Top tips for first time visitors to Disneyland Paris

Before I went to Disneyland Paris, I was researching left, right and centre everything I wanted and needed to know about the place. This got me thinking that on my return I was going to put together a little guide for first time visitors with all my top tips.

My sister and I stayed in the Santa Fe hotel and when we checked in at the reception we were presented with two cards. The key to everything we needed for our holiday. They were magic passes, which were great on the back they had our name, hotel and what meal plan we were on. She activated them there and then and it also served as our key for our hotel. It was very handy to have everything in one place. When my sister had visited about 10 years ago, they were given meal vouchers for each day. I am so happy they have accumulated everything onto one pass as it makes everything so much easier. This was also your golden ticket into both parks, you just held it against the monitor and you were in.

I briefly mentioned this in my first post that we opted for the full board standard meal plans. This meant on each of our cards we had uploaded 4 breakfasts each and 8 meals per person to use whenever we wanted. This would be really good if you had children as your whole booking goes on to the adult cards. For example, my sister could go and buy us both lunch using two of the uploaded meals and pay just on her card, and it be would deducted off both of our totals. We bought lanyards and the card holders (which is in the picture), it was really convenient rather than having to consistency go in and out of your bag to find your card.

Let's talk extra magic time. This was something which I did not know about until we got there. Basically if you are staying in any Disney hotel you get extra magic time. Both of the Disney Parks open at 8.30am to anyone staying in Disney accomodation, meaning you get an extra hour and a half before the park opens at 10am to everyone. We ensured we made the most of this time every single morning. You can get fast passes go on the rides which usually have the longest queues or go to meet and greets.

I had quite a bit of uncertainty as to how to make the most out of my visit, I knew that I wanted to do meet and greets with the characters. As I have just mentioned during extra magic time it is definitely worth heading to the Princess Pavilion. Everyday from 10am the queue for the meet and greet with the princesses was two hours+. We used our extra magic time on two mornings to meet Ariel and Snow White. When we got to the pavilion at approximately 8.45am the queue was somehow already 60 minutes. However, it was much better than 2 hours and it was done and dusted for the day then. We also used this time to get fast passes for the day. You can get a morning slot on one of the most in demand rides and it would save a lot of time and queuing.

If I was to go again I would definitely not spend as much time at meet and greets as they can be a little soul destroying. You don't get told an approximate time of how long the wait is and it is all a guessing game. Meet and greets take place at particular places within the parks. For example Aladdin is in Adventureland, however there might be any of the characters from that story line e.g. Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie and Jafar when you get there as they swap throughout the day. At each station they have displayed the times of when there will be a character there. We queued to meet Alice and The Madhatter and it was the longest queue ever. It must have been over an hour and although I love the pictures I would not do it again. It was crazy and the queue just did not seem to be moving. You find at some they are quick e.g. Jessie, the queue moved fast, the photos and autographs were done whilst still meeting the queue one by one but in a timely matter.

I mentioned briefly in my first post that we went to meet Buzz Lighting and we were told that this was a reservation only meet and greet. As with every worker at Disneyland Paris the lady was very polite and informed me that you need to go onto an app called Lineberty, and everyday they have a certain amount of slots for their meet and greet characters. At 10am every morning the slots go live and you have to go on a grab a slot. There was a lady who said she had tried at 10.15am the day before and they were already all taken. Therefore, on the last day as we were trying to utilise as much time as possible, we went on at 10am and managed to snatch a slot. You get given a number with an approximate waiting time as to when your slot will be ready. Me and my sister kept checking my app and it said approximately one hour so we decided to get into a queue for a ride. The app all of a sudden notified me to say our slot had become available. We were not sure how long they allocated us after the notification came through so we headed there straight away. When we got there we showed them our number and we went straight into the small queue, it took approximately 10 minutes to get to the front. On the app you are able to get slots for certain characters in the Disney Studios, they are Spider Man, Mickey and friends, Buzz Lightyear and friends and Woody and friends.

Fast passes are passes which you can get for rides which are the most in demand. This work wonders and I would definitely be encouraging every visitor to make use of them. The concept of how they work is really simple. From 10am every day you can go to these rides and get a fast pass from a machine, it will have on it an allocated time e.g. 10-10.30am. There is a certain allocated amount of passes given within each period of time, and then once there are all used it will click over to the next allocated amount. It works really well. We first used these on Thunder Mountain on our first day and the normal queue for 2 hours, but with our fast pass we were on and off within 20 minutes. There is a separate queue for fast pass users which moves at a much quicker rate than the normal queue. Although, for the most in demands rides even if you get there before mid day you may only get a fast pass for 5pm, so if I advise getting them as soon as you can. You can get a new fast pass every two hours or after you have used your previous one.

The rides in the Disneyland Park which have fast passes are Indiana Jones, Hyperspace Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight and Star Tours. In Disney Studios they are Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Ratatouille and Aladdin's Flying Carpets.

I would also highly recommend downloading the Disneyland Paris app. It is great as it tells you the show times for that day, the park opening times and it has the numbers on for customer services and table reservations. I found it the most useful to find out the waiting times for rides, there is a big map of the entire park and you can zoom in and out and find where you want to go. You can click on each on ride and it gives you the current waiting time. It has a cursor which you can flick through to find where entertainment, photo pass points, shops, restrooms and dining all are within the park. This helped us massively as it prevented us getting lost and we could go from one place to another quickly.

My last recommendation is to reserve your dining before you go. Me and my sister learnt the hard way, when we got there the receptionist suggested we ring and book all of our meals for all of our stay there and then. Over dinner on our first day we rang and made bookings for the four days we needed reservations. We didn't really have any particular places where we wanted to eat, so we just booked into a few different places with a variety of cuisines. The lady on the phone was struggling to fit us in at times that we wanted, but was extremely helpful and we managed to get in somewhere every lunch and tea. Our favourite eatery was The Steakhouse in the Disney Village.

