My Week In Pictures #19

As I mentioned in a recent post I've been a bit here, there and everywhere recently. I've been on two holidays in the past month and it feels like I haven't really been at home. I mean lets face it, I'd still much rather be on holiday in the hot sunshine! But hey, we eventually have to come home and go back to the real world hey. I had the best time on both of my holidays and watching my tan fade at the minute is pretty sad.

I started back at university last week which was as daunting as I had built myself up for unfortunately. The amount of work and so little time just instantly scares me which I do not like but it's got to be done so it will. On a slightly brighter note I graduate this weekend from my Foundation Degree which is exciting and also nerve wracking. It's basically a practice run as I will also graduate from my BA Honours degree next year too, so it's just being greedy too. I think though it's the perfect time to spend with the friends I've made, family and to make some memories so that much excites me a lot.

I must mention that I've found the perfect oversized denim jacket from Asos and I am in love with it. It's one of those jackets that goes with everything and something you can layer for the upcoming cold months. I also purchased the dainty evil eye necklace from Asos which again I love. I never normally pick gold jewellery but I am currently loving the evil eye and this is perfect for laying or when you only need something small then it does the job.

On another note I then dyed my dogs nose purple with human hair dye, I will add this was not intentional and yes my poor dog still has some purple bits there. Bless her, she was none the wise about the situation but me and my family had a good old chuckle about it.

For now, I believe that's all I have to tell you about my life recently. I'll be sure to let you all know about my experience of graduating after this weekend, eeek! If you've done it previously let me know anything from tips to reminders in the comments, PLEASE! :-)

Empties #6

It's time for another empties post which have been waiting for my return from holiday for me to photograph. I love photographing empties and then being able to throw them away just feels so satisfying strangely. Again I've accumulated many items so let's get this post started.

Firstly is the Soap & Glory Heel Genius which I had been religiously using over the Summer as I tended to have bare feet at work. So I applied this each evening before bed to try and relieve some of my dry skin. I did find that it made my feet feel soft the next morning but I think I needed something a bit more hard core for my drier patches. Next is the new mascara from Benefit called Roller Lash. I actually picked this up from a magazine and I had heard a lot of good reviews about it. I can't say I agree with those rave reviews, I actually didn't really enjoy this mascara. I found it didn't help my eye lashes in anyway unfortunately and I definitely prefer Benefit's They're Real.

Next is Schwarzkopf got2be Guardian Angel Heat Protectant which I actually picked up in a B&M store as it was super cheap. I simply needed a new heat protectant and saw this one whilst I was out and I definitely wasn't being fussy. I enjoyed using this one and it simply did the job. Avon Clear Skin Clearing Gel is next and is just your standard spot gel. This wasn't the best one I had ever tried but you know me, I simply just love buying a new spot gel and enjoy testing them all out!

I then used up the CoLab Dry Shampoo in New York which I am kind of sitting on the fence about. I really enjoyed it to begin with but as I continued to use it I found it just wasn't working for me. I didn't like the way it left my hair feeling and I think I will continue to stick to my favourite Batiste. The penultimate product is Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil Free Moisturiser which I actually purchased a long time ago. Recently I was using up a few things from my stash and I found this product. With my skin turning slightly drier I don't think this was the best moisturiser for my skin. It did help my oily t zone I will admit but overall I wasn't that keen on it.

Finally is Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation which if you've read my review you may already know how I feel about this foundation. It's basically become my go to foundation and I absolutely love it. The coverage is light/medium but buildable, I love the staying power and the main reason is that it works well with my skin. This is the hardest thing I find when buying a foundation due to having both dry and oily skin but this one just works. I've already gone out and repurchased this foundation!

There you have my 6th empties post, I hope you enjoyed it and found something you may want to look into purchasing. If I've mentioned a product you've used before then let me know your thoughts in the comments :-)

Where Have You Been

Over the past few weeks I feel like I've kind of been all over the place and I guess I sort of have. I've been on two holidays within three weeks which have gone so fast. Firstly I travelled to the South of France with my dad and his side of the family. We spent the week pretty jam packing activities in and then ended the week sunbathing by a natural lake which was so lovely. This holiday was slightly more upbeat and more activity base, although it was super nice to getaway from both work and the UK.

