Things to look forward to in Spring!

Hello again! Today’s post is all about Spring. I wanted to do some sort of post talking about spring, as it is approaching us, but wasn’t sure in what way. I finally decided to talk about what excites me about it. Similar to my favourite things about it but not a literal “Spring Favourites” so I hope you enjoy this post…

1. Sun

Hopefully this spring we’ll start to see a little bit more of the sun. I love when it isn’t boiling outside but also you don’t always need a coat – spring is a perfect in-between. When it starts to be sunnier outside I feel like everyone is a little bit more happy! Also it means it won’t get dark so quickly.  And for the photographer in me, the lighting is so much better for brighter photos.

2. Flowers

Spring is also the start of the beautiful flowers blooming, which again are great for photos. I love flowers and if you are lucky enough to have some grow in your garden you can dot them around your house and they really make everything a bit brighter. There are also lots of florists and great selections of flowers at supermarkets.

3. Lighter make-up

Although I do love bold lips, or smokey eyes, I love when during the spring time the make-up looks tend to be a little bit more natural and softer. I think sometimes minimal make-up can be so much nicer, and it is so much quicker to do. Mascara, concealer, blush, powder and nude lips are musts!

4. Fresh candles

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the wintery/christmassy scents that have been burning for a few months now, but fresh, floral candles are also amazing. You can burn them pretty much anyway around the house. Some of my favourites are Bath and Body works – Island Margarita and Yankee Candles – Peony.

5.  Cool drinks

A bit of a random one here, cooler drinks. Something about lemonades, frappucino’s,  juices, smoothies and even iced water is just so refreshing. And in spring there are so many great tasting drinks around the shops and inspiring recipes to make at home too.

Thank you very much for reading this post, please follow!

X

February Favourites

February was a month of many things. Some being skincare, beauty, lifestyle and candles. I have a right mix of things I’ve been loving throughout February. Enjoy!

Starting with Beauty:

I’ve been absolutely loving the RIMMEL Stay Matte Pressed Powder for a great finished look. I have the shade 001 which is “transparent” on the skin.  There are slightly peachier and tinted shades but I prefer to have a clear one so it is a little more natural. I have generally been using this powder to set the concealer I put under my eyes, and I noticed such a difference. Before I used this powder my concealer just seemed to fade away by 6pm, I had tried many brands so I knew it wasn’t the product that was the problem. I then saw a few people set their concealer with either loose or pressed powder, so I wanted to try that. I wanted to get one from RIMMEL as I knew the brand, and it wasn’t that expensive, so I was confident in buying a new product. I was looking a Matte Finish so this really shone out from all the rest. I just find it extends the duration of my pigmented concealer so well, and makes the skin so much softer too, so I would recommend this powder to anybody.

If you read my last post you would know I bought some of KIKO MILANO ‘s products, and I was massively impressed. I am terrible at eyeliner so I wanted something that was easy to apply and not too bold on the eye.  The CAMPUS IDOL DOUBLE DARE – eyeshadow and eyeliner was my answer. There is an eyeshadow crayon on one end which I also adore, but the end I used the most was the eyeliner. I have the shade COPPER AND CHOCOLATE, so there is a brown eyeliner. If you aren’t amazing at eyeliner, try using a dark brown instead of a black, it’s a lot easier to work with and less scary too. The formulation is very creamy so it’s very easy to apply and it looks awesome as well.

And Skincare:

I also took a little more care with my skin this month. THE BODY SHOP have some amazing products that can really sort your skincare routine out. I have been loving the CAMOMILE SUMPTUOUS CLEANSING BUTTER, which is in a thin metal tin or pot. It’s very moisturising so if you have super oily skin I would maybe give it a miss, although it does say it’s for all skin types. Basically I use this after my gel cleanser and after I have removed all my makeup, I rub it all over my face and then rinse off with a slightly damp flannel. It makes your skin feel so soft and I also noticed that when I was using this 3-4 times a week, I barely got any spots. Big thumbs up!

My all-time favourite moisturiser has yet again proven itself to me. I have been using the SIMPLE kind to skin facial moistuiser for years now, and I absolutely love it. It is very inexpensive so easy to get a hold of, and it does my skin absolute wonders. Whenever I have a particularly dry skin day I will apply just a pea sized amount and gently rub it in all over my face. It absorbs into the skin very quickly so you don’t get that sticky feeling some moisturisers give you. The next day my skin feels so soft it’s amazing.

Everyday Life:

Fairy lights are generally associated with Christmas and New Year, but I wanted to be able to keep them up all year round. I love the way they make your room a little more cosy and pleasing. You can also get so many different types from so many shops, so go on buy yourself a nice string of fairy lights.

