Beauty Blog Love Link!

 

Hope you are all having a happy weekend! I'm off to a barbecue with our friends so thought it would be the perfect time to share some of this weeks Love Links. Have a good one xx

Musicalhouses shows you an awesome Bird of Paradise/sunset inspired eye look using the Sleek Curacao Palette - possibly the brightest eye look ever!

Beauty's Bad Habit shows gorgeous eyeshadow swatches of her first love in indie cosmetics, the fabulous Fyrinnae Cosmetics.

You know that cooling sensation when you bite into a peppermint patty? Well it's the same thing when you use the Chantecaille Aquablush in Charming. The Pink Sith explains.

At theNotice, Rae reviews a Benefit BADgal waterproof liner and decides that if bad girls all have to wear BADgal... she'd rather just be good.

Check out the new Too Faced Matte Eye Shadow Collection from Too Faced. Gouldylox has swatches and details.

Addicted to Beauty is still dreaming about the crazy hair extravaganza that was the L’Oreal Professionnel Colour Trophy 2011 .

Phyrra's Independent Spotlight for the month of July is One Hand Washes the Other.

Check out Smashinbeauty's Return to Paradise review and swatches.

Tracy at Beauty Reflections wishes Tarte For True Blood Natural Cheek Stain was Hellmouth worthy!

The Beauty Spot tested out the new Rimmel Vinyl Max Lipgloss. See how it worked out!

Have you ever considered Juvederm? Read about the experience of Marcia at Beauty Info Zone to learn whether Juvederm is something that would work for you.

Love bright eye shadows for summer? Make sure to keep lips subtle with this fabulous nude lipstick at Makeup, Beauty and More.

Do you need to perk up your under eye area? Pammy Blogs Beauty's Cover-It Concealer Review series continues with a review of this under eye treatment/primer by Per-fekt.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed swatches Chanel nail polish to prove that all greys are not created equal!

Read the MAC and Sigma brushes dupe guide at Handmade Reviews.

Take a trip to St-Tropez! Nicole from Lipstick and Luxury swatches this limited-edition luxurious nail polish from Dior.

What type of results REALLY come from having a Brazilian Keratin Treatment? Check out Socialite Dreams for the results of the KeraStraight treatment at Ulta.

Dressing Room Inspiration!

I am lucky enough to have a spare room in my house which i have convinced hubby into letting me use as a dressing room.
I do have a few problems though.
1. A serious lack of budget, so this will probably take years for me to get it how i would like it.
2. The house is rented so i cant do anything that will damage the walls etc so everything needs to be free standing and easy to remove.

I have been getting seriously addicted to looking at walk in wardrobes and beautiful dressing rooms online, dreaming away that one day i might have something similar. ( Well a girl can dream can't she? )

I Love the thought of White everywhere it looks so pretty and fresh!

Bags of storage!

I'd Love something like this on the wall above a massive shoe shelving rack

How fab is this chair?

As you can see I'm loving shoes!

How brilliant is this Mirror with hidden accessory space!

I am undecided about weather or not i want modern or a more vintage look, i love the Rococo Style but also like a lot of the modern pieces too.

I know i want lots of shoe space and somewhere to sit but i also want a makeup area and storage for all my polishes and things like that too.

So many decisions to make. Where to begin?

I'd better start saving lol.  xx

This is me! OOTD

Outfit of the day was a white vest dress with my grey baggy long line top from topshop. I was hoping it was going to be warm but the sun wasn't playing so i added my black long line cardie.

Black leather cuff which i purchased on my hols for 10 Euros which i love to bits.

Black belt from primark

Sandals from Primark last year. I love these they are super comfy and go with everything

Face wise i am making the most of my tan as it fades so fast. I'm wearing a tinted moisturiser with lots of mascara and some serious highlighting on my cheeks.

As i said serious highlighting lol. I used my Mac Shell cream colour base as a highlighter and Nars Sin as my blusher. Love these two together.
xx

Holiday Essentials!

I thought I'd do a little post on my holiday Essentials. This bunch of products have been brilliant and if nothing else then this post will be a reminder to myself for next year if i'm undecided about what to pack or use pre hols.

My Must Haves!

Badger SPF 30+ Baby Sunscreen: This stuff is amazing and it kept Rocco totally protected all holiday and the temperature was in the 90's most of the time. I will definitely be buying this again next time we go away.

Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo & Wash: This was meant for Rocco but all the family ended up using it hence the empty bottle! It feels so gentle on the skin and its multipurpose for hair washing means it saves space when packing too. Again a re buy is in need.

The Pre Holiday Essentials!

