LIFESTYLE, PARENTING
As I sit here writing this post I am feeling pretty hungover. Yesterday I went to York with 16 of my besties to drink lots of cocktails at Evil Eye and pig out at Ask (if you’ve never been there, you need to check it out – it’s in the old Assembly Rooms and is full of gorgeous marble columns) and I *may* have had a little bit too much to drink. And right now I could really do with a trip back to the beautiful, newly refurbished Ramside Spa at Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham.
I must say, I had absolutely no intention of writing this blog post. I bought Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation after a long time dithering over whether I really needed another one (I already have a wardrobe of five I use on a regular basis). I had a voucher, there was 10% off, you know how it is girls. Thing is, I just can’t get on with it. I actually kind of hate it. Am I the only one?
One thing I always knew when it came to our wedding was that I wanted to do my make up myself. I even included it in a post I wrote about wedding traditions I would NOT be sticking to! The simple fact is, I know what suits me, I ain’t half bad at doing my own face and I could treat myself to a few new assets to my collection in the name of love. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
*Disclaimer* – all of the pictures in this post were taken by our incredibly talented photographers, The Twins. Go check them out.
When my lovely blogger friend Chloe, aka Lady Writes, got in touch to ask if I wanted to sample some beauty products for her day job role, I just knew I had to say yes! Chloe works at Ideal World, a TV shopping channel. I love finding hidden gems like this – Ideal World stocks loads of great beauty brands that you can spend hours browsing and reading reviews of. As much as I love the big, established brands that I am familiar with, there’s nothing better than coming across something new and being able to share it with your friends. So here I am sharing what I found, with you!
Since a huge NYX counter opened in Boots in Eldon Square, I’ve found myself creeping back there time and again. There is something about NYX that I really love. Not only is the make up cruelty free, but it is also really well priced and there are a load of innovative products on offer. If I’m looking for a high end dupe, or just to try something new, NYX is the brand I find myself turning to. I first discovered it when I was shopping in New York and someone had recommended I pick up one of their matte lip creams. I did (post here) and haven’t looked back since. I got a couple of bits recently just before the wedding and I’m loving them all. Check out what I picked up.
Primer is only something I added to my make up wardrobe in the past 12 months. I can’t quite remember where I first heard about it, but now I can’t do without it. If I want my make up to stay in place all day, then I need a good base. As extensive as my skincare routine is, primer just makes my make up look even better. But there are tonnes out there, ranging in price from really rather expensive to really rather cheap. I picked two of my collection to put against each other in a battle to the death. High end – Too Faced Hangover Primer vs. high street – cult favourite Nivea Post Shave Balm. Which one came out on top?
I’ve been having a bit of a love affair with foundation recently. It used to be one of those beauty products I never really got bothered about. I always bought the same one, same colour, because I knew it kind of made my skin look all right. I’m not entirely sure what shook me out of this foundation funk, but a few months ago I decided to shake it all up and try something new. I now have four foundations I play around with depending on what my skin needs, so I thought I’d share them with you on the blog.
Have you ever found yourself catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and thinking “hmmm I look a bit orange today”? I HAVE. Due to sheer laziness I have recently bought a couple of foundations that are not *quite* the right shade. I admit it, I can’t always be bothered to take a sample pot to Boots and test a foundation in natural light before just buying it. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Given the money hoover (aka our wedding) is sucking the last breaths out of my bank balance, re-buying the foundations was just not an option. So, imagine my delight when I discovered The Body Shop’s Shade Adjusting Drops. Cue angels singing, a single beam of light shining on my head and doves fluttering from the very pages of my Google search. I had to have some.
I have always had a little bit of strawberry blonde in my hair. From being a chubby cheeked, orange-haired child to a 29 year old with dark, reddish blonde hair, the ginger is undeniable. But I’ve been through many years of making it every other colour under the sun. From brown in sixth form to bleach blonde at uni, it is only recently I have embraced my hair au naturel. And after sixth months of not dying my hair at all, I decided to brighten it up for summer and for our wedding day. Thanks to my wonderful hair dresser at April Egan Low Fell, I now have a gorgeous, copper coloured head with darker red low lights and blonde highlights. I am so in love with it. So much so I’m terrified of it fading. So what do I do to keep it looking salon fresh?
I recently popped over the pond to pick up my wedding dress from New York (read more about that here!) and HAD to make a stop off at Sephora to pick up some of my most lusted after beauty items. I did have a bit of a splurge and ended up getting some MAC and NYX bits as well. But what’s a holiday without feeling a little bit spendy?! It’s all towards looking like a beautiful bride so it’s kind of justified too. Kind of. What did I get?