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A Cosy Autumn Evening Wishlist*

Sunday 24 September 2017


Autumn is officially here, and I'm already looking forward to cosy evenings spent huddled under blankets and oversized knits, sipping hot chocolate and eating soup with chunky bread. I've made myself a list of "quiet night in" essentials for when the weather turns chilly, so I thought I would share it with you!


Pamper

Photo From uk.loccitane.com

Nothing says cosy night in more than a pamper session, especially in the colder weather when my skin is chapped from the bitter wind. This autumn I want to try an exfoliating face mask from L'Occitane*, since my skin reacts so well to their products, and they always smell incredible. I have had my eye on the Divine Cream Mask which is a rich cream mask containing Shea Butter, formulated to help with extremely dry skin (which I suffer from almost all year round) but the Pivoine Pure Flash Moisture Mask also sounds so lovely, and apparently smells like Peonies! My skin is quite sensitive but L'Occitane skincare products are usually very gentle and soothing, so I'm excited to try their scrubs and masks.

For me autumn is also known as "bath time", so I really want to invest in some relaxing bath products to help me to wind down after work. I've heard great things about Aromatherapy Associates, especially their bath oils. I like the look of the Relax, De-stress, Revive box, which sounds perfect for soaking away the worries of the day.  


Loungewear


Photo from thewhitecompany.com

It's officially dressing gown and knitted socks season, because there's nothing worse than stepping straight onto the icy bathroom floor with bare skin first thing in the morning. I have added these cashmere socks from The White Company to my autumn wishlist every year for as long as I can remember, but this year I will finally take the plunge. They're expensive and I don't really need them, but they're a little luxury that will make the dark, frosty mornings so much more bearable. 

I like to treat myself to a new fluffy dressing gown every year, and this year I've decided that I would quite like to be a unicorn, so I'm adding this one from ASOS to my shopping basket. Since I'm going all out with my dressing gown choice, I'll probably opt for some simple PJ's, this set look super comfortable, perfect for curling up on the sofa to watch Harry Potter in.  


The Extras

Photo from westelm.co.uk

Once I've got my PJ's and face mask on, I'll be reaching for a soft cuddly blanket, and this dusky pink one from H&M will certainly do the job. I'm also on the hunt for a wicker basket to store them in, and of course this one from West Elm has caught my eye. If you know of any alternatives then please let me know! 

So those are the products on my autumn evening wishlist, what will you be adding to your pamper routine? 


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*This post is sponsored by L'Occitane

My New Favourite Brand at Debenhams

Wednesday 20 September 2017


NYX Professional Makeup is one of my favourite affordable brands, their Epic Ink Liner is up there with my all time favourite eyeliners, and I live in their Soft Matte Lip Creams, so I am super excited to announce that they are about to become more accessible than ever, as they are now stocked Debenhams! To celebrate the launch, Debenhams very kindly send me over some of their most popular products to review for you, so lets get started.

Pore Filler and Shine Killer Primers*


I've never really been a primer wearer, my skin is both dry/dehydrated and very sensitive, so I've really struggled to find the right formula, however, I think I may have finally found my perfect match in the form of Pore Filler. This lightweight primer glides onto my skin, leaving it feeling soft and silky, creating a flawless base for my foundation (or at least as close to "flawless" as my skin will ever be). I've been wearing it everyday for a little while now, and so far no breakouts or clogged pores. The second primer I received, Shine Killer, does what it says on the tin, it helps to create a matte base and keeps excess oil at bay. Since I have very little in the way of oil, this primer didn't really do anything for me, but I'm going to keep it for the warmer months when I can be prone to the occasional oily patch.


Butter Gloss - Strawberry Parfait*




As a recent gloss convert, I have fallen in love with the Butter Gloss range, and the shade Strawberry Parfait is one of my favourites. This fuchsia pink looks a little bright and scary in the packaging, but when applied it becomes much less opaque, creating a pretty, everyday wearable pink. I'm also obsessed with the candy floss scent, and have to stop myself from licking it straight off of my lips.


Soft Matte Lip Cream in Budapest*

I have a huge collection of Soft Matte Lip Creams, they're actually one of my favourite liquid lipstick formulas because they don't try out my lips at all. The shade "Budapest" is a perfect autumn berry, which looks beautiful against my slightly tanned skin. I find the Soft Matte Lip Cream range to be so low maintenance and easy to wear, with minimal touchups needed throughout the day. 