 Liz Earle Energising Body Lotion: This not only feels invigorating and smells gorgeous but it makes skin feel smoother and firmer. I used this for weeks before on my tummy area and tops of my arms.

Xen Tan Mist Intense: I used this 2 days before i went away to give me a nice bronze glow. I hate looking pale on those first few days and so this makes me feel a lot better about stripping off.

Fushi Really Good anti cellulite oil: Again i used this for a few weeks before i went away and i feel it really did make a difference. I only used it on my bum, legs and hips but i have started using it again now i am back as i love it so much.

Cooler than your average!

Estee Lauder Idealist cooling Eye Illuminator: Brilliant product which i reviewed before i went away. The ceramic tip is constantly cold and sooths and brightens the eyes instantly. Love this stuff.

Liz Earle Botanical After sun Gel: I took plenty of after sun with me but this is the only one we used. All the family loved it as it feels so cooling on the skin and smells fresh and minty. Again a re buy is needed.

Liz Earle Eyebright lotion: A perfect product for cooling the eyes, reducing puffiness and great for my 10 year old who gets hay fever a lot. Again i think we all used this lotion at some point over the holiday. I kept it in the fridge and just soaked some cotton pads and placed over the eyes for a few minutes and it did the trick every time.

Softly does it!

Tommyguns Leave me in Conditioner and styling Creme: This two in one product was all i used everyday after shampooing my hair. It smells amazing, citrus and ginger which left me sniffing my hair afterwards. It left my hair feeling soft and without the need for extra styling products.

Dirty Works Soak it up Body Moisturising Spray: The thing i love about this is pretty much everything. The spray makes it quick and easy to use, the smell is amazing and lingers for hours. The oil leaves a sexy sheen which looks perfect with a tan. I am still using this and loving it and it's a bargain price too at just £4.99.

Key Colours!

Leighton Denny Inside Scoop: A beautiful mint green
Essie Haute as Hello: My favourite peachy coral ever
Mac Ever Hip: My latest Mac Lippy and i wore it so much on holiday my other colours didn't get much of a look in. Such a pretty colour.

Back to Bases!

Bareminerals foundation: I got this as a sample which was too dark and so threw it in my holiday bag. It's the perfect match now and i love how natural and flawless it makes my skin look. I tried bareminerals before and thought it was OK nothing special but i have fallen in love with it this time round.

Other mentions:
I couldn't fail to mention 2 other products that i couldn't of done without this holiday.
1. Liz Earle Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer. I can't find this to photograph but have a sneaky feeling my friend might have it still. This kept my lips soft and smooth all holiday. My friend actually burned her lips so bad that they blistered (poor thing) This is the only thing that soothed them and after a few days of using it her lips were healing well. (MUST HAVE PRODUCT)

2. Benefit U Rebel Tinted moisturiser: I used this on days i didn't use my bare minerals foundation and it gives a lovely glowy look to the skin. The colour just blends brilliantly with a tan so no matter how dark you get this will work. ( Nothing worse than too light foundation )

Do you have any must have products that u can recommend?

Holiday Happy Times!

Hellllllo there! I'm back from a fab holiday in sunny Majorca. The weather was fab most days being in the 90's and only one day when it rained. I've come back feeling really chilled out and with a bit of a tan so I'm a happy bunny.
The kids loved it and were so well behaved :). I will no doubt spend the next few days washing and ironing but cant wait to catch up with some of your posts and see what I've been missing.
Here's a few holiday snaps for you to take a nosey at:

View from our balcony

Favourite tipple Strawberry daiquiri mmmm

Makeup wise i wore nothing in the day and just used my Benefit U Rebel tinted moisturiser or Bare Minerals foundation as a base at night. My skin seems to be looking quite good so the break must of done me good.
I've eaten and drank far too much but enjoyed every minute of it so now its back to normality for a few weeks. xx

Up Up & Away!

So i am officially off on my holiday so there will be no posts for at least a week. I can't wait for a little break and will be posting as usual when i return. It's time for some fun in the sun. See you all when i return mwah xxx

Link Love!

Some perfect Sunday reading with this weeks Link Love.

Image taken from weheartit.com

Read a thorough and honest review of Sigma's new eyeshadow palettes in Dare, Bare, and Flare at Handmade Reviews!

At Musing on Beauty, Mariella has been trying the new Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation and reviews it in depth.

Musicalhouses shows you summer's hottest offering - Benefit Cha Cha Tint!

The jury’s still out on whether a certain new lash curler looks incredibly intriguing or… incredibly gynaecological, but the real question is: are you ready to start a Revolution with Urban Decay?

