A Day at Wireless Festival

A week last Saturday, me and my sister headed to Wireless Festival in Birmingham for the day. We booked this last year and it was my first plan of summer which I was really excited about post finishing university for the summer. It was a pretty early start as we were getting the coach from Manchester to Birmingham which was a 2 and a half hour journey. We got there nice and early and headed for the coach, I don't think we quite realised how tired we were as we got on the coach the driver checked our ticket and we sat down. Just as we were setting off, we heard a girl behind us stating how she had never been to Hyde Park. We instantly realised we was on the wrong coach, and the driver said he didn't realise the festival was on in Birmingham and London. So finally on the correct coach we was on our way. We arrived at a pretty stressfree journey, excited for the day ahead. There was so many acts we wanted to say, we got organised and arranged our itinerary for the day.

We had an absolutely fabulous time watching Neon Jungle and Clean Bandit, John Newman is also exceptional live. We found J-Cole likes to use a lot of explicates and this was when we headed for dinner. There was so much food choice but we went for classic festival food in burger and chips which was rather lovely. The prices of festival food always breaks my heart, my burger and chips was £7 and my cider was £6.  A little extra addition was there was a local radio station there which was letting you have free transfer tattoos and they also had a photo booth. The headliner was Bruno Mars, but I was so excited to see Ellie Goulding she is so stunning and her voice is outstanding I had never been lucky enough to see her before and she was soooo good. She made the entire day for me being able to sing along to song after song was brilliant. The weather lucky held out which I was so happy about as my sister seriously does not cope with rain and being wet! Outkast was on next and I did not realise how much they rap which does not really interest me, but they obviously did there most well known and the entire field was going crazy at 'Hey Ya'. We then headed for tea where we opted for pizza and garlic bread. We caught the end of Robin Thicke just before he finished up with 'Blurred Lines', which created such a great atmosphere in the tent. Bruno Mars came on and I have tohe was just as good as we had expected, he has had so many songs and most of them are so uplifting and was able to have a good dance along to them. He finished off the day perfectly!
On the way home we got stuck in stand still traffic as there had been an accident on the motorway and there was also road works - chaos! It took over 4 hours and I was shattered when we arrived back in Manchester at 2.30am. There was some very lively drunken girls on the back of the coach which sang Bruno Mars songs on repeat for an hour in the standstill traffic, which is just what you want after a very long day - utter nightmare.

All in all I have an exceptionally fantastic day, I adore festivals with all the acts and the atmosphere we are planning on doing the same next year which is super exciting!

Lucy
xoxo

Nike Roshe Run

The Nike Roshe Run seem to be very popular by many at the moment, and I have had my eye on them for a while now. I got these little beauties as a present off my parents for my birthday. As I am only a size 3 I was able to get them in the junior size for £40, compared to the £70 for the adult sizes.
I was so surprised at how light they were, they literally weigh nothing. They are also really comfortable, I am planning on wearing these as day to day trainers with my jeans when I am having a shopping / lunch trip. I was originally planning on getting these in the bright pink, but for once I thought that the black were much more practical although the pink are much prettier!

Lucy
xoxo

Birthday Presents!

On Monday it was my birthday and I turned 20! I have been unsure about whether to upload this post or not as I do not want to be seen as I am bragging as to what I got. I love seeing these posts and watching videos of others showing viewers what they got as it gives you ideas as to what to pop on your birthday/wish list. So here is just a click list with links to everything that I got:

Fujifilm S8200
Nike Roshe Runs
MAC lipstick in St Germain
Victoria Secrets Underwear and Body Lotion
M&M World goodies
Abercrombie and Fitch Tee
Nemo Thomas Sabo Charm
Accessorize Headbands
Candle

I would just like to say a huge thank you to my family and friends for being so generous this year, and I have simply fallen in love with my camera.

Lucy
xoxo

June Favourites

Eeek I am once again late with my favourites post, I have been rather busy but I promise I will prepare next months on time.

With all this lovely, sunny weather I have been very much loving tanning and getting to wear all of my summer clothes which have been collecting dust at the back of my wardrobe. I have found a great combination which creates a nice, real looking tan. I bought the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Pre Tan Exfoliator, when Rimmel first launched it at the beginning of spring. It was just £1.99 when I got is as it was an introductory offer, but now it is only £3.99 which is still an excellent price. The exfloliator has a great gritty texture which really leaves the skin refreshed which is just what you need before you tan. I then applied my latest beauty buy - the Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe, Vivianna Does Makeup did a bronzing/tanning video recently and she featured Xen Tan and stated how much she loved it, she I took the plunge and its really nice. Considering it is Ultra Dark, compared to other tans it was light. I applied one layer the night before and in the morning I had a nice colour, but next time I would apply two layers to create a  slightly darker summery glow.

The Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ has been a firm favourite of mine this month. I did a post recently solely on this lotion, as I bought the travel size version and loved it so much I upgraded to the full size. As I work at Debenhams I get 20% off all beauty, and they also had a tax free on beauty products last weekend meaning I got this for just £19. To me they seemed like such a bargain.

