Hello Lovelies!   

I literally haven't blogged in like forever. Life tended to get in the way and before I knew it I had no time left for me. But I finally have the time to start where I left off and I'm so excited! 

Just a little update to refresh some memories and maybe a little background for any new followers (Hi!). I have two children, a five year old girl named Amelia and a three year old boy named Jay. We live in London with our eight month old puppy Chase. Life has changed a lot since I last blogged, with a lot of ups and too many downs. Earlier this year I left my sons dad due to Domestic Violence and will be writing a post to share my story, raise awareness and maybe even just as a form of therapy. 

See you all soon!  

 

 

Monthly Favorites

 

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Foundation

I love this. I used to use the Rimmel Perfect Match in the 'box' but haven't been able to get it for ages so I'm not sure if they actually do it anymore. Anyway, I had the Wake me up one which I do really like just after it's been applied but it tends to make me go really shiny as the day goes on so I wanted to try something else. I used to use MAC foundation but I usually just go with Rimmel these days as I find their products really good and they're priced really well too. So I picked this one up about two weeks ago and I really like it. I always pick up 'Classic Beige' as it's a really nice natural colour without being too dark or heavy. I will defiantly be re-purchasing

Maybelline Baby Skin 'Instant Fatigue Blur' 

In my last favorites post I posted about the Baby Skin primer which I love, love, love so when I popped into boots a little while ago to pick up another and saw this I had to try it out. I wouldn't say I like it as much as the original primer but it's close. I did pick it up with the intention of possibly wearing this alone instead of as a base under my makeup but unfortunately i don't think it's a good enough base to wear alone, that said I really like it under makeup. 

 MAC False Lashes Mascara 

Clearly I do really like this mascara or it wouldn't be in my favorites but it in no way lives up to it's name. I actually only purchased this as it claims to give a brilliant false lash effect (hence the name), it doesn't. I think it's a really natural looking mascara and I usually have to really layer it up. So if you are someone who is looking for that falsies effect, don't buy. But if you do like a good natural looking mascara this ones a winner. 

 

 Sleek Face form Contouring & Blush Palette 

Firstly let me just say I need a new contouring brush so if anybody has any suggestions please leave them below! I've been trying to get the one by Real Techniques but they're always sold out! They only ever seem to have it in the sets but I already have the other brushes so it's really annoying. Anyway, I finally got my hands on this a few weeks ago. I was after the fair but they only had medium and dark left so I picked up the medium as it's fine on me but I think I'm going to track down the fair too! These are about £6 so they're really inexpensive and great for beginners who just want to play around. I absolutely love the blush in this palette, it's the kind I'd usually turn my nose up at and think of it as looking cheap but it looks lovely. I would defiantly recommend this product. 

 

Wool Beanie Hat with Fur Pom Pom 

I had to share this with you. Winter is offically here, boo! I am loving this new hat of mine, most of you have probably seen these as this style is popping up everywhere this year. AmeliaJane have a few to choose from, I was originally going to get mine from them but including postage it was £29 which I wasn't really feeling to pay for a hat to be honest so I had a quick look on Ebay and found this one for £19.99 I'll leave the link here. 

Essence of Nature Candle

I'm a sucker for a candle especially for these cold winter evenings. I usually would go for a Yankee candle (who wouldn't) but I spotted this cutie in the card shop for £1.99. They have a few different scents so I choose 'rose' and it's lovely. I've used it to death and it's still going strong so they're great value for money.   

 

   

 

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Fake Tans

The suns out and it's hotting up. Everyone wants to wear their summer dresses and cute little co-ords and nobody wants to be the girl with the pasty white complexion. Weather you want a golden bronzed look or just a slight glow it's safe to say there is now a product on the market for everyone. I started using fake tans when I was about 16. I started off using things like Johnsons holiday skin which just gives you a glow more than a tan I would say. I then moved onto actual fake tanners from companies such as makebelieve before going back to gradual tanners again all the way up until just over a year ago! I am naturally quite pale and although when I put fake tan on I don't want my skin to be dark I do like to have a natural light tan. 