One last little tip is that if you are on a standard meal plan like us, and you choose to eat in one of the restaurants which are not on the allocated list each meal has a worth of 29.99 Euros. This is great and means eating becomes more flexible, as most of the restaurants on the standard meal plans are buffets and we wanted something different. When we ate in The Steakhouse our food came to a total of 30 Euros each, when the bill came we just had to top up and pay for our drinks. I don;t think they make this particularly transparent, but for this reason I would not pay for a more expensive meal plan unless you have a particular desire to eat consistently in the more expensive premium restaurants. However, like I say you can use the worth of your meal plan and apply it in any restaurant.

I hope this has been a useful quick reference guide for any first time visitors. Having some of the inside knowledge can make you utilise your time so much better. Visiting for the first time can be a little overwhelming and it can be hard to figure out the best way to do things. If you have any other tips please feel free to share them.

Lucy
xoxo

Disneyland Paris

I am not quite sure where to start with the Disneyland Paris post as all I can is I think this trip may have just changed my life. I have come back and it was honestly just what I needed. I always thought that relaxing on sunny beaches and taking time out was my way to recuperate, but after this trip I have had my mind changed.

We got the first flight out of Manchester on the Wednesday and arrived in Paris Charles de Gaulle at 9.30am. My sister had visit Disneyland Paris once before which made things a little easier. We booked the package through Disneyland themselves and we added on the magic shuttle service there and then. I think it was £22 each but I would definitely pay it again as the service was seamless. The magic shuttle picked us up from the airport, and we were very lucky as one had just arrived. They run on an hourly service and they do have a timetable which you can look at. The shuttle can take you to any Disneyland or associated hotels. We were very lucky as out hotel was the second drop off, and the whole journey only took 40 minutes. I know there are other alternative cheaper ways to get to Disneyland, but this was easy, convenient and saved time.

We stayed in the Santa Fe hotel which was one of the cheaper hotels within the resort. My sister and I were not bothered about paying a lot for a hotel as we knew we would be spending minimal time there. The hotel was great as it was Cars themed and I loved the decor throughout. The process of check in was simple, as we were not sure how everything would work. We were presented with magic passes where the receptionist explained that all of our bookings and the key for our room were on our card. This was so convenient as everything we needed was on this little card.

We decided to choose the full board option meal plan which I would definitely recommend. I had done quite a bit of research before booking, and a lot of comments were made about the price of food within the parks. We stayed for four nights and we had on our magic passes breakfast for 4 days and 8 meals each. It was really good as we had booked mine and my sisters under one booking, each magic pass had all the meal plans for the total holiday. For example, mine and my sisters had 16 meals on them so I could get both of our lunches on my pass and it would then deduct on both cards so there would be 14 left to use.

We checked in and we already knew that the room would not be ready until 3pm. We were able to hand our luggage in to a secure baggage unit and start to explore. From the Santa Fe to the entrance of the park it was a 15 minute stroll, it was a lovely walk along the riverside and you got to see all of the other hotels on the journey.

We headed into the park and once we were in and entered Main Street I was overwhelmed. I had seen beforehand many pictures, videos and adverts for the park, but it was absolutely magical. I was literally taken aback and felt a little overwhelmed. We had decided before going we wanted to do everything possible with our visit including meet and greets. On this first day we decided to just basically explore. It was mesmerising taking everything in and it a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. We managed to do a few meets and greets, and get on some of the bigger rides in the Disneyland Park itself. That night we watched the fireworks for the first time and I swear it was worth going just to see them. If you go the fireworks are my absolute icing to the cake, they went on for 20 minutes and it just kept getting better and better!

When people say make use of the magic time, they mean make use of it! We were up at 7.30am everyday, having breakfast for 8ish and heading into the parks for 8.30-8.45am. Any person staying in any Disney hotels gets magic time which is where you get to go into the parks at 8.30am and make use of the park, before it opened to the public come 10am. We mostly used this time to get fast passes and meet the must have characters. The queue for the princesses most days was over 2 hours, on the second morning we met Ariel and the queue was 60 minutes.

On the second day we decided we would once again head into the Disneyland Park, to do everything which we had been unable to do on day one. We explored the shops and I bought my purple potion ears, which were permanently glued to my head after this. It was a beautiful day the sun was shining, and we watched the princess vs pirates parade, which was just sensational. Like I say, you see and hear about these things but everything was step ahead than what I thought. We made sure that we watched the princess parade that evening and it was everything I expected and more. That night we ate a beautiful meal in The Steakhouse which was truly delightful.

On the Friday, we went into Paris for the day as this was something which we had always planned to do. We once again got up early and headed for the train. You can easily get into the Paris from the Disneyland park where there is a train station called Chessy. The train took approximately 45 mins to get into Paris. We made the most of the day and I cannot wait to bring you my Paris post. We made sure we got the train back just in time to make the fireworks as we just could not miss them. We asked at the park and the last entrance is 7pm before they close it for the fireworks.

We knew that the parks were going to be super busy on the Saturday, but we had scheduled to go to the Walt Disney Studios this day. I was not sure how what to accept from this park as I feel as though it just had not received the same hype. When we arrived I was like how did I not know about this place?! That morning I had said to my sister I feel as though the Disneyland Park itself needed a few more 'big' rides, and this definitely filled that void. There were so many rides I wanted to go on and we didn't know where to begin. We headed to get a fast pass for Crush's coaster as we heard that it always has a huge wait. We then went on Hollywood's Tower of Terror which I was terrified about, and I think I still need to go and retrieve my stomach from the top of the lift! Rock n' Rollercoaster definitely filled our need for that adrelining junkie feeling. We also did some more meet and greets in this area.They have live shows in this area such as Stitch Live, which is great for the kids. which This night we went to Buffalo Bills Wild West Show, which was fantastic. It cost 57 Euros each, but it was great and it included a three course meal.

