May & June Favourites

Imperial Leather Shower Cream - Banana

If you've been following my blog for a while, you might remember me mentioning another Imperial Leather shower cream which I adore & have re-purchased countless times, but on a recent shopping trip, I noticed this one in the same range. The banana shower cream smells exactly like the foam bananas you get in the pick & mix section in sweet shops! (You might have already guessed that from the picture on the bottle..) It's the most delicious smell (if you like bananas!) & I surprisingly don't find it sickly sweet which I thought I might. Definitely re-purchasing this one!

Sleek Makeup Highlighting Palette - Solstice

I have no idea how I'm going to start even writing about this palette.. I guess I should probably have a go though! Ok, firstly, just look at it. Those shades (inserts heart emoji's x100) They are just so beautiful. I took this palette on holiday with me to Corfu & I felt like a princess sitting by the pool with my sparkly cheek bones. I've never loved a highlighting palette so much.

Essie Nail Polish - Roarrrrange

I mentioned this polish in my What I've Been Wearing On My Nails post at the beginning of the month & I still can't rave about it enough. Not only did it stay on my nails for a week without chipping, (with no base or top coat) it looks so beautiful for Summer.

Body Shop - Shea Eau de Toilette

James bought me this for Christmas & I have been wearing it none stop this past month. Usually I mix up my perfumes, but I've found myself reaching for it on a daily basis. It has the most beautiful scent, I'd definitely recommend the body shop eau de toilettes if you haven't tried them, they last for ages!

Technic ColourMax Lipsticks - Dark Purple & Dark Red

I reviewed these lipsticks a few weeks ago along with the shades Red & Pink, but these two are definitely my favourites. Probably not the most appealing shades for this time of year, but as I mentioned in my review post, I've never owned a purple lipstick before & I'm so glad I decided to pick this one up! Head over to my post to read more about it!

Happy Jackson Lip Scrub

I received this for my birthday in January in a set of three (lip scrub, lip tint & lip gloss) & will be doing a full review on them soon, but I couldn't not include the lip scrub in my favourites as I've been using it most days this month! Ever since I ran out of my Bubblegum Lip Scrub from Lush, I've been on the hunt for a cheaper alternative. I was so glad this one came into my life. Not only does it smell so nice, it leaves my lips feeling so soft & ready for my lipstick. The packaging is also super cute!

Music -
Salvatore ft. Enya & Alex Aris - Dive / Nick Jonas - Close

Events

Right at the end of April, we celebrated Elisa's hen do by going for dinner, cocktails & pottery painting. It was such a lovely celebration & at the end of May, she tied the knot with Jamie in our local church. It was such a perfect day & I feel massively special to be apart of it.

At the beginning of May, I travelled to Gloucester to see James for the final time as he has now finished uni! I still can't quite believe it but we are now starting a new chapter in our lives together by looking for our own place. Amazing how quick those three years have passed.

Oh I got my ear pierced! Not a massive achievement to some but it was something on my bucket list & I was so pleased I did it even though it hurt like hell.. haha!

I got to see Busted at the end of May with my girls, they were simply amazing live! We did see them when they were originally a group back in the early 2000's, so it was lovely to see them all again!

One of the most exciting things to happen this month was James & I got to see The Sidemen play at a charity football match in Southampton. We've followed the group for a while now on YouTube & it was extra special as it was my first football match. (Normally I seriously cba with football, but this was different!) They were all so amazing, so pleased I managed to get tickets!

& finally a massive highlight of this month has to be our holiday to Corfu. I got back yesterday & have a serious case of the holiday blues! There are no words to describe how amazing it was. Keep an eye out for a vlog soon!

What have you been loving this month? : )

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What I'm Taking To Corfu

Hello lovelies!

As some of you may know, I'm off to Corfu for a week on Monday! I couldn't be more excited. I wanted to share with you what I'm taking with me, this post actually helped me so much when I came to pack & I needed a check list. Hopefully it'll give you a few ideas on what to take as well if you're jetting off on holiday this Summer.

