Everyone Loves A Freebie #1

Lately I've been struggling to conjure up some ideas for new blog posts, through lack of inspiration and working full time this summer I've been left feeling a little stooped and basically bored of everything I own. When rifling through my collection I came across a few freebies that I had collected from magazines. I am an avid collector of Vogue and Elle and have been for years. Quite often I also like to pick up Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire and InStyle. So the hoarder in me goes crazy when there's a beauty product involved in an issue too! Samples and mini products are a great way to be introduced to a brand you haven't tried before and for the price of a magazine, I think they are an absolute bargain too. I thought I would start a new series of mini reviews of products I have been trying thanks to magazines. 

I think every beauty blogger and their dog has picked up Elle this month due to the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray. B&B are a brand I have never tried before as I tend to stick to affordable drugstore products for my hair. I never really style my hair and rarely ever use hairspray, mousses or cremes, so I don't see the point investing in expensive haircare. My hair is quite thick anyway so this product isn't really necessary for me but I tried it out nonetheless, just because curiosity got the better of me. My hair is naturally very straight so I was hoping that the thickening agents would perhaps make my hair have more body and volume. You can spray this on wet or dry hair, and from trying both methods I still feel pretty disappointed by it. I think I'm going to pass it on to my sister who has finer hair than me and see how she gets on with it! 

Jergens is another brand I have never tried anything of before, but I have absolutely fallen in love with this body lotion. I am definitely going to pick up the full size of this, for £4.99 from Boots you can't really go wrong! This Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Body Moisturiser improved my skin so much when I was on holiday last week. When packing my toiletries I was extremely brutal with what I took with me and my body suffered for the week. I'm so glad I chucked this in though because it made my body feel so soft and nourished and it smells so good, kind of grannyish but in a good way! This came with Marie Claire a few months ago so you can't get this size anymore but they have a great full range in Boots.

This is quite a generous size of this L'Occitane Imortelle Precious Cream as it is the travel size pot that actually retails for £15. The 50ml pot sells for a whopping £43.00 but I can probably say that when I grow older I would actually buy this. Not that it has made any visible difference to my skin as at the age of 18, I have no fine lines or wrinkles. However the cream made my skin feel SO soft, fresh and plumped. I can imagine that it would do it a very good job of making you feel and look younger. I have been using this as a night cream on my face and neck, and my skin still feels so soft the next morning. I still have the exact same feeling as when I put it on the night before. I think that is a sign of a very good moisturiser! This cream came free with Harper's Bazaar last month so you might be lucky to find it amongst the back of the shelves!

So I hope you like my new little series, let me know what you think!

Are there any gems you have discovered through magazine freebies?

Laura

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Everyday Eyes.

I don't know about anyone else but I probably own more makeup than I've had hot dinners in my life, yet I still manage to stick to and rotate the same few products without a second thought. These are my go-to products which I know are fool proof and I'm safe in the knowledge that they will last me all throughout the day. Eyes are my favourite part of doing my makeup in the mornings as they're what I tend to experiment with the most. I've never been a big eyeliner wearer as I find it just doesn't suit me or my eye-shape. Plus it doesn't help that I'm absolutely rubbish at applying it. Le sigh. When I'm in a rush (read: most mornings) I like to stick to neutral eye shadows because they take no effort to apply.

My favourite eye shadows of the moment are from my Naked Basics palette. They are so easy to work with and are completely matte, so there's no risk of me going overboard with the shimmer when I'm half awake juggling my 217 and cuppa. My favourite combination is W.O.S with Naked 2 through the crease, a subtle but defined wash of colour. If you're thinking about dabbling with Urban Decay palettes I would definitely recommend Naked Basics as an introduction. I don't own either of the Naked or Naked 2 palettes but am definitely thinking of purchasing one because I am so impressed with the quality of these colours. At £18 it isn't cheap but for the amount of product you get; it is well worth the money. Plus because the shadows are so pigmented you hardly need anything on your brush!

If I'm on the verge of being late for work because my hair has taken far too long to dry, my make up usually ends up suffering. The last thing I want is to be sat there blending away with a brush for 5 minutes so I usually give my eyes a quick prime with the Dainty Doll eye shadow base and apply the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze. This is a gorgeous bronze cream shadow which works just as well on it's own as it does under other colours. Another great cream product is this Scandal Eyes one from Rimmel. I often dab this on in the outer corner and crease and give it a quick blend with my finger. Rimmel are often £5 and under on all products in either Savers or Wilkinsons, so I would definitely check out their range as they are on fire with new releases at the moment. Mascara is taken care of my Soap & Glory Thick and Fast, a brilliant all-rounder!