Sunday was the last day of our Paris adventure. We planned to do whatever we had left on our list. Up and out early we headed to the meet and greet Princess Pavilion, we met Snow White this time the 60 minute expected wait was a little longer. We then watched the princess and pirates parade one last time. The day before we had wanted to met Buzz Lightyear but it was an organised meet and greet only, so we made sure we got a slot and went over to the Walt Disney Studios again. We were really disappointed as we had wanted to go the Ratatouille ride, but the wait was always two hours plus and we just did not have the time that day to fit it in. We headed back to the Disneyland Park where we headed to Discoveryland where we went on Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, and this was such a pleasant surprise as I really loved this ride. Our plane home was at 8.50pm so we had planned to get on the magic shuttle back to the airport at 6pm. We left the park at 5pm and headed to get our luggage and make sure we were not running late. Everything went just about smoothly, except there was a bit of traffic on the motorway. Thankfully the airport was half empty, but it was definitely a rush as we didn't realise quite how big the airport was. We had to get on some kind of internal metro to get to our terminal! 

As you can probably tell I had the best time ever. I am already dyingggggg to book my next trip. There is so much more for me to write about over the next few weeks. I will be writing posts about my top tips for first time visitors, the best shops, where we ate and Buffalo Bills!

Lucy
xoxo

Revolution Pro Foundation Drops

I have seen quite a few high end brands bringing out foundation drops and I was excited when Revolution had released their own version. The Revolution Pro Foundation Drops are only £5 which is a pinch of the price of some of the high end versions which I have seen have been £25+.

This has a water-based formula hoping to create a flawless finish on the skin. They say to use a few drops for a sheer wash of colour or you able to layer it up to build a more natural full coverage. I find you can add the drops to lighter foundations which is great as it can be difficult to get your perfect amount of coverage. These come in 18 shades I choose the colour F5 as it looked like a good match for my skin, however on application to my skin it is a little too dark. It is suppose to be for light skin tones with pink undertones, but this looks more of a match for a medium skin tone. I think F4 or even F3 would be a more suitable shade.

I have really enjoyed using these drops and I have mostly been using them on their own. I apply 3-4 drops onto my damp beautyblender and buff the foundation into my skin. The formula has a thin, fluid- like consistency which means it is easy to move around the skin. However, once in place I find that I do not have much time to blend and I have to get the job done as quickly as possible. As always I apply both a moisturiser and primer before any foundation to prep my skin the best I can. I think this is perfect if you like a light to medium coverage, which is all new territory to me as previously I have only ever worn full coverage foundations. I think you would struggle to build this up to be a full coverage foundation based on its watery thin consistency.

For £5 if you are on board with this concept I think these drops from Revolution would be a great place to start. My skin does not feel heavy which I love as it feels breathable. It almost feels as though I do not have any foundation on at all. The finish to this is definitely more on the dewy side rather than matte, which is always my personal preference due to my dry skin.

Even though I have really enjoyed using this, it has not become my favourite go-to everyday foundation. I do wear it often but not every day, and it has not yet made in to my top ranking three foundations as it takes a lot to make it in to those fixtures. I am definitely going to continue using these foundation drops as like I say I have enjoyed using them. I am very picky with my foundations and to make it into my makeup drawers it take a lot so this has done well!

Lucy
xoxo

Too Faced Hangover Primer

I have never been one to invest in primers or have much interest in them. I bought the Too Faced hangover primer a few months ago and I have really loved using it. Since my skin is still fragile and sensitive from my roaccutane treatment, I have been very cautious with the skincare I have put on my skin. This has been an excellent addition into my routine. I apply my trustworthy Kiehl's oil free moisturiser and then I apply this primer on top. It has a thin cream consistency which has a pleasant coconut and fruity scent to it which I find very refreshing and not too overbearing. It applies easily on to the skin and blends in beautifully giving my skin a light luminous glow.

It adds a level of hydration and helps to replenish moisture which exactly what my skin craves. It is naturally very dry, and it needs all the additional hydration that is possible. They claim this is down to probiotic based ingredients combined with coconut water. I think primers are properly put to their test with how they perform with base products. I have used primers in the past which have not settled well with my foundations, but this one was perfect. It has the tiniest amount of stickiness to its texture which is why this does so well as it creates a great base. Overall, I am definitely going to be repurchasing this as I have been really happy with how it looks and feels, and how it combines with my foundation. I use my fingers to apply the primer, and then blend my foundation in with my beautyblender.

As always I think it important to discuss the price. I would definitely consider this a high end product, as it is £27 for 38g. This has surprisingly lasted me a long time as I only use two small droplets for my entire face; therefore a little goes a long way. If a product works well for me it is something I am willing to invest in.

Lucy
xoxo

Primark Liquid Glitter Eyeshadows

In 2018, so many glitter liquid eyeshadows were released and at first I was a little dubious as to whether I was going to love or hate them. Lots of brands both low and high end started to bring them out, but I was still unsure whether to invest or not. Then as always good old Primark jumped on the band wagon and I thought it was time to try them. I featured Primark's beauty range quite a few times last year. Primark is known for duping every must have fashion piece, and they have branched out into beauty. One of their most impressive products was their dupe of Huda's nine quad palettes, which I wrote a post about which you can read here.

Primark's beauty Instagram page is where they post all of their new releases and when I saw their glitter liquid eyeshadows I knew it was time to invest. They are only £3 each which I thought was such an excellent price. I thought even if they were rubbish at least I hadn't spent a lot of money. As always with these must have products and with Primark's weekly turn around they were hard to find.

I bought two different glittery shades silver and pink. I think there are three in the line but at my local store there was only these two available. I did purchase these in December which meant it was perfect for me to put them to the test during the festive period. I tried them straight away as soon as I had bought them. I was intrigued what the consistency and glitter was going to look when applied to my eyes. I like the small flat doe foot applicator as it makes the product easy to apply.