So as we are in 'tan season' and I know ALOT of people are afraid of fake tans or just don't really know how to apply or how to avoid/get rid of a bad tan I thought I'd share with you what I like, what I don't like and what I use from fake tans, gradual tanners, mits and scrubs. 

Prep 

The preparation before a tan application is actually quite important and very overlooked. I always shave before I apply tan even if there is nothing there just so the skin isn't pricky the following day, but you don't have to. I would highly recommend exfoliating before an application, I usually do this a few hours before to give my skin some time to settle down as it can become a little pinkish. I use my exfoliating gloves with a scrub on to do so, I had been using Soap & Glory's scrub of your life but recently picked up Cocoa Brown's tough stuff which is just amazing, it recommends you only use on hands, feet, knees and elbows but I've been using it all over (other than my face) and find it fine. Next step is moisturizer, I love the Garnier intensive 7 days body lotion and for quickness Vaseline spray and go. 

Application 

I only ever use Velvotan tanning mit. I always get mine from the discount shops for £1.99 and they are honestly the best I've ever used, way better than the St Tropez ones! These ones have a thin plastic coat inside so you don't get a stained hand. I usually use two at once, one to apply and one to rub in the excess, usually just on tricky areas though as I find if I use the one I've applied with it just keeps rubbing more tan on the skin where I'm trying to minimize it.

 Gradual Tans 

I used to only ever use gradual tans but since I started using actual fake tans I don't use these as much at all. I normally find I like them better to use in between tan applications rather than on their own. I really like the Garnier summer body, it has a lovely smell to it and is also really moisturizing. You can get this in different shades, I get 'Deep'. It gives a nice natural colour which is quite natural looking and the bottle seems to last for ages! So the other one is Dove summer glow which I have a sort of love hate relationship with. I'm not so keen on it but wouldn't say it's terrible. I have seen it looking really nice on some people so maybe it's just me I'm not so keen with it on? Vani-t bronzing custard is defiantly one of my favorites, again it's very natural looking but without feeling like you haven't put anything on. It also seems to work really well with just about anything, I haven't found it to streak or look orangey. There is a red packaging one too which is exactly the same thing, I personally prefer this one as I find the red one seems to leak. I am a big fan of St Tropez and have about three of the St Tropez gradual tan at the moment. I am not a big fan of this by itself (without a fake tan on) I don't find it really makes a difference but with a tan already on and using this as a 'in betweener' it works great. It doesn't have a horrible smell and it's sticky. I am a Cocoa Brown tan fan. They're products are cheap as chips but are soo good! Their gradual tan gentle bronze is amazing. I haven't yet tried it on it's own so I don't actually know how it could be but with a tan already on I love it. You do have to be careful with it as it can go a little orangey. This drys really quickly which I find really good as I hate that 'wet' feeling that can last ages after applying a gradual tan.

Fake Tans 

 Cocoa Brown one hour tan  I'm sure you can guess what I'm going to say. This is probably one of my favorite tans ever, and one of the cheapest. The actually sell this in Primark where I think it is about £6 or you can pick it up (and the rest of the range) in Superdrug for £6.99 I think. As you can see they do this in two shades, the original which I would say is a medium and then the dark shade. I really like both of these, if you are using the original but you aren't wanting it too light I would say you need to use at least 2-3 layers if you are pale skinned. It is a one hour tan so you are meant to be able to wash it off after that hour as well as being able to leave it on longer. I did try washing this off after about two and a half hours before but didn't find it to have made much difference so I usually use it as I would any other tan, applying before bed and washing off the next morning. I do like to wash it off my hands and face after an hour though. 

I think just about everyone has heard of St. Moriz  I have only ever tried the mousse but they do a liquid too. I know some people swear by this and love it, others just buy it because it's so cheap and easy to find and others hate it. Me? I hate it. I find it looks really orange, heavy, unnatural and is really difficult to get off. I put this straight in the bin after taking this picture and wont be buying again.

