A photo trail... My London Trip.

It's been more than six months since I returned home after a whirlwind trip to England and France.  I still find myself constantly scrolling through the hundreds of photos reminiscing about the amazing times my friends and I had.

From getting photobombed at Big Ben, to seeing cool cover bands, to cheeky Paris Mac purchases, to Zara pleather jacket purchases, to seeing a bride and groom sliding down a slide, to meeting celebrities... We did it all!

 

Popping by to visit the Dursleys.

Carrie Hope Fletcher was stellar in Les Mis, and the 

loveliest person!

 Brighton was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.

As was walking across the famous Abbey Road!

Hope you enjoyed my nostalgic journey through photos. Where have you been on holidays lately? 

Beth. x 

Subscription boxes #3: BellaBox... Again.

So, it pays to take notice of when subscription boxes accept cancellations... Otherwise you could end up with another box, that you didn't necessarily want.

I received another BellaBox - the June Box - and I was much, much more impressed the second time around! (For my reactions to my first BellaBox, check out this post).

This month's theme was "Iconic Beauty."

In the box was:

1. InStyle Magazine - I am loving reading this! It's the 'Women of Style' issue, and there is so many amazingly talented women featured.
2. Herbal Essences Naked Shine Shampoo and Conditioner - Which SMELLS AMAZING, and actually works really well! It leaves your hair feeling shiny and fresh, and doesn't make it greasy, (like some products do for me). I struggle with hair products, but these are amazing, and again, the smell is so fresh and lovely, and lingers. (The smell definitely reminds me of the Wen by Chaz Dean conditioner from last month.)
3. Innoxa Super Smooth Lip Liner - The colour if this is perfect for me, because I love red lipstick, however, the pencil is slightly too waxy for my liking.
4. Cedel Blow Dry Faster - The concept of this seems quite cool, but I don't often dry my hair using a hair dryer, so this one could sit in a draw for a while.
5. VO5 Hot Oil - As someone who has quite dry hair, this was a welcome addition to the box.  I think this in combination with the Herbal Essences products definitely saved my hair.
6. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - I wanted to love and use this sooooo bad!  But my skin reacted pretty badly to it, so I had to give it a miss. (See products I can use on my sensitive skin here).
7. Nutrimetics Nutri-Rich Nourishing Masque - Another product that I'm scared to try, because it might cause my skin to react... May have to go to my sister.

This month's box definitely impressed me a lot more than last month, it's a shame I can't use so many of the skin products though.

What subscription boxes have you tried? Are there any out of the ordinary ones I should try?

Beth. x

Soap & Glory-ous.

Living in Australia, sometimes some of the best products are pretty hard to access... Soap&Glory is one of those brands, that is, until I discovered Mecca Cosmetica's stash of Soap&Glory goodies!

I've heard so much about Soap&Glory from various bloggers and vloggers, so when I was in London I had a peruse of the products in the aisles of Boots... But there's only so much you can fit in your suitcase! Enter Mecca Cosmetica (and also Kit Cosmetics), they provide a taste of the Soap&Glory range, (although they don't stock all the products unfortunately).

So what did I pick up?

I picked up the 'One Heck of a Blot' Super Translucent Mattifying Powder, (which Australian stores don't stock). This powder is brilliant!  I use a big powder brush (usually the RealTechniques Powder Brush) to apply this to either: set my foundation, or as a kind of powder primer.  It's completely translucent, so it doesn't affect the colour of your foundation, and it doesn't make your face look cakey.  And as a girl who is very lazy when it comes to touching up make-up throughout the day, this powder helps my make-up last and last!

Now to the Australian purchases... I've heard so much about the Soap&Glory body washes, so I had to give one a go!  I have super sensitive skin (see this post), and so it's often hard to find products that don't irritate it.  I bought the Clean on Me - Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel.  First of all, this shower gel smells glorious!  It has a sweet, yet citrusy scent, that lingers on the skin.  It's also perfect for those of you (like me), who can't be bothered using a body moisturiser, because it leaves your skin feeling soft and nourished.

I also picked up the ever-hyped Hand Food.  Not sure how well it goes in the repairing hand stakes, (it's Winter here, and my hands are suffering majorly), but it definitely smells lovely (a more floral scent), and I definitely can't stop using it! 

So far, I've enjoyed all the Soap&Glory products I've used, the quality is lovely, and the retro packaging and the product names are really cool.  I will definitely have to order more in the future!

Ordering online through Mecca  was an amazingly easy and worthwhile process.  Not only does your parcel arrive quickly, (and beautifully packaged I may add), but you get to choose two samples to try out! 

I chose the By Terry Baume De Rose sample... Which definitely lives up to all the hype! It's so nourishing, and it smells lovely. I'm going to have to save my pennies to get the full size!  Secondly, I chose the Nars Pro Primer for eyes, which I haven't used yet, but am definitely looking forward to!

Have you tried Soap&Glory?  What products should I try? 

Beth. x

Filling a room with balloons... It's possible.