I first applied this without any eyeshadow or base as I was wondering if I could apply it straight on to my eyelids. I found that it was hard to get an equal layer, and the consistency was quite thin and very fluid like. I was going on a night out a few weeks later so I thought I could properly put them to the test then. On the night I was going out I wanted to be able to put them fully through their paces, so I put the P.Louise eyeshadow base followed by a nude eyeshadow from the Urban Decay 3 palette to create a solid base. I first applied silver, which is very confusing as I can 100% confirm this is a light gold champagne shade. Like I have said the formula is quite wet, much more than what I thought it would be. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the eyeshadow at this stage. I found that the wet consistency allows you to try and get an equal coverage. However, I have to stand with my eyes fully closed whilst it is still drying as if your eyes are even slightly open it transfers everywhere, which I found out firsthand can become very messy. Once the eyeshadow has completely dried which doesn't take too long, I was impressed with how it looked.

I also tested out the shade pink, which I once again can confirm is definitely a rose gold and has very little 'pink' in it. This has a slightly thicker formula and pigmentation than the other shade. They worked exactly the same in terms of application and consistency. Pink certainly has more colour running through it, as it is a much darker shade. Once dried I found the colour pay off good, but with both shades it felt a little bit gritty on my eyes. The glitter aspect is surprisingly good and is a stand out part of the product. Although, once on the eye I felt as though it emphasised the creases on my eyelids despite my base. To finish the look I applied some eyeliner and lashes. Overall, I felt as though the glitter eyeshadow stayed put throughout the night and didn't budge.

The packagings of these are very much like the Stila ones as they have the same rectangular shaped plastic bottle. The only difference is that these have a glittery lid, whilst Stila's is a matte gold. You get 4.5ml which I did not think is going to last very long at all, but I will wait and see.

I have worn both of these at least three times now as I just could not make my mind up as to how I felt about them. There are definitely some really good parts to the formula and how they look. But, I also feel as though they have some negatives and there is definitely room for improvement. Trying these ignited my urge for wanting to try out more glitter liquid eyeshadows. I have heard that the Stila ones are the best ones out there to try, but they are pretty costly. I would not wear these on a daily basis to work or to pop to the shops, so it would be a big cost to only wear now and again. When I go out I love the idea of a night time glitter eye and these liquid eyeshadows tick the boxes of wanting that going out-out look without having to spend a fortune.

Lucy
xoxo

Mac Fairly Precious Blush

MAC holds a special place in my heart since my teen years. I remember having my first MAC makeover age 18 and falling in love with the brand. On that day I purchased a blush named Margin, which I have bought time and time again over the past 6 years as it is my must have. During my last makeup clear out I realised that blushes were really lacking within my collection. I had two or three blushes which I reached for over and over again, and I wanted to branch out and buy something to jazz up my blushing game.

I went to MAC and went on a swatching marathon and fairly precious instantly stood out to me. It comes from their extra dimension range, which is part of their liquid-powder collection. This is very much a new concept to me. Basically, it is a mixture of combining the smooth consistency of a cream blended with the finish of the powder. This is supposed to give a second-skin finish, which I love.

It says I can use it wet or dry. I have to say I have never applied any blusher wet before, but I am always open to trying new concepts. The shade is a light pinky champagne which is perfect for my skin tone as I don't like a blush which is too heavy or dark. I also think this has that perfect amount of shimmer. I do not like it when blushes or any makeup item in fact contain chunky pieces of glitter. When I am doing my makeup no matter what season it is I like that glowy, fresh look to my skin and a little shimmer in your blush never does any harm

MAC has definitely put up its prices over the years, but hasn't all high end beauty brands? This cost £23 which I know is a lot of money for one blusher, however blushes last a long time for me. I always get a good few years out of one, so I see it as a product which gets its money worth. I have always found that with MAC blushes a little goes a long way. You will probably be getting the impression that I really, really like this, and that's because I do. I have been reaching for it on a daily basis for the last few months since adding it to my beauty stash. Like I say I don't own many blushes and this was the perfect addition and filled that blusher hole that was in my life.

Lucy
xoxo

No Spend January

So in January up until payday which was 28 days I decided to challenge myself to go on a mega saving campaign. It is only when you actually do something like this you realise what you spend your money on. I have some big travel plans in the works this year, meaning a lot of money needs to be saved. I do have a little disclaimer as I love doing posts like this but as my outgoings will vary compared to others, I always feel like it is open to opposition. Yes I still live home, something which I still love. Yes I am saving for a house. However, what I spend my money on is my choice, and I believe people can spend their money on what they want to!

I had an approximate idea of wanting to save £500 after my out goings. Each month I have a list of bills which I pay every single month, so I took of the total of all the outgoings and went from there. This was not including the £200 that I had already put into my help to buy house ISA which I do each month. More than anything else, this was a challenge and a bit of a reality shock all rolled into one. The main goal of this was to not buy any material goods e.g. any clothing or makeup.

So the first thing which I bought in January was a McDonald's on new year's day as I was horrifically hungover. I was clearly very ill as I spent £8.28! The day after went to Waterstones and spent £6.49 on a book. I then made a last minute decision to buy an additional present for my sister's birthday which was £30. On the 7th January I spent £15 in Boots, I am not sure what on but I don't think it included any makeup. It was more skin and health care buys. On the 10th I went to Aldi and spent £15 on food to get my through my upcoming night shifts, along with £2.60 on cleaning products and another £7.95 in Superdrug. I then naughtily went to McDonald's and spent £4.68.

