August Favourites

Caudalie Divine Oil

This multipurpose oil really is amazing, I bought the mini size while I was in Las Vegas and used it every evening while I was there, it makes your arms and legs feel amazingly soft! I might just have to get in the full size.

Reimann P20 Once A Day Sun Protection SPF 50

I did a full review of this amazing stuff here, it came with me on holiday and was well loved by the whole group! It's a clear yellow formula with an oil like texture that sinks straight into the skin and protects all day, no need for any reapplication. Sun protection really doesn't get any easier. 

Soap & Glory Butter Yourself

Another amazing product from Soap & Glory! This body butter smells amazing, really fresh and fruity. It contains exfoliating fruit acids which keep your skin feeling super smooth without leaving an oily residue. 

Scwartzkopf Oil-licious Tame and Shine Serum

An argan oil serum that I bought because it was cheap and came in a small bottle that has completely surpassed my expectations! A serious rival to more expensive alternatives, it has been keeping my hair smooth and frizz free. Full review here.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser

Used as a primer or dabbed on mid-day this stuff eliminates shine, perfect for hot weather. You wont be needing your powder when you have this!Full review here.

Sephora Colour Hit Nail Polish in Shark Attack

A brilliantly bright turquoise blue nail varnish that has been gracing my toes all month. 

OPI Nail Varnish in Strawberry Margarita

I featured this on a NOTD post not long ago and I've been addicted ever since! It's not often I reapply the same colour straight after I've taken it off, but this has converted me!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude

Going to Vegas on holiday meant a lot of late nights as well as maybe a cocktail or two! A swipe of this in the waterline (inner rims of the eye) hid all redness and made me look a bit fresher!

Sephora Peony Eau de Toilette

I got this on A Little Trip to French Sephora, it's my favourite perfume by a long way and I've yet to find anything available over here, or in a full sized bottle that comes close. I took it away with me and wore it everyday. 

Sleek Contour Palette in Light

Another item I took away with me and wore everyday. This extremely versatile palette houses a bronzer, blusher and highlighter, all in a non bulky case that's perfect for travelling. I've been particularly loving the blusher this month! Full review here. 

NOTD #6

When it comes to nail art, I'm most definitely a newbie. I tend to stick to safe all one colour options,  brights, glitter and the occasional ombre nails are about as crazy as things get. I've attempted a bit of nail art in the past but it's almost always gone horribly wrong and been wiped away seconds later. I've been confined to looking at pretty images of nail art on pintrest and thats about it! 

I've seen nail wraps about quite a bit and I've always thought they were a pretty good idea, but I've never ever found a single pattern that I like, (maybe I'm a bit too fussy!) until now. They've all seemed a bit too in your face for my liking, but these ones caught my eye. Little jewel coloured squares against a clear background, I thought they'd be quite subtle!

I decided to dip my toe in gently by just using the wraps on my my ring fingers and going for a neutral colour on the rest. They are really easy to use as they're basically just stickers! Choose the right size, peel it off, stick it on and file the excess off. Simple! I painted my nail and let it dry first but only because these particular wraps have a transparent background. 

I used Avon Nail Art Design Strips in Check You Out, they do a whole range of designs which are worth checking out. You get 18 in a pack, which is ridiculously annoying but seems to be standard with all wraps. Of course, if like me you'll just be doing a feature nail, then it doesn't matter so much!

The nail varnish I used was Model's Own in Buff Pink, it's a great french manicure type nudey-pink which looks great after 2-3 coats. The colour after just one coat is really, really nice. A subtle 'my nails but better' kind off look but it just streaks like crazy so you can't really get away with it. If anyone knows of a colour similar to this that is quite sheer and doesn't streak I'm all ears!

Have you tried Nail Wraps before? What are your favourite designs? 

American Beauty Haul

When I went to America I, (naturally) did a bit of beauty shopping. In an attempt to not go too crazy I only bought things that aren't available over here, or are significantly cheaper (more on those ones later) 

I did most of said shopping in Sephora, but I did also pop into Walmart for a few high street/drugstore bits.

The first thing I got was the Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette in In the Dark, they have a few of these palettes in different shades but I went for this one because the blue looks amazing. I've tried this palette out a few times now and so far I love it! 

Make Up For Ever is a brand I've heard a lot about, but I've only tried one of their products. An eyeshadow crayon which I love. I was planning on getting a HD Microfinish Blush, but the store I went to only had 4 colours, none of which appealed to me. I then spotted their Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream concealer and picked up the shade 14 Fawn. This concealer is super heavy coverage and waterproof, it served me well mixed with my facial sunscreen poolside in Vegas. 