I'll start off by saying I'm terrible when it comes to packing. What usually happens is I'll start packing a week before I need to go. This will include all the clothes, sun cream etc. that I won't need in the run up to leaving. Only problem is it gets to the day before & I have to un-pack everything because I'm convinced I've forgotten to pack something! Silly really, but this year I made a tick list & as items go in, I marked them off & know they are safely in my suitcase.

So firstly;

Hand luggage

- iPhone

- Camera

- Passport

- iPod

- Kindle

- Headphones
- Headphone splitter

- Multiple ended charger

- Purse (with euros, pounds, travel insurance & my debit card)

- Ear plugs

- Eye mask

- Inflatable travel pillow

- Gorilla pod

- Lip balm

- Moisturiser

- Shorts

- Pants

- Puzzle book

-Pen

- Tissues

- Sweets

- Sunglasses

- Perfume

- Deodorant

- Comb

- Tablets

- Glasses

- Contact lens pot & solution

So firstly, the ear plugs, travel pillow & eye mask I actually got in a set from Tiger & they were such amazing value! They come in a range of colours, I bought mine last year in pink & I bought James the set in black this year. Yes, I enjoy being one of those couples with matching accessories, James does not share my enthusiasm..!

I couldn't live without my gorilla pod. I picked mine up from Amazon, they seem to stock loads & in all different colours. Perfect for holiday as I'm planning on vlogging our trip!

Ok, you might be thinking I'm a bit weird carrying pants in my luggage, but my worst nightmare is for my main suitcase to get lost & have no clean underwear! Shorts are a must as well, as I'm travelling in the early hours of the morning (our flight is at 5.55am so we'll be leaving the house around 4am!) so I'll be wearing jeans / leggings on the plane, but I know it's going to be extremely hot when we land & nothing beats the feeling of changing into cooler clothes on arrival!

& I don't know about you, but my ears pop & hurt like crazy when I'm flying & sweeties seem to help a lot so I won't ever fly without them.

& finally, there is nothing worse then feeling ill or headachy on a flight, so I always bring medication just in case along with my contact lens solution & pot, in case my eyes get dry. I'd be completely blind without my glasses, so they have to come too!

Suitcase

Clothes

- Bikini x 2

- Swimming costume x 2

- Shorts x 3

- Tops x 4

- Day dresses x 3

- Evening dress x 3

- Pants x 10

- Bra x 2

- Socks x 2

- Jeans x 1

- Kimono x 2

- Sandals / flipflops x 2

- Jumpsuit

- Jumper

- Cardigan

- Leggings

- Pjs

- Trainers

- Heels / heeled sandals

- Sunhat

All of these are self explanatory & you might think there is a lot of items here.. but I have seriously cut back to what I usually take! I'm planning on wearing shorts most days with a top, or depending what we're doing, maybe a day dress. A lot of the time I'll just be in my swimming stuff as we have a pool at the villa, but will need bras & possibly a cardigan if it gets chillier in the evenings. We're going for 7 nights, so will wear the evening dresses for two nights each, then I have a spare jumpsuit / playsuit for a final night.

I've decided to only take 4 pairs of shoes! Shock horror (I always take too many & never wear them!) One black & one white pair of sandals / flip flops, pair of trainers for when we go exploring & finally some heeled sandals for the evening.

The sunhat is a must of course, whether I'll be able to squash that into my suitcase is another matter.. it might have to come with me in the hand luggage.

Makeup

- Foundation

- Concealer

- Face power

- Blusher

- Highlighter

- Bronzer

- Eyeshadow

- Mascara

- Lipstick

- Lip gloss

- Lip liner

- Eye liner

- Brushes

- Nail polish x 2

Again, pretty standard, I've just got to try to narrow it down & only bring one of each!

Jewellery

- Watch

- Necklaces x 2

- Bracelet

- Earrings x 3

- Rings x 5

My day-to-day jewellery is pretty bog standard, I always have my watch, a bracelet, (usually Pandora) a necklace, my 5 rings & some earrings. I've recently purchased a pill holder, which I saw on Pinterest in a recent lifestyle hack. I'm going to use it to store my necklaces & earrings in, as I'll be wearing more formal ones for the evening meals. I thought this was such a clever idea!

