CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES - BLOGMAS DAY 20

Welcome to Blogmas Day 20!

I recently received a copy of Tanya Burr's recipe book, which is called Tanya Bakes, and I had been looking through her recipes and found these really cute reindeer cookies that she had made. So I decided to adapt her recipe to make chocolate reindeer cookies. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great but I wish I had rolled the dough out even thinner because they were quite soft, and Tanya's look a lot thinner and looks like they would have more of a snap. These are so quick and easy and take no time at all. Plus you can get children involved and they can help to decorate the cookies to make them look like Rudolph and the other reindeers. These will be loved by the whole family whether it is for the children or for the grandparents! 

THE CHRISTMAS TAG - BLOGMAS DAY 19

Welcome to Day 19 of Blogmas!

I absolutely love Christmas, and something that I have not done in a while is a TAG and I thought it is the perfect time to do the Christmas TAG. You can find the questions on so many blogs but I did add three more questions as it seemed weird only answering seventeen questions. Some of these answers I will have given before but Christmas is my favourite time of the year!! I have also changed one of the questions as it was about Santa and there could be younger children reading this blog (or they may read it if they have an older sibling)  and I didn't want anyone coming away from this blog upset. So I have changed some of the wording of each question just so it flows better! While reading my answers why don't you think about how you would answer these questions and let me know your answers!

CHOCOLATE RICE KRISPIE MINI PUDDINGS - BLOGMAS DAY 15

Welcome to Day 15 of Blogmas!

Over the last week I have been busy baking some quick & easy Christmas treats that look and taste amazing. I have already uploaded a few Christmas treats posts and now I am sharing another recipe that I saw on Zoella's channel. I was also inspired by her to make the Chocolate Tree Brownies, and another thing she made were these Rice Krispie mini puddings; they look like mini Christmas puddings but they are so easy to make and can be made with children. You can find Zoella's Quick & Easy Christmas Treats video here. You do not have to be an experienced baker to make these mini puddings, and you don't even have to use the oven at all to make them. Zoella was inspired to make these Rice Krispie mini puddings from a blog called "She Who Bakes". I know that there are other recipes on this blog that are just as great and I am definitely going to try out a couple of other recipes I have seen. These would be perfect to make for Christmas Day to enjoy while watching a Christmas film with the family. Or you could make them and wrap them in cellophane and give them as Christmas presents or as stocking fillers!

QUICK & EASY CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES - BLOGMAS DAY 11

Welcome to Day 11 of Blogmas!

I  have been so busy over the last week baking Christmas treats that would be perfect for any Christmas party or even to take into work as treats for all of your work colleagues to enjoy. Over the last couple of days I have uploaded a couple more Christmas treats recipes, including Chocolate Bark and Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes. Today I thought I would share with you a recipe that I saw when I watched Zoella's Quick & Easy Christmas Treats video, and I knew that I wanted to make this brownies myself. These Christmas Tree Brownies look and taste amazing and when I saw them being baked by Zoella I knew that I wanted to share them in my Quick & Easy Christmas Treats Series. The recipe is so easy to follow and you do not need to be an experienced baker to make these delicious brownies. Also, you only need six ingredients so saving on time and money. Not only do these brownies look professional but they taste amazing; plus they are perfect to make with children over the holiday season. Zoella was inspired to make these brownies after seeing the recipe on the blog "One Little Project." I would definitely recommend looking at this blog as they have some amazing and really simple recipes that you can make to impress your friends and family over the festive season. I love Christmas baking, and usually I will always make everything from scratch but this is the one time of year that I allow myself to cheat and buy a box of chocolate brownie mix and a tub of vanilla icing for this recipe. You can make these the night before the party and they will stay moist and delicious for the next day!!

CHOCOLATE REINDEER CUPCAKES - BLOGMAS DAY 10

These quick and easy Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes are so easy to make; and would be perfect to make with children over the holidays. All you need is a few ingredients and because these are all quick and easy recipes you can buy the chocolate cupcake mix boxes (or in my case by a chocolate fudge cake mix) and you can buy already made chocolate icing. You do not have to be a great baker to make these cupcakes. They are so easy to decorate and look like you have bought them from a shop!

CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE BARK - BLOGMAS DAY 9

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and it is one of my favourite times to bake loads of quick and easy treats for friends and family. Yesterday I was baking so much and ended up with five amazing quick and easy Christmas treats; which I will be uploading the recipes for over the weekend. These are all so yummy and they look amazing. I made all of these for friends and my Mum's work colleagues and they thought they were all bought from a shop. So if you want something quick to make with your children over the holidays that people will be impressed with, then these recipes are for you. Chocolate bark is probably the easiest thing to make and you don't have to bake anything. I am going to show you how to make the chocolate bark that I made, but you can add any toppings to this chocolate bark; including marshmallows, caramel pieces, dried fruit, glace cherries, nuts, salt or anything you want to put on top of your chocolate bark.  The only piece of technical equipment you will need is a microwave to melt some chocolate. This would be great to make with children as you don't have to worry about them being near an oven and they make really sweet Christmas presents!

MY GO-TO LUXURY CHRISTMAS PARTY MAKEUP - BLOGMAS DAY 6

Welcome to the 6th day of Blogmas, I cannot believe how we are only 19 days away from Christmas! I thought it was about time that I write a post on my go-to makeup when I am going to a Christmas party, carol service or just any event over the festive period. Today's beauty post will all be about the luxury makeup that I turn to over the festive period and I will have a drugstore go-to makeup post up at the weekend!