I had a week back at work after this holiday and then I was off again and I flew to Kos, Greece. This was definitely way more relaxing and the weather was a lot more guaranteed. I went on this holiday with my mum and although I hadn't been home for long at all it was nice to getaway again and spend some time with my mum. We went to the same hotel as we did last year in Rhodes but obviously on another Greek island. So we kind of knew what to expect from the hotel itself although it was slightly different. It really was just as nice as the Rhodes hotel and we honestly had a lovely time.

It was super relaxing as we literally did nothing each and everyday we were there. The weather was amazing and yes I did leave with a good old tan on myself. I read three books and went swimming multiple times. The food also was incredible, so much choice there was always something for everyone. I couldn't have asked for anything more from this holiday overall.

I have also started back at university this week and am beginning to start my third and final year. It's a very daunting prospect and I feel like this year is going to go very quickly. Therefore I may just put it out in the open now; if I am unable to post every other day on my blog then I apologise. I am going to try my hardest but with it being my final year at uni, I need to make it count. I will obviously still be posting but it may not be as frequent, although I will try my hardest.

There you go, that is where I have currently been over the past few weeks. I did manage to get my posts scheduled for whilst I was away so you may not have even known. So if you didn't, now you do. I love the Greek islands and will definitely visit again and would recommend anyone visiting them if you haven't already!

L'Oreal Facial Cleansing Oil

I've become a lover of cleansing oils recently and it all started with The Body Shop's Camomile oil cleanser. There don't seem to be many out on the high street but recently I spotted this one on the Boots website. My Body Shop one ran out so I was in need of a new one and wanted to try a different one simply just to see how it differs.

This one really doesn't differ much at all from The Body Shop one and I am also really enjoying this one too. Firstly the packaging works really well, the pump makes it super easy to get the product out and use. It allows you to know how much product you are using and I normally use around four pumps of the oil which covers my whole face. Four pumps sounds like a lot but I feel like this one doesn't give out as much product on each pump.

This product easily dissolves my make up from the day and doesn't irritate my skin or my eyes. It leaves my skin feeling really clean and I feel like it's the perfect start to my evening routine. I find using a cleansing oil is such a quick and easy way to remove my make up that it has now become normal to me. I couldn't think of using a different method to remove my make up now as I'm really enjoying using an oil. I find that it also really helps with my dry patches and doesn't affect my oily t zone.

Overall this is another great cleansing oil, alike to The Body Shop offering, and I'm really enjoying using it. This is also slightly cheaper and is currently on offer at Boots so if this is interesting you then now's the time to buy it. I really cannot say which I prefer between the two I've tried which is great. Both work really well for my skin type which I am really pleased about. Let me know if you've tried this product and you're thoughts on cleansing oils in general!

Mark Hill Protection Spray & Anti Humidity Spray

If you didn't already know, I'll rub it in and just mention that I've just returned from my second summer holiday in Kos, Greece. Now being by the pool and beach all day calls for some saviour hair care items and before I went on holiday I found there products with hope that they would help me out.

The weather in Kos was really very hot therefore not only did I prepare my skin, obviously, I wanted to protect my hair too. That's where the protection spray comes in handy. It's in a super handy travel sized bottle and is just the easiest product to apply ever. You simply just had to spray it over your hair where you think you needed to "protect". So every morning I would just spray this mainly around my scalp and on the ends of my hair. Not only does this product to claim to protect your hair from the heat but also aims to protect the colour of your hair too. I loved using this product everyday, it smells fresh but it doesn't linger. It sunk into my hair super quickly and really did seem to protect my hair. The ends of my hair can become very dry and I really think this product locked the moisture in and protected it.