I have rediscovered a favourite lipstick this month, and it comes from Kate Moss' line for Rimmel. The colour is 101, its a nice pink toned velvety matte shade. It is just a great everyday lipstick which I put on to add a little vibrancy to my makeup but nothing over the top. These are just £5.49, and I think Rimmel does high street lipsticks the best.

Finally, another lipstick I have been loving comes from MAC (surprise, surprise!). I actually got this one free when I handed in my 6 swaps to get a free lipstick. It comes in the colour Patisserie which is a great everyday nude. This always comes up as a bestseller, and I know so many friends and bloggers that love this. It gives a create lift of colour to the lips and you can wear it with absolutely anything, a definite staple to keep in the bottom of your handbag.

Hope you all have a fabulous July!

Lucy
xoxo

July Glamour Magazine and Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner

I had to do this post with some urgency so you beauty lovers can rush out on my recommendation. Last week I picked up July's issue of Glamour magazine as I usually do, and I got a little bit excited with the freebie featured with it this month as it was a Eyeko eyeliner. There was a lot of excitement on YouTube recently, when Lisa Eldridge featured an Alexa Chung tutorial on her channel, it was no ordinary video though as it actually featured the Alexa Chung. Coincidentally, Alexa actually features as one of the cover girls on this month’s issue.  In the tutorial she uses some Eyeko products from the range which she created with them, the eyeliner she uses in the video is the Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner which you can get from Space: NK for £15. The eyeliner which comes with Glamour this month is the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner; you can get the colours in either black or navy. This is actually currently out of stock on the Space: NK website.

I picked up the black, as that is naturally the colour which I would think I would get the most use out of. I have to say I have been absolutely loving this eyeliner, I always manage to get my eyeliner to something which I am pleasantly pleased with, but the flicks just seem to be too technical for me. This eyeliner makes it so much easier; the nib is very easy to control. It allows for precision and the colour is intense and pigmented which creates such a easy daily look. Since I have completely adored the black, I have been trying to pick it up in navy as well. Did I mention that the magazine costs just £2!! Yes £2!! Essie Button has been inspiring me to venture out on the eyeliner front recently, and she recently posted about her new favourite navy eyeliner, and I have to say it looked so lovely on her. In the summer I like to wear more vibrant looks and I think navy is somewhere to start.  Unfortunately, there seems to only be black left in the shops when I went to have a sneaky look today in a store, I am going to have to put my mum and sister on the case. I seriously suggest you whip up a copy of Glamour quickly as the August issue will be being released very soon and I would hate for everyone to miss out on this little gem.

Lucy

xoxo

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +

I recently bought a travel size 30ml version of this highly talked about and anticipated moisturiser. The product under review is the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +. I have heard many beauty blogs discussing this, and I had been hearing many rave reviews about it. Whilst doing a little research for the post, I discovered that there is also a Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel which is a version for those with oily skin.

I have been trailing this for a good few weeks now, and I have to say I am really loving the lotion. If you have dry to combination skin, it is very smooth and silky on application to the skin. It gives an instant light, refreshing boost to tired skin in the morning, and it acts as a great base before applying any products. Due to the price tag attached to this, I thought it would make more sense just to buy the smaller size to see if I actually like it, before I jumped in and spent a lot of money of the 125ml full size version which is £28. It comes in two smaller sizes a 30ml which is £9.50 and a 50ml which is £17. I have never thought spending so much money on a moisturiser before but you need the tiniest amount, a little differently goes a long way. I know that the full size will last me a good few months and I am excited to buy it as soon as I can. I want to save this smaller size for when I am going to be travelling and going on my holidays over the summer, just because it is just such a small and convenient size. The lotion is yellow but as soon as applied to the face it turns into the silky clear fluid, and creates such a lovely healthy and glowing look to the skin. The only negative to this is it doesn't contain any SPF, which is inconvenient coming in to the summer months.

Lucy
xoxo

Fashion Fridays: The £7.99 Sleeveless Shirt

I walked in to H&M one day earlier this week and this was on the model at the front of the store. Talk about retailers dragging you in, it definitely had the effect on me. I love bright colours and this is such a beautiful bright canary yellow, the design is a high low shirt and has short sleeves. The weather in the UK has previewed a few rather sunny days recently, which excites me massively. This will be perfect for those days as it is so lightweight and thin. I plan to wear it with shorts, jeans, leggings, tucked into skirts, there are many ways I can wear this and I think it is going to be a staple part of my summer wardrobe. The price tag is just £7.99 which is just brilliant, and an absolute steal. This also came in blue and white, and I am considering going back for them both as they are just so easy to wear. I think the sizing of this is quite big as this is only a size 6 and it is pretty baggy on me. If you fancy taking a look here is a link to the shirt on the H&M site.