Everything in this makeup look is from a high-end brown, from Bobbi Brown, Marc Jacobs, Benefit and Tarte. However, I don't own many high-end concealers that I absolutely love so I decided to go with a drugstore concealer that is my absolute favourite and it only costs £4.19 from the brand Collection. This is my favourite concealer of all time and I know it is a fan favourite amongst Beauty YouTubers and bloggers! I have so much makeup in my collection and recently I have went on a shopping spree and bought a couple of new holiday pieces from Marc Jacobs and Bobbi Brown; which I have linked below as well, including a £76 eyeshadow palette from Marc Jacobs. I am planning on writing a post reviewing these new sets but only if they have not sold out in the meantime.

My festive makeup look is very similar to my makeup look throughout the year, but there are slight differences. I have two main makeup looks for the festive season, but the only difference between the two is the colour of the lipsticks that I wear; one is a bright holiday red shade and the other is a more nude/light mauve shade. I love the whole vintage Christmas glamour look with a subtle smokey eye but I also love to wear a more dramatic brown smokey eye with a gorgeous nude lip as well, and I think both looks will be amazing for everyone. I keep everything the same for both looks, except for the intensity and colour of the eyeshadows or the shade of the lipstick. Below I have linked all the products I will use and how I create that look!

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SURVIVAL GUIDE - BLOGMAS DAY 5

Christmas shopping can be one of the most stressful parts of Christmas; but hopefully these ten tips will help to make the process that much easier. For some people, Christmas shopping is a joyous occasion (personally I love Christmas shopping, spending hours wandering around store, carrying more bags that I can count) and for some it can be the worst experiences of their life, being the most awful chore that comes around once a year. I've come up with 10 tips that will hopefully help you to all get through that last minute panic, that is Christmas shopping. I would always say start early, and I started my Christmas shopping in October, but if you are one of those persons who leaves everything til the last minute, then this survival guide will be of some interest to you! 

CHRISTMAS LUSH HAUL - BLOGMAS DAY 2

I am very good at going into Lush throughout the whole year and only picking up a couple of products each time I go in; however, Christmas is the one time of year that I cannot control myself in Lush and I just want to buy everything in the store. I actually have two hauls, as I went into a Lush store and it was so busy that I only manager to pick up a few items that I wanted. Therefore, later that day I made an online order and bought some more products that I really wanted to treat myself to; and I will link those products at the end of this post, so you can treat yourselves to these products as well. Christmas is one of the best times to go into Lush, as they put so much effort into their bath bombs, bubble bars and showers gels. Their products also make great presents for family, friends and work colleagues; plus they would make great gifts for stocking fillers and Secret Santas.

CHRISTMAS PARTY DRESSES: THE EDIT - BLOGMAS 2016 DAY 1

Today is the first day of Blogmas 2016 and I thought I would start it off by writing a post about some of my favourite party dresses and jumpsuits for the Christmas party season! It is coming up to my favourite time of the year when people are throwing festive holiday parties and going out with friends and family! So this is the perfect time of the year to treat yourself to a gorgeous new frock which could be worn for Christmas parties or even saved for New Year. There are so many lovely dressing hitting the shops right now! Below are 50 of my favourite dresses ... so if you're looking for a new dress for the season, I hope it will help give you all some inspiration!

BLOG UPDATE

I just wanted to write this quick message and let you know of some changes I am going to be making to my blog. I am currently in the process of redesigning my blog and bought a template but am not 100% happy with the look of it. So over the next few months I am going to be completely changing the layout and style of this blog and trying to create more detailed content. So please bear with me and the changes will be coming over the next few months and hopefully it will look exactly as I want it to. I am still going to be posting as usual and will have another blog post up this Sunday!

EASY HALLOWEEN MARSHMALLOW TREATS

Halloween is one of my favourite times of year besides Christmas. I love going to the scary farms

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BROWNIES

Last year I posted on my blog about these white chocolate chunk brownies that I loved to make all the time. But as it is now getting closer to Halloween I thought how could I make them slightly more spooky without ruining the texture and the look of the brownies. So I decided to add fresh raspberries

into the batter; so when you open the brownie up it will look like blood oozing out as the raspberries will cook and become a lot softer. These will make amazing treats for Halloween parties and everyone will be going back for seconds! These are incredible and you could add anything to the batter, whether it is salted caramel, hazelnuts or even strawberry pieces!! These will definitely be a crowd hit!! Perfect with a hot chocolate and warmed up with some cream on a cold day!!

5 BEAUTY PRODUCTS I'M LOVING RIGHT NOW

I thought I would share with you all an updated post on products I am currently loving. These are all products that I have found myself using a lot more recently, some are trusted products that I am revisiting and some are completely new to my make-up bag.

SEPTEMBER FAVOURITES 2016

It has been ages since I have done a favourites post, truth be told the last couple of months have not been great for me personally. Also I found that I had got stuck in my comfort zone and was using the same products over and over again. Well now I am determined to use new products each month and switch out beauty items regularly so I can write this favourites post each month. Some of these products I have been using since August but they are all products that I have loved using or watching throughout September. I of course have quite a few beauty products that I have been loving this month, but I do have a couple of TV shows and songs that I have also been loving.

BENEFIT 'ROLLER LASH' MASCARA

I know I said I was going to lay off writing about so many Benefit products but I really had to review this mascara. Everyone knows that the number one mascara sold by Benefit is They're Real (which is one of my favourite mascaras of all time), but Benefit brought out Roller Lash over a year ago I believe. When it came out I wasn't sure about buying it because I have so many black mascaras. However, what I really needed was a good quality brown mascara. I will usually wear black mascara, but if I want to go for a more natural look I will wear brown mascara. The only problem is that a lot of brands will only make mascara in black or sometimes black/brown. So when I heard the Benefit were bringing out Roller Lash in brown a few months ago I knew that I needed to purchase it.

