Festival Essentials

Hello there lovelies

As festival season is upon us I thought I’d share with you a few things that I couldn’t be without when being part of the festival experience. I love festivals the vibe is amazing and you get to see really great bands all in one place. It’s a tough job trying to pack though, the things you want to take might not be the things you absolutely need, these are the items that are guaranteed a place in my oversized back pack.

0.Pac a Mac. Thanks to the unpredictability of the great British weather some kind of protection from the rain is a must. You don’t care that its pouring with rain when your singing along to a really great band but once the set has finished and all that’s left is soggy paper cups and you in soggy clothes is not a great feeling (and your hair goes mental). Pac a macs are great as they fold really small and are contained in their own little pouch so fit easily into your handbag readily available should the heavens open.

1.Wellies. Because if it does rain there will be an abundance of mud. Wellies are no longer just for farmers, with so many fun designs and colours out there now they really are a fashion item that you can’t be without.

2.Denim shorts. A must have fashion item, they’re really cute with long socks and wellies and you can sun your legs without any embarrassing knicker flashing situations.

 3.Sun protection. Again due to the great British weather you never can tell if it’s going to be a scorcher or a wash out either way its better to be safe and have sun protection as you don’t want to be going home from a great weekend with great memories accompanied by sun burn.

4.Makeup wipes. Yes I know they’re the root of all evil but one weekend without your entire skincare stash won’t kill you and after a long day partying it’s better to use a wipe than to leave your makeup on. If you get scented ones they could also double up as a quick body wipe too for a quick freshen up.

5.Sunglasses. As you don’t want to be blinded by the sun if it makes an appearance and not be able to see the stage properly. I love Ray Ban aviators they are the most classically cool glasses for me. Also great in the morning when you first step out your tent after a long night and haven’t yet done makeup. Slip your sunnies on and pop your hood up and you’ll soon be nailing the rockstar image first thing in the morning.

6.Bold eyeshadow palette. This one from Urban Decay would be great for creating some bright festival makeup looks but just consider what application tools you’ll need to take along with you.

7.A hat. Again to keep you protected from the sun but they also look pretty cool. Yes it will get on your nerves when people keep taking it off you as you walk past them but the mix of sun and possible alcohol consumption could lead to sun stroke which is not fun. Also by day 3 your hair will be looking rubbish so you can hide it under a hat.

8.A good neutral eye palette as you can create different looks with the right palette and a plus to taking a palette is they often contain a mirror aswell.

9.Gas curling tongs. These are fab, they don’t need electricity and get really hot using the little gas canister inside. I love these for festivals as they’re so easy to use, you can get up add a few more curls to your hair, tie it up in a messy bun and you’re good to go. They are the best for bed head chic on the go.

10.A hoody. Because it can get quite chilly at times and you don’t want to take anything too bulky. They’re also great for slipping on first thing in the morning when you have to endure the 2 mile hike to the toilet and tea van.

And lastly some kind of hand sanitizer because everything you touch will be pretty disgusting and you will probably be using your hands to eat.

What festivals have you been to or are going to? What are your essentials?

Until next time

First Impressions

Hello there lovelies

Firstly I need to apologise for my absence the last week or so, its not been for any particular reason I’ve just been quite limited on time and the posts I had planned I didn’t really feel like writing. I have to write about what I feel like writing about rather than forcing it if that makes sense. But I’m back now and I have a few posts planned that I’m looking forward to writing. Thankyou to anyone that reads my little blog, you have no idea how much it means to me, I will get round to replying to comments soon.

So I’ve been using a few new products lately, none of which are new to being featured in a blog post or ten but I thought I’d share my first impressions of a couple of items.

