The Summer Sunday Round-Up

Just looking back at these photos reminds me what a fantastic summer I've had so far. The month of June was packed full of great days out, delicious food and the best company, and fingers crossed there's plenty more of that to come over the next couple of months! The weather does seem to have taken an awkward turn this week, but in all honesty, a dreary weekend was fine by me, purely because it has meant I've got stuff done that I've recently been ditching in favour of enjoying the sunshine. Ok, so I'm not talking about the most thrilling tasks in the world, but they had to be done - plus, it's meant that I've had more time available for blogging.

Last week, we took a few days off work and made the most of the sunny weather, and we couldn't have timed it better if we'd tried. Each day was more of a scorcher than the last with azure skies and not a cloud in sight. We headed down to Padstow in Cornwall and did the infamous Camel Trail, a bike trail which starts in Weymouth and continues on to Padstow. It's about a 45 minute cycle, and it's a coastal path all the way, meaning we had stunning views across Cornwall as we made our way along it. As you can see from the photos, the sea was an absolutely amazing colour, and it serves as a reminder of just how beautiful the UK can be in the summer months. It was quite a nostalgic trip, too, as I hadn't done the trail for about fifteen years!

On arrival on Padstow, we chowed down on some of Rick Stein's posh (and overpriced!) fish and chips, which were delicious but cost us a small fortune! We wandered along the seafront before getting the ferry across to the beach, and being able to get my bikini on and lie in the sun to relax was utter bliss. Unfortunately though, we had to skip ice creams, as having overestimated the time for which we had parked back in Weymouth, we suddenly realised we were running late, and the cycle back was fraught to say the least! We made it back in the nick of time, and by then we had definitely earned our 99s!

We spent the rest of our break brunching at our favourite haunts and visiting local parks, castles and other pretty sights with picnics. We definitely had our share of cream teas and pink lemonade, too.

The same week, we were lucky enough to go and see Kasabian live, and it's safe to say they did not diappoint. Unlike some, they really pull it out of the bag when performing live, so it was great to have a dance and sip on a few ciders while we watched. I've seen them in the past at various festivals, but this time was definitely the best.

There are plenty of things coming up over the next few weeks, with more live music, friends visiting and holidays to look forward to, so after these dull couple of days have passed, long may the sunshine continue! I'll be sure to keep snapping away with the camera so that I've got some pretty pictures to share with you as we go along.

How have you been enjoying the summer so far?

XX

Instagramming Paris

A couple of weeks ago, we went and spent a long weekend in Paris. 

Thought I had been to France several times before, I had never visited Paris, so needless to say I was pretty excited about the whole thing.

One of the things I really love about living where we do is that it's such a short hop to various places in Europe, this one being one of the closest. We arrived on a wednesday afternoon, and as we weren't exactly sure of our bearings or how best to get to our hotel we took a bus to L'Arc de Triomph, choosing to go the rest of the way on foot. It ended up being considerably further than it looked on the map, and needless to say, my platform boots turned out not to have been the best choice for walking around. But luckily, it was warm and sunny, so we enjoyed the stroll and taking in the local vibe as we made our way there. We must have been looking lost at a couple of points, because friendly locals went out of their way to stop and help us, doing their best to point us in the right direction. 

When we finally found the hotel, which was in Wagram, close to Montmartre, we dropped off our suitcase, did a quick change and then headed out to have a glass of wine outside one of the traditionally styled "bistrots" we had seen along the way.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around and stopping off for a drink here and there, before once again popping back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. 

We got the tube to Montmartre and made the steep climb to the top of the hill to see the breathtaking Sacre Coeur (as seen in the third photo). It was an exhausting climb, and by the mid-point we were both exhausted and gasping for a drink. Luckily for us, there happened to be an Irish pub halfway up, so we stopped off for a while to warm up before braving the remaining steps.

The Sacre Coeur itself was stunning, inside as well as out. Sadly, we weren't able to take any photos while in there, but suffice to say, it was well worth the climb. The view from the top is fantastic too - you can see right across the city.