Lucy
xoxo

Product Empties

This is my first empties post on the blog, but I seemed to have collected quite a few recently. I thought I could give you the low down on what I have loved from the products I have been using over the past few months. I have found some little treasures which I will be repurchasing as they have worked wonders.

Bioderma Senisbo H2O - I have two sizes of this the standard 250ml and the 100ml travel size. I think this must be my third bottle of this which I have used up in the standard size, which means for me that it must be a favourite. I like to experiment with cleansers but I just love how easy this is to use and also being able to use it on your eyes is a great bonus for me. I hate having to carry around a cleanser and eye makeup remover especially when travelling and the little 100ml bottle will last me a few holiday trips and it is just so small and convenient. Heads up escentual.com is starting their French pharmacy promotion of a 1/3 off all Bioderma products from the 1st June. The full price sizes of these products are £4.50 for the 100ml and £9.99 for the 250ml.

Sure Deodorant - I absolutely adore how Sure has come out with these new compressed deodorants, you get 150ml in a 75ml size bottle. I despise having to carry huge canisters of deodorants in my handbag and when travelling they just take up so much space. I think this is such a clever and inventive creation and its such an easy concept, I wonder why it has not been created before. I have been using deodorants from Sure for years and I think they are the best out there. I love the different scents that they have, but the Bright scent is my favourite of all. It contains scents of flowers and apricots, and it creates a lovely fresh morning scent which is light and refreshing. Now it claims to be 48 hours effective, this seems to be a little far fetched to me. But what I can say is that it is long lasting and stays feeling fresh.

Lingering Eye Brow Pencil - This is the second one of these which I have used up, and I have just repurchased another one as it is a strong favourite within my beauty stash. At first I thought it was a little dark for my colouring so swapped to Omega, but I much prefer a pencil soft nib when colouring my brows. I love how the nib is like a pen and needs no sharpening, and I think it creates a much more natural look. I find brushing through with a spooly creates a much more natural look especially if you are fairer in skin tone and hair colour. At £13 it is not the cheapest but this will last me a good few months and I am yet to find something better. Although, I do have my eye on the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer - You can clearly see that this has been well loved, it is looking very well used. If this does not look familiar to you it is because Maybelline has given this a makeover and it has some lovely new packaging. This has featured in many beauty gurus must haves and I have to say I need to repurchase this asap. It is just £6.99 which I think is an absolute steal, it comes in two shades Ivory and Sand. I picked up Ivory and this is the perfect shade for me, it is light and illuminating and I mainly use it under my eyes. It really brightens up under the eye, it gives an instant pick me up and is especially great for those days when your eyes look extremely tired.


Lucy
xoxo

A Few New Beauty Buys

I seemed to have accumulated quite a few new purchases from the beauty aisles over the past month or so, so I thought I would give you the lowdown on what I have picked up and a few first impressions.

Barry M Nail Paint in Pacific - Not going to lie I basically picked this up as it resembled a mermaid to me as soon as I saw it. It comes from there Aquarium Collection which featured a number of different dreamy colours. I have always been impressed with Barry M nail polishes in there colour range and finishes, so I snapped this up to see how this performs and if it looks as dreamy when applied to my nails, it is an absolute steal at £3.99.

Revlon Perfumerie in African Tea Rose - Simply picked this up as it intrigued me so much as it is featured in Revlons new nail varnish collection which have scents. The colour is vivid and a bright fuschia pink, I think I will be getting a lot of use out of this within the next coming months. There are 20 in this new collection which is a really big amount for us avid nail varnish lovers, and I think the price tag of £6.49 is reasonably alright.

Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Blonde - I bought this in Dark Blonde as my hair is naturally blonde therefore meaning I wanted it to match my colouring, although I was unsure which shade to pick up as I do like my eyebrows to be a light chocolate brown colour. But this was differently the right choice as it sets darker than it looks. For £4.99 it is differently a budget buy in comparison to Benefits Gimme Brow, which I am yet to try. First impressions are that it is a little clumpy, but maybe that is because I am just not used to applying a product like this. It just felt not quite right putting a mascara on my eyebrows I know the product is a sculpting brow mascara but I just don't think we are not going to be the best of friends. I am going to continue to use this when I have the time and patience to properly sit down and test it out.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Frambourjoise -This is another new release from Bourjois in the form of a matte finish lipgloss. There was lots of different choices on the display, I was in a bit of a manic rush when I picked this up. Unfortunately I am not a massive fan of the colour of it on my lips it doesn't quite go with my complexion. I am willing to keep trying it in different ways as the finish and pigmentation is really beautiful in the product. At £8.99 it is not the cheapest product on the drugstore beauty market, but in comparison to other high end brands this could differently be a little a perfect pairing with the right colour.

