Make up of the day

So here goes, my first 'makeup of the day' post!

I started by washing my face with Soap and glory's Peaches and Clean, I use it every morning to cleanse my face and it really brightens the complexion.

I moisturise using Elemis Softly Softly daily moisturiser, it was free in one of my monthly mags last month and for a trial size it's very generous. It has a fresh, almost rosy, smell to it and it sinks in to the skin rather than sitting on the top. It's not oily or greasy at all and I'll definitely be purchasing a full size tube after this one has run out.




I have been using Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation a lot lately. It's £8.99 in boots and they almost always have the 3for2 offer on. I love this foundation, it gives a dreamy glow to your face, and instantly 'wakes you up' as the name suggests. It's clever formula evens out uneven skin tone and it minimises pores. I never have to use a primer with this foundation, it stays put all day without it and without needed to be topped up later on in the day. I usually use Mac satin finish or Mac Studio Fix Fluid but at over half the price of those, Rimmel is an absolute steal!!

I also use the Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch on my cheek bones, nose and brow bones. I really, really like this product, I only picked it up as the 3for2 offer was on in boots so it was my 'technically' free product, Usually it's £4.99 in boots. So glad I bought it! It glides on so smoothly and blends right in. It's a lovely substitute for my Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Fluid.





For my eyes, I use MUA Heaven and Earth palette. I swear by this! The colours are so wearable as they're neutral and are perfect for both day and night. Today I used the 4th colour across on the top row. As you can see, I've hit pan on the beautiful bronze shade on the bottom left! The eye shadows in this palette are very pigmented so you don't need to use a lot while applying them which is always welcome in my eyes!

I've been using Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast mascara, I just love the name and the results are awesome too. I have naturally short eyelashes and this really lengthens and thickens them.. Perfect! I use Collections Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner, I wouldn't really say that it lasts 24 hours for me because I have watery eyes and its definitely not waterproof so I end up having to wipe the corners of my eyes and reapply it after a few hours but its so easy to use as it has a felt tip pen applicator and you can achieve lovely flicks with it. If they did a waterproof version I would definitely buy it and it would get a 10/10 from me.

Lastly, I've used Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 020 Lovesick. It's my absolute favourite lip product and I have quite a few of their shades but I always return to this one! I'm definitely a bright pink lip kinda girl. This has been my go to since it came out last year and holds a firm place in my makeup bag. It stays out for hours, and I mean HOURS. I can apply it before a night out at 8pm and it will still be there at 6am (I know, I know.. I shouldn't really stay out that late!). It looks like a chubby crayon and goes on very easily with minimal fuss. It comes in 7 shades which I think would suit most skin tones. I feel that it really brightens up my face.


Here is a photo of me before applying the lip balm stain -




Really makes a difference, don't you think?

I've also recently bought Barry M Greenberry Gelly Hi-shine. Its a gorgeous bluey-green that will be perfect for summer. The texture is lovely and is easily applied, even for a terrible nail painter like myself haha I used two coats which gave it full opacity and it's so shiny that you really don't need to apply a topcoat. Massive thumbs up from me!!




Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts on them?

Nina Nesbitt - Chocolate (the 1975 cover)

I love the original of this song by The 1975, but Nina really has done a beautiful cover. She really made the song her own on the radio 1 live lounge late and made it sounds completely different (as well as making the lyrics understandable! Ha).

If you haven't listened to any of her music please check her out because she's pretty awesome and I'm sure you'll love her too!!

My favourite of hers is Boy, such a catchy tune and I can't stop singing it, not that people want to hear me singing as I sound like a drowning cat!

 

Let me know what you think :)

 

X

Here, there and everywhere.

I've been lucky this week to have visited some beautiful places. I love exploring, castles and manors were my playground as a child, my family were always taking my brother, sister and I, on days out to amazing places. I always ran around pretending I was the princess of the castle and imagining what it would have been like to live there. I've visited so many castles over the years, each and everyone different to the last. I live in Torfaen/gwent and recently found out that we have the most castles in the whole of Europe, how amazing is that?