What are your daily must haves?

Laura

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Holiday Snapshot: The SPF Shortlist

SPF, say what? Something completely unheard of in Britain and totally unnecessary (on the body).. However in Cyprus it was 38 degree heat all day every day, so it was an absolute must! Initially we didn't realise it was going to be quite so hot, so off we trotted to sunny Cyprus expecting a nice toasty 30 degrees.. turns out we were very very wrong. What is there to say about sun protectant apart from the fact that's it a very boring expensive necessity?  Riemann P20 Once A Day Sun Protectant was absolutely brilliant and stopped me from getting burnt and lobster-like. I can't really vouch for the 'Once A Day' claim because I was in and out of the pool/sea all day so topped it up every time I got out just to be on the safe side. The only thing I would say is that when applying it first comes out very sticky but then acts quickly and drys very fast. This makes it quite difficult to rub in so I did ended up using quite a lot. The Garnier Ambre Soliaire Protection Milk was a bottle which we picked up for 40 TL at a local off license because we felt we needed something a bit more nourishing than the P20. This was a lovely silky lotion that did the job and still allowed me get get a lovely bronzed tan. The Nivea Sun Protect Lip Balm was as basic and as bog standard as they get, it kept my lips soft and they didn't chap like they usually do on holiday! After Sun was taken care of by Nivea yet again, this was lovely and soothing but I hated the smell. It definitely cooled down by skin and prevented any redness.

So there we have it, my SPF round up..

Are there any sun protectants you swear by?

Laura 

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Holiday Snapshot: The Skincare Shortlist

For today's post I am sharing with you the skincare selection that I took with me on holiday, I tried to keep it as streamlined and compact as possible but there were a couple of full size products that I couldn't live without! Cleansers that I opted for were the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and the Purifying Cleansing Wash from Una Brennan. CP has got to be one of my all time favourite cleansers, you just can't go wrong with it and it really does live up to the hype! Plus this travel size is perfect, is it just me that finds mini products cute?!? Thought so.. This Una Brennan face wash is quietly creeping up behind Liz Earle, possibly knocking it off top spot as I just love the way it soothes my irritated acne-prone skin. Both of them were definitely necessities! I took with me one toner because this Liz Earle Instant Skin Boot Tonic is the perfect all rounder, it freshens my skin and gives me this lovely all over glow. Moisture was looked after with my favourite product at the moment, Garnier Moisture Match for Normal to Dry Skin. This has the most lovely light fragrance and makes my skin feel soooo soft and hydrated. Everything I look for in a moisturiser, plus it's so affordable too at £5.99. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask also wormed it's way into my wash kit, woopss how did that get there in there I wonder?!? I absolutely adore this mask and often used it as a general night cream when my face was feeling a little hot and flushed after a long day in the sun, it is so lovely and cooling and I woke up feeling so refreshed. 

A few other things I packed were these basic Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes, just for a quick swipe before moving onto cleansing. Being on holiday meant I was in super lazy mode and unfortunately some evenings my skincare routine fell into that rut too. However now I'm home, I'm most definitely making up for it! A mini sample of Origins Modern Friction was also very handy for a mid week exfoliate. I really recommend these Origins samples as they're great for trialing their range first as they can be quite expensive, plus they're perfect for travelling too. Origins quite often throw some of these samples into their online orders when you spend x amount of money! And last but not least, not quite a skincare product.. this Jergens Ultra Healing Body Lotion was a sample from a magazine a while back. Super nourishing and the perfect size, as I was just starting to run out of space..

What are your holiday skincare essentials?

Laura

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Holiday Snapshot: The Makeup Shortlist

Today I am sharing with you the makeup that I whittled down and took on holiday with me. Anyone who is a beauty blogger or just a makeup obsessive will realise how difficult it is to force yourself to choose between certain products and choose only the necessary! I think I narrowed it down pretty well and I actually used everything, so that's always a good sign that you have packed well. I wore absolutely zero makeup during the day, because I was constantly in and out of the pool/sea and plus I just wanted to give my skin a good break. My skin has certainly cleared up a lot due to the fresh air and sea water, so this is why I restricted myself to only wearing makeup in the evenings at dinner. 