My mum did not help as I was in need of a new suitcase for my holiday next month, and she saw a cracking bargain in Morrison's so I spent £35 on a new one. I did need a suitcase and it was a bargain, but I definitely broke the rules buying this! On the 17th January I cheekily went to Nando's for a catch up with a friend, and also managed to spend £14 in Asda. I once again went to Aldi and spent £10 before another week of night shifts. I feel like my major failure of this experiment took place within 2 days, I went for a carvery with the work girls and spent £9, had a cup of tea from Costa and then sneakily treated myself to some new gym gear from Decathlon costing £29.45. I also took £30 cash out along the way to pay for my dance lessons and to buy other bits and bobs.

I added up every single transaction I made excluding the expected bills and it totalled £240.08. I bought other little things here and there costing £2 and £3 which added up to about £20. Now I thought it would actually have been a lot less than the £240 as I had really, really tried. It simply shows me how buying little things here and there add up quickly. I had in my head that it was about £150. I was doing really well, but I can be impulsive which I have shown when I managed to spend £50 in two days without any thought.

I know my usual shopping habits include a few trips to Zara and a few ASOS orders so I have definitely identified that it is the materialistic goods e.g. clothing and makeup which make up a large amount of my 'treats'. This isn't actually new news to me as I know that this is where I downfall when saving. Out of the £500 target I set on payday I had £482 left so I think I did pretty well.

Having set the challenge I found that I was feeling guilty about buying things and that definitely stopped me buying anything unnecessary (most of the time!). I am quite an impulse buyer, and as soon as payday comes I can easily blow £100 on clothes in one session without thinking about it. During January I also cleared my clothes out and realised the vast amount that I actually have. I am pretty sure that I will be sticking to minimal clothes purchases this year. I think it would be a great challenge to get out cash at the start of the month and only have a certain amount each week. When I have cash it definitely makes me think twice about buying something.

This has definitely shown me that I am capable to save if I want to. On the whole I think I am quite sensible with my money. I know I am lucky enough to be able to buy myself things, but there are definitely cuts that I can make. The main goal of no spend January was to not buy any material goods e.g. any clothing or makeup and I think I did fairly well with that. I am definitely going to try and take what I have learnt into the upcoming months, and hopefully save enough for my dream trip at the end of the year. It is definitely achievable and I have proved that I should stop moaning and start saving!

Lucy
xoxo

Sephora High Coverage Concealer

Sephora's high coverage concealer has been a favourite of mine for years now. Every time I go on a trip to Sephora I pick one up. I remember a good 4 years ago it costs approximately 7 Euros and it was the rave amongst many beauty bloggers. Now it cost 14 Euros, which I think is probably down to it being such a bestselling product. You can see what I picked up on my latest Sephora trip here.

I find it hard to pin point just what I love about this. I know I love it though as it features regularly in my favourite products posts. I think it all falls down to it being so creamy, I hate nothing more than a concealer that feels instantly drying when applied to the skin. This is probably down to my own skin which is dry, so I opt for a creamier consistency. I have tried many, many concealers over my blogging years, and like I say I always go back for more with this. In comparison to the Revolution conceal and define concealer which has the highest coverage concealer which I have ever tried, this is medium-high coverage on my first application, but it is definitely building to high coverage which I think is the preference for many consumers. We like to have control of how much we are applying, as we all know exactly how much we like on our own skins. We as consumers like to have the option to build our concealer and although I love the Revolution one for blemishes, it does not allow you to build it up as the consistency is thicker and it is all or nothing with full coverage.

I apply this using a damp beauty blender, as I find it manages to blend with my foundation just the way I like it. I have also used my fingers to blend this is and it has worked just as well. It comes with quite a flat ended doe-foot applicator which makes it easy to apply, and it reduces wasting product as you have easy control as to how much you want to apply. I have tried two shades of this 20 creme and 22 natural. I find that 20 creme has more of a yellow undertone and I actually ended up with this by accident when my mum picked it up for me on her holidays. I used this under my eyes for brightening as it was a little bit lighter and I found it very refreshing as once again the creamy consistency blends flawlessly. 22 natural is the shade I have been using for years, as it matches my skin tone better as it has a pinker undertone to it.

The bottle contains 3.4ml which I think is pretty much the standard amount for all concealers, which does tend to last me a good few months. I also like the sleek design of the bottle as it makes it easy to travel with. I am off to Paris in two weeks and I will definitely be picking two of these up when I go into Sephora. It is still such a shame that Sephora is not sold in the UK even through any of our high end department stores. They have also made their website very hard to use and you have to now order through their French store. That is the exact reason why I pick up a few on my holidays each year so I never run out!

Lucy
xoxo

Base Products on Trial

I have been trying out some new base products recently and have been putting them through their paces. Sometimes I go through stages of buying lots of makeup and then nothing for months. I would say that I have had all of these products in my stash since September, and after a good sort out I have put on top of my drawers a bunch of products in a designated basket. This was to try and encourage me to grab new products, rather than my trust-worthy items that I use daily.

First up, I have featured the brand Revolution quite a bit in 2018, as they brought out some incredible products. These Revolution Pro foundation drops are the first item I have bought from their pro line. I have tried these 3 or 4 times now I am quite enjoying them. I was intrigued by the idea of these foundation drops, it is a lightweight water based formula which aims to create a flawless finish. The idea is to use a few drops to build a natural looking coverage.

I cannot believe how long it took me to pick up the Maybelline eraser eye concealer. I had wanted to try this for so long. It is one of the top concealers sold across the world. This is so widely sold due to its high coverage and performance. The products main selling point is to cover and erase dark circles. It is sold to a mass market of different ages hence why it has sold so well. I like the applicator to this which is a small cushion, it is easy to use as with one swipe you have got your desired coverage. 

The Colourpop no filter concealer is a light weight, full coverage concealer which is formulated to be crease-proof and create a natural matte finish. I have been using this under my eyes, and I like it as it has great coverage. The shade I bought is slightly too light but it works brilliantly at brightening under my eyes. I can't wait to continue using this and I would be interested to try my actual shade which matches my skin tone to test on blemishes.