Lucy
xoxo

Rimmel Match Perfection

I have been meaning to do a review on this foundation forever, the culprit is Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation. Simply because it is one of the best drugstore foundations out there on the beauty market. I am on my second bottle which means that it differently is doing the job for me if I am to repurchase straight away. There has been many blog reviews on this since the launch and I was intrigued to try it out for myself. One thing which I really love is the wide colour match selection within this line, being fair and pale I usually find it quite difficult to find the perfect match. But within this line there is a really good selection of colours for the paler skinned people, and you can match your correct undertone which is really useful. I have been wanting to try the Loreal True Match, but this has been doing the job so well I haven't felt a need to spend that little bit more in case it is not as good.

I first bought the colour 101 Classic Ivory and I found that it was a really good match to my skin. When I went to buy my second bottle I made a little error and bought the darker shade in the ivory collection which is 103 True Ivory. The Boots which I bought my second bottle from was a tiny one and they did not have the same colour range, so presumed I had picked up the right one until I got home and realised. Although, I find that there is barely any difference in the colours, it is the tiniest bit darker but with a good blending in the colour still matches my skin tone very well.

The coverage of this little beauty is medium, maybe even high when a good amount is applied. It covers imperfections well and really gives a nice glow to the face. An added bonus is the SPF18 which will give your skin the protection it needs on those brighter days. I love how blendable the consistency is, and it definitely does not give that cakey look that I find some higher coverage foundations do. It does not actually state its lasting power, but I put this to the test on a 13 hour shift. By by the time I got home it obviously did not look as good as when first applied, but I found it still gave my coverage but some had sunken in as my imperfections were peeping through. However I am yet to find a foundation which after 15 hours of wear actually still looks flawless. On days when I am just wearing it throughout the day I do find that my makeup still looks fresh and bright a good few hours later. This costs just £6.99 and is an absolute steal, I recommend this to almost everyone and I think it is great for this time of the year as it is glowing and dewy. I have tried many, in fact all of the Rimmel foundations over the years when they have been released, and I have always been happy with the outcome of them. I think this is by far the best one which Rimmel has brought out. I was a big fan of the Wake Me Up foundation, but it was a little too light in terms of the coverage but it still has a lovely consistency. I also have the Stay Matte foundation, but I am not a major fan of the formula, I much prefer a liquid fluid, although that did still look fresh when applied. All, in all a really lovely product.

Lucy
xoxo

Maxfactor Clump Defy Mascara - 50 Years of Superdrug Exclusive

My favourite EVER mascara has had a revamp of its packaging to celebrate 50 years of Superdrug. I recently had a little incident involving my fave mascara and my morning weetabix...

Yes... My mascara ward fell into my breakfast, even though I cleaned it its not been quite the same, and it was on it lasts legs thank god. So I took a little trip to Superdrug as I had seen advertised this limited edition design and thought it looked rather cute and girly. The mascara is usually £10.99 and on the promotion it was £7.99 which was a very pleasant surprise. I have gone on lots and lots about this mascara, as it is by one of my top holy grail products. It just gives such good definition to your eyelashes and never has another mascara separated and as it states defies all clumps in any form. It also gives good volume and length and it is black which makes your eyelashes stand out, I find with only a few coats I have achieved the look I want. I just love, love, love it and I am yet to find a mascara better than this.

Remember you can find me and keep up to date at:
Twitter: @lucyalanamccann
Instagram: lucyalanamccann

Lucy
xoxo

Easter Holidays

This week I headed up to the Scottish Borders with my family to little town near Berwick for a week away in a lovely little countryside cottage for some relaxation and quality family time. Luckily we had sunny weather six out of seven days which is a miracle for Britain in April! I took a few pictures along the way of some sights and foodie things and I thought I would share them with you...

Lucy
xoxo

Fashion Friday's: The Zara Mini City Bag

Buying my first Zara has been at the very top of my wish list for a long, long time. I have massively got into Zara in 2014, and it is fast becoming my must have shopping venue. I just love how simple and classic their clothing is, and it always look such good quality and you can easily create effortless outfits. I can guarantee I will go in and see so many items that I want, but I do sometimes find some of their pieces rather pricey. Although, you can find those little gems with a rather decent price tag attached to them.

Zara handbags are known for being simple but an essential to every women's handbag collection. The full size City Bag was what originally caught my eye but at £59.99, it was over my budget and seemed a little large for the summer bag I was wanting. This has been a must have accessory across the fashion industry featuring in many magazines and fashion blogs. I was casually browsing over the Zara website late one night when I set my eyes on the 'mini' version of the must have bag, the Mini City which has a slightly budget friendly price of £39.99. I loved this pale pink colour which I think is perfect for taking us into these summer seasons. On the day my shopping ban was over, I headed to Zara bright and early to pick this up. I could not see it out on display, although I do find it hard to shop for accessories in Zara as they match them up in trends so you have to look on every display on all the floors. In the end, I asked a sales assistant who said it was not on the shop floor but she think it had arrived in that day's delivery. When she came out with it it was meant to be, fresh out of the packaging and on to my card it went. I have used this bag everyday since, and I love it. I like that there is two big sections with zips at the front and back of the bag where I keep my valuables. Then the entire middle section is for all of the necessary bits and bobs and it has a press stud to keep it safe. I love the long strap on the bag which you can throw over your body or wear it across your body. The handles are sturdy and can clip together with a little clip, the only downfall of this bag is that you can not fit it on your shoulders as the handles are just that little bit too small. But it fits nicely on your arm as a bit of arm candy and it is not a particularly heavy bag. The material of the bag is faux leather which is dyed into the colours which are the pink, blue, white and red. I like the array of colours which it comes in and I think this is my most recommend item to have featured on my blog to date, as I honestly do not think anyone would be disappointed having this in their possessions.


