My First Sandal Love

I have never really been a sandal type of girl.

I have never found a pair which I find comfortable or that I think look decent - finding something to make my feet look not disgusting is a tough task - so I have always stuck to something like converse trainers or toms in the summer. But whilst doing my summer clothes shop this year, I spotted these babies. 

It was love at first sight, they were gorgeous, they were a great price (£28!) and it was just meant to be, until the store didn't have my size. "Okay", I thought," I can just go to another one down the road and get them there." They didn't have my size either. "Right, I'm going to Brighton this weekend, (blog post coming soon!) they'll be in there and if not I can get them in London on my way home." Zilcho, nada, nope, I couldn't find them in my size ANYWHERE, they were sold out online and I was running out of hope, I was even searching e-bay, until I found them in my city in Debenhams. I actually physically jumped for joy when I found them, tried them on just to double check (perfection!) and home they came! Now 

they aren't getting off my feet all summer. 

Now, about the sandals. They're from Warehouse which is a store I don't think I own anything else from so it was an odd find for me but a great one. They have a small wedge heel, which doesn't go in at the bottom, so they're super comfortable. The leopard print strap is the perfect width for my stupidly narrow feet and the ankle strap is the perfect amount of chunky to make them feel substantial without looking a bit misplaced. Also, the sole of them is made out of a rubbery material so they don't clonk about when you walk which is an added bonus. I hate wearing clonky shoes. 

So, can you tell I am in love? You can find them here!

Lots of love,

Hayley

x

Underrated Products #2 - Models Own Make Up Brushes.

Sorry it's a day late, but today is going to be a super quick about these five fab brushes.

This is the Models Own 5 Piece Brush set (which comes in at a fantastic £10!). It's a really handy little set, as all of the brushes are quite small & will fit into pretty much any make up bag. 

In this set you get a tiny powder brush, which I find perfect for highlighting & blush, a lip brush, a blending brush, which is perfect for smudging out eyeliner, an angled brush & a shading brush, which is great for patting on sparkly shades.

The angled brush is my favourite out of the bunch (as you can probably tell - bad blogger alert) as I think it is so multi purpose! I have used it for lining the eyes, my brows and could probably use it for on the spot concealing in times of need. It's the perfect companion for a smoky eye. 

All in all I think these brushes are a bargain, & a great starter kit for someone who isn't all that experienced when it comes to eyeshadow. 

What are your favourite brushes? Have you tried these ones?

Lots of love,

Hayley.

x

Revlon Colorburst Matte & Lacquer Balms!

These are the new lip releases from Revlon and my oh my, aren't these beautiful?! 

If you haven't already heard about these, they are an extension of the original crayon type product from Revlon called the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, & they are so good. First off, just look at that packaging! The matte & super shiny effects reflect the product inside which makes it so much easier to find what you're looking for, & the twist up end makes it very user friendly. 

But lets get started on the product. I decided on the colours Mischievous (an orangey peach shade) & Shameless (a vibrant purple shade) in the matte balms, & Coquette (glittery barbie pink) in the lacquer. One of the first things I noticed with these was the minty scent, the same as the stains, which I quite like (I find it slightly more subtle in these new crayons), so if you don't like the original scent then I would be wary of that. 

Mischievous (Matte)

Shameless (Matte)

Coquette (Lacquer)

The star of the show for me is definitely the matte balms. They're fantastic, as they look matte when applied, but they don't feel it at all! They feel exactly like a lip balm on the lips, so hydrating & creamy, & no tight, dry feeling which I normally get with any form of matte lip product. The lacquer balms (from the one that i've tried) are lovely too, but it's a much more common kind of product to find on the high street though I am sure I will get plenty of wear out of it this summer. 

I think I have decided that Mischievous is my favourite shade, it's not like anything else I own & it warms up my skin tone nicely. Shameless is very out of my comfort zone, but I am going to force myself to wear it every now & then instead of sticking to the safer colours.

(Please ignore the mess! I was too excited to tidy up! Bad blogger!)

All in all a total win for Revlon! It's going to take a lot of self-control to stop myself from running back to Boots and buying the whole lot!