RMCA translucent powder is a finely milled powder which I first heard about via Jaclyn Hill literally years and years ago. Before I added this to my designated basket, I could count on one hand the number of times I had used it. I first bought it back when 'baking' your makeup was big and I wanted to try it out for myself. I have actually used this numerous times now since it has been in the basket, and my very quick conclusion is that it is way too much effort for me. I understand the principles of it, and when on my face it definitely does make my skin feel super soft. It also does help to set my make up, but I love my skin to look glowy and fresh. This aims to give a matte finish but still have a certain amount of glow to the skin. For me, it is a matte finish but takes all of my glow and luminosity away. Overall, it is a lot of effort for everyday use.

Lucy

xoxo

Did I manage to break up with my phone?

So in December I thought it was time to spend last time on my phone. Some days it was ridiculous on my tracker it was saying that I was on my phone for 4+ hours, some days 6 hours! When you think about it in the grand scheme of things it is a lot of wasted time. I was angry for allowing myself to spend so much time mainly scrolling pointlessly through social media. I saw another blogger had put this book on her insta stories and it came around at the perfect time.

I ordered the book and when it came I enrolled one of my best friends Ella to do it with me. We had recently had a discussion about reducing our screen time and what we would do with the time not spent on our phones. As always with everything we were excited and enthusiastic and gave ourselves a weekend to prepare. I started off really well and got on board, I sent Ella a picture of the next day's challenge each day so we could keep up. I loved writing the list of why I was wanting to give up screen time, and I found so many reasons why I wanted to and what I would do with that time. When I am work I go on my phone for maybe one hour a day and probably an hour when I get home. It is on my days off that I massively downfall. I often sit watching Netflix or catching up on all things do with my blog.

I got off to such a good start and was really on board with the idea. The book gives you a few goals each day for 30 days, and the obvious aim is that by the end the time on your phone has massively reduced. It is set out really well, and I like that it is gradual process rather than just going cold turkey and giving up your phone completely. On one of the days it tells you to delete getting notifications and I found this really useful. I 1000% open my screen when I get a notification which leads me open to scrolling. Taking off all social media notifications was great. The biggest difference I saw was taking my notifications off my email. Every time I opened my screen and there was an email I would check and delete it. In some aspects it is good that I cannot get on my work email at home, which means that all my emails to my personal address are usually junk. Even if they are not junk they are from my favourite online shops and nothing essential. I still have my mail notification off now and I am still seeing the positives. Taking the notifications off social media lasting approximately 5 days and I am disappointed that I reverted back. However, I found that I was checking those apps more often with anticipation of what could have been.

I was doing really well sticking to my goals, but I really did struggle. I realised that I am actually addicted to my phone, and the bad relationship I have with it. I am dependent on it, and I don't think I am the only one. I don't think people realise how much time they are on it. I do use my phone to catch up on YouTube and I didn't see that as a problem and I still don't as I often watch it at night as a bit of downtime from the real world. It was definitely the amount of pickups that was the problem, it was on average 40 pickups a day. That added up to 30% some days of my waking life. I find that number actually embarrassing and absolutely obscene.

As the days went on I was feeling great about it. I was putting my phone on charge more than arms length away, my time was reducing and I was seeing improvements. The most important thing I realised was scrolling through social media was actually really boring and repetitive. I think we live in an age where we think we are missing out, comparing ourselves to others, and that is not good for our self esteems. I hadn't ever thought about it like this before. I wasn't actually enjoying spending all those hours on my phone, it had just become an everyday norm in my life.

I really struggled with the task of having an entire 48 hours off my phone and I actually didn't complete it. It was hard for me to choose 48 hours where I wouldn't need my phone. I didn't like the idea of not being able to contact someone at all in the outside world. I did manage to stay off social media for the allocated time, just not off my phone completely. I am not really sure what happened but after day 25 I thought I had it all in hand and I was a changed woman and I did not finish the full 30 days.

I am disappointed to say that in the new year I have quickly reverted back to old habits. I feel like I do spend less time on my phone, but I have still not cracked stopping scrolling on social media. Sometimes I do really well less than 2 hours, other times it is 5 hours again. The time really varies which is an improvement, but I still want a bigger crack down. I am going to go through the book again, and highlight the particular pages which I felt that first time round really had an impact on me. Ella actually feels the same as well, it is so easy to slip into old routines which have become every day life. I want to revisit the list I made at the start with the main reasons for the crackdown, as I still feel passionate to try and tackle this problem. I am not going to stop myself from going on social media at all, as I do enjoy some aspects of it. I can pinpoint that my downfall is at night, and that is where I need to make the changes.

Lucy
xoxo

Sephora Haul and First Impressions

When I went on my last trip to Italy of course I had to take a little trip to Sephora. I knew I wanted to pick up my favourite product which they sell their own brand concealer. I also had saved a little bit of money as I know I always want to treat myself to a few things whilst shopping in the store. I did really well and I usually only buy Sephora own products or brands that I know I can't get hold of easily in the UK.

The Sephora high coverage concealer was a big hit with bloggers a few years ago, and I don't think it is really talked about as much as a must-have product anymore. However, for me it is still a holy grail concealer. It has definitely gone up in price over the years but at €14 (£12) it is still good value for money. I love the consistency of this as it is very creamy and light to apply on to the skin.

The coconut water rubber mask is enriched with coconut water extract, the powder mask transforms into a bright rubbery dough when mixed with water. It works in just 5 minutes to relieve the discomfort or dry skin and reducing signs of dehydration. When the mask is dry you simply pull it off your face to hopefully reveal skin which is quenched and comfortable. I can't wait to try this it sounds amazing but for €3.90 I hope it does wonders as it is a one use only product.