Other

- Sun cream

- After sun

- Hair ties

- Hair brush

- Deodorant

- Hairspray

- Dry shampoo

- Shower gel

- Shampoo

- Conditioner

- Heat protector spray

- Straighteners

- Toothbrush

- Toothpaste

- Makeup remover pads

- Garnier Micellar water

- Iglu mouth ulcer gel

- Razors

- Moisturizer

- Sanitary towels

- Face wipes

- Nail varnish remover

- Nail kit; scissors, nail file

- Plasters

- Cotton buds

- Contact lens solution & spare pot 

- Beach towel

- Salt (after-care for my new piercing)

I purchased some adorable little travel pots from Primark (only £1) & these will be perfect for taking small amounts of shower gel, shampoo & conditioner. Realistically I only wash my hair twice a week, so a small pot is perfect size.

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So, I think that's it! I hope this post gave you an insight into what I'm taking with me this holiday season. Please let me know if you think I've forgotten anything! : )

I'd also love to hear where you're going on holiday or if you have been already! I'm always up for finding new holiday destinations!

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Life Lately #107

Hello lovelies!

Feels like ages since I've done an update post. My head hasn't really been into blogging the last week or so, thank goodness for sensible me who decided to draft some posts a month ago! I don't know what it is, but I've been struggling to even want to sit down at my laptop & start typing. I think because I sit & look at a computer screen every day for work, I'm reluctant to want to do it in my spare time.. anyway, hopefully I'll soon get back into the swing of things.

The month has felt so busy, but when I actually look back over the past week or so, I don't seem to have taken many pictures..

My group of friends & I had a games day round Cathy's house  at the end of May & her cat Millie decided to hunt me down & rub herself all over me. I think cats have an inkling when someone has an allergy & will pounce as soon as they see you. As well as Millie infecting me for a few days, my hay fever has been driving me insane ever since. It's fine some days, but then others I'll feel completely run down by it. Please tell me its not just me?

On Friday 3rd June I went to my first football match in Southampton. I bought James tickets to the Sidemen VS YouTube Allstars charity match for Easter (who am I kidding, they were a gift to myself as well!) & we travelled up in the afternoon to grab some lunch before the game. We ate in a lovely place called Pitcher & Piano. The starters were delicious but we were unsure of the main courses. I had a burrito & James had a burger. They were a bit plain to be honest but it was a nice place to eat as it was right on the harbour. Anyway, the match was so good! It finished 7-2 & up until their young male fans decided to run onto the pitch at the final whistle destroying everything, it was amazing. I just wish they had been able to do the trophy presentation properly at the end. I vlogged the day, so that will be coming soon on my YouTube channel if you're interested.

Last Sunday, myself & the ladies from work took part in the Race For Life. It was our third year raising money & awareness for Cancer Research & thankfully, we had a dry, hot day! I'm so proud of them all!

I met up with Gem & Cathy last week for dinner at ASK. I always seem to forget about this restaurant in our local town as it's at the far end of a row of restaurants & because I cook pasta dishes regularly at home, it doesn't feel like a treat when I go there. However, I had the mushroom & chicken risotto & oh my god, it was amazing. To finish our meal, we had one of their new desserts, the chocolate lava mountain. It was heaven!

On Saturday, the girls & I went to the Ardingly Show, which is filled with animals; pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, cows, rabbits etc & lots of food tents, stalls & floral displays. We had such a nice day, despite the rain & overcast skies. This is Gareth, you might remember me mentioning him in previous posts. He was on display in the chicken tent. Little Lily also came on our day out & had a lots of fun looking at all the animals!

& finally yesterday I had a day off. I can't tell you how excited I was to do nothing but cook, blog & relax. How did you spend your weekend?

 & I think that will be the last update from me before we head to Corfu next Monday. I'm actually so excited to spend some time in the sunshine away from work & every day life. I haven't decided if I'm going to set up a few posts while I'm away, I'll have to see if I can get my head back into it. Thankyou as always for your love & support on this page & all my other social medias. You guys are amazing < 3

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W7 Eye Colour Palette - Up In Smoke

Hello lovelies!