On the way back down again, it soon became apparent that I had a bit of a problem, as my knee gave way and refused to help me to the bottom! I must have done it in going up there in the first place, but by the time we got back down we were both in a world of pain (I think helping me resulted in a bit of an injury for him, too!). After a bit of a run in with some guys selling friendship bracelets at the bottom (let's just say they were extremely persistent, deliberately separated us and then got aggressive when we didn't want to buy their creations - quite scary, actually!), we hobbled to the tube and headed back to Wagram. We had been intending to stay for longer, but after all that had happened we were exhausted and ready to chill. We found a busy little bistro close to where we were staying, and as we were starving, decided to treat ourselves to dinner and wine. I had a salmon risotto, while he went for the classic steak with peppercorn sauce, all washed down with a bottlle of Chardonnay. It's funny how close people sit at these sorts of places, endless glasses of wine and constant cigarettes in hand. 

After our wine, we decided to call it a night and get in a good night's sleep before the real sight seeing began the next day - but I'll save that one for another post.

The photos I'm posting here were just a few of my favourite  Instagrams from the trip, and actually, none of them were from the first day - I haven't had a chance to get the ones from my camera all edited and uploaded yet, but I'll be sharing some over the next week or so along with posts on days 2, 3 and 4.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far.

Have you been to Paris? If so, what were your favourite bits?

xx

Sunday Catch-Up

Hello everyone, hope you're all out enjoying the lovely sunshine this weekend and making the most of it. Judging by the various Facebook, Instagram and Twitter snaps I've seen that does seem to be the case, and it'd be rude not to really considering there is no telling when the next spell of sunshine might be!

It's still pretty boiling over here in Brazil, in spite of the fact that it's meant to be winter. It's kind of like the UK weather, but in reverse, as when it's ridiculously hot all the time, all you want is a nice cloudy or rainy day so that you can cool off a bit, but much like the illusive UK sunshine, it rarely happens!

I would really love to be back home at the moment, as I just adore the atmosphere of s good sunny day in England. It seems to put everyone in such a good mood, and there is nothing better than sitting in the garden, sipping a Pimms and lemonade, with the smell of barbecues wafting overhead and the faint sound of a lawn mower in the background, haha.

But anyway, speaking of home, this brings me onto my good news! It's been a pretty epic week this week for me, as as well as having a lovely little trip away which inevitably involved some shopping, eating and beaching, we also got some really good news! Basically, we have got the go-ahead to move home at the end of July, and I couldn't be happier! I know I've already mentioned on here that I was going to be moving home in the summer, but since then a spanner had been thrown into the works, which was going to make it a lot more expensive as well prolonging our time here by a few months. Well, thankfully that is no longer an issue, and with the end of July being just eight weeks away it feels like the end is finally in sight! I will be finishing my job for good in four weeks, at the end of June, so after that it will be all about getting ourselves sorted and ready to go! I'm thrilled that we're going to back in time to (hopefully) enjoy a bit of summer - or, at least that we won't be arriving in the dead of winter, which would probably be a bit of a shock to the system seeing as we are pretty acclimatised with the weather over here. Hey, we might even be able to squeeze in a late summer festival, which would frankly be awesome, as I've really missed going to them over the past couple of years.

Anyway, onto the rest of this week's goings-on. We travelled to Vitoria, which is the state capital, to spend a couple of days there, and it would have been rude not to pop into the shopping mall while there and pick up a couple of bits. I didn't get much, but I did pick up a few things, so watch this space for a mini-haul video, which I'll probably be posting on Tuesday or Wednesday. I did pick up a couple of new books, too, which I've just realised I forgot to include in the video (I've already filmed it) - Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, and Eighty Days Blue, by Vina Jackson. I've actually just noticed that the latter is the sequel to another book, which I haven't read - bit of a fail, but hopefully it'll be worth a read anyway!