While browsing the high street (drugstore) makeup brands in Walmart, I spotted the ELF HD Blush, which you can get hold of online in the UK. It's a fairly obvious copy of the Make Up For Ever version  but much, much cheaper. I got the shade Superstar, but all the shades look really nice.  

Oh, and another thing about Sephora, they always throw a few free samples in the bag! I got a primer and an eye cream.

What are your favourite holiday beauty buys?

Objects of Desire - Marc by Marc Jacobs Sergeant Leather Jacket

Marc by Marc Jacobs Sergeant Leather Jacket

Mojito Makin'

While we were in Chicago we had a night in, Jake and I made lots of yummy food, while Maggie and Erik were in charge of cocktails! Our cocktail of choice was the Mojito, here's how we made them!

To make 2 you'll need:

2 1/2 Limes

4 Heaped Spoons White Sugar

6 Mint Stalks 

4 Scoops Ice 

3 Shots White Rum

120 ml Soda Water/Club Soda

Cut your limes into quarters and put 5 into each glass

Add 2 spoons of sugar into each glass

For the next step you'll need a muddler, but don't worry if you don't have one, you can always use the back of a wooden spoon!

Muddle the limes and sugar together till they've given up their juice.

Next you'll need some fresh mint

Add 3 full sprigs into each glass, make sure you don't tear them. I've been told this is very important!

Muddle it again gently 

Add in 1 scoop of ice 

Then pour in a shot and a half of white rum (3 secs of pouring)

Pour in 60 ml of club soda or soda water

Then, using a spoon, 'pull' it upwards to mix it all together

Finish by topping it up with another cup of ice, pop in a straw,

and enjoy! (responsibly of course) 

A huge thanks to Maggie for taking the wonderful pictures and to Erik for creating the perfect Mojito recipe!

OOTD #1

Welcome to my very first Outfit of the Day post! I thought I'd keep it really simple with a casual everyday look. Let me know what you think! 

T Shirt - New Look 

Jumper - H & M

Trousers are Tommy Hilfiger ones I've had for ages, but you can find these similar ones here.






Shoes - New Look 

Sunglasses - Asos

Necklace - I got my necklace a while ago from ASOS but unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything similar. I did a whole post on statement necklaces last week so if you're on the hunt for one check out my picks! 

Bag - Mine's a French Connection one which again, I got a while ago. But here is a similar one from ASOS

Huge thanks to Maggie for taking the pictures!

Objects of Desire - Michael Kors Selma Satchel

Michael Kors - Selma Satchel

Best of the Feel Unique Sale - Hair and Body

Tangle Teaser - Original Professional Detangling Hairbrush

My hairdresser always goes on about how great these are, they stop hairs from splitting and breaking when you're brushing through your hair post wash.


Philip Kingsley - Elasticizer

A pre wash treatment which strengthens weakened, brittle and dry hair. A good one for getting hair back to tip top condition. 


Redken - All Soft Travel Kit

A set containing a mini version of their all soft shampoo and two mini all soft conditioners. I've tried the full sized versions of these and I loved them, the minis are a great way to try them out of to take away on holiday. 

Marc Jacobs - Daisy Eau So Fresh

A lovely fresh and floral summery scent. 


Garnier Ambre Solaire - After Sun

A soothing and refreshing after sun to calm down sun burnt or irritated skin. Plus it comes in a handy spray bottle!


Caudalie - Divine Oil

I recently tried out a mini size of this and I absolutely love it! Full review coming soon, watch this space! 

The Best of the Feel Unique Sale - Skincare and Makeup

 Skincare

Caudalie - Gentle Cleansing Milk

So far I've loved everything I've tried by Caudalie, particularly their Divine Oil and Beauty Elixir. When I saw this cleanser on sale for 7.65 I thought it was a real bargain! It may have slipped into my basket so I'll let you know how I get on with it.

Emma Hardie - Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm

Now the name may be a real mouthful, but I've heard great things about this cleansing balm. It's a balm which melts into an oil when massaged into the skin. It emulsifies makeup and gives skin a through clean. 

Elemis - Papaya Elemis Peel

This mask contains papaya fruit enzymes which break down dead skin cells, it leaves the skin exfoliated and fresher.  

 Makeup

YSL - Le Teint Touche Eclat

The foundation equivalent to the famous Touche Eclat, this gel based foundation comes in a good range of colours and gives a medium to light coverage. I tried a couple of samples of this last year but I'm undecided on which shade to get. 