Lucy
xoxo

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan

I mentioned this in Monday's Recent Launches and Buys post. But it deserves its own dedicated post of its own. I have to really be liking a product in order for me to blog about it, as I do not want to recommend something to others for them to be disappointing in it.

If you had read my other post you will have got a little background knowledge about this tan. Basically Rimmel has relaunched their range of fake tans for 2014, and have featured the gorgeous Binky from Made in Chelsea as their poster girl. I have used their Sun Shimmer Instant Tan for years and have always loved the product. There are two types of finishes to this range - matte and shimmer. Last year I went for shimmer and although it looks nice in the summer and gives you a summer glow, I found in some lights it could looks glittery especially on my legs. Therefore this year I opted for the matte version, hoping for a more natural looking tan, but still getting that summer glow. It also comes in three colours - light, medium and dark. As I am pale skin and do not want an overwhelming over the top amount of colour, I choose light thinking that I could always build it up if necessary. I love instant tan over build able, as you can just pop it on if and when you need it and instantly. It comes outs there and then so you can see where you have missed and you do not have to wait for the colour to build over a few days. This is a wash off tan which is great, I used this when I went out last week and when I was in the shower the next morning it came off with little effort. I used a tanning mitt to apply it as with instant tan applying with you hands can end up a little messy and leave you palms stained.

I used this for the first time last week on a girls night out, and it just reminded me how good it was. I borrowed my sisters as mine had ran out, and she was telling me all about the new range and how it was half price at Boot's. I was telling her how much I love it, but if someone spills a drink on you it is game over as found that the colour runs really easily. She then informed me that this new formula is water resistant, which I was seriously so thrilled about. Therefore, I think this is a perfect tan for the spring/summer. It gives a lovely, healthy glow, you can choose the colour as well as your finish, its instant and waterproof and you can just wash it off the next day. It is an all over body tan for face and body, but I have not yet tried it out on my face as I am always anxious at the results. But if it is anything like the application to my body, I will be seriously happy.

I was intrigued when I went to buy my own bottle the other day to see that Rimmel now sell a Pre-Tan Exfoliater and a BB Cream Perfector Tan. The absolute icing on the cake, is that all the new Rimmel tanning products are currently half price at Boot's and Superdrug meaning it cost me just £3.49. I am definitely going to go and stock up on my next trip as I know this will be the tan I will be using religiously throughout spring and summer this year.

Lucy
xoxo

Recent Launches and Buys

Yeahh.. my spending have finally come to a finish. It has been a very long six weeks. This meant that I just had to pop to Boots yesterday and pick up a few bits which I have had my eye on for a while now. I literally had about five minutes to run round and collect everything that I wanted, so it was a bit of a case of just go with what you thought and fancied.

First up the Rimmel Colour Rush Balm - This was a recommendation from my sister, she picked up two recently and has been absolutely loving the outcome from the product. If you have been following my blog for a while now, you will know how much of a fan I am of the Revlon Colourburst Balms as I have been really loving the amount of pigmentation in them and how long lasting they are. I picked this Rimmel one up in the colour On Fire which is very much an everyday colour for me, it is not as red as the packaging suggests it is more of a muted pink on the lips. I am excited to try this and compare it with the Revlon alternative, these cost £5.99.

Revlon Parfumerie in African Tea Rose - This is part of Revlon's new scented nail enamel collection which has recently been launched. The bottles are really cute and I was just intrigued to find out the formula of these varnishes and if they do actually have the scent of what it states. I have had a sneaky sniff in the bottle and to me it just smells of normal nail varnish which is disappointing. However, I am going to investigate and see how this really works, at £7.99 I am really hoping for high things from this little bottle.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet  - This is a new launch from Bourjois, it is a line of lipsticks which have a matte finish but come in the form of a wand and not your normal lipstick stick. I picked this up in Frambourjoise which is a pale toned red and I am excited to test the formula and its lasting powers on the lips as it claims to have a 24 hour hold. These are £8.99 which is not the cheapest from the drugstore, but there has been a lot of good reviews about these so I wanted to test them out for myself.