On the Tuesday night, we were out celebrating our good news, and we went to a new Asian restaurant/bar called Taj. The food was absolutely phenomenal - I had grilled duck in a tamarind sauce, which was served with jasmine rice, oriental veggies and a yummy apple chutney, and the hubby went for a seafood Pad Thai, which was also amazing. Of course, it was only fair that we washed those down with a couple of cocktails, and I went for a sake cocktail with apple and ginger, followed by a couple of pineapple mojitos - sooo good. I wore my new Zara dress, which you can just about see in the top right-hand image - the top part is sheer, with monochrome stripes, and the skirt is faux (I assume) leather body con. I'm sure you'll get to see it in all it's glory before too long, anyway!

This weekend, the hubby is hard at work, so it's a bit of an uneventful one. I'm planning on spending the rest of the day taking some photos for upcoming blog posts, sorting out some paperwork for work tomorrow (fun) and relaxing in my hammock with one of my new books.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

xx

Weekend Wishlist

Mini Shopper, Zara // Aztec Scarf, Topshop // Tigi S-Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray, Feel Unique  // By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder, Space NK  // Neom Happiness Organic Treatment Candle, Cult Beauty // Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder, Space NK

Hello lovelies, I hope everyone has had a great start to the weekend! Mine isn't going to be all that exciting, as my husband is working more and more at the moment, so I'm spending a lot of time rattling around the place on my own. We already worked opposite schedules, as I get Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off, whereas he has two days during the week. But at the moment, he's been working even on his days off, both during the day and at night. It's not ideal, and I had been thinking that if anything, work pressures would be easing off now that we are getting closer and closer to our big move. But I suppose at least it's not going to be for tooo much longer, and it does mean all the more blogging time for me. I say that, but I've got plenty already, although it will help in terms of filming Youtube videos. I usually struggle to find any time with both the house to myself and the sun still in the sky to do those!
Anyway, moving on from that, today's wishlist is, unfortunately for me, a little bit high-end. Now, before I got into beauty blogging, I wasn't even aware of a great many of the brands that I am today, particularly those available from sites such as Space NK and Cult Beauty. Now that I am though, there are just so many beautiful products I would be thrilled to try, but I just don't know if I really want to open that can of worms as I tend to think that once you do, you don't really want to go back! I was a victim of this with skincare, as in the beginning I wouldn't have dreamt of paying over £20 for anything, being of the belief that lower-priced products were probably just as effective. However, since I discovered how much I like brands that use nice natural ingredients and give chemical nasties a miss and the difference this has made to my complexion, I now find it hard to bring myself to buy anything else. At least with skincare you really are doing some good for yourself, but with makeup? Let's be honest, it just looks pretty.
Now, don't get me wrong, I've been using brands like Mac and Clinique for years, and for me those that you'd find at the beauty counters in places like House of Fraser were about as high-end as it got. Their products are already on the pricey side, and I have to admit that I often favour them over the cheaper high-street brands found in Boots. But now I have found myself lusting after products from brands such as Kevyn Aucoin and By Terry, and I just don't know that I want to start spending £30-£40 on cosmetics - in all likelihood, I would probably love them and want to keep buying them, and then where would my purse and my bank account be? It seems it might be asking for trouble!
As for candles, I just can't see myself ever forking out £40 for a full-size Neom. As beautiful as they are, and as long as they last, I just can't help thinking what else could be done with that money. I'm quite pleased to have discovered that they do smaller sizes for £15 though, which while still less than cheap for 75g is more affordable for those of us who want to dip our toes in the water.
So, will I really give this gorgeous selection of products the swerve forever more? Probably not. But I think I'll probably wait for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays, as they would make lovely presents (famous last words?). When I am in a position where I am able to get my hands on all the things I need, it will be nice to reserve real treats for the Christmas list, and I also think people enjoy giving things that are going to evoke gasps and shrieks of appreciation!

Have you tried any of the brands above, and would you consider integrating them into your daily routine? Would you think twice about converting all of your products to such high-end brands?

xx

Weekend Wishlist

Crop Tee, Topshop  //  Light Optimising Primer Broad Spectrum SPF15, Nars  //  Ombre Bracelets, New Look  //  Boots, Office  //  Lip Bullet in Covet, Topshop  //  Bracelet, Topshop  //  Pierre Hardy for Nars Blush Palette in Boys Don't Cry, Nars  //  Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi, Nars  //   Nails in Aurora, Topshop

Why hello, hope everyone is having an awesome weekend so far! I don't work on Fridays, so mine started yesterday, but I'll save that for tomorrow's round-up post.