I have tried many cream lip stains from Sephora in the past, and I have always been so impressed with their pay off and pigmentation. I was intrigued to try this cream lip stain from their metals range  (€10.90). I picked up the shade fancy peach (115) which is a beautiful metallic rose. On first impressions it is soft and smooth when applied to my lips, and I love the colour pay off. It is an ombre shade of a muted rose pink which is a lovely neutral colour which adds some definition to my lips, with a gold light shimmer running through it. These dry down quite matte, but are budge proof which is exactly what you want from any liquid lipstick.

The Sephora #lipstories range seems to be a big hit within their line. I think they release different colours and finishes of these each season and they are one-off exclusives. I picked up the shade berry-licious (32) which has a satin cream finish. Once again on first impressions this is really soft when first applied to the lips. I don't usually use dark toned shades, but on the lips I really like this. It is very much a vibrant red grape, and I love it on me. This is perfect for that "can't be bothered to really do my makeup, but I will stick on a bright lip to make up for it" kind of day. I don't think this going to be completely smudge-proof as even on swatching it is easy to smudge, so I think after eating and drinking it could potentially end up all over my face. I think at €8.90 these are well priced as they are really well pigmented and I only need one layer to achieve the colour pay off I like.

Lucy
xoxo

Product Empties

This is my second tub of this which I have used up this year, the Kiehl's ultra facial oil-free gel cream is the first moisturiser in years that I have really got on board with. I have since bought my third tub as I am scared to invest in anything else in case I don't like it. It is not cheap as this size tub costs £24.50, but it lasts me a good 4 months and I use it literally every day. It is advertised to be must suited to normal to oily skin types, but mine has been dry and it has still worked really well. It is light and feels lovely and refreshing when applied, I really do recommend it and I have done to many people.

I remember years and years ago this Smashbox photo finish primer was a must have product for many beauty bloggers. I was always a bit sceptical as it is expensive and I was never sure about the silicon consistency. It is oil free but as expected I did not love this on my skin, it felt a little greasy. In terms of being a primer I get the reason why people like it, it preps the skin well before application of base products. However, like I say the consistency felt a little oily and I did not like the texture on my skin. I won't be repurchasing this, as I now know I much prefer a cream/liquid primer consistency.

I bought my first Sephora high coverage concealer years ago on one of my very first trips to a Sephora store. Every time I have been on holiday and there has been a Sephora store I have ensured that I have added one to my basket. They don't seem to last me very long, but it contains 3.4ml which is the standard amount. I love the flat ended applicator on this as it makes it so easy to apply to the exact areas you want, I then use my damp Beautyblender to blend it into my skin.

This has been a long standing MAC must have in my collection. I remember buying my first MAC skinfinish powder when I was about 17 and every single beauty expert was saying it was a must have in your collection, and thank god I got on board with the hype. I buy one a year and it tends to last me well, when my skin is really dry I do not use much, if any powder as I find it sets my dewy base which I have tried so hard to achieve a little too much. If you are a little bit oily or are needing to set any areas this is a fantastic powder. It is finely milled and you can add just the perfect amount of product.

Even though I love wearing mascara, when I go beauty shopping it is the one product which excites me the least. I bought the Maybelline falsies push up drama mascara when it was first released, I bought it on an introductory offer as my last mascara had just ran out and I tend to buy them one at a time when I need one. I usually like a brush with a bit of curl and I think this is what this lacked. I used my own eyelash curlers to add some natural curl to my lashes before applying this. I like how spread out the bristles are on this brush as it coats each lash from root to tip. I like it but I didn't love it, I then tried L'Oreal's paradise mascara and liked that more due to the curve of the brush.

Lucy
xoxo

Before and After Roaccutane

I went to my final dermatologist appointment with the happiest smile on my face. It sounds like complete madness but I feel like my days of roaccutane seem like a life time ago and having acne seems like it never happens. Even typing that sounds so surreal as I can vividly remember in an instance how I felt starting roaccutane and how I wasn't that hopeful. I had lived with acne for 11 years and it was just a part of me. Sometimes I sit and look back at my photos from February and remember how I felt on that first day of my dermatologist saying he would finally start me on it.

I took these photos on day 2 of roaccutane and I am so glad I did as you can clearly see the scale of my acne and that underneath all my pretty makeup, my acne really had taken over my entire face. I remember for the first time being really determined that this was going to work for me.

















   

These pictures were taking in Jersey when I was on my holidays with my parents. Seeing as this was was 2 months into the treatment I remember feeling like my skin was possibly improving and then all of a sudden I got this row of large spots on my forehead and they were huge. I felt like I had taken about 10 steps backwards.

I took this picture in June and I remember looking at this and being able to pinpoint that this was the time when I was starting to actually feel as though my skin was getting better. I went to my month 4 appointment and I feeling great and determined to carry on. However, this was when all of the side effects had well and truly kicked in and my lips were like the sahara desert. I was getting headaches and my skin was so dry nothing was helping. My chin has always been the areas where my acne has been the worst and that was the area where I was seeing improvement. However, I was still getting a collection of pesky spots across my forehead and around the edges of my lips.

I couldn't find a close up picture from in August but after being on the treatment for 6 months my skin was so much better. Out of my 14 days on holiday in Madeira I think I only wore makeup twice. I remember going on this day out to this these beautiful botanical gardens and knowing I would want some insta-worthy pictures, but also knowing it was a boiling hot day. I remember at this point I had not had any new major spot in weeks and my skin was just holding onto the left over rough reminiscence of old spots that were not for leaving. I did have to wear factor 50 this entire holiday as my skin could not take more than an hour in the sun. I felt like I was continuously burning no matter how much suncream I applied.

I took this picture the day before I went to my last appointment on roaccutane. I went into the room with the biggest smile and as discussed in my last post I had three weeks left of roaccutane. However, I had been very emotional and was not feeling myself at all so on the 10th October 3 days after this picture was taken I decided to stop taking roaccutane all together. I was scared but the dermatologist said I had had a good period of time with being happy with my skin and not having any breakouts so it was time to see how my skin now coped. As expected I was so nervous and the last time I took a tablet I also stopped taking my pill which I had been on for the entire 8 months. I felt as though I wanted my body to completely hormone free for the first time in what felt like forever.