URBAN DECAY NAKED ULTIMATE BASICS PALETTE

Can we just talk about how beautiful this brand new palette is from Urban Decay? If there was a palette that was more suited to me, it would be this one. It is no secret that I am in love with Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes and the Naked palettes are one of my favourite ranges from a high-end brand. So when I heard that Urban Decay were bringing out a new palette to join their Naked collection I was so excited and I knew that I was going to be buying it; even though I don't really need another nude eyeshadow palette.

L'OREAL FIBROLOGY AIR COLLECTION

For me my hair is something that I have to take the most time with every morning and night; due to the fact that it is very long and I also dye it every three to four months to give me a reddish-brown finish. Therefore, it is paramount that I maintain the condition of my hair, and that is something that I have managed to keep consistent since I first started dying it. As someone who does colour their hair regularly, I know how important it is to use hair products that will only help the condition and finish of my hair. I have created a hair routine that has allowed me to do exactly that, even though I am very fussy when it comes to what products I use on my hair. Only my favourite products will make it into my bathroom and will be used on a daily basis.

A LITTLE CHANEL HAUL ...

Since I was a little girl Chanel has been a brand that I have admired and loved; I remember buying all the fashion magazines just to see what was in Chanel's collection. As much as I love their fashion, I also love their beauty collection. Until last week I only had one Chanel makeup item and that was a foundation that I got four years ago and I just couldn't bring myself to throw away the bottle, even though it was empty. I decided it was about time to treat myself to some new Chanel makeup items and I went to the Chanel counter and had my makeup done and came away loving every item that had been used on me. If I had bought everything it would have cost me a lot of money, so I decided to just purchase three items that I really loved.

ELIZABETH ARDEN SKINCARE PRODUCTS

When it comes to skincare, I am still a beginner, I really don't know much about skincare and I never know what products are right for me and what I should be using every day. I do have some knowledge of skincare items and I know some products that are apparently amazing but most of them are really expensive. When I was in London a couple of weeks ago, I tried out a new skincare product from a brand called Elevatione Time Stops. This product that I tried was incredible at cleansing the face and removing all the oils and dirt that builds up on your face over the course of the day. I was going to get it until I heard it was £130. Maybe in a few years after saving some money I will buy this product but at the moment I cannot justify £130 on one product. So I decided to go into my local Debenhams department store and look at some skincare products that would be good for me; I looked at Elemis, Clinique, Lancôme, Elizabeth Arden and tested so many products. In the end I went with Elizabeth Arden, just because I have heard so many positive reviews about their Eight Hour Cream Collection and my Mum even said she use to use Elizabeth Arden a few years ago.

BENEFIT BIG SEXY LIP KIT

I know I have uploaded quite a few posts on Benefit products that I have been trying out recently and I promise this is the last product I will be reviewing from Benefit for quite some time. However, I had to write a post about Benefit's NEW they're real Big Sexy Lip Kit that they released in the last week. Mine arrived a few days ago and I have been testing out all four lipsticks so I can review them on here.

BENEFIT OPERATION: PORE-PROOF BOX OF GOODIES

Today is the last day where I will be writing a blog post every day; as I told you at the beginning, to make up for not writing much on my blog over the last few months I wanted to write a post on each day during August. I have somehow managed to complete that and I have written 31 posts this month. The next time I will be writing a post each day will be in December! I will be uploading more often from now on but I haven't decided what dates I will be writing on each month. I always want to say a massive thank you because I hit over 5,000 views on my blog in the last month. This is a small number in comparison to some people, but it amazes me that so many people read my blog from all over the world and I am entirely grateful and I just want to thank you all for reading!

Now onto the product I am reviewing; which is Benefit's Operation: Pore Proof kit. This actually isn't for me but I bought it for my Mum to try and get her into using Benefit products but also to help her makeup stay on longer. I don't really suffer from oily skin (I am normal to dry skin) but my Mum does suffer from oily skin and I saw this little box of goodies and thought I would buy it for her. Benefit does quite a few sets like these and they are really sweet as presents and would even be perfect as little stocking fillers for Christmas. This kit is brilliant because all the products in it are based on fighting against pores and shine! Plus it comes with signature tips and tricks that will help you to achieve the most out of each product. I really like this because it is mini versions of some of Benefit's best loved products that fight pores and shine; therefore you can try out the minis and then if you like a couple of the products you can buy them in the full size. If you don't like the products then you have not wasted your money on a full size product that you don't like.

BENEFIT HOOLA ZERO TANLINES BODY BRONZER

Recently, I wrote a blog post on a fake tan that I had bought and I wasn't really a massive fan of it. I really struggle buying fake tan products because usually they are streaky, they are long-lasting (so the streaks stay for a long time) or they come out orange rather than giving me a natural tan. So I decided to give Benefit's Hoola Zero Tanlines Body Bronzer a go and see if that would work better for me. I love the Hoola range from benefit, and have been using the matte bronzing powder for a while now, plus I recently got the bronzing and contouring brush and Dew the Hoola Bronzing Liquid. Because I love those products so much I was hoping I was going to love this body bronzer as well.

This is a genius product from benefit; and I can honestly say this is one of my favourite products from Benefit. This is a gel bronzer that is to be used on your body (so is not to be used on your face). It comes with a sponge in the cap of the product, so that means it is completely hands free. This is something that really attracted me to the product because it is so annoying having to wear gloves or risk getting the tanning product on your hands. This is meant to blend instantly and you apply the gel bronzer onto the sponge and apply to your body in broad circular motions. This also is meant to make sure that your arms and legs aren't left streaky (which is something I suffer from with other tanning products). There is also the signature Hoola scent to it and it leaves you with a natural glowing tan; you will look like you have been on holiday after using this product.

