Beauty Haul

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REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask £30.00, Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm £34.00, Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara - £5.99, Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eye Shadow £4.99, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eye Shadow Crayon £3.49, Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Glow in Euphoria £19.00, Lee Stafford Argan Oil Nourishing Shampoo £10.99, Lee Stafford Argan Oil Deep Nourishing Treatment £14.99, Lee Stafford Argan Oil Nourishing Miracle Oil £11.99, Indeed Labs Eysilix £24.99, Indeed Labs Hydraluron £24.99, Indeed Labs Pepta Bright £29.99

Make Up Swatches Top - Bottom 

Kevin Aucoin The Creamy Glow - Euphoria, Rimmel Scandal Eyes - 002 Bulletproof Beige, Maybelline Color Tattoo - 35 On and on Bronze

It's been a while since I posted a haul, it's been a while since I posted at all really but I'd rather not dwell on that! I forget when I buy things to take note of what I buy and collect it all together to do a haul post for the blog but this month I purchases these items all around the same time with some extras purchased this afternoon so I thought why not stick a haul post up?

I recently discovered Caroline Hirons and I feel like it has changed my life, extreme I know. I don't know about anybody else but I know that I personally find skin care such a confusing subject with one product saying one thing and somebody else saying another. Skin care is one of those areas that you just have to dive into and find what works for you - but it's nice to have simple advice and tips that you can use to get you started. I've always had a skincare routine but I've felt it was lacking and my hyper-pigmentation was really getting to me, so I felt like it was time for a routine revamp with some new products. 

Boots

I've seen the Indeed Labs products on a few blogs now and they really interested me - I didn't think I'd be able to find them in my local boots as it's pretty rubbish but I was suprised to find they were there and they were on 3 for 2 (still are) - bonus!! I purchased Pepta Bright, which is meant to fade pigmentation and brighten the skin, Hydraluron, a gel containing hyaluronic acid which can attract up to 1000 times it's weight in water to keep skin hydrated and plump, and Eysilix - an eye rescue cream. I plan to review all of these in full as I think skincare can be such a blurry field - the more reviews the better!

I returned to Boots today as I've been having a bit of a 'meh' day and I thought some pampering and retail therapy was in order - I wandered around aimlessly but as soon as I spied some offers, I was soon filling my arms with products. My They're Real mascara has gone really funky recently and I just don't know why - its gone from being a bit on the dry side to being really gloopy and cakey so I just can't use it therefore I needed a new mascara. I picked up the new Maybelline Mega Plush mascara as I thought the gel formula and the packaging were both rather funky - these mascaras are on introductory offer with £2 off at £5.99 - I'll let you know what I think! I thought, but maybe I was wrong, that it was buy one get one free on Maybelline products so I picked up a Color Tattoo Eye Shadow as I've heard great things everywhere about these - but it didn't come free, never mind! I also picked up a Rimmel Scandal Eyes pencil as I think the Clinique ones look lush, this is a gorgeous colour and I can't wait to use it, it's going to be beautiful for the summer. 

There is currently an offer on it Boots where all Lee Stafford Argan products are 3 for £20 - I find Lee Stafford products rather pricey for what they are but I made a saving of £17 on this offer so I'm definitely not complaining! I picked up the Deep Repair Mask, Nourishing Miracle Oil and the Argan Oil Shampoo!

Space NK

Am I the only one who spends copious amounts of money online because I see no money handed over and then receive presents to my door? As I mentioned earlier I decided to purchase some new skincare so I went over to the Space NK website and ordered the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm - as recommended by Caroline and the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask - as recommended by well, everyone. Also as summer is coming up I picked up a Kevyn Aucoin cream blush in Euphoria -which is a nice terracotta colour, instead of using a powder blush this summer, I thought that a cream blush would look more natural and radiant.

I'm really pleased with all the products I picked up this month but I certainly won't be doing anymore spending! Today I also picked up some MOM jeans in Topshop for £15 which I am literaly over the moon about - I've wanted some for so long!

Do you have any of these products? What are you thoughts? 