Candles:

I am a bit obsessed with candles. They smell amazing and also come in so many cute designs and patterns, so they really add something to a room.  My favourite this month has been the YANKEE CANDLE vanilla cupcake candle. This smells like vanilla, but because of the “cupcake” it is just that little bit more sweet and indulgent. Yankee Candles aren’t too expensive as well, and they last for a long time. I love how you walk into a room where a candles been burning and it smell so good!

Thank you very much for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed.

X

Starting up Photography

I am very passionate about Photography and have been for some time now, so I thought why not share that passion with you guys?! I wanted to start by talking about how to, well, start, up photography. These days most phones do have a camera, and that’s what I started out with. If you want to start taking more photos, be it food, nature or people etc. do not feel like you need to go out and buy an expensive camera, some smartphone cameras are actually really impressive. So that’s the first thing. Before I move on any further, I just want to mention that I am no expert in Photography, I have no qualification or anything, I just love taking pictures and wanted to share that.

The next thing is pretty much up to you. Some people start out knowing exactly what they want to capture in a photo. Others have no clue. I don’t think it matters at all. You may find an inspiration one day and think, “yeah, i’d love to take photos of trees and flowers” and then after a few weeks, months, or even years, you may change your mind. As long as you are happy with what you are doing, and like the photos you take, then that’s all that matters.

I personally like to mostly take photos of nature or architecture. I find it intriguing and a very vast subject, but again that could just be me. You might talk to someone else who absolutely loves capturing the most beautiful meals and would never think of taking a photo of a flower!

This next thing I think is very important; do not beat yourself up over how good your photos are. Don’t compare yourself to others and think everyone else’s are so much better. A photograph can be interpreted in so many ways, you can’t judge them. And honestly, when I first had an interest in Photography my photos were not of the quality they are now. Over time you will learn little tips and tricks that help you improve.

Instead of making this a super long post, I will talk about the individual features of a photograph in separate posts. That way I can go into a lot more detail without having pages and pages of words.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, feel free to leave a comment giving suggestions for a post, or a question about something. I am more than happy to help!

X

Upcoming Posts

I have some ideas for new posts but if you have any suggestions please leave a comment, recommending some ideas that you’d like to read. I like to write about beauty, lifestyle, things like candles, photography and fashion.

 

Thanks x

KIKO MILANO COSMETICS

Recently I ventured into the new KIKO COSMETICS shop in town. I had heard a few people raving about their products so I wanted to take a look myself. I was very impressed with the prices of things, very affordable at around £5-£15, the staff are happy to help you if you’d like that and also they have so many different stalls full of wondrous make up.

I did in fact pick a few things up so I will share my thoughts with you.

SMART lipstick:

In the store they had multiple ranges of lipstick. Some were more creamy, matte and they varied in price too. I decided to try one of the mid range lipsticks which were the “smart” lipsticks. They were around £3 which is an incredible price.  I have been wanting some more pinky nude shades so I was automatically drawn to those over the reds and pinks. Quick side note, they have a huge range of shades to choose from. Anyway I picked up a lipstick in the shade 906 which is a very pinky nude.  The packaging also reminded me of NARS and MAC which is another good thing .
I tried the lipstick at home and at first just applied straight onto my lips. I loved the colour however it was very drying and made my lips look and feel flaky. I later tried again but beforehand I applied a lip balm I had lying around. This definitely helped create more of a creamy finish, I wouldn’t say it was matte but not super glossy as well. I found using the lipstick this way gave it a lot more pigmentation, staying power and a better finishing look.

METALLIC CREAM EYESHADOW:

Anyone that I had heard talking about KIKO had often talked about their eyeshadows, so I definitely wanted to try one out. I saw a selection of these metallic cream eyeshadows so went over to have a look. The packaging is amazing with a metal lid and pretty detailing on the glass pot, and I believe there are 5 different colours to choose from. I decided I liked the shade 01 the best which is a shimmery, very light pink. Again it was around £3 so very inexpensive and it looks absolutely amazing  on the eye. I did think it could double up as a highlighter however because of it’s amazing pigmentation it was a little too pink, but overall I love this product.

CAMPUS IDOL DOUBLE DARE EYELINER AND EYESHADOW:

This product I was very intrigued by. It is part of their CAMPUS IDOL range so it was a little more expensive at £7.50, but it’s totally worth it. One on end of the stick there is a creamy pencil eyeliner. I am terrible at eyeliner but this has been so easy to apply. The other end has an eyeshadow crayon which I am absolutely obsessed with! They are a massive dupe for the ByTERRY ombre black star eyeshadow crayons and definitely not as expensive. I got mine in the shade COPPER AND CHOCOLATE which has a gold shimmery eyeshadow crayon and a brown eyeliner. I am in love with this product and would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you very much for reading this post I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know you’re thoughts on KIKO COSMETICS too!