1 - I'm obsessed with my brows so actually went to pick up one of these bad boys on Saturday and so far I'm loving it. It's a really unique product with a sponge and gives a great natural look. Please let me know if you're interested in a full review.

2 - Sleek have launched a new illuminating concealer which looks very similar to the iconic YSL touche eclat - I fancy trying this bad boy so may pick one up at the weekend - update to follow.

3 - Mac have launched a great new selection of mini palettes for just £30.00 for 9 shadows. My favourite is the Amber Times Nine which are all beautiful shades for anyone with a warm skin tone. You can by this palette here.

4 - In my opinion Loreal does some of the best drugstore mascaras so I'm excited to try the new False Lash Superstar.

5 - YesTo is finally coming to the UK - the range of natural products are due to launch in Boots in July. I'm already eying up what I want to try!! 

Top Tips for Summer Weddings

With Wedding Season fast approaching I have pulled together some of my top tips for shopping for the perfect Wedding Guest outfits.

1) Shop the Sales

I would never buy a dress for a wedding at full price. As formal wear is often timeless scour the sales and pick up a beauty at a fraction of the cost. Below are a few example of some of my favourite bargains on the market at the moment.

1) ASOS - £42 reduced to £12.50

2) Coast - £69 to £55 

 3) ASOS £45 to £13

2) Don't Get Hat Hair!

If you're going to a wedding in the height of summer a massive hat may not be the best idea - there's nothing worse than rocking up at reception with sweaty hat hair. If you are wanting to wear a head piece in the summer I think a fascinator can look super stylish and keep your head cool. Below are a couple of non-hat hair ideas!

1) Debenhams - £32
2) Crown and Glory - £26.99
3) ASOS - £28

3) Make Sure You Can Dance the Night Away
One of the mistakes I'm sure we've all made at weddings is wearing shoes that kill our feet and being *that* girl in the middle of the dance floor with no shoes on! Nowadays I always ensure that I'm wearing something on my feet that I'm comfortable in! I usually go for a wedge that I've tried and tested. No shoes and weddings are a no go for me.  I'm personally loving New Look's new range of comfort fit heels which come in a range of different styles and heel heights.

New Look £24.99

4) Take a Big Bag!

When I say big obviously I don't mean a massive Mary Poppins style bag but remember a wedding isn't a night out and if you're a day guest you can end up being there for over 12 hours! I always make sure I have a large selection of make-up (for top ups), a hairbrush, hair grips, tissues, breath spray, perfume and deodorant which just don't fit in a tiny ornamental clutch. This doesn't however mean your bag has to be ugly - I've selected some big and beautiful wedding appropriate bags below.

1) New Look - £19.99

2) ASOS - £35.00

3) Karl Lagerfield - £135.00 

5) PRIME!!!!

One of the most important thing's when at a wedding is to think about your make up and the most vital factor in my mind is to hold it all together with a top notch primer. My favourite is by Laura Mercier and costs £29.00. Other than a good primer I'd recommend sticking with your usual make-up that your confident wearing and take along a make-up with you for top-ups throughout the day.

  

 

 

Breakdown of a Face: Kim Kardashian

Love or hate Kim you can't deny the girl's makeup is always flawless.

I've done some research into her favourite products and brands and here is what I think she is wearing on her face.

1) Even though you can't see them in this picture I have picked - Kim has some of the world's most perfectly sculpted eyebrows - I believe she uses the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate which costs £15.00 and is available here.

Remember the above photo that was all over the net a few years back?! Kim has always been the queen of the contour and I believe this look is achieved by using two products. The light areas under the eyes appear to be a slightly lighter foundation and 2) NARS Albatross and the darker area have been created using every blogger's favourite bronzer 3) NARS Laguna. You can buy both these products here for £22.50

4) I read an article in the Metro on the bus the other day which stated Kim's foundation of choice is the Urban Decay Naked foundation and she even wore it on her wedding day. This foundation is available here and retails for £27.00

5) If you google Kim Kardashian lipstick you get 1650000 results but I believe Kim's trademark "your lips but better" lipstick is Mac's Angel. You can buy this here for £15.00

6) Another trusty tip from the Metro is that Kim's wedding day mascara was apparently the new Urban Decay pervision - I'm yet to try this so can't comment personally but I was surprised it only costs £15.30 as I expected it to be around the £20.00. You can buy this mascara here.

7) Kim is a big liner girl and to recreate this look at home any easily blendable liner would be fine - I like the Urban Decay 24/7 liners or the Mac Pearlglide intense liner which is £15.50 and available here.

8) Finally what's a smoky eye without a beautiful brown eye shadow- I love Mac's carbonized which is almost a perfect match for what's in this picture. I couldn't find a link online but pretty sure it's still available in store.

BRAND FOCUS: Bourjois My Top 3

Bourjois has for years been one of my favourite drug store brands. 