 

When I received a message from a friend of mine - about this time last year - inviting me and a few others over to blow up enough balloons to fill her bedroom, I had a bit of a chuckle... And then I realised she was deadly serious.  

So along we all went, and blew up hundreds of balloons to tick this item off her bucket list.  At times it was a struggle, and our fingers were swollen for days afterwards from tying the balloons, but we accomplished what we set out to do.

Keep in mind, we are all almost 20, so it was not the most natural thing to be doing, but we had an amazing time.

The photo evidence of that day has never properly graced the internet... Until now.

Ingrid, with her lifelong dream fulfilled.

Beth. x

Brushes for newbies.

I’m a relative newbie when it comes to all things beauty and makeup related. I still struggle applying eye shadow, and I don’t even attempt eyeliner, (even though I’ve watched enough tutorials, so I should probably be able to).

However, there’s one thing I think I have gotten down, and that’s the brushes I need to use to apply my base.

L-R: Real Techniques Powder Brush, Setting Brush, Stippling Brush, Expert Face Brush.

At the moment I use all Real Techniques brushes (which you can get here and here), and I have to say, they make my whole life a lot easier.

First I apply liquid foundation, and after using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to do so, I’ll never use my fingers again!  It makes the process so much quicker, and with the slightly domed shape of the brush, it works well to get into all the creases that you need to.  My second choice for foundation is the Stippling Brush, which is a more flat brush, it’s not quite as efficient as the Expert Face Brush, but it still does the job fairly well.  I’ve tried using these brushes with BB and CC creams too, and I don’t think they work as well applying these products.

Then I get my trusty  Setting Brush, to blend concealer, and to apply setting powder on those important areas, like under the eyes and on the nose. 

And last but not least, I apply my setting powder, or any other powder products with (surprise, surprise) my Powder Brush.

(Excuse the slightly dirty brushes, I had just washed them... Clearly didn't do a very good job!)

I love these brushes because, not only are they easy to use (and there’s tutorials online by the creators Pixiwoo), they also clean really well, and so last a long time. I’m lazy when it comes to cleaning my brushes, so when I do, they need a really good, harsh clean, and they come up perfectly!

At first they seem pretty expensive – the cheapest brush available to purchase in Australia is $12.99 – but in my opinion, they’re worth the investment.  I’ve had mine for more than six months and they’re still looking beautiful.

The only downside, is the fact that I now feel the need to build my collection, and buy brushes for all different purposes… (I have a core collection and a blush brush from here in the mail as we speak!)

Have you tried Real Techniques? What do you think? Are there any other brushes/brands of brushes I should be adding to my collection?

Beth. x

That song that you can't get out of your head #1.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a huge (note: huge), fan of The Jezabels. And when their second album 'The Brink' came out earlier this year, I had it pre-ordered months in advance.

Every song on the album is a winner to me, but the one that I keep coming back to for a pick-me-up is 'Beat to Beat.' I'm not sure if it's the catchy drum and piano line throughout the song, or Hayley's soaring vocals on the chorus that get me in, but it's just one of those songs that you end up humming at work in front of customers without realising it... (Not the best thing to be doing, but at least it's a good song.)

I saw The Jezabels perform this live, and it was just as good (if not better) than the recording, which just makes me love it even more!

My favourite lyrics have to be:

From beat to beat,

We find our own melody;

It's natural. It's a perogative.

What's your favourite song at the moment?

Beth. x


The Jezabels' links:
https://www.facebook.com/TheJezabels?fref=ts
https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/the-jezabels/id299025689

Getting deep up in here #1.

Love is a funny thing. The second you accept that it’s not coming your way, is the second someone finally comes out of the woodwork. 

I’ve never been one to do things simply or halfhearted, I fall unquestioningly, deeply… Probably to my own detriment.

When you’re in a situation where you need to get to know a person so quickly, before you have to leave – to go to the other side of the world mind you! – All your senses and feelings are heightened. You are so blinded by lust, by love, by excitement, that you don’t look for those little qualities that might irk you. You don’t even question that this person may not be compatible with you, that your relationship might be flawed.  You’re so in the moment, and you’re certain that this person is the one, the person who you are meant to find.

You spend every waking moment together, doing things that you only imagined would happen in a romantic movie. He is the perfect gentleman, and already you’re both planning your life around this relationship.

However, the thing with whirlwind romances is that you reach the high so quickly, and are planning ahead so early, that it takes a lifetime to fully digest what actually happened after it came crashing down. Things are so wonderful and cute and fun… Until they’re just… not. 

Suddenly, you finally see all the things that you couldn’t before.  Suddenly that love that you were blinded by is gone.  You can see it in his eyes too.  He knows that this isn’t working, but what can you say?

And then it all just stops.  You’re not particularly sad, but just kind of empty, confused, and wondering what the hell just happened.  But as much as you question your decisions and the things that happened during that short period of time, you’re kind of happy… Look at all the things you learned!  Look at how much you grew!  Look at how differently you now look at your life! Because even though the relationship may be over, you will live with the lessons.

This week was a bit more personal, a good cleanse of the soul. Let me know what you think!

Beth. x