Holiday Blues.

So after writing my last post about my current favourite perfume (here) I got to reminiscing about previous holidays and being in the sunshine with an ice cold cocktail in my hand. After clicking through the hundreds of beach filled shots on my laptop I've chosen some of my favourites that I would love to share on here. 

Let me know where you would love to go on your next holiday - Thanks for reading!

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Bronze Goddess Scent - A Splash of Sunshine?

Top Notes -  Zesty citrus notes of Sicilian bergamot, mandarin, lemon and orange.
The Heart - Tiare flower, jasmine, magnolia and orange blossom.
Base Notes - Amber, coconut milk, vanilla, vetiver, sandalwood and myrrh.

Is it summer yet? no? well I've found a fragrance that is the season in a bottle, although this scent is normally released in the summer months I had a bottle for Christmas and I am loving it! With all this cold weather and dark days I normally reach for my more warming scents like Jo Malone Nutmeg & Ginger but this splash of sunshine has me reminiscing of those warm evenings and holidays somewhere lovely.

It is a very light fragrance but has a fresh warmth, the coconut is quite obvious on my skin but is still soft and just gives a subtle scent. I would say if you are a fan of heavy scents this may not be the choice for you, but I cant stop reaching for it.

Let me know your current favourite perfume right now - Thanks for reading!

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Soap & Glory - Highlight & Sculpt Sticks

Recently I decided to go for a quick wander round the beauty section of Boots to see if there were any new releases that were worth a try and whilst scanning the Soap & Glory counter I came across these new Highlight & Sculpt Sticks; there are three in the collection but one was sold out. 

Now without even swatching these I was hoping they would be a dupe for the Nars Multiple Sticks and they definitly are! These are sheerer than the Nars ones but the shades and blendability is just as smooth, the one that was sold out was very similar to Copacabana, a pretty lilac highlight that is stunning on paler skintones. The blush shade with its pink and gold glow just screams Nars Orgasm, I would say this one has abit more glitter than sheen but for the price point its completely worth it - and lastly is the bronze this is more of a blush tone to me than a bronzer but still super pretty, I think this would look amazing in the summer with a bronze smokey eye and a nude glossy lip! 

If you have been looking into the Nars sticks and arent sure about the price tag these would be a great way to try the shades and product type out without the splurge - I will always love the Nars versions but these are the best dupes I've seen! 

Thanks for reading! 

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Too Faced: Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar

Did I really need another neutral palette? Yes is the answer! I have always been interested in the Too Faced Chocolate bars as they have a colour pop theme in each one - the original has a wine/purple theme to it whilst the semi-sweet has a beautiful bold blue that is stunning mixed with the warm caramels. 

The palette is made up of a mix of mattes and shimmers all of which are amazingly pigmented and blend really well, I have been using this for about 2 weeks and have done daytime barely there looks to a full on birthday smokey eye. I do have a favourite shade that basically made me buy the palette and that is Peanut Butter; I cannot get over how perfect this shadow is for the crease, I have been using Coconut Creme all over the lid from lash to brow, then Mousse in the crease, with LOTS of Peanut Butter on top with Bon Bon placed on the inner two thirds of the lid to add abit of sparkle for my go-to daytime look. 

I will be doing a few looks from this palette to show its diversity in a future post and how if you're in the market for that one palette that you can create a load of looks and not lack inspiration! 

Thanks for reading! 

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Current Faves.

So although around now I should be doing my January favourites, I haven't really got any products that I have just started loving so I thought I would do a post on some staples that I have been picking up alot over the recent couple of months. 