Maybelline Baby Skin. Now this has probably been mentioned on most people’s blogs and is an item that I’ve been wanting to try mainly out of curiosity to see if it actually works. It’s a soft clear fragrance free gel that’s quite thick in consistency. It does feel quite silicone-y when its first applied but I’ve found that once its absorbed a bit it leaves the skin feeling quite soft and velvet like. I did go on a bit heavy handed the first couple of applications but now I just put it in the areas I want it to work on rather than applying all over my face. I haven’t used this with foundation yet only with powder over the top and I really like the results, my skin looks pretty good and like it’s in good condition. As far as its use for being a primer I cant really say as I’ve only used it with powder and it doesn’t claim to be a super duper heavy duty your makeup won’t budge for 3 days primer, I think the main emphasis of this product is on covering up crater like pores or at least giving the impression that they are non existent. It certainly does reduce the appearance of pores and once its absorbed a bit it feels nicer on the skin it doesn’t erase them though and I think that would be silly to expect but it acts almost as a polyfilla type product, filling them to give the impression that they aren’t actually there. It will be interesting to see what the results are when used under foundation.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream. I’m looking at lighter bases now and this one seemed to tick my requirement boxes hence a purchase was made. It claims to give 24 hours hydration which is a good start if you have dry skin. The colour correcting properties were another feature that secured the purchase. I get a lot of redness around my nose so anything with green in is a plus along with apricot for anti fatigue (always needed) and white to cover dark spots. The colour selection is rather limited and in all honesty I should go a shade lighter but I got it in the same shade as the eye cream, which is perfect, but this seems to be touch darker. I applied this with a brush and for a CC cream the coverage is really good and you can build it up if you feel the need for a bit of extra coverage. It blends seamlessly and feels lightweight and provides a really good base for other makeup products. It feels moisturising and doesn’t cling to any dry patches. The colour correcting properties in this seem to work well, any redness I had was well concealed, any dark spots were covered and it left my skin looking bright thanks to the apricot in it.

My first impressions of these products are that they are good and they do pretty much what they claim to do and I’m glad I got them, I don’t feel I’ve used either to their full potential yet but will continue to use them, they’re hardly budget busting and if they provide noticeable results then it’s a gold star from me.

Have you tried either of these products?

Until next time

POTW 15 Wakey Wakey

Hello there lovelies

This weeks POTW is the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. This was a total impulse buy a few weeks ago and I must say I’m really impressed. I got this in the shade ivory which is a great shade for me, I’ve found myself pulling this one out of my drawer more often and the more I use it the more I like it. It has really good coverage without being super thick. It feels light on the under eye area and really brightens it whilst concealing dark circles along with concealing redness around the nose really well and covering up blemishes. It has tiny flecks if shimmer when swatched but they don’t show when blended they just brighten the skin and add a subtle hint if radiance. It doesn’t go cakey in the slightest or crease under eyes, it blends beautifully and is such a good product for the price, I really can’t fault this. An impulse buy that I certainly don’t regret.

Have you tried this concealer? What products really impress you?

Until next time

All A Load of Hocus Focus

Hello there lovelies

On a recent little trip to Boots I spied this Soap and Glory Hocus Focus Instant Visual Flaw-Softening Illuminator (long name). I needed and extra item to qualify for the infamous bank card wincing 3 for 2 so thought I’d try this. I’d never tried any makeup from Soap and Glory before and this product sounded interesting with its “Lightscramble Luminospheres” that claim to leave your skin looking candle lit and camera ready by blurring imperfections and lifting the look of the skin. This can be used mixed in with a foundation to give more of a dewy look or used as a highlighter. I’ve been using it mixed in with my moisturiser before powder and it gives a radiance that is just noticeable when the light catches it as if my skin is naturally glowing but toned down with powder if that makes sense. It has the signature Soap and Glory scent to it which is pleasant enough but not one that I love or rave about like some but still not a bad scent, it doesn’t feel greasy on the skin and just adds a lovely golden pearlescent glow from under makeup. It comes out as a pearly white cream that’s quite thin in consistency then appears gold when blended, it’s not glittery it just adds a nice shimmer to the skin. I haven’t used this solely as a highlighter but I imagine would look lovely on tanned skin in the evening with just a touch on the cheekbones and temples, there is the ability to go a bit overboard with this and look a bit too shiny and shimmery though, less is definitely more.

Overall I’m really pleased I picked this up as I feel it could have many uses and is a handy product to have, the 30ml bottle is really compact so great for travel and it’s so easy to mix with a matte foundation to give it some glow, use under makeup to add some radiance or use alone as highlighter, a good all round product to have in my stash.

Have you tried Soap and Glory makeup? What products do you like?

Until next time