Last but not least, Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan - I recently watched Vivianna Does Makeup video all about her favourite buys from the drugstore and she mentioned this fake tan. It reminded me of how much I loved it last year, and how coming into spring a new bottle was overdue. This was the one thing at the very top of my list when I took my first steps back into Boot's after so long! I was very, very happy to see that it is currently half price and was just £3.49. I really recommend this as it leaves a really lovely instant glow, nothing too dramatic but a realistic looking tan. I went for the matte version as shimmery looking legs is not my thing, and they always seem to go too shimmery on me. I am so happy that they have finally made the formula water resistant. I have had quite a few mishaps with this when a drink has been spilled on me and it would instantly run, so hopefully this will stop that ever happening again. I much prefer instant tans to build able ones as you can just wash them off the next day. I recommend this to everyone and it comes in light, medium and dark.

Lucy
xoxo

Stereo Rose

Stereo Rose first released in a few years a go in a MAC collection and it was a total favourite of many makeup lovers. I saw Lily Pebbles post a few months back when the new collection had been announced, and she had said that had purchased this and loved it. This blush comes from the current MAC exclusive line called Fantasy of Flowers which has been in stores since March. I actually purchased this as soon as the collection was released, but I wanted to properly put it to the test before I reviewed it for you.

With blushes once I find a favourite I stick with it and use it constantly; blushes take up a very small part in my makeup collection as I usually do not get that excited about them. I do adore the pop of colour on the cheek and always apply it when doing my makeup, but for me there is just so many other makeup pieces which intrigue me so so much more. This however has differently opened my eyes more as to the different colours and looks you can create and I have been more interested in expanding my blush collection.

So down the nitty gritty, Stereo Rose it is a beautiful coral based blush with has a golden shimmer throughout it. I loved the domed shaped of this as it is highly pigmented, you need the tiniest dab of colour for a lot of pay off on the cheeks. I can safely say I have never owned a blush with so much pigmentation, it will literally last me a last time. Even compared to my other MAC blushes where you give the pan a swirl with your brush, with this I literally just touch the end of my brush into it has enough for both cheeks.This is a Mineralise Skinfinish Natural, which is where my favourite powder which I am fully dedicated to comes from. It costs £22 which is a little more pricey than standard MAC blushes, but it is definitely worth it. The product is domed face and it has that baked look to it which provides a really natural but glowing pop to the cheeks. When I first set my eyes on Stereo Rose I thought it looked a lot bigger therefore naturally thinking it must contain more product than the standard MAC blushes. When I had a little scout across the Selfridges website I realised that this contained 10g. Interestingly the standard Powder Blush costing £18 contained 6g and the Mineralise Blush contained only 3.2g and they cost £20. I do not usually look at the grams per product but I think it is a bit crazy how they can differ so much. All in all though as this contains 10g it is differently worse spending that little bit more, as it will last you so much longer. This is a perfect shade from the transition into spring and I know that it has been making a daily appearance on my cheeks.

Lucy
xoxo

The Perfect MAC Quad

(From left to right - All That Glitters, Satin Taupe, Omega & Woodwinked)

Now, this is a bold statement to make but I think I might honestly own the perfect MAC quad. I can use it everyday to create a perfect everyday look but when I want a more intense look for a night out or for a classic smokey this can also be created with this quad. I actually only own five MAC eyeshadows in total, which is not surprising as I am not a huge eyeshadow girl but I am looking at expanding my collection for more spring tones. But then I look at my little quad, and I always know I can just rely on it at all times to pull off and create what I want to with great ease. The shadows are £12 individually or £10 in the pan form, and the 4x quad costs £6.50.

All That Glitters, was the first edition to this quad. I built it slowly over a few months to ensure I was including the exact colours that I wanted. I remember picking this colour and the actual quad up when I was on holiday in Ireland, I am not sure why but I just had an instant thought that creating a quad is so much easier than having individual shadows all over the place. When I started to create this palette I was MAC obsessed it was my first introduction to high end beauty and I thought it was the bee all and end all, and so did all my friends. I did not have any knowledge on colours and textures, and I can actually say that I created this quad with very little knowledge which I am a little bit proud of. As my interest in makeup grew I realised my little quad I had created featured three of the best know shadows, and are essentials for many people and often appear as people's must haves. This is a beautiful light pink colour which adds a little pop to the eye, it has a lovely golden shimmer running through it and I use this on a daily basis as a base. 

Satin Taupe is the darkest shade to my quad, and I wear this in the crease and outer section of my eyelid. It is the perfect colour to create the classic smokey eye, it adds an edge of darkness to a look. The great thing is that it is not too dark, I love a smokey eye, but I like it to still be bright and have that pop of colour rather than being made up of all dark browns and black. For the daytime I sometimes put just one layer of this on all over the lid and I am ready to go, it is a really easy shade to wear.