Looking for a new blush? Check out my Swatches and Review on Chanel Joues Contraste Blush!

Beauty's Bad Habit shares her technique for using Fyrinnae's infamous Pixie Epoxy eyeshadow base.

You can achieve the perfect summer glow with just one product... shimmer! Steal My Heart Lovee.com shares her thoughts on Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks.

Amy Antoinette shares her top tips for transforming hay fever eyes!

Want the scoop on Urban Decay's new Fall Collection? Well, Krasey Beauty has it all, from information to product pics!

Kelly from Gouldylox has a very bad day. Luckily some MacGyvering with beauty products saves the day!

Miss Beauty Nerd goes to the Big Apple and gets her eyebrows threaded at Blink Brow Bar inside Henri Bendel.

Madame B Fatale introduces her boyfriend to Gillette's new razor and skincare products.

Tired of the regular crackle nail look? Jenn over at Spiced Beauty spices it up with a tri-color mani!

If you like bright colours you'll want to check out the latest find from Lisamarie at Beauty Crazed - SleekMakeUP Caribbean collection - and you'll be relieved to know that the swatches are not on her arm!

Makeup, Beauty and More shows some love for the Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in I'm Getting Sunburned.

Lauren from Lovelaughlauren shows us some fab makeup brushes for less than £20!


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The Pretty Exclusive shows you beautiful swatches of Geek Chic Cosmetic's N7 Collection & Geek Love Duo, AND has a giveaway to win them all!

Pammy Blogs Beauty is giving away Clinical Organics "Try Me" Packs to two lucky winners! Visit Pammy Blogs Beauty for more details and to enter.

Excited.com!

So my lovelies, today i decided to do a bit of a rambling post as i feel so excited that i just can't focus on writing a review or anything serious i just want to write about how I'm feeling.

As most of you will know I'm off on my jollies Monday and i don't think i have ever been looking forward to a holiday so much. It's the first family holiday abroad that we have had and these last few years have been really stressful so i just cannot wait :) :)

I have been eating really healthy and calorie counting and managed to get down to my target weight by loosing 9.5 pounds so i am feeling really positive at the moment and my holiday clothes all fit perfectly. It's just deciding what to take that's the problem lol.

 Back in my skinny jeans

Yesterday i had my hair cut and coloured so my evil roots have gone. All i have left to do is a good exfoliation, fake tan and my nails. I love it when my hair is first coloured it always makes it really shiny.

Then of course there is the packing.
Here's what makeup i am taking with me:

OK i know i said i was travelling light but i just cant do it. I need to have choice and although its a bit embarrassing to say but this is a lot less than i usually take.

Hope you are all having a great weekend xx

Watch out there's a new Mineral Company in Town!

and so far they seem to making quite an impression. Youngblood are a company who have been in the states for 15 years and launched in the UK in 2008. I have recently heard about through the wonderful network twitter. I really like the thought of mineral products and having used various other companies products in the past i was intrigued to find out more about the range.

 Youngblood claim to be Superior to other mineral makeup products using only the purest ingredients and formulated for even the most sensitive of skins. The products look and sound great but do they live up to the hype?

For me personally the product i was most intrigued about was the liquid mineral foundation. I am a foundation fanatic and have tried so many different ones but yet i had not heard of a liquid mineral foundation so didn't know what to expect.

Sample of Liquid Mineral Foundation Sunkissed

I was lucky enough to try 2 samples one the foundation and the other the Hi-DEF mineral perfecting powder. I was sent the translucent but it also comes in warmth.

Firstly let me say these products are not cheap. Saying that though sometimes i believe you do get what you pay for and the quality of the 2 products i tried was pretty amazing and would be worth every penny.

Liquid Mineral Foundation £35. The foundation blends like a dream. It feels virtually weightless yet it did give me some coverage. It really is a foundation that makes you look like you are not wearing foundation but yet have great skin.
I found it applied better to my skin with a brush rather than my fingers and it left me with a soft very natural looking glow.

HD powder £32. The powder is probably the best powder i have tried. It is again invisible once buffed into the skin. It kept my nose and forehead from getting shiny for the whole day and it just gives a really soft finish effect on the overall finish. Loved it.

Results

Even close up you can see how natural this looks on the skin, even though i promised myself i wont be buying anymore foundation for a while i really really want this now. I love the fact that i know i am using a quality product with healthy ingredients.
If you are on twitter you will already know there is quite a buzz about this range. The website has so many tempting products and now I've had a little taster I'm all the more curious to try more.
Have you checked out this range yet? If not here is the link xx