Next the humidity spray which helped me out more in the evenings. With the hot weather obviously, my hair turned against me slightly and became slightly frizzy after washing it. I found that when it was dry I could spray this lightly onto my hair, have a fiddle and a ruffle with it and voila. It kind of gave my hair a bit of texture to play around with too which I liked. I did find that if I used too much of this product it could make my hair look slightly greasy, so I just made sure that I applied it lightly. It kept my frizz at bay for the evenings whilst on holiday so I can only thank this product for doing exactly as it says on the tin!

Overall I'm really impressed with this range from Mark Hill and will definitely be using them again on my holidays in the future. I'd never heard of it until I purchased them and I'm so glad I did. It's nice to buy something with no background opinions and love them and that's exactly what these were for me. If you're heading on your holidays, I would definitely recommend these :-)

20 Random Facts About Me

I thought I would take the chance today, whilst on my holiday, to do another kind of tag post and tell you another 25 random facts about me. It's been a long time since I wrote my last 50 random facts about me post so I thought I would tell you all a little bit more about me, if you are interested in any way. So yes I don't know if I've actually mentioned this on my blog yet but I am currently on holiday in Kos, Greece. All these recent posts are scheduled for you guys so I hope you're enjoying them :-)

1. I'm in my final year of uni - yay for dissertation! (NOT)

 

 

2. I have 2 nieces and 2 nephews who I love to pieces

 

 

3. I've always wanted to go to LA

 

 

4. I'm in love with my brand new car

 

 

5. I'm always browsing online stores

 

 

6. I cannot stop drinking tea, 2 sugars please!

 

 

7. I cannot get enough of Instagram, I'm always on it

 

 

8. I absolutely hate the dentist

 

 

9. I'm very fussy about other people doing my make up

 

 

10. I rarely paint my nails anymore

 

 

11. I wish I could travel the world more

 

 

12. I want to be more brave with my hair and do something different

 

 

13. I've never had a professional facial

 

 

14. I'm a lover of nude lipsticks

 

 

15. I really want to own a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses

 

 

16. I love watching thunderstorms

 

 

17. I love going to bed early

 

 

18. I still get too excited for Christmas

 

 

19. I really want to find the perfect oversized denim jacket

 

 

20. I love trainers

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed this different post from me, I do like to break up my posts every now and then and I hope you do too :-)

Superdrug Beauty Haul

I have another haul for you today and this time it's all from Superdrug. There were a couple of reasons for this haul; number 1 I wanted to get my hands on a new Tanya Burr nail polish and two I've been eyeing up the Clearly Youthful range by Superdrug for a long time. Therefore I made an online order and obviously a couple of other things made it into my basket.

Tanya Burr has recently released her nail polish and lip gloss range and I wanted to get my hands on this particular colour. This shade is called "Fairy Godmother" and it's a gorgeous kind of powdery blue shade which I love. This was priced at £4.99 which I think is reasonable. I have an old shade from Tanya Burr's collection previously so wanted to try a new one to see how they differ, if they do at all.

Next I picked up two items from their Clearly Youthful range which is aimed at spot prone skin which is also dehydrated. I've been eyeing this range up for a long time and I don't know why but I seem to of only just got round to getting my hands on some products. I picked up the Blemish Treatment Gel and the Retexturising Glycolic Peel Off Mask. I needed a new spot gel as my current one is nearly all gone hence why I picked up this product. The mask attracted me just by reading the name of the product. It sounded really interesting and I don't think I've ever tried a peel off mask so I wanted to give it a whirl. They both sound really good and I have both spot prone and dry skin so these products should work great for my skin.

Finally I picked up two Rimmel products as they were on offer for 2 for £10. The Wake Me Up Foundation is a fairly new favourite of mine and I've been without it for a couple of months now. I haven't found another foundation in my collection that lives up to this hence why I repurchased it. I then picked up the Kate Moss lip balm which I've also had my eyes on for a while since the new nude lipstick range was released. My lips have been super dry recently so a new lip balm is always a necessity.