Have you tried these yet? Which colours are you favourites?

Lots of love,

Hayley.

x

Battle Of The Gradual Tanners

Being a super pale girl in winter is tough. My legs look like milk bottles & people think I am ill or coming down with something half the time, so I have been looking for the solution.

I have never used a '"real" fake tan before, i'm too scared of going patchy, & because i've suffered with eczema before I imagine that would happen and would look awful. Also, I don't like the idea of having orange hands.  There are sun beds, which I have also never tried, because I burn like no other and I would come out looking like a lobster, not with my desired look of a slight warmth to the skin. 

Then I found gradual tanners (hallelujah!) & I think i've found the one. But first, I will tell you about the ones that I have tried. 

The first one I tried was the Garnier Summer Body gradual tan moisturiser. This one smells like apricots and it's SO good. No biscuity scent in sight. The colour was very light but there & no sign of patches or orange hands, the only downfall to this product was that it didn't give my skin enough hydration. Suffering with eczema means I have to moisturise after every shower or bath to keep my skin in top form, but this stuff just didn't do enough & I was having to layer it with other products which meant it was very time consuming & didn't work as well on the skin. But if you don't suffer with skin issues like me, this one could be great.

Next, I tried the Dove Summer Glow & Soft Shimmer Nourishing Lotion. This one was a lot more hydrating on my skin, & the colour was strong. Me being me accidentally bought the Medium to Dark Skin option, but that just meant that the colour built up quicker on me. It smells very similar to the other Dove moisturisers, so it felt very clean and nice to use. It did patch a bit around dry skin areas, but the one thing that put me off this product was the shimmer. On the product they call it a soft shimmer, but in certain lights it looks like a full on glitter! I felt like a real life Edward Cullen, so sadly this one has been pushed to the back of the drawer. Maybe I may try it again before a night out? Probably not. Sorry Dove!

And last but definitely not list, it's the one they all rave about, the Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze Body Lotion. This stuff. Smells. INCREDIBLE! It smells so much like cocoa I almost want to eat it. The moisturising benefits this one has are great, so perfect for my problem skin. And the bronzing effects are really strong. I found I had to be the most careful with this one, as orange hands & patches have happened with haphazard application. But the scent & the moisture this gives mean that I am definitely willing to try a bit harder for this one, so scrubbing my elbows and knees has now become a daily thing just for this beauty. 

Have you tried any of these gradual tanners? Got any recommendations for me?

Lots of love,

Hayley

x

Cream & Powder High Street Shadows - What Do You Prefer?

I've always been a bit scared of eyeshadow, as whenever I've tried it in the past I could never get it to blend right and it always looked awful on me! Recently, I have been getting a bit better at it, but I have been noticing in recent years how cream shadows are shining in the beauty world. Be it shadow sticks, cream shadows or shadow paints, they seem to be turning into the top choice for the everyday girl who wants something that is easy and looks great in one sweep. 

So, are powder shadows becoming an outdated product on the high street?

My Top Picks: Sleek i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Storm and the Rimmel Glam'eyes Quad Eye Shadow in Smokey Brun

There are pros and cons for both formulas of shadow. For example, with powders you can be much more precise and build up colour very easily; but sometimes it's difficult to find good quality shadows in the high street, so it can get quite pricey and choosing which colours will look right with your outfit, or getting the right look from them can be a bit complicated. 

My Top Picks: The Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Sticks in Bulletproof Beige (very well used!) & Bad Bronze, the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe, and the Topshop Crayon in Mink I think? I found this in the sale for £1(!!!) so I don't think they sell this one anymore, but many other brands do things similar to this, such as Avon.

On the other hand, cream shadows are super easy to use as all you need is your fingers to blend the edges and you're done. Also you can get some really good quality cream shadows at the high street so they can be a much cheaper option, but it's more difficult to get the precise look from a cream shadow, and the colours are tougher to build up to make  super smokey eye like you can with powder shadows. 

Personally, I think powder and cream shadows make the perfect duo when teamed together. I love the precision of powders, and the simpleness of creams which create a super long lasting and pretty eye look when used in conjunction.