The Balm - Mary-Lou Manizer

A champagne coloured powder highlighter that I've again heard great things about. I love The Balm's packaging and catchy names. 

YSL - Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

A range of amazing shades, and just look at the packaging. Need I say anymore?

Real Techniques - Duo Fibre Collection

The latest brush set from Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo, I love every single real techniques brush I have and these ones are limited edition! 

Spa at The Bellagio

The Spa at The Bellagio is like nothing I've every seen before. A huge space filled with everything a spa could ever need. The area within the women's spa has a sauna, eucalyptus scented steam room, 3 hot jacuzzis and an ice cold plunge pool. 

The walls are lined with shelves full to the brim with fluffy white towels, all of which smell like something I can only describe as buttery popcorn and candy floss. When I enquired as to what the scent was, I was told 'tranquility'. Nice. Just as we were heading out of that section we spotted a draw labelled 'ice towels', we pressed them into our faces and felt utterly refreshed. 

The changing rooms dressing area at the spa is what beauty dreams are made of. Big squishy sofas filled with cushions sit in between locker rows, an just around the corner there is the make up station, rows of dressing tables, with stools and lit up mirrors line the walls. 

The hair area was even better, more rows of mirrors, and each station had not just a hairdryer but straighteners and various curling irons in different sizes. As well as that, there was an array of products at each station, hair spray, root lifting moose, etc. We spent a while getting ready there, in fact we were the last ones there and the staff were tapping their feet waiting for us to leave! 

We found a 'tranquility room' hidden away near the treatment rooms where we sat in our fluffy robes and tried not to fall asleep. Maggie and I had just had a 'Body Peel' treatment, a body scrub massage with a product that contained Alpha Hydroxy Acids (Naturally occurring fruit acids which break down dead skin cells) after that was showered off, a light but intensive body lotion also containing AHAs was massaged into the skin. 

I would definitely recommend The Bellagio Spa if you're ever in Vegas, and the best thing is, you get free access to the spa all day when you have a treatment! 

Benefit Liquid Tints

Benefit make a range of liquid products, some which work as lip and cheek stains, and some as highlighters.

Posie Tint is an everyday creamy pink colour designed to be a lip and cheek stain. It has a nice liquid-cream formula and gives a nice subtle wash of colour which can also be built up. I find that the best way to apply it is to put some on the back of my hand, pick some up on a stippling brush and dab it onto cheeks. For lips I just dab it on with a finger. 

Sun Beam is a soft champagne gold shimmery highlighter, it looks lovely dabbed onto the tops of cheekbones and down the centre of the nose. It lights up the face and gives it a nice summery glow. 

ChaCha Tint is similar in consistency to Posie Tint but it's more pigmented and it's an orangey coral colour. I find it to be much better than Posie Tint on darker skin tones as a little goes a long way. Definitely a favourite of mine!

Highbeam and Moonbeam are both creamy highlighters similar to Sunbeam, Highbeam is pale pink and shimmery, it doesn't look great on me but I imagine it would look great on fair skins with cool undertones. Moonbeam is a light sand highlighter that shines a bluey-purple colour in the light, it suits me more than highbeam does but again would look much better on fair skin with cool undertones. 

Have you tried any of Benefit's liquid tints?  

If you would rather try the mini sized tints rather that going for the full sized ones you can get a set of 3 here. 

Vegas Baby!

We headed over to Las Vegas for a few days where we stayed at The Bellagio. It was my first time in Vegas and I wasn't really sure what to expect. 

As with everything in Vegas, the hotel was dressed up to the nines. Each hotel was like a town in itself, with lots of restaurants, bars, shops, swimming pools and even an indoor conservatory garden! It was completely over the top, but with Vegas that's part of the experience. No one goes to Vegas in search of minimalism! 

We were of course there to seek our fortune enjoy the spa, pool and shops. We left the casino to the boys, that was until we spotted this bad boy! A Sex and The City slot machine! We played on it for a little while . . . 

and here's what we ended up with. We walked away discussing what we could have bought in Sephora with the money instead! No regrets though, you can't come to Vegas and not try!

We enjoyed several delicious meals, but unfortunately I was a bad blogger and forgot to take pictures, I was too busy wolfing them  down! 

The swimming pools at The Bellagio were really good, very chilled out with food and drinks at an arm's reach. We stocked up on magazines and enjoyed some yummy cocktails while soaking up the sun! (with my favourite sunscreen of course!)

If you ever go to Vegas I would definitely recommend staying at The Bellagio, the rooms have great views and the staff are lovely! You can find out all about it on their website here.