That's my Superdrug haul for you! I hope you've found something that may interest you and as always if you've tried something I purchased, let me know what you thought of it! I'm excited to try all of these products I purchased and full reviews will be coming soon I'm sure :-)

The Girl On The Train Book Review

It feels like I haven't done a book review for a long time, but I think that's actually because I haven't. Recently with me being on holiday I've been reading quite a lot of books so I wanted to start sharing them with you and my thoughts on them. I saw this particular book advertised everywhere a while back but never purchased it then. I then wanted to buy some books for my holiday and this came up on the bestsellers so I thought I would give it a go.

I actually ended up reading this before I even went on holiday because I couldn't wait and I finished a book prior to this one early so couldn't help it. To be honest I didn't really know what to expect as I hadn't read any reviews myself. I just knew it had been raved about a lot and was a bestseller so thought there must be something good about this book. My oh my, there definitely is something good about this book! I did have to read maybe 3 to 4 chapters before I was totally into it and hooked but once I got past those I couldn't put it down. It's definitely one of those books that you cannot put down and will find anytime in your day to just read a little snippet more.

The end of each chapter made me want to continue reading to the next to find out what happens and I could easily read many chapters in a go without getting bored. It's a lot more thrilling than I first thought it was going to be but that's the aspect I loved the most. I am such a closet thriller book reader so really this book was right up my street. I guess I would compare this book to something like Gone Girl which was also a much raved about book and is also a thriller. So if you've read Gone Girl and enjoyed that then I can guarantee that you will also love this book just as much.

The storyline, the plot and the characters seem so well thought out in this book that you can really get into character when you're reading it. This book flits from one character to the next on each chapter, which can sometimes get confusing. But this book is written so well that it is so easy to follow and at times I didn't even need to read which character this chapter was about, I simply just knew from reading the first few lines in the chapter.

I 100% recommend this book if you're into thrillers or even if you're not because I really think anyone could read this book. It's a relatively easy read and trust me you will not be able to put it down once you get into it. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author, Paula Hawkins, as I love this book so much. Let me know if you've read this book and your thoughts, I'd love to know what you thoughts of it :-)

Small Escentual Haul

I love browsing on Escentual's website as I seem to always find something I've never heard of or something that might not be new but is new to me. It also stocks some hard to get skin care items which I love. I was browsing on their website the other day when they had 25% off of everything so I couldn't help but purchase a couple of things. I had to restrain myself a lot to be honest, as I have just paid for a holiday so unfortunately couldn't go all out. Maybe next time hey?

Firstly I picked up a repurchase for me which is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+. This is an absolute skin care saviour for me and whenever it runs out I try not to repurchase but I always end up buying it again. It's not the cheapest product so with the discount I couldn't not buy a new one. It works wonders on my spot prone skin and helps to clear it. If you have spot prone skin and you haven't tried this then I 100% recommend it. Even though it has a hefty price tag it is definitely worth every penny and I will say now that I will continue to repurchase this in the future.

Next was something new for me and I heard about in one of Sammi from the Beauty Crush's videos. It's the Vichy Normaderm Night Detox which is also supposed to help with spot prone skin. This product you apply in the evening, before you go to bed as the name suggests. It is supposed to help clean your skin with pores looking minimised and imperfections appearing reduced. This sounded like an easy product to add into my evening skin care routine so I couldn't help but purchase it. Again it was a slightly pricier product, I believe it was around £15 but then I had the discount which obviously made it cheaper which is great.

I'm super excited about both of these products and cannot wait to reuse one and start using the other. Let me know if you've tried either of these products and your thoughts on them, I'd love to hear! And if you haven't before then definitely check out Escentual's website, I'm sure you'll find something you need to purchase :-)

Disappointing Products #4

I purchased this product on a whim in a recent Boots haul due to running out of my ex everyday face wash. I thought this would be a good alternative as it's also aimed at spot prone skin which is exactly what I have. It was also on offer for around £3 I believe so was a good bargain!

