing campfires my current addiction is a bright, but slightly burnt looking, red-orange. Surprisingly, I only have one clothing item which is a simple vest from Topshop, £6. I wear it with everything and it instantly makes me feel summery. My favourite buy is the Florelli Paris Tote which I picked up in TK Maxx for only £35. It provides any casual look with the perfect pop of colour and I absolutely love the little purse that comes attached to it which I use to carry my favourite lip products of the moment (I bet you can’t guess what colour my favourite lipstick is right now...)

Left to right: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in 255 Coral Kiss (£6.99), Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in 03 Orange Punch(£7.99).

I have a weakness for lip products so it was only natural that I picked up two in boots: a Revlon lipgloss as well as the Bourjois Lip Crayon. I'm a big fan of the Revlon Super Lustrous glosses and I love how pigmented Coral Kiss is. It also has a hint of golden shimmer and it looks gorgeous with a tan (I'm desperately trying to keep mine!) Bourjois' Lip Crayon is sheer, glossy and quite moisturising which makes it perfect for everyday wear! It lasts for a couple of hours on the lips before it begins to fade and you can easily build the intensity of the colour to transition from day to night. My favourite way to wear coral, however, is to combine the gloss and the crayon together!

My final purchase was my first ever Essie nail polish in Meet me at Sunset, £7.99. I'm absolutely in love with the colour and formula and I can't stop staring at my nails, they're just so pretty. After two coats my nails looked great and I think this shade will look amazing on the toes!

What's your favourite colour this summer?