I remember our first meeting over 10 years ago in a French supermarket where I picked up one of those "wonderful" white and black double ended mascaras, which may I add despite being the clumpiest kid on the block were massively ahead of their time and not dissimilar from the new Urban Decay mascaras, 

So when it came to narrowing down the 3 products I love the most from this brand 2 were completely obvious to me, the third is a new launch and I'm still feeling quietly guilty that I'm not mentioned a blusher which has been in my mak-eup collection for years!

Number 1 - The Healthy Mix Gel Serum Foundation - (I use the colour Light Beige). £10.99

This blogger's favourite is my ultimate day time drug store foundation. I tried the normal healthy mix foundation and really liked it but find this one is a little more natural looking and leaves my skin feeling a lot healthier at the end of the day. I also find the serum based foundation stays on a little bit longer as the formula is designed for long-wear. *up to 16 hours*

Number 2 - Boujois Delice de Poundre £7.99

This is a product I'm pretty sure almost every beauty blogger will have at least one shade of in their collection. I personally much prefer a Matt bronzer to a shimmery one and find that shade 52 (Peaux Mates / haleees) is the best colour for my skin tone. 

Number 3 - Volume 1 Second Mascara £9.99

Last up is the product that bullied out the blush and is my newest Bourjois purchase. If you like single fluttery almost spider leg like eyelashes this is the product for you. I actually received this as part of the Glamour Beauty Box but will definitely be repurchasing. 

What are your top recommendations from this brand?

B&M Beauty Bargain(ish)

Hands held up high.. I have an odd obsession with buying tat from bargain shops but sometimes you find a bargain amongst the various bits and bats I'll never use.

Today I picked up 3 of the Maybelline Babylips for just 99p each. 

From Left to Right (Anti Oxidant-Berry, Soothing Cherry and Mango Pie.)

They all taste really nice on the lips and are SPF 20 which is always a plus especially with the weather getting warmer.

HOWEVER....

They are all clear...!! Not sure if I'm keen or not.I don't think these have ever been stocked in the UK so it's a nice product to add to the collection.

Summer Wedding Looks Sorted - All under £100.00

Dress - Miss Selfridge - £39.00
Bag - ASOS - £12.00
Shoes -Boohoo - £18.00
Necklace - Argento - £20.00
Total £89.00

Skort - New Look - £17.99
Top - New Look - £14.99
Shoes - Matalan - £15.00
Blazer - Boohoo - £25.00
Bag - Spoiled Brat - £20.00
Total £92.98

Dress - Reiss - £69.00
Shoes - New Look - £19.99
Bag - New Look - £10.00
Total £98.99

May Favourites

Lots and Lots of Budget beauty buys this month!! I have been loving a lot of drugstore products this month so thought I would share them all with you. There is one MAC cheat though!! :)

Revlon Colorstay in Natural Beige £9.49
This has become my go to going out foundation and the shade is perfect for my skin tone (or it was until I got a holiday tan!). 
Definitely a medium to high coverage product this is great for a night out or for anyone who isn't confident with their skin.

Revlon Matte Balm in Showy £7.99
I have quite a few of these and think they are one of the best lip products about. Showy is a beautiful cool toned bright pink with blue undertones, I have been loving this. I also love the minty taste of the balms and their staying power.

Mac Brow Set in Beguille £13.50
This is a product that when I first purchased I didn't really like - however when I ran out of clear mascara last month I gave this another go. When spending a bit more time applying it I've actually really enjoyed using this product. It's a really good colour for blondes too as I know the beauty industry doesn't always cater for our brows!!

Real Techniques Buffing Brush (part of a set retails at £29.99 but got on offer at £14.99)
I've picked up a fair few of the real techniques brushes over the last few years and have been very impressed by their quality so when Feel Unique had a promotion for 6 brushes for £15.00 I couldn't refuse!
This brush is for putting on foundation and is just perfect! I've also been using this brush to contour as it's great for loading on loads of product.


Rimmel Scandalous Eyes Waterproof Kohl in Nude £3.99
I know some people are going to hate me for this comment but generally I'm not a fan of Rimmel products (other than the lipsticks) which is why I had avoided buying this product despite hundreds of bloggers raving about it. How wrong was I? This is without doubt the best nude eye-liner I've EVER owned and has now made it into my everyday makeup regime.

Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Cleansing and Toning Lotion £3.59
I'll hold my hands up and admit I am someone who spends way too much on skincare so when someone at work recommended this cleanser to me I was dubious about how good something which cost less than 4 quid could actually be. However my skin and this cleanser have got on really well - this is actually my second bottle of the stuff. I find the smell very energizing in the morning and touch wood I have been spot free since using this.

Sure Aloe Vera £3.19
I know arm pits and sweating aren't something us beauty bloggers like to talk about but I have really been liking this deodorant this month. I sometimes get very dry skin under my arms and have been impressed with how nourishing this product has been.

Sleek Blush in Life's A Peach £4.49
This peachy blusher in the most perfect colour for spring - you have to be careful with the application though to avoid looking like you've been tangoed!!!


What products have you been loving this month?

Nicola

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