There really isn't much to report about this product in all honesty, apart from the fact that it does absolutely nothing for my skin. I used this everyday since I received it and not in anyway did it help my spots. It didn't make them any worse but at the time my skin was pretty bad and there was no difference. I persisted with the product, as I mentioned for at least two weeks, and still nothing. I would like to think from any skin care product that in that time frame you would at least start to see some change in your skin. Unfortunately this product just didn't for me in particular. I guess the wash still cleans my face so there is potential I may still use it for that factor only. But I will definitely have to invest in another face wash that benefits spot prone skin as this one just does not at all. Obviously this could differ from person to person and it may well work on your skin, these are just my personal opinions and views after using it.

Overall I will not be purchasing this product again and probably wouldn't even look at this range ever again. Clearly because it just doesn't work well with my skin type and doesn't fulfil the claims it is supposed too. Let me know if you've tried this product and your thoughts, I'd love to hear :-)

Origins Super Spot Remover

I've actually had this product for a really long time and it wasn't until recently that I realised I had never written a blog post about it before. This was a product that I had wanted to get my hands on for a very long time and I then splurged my Boots points to buy it. For a spot remover gel I do find it expensive as I believe it is £13 and I must admit to begin with I was like woah, this pot is tiny! I will tell you now, a little does go a long way.

So yes this is a small 10ml squeezy tube which to begin with I was like, seriously? £13 for this teeny tiny tube? But as I mentioned a little goes a long way and you can see how little I have used already, and I've had this for quite some time now. Around the time I purchased this product it was being absolutely raved about in the blogging community which was what made me buy it in the end. I believe this product is still raved about a lot as one of the best spot gels.

I use this most evenings, especially when I have larger spots as I find this product to work better on those kind of spots. You know those huge, red pesky things and also the ones that hurt. I find this spot gel super soothing hence why I think this works so well on the larger, more painful ones. Once applied this is cooling and then it sets pretty quickly on the spot. Once it has dried it does do the standard "make my spot area really stiff" thing, which can be seen as annoying but I do get that feeling that it's actually working because of this.

In the morning, after using this product, I find my spot(s) to have reduced in redness and 9 times out of 10 are not painful anymore. The look of the spot just makes me feel less paranoid about them in general, which is such a huge thing when you suffer with spot prone skin. I can find that this product dries out spots but not all the time which I know sounds weird. But if this is the case and a spot is dried out after using this product then the following night I will just make sure to not use this product again on that particular spot.

Overall this is a great spot gel for those huge, red spots that you just can't get rid of, this product is definitely a saviour for that! Yes it is expensive but in my eyes it is definitely worth it and if you can save your Boots points up then why not spend it on this product. Let me know your thoughts if you've tried this product :-)

Rimmel Kate Moss Nude Lipstick

When these first released I instantly had my eye on them and knew I wanted to pick one up. I love the previous Kate Moss lipstick range for Rimmel so I had high hopes for this one as well. I'm also a sucker for nude lipsticks as I much prefer to wear them day to day as opposed to a colour. Basically I'm not one to venture away from a nude lipstick, they are just my favourite.

I picked up the shade 42 although this was a very hard decision and I definitely could of picked up a couple of the other shades but I restricted myself. The packaging is basically the same as her other range but instead of red it's a nude colour and still has Kate Moss' signature on. I actually like the simplistic look of these lipsticks.

This shade is a perfect nude colour for me and has pink undertones to it, I apologise for the last photo as the colour of the lipstick seems funny as I actually have tanned skin! But I love the colour and it is just the perfect lipstick for everyday which is what I love. The formula is super lovely, hydrating and pigmented. These lipsticks glide on so easily that they are a dream to apply. There's no stickiness or tackiness after application and they just leave my lips feeling smooth. I just apply a small amount of lip balm before applying the lipstick, simply due to suffering from dry lips a lot of the time.

Overall I am in love with this lipstick and probably won't be able to resist picking up another shade in the near future. Let me know your thoughts on this lipstick range if you've tried a shade and also what shade you would recommend for me to pick up next :-)

Treaclemoon My Coconut Island Bath & Shower Gel

This particular brand is one that I always see when shopping and I absolutely love the packaging. I think that's the thing that normally attracts me to this brand. Recently I was sent this shower gel and although you could say it's only a shower gel, I was super excited.

