Bank Hol loving

I'm so happy i've got four whole days off work. I woke up to the sun shining through my bedroom window at 10am to an empty house and with the whole day free to do as I please. So what am I doing....making wishlists and looking at random tumblr/Pinterest accounts. All good fun. I really should be cleaning and food shopping, but that can wait. Below are some things i've been loving lately.

 

1. Looking for new lunch/meal ideas

Pinterest is perfect for this. I find I get stuck in a rut with my lunch time meals at work (Greggs or soup...every single day), i'm looking for healthy tasty ideas, i'm going to try these below next week;

 

 

 

(for links and photo sources please go to my Pinterest page Robyn6789)

 

2. Link loving

As I said i've been looking at random websites all morning to get some style/beauty/fitness inspiration, below are the blogs/tumblrs/sites I always go back to;

 

Blogs -

DUTCHESS ROZ

     

VIVA LA BLONDE

 

MILLY MACKINTOSH STYLE DIARY

 

Tumblrs -

ICED COFFEES AND PEONIES

 

BREAKFAST AT YURMANS

 

A NICE LITTLE TUMBLR

 

MISSY ELZ

 

3. Music

 

 

 

How are you enjoying your bank holiday Friday?

 

Robyn x

    





Mac Paint Pot Soft Ochre

Another MAC item I purchased in my pre-birthday haul was the Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. This is the first Paint Pot I have ordered, inspired after watching one of Lisalisad1's friday hauls (link). The shade Soft Ochre is supposed to give your eyelids a good base underneath eyeshadow to allow the colours to really pop. I find that it applies like a creamy concealor both in texture and colour, it really helps to brighten any darkness or discolouration on the eyelid so I've even been applying it even when I haven't worn eyeshadow. The Paint Pot has also been acting as my eyeshadow primer, creating a  perfect canvas on the eyelid.

This product allows eyeshadow to stay put all day, it also means the colour of the eyeshadow does not fade or crease (one of my pet hates as I have oily eyelids)..I have found when using this paint pot my eyeshadow looks great at the end of the day which is very unusual for me.

I'm so impressed with this product I'm thinking of branching out and buying some more MAC Paint Pot shades, any recommendations?

MAC Chatterbox and Birthday Meal

Before my birthday I went and treated myself to a few bits from MAC. A lipstick that has been on my wishlist for a while is Chatterbox. Chatterbox is an amplified creme finish, so it applies smoothly and adds a little shine to the lips. The colour is lovely, ideal if you're the type of person who tends to wear more muted colours and usually afraid of the bright daring lipsticks - it is a bright rosy pink colour but not as daring as others such as vegas volt / morange. To be honest the photograph below isn't really a good representation of the colour, it's not as deep pink as it seems to show up on my lips (not sure if that's because my lips are already quite pigmented). The swatch above is more representative of the actual colour of the lipstick.

For my birthday (about 3 weeks ago), I went to a lovely bar / restaurant called 'Lost and Found' in central Birmingham. The restaurant has a really vintage feel with wine glasses/cups as light fittings and type writers on the bar. I chose to have the fish pie which was lovely, where as my parents went for the fish and chips which came in a cute little wired frying pan. I had a lovely time and it was all washed down with half a bottle of wine. I love finding new little restaurants like this that are quite quirky. What have you been up to lately?

 

Look Beauty Blush Flirt

One of my new favourite blushers is the Look Beauty Blush in Flirt. It has the two qualities I look for in a blusher, it's highly pigmented and it lasts on the skin all day. You need to be very light handed when applying as it can easily make you look ridiculously overdone, I apply using a Real Techniques Contour Brush (which I find works much better applying blusher to the apples of the cheeks than contouring). The shade is a coral which leans more towards a reddy/orange than a pink, which personally I think suits my skintone. I've been using this product on a daily basis since I bought it, and can see it lasting quite a while as you only need the tiniest amount each time it is used.

Look Beauty Blush Flirt £8.00 Currently £5.00 here

February Favourites

1. Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner This beauty has done wonders for my skin in the past month, so I am going through it quite quickly. It helps to reduce dry patches and prevent breakouts. See my review here link.

 

2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealor I have replaced my usual Laura Mercier concealor with this product this month and I love it. I bought it in the colour light which helps to really brighten my under eye area. This concealor stays put, even without powder and does not cause my eye makeup to run down my face - i'm looking at you Laura Mercier.

 

3. Clinique Brush On Cream Liner in True Black So when I did a review of the Clinique bottom lash mascara (here) I stated that it was the first product i'd tried from their makeup range - I lied. I use this eye liner every single day...how did I forget?! Durr.I absolutely love this eyeliner, I apply it to both my top and bottom lash line using a Real Techniques eye liner brush. If I apply the liner at 7am it will still be going strong at 8pm, it just does not shift or smudge all day - the best eyeliner I have found.

 

4. Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash Along with many other beauty bloggers this is my current body wash of choice. It smells gorgeous and lathers up really well when using with a body puff (is that what they're called?).

5. Essie Lights I bought this online for only £1.99 from FragranceDirect... bargain! It has been my colour of choice this month along with 6. Barry M Gelly Nail Paint Blackberry A new formula which I love, no top coat needed and lasts even longer without chipping (about 6 days on me).

 

7. Elie Saab Eau De Parfum My favourite fragrance, one I keep coming back to. It has a strong scent of orange blosson, jasmine and patchouli with hints of honey rose...gorgeous.

 

8. Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Body Souffle This moisturiser has been helping my skin get through the cold weather lately. It feels like such a luxury when I apply it after a bath or shower, the smell is so lovely and lingers on the skin for hours afterwards.

 

9. L'oreal Elnett Heat Protect Spray Volume I've been using this regularly this month every time I have washed my hair. It does help to add volume as well as protecting the hair from heat, I don't usually use a heat protectant (naughty I know) but I have noticed a difference in the condition of my hair since using this.

 

My lipsticks of choice this month have been 10. Revlon Lip Butter Strawberry Shortcake and 11. Topshop lipstick Powder Room, i'm loving my pinks lately, both are really creamy and do not dry out the lips. I've had compliments whilst wearing both of these colours this month.

(L- Revlon Lip Butter Strawberry Shortcake R- Topshop Lipstick Powder Room)

 

12. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush I've been loving this brush for a variety of uses this month. It has been used for applying and blending liquid foundation, for contouring with both powder and cream bronzers and used on the apples of my cheeks with blush. I think I may purchase another, such a good multi purpose brush.

 

-------------------------------------

 

A late February favourites I know but I think i've found some gems this month. Have you used any of these products? What are your February Favourites (send me links please)?

Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

 

 

I recently returned home from a long weekend in Reykavik, Iceland. When I was telling people at home where I was going they would always respond in the same way 'Why are you going there?' I made sure I returned with some great photos to prove to people there was a reason worth going and how beautiful a place Iceland is. 

Me and my sister had a jam packed 4 days, we did the Golden Circle tour (which includes visits to the national park Thingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss (golden falls) and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur), Northern Lights tour, Blue lagoon visit and the Glacier Adventure (snowmobiling on the glacier). The highlights I would say were of course seeing the Northern Lights, however as I didn't have an expensive fancy camera the one I was using just didn't pick up the amazing sights I saw on the tour. I also absolutely loved snowmobiling, one of the best things I have ever done. It was -5 degrees most days so we had to really wrap up warm but it was all worth it. I would recommend visiting Iceland if you're looking for a break which involves alot of sightseeing and something a little different. Have you been to Iceland, what did you think?