This week my grandparents took me to Tredegar house in Newport. It's a massive manor house surrounded by a beautiful park. It's owned by the national trust, as members we got in for free. It's free to walk around the grounds but a small price to look inside the house. The national trust have done it up beautifully so it's worth paying to go in. I had so much fun in the one room dressing up, they had a box full of gowns and period costume and plenty of good old fashioned games that you could try. They even had a shadow puppet box!

 

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The best part for me about these big old houses are the kitchens, and this one didn't disappoint . Just look at that spice cupboard!

 

 

The next place we went to was Cyfartha castle in Merthyr. I wasn't too fussed on this one. It's not a 'real' castle, it was built in 1824 by a rich iron master, and is just another mansion. The bottom floor has been turned into a museum about Merthyr and you can't even look around the upstairs. I like my castles to actually be castles, as well as tell the history of the building rather than the surrounding area. Thumbs down for me. My son absolutely loved the park surrounding it though so I guess that was worth travelling for.

 

Cannot fault the view at all!

I also went to Glastonbury on Monday for my mums birthday, we really love it there. In fact, it's one of my favourite places in the whole of the uk. It's so peaceful and relaxing and I could spend hours and hours just meandering around the shops. I can't wait to go there again on May 1st for Beltane!

 

 

 

I've been going to Glastonbury for years and I STILL haven't had a drink in that pub! The building is amazing and I can only imagine how the inside looks. It's definitely on my to do list for next time and I'd really love to stay in the village for the night so I can really experience Glastonbury.

Where are your favourite places to visit?

My perfect bath time.

Some people are shower people, some people are bath people. I'm definitely a bath person!

I can't think of anything better than a nice long relaxing bath at the end of the day. I'm constantly running around after my four year old son, so after I've read him his bedtime story and he's fast asleep in dreamworld, it's me time.

I start by lighting candles all around my bathroom and bedroom, I love getting out of the bath and going into my bedroom candle lit as it looks so pretty and carries on the lovely feeling that I've had in the bath. I run the hot top and put in a few drops of my favourite essential oils - rose geranium, patchouli and ylang ylang. They smell so devine together!!

 

My mum has always used these oils in her bath and I've always been jealous of how good she smelt all day after bathing with them so she kindly bought me my own for Christmas and I use them every single time. The smell really is heavenly!

I put on my favourite playlist, including Ben Howard, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Ron Pope perfect chill out music. When the bath is full enough, and I like it really full, I jump on in.

I'm a massive Lush fan and one of my favourite shower gels is Snow Fairy, it's only available at Christmas as its a seasonal product so I stock up on enough to last for the entire year, buy it in the Boxing Day sale as it's half price. I lather myself up with this and then rinse it all off.

 

Next I wash my hair with Clynol colour and care silver shampoo, as a newly blonde I need as much help as I can combatting the brassiness that accompanies bleach! This silver shampoo is brilliant, it's a really dark violet colour and you can immediately tell the difference after using it, I bought it at a local hairdressing wholesale shop and it cost me £5.70, I thoroughly recommend it.

I follow this with Aussie Instant conditioner or their 3 minute miracle intensive conditioner if my hair needs the extra care. Aussie are my absolute favourite brand for shampoo and conditioner, their products leave my hair feeling and smelling beautiful!

I exfoliate with Lush's Buffy and then use their Ro's argan body conditioner all over my body, this saves having to moisturise my entire body when I get out of the bath so that I can quickly dry my hair and jump straight into bed with a cup of tea and a good book. Nothing compares to how soft and hydrated these two products leave your body feeling.

I then lie back with a hot flannel over my face and relax while listening to Ben Howard's perfect voice, daydreaming away.

Then it's time to get out.. Nooooo! I could honestly stay in the bath forever! Ha

I dry myself off and slip into an oversized tshirt, roughly dry my hair with the hair dryer, make myself agiant cup of tea in my favourite tea cup and climb on into bed. I'm currently reading Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar, such an amazing book, if you haven't read it, please put it on your reading list as it captures you from the start and you don't want to put it down, those are the best books!

 

 

What's your bath time routine?