The coconut scent is one of my absolute favourites so when it was this scent that arrived at my door I was super happy. This particular scent is from a new range by treaclemoon focused around the Summer. There are many other scents included in this new range and also various other product types within each of those scents. This shower gel aims to cleanse and soften the skin which I definitely agree with. It's such an affordable product but in some ways it feels so luxurious when using it. The scent is just incredible, a super sweet coconut scent which I am in love with.

There's not much more to say about a shower and bath gel so I'll leave you with what treaclemoon say about their coconut products. Let me know if you've tried anything from this brand before. If you haven't and you wish to have a browse they are available at Tesco and Waitrose, they are really reasonably priced.

"treaclemoon helps us to prepare for tropical retreats, this season, whether we’re beach-bound, or simply in need of some bathroom-based escapism. From £2.49, the My Coconut Island range of bath & body treats delivers the brand’s best-selling fragrance in bath & shower gel."

Mini Sephora Haul

In case you didn't know I've recently just returned from my Summer holiday in the South of France. I must say it was bloody lovely and I totally enjoyed simply just relaxing and not having to go to work! Although in some strange way it is nice to be back, I would definitely prefer to be in the hotter weather as opposed to the rainy UK.

Whilst I was out there we went shopping in Limoges one afternoon that was slightly cloudy, although still warm. We were wandering around when we came across a Sephora, which I didn't even know was there, but was super happy that it was so of course I headed straight in. The Sephora's in Europe don't tend to have many different brands to what we can get in the UK, so although not as exciting as the USA ones still rather exciting.

I was walking around thinking I wasn't going to find anything as it was such a surprise to actually find a Sephora, I wasn't prepared! But I came across the Sephora Formula X nail varnishes which I have read and heard a lot about. These are something you cannot get shipped to the UK so I knew I wanted to pick one up as soon as I saw them. I picked up this gorgeous teal green/blue shade which I knew I didn't own anything like this in my collection. I'm excited to use it and see if they are worth the hype.

And finally I picked up the Sephora Smoothing Primer which I had never seen before. I found it right at the last minute of browsing and picked it up as my current primer is nearly out. It's in a cute small glass pump packaging and claims to smooth and mattify which both sound good to me. I've mentioned this before but I find the primer range in the UK everywhere to be pretty poor so I thought I would try something you cannot easily get in the UK to see if I like it. My odds will be that I love it and therefore have to fork out a load of money to repurchase, ha ha!

That's it for my small Sephora haul, I hope you enjoyed it however mini! I'm super excited to try both of these products out and will do follow up reviews in the future. Let me know your favourite Sephora branded products you think I should check out :-)

Disappointing Products #3

I've tried a few of these pore strips in the past but have never really got on very well with them. Recently I'd heard a few things about these particular ones from Biore so I thought I would give them one more go to see if they worked for me. I picked these up in Boots for around £7 but there was a 3 for 2 offer on.

So the idea of these nose strips is that they unclog your pores and basically clean your nose (not up it) of all the nasty's including black heads. Now I don't have the largest pores by all means and they probably aren't very noticeable to anyone else. But I can notice them, sometimes worse on different days so when they aren't looking so good I like to use a product to help that.

You get 6 nose strips in the pack and all you have to do is wet your nose thoroughly, apply the strip and leave it until it goes hard, simple. First thing I really dislike about these is the pain to remove them and I'm not just talking a slight pain. I find these incredibly painful to remove that sometimes even my eyes water. I've tried several different ways to try and reduce this but none of them seem to work. I always follow the instructions on the packet so I know I'm doing them correctly I just find them painful to take off.

When I finally do remove the strip I don't notice much of a difference or anything on the strip that shows it has removed anything. The reviews I'd read said that they could see the results on the strip once removed but I really can't. I do also get the odd black head on my nose but I don't see this removed on the strip.

Overall I'm not impressed with these nose pore strips in anyway unfortunately. If you have tried these then I'd love to hear what you think. Also if you have any alternatives that you would recommend then leave those in the comments too :-)