For my base, I would alternate between using my beloved Dr Jart + Water Fuse BB Cream and Bourjois Healthy Mix in shade 52. These were both perfect as they are so easy to blend and apply and required no effort, the Bourjois foundation was perfect for later in the week when my face had developed a bit of a tan as I have always found it just a tad too dark. Underneath I was using my Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser just so that my skin didn't look too shiny in the heat. This did a great job of keeping all my makeup in check. For eyes I had 5 products in total, my Sleek Storm palette which has a wide range of colours so it was the perfect holiday no-fuss product, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, as well as an eyeshadow base from Dainty Doll. Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless was my mascara of choice as it is brilliant at curling and creating the most natural fluttery look. The Eyeko Skinny Liner was free with a Marie Claire, and although I'm a complete liquid eyeliner noob this was sooo easy to use. The formula is something to be reckoned with and definitely isn't the best, but altogether a good eyeliner to practice with if you don't wear it often.

Cheeks were defined with one of Boujois's newest releases, Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet and MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle. I actually picked this highlighter up at the airport on the way as it was a little bit cheaper than normal, I also bought the infamous 217 brush which I am absolutely in LOVE with. Lips was the area of packing that I had most trouble with, lip products have got to be my favourite makeup item and I just couldn't whittle it down! I took two Clinique Chubby Sticks in shades Mega Melon and and Woppin' Watermelon, these probably weren't the wisest of choices as they started to melt in the heat so they had to be kept in the mini fridge at all times.. woops. As well as Rimmel Apocolips in Stellar which was a nice brighter choice to wear in the evenings and last but not least a Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lipgloss in Punchbowl.

All in all I think I did pretty well and didn't overpack, plus everything I took was perfect for the climate and lasted surprisingly well throughout the evening heat. Do you have any must have holiday makeup picks?

Laura

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Holiday Snapshot: Ocean Overload

Merhabaaaaaaaa, I am back from my holidays and ready to blog again in full swing. That was hello in Turkish in case you didn't already know, I went to North Cyprus which is predominantly Turkish; and in fact spoke English all week because everyone was so kind and helpful. Or maybe they just pitied us.. Anyway, today I thought I would share with you all just a few photos from my trip, sorry for the excessive water pics but how can you resist that blue crystal goodness?!? This is going to be the first of four posts that I have planned as part of a holiday series, so look out for the next few posts that will feature my makeup, skincare and SPF picks. 

I stayed in a village along the North Cyprus coastline called Lapta. The village itself is situated on the mountainside and takes 40 minutes to walk to because of the sheer altitude and the heat. Unfortunately we didn't venture into the village because it was far too hot to make the walk up there. We were based on what they call the Lapta 'strip' which is a a long road that bypasses the village and takes you straight to the nearest town and all the beaches, restaurants etc. The hotel was gorgeous and had 3 pools, a private beach, tennis courts and a gym. I had the most amazing time doing literally nothing all week, the idea of the holiday was to relax and enjoy the sunshine because our family has had to deal with a lot of personal issues lately which has led to a great deal of stress. I am now back to work, boooo, and trying to get as much overtime as possible so that I can save enough money for university in September. I received my unconditional offer last week before I went away and I am absolutely over the moon!! I am so excited about moving to Leeds and starting my new course!

Have you been on holiday recently?

Laura

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Work Makeup.

Since starting my new job I have had to totally re-think the make up that I put on in the morning. Working in a factory in this heat is DIRE to say the least, the last thing I want is a face full of heavy make up that will melt throughout the day. Niceeee. There's no way I can get away without wearing any makeup because my skin is in no way good enough to brave a bare face. So I have whittled it down to a trusty 6 products that I know will last, plus it means I can have an extra 10 minutes in bed!? Always a bonus ;) 

After my moisturiser I slap on the Dr Jart+ Water Fuse BB Cream which is the perfect shade for me, this covers the majority of redness but still doesn't mask my pesky spots, so in comes the infamous Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. Looking in tip top condition there? My new favourite blusher from Bourjois is next in line, I apply this with my hands and it has the loveliest cream to powder finish that doesn't need topping up at all through the day. Score.

For eyes I use my beloved Naked Basics palette, at first I didn't get a lot of use from this and started to regret the purchase. But after persevering with it, it is now my favourite palette of all. I change it up each day but keep it very subtle. For a slick of mascara I opt for my forever repurchased tube of Soap & Glory Thick and Fast, this just gives the most perfect fluttery look without looking un-natural. And finally for lips, I use my much loved Clinique Chubby stick in Mega Melon, which just gives a very natural pinky glow.

So there we have it, my tried and tested work makeup that is still in tact come 4.30pm..

Are there any products you swear by for work?

Laura

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