Murad Pore Perfection Starter Kit | Review

Murad Pore Perfection Starter Kit - £25.00*

Skincare for me is a complicated one and therefore it's something I never blog about. My combination skin has been giving me lots of trouble recently so I've been hell bent on finding the perfect skincare routine for the perfect skin, it's getting there but there's still a long way to go. Because of this, I was so excited when I got the chance to try out this Murad Pore Perfection Starter Kit as it promised to perfect pores and control shine. I've had this for a while but with skincare products I think it's a tricky one as skin can be affected by many factors including the weather and diet and therefore I have trailed this for quite a while.

Murad's Pore Perfection Starter Kit is made up of 4 different products which make up the three steps of their skincare routine - Cleanse/Tone, Treat/Repair, Hydrate/Protect. All of the products feature pomegranate and some smell rather strongly of pomegranate, this is something I personally like as I think they smell gorgeous - but if you're one for unscented products then this set may not be for you.

Energizing Pomegranate Cleanser
This is a foaming cleanser which smells lovely, my first impressions were shock when that cute pink liquid turned to a white foam when pumped out - I guess I'm just easily amused. Personally I prefer cleansing oils to anything and a foam cleanser leaves me feeling rather uneasy since I have combination skin and the lovely Caroline Hirons advises well away from foam cleansers if you're acne prone like me as they alkalise the skin surface which enables bacteria to breed. Luckily, with this cleanser I didn't break out any more than normal however I didn't see an improvement in my acne or the appearance of my skin. This cleanser is gentle and leaves the face feeling soft and clean however I like a cleanser to really make a difference and I eventually returned back to my Cleansing Oil where I instantly saw results. This cleanser would be suitable for those who only need a gentle cleanse and aren't acne prone. Also as a side note this is a cleanser and toner in one - I would always follow up with a toner as I'm not really into combo products and I still feel like I haven't used a toner - which I find such an important step in my routine.

T-Zone Pore Refining Gel
I briefly featured this product in my Travel Make-up/Skincare post as I took it with me to Amsterdam. The product in this set is 15ml and is a gel which is meant to balance oily and dry skin whilst gently exfoliating. Well, until now - I didn't know this gel gently exfoliated and this excites me. I have combination skin so a gel to balance this is great for me and seems like more of the toning step I was craving from this kit. I like this product as it smells nice and is a step I like to incorporate into my routine because if, eventually, my pores become more refined then theres no harm in that. I haven't seem many results from this product but it hasn't had any adverse effects on my skin whatsoever so I won't stop using it until it's run out in the hope that something noticeable will happen. 

Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask
In this set you receive two samples of this exfoliating mask which I find contain enough for four uses. This is a chemical exfoliant which is to be used as a weekly treatment - it contains AHA's, natural fruit enzymes and salicylic acid which are features in many cult exfoliating masks. The full size version of this product is £22.50 on lookfantastic.com and actually comes packaged as 6 sachets the same size as this, my thoughts on this are mixed, whilst sachets are handy to carry around and store, these sachets provide at least two applications each and I find I have to transfer the remaining product from the sachet into a little pot after first opened - which is a bit of a pain. I really think this product is the star of the show - chemical exfoliating masks are becoming more and more popular as people move away from the abrasive scrubs which can damage the skin and spread bacteria. This applies like a gel and really tingles so I know it's definitely working, afterwards my complexion looks clearer with my acne scarring faded and it just seems to keep on working as I am sure my skin improves through the night after using this.  I'm definitely going to be repurchasing this product. 

Energizing Pomegranate Moisturiser 
This moisturiser also featured in my Travel post as it has wormed it's way into my daily routine and is currently my staple moisturiser. I like the scent of this moisturiser as it's light and not overpowering. The moisturiser has hydrated my once very dehydrated skin and is light and absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving my skin feeling oily or leaving a residue. My skin does not get any shinier than normal during the day whilst using this moisturiser and it also contains SPF 25 which is great for protecting the skin against UVB/UVA rays if you prefer to get your SPF from your moisturiser. I think this moisturiser would be great for summer to keep skin hydrated and protected whilst being non-greasy. 