URBAN DECAY ALL NIGHTER - LONG-LASTING MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY

When it comes to my makeup, I always want it to last. Usually I can get away with just wearing a primer and it will last most of the day. However, if I want to make sure that my makeup stays in place, I will always use a setting spray. There are so many times that I will use a setting spray; if I know it is going to be a hot day, if I have meetings in London, if I'm going to an event or even a night out with the girls. I have a few setting sprays in my makeup collection but my all-time favourite is Urban Decay's All Nighter - Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray.

L'OCCITANE ALMOND LIGHTER LEGS FOOT CREAM

I have recently been trying to do a lot more walking and jogging (which is something I did a lot when
I was at University) but since being at home I realised that I haven't been running as much as I use to. So in the last few weeks I have been completing a morning run plus been going to the gym at least three times a week. However, since becoming more active I have noticed that my legs are really suffering. They are usually sore after a run plus they just feel really tired and it does feel like I can barely walk in a straight line. Therefore, I was doing some research trying to find products that work predominantly for people who suffer from tired legs and I found this Almond Lighter Legs Food Cream from L'Occitane En Province.

MY HIGH STREET FASHION WISHLIST - AUGUST 2016

Last week, I decided to upload a post on my beauty wishlist for August 2016 (which is something that I want to do every month) but I also want to do a couple more each month as well, which are wishlists; one will be a drugstore wishlist and one will be a high street fashion wishlist. I am going to try and talk more about fashion as that is something that I absolutely love. Therefore, instead of doing another beauty wishlist I decided to have a browse online and look at high-street fashion and choose five items that I would like to get. When looking for items for this wishlist I decided to look at the New Arrivals section of each website because I am now going to be looking at Autumn wear instead of Summer clothing. I decided to choose the high street as that is wear I will usually buy my clothes from, I am also including some brands on the ASOS website but they will all be affordable items. This is hopefully something I will be doing every month and if I get any of the items I can then show them to you in a later post or on one of my social media sites. As I don't own any of the products (as it is a wishlist) I will be using the photos provided by the websites where I will be buying the products from; the links that I give you will take you directly to the website where I got the photos from. Now that I have mentioned the disclaimer, I want to show you the five high street fashion items that I want to purchase for August 2016.

YSL ROUGE VOLUPTÉ SHINE LIPSTICK

It is no secret that when it comes to high-end beauty, Yves Saint Laurent is one of my favourite brands to shop with. I already have a couple of pieces from YSL (they're Babydoll mascara and a couple of the Touche Eclat highlighters) but I have never owned one of the Rouge Volupté Shine lipsticks. Everything I have tried from YSL in the past has been incredible and I feel like every blogger has at least a couple of the lipsticks in the collection, and you may see them in the background of some beauty YouTube channels. Therefore, I wanted to treat myself to a new lipstick, and I wanted to get a new one for my graduation which is just over a week away. I was in my Debenhams department store and I could not decide between three brands; Urban Decay, Chanel and YSL. However, it is obvious I chose YSL for my lipstick. I feel like this lipstick is honestly plucked from every girls beauty dreams and you do feel special knowing you have a YSL lipstick sitting on your dressing table.

CHLOÉ EAU DE PARFUM

Chloé was one of the first designer perfumes I was ever given and I believe I was 15 when I first started wearing this perfume. So I have been wearing this for around 5-6 years now and it has become my signature scent. Before getting Chloé perfume has a gift, I would wear cheaper perfumes or I would buy perfumes that celebrities had created because they tended to be less expensive. However, I now will usually only buy more expensive perfumes, they don't have to be ridiculous prices but I will buy a perfume that usually costs more than £50. At the moment, I have been wearing Tommy Hilfiger and Marc Jacobs Decadence perfumes, but I am so happy to have Chloé back in my collection.

I got given this perfume at Christmas when I was probably 15 (but I could have been younger) and I remember smelling it for the first time and being in love with it. From then on I have always worn this perfume and I think if I was to only wear one perfume for the rest of my life, I would have to choose this one.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER

For quite some time, the beauty world has been talking about Micellar water; and like most people I jumped right into this latest product and have been using Micellar cleansing water for almost a year. I did write a post about the Simple Micellar water way back when I first started this blog and I have also spoken about the Simple Micellar cleansing wipes. However, you might have seen that Garnier have also now brought out a Micellar Cleansing Water and it has been one of the most talked about products in ages. You might have even seen the adverts where they show bloggers and Youtubers talking about how great this product is. I decided to purchase the smaller version a while back and I absolutely loved it; so much that I went and bought it in the 400ml size. I actually got mine in Primark for £2.50 but it is available in other drugstores but it is more expensive (I would have linked the Primark one but Primark does not have a online shopping website)!

ST IVES APRICOT SCRUB

When it comes to skincare, I am always trying out new products because I really struggle to find skincare that works well for me; plus I am always trying new products for this blog. However, on a recent trip to Boots, I decided to try the Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub from St Ives. I heard about St Ives as a brand when I read an article about what Gigi Hadid uses for skincare and she mentioned that she used the Invigorating Apricot Facial Scrub (which is something I also want to buy from this brand)! You would expect if a Victoria Secret's model and famous supermodel are using this product then it is going to cost loads of money, but it is so inexpensive and only costs £4.19.

NEW RAY-BAN SUNGLASSES

Whenever I think of brands that sell sunglasses, I will always think of Ray-Bans; I have had a pair before but I lost them while on holiday one time. So I thought why not buy a new pair of Ray-Ban aviators, which are a pair that I have always wanted. When I went to Westfield in Stratford London last week, the first shop I went into was Sunglass Hut. If you are not aware of Sunglass Hut, then it is basically a shop that sells sunglasses (obviously!) from different brands like Ray-Ban, Prada, Michael Kors etc. However, I went straight past all of the other brands and went straight to Ray-Ban. I have always loved their sunglasses and I thought it was about time I treated myself to a nice pair of sunglasses that I could wear everyday. Everywhere I look, I always seem to see people wearing Ray-Bans, however there is a reason for that; not only are they well-known but the quality is absolutely amazing and there are so many styles that you can choose from and each style comes in a variety of colour options, so there really is a pair for everyone!!

