#SBBC Day 5 – Good Skin Starts From Within

Foods for healthy skin

As the daily prompts are optional and I wasn’t having any inspiration for either today I decided to do a post that was suggested by our very own Megan on foods that are super good for your skin. It doesn’t matter how many lotions and cleansers you use your skin will always be better if you eat well. Taking care of the inside will naturally take care of the outside.

Water

First up and the one I feel most important is water. Your skin needs to be hydrated to be healthy. Hydrated skin not only has fewer spots it has a natural glow and tans easily and safely when using sun screen. Water will keep your skin young, soft and beautiful.

Yoghurt

Yoghurt contains vitamin A which is vital for good skin. Just be sure to make it a low-fat version.

Blueberries

Blueberries are my personal favourite super-food. They are rich in antioxidant which fights the anti-aging process and helps to protect your skin from the effects of pollution in the air.

Salmon

I’m not a fish eater, I can’t stand it but I wish I could. It’s rich in Omega and Essential Fatty Acids, these are responsible for healthy cell membranes and the general healthy of cells throughout the whole body. If the cell walls are tough cookies they’ll keep more water in and thus give you healthier cells and healthier skin.

Almonds

And no I’m not talking about the sugar-coated variety! Almonds are jam-packed full of vitamin E and are rich in monounsaturated fat (good fat!). This also keep cells strong and lowers cholesterol too.

Spinach

I love spinach. Mainly in fresh mixed in with mash potato so it is just lightly steamed. (My recipe for the day!) Spinach contains beta-carotene which  helps to repair skin and maintain its youthful appearance.

Avoid!

Too much milk, bread, pasta, cakes – These are all linked to causing acne.

Salt – This can cause your skin to look puffy and can also cause acne.

Candy – This can damage the collagen and elsatin in your skin. These both keep your skin firm and wrinkle free so ditch the candy and hit up the blueberries!

Alcohol – It dries out your skin and causes so many problems and can also lead to more serious skin conditions.

#SBBC Day 4 – Positives about blogging

Seeing as I just ran out of my favourite hand cream (The Body Shop Almond hand cream) I decided to do my positives about blogging. It’s good to change things up once in a while anyway!

So these are the positives I found to blogging in the 11 weeks (tomorrow) that I’ve been blogging:

1. Community – There’s quite a few bloggers on here that I now consider to be ‘blogger friends’, you are all so amazing and the community feel to blogging is addictive and unique. I look forward to reading other people’s posts and getting to know them through their writing. I hope to meet some of you at a blogger meet up in the future.
2. Discovery – I adore finding new products and I trust what the bloggers are writing about them. It helps me to stay in the loop and stumble upon products I wouldn’t otherwise have done.
3. Writing – I love to write and I have a huge passion for this blog. It is already helping me to find my own writers voice and the daily practice is not only fun but valuable experience for the career I aim to do.
4. Creativity – I’m getting the hang of making my posts better, I like trying to think of new post ideas as much as I like trying new products to review. I’m getting used to editing my photos to make them stand out more too.
5. Satisfaction – I get a huge sense of satisfaction when people like and comment on my posts, it’s always good to feel appreciated and to know people actually do read and care about what you write. It’s satisfying seeing my hard work paid off in numbers of followers and views. I think I’ll always be excited to hear from my followers and I do try to reply to each comment as soon as possible. If any have slipped through, I’m sorry!

What are your positives of blogging?

The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit Review

There seems to be a shortage of affordable eyebrow kits right now. Every time I saw one online to order it seemed to be out of stock. The MUA one has had brilliant write ups but is consistently not available. That’s when I came across The Body Shop’s one. This item is solely responsible for my recent TBS haul. If I was already ordering it I may as well make the most of it and order enough to get free shipping.

Prominent, bold and thicker eyebrows have been slowly making a comeback over the summer and are set to big for Autumn. Good eyebrows can change a whole look, make statement and frame your face. Eyebrows were never meant to be thin lines barely there.  If like most of us you followed the over plucked look in the last few years chances are your brows don’t have what it takes to meet this seasons trend. That’s where a good eyebrow kit comes in.

I usually use Brow Zings by Benefit but it’s pretty pricey for what it is and I’ve run out so I decided to find an affordable option and I’m thrilled with this little treasure.

Firstly, the packaging is lovely, if a pain in the butt to photograph, it looks glamourous and there is plenty of product included and a handy mirror and double ended brush. It also comes in a range of different shades so there really is one for everyone.

It’s really easy to use, you can use either end of the brush depending on what works best for you, largely this is decided by the size of your eyebrows and what size you want them to be. I think the smaller brush is meant to be used as the eyeliner but I find that brush easier to use when doing my eyebrows. You use the lighter shade in the middle and then the darker to create the arch and fill in the eyebrow.

This product works really well, it’s so versatile that you can create the perfect brow look for you, day or night. It also lasts really well. It’s a really thick powder, it tames the brows in a flash and maintains them throughout the day.