Vani-t brazilian bronze this tan is so good. This is another one hour tan, I do find it works better than the CB tan as an hour tan but again I do usually just leave it on. The bottle is quite small but seems to last ages. I took this on holiday with me and applied some nearly everyday as I was in and out of the pool and sea which obviously fades and breaks your tan down. This was so easy to take and apply and still looked great without being completely scrubs off before another application. I've already said what a St Tropez fan I am and being one of the biggest fake tans I think most people have tried their tannning mousse. I love this stuff, I have tried it in dark but much prefer the original. It's very natural looking, doesn't smell and fades really nicely without going patchy. One of my favorite tans is Fake Bake original fake tan this is probably one of the only non-mousse tans that I like. You do have to be careful with this as it's red based so can go orange but looks lovely and natural otherwise. When I have applied this I've had lots of compliments about my tan and most people think it's a real tan or my natural colour. It doesn't have the nicest smell I have to admit but it's worth it! 

 Get it off

One of the trickiest things about tan can be getting it all back off. Some people like to exfoliate just the top layer before application so they aren't actually taking it all off and others like to get it all off before doing the doing application. I actually do both depending. Sometimes I think it just all needs to come off and start a fresh. As I mentioned at the start I recently purchased the Cocoa Brown Tans scrub 'Tough Stuff'. I have already said how great it is for prep but it is also soo good for removing tan too. I find it quite difficult to find products to remove tan so I was really impressed to see these results. I always use my exfoliating gloves with a scrub to remove tan, usually it takes twice so for example I might have a bath Saturday evening to remove tan but then will do the same again the following day as it wont of all come off. With this scrub it did all come off the first time. I also like Modelco tan remover it isn't as rough as 'tough stuff' but still works really well. The St Tropez prep and maintain isn't so much for removing tan as you can tell from it's name. But it is meant to include removal which I think it's really bad at. This is more for people who are wanting to remove the top layer rather than the whole tan, I find it makes you look a bit patchy so I don't like this product. Lastly the St Tropez tan build up remover mitt which I really like. You can use this for different things, as a scrub to remove your tan, a lighter scrub just to remove the build up or to apply. It isn't actually meant to apply but sometimes it works great especially if you are someone who doesn't like to remove the whole tan as it will remove build up while applying your new layer. 

 

 Do you use any of these products? Love or hate any? Or have any tips of your own? 

Veet In Shower Hair Removal - Review

Sorry for poor photo quality these were taken at night.

I've never been a fan of hair removal creams, having tried loads in the past including sprays (mostly Nair) I never really found them any good and so kind of just stopped trying and moved on to other methods. I hadn't thought about trying one again until I was in my local discount shop browsing the beauty section when I came across Veet In Shower Hair Removal Cream which was priced at £3 (link is to Boots website where it is priced at £6.85 at the moment normally £6.99). I don't remember ever trying a Veet hair removal cream before so thought I would give it a go as I tend to like their products. This one is for use in the shower for quicker more convenience use. It does say though to try and keep away from the water as much as possible to avoid washing it all off. I don't actually shower much at all I much prefer to bath so I didn't use this in the shower, I would have picked up a normal one but they only had this one and I figured it didn't really matter. It says you should leave it on for at least three minutes before washing off. I think I left it for about 7 minutes just because I wanted to make sure it had done the job. You apply with the soft side of the sponge and once it's ready to come off you rub in with the rougher side of the sponge then wash/wipe off. 

It says..

 Veet in-shower hair removal cream for normal skin has been specially formulated to give you impeccably smooth skin in just 3 minutes. Enriched with lotus milk and a delightful jasmine fragrance, it leaves skin feeling beautifully moisturised, touchably soft and delicately scented. Suitable for your legs, arms, underarms and bikini line, it works even on very short hair for luxuriously smooth skin that lasts for up to 4 days. The special formula means you can use it even while you shower - simply cover the desired area with cream using the soft, coloured side of the sponge provided, wait for 1 minute and step into the shower. Don't worry if the cream starts to wash away, just direct the water stream away from covered areas for the first 2-6 minutes of showering, then wipe off the cream using the white side of the sponge to pull dissolved hairs away for impeccably smooth skin.