YSL TOUCHE ÉCLAT SLOGAN COLLECTION

A few months ago, Yves Saint Laurent brought out a new limited edition packaging for their infamous Touche Éclat pens. Of course I had to buy one, as I have been a fan of this product for years; I loved it so much that I remember going into my Mum's makeup bag when I was in High School and borrowing it without her knowing. When I first bought this I wasn't going to do a review on it because I didn't know how long this would be in stock, however it is still available to be purchased from the YSL website and from Feelunique (links will be provided at the end of this post). I am going to specifically be talking about the collector's edition Touche Éclat, however you can get this in the normal gold packaging for the same price and that comes in 10 different shades and is available for £25 (here).

MINI BENEFIT HAUL

 I have just come back from a shopping trip in London with my Mum, where we spend two days in London shopping at Westfield in Stratford and in Shepherd's Bush. I actually was very restrained and decided to not buy that much makeup; mainly because I could not stand queuing for ages in MAC when I know I can buy it from their website and save a load of hassle. However, I did buy a few items from Benefit. I wasn't planning on buying anything but it was so quiet by the Benefit counter in Debenhams and the lady working there was so helpful, that I bought a few items; although one was a repurchase.

WHAT IS IN MY MAKEUP TRAVEL BAG?

Last week I wrote a post on how I pack my cosmetics bag when I am travelling, however I realised that I have never shown you the makeup that I will take when I am travelling. As you are reading this I am currently in London for a few days, so I didn't bring as much makeup and I brought mainly the essentials. Usually when I go abroad I will take maybe another eyeshadow palette and a couple more lip products but that would be it. I know when I'm travelling I can usually buy more makeup if I need to, so I don't see the point in taking too much and filling my suitcase with makeup when it is not necessary.

For my trip to London I really have not brought much with me and I have tried to bring products that don't take up much space, like I have not brought with me massive eyeshadow palettes that hold 15 eyeshadows. I have also brought with me a range of drugstore and high-end products with me as well. I will only bring one makeup bag with me when travelling, and there will be some people who will think that I still take too much makeup with me; but for me this is pretty reserved. I am going to tell you about each product and why I usually have them in my makeup bag when I travel.

REVLON HIGHLIGHTING PALETTES

A few months ago, Revlon bought out a collection of highlighting palettes, which reminded me of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compacts, that are available for £34 (here). I don't own any of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks, but I decided to see if I liked the concept by buying less expensive alternatives. Usually I won't buy a whole collection, but I decided to buy all three of the highlighting palettes from Revlon. They came out with three shades which are to help give a gorgeous, natural highlight for a soft, healthy and sun-kissed glow. The shades available are Peach Glow, Rose Glow and Bronze Glow. They look very similar to Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick, except it seems like Bobbi Brown has more shimmer shades in them whereas Revlon have a couple of matte shades in them. I actually bought all three of these because I thought they would also be perfect for eyeshadows as well as highlighters and bronzer.

MY FAVOURITE YANKEE CANDLES

 

I absolutely love candles, and in every room of my house there is probably at least two candles. I think it is so relaxing to have candles burning in the house (obviously I only burn candles in the room I am going to stay in!) and I find I cannot write blog posts without burning a candle. One of my favourite brands is Yankee Candles; I especially love their Christmas limited edition candles that come out every year. However, I recently went and purchased quite a few of my favourite scents in the tart wax melts. These are so good if you don't want to spend a lot of money on candles but still want your room to smell amazing. The large jar candles are often over £20, whereas these little melts are £1.49 each and they last for 8 hours. I will often buy a scent in one of the melts first so I can see if I like the scent  when it melts and then if I like it I will buy it in a larger jar candle. I also have a Yankee Candle wax warmer which can be purchased on the website as well. All you have to do is place the tart on the dish at the top, and light an unscented tea light candle underneath and then the tart will melt for 8 hours. If you don't burn it for 8 hours you can leave it to solidify again and then re-melt it another time.

MY TOP THREE MASCARAS

Recently, I have been writing blog posts on my top three beauty items in my makeup collections; I have already done this for foundations and for nude lip products. But I was sitting here wondering what is the one product that I always have to wear and it was obvious, it is mascara. I can go out without any foundation, blush or eyeshadow on. but I always wear mascara. I have quite a few mascaras in my collection(either drugstore or high-end) and I found it quite difficult to think of what are my top three mascaras. I usually rotate my mascaras every so often, because mascaras are the one thing that goes off quicker, however, I did manage to find three that I absolutely love and always repurchase. Two of these mascaras are high-end but I did find a drugstore alternative that I love just as much as the more expensive mascaras.

TED BAKER COLLECTION

I went into John Lewis and I always head to the Ted Baker section in my store first, before anything else. For as long as I can remember I have been in love with Ted Baker accessories, especially in the pastel floral patterns. So when I went in and saw that they had new stock I knew that I had to check out what they had. Usually I won't buy anything because I know I don't need it or it is quite expensive for what it is. However, when I saw these accessories in this beautiful porcelain rose print, I knew I had to get a couple of pieces. After spending 20 minutes deciding what pieces I wanted, I ended up buying this Travel Document Holder and Sunglasses Case.

LIZ EARLE CLEANSE & POLISH HOT CLOTH CLEANSER

When I think about one of the most well known cleansers, I automatically think of Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. I have often seen this used by family and friend and I hear such great reviews about it. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about and I purchased a couple of the cleansers a few months ago. I must admit that I don't use this as much as I should because I use other skincare products and I often forget to cleanse or I will use other cleansers that I am testing out to potentially review on here.