The darker colour can also be used to set eyeliner or even as an eyeliner which is an added bonus.

At just £10 it is a total bargain and The Body Shop often have offers on anyway so you can get it even cheaper.

What brow kit do you use?

#SBBC – What I Take When I Travel

Day 3 of the September blog-a-day challenge started with the exciting news that I now have 300 wonderful followers. I think I’ll do another giveaway at 500 followers. I’ve been blogging 10 and 1/2 weeks and I still can’t get pver the fact that people actually read what I write!

Anyway, into today’s post. I take so many things when I travel so I decided to just show 7 of them. I tend to over-pack and take everything including the kitchen sink, you just never know when you’re going to need that bright pink eye liner you bought when you were 13.

• The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream is multi-purpose, I use it in place of my moisturiser and foundation in the morning saving my precious space in my bag and time for enjoying my time away.
• I always have a concealer with me, I’m currently using an MUA one and it’d be one I took travelling as it’s cheap and easily replaceable.
• Nail polish, I always take the nail polish I’m wearing seeing as I’m prone to chipping and I’m guaranteed to need to touch them up.
• They’re Real – this mascara literally goes everywhere with me, I may be busy travelling but that doesn’t mean I can let my lashes go!
• L’Occitane Hydration Cream – I always take a sample size moisturiser with me for night time skin-care. I take a full skin regime but this is the most important part for me as I get really dry skin.
• DKNY Be Delicious Perfume – This is my all-time favourite perfume and it holds a lot of memories from weekends away so I always refill and take along my sample size one whenever I travel.
• Lip Balm – The Figs and Rouge Lip Balm is a current favourite as it works really well but can also double up as a cheek tint,

There are literally so many more products I take but we’d be here all day! Hope you’re all having a good Tuesday!

#SBBC – The Bad-Ass Biker Look

So I have no ‘It’s in the Bag’ for you tonight but I do have a sexy new biker jacket to share with you. I decided to go all out and create a Bad-Ass Biker look especially for the occasion. Now I’m not very ‘bad-ass’ as you can see, aside from a few tattoos I’m pretty low-key.. normally. But here it is anyway!

I’ve had my eye out for a biker jacket for weeks now and when I saw this one in New Look for just £39.99 I knew I had to have it. It’s bang on trend for Autumn and it’s practical too. It’ll keep me warm enough without making me overheat. I love the zip detailing on this jacket, it’s also really fitted and it’s so flattering. It nips me in at the waist too. It also has fab creases at the elbows which look fantastic. This will probably be my favourite Autumn piece.

I kept the outfit simple to let the jacket and shoes speak for themselves. I just popped it on with a simple vest top and skinny jeans. I love these shoes which I’ve had a while but I think the cute bows make it a more feminine outfit whilst still looking ‘bad-ass’.

To pull of this look I believe your makeup needs to stand out and make a statement too. For me, only a smokey eye and red lips would do. I used my Benefit Smokin’ Eye kit for the eyes. I used a No7 black metallic eyeliner across the whole of the top lid and 3/4 of the lower lid. I also used my new Body Shop Eyebrow Kit to define my brows a bit. I applied a couple of coats of They’re real and a bit of Benefit High Beam under my brow.

I applied plenty of M.A.C. powder blush in Mocha for a flushed, ‘I just got of a motorbike’ glow. Followed by highlighting my cheek bones with even more High Beam.

A slick of MUA Shade 1 lipstick over a Barry M Lip Liner and I was good to go, to go where I don’t know seeing as I’m still sat here and now in my pyjamas! I can’t wait to do this look again over the weekend!

We’re in BD Mag.. again!

I’m pleased to announce I have an article in BD Mag’s September issue which happens to be a smokin’ hot summer special. Check out my article Sizzling Summer Make-Up and a whole plethora of other awesome features. My personal highlight is the interview with local band Doll Set Tones. Other features not to miss include interviews with alternative models and photographers.

The Body Shop Baked-to-Last Eye Shadow in Amethyst Review

This eye shadow by The Body shop in Amethyst has got to be one of the prettiest ones I own. Both purples are gorgeous, I tend to use the lighter one over the lid and the darker at the corner of my eye.

This eye shadow can be used wet or dry. Dry it doesn’t have the best colour pay off in the world, it’s quite subtle but then that’s nice for an every day look. I haven’t tried it wet yet as quite frankly it makes me a little nervous but I will give it a go soon, when I have no where to go in a hurry.

I used it over Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray eye primer and that did improve the colour slightly but it honestly didn’t last 8 hours. Even my MUA palettes last 8 hours with a primer under so this was a bit disappointing. Again, though I think it’d last longer used wet. This isn’t the best photo, it doesn’t do the colours justice but you get the idea.

I found it quite difficult to build up the colour into a shade I was happy with but once I got there I was happy with it. They 2 shades blended into each other effortlessly which was fab.  I have heard that this shade is the weakest of them all so I think I may need to try a different shade. I’m definitely going to incorporate this into a smokey eye look as I think that’d look gorgeous, I’ll let you know how that goes!