For makeup I have two products that I have become obsessed with recently and the first is the Tom Ford lipstick in Spanish Pink - now I am a sucker for a nude pink, I probably own enough to set up my own store, so why buy another one? Honestly, I was intrigued by the price tag as I couldnt understand how a lipstick could be worth £38 it seemed completely insane to me so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and well... I get it. The lipstick is super creamy and pigmented and the shade I have is my everyday shade that I can put on with any makeup look - my advice would be to buy a shade you will get a lot of wear out of as although a vibrant red might look beautiful but you dont want nearly £40 worth of lipstick being put away in a drawer from not being used very often. My next favourite is a foundation and this is a weird one for me as I really did not get on with this when I first tried it 4 years ago however I wanted to try a full coverage foundation and figured I might aswell give it another try and I am so glad I did. If you have very dry skin I really would stay clear of this foundation as that was my problem when I first tried it however my skin has now balanced much more and I find this wears beautifully throughout the day, I can go a day at work and not need to touch up my base (round of applause!) which is completely new to me - im super impressed with this and will be doing a full review on it soon. 

I now have a fragrance favourite and this is certainly not new to me however I have rekindled my love for it over the Christmas months. Jo Malone's signature scent in Pomegranate Noir is such a distinct perfume, it has a comforting warmth that I absolutely love, the first time I wore it was on my 21st birthday so its become abit nostalgic aswell now. 

And finally for my life changer! And no im not being over dramatic this lip balm is completely amazing. I know I am pretty late to the party on this one but I am converted - Nuxe's Reve De Miel Balm is like a mask for your lips. I suffer from cracked dry lips all year round so when I want to wear a bold lipstick I tend to just give up as it never looks very nice however if I apply this balm in the morning and when I go to bed at night my lips stay hydrated and comfortable all day. I cannot rave about this one enough - if you suffer from dry lips and have tried pretty much everything, check this one out!! 

So thats it for this post, thanks for reading, please leave any comments or questions below!

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Holy Grail Repurchase.

So I'm welcoming the new year with not a new love but a repurchase of an old one - the Soleil Tan De Chanel has featured on my blog before and for good reason! As a beauty addict I tend to change up my routine quite often but this is the one product I use every day without fail. 

This is a cream bronzer that blends beautifully on the skin and gives a sunkissed natural tan - I use this when I am my natural ghostly self or even when I have tan on and it suits me both ways as you can build it up without it going orange or cakey! I have also been impressed with how long it takes to get through one of these, I have had mine for about 18 months and have only just needed to get a backup. If you are in the market for a new bronzer but struggle to find one that doesnt make you orange then I would definitely give this one a go - although it is pricey the time it takes to get through one of these with daily use is worth the price tag. 

I will always be looking for a more affordable dupe but so far I have had no luck! 

Hope you all are having a great start to 2016, I read every comment and will answer any questions, 

thanks for reading! 

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Quick and Easy Smokey Eye.

I am a major fan of an intense smokey eye look however I'm not so fond of the time it takes to achieve, so when I found this quick and easy way of creating a similar look I figured I may aswell share it - so here goes! 

For any smokey eye I use an eye primer and for this look I used the Urban Decay Primer Potion as it locks the shadows in place for long wear! I then reached for my Clinique gel liner in Black Honey but you can use any shade of gel liner which is the main thing I love about this look, the same steps can be used in any colour, a black gel can create a gorgeous smokey eye in the same way as I have done this look and is great for the holiday season. However the Black Honey shade is this beautiful purple toned brown with gold running through it - I pat this on and keep adding layers to create as much intensity as I want I then blend the edges with a fluffy brush so theres no harsh lines. 

For the second step I used a similar toned shadow and placed this over the top, this helps set the gel liner and again add more intensity. For my look I used the mid brown shade in the Morning Java palette from Clinique which has that similar purple undertone running through. To add abit more depth I then picked up a small amount of the darkest shade in the palette and placed this on the outer corner and blended the excess into the crease. I then took the same two colour on a small shader brush and took it under the eye to bring it all together! 

To finish I used lots of mascara and right now I keep reaching for the Max Factor Velvet Volume mascara which does exactly what it says on the tin, I have also found it really extends my lashes whilst leaving them feeling soft rather than others that can feel stiff and uncomfortable on the eyes. 

I'm really enjoying wearing this look at the moment and will definitely be trying it in different colours to see how many different looks I can achieve (stay tuned!) I hope you enjoyed this post - I read every comment and will reply to any questions! 

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