HEALTHY CARROT AND ORANGE CAKE

I love baking, but recently I have been on a bit of a health kick and have been trying to eat a lot healthier. I have been trying to eat healthily over the last couple of weeks and I have definitely noticed a difference, but I still have a sweet tooth and I do still crave cakes every now and again. Therefore, I was trying to think of a recipe that I could make that wouldn't be as bad for me as some other cakes. Therefore, I adapted a carrot cake that I use to make all the time and changed it slightly so that it has lower amounts of fat in it. I'm not saying that this will help you lose weight at all, but if you are on a diet and still want to eat cake, then this is perfect as it is slightly more healthier.

WHAT I KEEP ON MY BEDSIDE TABLE ...

I was trying to come up with ideas for a blog post and I could not think of anything, especially as I have only just come back home after a couple of days away. However, I was looking at my beside table and I thought why not share with you all how I organise my bedroom and especially what I keep on my beside table. We are thinking of moving house in the next couple of months and hopefully then I will be able to do a detailed bedroom tour kind of post. I am the kind of person that likes everything to look really pretty and for everything to look aesthetically pleasing, and that is even the case for my bedside table. I have day bed in my room, which has rose lights round the metal frame, so I have tried to keep that going with the white roses in the vase and trying to make my bedside table look pretty. I currently have a pine bedside table, but like I said earlier we are thinking of moving and if we do I would probably try and get white furniture just so it goes with my bed and the theme of my room.

JACK WILLS HAUL

Fashion is something that I have been passionate about since I was little; I have always been the kind of girl that has to make sure everything goes together, even down to shoes and accessories. However, I don't blog about fashion as much (which will hopefully change in the future!) but I recently did a bit of shopping in Jack Wills and did some damage to my bank account. When I shopped before, I always use to buy clothes that I knew I would never wear or I would go into a shop like Primark and spend a fortune on clothes that I knew would not last me that long and I would be giving away a few months down the line. However, I have now decided that when I go shopping I am only going to buy items that I know I will wear and are great quality; don't get me wrong I will still go into shops like Primark but I probably won't spend as much as I use to in there. I have tried to pair tops with different skirts but they will all go with jeans, trousers, or even plain tops.

Jack Wills has been one of my favourite shops for the last few years and until now I have only purchased a few items from them. However, I am away with my family at the moment for a couple of days by the seaside, and I went into two different Jack Wills shops and purchased quite a few items. Even though it is a lot to buy in one shopping trip; I have chosen pieces that can be mixed and matched and have gone for the same colour scheme throughout, which is navy and white. Not all of these items were full price either as some was in the sale, however I know that these pieces will last and I will be able to wear them during the day and in the evening. Plus all of these items will go with other pieces that I already have in my wardrobe.

HOW TO PACK YOUR COSMETICS BAG ...

I love to travel, however one thing that I am not a fan of is packing. I always pack as if I am moving to that country rather than just staying there for a week or two weeks; therefore I now try to stay organised especially when it comes to taking makeup and toiletries.

When I am travelling, I am very organised when it comes to packing my cosmetics bag; this includes makeup and any toiletries that I think I might need. I usually overpack but in the last few months I have realised that when it comes to makeup and toiletries I should only take the essential items. Even though it looks like I take a lot, it really isn't because I will usually take mini versions of the product unless I can only find a full version. I am going to give five tips on how I pack my cosmetics and toiletries bag which hopefully you will find useful and might help you to stay organised and to help reduce the weight of your bags. I will usually try and keep my cosmetics bag down to two small makeup bags; I have this butterfly makeup bag that will hold all of my toiletries and any palettes and then I have this smaller Benefit cosmetics bag that will hold all of my makeup.

TAN-LUXE SELF-TAN DROPS

Summer is my favourite time of the year; due to the fact that it is when I see my friends and family the most, by having BBQs and going to the beach. Another reason why I love the Summer is because it is usually warm (and sometimes rainy in England!) and I love getting a tan. However, I am always concerned about my health when it comes to spending too much time in the sun, so I have recently been trying different self-tanning products, and I came across a brand called Tan-Luxe. Personally, I am not keen on going to a salon to get a spray tan or getting on a sun bed. I don't often write about self-tanning products, as I mainly focus on makeup when I talk about beauty, but this is a product that I have been using recently and I have noticed that for a self-tanning product it does work.

MY TOP THREE DRUGSTORE FOUNDATIONS

 

Recently, I have been trying to experiment with different types of foundations. I usually just stick to one and when I find one that I like, I will just keep repurchasing it; rather than testing out different foundations. My favourite foundation of all time is Nars Sheer Glow foundation; however at £31 it is expensive and I do go through foundation a lot quicker than any other makeup product. Therefore, I wanted to test out some new foundations that were cheaper and that I would like as well. I went into Boots a few weeks ago and picked up five drugstore foundations, and three of them have become my absolute favourite. I will alternate between these three and the Nars Sheer Glow, so I am not wasting too much of my Nars foundation. My top three foundations are L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation. I love the fact that these are all affordable alternatives to some of the high-end foundations and they are all different formulas so there should hopefully be an option for everyone.

MAYBELLINE VIVID MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICKS

If you were to ask me what my favourite makeup item is; I would say lip products (whether it is a lipstick, lip liner, lip gloss or a liquid lipstick, I am obsessed with lip products!) One lip product that I love the most is liquid lipsticks. Obviously Too Faced do liquid lipsticks and I have a couple from them but I am always looking for items that you can buy in the drugstore because Too Faced can be expensive, especially if you want more than one shade. So when I saw these Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks, I knew that I had to buy a few of them to test them out. I only have four out of the available eight shades, but I chose shades that I knew I would wear the most.