Do I Agree? 

Yes and no. When I used this I didn't have long hair and like I said I left it on for about 7 minutes on each leg. After cleaning it off it had worked just like it said. I had silky soft skin and no hairs. It was easy to use and wasn't too messy using out of the shower. It says it has a 'delightful' jasmine fragrance which I completely disagree with, infact I thought it smelt awful - even the cat hated it! I also used a towel to wipe excess off my legs, the next day I went into the room which the towel was sitting in the washing basket and couldn't figure out what the awful smell in the room was, then realized it was the towel! I would say the smell was mainly bad on the towel though and didn't seem to linger on the skin. Looking at the container I thought I would get at least three applications from the product, which I didn't. I used up nearly the whole thing on just my legs which was abit annoying and I can image would have been even more annoying if I had of paid full price. It says it leaves skin hair free for up to four days - wrong! Okay so 'up to' can be a little misleading and it doesn't actually promise to do so but we tend to assume anyway. As I said my legs were silky smooth after application which was on Saturday night, they weren't so silky the following day but were fine but by the next morning (Monday) I again had hair on my legs, it wasn't very noticeable but it was there. So I only actually got one full day hair free from this product which was disappointing. 

Overall I wouldn't recommend this product and wont be purchasing again myself. I didn't find it to be very effective and didn't think it was very good value for money considering it took nearly a whole tube for just one day of smoothness.

Let me know if you have tried this product, did you find it different for you and liked it? And are there any hair removal creams you love?

Guest Post - Astley Clarke

 Festival season is well and truly underway. Are you looking forward to rocking out at Reading? Perhaps you’ve got tickets to see JT at V Festival? No matter what festivals you are going to this summer, one thing that is just as important as getting a ticket is ensuring you look the part. Festivals present the opportunity to have fun with your style. There are no rules. You can go over-the-top and no one will think anything of it. In fact, the girl in a plain pair of leggings and a boring t-shirt is likely to be the one getting the weird stares! So, embrace it, have fun with it, and let your personality shine through…

When it comes to festival fashion it is all about accessorizing. Big flower hair garlands are at the height of fashion at present. They offer a fun, feminine and flirtatious addition to any outfit. You can play towards this with a cute white t-shirt dress, or you can edge it out with a pair of denim shorts and a cut out black body! The possibilities are endless. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t simply stop at a hair accessory. Selecting your jewellery is just as important. Stacked rings are extremely fashionable and a lot of fun. You can mix and match a whole host of styles. In fact, Astley Clarke has an excellent feature on their website where you can mix and match their rings to see what they look like together. Or, why not go for a pair of feather earrings? These are great for those who want to embrace the hippy style, which is so popular at festivals, as it encapsulates the atmosphere of the whole occasion.

When picking your outfit for a festival the best thing to do is decide what sort of theme you wish to go for. Do you want to create a punk feel with your ensemble? If so, dark liner and combat boots are a must. Perhaps you’d rather go loud with neon colours and colourful jewellery. Or, what about the Boho look? This is an extremely popular choice at festivals and is ideal because it is comfortable. Flowy dresses, hats and hair feathers are great for this style. Or, perhaps twee is more you? Think vintage and sweet finishing touches, like little hair clips and Mary-Jane flats. If you determine the theme you wish to go for, you have the basis for your outfit and you will be able to create a winning look. After all, that is what festival fashion is all about – being distinct and really going for it.

All in all, there is no right or wrong when it comes to the trends you should adopt when attending a festival. The only rule is to be expressive and pick an outfit that has personality. If you do that, you are assured to create a winning look. There is only one last accessory you need, and that is confidence – own it!