Omega was the last colour to be added to the quad. It was recommended to me by a girl working on the MAC counter when I popped into store one day. I had seen many people including it in blogs and in YouTube videos as a perfect colour for fair girls to use on there eyebrows. I have fair hair and a pale skin tone and I always struggle to get eyebrow colours that are not to dark for me. I love a full brow though and I have been struggling for years to find colours to match my colouring. I think during my high school days I definitely rocked eyebrows that were a little too dark for me, but I really loved the look at the time. If you swatch this on your hand it does not really create much colour and looks as though it lacks pigmentation. But, apply it with a brush onto the brows and you get that pop of dark blonde colour which is perfect for blondes. You can create a lot of colour with a the tiniest bit of colour. If you are not a massive fan or using pencils I would certainly suggest you try out using a shadow, I do find that it is long lasting and if you have a darker hair colouring mystery is often a favourite amongst many.

Woodwinked is my all time favourite eyeshadow colour hands down. A bold statement to once again make, but everyone and I mean everyone should have this shade. I bought this as an individual before the creation of the quad, but I miss placed it for months and I could not find it anywhere. So I had to rebuy it and include it in my quad as my second shade as it was such a must have. I then found the individual shadow but this means I have a double dosing and there is barely anything left in the single quad now, but it is okay as there is always a backup in the quad. On nights out my friends always borrow my quad and Woodwinked is the first colour which they are drawn to. I would describe this as the perfect everyday shade. It is a beautiful mid tone bronze, with shimmer once again running through it as I am not a huge fan of matte shadows. On the lid it is vibrant but and instantly brightens your entire look with one application of this colour. It is just perfection it is so shimmery and the pigmentation in all of these shadows are beautiful, you need very little product to produce huge amounts of colour.

I would love to know what colours would you or do you feature in you MAC quad?

All other posts from this week: The Flower Print Pant / Jewellery Collection and Storage / March Favourites

Lucy

xoxo

Fashion Friday's: The Flower Print Pant

Today on Fashion Friday I bring you a trouser/legging combination named the Bloom Block Flocked Tregging which I picked up from Topshop at the start of this season. A tregging is a mix between a trouser and a legging, which is great as it still has the smart trouser look but they have more stretch in them.

I originally bought them as a statement piece for a night out. I have surprisingly worn these treggings a lot more than I first thought I would, as I wasn't sure if they were a bit too dressy for the daytime. Although for daytime looks I have been teaming them with a variety of different black tops, then my leather jacket and a pair of plain shoes. I have worn this look to uni, out to meals and I jazzed it up with a statement necklace and my favourite pair of heeled chelsea boots for a night out. They fit really well and I love that they are made of a thicker material than normal leggings to keep you that little bit warmer, and they have a side zip to make sure they are fitted. I am definitely looking at picking up another similar pair to these for the spring, as I find them so comfortable and you do not have to think about the outfit in to much detail as the pants are so detailed. I love the monochrome effect that runs throughout them, and the flower details makes them more girly and fun. The material feels like felt to me and at first it did feel a little bit strange, but it is because the black material lies on top of the white so the design is more vibrant. I have just discovered whilst searching for a link to them, that they have actually gone down to £15 now in the sale. I paid £28 originally which I thought was a decent price for Topshop as it can be very pricey sometimes. However, if you have a quick browse under 'treggings' there are 98 different options currently, so I am pretty sure you will be able to find a design and style which you love!

Lucy
xoxo

Jewellery Collection and Storage

Recently I have been looking for a way to display my jewellery as I never really had any storage. I have tried to use jewellery boxes previously and I use them effectively for a week and then I give up and my jewellery ends up in the same state it was before. I was watching a video by Fleur De Force on her YouTube channel on her jewellery collection and storage recently, I loved the stands that she had recently bought and decided to have a nosy on the John Lewis website at the stands in more detail. 

I really love the style of these stands which come from the designer Lisbeth Dahl Poppy. This comes in a smaller size for £16.50 or the medium size which is the one I purchased for £20. So I popped into John Lewis recently and picked up the medium size, I really like that it has a vintage look to the stand. I especially like the design to the base and how it matches the ends and the top of the arms. There is one little negative to this stand, I have found it to be a little bit unsteady and the arms have wobbled a tiny bit as they are not fully secured into the main stand.

This is just a small amount of my jewellery which I have featured on the stand but I thought I would let you know what I have put on it. Starting from the left, I have a tie Thomas Sabo bracelet which has two charms attached to it which are an 18 and an anchor. I have three different Pandora bracelets which I have been collecting for about 3 years now. I have white single woven leather bracelet in pearl, I have a variety of beads and charms on this bracelet. The next Pandora bracelet is my original bracelet which I got as a present off my parents and this bracelet is completely full with charms and beads, its a really nice way to collect and build up your bracelets as family members buy me new things to put on it for birthdays and at Christmas. The final bracelet is my newest one which I got for Christmas 2013 off my parents again, it is one of the bangle styles. I think this is my favourite out of the three, I currently only have three beads and one charm on this one but I like the minimalist look so I don't think I am going to put too much more on it. To finish off this side of the stand I have two necklaces which I like to regularly wear. One is a long necklace with a black shark tooth which was from Primark, and the other is a orange and black statement necklace which I bought from Debenhams in the sales and I love it to really brighten an outfit as it is a real stand out piece. On the other side is two necklaces from New Look, I think New Look have some really good fashion jewellery pieces for really good prices and I always nip in whenever I am looking for something new. One features a collection of spikes and the other one is a real chunky chained necklace. Then I finally have my two watches on the stand, the first one is my Toy watch which I have had for ages, I think I got it for my 16th birthday and I still love to wear it. It is really good quality and it was expensive when it was bought, I really love the vibrant pink colour. The other pink watch is from Oasis, I bought this when my Toy watch broke and I had to send it abroad to be fixed so it took about two months to come back to me, so I bought this in the meanwhile. I actually do wear this on rotation with my Toy watch, as I like that its a more neutral pink colour and the fact that it is metal and not plastic. 