Lip Lingerie in Exotic*

I had heard great things about the Lip Lingerie Range, so I was excited to receive one in the shade Exotic, a surprisingly wearable reddish brown. I've found that this one is a little more drying than the Soft Matte Lip Cream, but the lasting power is incredible, and I had no fear of it migrating around my face during the day. Given the choice between the Lip Lingerie and Soft Matte Lip Cream ranges, I would definitely choose the Soft Mattes, but I am still happy to have this shade in my collection, and I'm sure I'll get lots of wear out of it this autumn.

Liquid Suede in Downtown Beauty*

Last up for the lipstick picks we have one from the Liquid Suede range in the shade Downtown Beauty. This shade is definitely not for me. On my lips it comes off as a mud coloured brown, with a strange hint of green, which doesn't flatter my skin tone at all. However, I did a Google image search of this shade, and it looks incredible on those girls, so this is definitely one to swatch on your own skin! I did love the formula of this, I would say it's the least drying of the bunch, so I would feel comfortable wearing it even on a chapped lips day. I'm definitely going to be checking out the rest of the range and picking up a more "me" shade.


Ultimate Shadow Palette in Cool Neutrals*

Now on to the palettes! I was so excited to receive the Cool Neutrals eyeshadow palette, as I don't currently own anything like it. I am generally more of a warm toned kinda girl, but I am always happy to push myself out of my comfort zone and to try new things, and I've actually discovered some shades that work really well for me. I found some of them to be a little bit powdery, but also super pigmented, so I would advise not overloading your brush when you first use it. For the price this palette is incredible, and I'll definitely be adding Warm Neutrals to my collection soon!

Contour Intuitive Eye and Face Sculpting Palette in Jewel Queen*

Containing two highlights, one blush and six eyeshadows, Jewel Queen is incredible value for money. I've fallen in love with the ultra sheeny white highlight shade, which packs a serious punch in the glow department, without a glitter chunk in sight, and also the pink toned highlight which I have been using as a blush topper. The eyeshadows are mostly cool toned, but they sell variations of this same palette with warm shadows which I will also be adding to my Debenhams basket!


Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette*


Last but not least, we have the Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette. By now I'm sure you're aware of my highlight palette addiction, and this one makes the perfect addition to my collection. All of the shades are seriously pigmented, with my favourite being the palest, which luckily comes in a huge pan! For a budget friendly palette it offers an amazing selection of shades, and is comparable to Sleek's Solstice palette (my previous favourite) in terms of value for money. I definitely recommend checking this one out!

So those are a few of the NYX Professional Makeup products now available at Debenhams, will you be adding any to your basket?

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*PR sample, my review expresses my own honest opinions 

Santorini with Fragrance Direct

Sunday 17 September 2017


Way back in June I collaborated with one of my favourite brands, Fragrance Direct, for Fathers Day (you can read the post here, if you're interested.) For this campaign, they decided to run a competition where they would vote on their favourite Fathers Day content, and the best post would win a trip to Santorini ... and I won! I wouldn't class myself as a "lucky" person, I never ever win competitions or giveaways, so when I received the email I ran around my house for a good minute screaming at my very alarmed cats, before typing out a teary-eyed reply. I thought I would try something new and share a few photos with you, because it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. 



We stayed at the Crown Suites in Kamari, a beautiful little hotel just a few minutes walk from the beach. My room was by far the biggest I have ever stayed in, and we had a huge terrace area with views of the sea, which was very welcomed in the 30 degree heat! Kamari is known for its black sand beaches, hundreds of restaurants and "easy" access to Ancient Thira (it's easy if you go up in a bus, me and my boyfriend attempted to walk the steep mountain hike and almost passed out after 5 minutes). Most of our time in Kamari was spent eating, drinking and sleeping, so I would love to go back and spend a couple of days just relaxing by the pool.  




We decided to pay a visit to Fira, a pretty town packed full of trinket shops, cute little walkways and breathtaking views of the sea. This is where I ate the infamous Vegetarian Pitta (chips and lettuce in bread) and almost got trampled to death by about 30 donkeys, who apparently have right of way when walking down the steep cliff faces. 



On our final full day, we visited the stunning town of Oia (pronounced eeh-ya), which is where almost all of the iconic shots of Santorini are taken. Its best known for its picturesque white buildings with blue domed roofs, and is where you can take the most beautiful sunset photos. Unfortunately we didn't make the sunset (by 3pm we were sweating buckets with sore feet and sleepy eyes) but I did manage to take some of my favourite photos of all time. If you're heading to Santorini, add Oia to the top of your "to visit" list, I promise you won't regret it. 




I hope you liked this post, I know it's a bit of a different one for me! Once again, thank you so, so much to Fragrance Direct for making this happen, it was a trip I'll remember for the rest of my life. You can read about the amazing products that Fragrance Direct sell in my previous posts (here and here), or just check them out for yourself!

Have you visited Santorini? 

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