So what do you think? Are you crazy for cream shadows or sticking with classic powders?

My Top 5 of 2013!

I know this is very late and i'm sorry! But I figured this post was better late than never, as I want to write it so i can look back on it next year, as well as sharing it with you. This is going to be a post dedicated to my top 5 favourite beauty products of the entire year of 2013! And i'm telling you, they are gooduns.

Let's start with the least fun but very useful L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. What a name! Basically, this stuff is incredible. It is a cleansing micellar water which is perfect for taking off make up. I use it if I have any heavy make up on, especially around my eye area, as it takes it off in a couple of sweeps and feels just like water. No stinging, no irritation, just clean skin. I also use it in the morning, just to get rid of any excess oil or grime that's built up on my face overnight. This has been a fantastic find for me, as I have used it almost every day for about 8 months, and this is only my second bottle!

Next up is my favourite face base of the year, the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation. I don't really think I need to say much about this, it's just fab. It gives a medium coverage but it is buildable, it gives a slight glow but definitely doesn't look oily, and it smells AMAZING! I have tried the serum version of this, I would say that one gives a lighter coverage and I prefer the feel and look of the normal healthy mix formula.This foundation has been a revelation for me this year and I don't think I will ever be able to be without it again!

Something which kind of coincides with the foundation, is my favourite brush to apply it with. This is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. Again, need I say more? But I will anyway. This brush blends foundation seamlessly, and makes it look natural but perfect at the same time. I seriously wish they sold this brush separately as I would probably own two or three of them by now!

For eyeshadow this year I have been loving my MUA Undressed Palette. This thing is the biggest bargain ever! You get 12 shadows, a couple of mattes and some beautiful shimmery shades, all very pigmented and a great texture for £4. £4! I would recommend this to anybody who is on a budget who wants some fabulously long lasting and very pretty eyeshadows. You can use these to create a very natural everyday look, or use the darker shades to get a fab smoky eye (i've even used it on my eyebrows when in desperate times too!). I seriously love this thing, and I have heard it is a good dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette too. For that price, you seriously can't go wrong. 

And last of all (but definitely not least) is the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. These are fabulous for someone who loves to wear bright lipstick but is maybe a bit frightened to do so everyday. They apply at first quite sheer but you can build them up to an intense glossy lip. These are so hydrating and easy to apply, and in 2014 I am probably going to end up buying a lot more of these. The colours I have here are Macaroon, Candy Apple, Sweet Tart and Creme Brûlée. I would say of the four my favourite is Candy Apple. I used to have Tutti Frutti and that was my ultimate love but I lost it! It's so sad, so that will definitely be repurchased in the spring, and I also have my eye on Juicy Papaya. 

So those are my top 5 favourites of 2013! Do you have any favourites this year? I would love to hear any recommendations!

My next post is going to be slightly (very) different, so watch out any book lovers!

Lots of love,

Hayley.

20th Birthday FOTD + OOTD

Hello!

Today was my 20th birthday, so i thought i would share with you my make up and outfit (kind of) that i decided to wear on this special day.

These are the products i decided to use today for a pretty minimal look. Neutral eyes, a pretty pink lip & a pop of peach on the cheeks.

The make up in action.

This cardigan is from Primark and it only cost me about £14! One of the best buys i have made all year. It is so soft and cozy, and all of the rose gold sequins have been sewn on individually. I also really like the zip detail and bomber look, i think it looks very modern and i absolutely love it! 

These boots are from Marks & Spencers, and oh my god, they are the most comfortable heeled shoes i have ever worn. I have been in them all day and i think i could go on in them. I also love the colour as it's not black but a dark grey. Slightly different for the winter days.

We went to a pub near to me and it was sooooo christmassy in there! I loved it and it made me feel very festive and jolly. I mean, look at the christmas tree! Bad quality picture, but i had to zoom as i was sat quite far away!

Super cute decs!

My older brother being a bit of a creep with his steak.

Anyway guys, sorry for the super long post but i have had a fabulous day and wanted to share it with you, i hope you don't mind!

Lot's of love,

Hayley

x