The shades I have are 'Nude Thrill' (a gorgeous nude shade), 'Rebel Red,' (a bright Marilyn Monroe shade of red), 'Nude Flush' (a really pretty nude which is slightly more pink) and 'Possessed Plum' (a deep plum/purple shade). All of the shades in the range seem to be really wearable colours that would suit everyone's skin tones and you can obviously choose the lipsticks that would bets suit your skin tone if you wanted to. I love nude lip products, and even though I have so many lipsticks in this colour, I had to buy a couple more. 'Nude Thrill' is a really pretty everyday nude, whereas 'Nude Flush' is more pink. The red shade would be perfect for any skin tone and would look amazing with a natural smokey eye for a night out. I decided to buy the purple shade because I thought it would be perfect for Autumn/Winter, which is when I will wear the deeper red and purple shades. Overall the colour selection of these lipsticks are amazing and could be worn day or night.

TANYA BURR COLLECTION

There is no doubt that I love makeup and I already have too much in my collection, but I am always buying more and more. I am a sucker for pretty packaging, and my favourite makeup products have got to be eyeshadow palettes and lip products. Therefore, it would come as no surprise that when I decided to buy some products from Tanya Burr's makeup collection, I decided to buy one of her eyeshadow palettes and three of her lip glosses. I actually got these in April but was going to wait to do a blog post on them until I had brought a few more pieces, but I thought why not blog about them now as these are products that I grab the most. She has just brought out her new collection which is called The Soft Luxe Collection, which I am going to buy in the next few weeks as the shades she has chosen look amazing.

PICTURE PERFECT WEDDING JEWELLERY

Weddings are a special occasion for everyone involved; whether you be a bride, bridesmaid, mother of the bride or simply a guest. When choosing your jewellery, there are many things to consider: the neckline of the outfit, how you are having your hair and what types of jewellery suit you (whether it be necklace, earrings, rings or a bracelet).

Personally, I prefer wearing simple and elegant jewellery and will often opt for a pair of small earrings, a simple necklace and an eternity ring. My preference is simple is better, especially when it comes to jewellery for weddings. I have provided some options for jewellery that I think would be perfect for a wedding. Some of the options will still be available in stores, however a couple of pieces were purchased a few years ago, although there will be alternative options available from other brands. All of these options are beautiful and would work with any outfit. Also they would be great choices if you are a bride, bridesmaid or a wedding guest.

TOP 5 NUDE LIP PRODUCTS

 

L-R: Lunch Date, Nude Thrill, 43, Tantalizing Taupe, Ex-Girlfriend

I thought I would share with you all five nude lip products that I absolutely love  and find myself reaching for most of the most at the moment. I have a lot of lipsticks, lip glosses and liquid lipsticks in my makeup collection, but at the moment I have been obsessed with wearing a nude shade on my lips. It was so difficult to narrow it down to just five of my favourites but these are the ones that I carry in my makeup bag all the time and have been loving recently; three are lipsticks, one is a lip gloss and one is a liquid lipstick, so hopefully there is something for everyone.

All of these lip products apply smoothly, and are fairly last-longing and finish off any makeup look perfectly without breaking the bank. I have more drugstore lip products in my makeup collection, however I have included a high-end lipstick in my top five as it is a product that I have been loving since it was released in February this year.

L'OREAL NUDE MAGIQUE CUSHION FOUNDATION AND GLAM BRONZE CUSHION DE SOLEIL

I have been wanting to try Lancome's Miracle Cushion Foundation, but at £30, it is fairly expensive, especially as I rarely use cushion foundations. So when I heard L'Oréal were bringing out a cushion foundation and cushion de soleil I was eager to buy both and try them out; to see if I can get on with cushioned products and to determine whether I should buy the Lancôme cushion foundation as well. I purchased both the L'Oréal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation and the L'Oréal Glam Bronze Cushion De Soleil. These are only £14.99 each and therefore are half the price of the Lancôme foundation.

L'OREAL PURE CLAY MASKS

When I heard that L'Oréal were going to bring out three pure clay masks, I was so excited and as soon as they were released I went and bought all three from Boots. I have currently been using the Extraordinary Clay shampoo and conditioner that L'Oréal brought out earlier this year, so I knew that I would be a fan of these masks. I often find it difficult to find masks that are affordable and that actually work, but I am already in love with these clay masks and I have only been using them for a couple of weeks.

Each clay mask has the same three core clays in them; which are Kaolin, Montmorillonite and Ghassoul clays. However, these are the base ingredients and it is the fourth ingredient added that targets specific individual's need. Purity has Eucalyptus, Detox has Charcoal and Glow has Red Algae added to the three clays.

TED BAKER EARRINGS ...

I have never been the type of girl that loves to wear loads of jewellery and when I do wear necklaces or bracelets, I usually go for more delicate pieces as I find bolder pieces do not suit me at all and can sometimes look too much. However, I have recently been trying to wear more jewellery and even though most of my jewellery comes from Primark or from high street stores like River Island, Accessorise and New Look; I wanted to buy some jewellery that is slightly more expensive and that I knew would last me a lot longer that the jewellery I already have.

I have always been a massive fan of the jewellery from Ted Baker, and I always thought that it was more expensive that it really is. Don't get me wrong, some of the necklaces they sell are still £99 and are a bit too bold for me. However, they have bangles on their website for £35 and earrings for as little as £19 which I think is a really good price for jewellery that is going to be of a high quality and be a really special piece for anyone; I think Ted Baker jewellery is perfect for birthday presents or even graduation presents, as students are coming to the end of their final year at school or University.