I'm feeling quite satisfied at the moment in terms of beauty products, clothes and accessories, as within the last month or so I have acquired quite the selection of goodies. As you probably know by now, I did do a liiittle bit of shopping for my birthday, and obviously I was lucky enough to receive some presents as well, so I'm pretty much sorted for the time being. That said, there are certain websites that will always have something that will tickle my pickle, so of course when browsing on the Nars website earlier in the week there were one or two things that caught my eye. I'm missing a primer in my makeup routine, and the Light Optimising Primer Broad Spectrum SPF15 sounds like just my cup of tea, as I'm a sucker for anything that aids or promotes radiance, which this one promises to. I've also quite fancied trying out the Satin Lip Pencils since they came out, and Lodhi seems to be the perfect spring peach shade. Last but not least, I couldn't help but notice the selection of blushes by Pierre Hardy. It's not that I need another one, but there's just something so appealing about Nars blushes, especially when they come in such pretty designs.

I would really love to add some new boots to my wardrobe for spring, preferably something a bit more in-keeping with the season and the colour palette I'm most likely to be embracing, which is mainly made up of pastels. These gorgeous crochet boots from Office are just the ticket, and I think they're so unique.

Other than that, I was bound to be tempted by a few bits from Topshop - mainly the gorgeous multi-tonal Aurora nail polish - and New Look. I've spent so much time admiring statement necklaces of late that arm attire seems to have taken a back seat, so I don't currently have much in the way of bracelets and feel the need for a bit of an update.

I hope everyone's been enjoying the warmer weather - if that'snot the perfect excuse to crack out the spring wardrobe then I don't know what is!

What's on your wishlist this week?

Have a lovely weekend.

xx

Weekend Wishlist

Leather Satchel, Cashmere Coral Lipstick, Concealer Quad Cire Red Blush and Face Contour Cream, all from & Other Stories  -  Radiant Sheen Quad, Beyond Sunset Eyeshadow Quad, Sculpt and Slim Contour Kit, all Daniel Sandler  -  Satchel, ASOS

The weekend has landed, and I don't know about you, but I for one am glad to see it!

This week marked the opening of H&M's new sister store, & Other Stories, and it's already been causing something of a store in the blogging world. Most excitingly for beauty bloggers, & Other Stories has it's own collection of beauty and skincare as well as stocking a select few other brands such as This Works and The Balm. Persnally, I can't wait to get my hands on some of their offerings, particularly the contour cream and concealer quad, as both are something I currently lack in my makeup kit (of course I do have concealers and bronzer for contouring, but I'm intrigued by these formats).

Another discovery I made this week is just how beautiful Daniel Sandler 's makeup collection is. If you weren't already aware, Daniel is a makeup artist who has worked on shoots for high-profile publications such as Vogue and Bazaar, amongst other things, and his high-quality makeup line looks right up my street. My favourite picks were the Beyond Sunset Eyeshadow Quad, Sculpt and Slim Contour Kit and RadiantSheen Quad.

And last but not least, I have absolutely fallen in love with both these beautiful satchels this week. The scallop detailing is just so pretty, and the pastel shades are perfect for the new season and will look amazing with monochrome as a subtle pop of colour.

Have you noticed how I seem to go through stages with my wishlists? It seems that one week I will want all skincare, the next all bags, and so on and so forth. Actually, skincare is a pretty consistent one with me, but I have exhausted the area in previous wishlists so it's time for a break!

I haven't got much planned for this weekend, so I will let you know what I got up to in tomorrow's 'Week in Pictures' post.

Hope you all have a lovely time in spite of the chilly weather!

xx

Weekend Favourites and Little Catch-up

Hi everyone, hope you've all been outside sunning yourselves, or alternatively, sipping a cool drink in the shade on this gorgeous weekend! Sunny weather must have the most made of it!