You can see featured at the bottom of the photos, a little dish which I absolutely adore. I picked this up from Debenhams in the sale last year, it is so lovely and has little butterflies all over the dish. I have now decluttered this dish and it is so much easier to find what I am looking for. I keep my rings and earrings in here and its so easy to find what I am looking for now. 

I hope you like all of my pieces and the way which I now store everything.

Lucy 

xoxo

March Favourites

I always plan ahead to post this right at the start of each month but it always takes me so long to decide and pick from the stash my favourites. But better late than never as always...

As my spending ban is still in full swings this month has been about rediscovering old favourites on the beauty side of things. I have also decided to start adding in other bits and bobs which I have been loving throughout March into this monthly post.

So on the beauty side of things the Seaweed Matifying Day Cream from The Body Shop. I have nearly finished using all of this product and I have really enjoyed using it. It has a great creamy texture, to smooth and refresh the skin first thing in the morning. It creates a lovely base before applying any products and I would consider purchasing this again. It is aimed at combination/oily skin, my skin is definitely combination at the moment as it can be drying in places but oily through the T zone.

Stereo Rose from MAC, this featured in my beauty haul a few weeks back and I have been seriously loving this blusher. It is from MAC's new exclusive line called Fantasy of Flowers collection. The product is super pigmented and the tiniest amount of dusting on your brush produces a lot of pay off on the cheeks. It love it as it adds a lovely, glowing effect to your cheeks and really brightens up your makeup look. It costs £22 which is quite expensive but this will last you for years, and it is perfect for coming into these summery months. It is an exclusive as it is part of this collection so if you fancy getting your hands on it, I suggest you take a sneaky visit to Selfridge's soon!

This is definitely my rediscovery product of the month; MAC's eyebrow pencil in Lingering. This is my second pencil in this colour I used to use it on a daily basis last year, but I thought it was a little dark for me as I am quite fair. I went on to using MAC's eyeshadow in Omega as it was more blonder and more subtle. However, I have been loving a bolder brow this month and I think you can create your perfect shape with this pencil. It is actually like a pen which you twist up to dispense more product, I find pencils a little scratchy and hard to apply. Whereas, this is smooth and soft and I have really been embracing it this month. It costs £13 which I think is a reasonable price and they sell quite a few different colours in the range depending on your colouring.

The Scandaleyes Micro Precision Eyeliner from Rimmel. This featured in last months favourites post but I have still been totally in love with this little gem from the drugstore. It is such a good price, and I seriously love how easy it is to apply. I think eyeliner can be a scary thought for some people but this is great as you can easily create a line as thick or as fat as you choose. It costs £5.49 and you can pick this up in most Boots and Superdrug stores.

The Gillette Venus & Olay shavers have been a god send. I have been lovely this razor so much, as you can see I have recently picked up another one. This come with a moisture bar which means when you are shaving it leaves your skin so soft and smooth. Its so nice and I never get a shaving rash of any sort. They are quite expensive usually about £10, but Boots often have them on sale for half price which was the offer which was on when I picked this one up. It also comes with a really handy little shower holder which has a suction cup on the back so you can attach it to your shower so you don't loose it!

Okay beauty products to the side..

Frozen came out on DVD, I had not actually managed to go to the cinema to see this but my sister bought it and I love it. It is classic Disney, the two girls remind me of me and my sister when I was younger. The songs are so cute and catchy, its just an overall lovely film.

Now if you've never heard of a Juicecube before neither had I until I saw Fleur De Force mention it a while back I think it was in her Christmas Gift Idea video. This little beauty can be bought from John Lewis or online, it comes in a few different colours and costs £24.99. Basically it is a portable charger which you can carry round with you in case your phone/ipod runs out of battery when you are out and about. If you have an iPhone you know how quickly they run out of battery and as I've been taking many train journeys recently my phone was constantly running out. All you do is charge the cube, it comes with a lead and many different interchangeable heads which fit many different devices which is super handy. So once its charged pop the little cube into your handbag and your ready to go. When you need it just plug your appliance into the cube and it starts to instantly charge it. It has become so, so handy and I highly recommend these to anyone who finds themselves with zero battery on a daily basis. I am going to be doing a full blog post on this sometime soon if you want anymore details.

Hope your all having a lovely April!

Lucy
xoxo