This photo was taken on the 23rd December, and I am soooooo happy to report that since finishing the treatment I have only had one tiny pesky red spot which has now disappeared. I know it sounds silly but I was convinced that my spots would return and I would be back to square one. There is no denying that my 2018 had pretty much been consumed with roaccutane but wow am I glad I finally took the plunge.

If you want to catch up on my entire roaccutane journey you can read my before, starting, month 1, months 2-3, months 4-6 and finishing posts to see the entire process. 

Lucy
xoxo

Wet n Wild Photo Focus Foundation

When Wet n Wild was first launched at Boots I was really interested in trying some products from their range. I am always on the look out for new foundations, and with my recent skin changes I am still working out what foundation works best with my skin.

I have never been able to wear matte foundation before, so I thought this was a good opportunity to see how this finish would now look on my skin. This is advertised is containing a light-diffusing complex which gives your skin a #nofilter matte finish. Before applying the foundation I use an oil free hydrating moisturiser and a glowy primer. I do not like my skin to look too matte, as I like a natural, glowy finish. This photofocus foundation aims to diffuse the flashback which happens when we take photos. They say that flashback occurs when white particles in makeup reflect when flash is used in photography, they have eliminated the white cast particles within this foundation to prevent this from happening. 

In my Boots store I was unimpressed with the shade range as there was only 4 shades available. I was doing a bit of research for this post and noticed that our Boots online has 6 shades, however on the USA Wet n Wild website they in fact have a shade range of 20. In 2018 for Boots to only invest in a range of 6 shades it is clearly never going to be inclusive of a range of skin tones. For me, the shade nude ivory is a perfect match for me. I probably go as far as saying that this is one of the most perfectly matched foundations for my skin which I own. The bottle says it is for a light neutral skin tone. I would usually go for a foundation which is more catered for a pink undertone, but on this occasion this is a great match. 

I am a big lover of a pump applicator, as you can control how much product you need and you do not end up wasting any. This foundation comes with a small flat shovel shaped applicator. It is definitely not my favourite chose of applicator as it ends up getting a bit messy. When I first started testing this out about 4 weeks ago I was applying this straight onto my Beautyblender, however I have now started applying it straight onto my skin and I now prefer to do this. It is a little bit messier but I find the product then blends in better into my skin. The bottle contains 30ml which is the standard size for any foundation. I hate bottles which are big and bulky and take up a lot of space in my makeup drawers. This has a glass bottle but it is small and compact and is easy to travel with.

The most important aspect of any foundation is its actual performance on the skin. I am happy to say that this has pleasantly surprised me. As I have already mentioned it blends in well, and offers a great coverage which is buildable. I think this would be okay also for acne prone skin as you can build up to the finish you desire. I have used this with a variety of concealers and they have blended together well, and have not become patchy or had an affect on the foundations finish. I have worn this to work many times over this test period, and I have been really happy with its longevity on the skin. Overall, I think for £5.99 it is a bargain and a great high street find. In terms of the flashback, it definitely does not make me look shiny in photos especially in my T-zone areas. I have been recommending this to my friends as it reminds me of Charlotte Tilbury's magic foundation but £25 cheaper.

Lucy
xoxo

Aloe Vera Vaseline Lip Balm

On my roaccutane journey my most harsh side effect was definitely how dry my lips became. I was prepared and bought a lot of different lip balms in preparation. I bought budget and high end lip balms to try and prevent the dreaded dry lips. I started out using good old Blistex and it wasn't until about month 3 the toll really struck, and it was just not doing the job. There was cracks and bleeding to my lips and whilst browsing the aisles of Boots I decided to pick up a Vaseline stick lip balm, but not just any old Vaseline, their aloe vera version. Thank the lord I did because from that moment on my lips were on the way to recovery.

I can't pinpoint what makes this Vaseline so special. Hands down this out does any high lip balm. My little trick was to not let it harden. It needs to be soft in order for it really stop any dryness. For the cracking especially in the corners of my lips the Blistex relief cream was a little angel. It was brilliant at filling in those cracks and as it says providing relief. At some points it was so painful, I literally couldn't open my mouth fully or it would bleed. It was also during the warmer months meaning the dryness was inevitable anyway but the sunny weather definitely did not help.

We all know that aloe vera is known for being a calming and soothing property, and I think this is exactly why this excels compared to the other Vaseline products. After my revelation of reaffirming my love with Vaseline, I went and bought the original and the rose version to see the comparison. Although, they did both help with the dryness it just was not to the same standard as the aloe vera. It is a golden lip balm and gets 5 stars from me. Whilst doing a bit of research into the differences between all of the Vaseline range, I discovered that they all contain Vaseline's triple-purified petroleum jelly and Vitamin E. However, the aloe vera version as expected contains aloe extract which is the secret weapon to calming and soothing dry and irritated areas. I knew there must be other ingredients alongside the aloe vera, and it also contains cucumber extract and Vitamin A.

During my 8 months on roaccutane, I think I must have bought at least 6 of these chap sticks. Can I also say that the tin version is definitely different to the stick. I don't know whether it is how it is made when it is put into the tin or stick, but the stick also contains SPF 15. I do not how to describe exactly what makes this little stick so special, but all I can say is if you suffer from persistent dry, chapped lips look no further. 2 months post treatment and my lips are still dry, but thankfully nowhere near as bad as how they used to be. However, I still carry a green stick of joy wherever I go. My sister laughs as I have one in every handbag, and I always have one in my car to take to work. This is just another case of spending more does definitely not buy you the best. The best thing is Vaseline is always on offer in Boots and Superdrug and I have never paid more than £2 for one.

Lucy
xoxo