Sadly, though, I have not been able to do so myself, as I have been holed up in bed with a nasty cold all weekend, and it's showing no signs of letting up any time soon! Not best pleased about that, as besides the sunshine, I had several beauty review blogposts planned for you lovelies, but as you can imagine, I didn't really think my face was up to being photographed at the moment, and I really want to show you the products in all their glory! So, for now, I will just share my usual Weekend Favourites with you, and will press on with reviewing those goodies as soon as I am feeling better.

 To give you a taste of what to expect, I've got some L'oreal Colour Riche lipsticks, an Urban Decay Midnight Emergency palette, L'oreal Volume Million lashes mascara, Mac Mineralize blush in Dainty, and a Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart all ready to go, plus a Mac foundations comparison post, an Ebay Haul and the remaining two posts in my Favourite Hair Products series. Phew! And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I also just wanted to say a quick sorry for letting the frequency of my posts slip over the last few weeks. I have been having a really busy time of it, what with working more hours, moving house, and life just generally getting in the way. From now on, I hereby promise that you can expect five posts from me per week - no excuses!

So, on to my Weekend Favourites.

This week, the theme of my little selection for you is my favourite products of the moment!

So here are a few of my top picks.

Favourite Foundation or Tinted Moisturiser:

Estee Lauder Invisible Makeup in shade 2WN1.

I actually got a sample of this free in a magazine (I think it was Glamour?) a few weeks ago, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. Despite Estee Lauder being a high end brand, I have never really been one for tinted moisturiser type products, as though I have good skin, it does still need evening out in tone, and all the tinted moisturisers I've tried before have been disappointing (bar Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint).

How wrong could I be? I used this little beauty over the space of a week and was wearing it every day, and I can honestly say that I absolutely love it. Of course, it was good luck that my sample shade was the perfect match for my skin tone. But when this goes on, it literally disappears into your skin, somehow seeming to take all the little imperfections with it! It is a really light, liquidy formula, and really doesn't feel like you've applied anything more than a moisturiser. It evens everything out and gives you a really pretty, healthy glow. I was devastated when the sample ran out, and am going to be buying myself some more immediately! When I do, I will provide you with some photographic evidence of how lovely this is, as I stupidly didn't think to take any snaps at the time!

(£27 for a full size bottle).

Favourite Mascara

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara

(£10.99)

Now, I'm not going to go into too much detail about this one, because I have a full review with demonstrative pictures coming up this week, and believe me, you need to see those pictures to see how good it is.

What I will say is that I am rarely impressed with a mascara, as I feel that they never do what they profess to, and I feel like I have found a mascara for life here. I have no need to change because this one is just great. 

I use brown for day and black for night.

Favourite Lipstick(s)

Mac Amplified in Vegas Volt

(£13.50)

Sorry, but it's going to take a lot to knock this one off my topspot. I got this back in March and I still can't get enough of the gorgeous coral shade. The formula is creamy, moisturising and long-lasting. What more could I want?

Favourite Nail Polishes

Essie Sure Shot

Essie Mint Candy Apple

A gorgeous, long wearing raspberry metallic polish with subtle flecks of blue glitter and a cute Spring pastel. I can't decide which one I like the most! 

Essie Polishes are £9.95 from Nails by Mail.

Favourite Highlighter (liquid)

Clinique Up-lighting Liquid Illuminator

(£20)

I am currently using shade 01 (Natural) mixed in with my foundation, and I love the dewy glow it gives. Liquid highlighters are so versatile, and that's what I love about this one.

Here's a swatch for you (below right). (On the left is Clinique Almost Makeup Tinted Moisturiser, which I have yet to experiment with).

I think I'll leave it there for now, as I don't want to make this post ridiculously long - so many lovely blogs for you to catch up on!

Please feel free to let me know what you'd like to see in my favourites next weekend, you are always welcome to leave suggestions in the comments box below, and I'd also love to hear your thoughts on this week's picks!

xx