Try it: £10, The Body Shop

August 2013 Heroes

How the heck did September get here?! This year has gone so fast it’s unreal and I’ve officially been married 6 months today 😀

I’ve tried so many products this month that it was really hard to decide which were actually my favourites but I’ve whittled it down to theses ones. August has been a fantastic month beauty wise and I could go on all day if I was to mention all my heroes  of this month.

Benefit Rockateur Blush

This has been my perfect blusher for the summer, it is rose gold so is the perfect blend between a bronze and flushed result for my fair skin. It has a beautiful shimmer to it and parties all day and night without slipping. This blusher is seriously hardcore and I’ve worn it nearly every day in August. You can see my full review here.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Noir Perfume

This one only made it into August for the last week but it has landed itself straight into my favourites, originally I promised my self it was for special occasions due to the price, well going to work, the park and church is special right?! Full review here.

Anatomicals Spray Misty for Me

This face spritz has been a total heroine for me in the humid UK heat. It’s set my makeup into lasting all day, it’s cooled me down in our melting office and it’s done it all with some humour and an amazing smell. Full review here.

L’Occitane Hydration Creme 

I reviewed this a while back but rediscovered it about a week into August and fell in love with it even more than the first time. It leaves my skin with a gorgeous dewy glow fit for the summer. I also noticed a huge improvement to the quality of my skin. I couldn’t afford to invest int he full size this month as much as I wanted to, so my wonderful husband managed to get his hands on another sample for me, that’ll keep me going another few weeks!  Full review here.

MUA Undress Your Skin Flawless Primer

This primer has been used every single day since I bought it, it’s soft and velvety and provides an amazing base for a day’s makeup. It feels amazing and performs wonderfully. Full review here.

MUA Lipsticks

These are my favourite budget find of the month. At £1 each I still fully intend to get the whole collection. They last well and don’t dry out my lips. The colours are also lovely. Reviews here, Red, Nude.

I’m looking forward to seeing which products rock my world this month and I’ll be sure to let you know at the start of October!

 

His & Hers – Lynx Dark Temptation and Attract for Her Reviews

I love that Lynx now do a female version of Lynx, I’ve always loved the men’s smells and this one is my husband’s favourite. I really hope Lynx bring out more female scents soon although this one is lovely.

For him

Lynx Dark Temptation is meant to smell of chocolate and it does to a certain extent but it isn’t too sweet either. It’s still manly! It’s probably why I love it so much though. My husband always smells scrummy and this keeps him smelling sweet throughout the day at his job in a kitchen and he still smells tasty after a run too.

For her

I love Lynx Attract for her. It says its limited edition but its been around a while so I hope they don’t take it away too soon! It too has a sweet but fresh scent, it smells almost powdery. It’s performance is also outstanding. The only thing I find is that it really stings the under arms right after shaving.

I’ve got a few of my husbands after shaves to review soon too, cue lots of sniffing!

Check out the new page on this website too, it’s all about The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Challenge and don’t forget to enter the giveaway too!

Pretty in Pink

Happy Saturday!

So my brain has been bombarding with ideas to try out lately, the list is growing so fast I can’t keep up but this is what I love about blogging. As quick as you do one idea another springs to life. I’ve decided to do a series of colour themed posts on Saturday’s over the coming weeks. I am going to showcase my favourite products from each colour. Today is PINK.

I love pretty pink colours, I’m so girly yet for some reason I don’t own that many pink items, clothes or makeup. Sure, plenty of things have pink packaging but I don’t own that many with pink product but these are the favourites of what I do own.

Pink is so versatile, it look as natural o as out there as you want it to. Pale pinks are pretty and flirty whilst more vibrant pinks are playful and can me a luscious statement. Without further a do, here’s my best pinks.

Avon Speed Dry Nail Polish in ASAP Pink – I love the gorgeous shade of this nail polish, it’s like candyfloss. It’s super girly and summery.

M.A.C Powder Blush in Mocha – This is a dark pink, it’s warm tones and matte finish provide an elegant result and a deep flush. It;s one of my favourite blushers.

Avon Colour Trend Lipstick Pen/Crayon in Gone Pink – I love the shimmer on this product, I’ve nearly used it all up now but it’s really soft and easy to use and it’s a beautiful floral shade.

Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner Definer in Eastend Snob – This is a grown up pink liner and works well under darker pink lipsticks and on its own. It is very moisturising and it twists up rather than needing sharpening. I’ll do a full review of this at some point.

Avon Colour Trend Lipstick in Amethyst – I usually equate amethyst to the purple colour group but this is most definitely a pink lipstick. It is highly pigmented and again it moisturises well too. It’s a dark pink, perfect for every day wear and a gorgeous Autumn shade.

Rimmel Colour Rush Eye Shadow in 030 Siren – This is a very vibrant pink, perfect for when you want to make a statement. It lasts well and is very pigmented.

What are your favourite pink products?