Yes I know what you're thinking.. You've seen the title & said "She's bought another one.." & yes you'd be correct! I just can't seem to get enough of these eye shadow palettes. If you are new to my blog, I've reviewed the Lightly Toasted Eyeshadow Palette & the In The Nude Eyeshadow Palette by W7 already, so go check those out if you haven't seen them yet!

Today's post however, is all about this palette; Up In Smoke. I'm actually so excited to share this with you as it's the perfect palette for an evening look, whether you're going for a more natural sparkle or a dark smokey eye, this palette has it all.

Like the other palettes, there are 12 shades. All of them are shimmery, so if you like sparkles & glitter (who doesn't!?) then read on!

So far I've created a number of looks with these shades, the smokey eye being my favourite. I used to default to doing a smokey eye every time I'd go out when I was 18 /19 & since then I've realised there is more to life than just one way to do my eye makeup! However, it is always nice to relive your youth, so whichever mood I'm in, I know I can create the look I want with this palette.

It retails for just under £10, but I managed to pick it up in my recent order to JustMyLook for £3.95! Amazing.

I absolutely adore this palette (& the other two I reviewed here) They are such good value for money!

Have you tried any of the palettes from W7? : )

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Technic ColourMax Lipstick - Dark Purple, Dark Red, Red & Pink

Hello lovelies!

I wanted to share with you today these new lipsticks I picked up from JustMyLook. You might remember me mentioning this website at the beginning of April, when I reviewed the W7 Eyeshadow Palette, which I purchased from the same site. It's an online store that offers free delivery to the UK & has a range of discounted products from well-known brands. I can't recommend it enough!

So onto the lipsticks. I purchased the Technic Colour Max Lipstick in Dark Purple, Dark Red, Red & Pink. These are 4 out of 6 shades that the website stocks. They are all in the sale, retailing at  £1.99 down from £2.99.

First of all, the packaging. To be honest, it's well made & practical, but nothing fancy. I do like how well the lipstick is fitted into the base, it simply rotates round with no difficulty & pushes up the product without any fuss.

This is the summery that's on the website -

"Technic Colour Max Lipstick lasts for up to 24 hours giving you gorgeous colour that will be envied by all! The colour gives a smooth finish with flawless, water-proof juicy shine"

I have to say, I wasn't expecting too much from the price but I do agree that it's very smooth on the lips & applies easily, however, it doesn't last for 24 hours. To be honest, that's quite a bold statement to make! The pink & red only seem to last about 3 hours on the lips before they need touching up, but the dark red & purple last about 5 / 6 hours, which is still pretty amazing in my opinion!

Dark Purple

Dark Red

Red

Pink

Swatches; L-R - Dark Purple / Dark Red / Red / Pink

I think if you're on a budget these lipsticks are great & definitely worth the £2.99 price tag! The purple shade is my favourite, it's the first & only purple I've owned so I was excited to add it to my collection.

Have you tried any of the products from Technic? Which shade is your favourite? : )

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What I've Been Wearing On My Nails #32

Models Own - Indian Ocean

This is one of my golden oldies. I'm seriously not kidding when I say I must have had this nail polish at least 3 years.. haha! It's still going strong though. I call these my mermaid nails because they just look so magical. 

Primark - Pink

I just can't get enough of Primark's nail polishes at the moment, they are all just so beautiful. I picked up this shade which is a gorgeous barbie pink, it's perfect for Spring.

Sinful Colors - Big Daddy

Ah another polish I've had for the longest time. This one is special though, it's the only reddy / orange shade I have in my collection. When I first bought it I thought it was a bog standard red, but it can look like a dark orange in some lights.

Essie - Roarrrrange & Models Own Nail Art Pen - Gold

Finally my latest purchase, this beautiful orange nail polish by Essie. I found it in the TK Maxx sale, in a pack of three & I asked on Snapchat which colour to paint my nails & this one won! Orange is a colour I never tend to wear on my nails, but once I'd added stripes, it felt more 'me'. I think it's going to be the perfect shade for my toes in summer. I have to say how amazingly long-lasting this polish is as well, I've had it on my nails a week & it hasn't chipped at all!

I'd love to know which one is your favourite & what you've been wearing on your nails this Spring : )

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