MY NATURAL EVERYDAY MAKEUP LOOK

As you will be aware, for my blog, I am often buying new beauty products (whether drugstore or high-end) to review and include in these posts. Even though I have a whole collection of makeup, I often find myself stuck in a rut (or stuck in my comfort zone) when it comes to my everyday makeup look and I rarely mix it up. Therefore, with it being almost Summer, I thought it would be the perfect time to change up my look and add some new makeup products to my makeup bag.

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS EYESHADOW PALETTE

It would be an understatement to say that when I heard that Urban Decay were once again collaborating with Disney to release a limited edition collection, including a new eyeshadow palette and five lipsticks, I was excited. For years, I have been purchasing most of the eyeshadow palettes released by Urban Decay, but one of the palettes I really wanted to buy but never got was the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows palette that was released in 2010. So I knew that at the beginning of May, when the Alice Through the Looking Glass palette was released I was going to buy it straight away. This palette is inspired by the new Disney film of Alice Through the Looking Glass, which is being released on the 27th May.

Firstly, can we mention how beautiful this palette is; it seems that every time Urban Decay release a palette, especially when it is limited edition, they put so much detail into the design and theme of the palette. They have really managed to encapsulate the feel of Alice in Wonderland into this collection and it is such a statement piece that will definitely be going on my dressing table, as it is so beautiful to be kept in a drawer. This palette features a bright and colourful kaleidoscopic artwork which features flowers and butterflies, as well as including some of the most iconic quotes from the film. I love the fact that it looks a lot more modern than the previous Alice in Wonderland palette, and it just looks incredible on a dressing table. When you lift the lid and open up the doors inside, there is a 3D butterfly that springs up. There is a reasonably sized mirror as well; although I personally would have preferred for it to be slightly larger so it was more usable as there is a lot of wasted space around the mirror. To access the palette itself, you have to just pull open the palette's drawer to reveal the eyeshadows, which are arranged by character in columns. My only criticism is that the palette is quite larger and would not really be practical to take away on holiday with you, but for all the detail that has gone into and the fact you get 20 eyeshadows, you would expect it to be slightly larger. The palette, like most of the larger palettes, comes with a double-ended brush. I prefer to use my own brushes but I will probably use this brush every now and again, and it feels really soft and would be good for applying the shadows.

MY TOP 5 DRUGSTORE LIPSTICKS

I thought I would share with you all my five top drugstore lipsticks that I love having in my makeup bag and find myself reaching for most of the time. I will in the future do a blog post on my top five high-end lipsticks, but I find that I will reach for my drugstore lipsticks more just because they don't cost as much as lipsticks from Yves Saint Laurent or Mac. I use to never wear lipstick until a year ago and would always find myself reaching for the same lip gloss all the time. But now I am obsessed and you will notice from my top five drugstore lipsticks that I either love a nude lip or I go for a darker red. I do have one lipstick in this collection which would never be a colour I usually go for but I find I reach for it so much, especially in Spring and Summer.

L-R: Maybelline Peach Poppy, Rimmel Kate 43, Revlon Blushed, Rimmel Kate 107, Revlon Black Cherry

All of these lipsticks apply smoothly and are long-lasting (with the exception being Maybelline's Peach Poppy which has more of a glossier finish, and therefore doesn't last as long as the others) and they all finish of my makeup looks perfectly without breaking the bank!

I picked up the Maybelline Peach Poppy a couple of months ago and I have worn it so much that I had to buy another one a week ago. This is a total pick-me-up shade and is usually a shade that I would never even look at. But I remember reading someone's blog and they spoke so much about this lipstick that I had to buy it for myself. It is absolutely stunning on my lips and even though it looks like a really bright peach colour, it does come off quite subtle on the lips. It also looks great on my skin tone (and I am quite pale) but it also looks amazing when I'm tanned as well. Like I already said this is not as long-lasting as the other lipsticks due to the fact that it has a glossy finish. Also, I have found that I have to moisturise my lips before putting this lipstick on because it can show where your lips are dry but apart from that it is my favourite lipstick this Spring. I love to wear this lipstick when I'm going for more of a natural makeup look but I just want to add a brighter colour to my lips!

L'OREAL EXTRAORDINARY CLAY COLLECTION

I always struggle with finding a shampoo that works best for my hair; especially as I dye my hair every three to four months which damages and dries out my hair. So I was so happy when in February L'Oréal released a new collection for their Elvive range. I was going to buy it as soon as it came out but I wanted to use up my current shampoo before buying any more. So I decided to buy the whole collection last month and I am obsessed with it.

If you are like me then you can rejoice at the fact that L'Oréal has brought out a range which is for people who suffer with oily roots but their ends are really dry! Over the last year I have realised that I have to wash my hair so much, so I am excited that L'Oréal have brought out a collection which should combat that issue. The Extraordinary Clay collection is designed to combat this problem, and absorbs any excess oil from the roots while leaving the ends silky smooth, which eliminates the need to wash your hair on a regular basis.

The collection consists of four products; a pre-shampoo masque, shampoo, conditioner and a dry shampoo. All of them contain three clays - which is a totally new ingredient to L'Oréal's line-up! It has white clay to purify the roots, a blue clay to hydrate the ends of your hair, and a green clay to revitalise the entire fibre. But the main question is do they really work?

I am so happy to say that this product does work on my hair, and even though I have only used it for just under a month I have noticed a difference in my hair already. I have found that my hair doesn't look greasy but it still has a shine to it, and the ends of my hair are left feeling really silky smooth. Also, it has allowed me an extra day between washing my hair, which is perfect if you are like me and colour your hair frequently and don't want to over-wash your hair.

Firstly, it wouldn't be me if I did not mention the packaging. It is the same as all of the other Elvive range, but it is in this gorgeous bright blue/turquoise shade. I was instantly drawn to this in Boots just because of the colour of the packaging and it does look amazing in my bathroom! Although you should never buy a product just for the packaging and also I was really interested in seeing if this formula would work at all.