Overall I think sets like this are great for trying new products and brands and usually are the first thing I turn to if I'm looking to a new brand as they're relatively inexpensive for the range and amount of products you can get in a set and if you don't get on with them, it's okay because you didn't splurge before you tried. Everybody reacts differently to skincare and some products which are great for others just simply don't do it for somebody else so don't write off the cleanser just because it left me underwhelmed. I'll definitely be repurchasing the Exfoliating Masks - I'm unsure if i can live without these handy little skincare saviours and the moisturiser will continue to be a firm favourite and one I'll keep going back to.

When in Amsterdam... | OOTD

River Island Jacket, American Apparel Disco Pants, Topshop T-shirt, Topshop Boots, ASOS Necklace

Hi y'all, just a quick post today as I've got exams and all that jazz - I thought I was past this point in my life but seems not, exams live on. Whilst in Amsterdam and having lots of jazzy walls for backgrounds I thought surely I cannot pass up the opportunity to get Andy behind the camera and act as my human tripod - thumbs up to you Andrew. 

This is a really simple outfit - monochrome seems to be a recurring theme in my outfits these days and thats not because I'm following any trends - I'm  just running in the opposite direction to colour, shade's of grey any day. I thought this outfit would be comfy but I was wrong - after an entire days walking in these boots I felt like chopping off my own feet and attempting to grow new ones as that might have been less painful. 

Serious lack of jewelry going on here, although I can't say I'm ever big on jewelry any way, however I only packed one necklace (and one jacket) in the hope that everything would go with everything, since I only packed black, grey and white items of clothing coincidentally...

A Weekend in Amsterdam

It was my birthday on Saturday 4th May, another year gone already? Being 19 is a little boring - there's nothing I can do now that I couldn't do last week, I guess 18 is so hyped up that your 19th birthday is sort of an anitclimax - sorry to those turning 19 soon. 

Saying all of that - I had an amazing, completely chilled and relaxed birthday as I spent the weekend in Amsterdam with Andy. We headed down to Manchester after work on Wednesday and spent the night in an airport hotel then 4am Thursday morning headed to the airport and boarded our 6:30am flight - I had to being dragged away from the MAC duty free counter by the other half - no make up shopping on this holiday!

The weather was glorious in Amsterdam and we spent 4 whole days in the city before we headed back late Sunday night. During this time I managed to do a spot of shopping in H&M and snagged a bikini from the H&M for water campaign - bonus since I've seen Beyonce wearing this as she's the new face for H&M's summer range. 

During our time in Amsterdam we wandered down many many canals, walked through the Red Light District, visited Royal Artis Zoo, explored Anne Frank's house, had a tour of Amsterdam's Dungeons (where I was utterly creeped out by the actress who kept sniffing me...), went on a canal boat and indulged in countless meals, pancakes, waffles, macaroons and slices of pizza which can be found on most streets.

Amsterdam was a great place to visit and we had a perfect weekend, the chilled atmosphere mixed with the 20 degree heat and beautiful scenery meant it was a beautiful break away. I'd recommend Amsterdam to anyone as there's plenty to see and of course it's very diverse with its relaxed policies and many ethnicity's  If you were to visit I think Andy and I would both insist you visit Wynand Fockinks for a spot of traditional Jenever served in a cute tulip glass - a traditional gem we found in an alleyway and visited everyday coming away rather tipsy each time. 

It seemed that we coincidentally chose a good weekend to get away to Amsterdam since the 4th May was a Remembrance Day for World War II where Dam Square filled with tens of thousands of people for a two minutes silence with the Royals in attendance, the Queen had just abdicated and Ajax won the league 5-0 on the Sunday so football fans were out in force to watch the game and celebrating on every corner.

Whilst in Amsterdam I filmed a vlog and I hope this encourages you to hop on a flight and jet away to Amsterdam if you're considering a break away, also this is the perfect way for Andy and I to reminisce on our weekend away and share with family and friends. I couldn't have put it together without Andy who willfully obliged every time I said 'we have to film today!!' and had a camera pointed in his face at every opportunity - also his ear for music and his perfectionism when it came to matching the clips with the beats... 

I hope you all enjoyed your bank holiday weekend!