April Favourites!

So this month I have discovered and been using several new products and also dug out some old trusty favourites. So firstly I have made a couple of changed to my skincare routine introducing this SPF 50 moisturiser from Soap & Glory on days where I am going to spend a significant amount of time outside in the sun, and for when I'm just spending time indoors I've been testing out this Global Protection day cream by REN. Jo Mallone Blackberry and Bay has been my most worn perfume its scent is lovely and fresh perfect for spring and my new favourite nail polish is the Rimmel 60 Second polish in 'Rose Libertine' such a stunning muted pink that goes with pretty much everything in my spring/summer wardrobe.

Some of my go to products this month include this new blush from TheBalm Cosmetics called 'Hot Mama' I've used it pretty much every day since it arrived and I think its going to be a favourite through out the summer months. For eyes I've been going for a subtle look using this soft brown luminous shimmer eyeshadow by Alima Pure in the colour 'Chai' and adding a little smokiness with the colour 'Liar' from the Urban Decay Naked3 palette. To widen the eye I have been using this nude Scandaleyes eyeliner by Rimmel the difference this product makes is amazing I cant see myself returning to black eyeliner any time soon. Super Strawberry Clinique Chubby Stick and Benefits Dandelion lip gloss have been my two most used lip products both giving a soft shiny pink lip.

This month I've been doing tons of baking and tons of reading so for my other favourites I had to include my new pastel green standing mixer an Aldi bargain and my Kindle Fire HD has not left my side either! Easter spurred a baking frenzy in me and this mixer came in so handy not to mention it is cute as hell. I tend to go through reading fazes and I am definitely in one right now and having a kindle has definitely facilitated that....I have read 9 books in a matter of weeks OOPS!

Lastly a bit of fashion and in particular accessories....the only bag I've been using at the moment is my trusty Cambridge Satchel this seriously is a wardrobe staple that goes with everything. Finally a statement necklace that livens up any outfit this gold and bone pointed necklace from New Look has been the only jewellery I have been wearing and it looks gorgeous with all the pretty spring pastels.

Thank you for reading!

Loulou.        

Primark Haul.

For weeks and weeks I have stepped foot into my local Primark thinking 'Where is all their nice new summer stuff??' and every time leaving without buying anything. I hate the transition between seasons they seemed to be still trying to get rid of winter stock when all I wanted was to browse something new and in keeping with the latest summer trends. Finally yesterday a few new things caught my eye....don't get me wrong I'm still not blown away by Primark's range right now especially compared to previous seasons but at least I didn't leave empty handed this time.   

My wardrobe needs a definite injection of summer staples and causal basics but I've been waiting to see what Primark has to offer before spending a little more and shopping at New Look or H&M instead. The first thing that caught my eye were a few casual everyday t-shirts that will look good with jean or shorts once the whether gets warmer. One was a slim fit American style Rolling Stones t-shirt and the other a boxy looser fit leopard print slogan tee, both being ultra comfy and great for relaxing around the house in.

Even though I was on the hunt for summer items I was completely won over by this gorgeous loose knit jumper in the prettiest peach colour. The colour is perfect for spring/summer and who am I kidding even in the hight of summer Britain can still be nippy and this jumper is thin enough to not overheat you. 

Lastly I purchased two dresses one I'm absolutely in love with and the other I do love but not sure it does anything for my figure so may return I'm not quite decided yet. The first one is a summer dress in a pastel aztec pattern with cut out back detailing....this is really my kind of dress and when it gets warm I know I will be living in dresses like this. The second dress is a beautiful floaty tiered dress in a pretty cornflower blue, it would make a great summer party dress as its very elegant. The only thing I am unsure of is because of the way it hangs it doesn't have much shape and I'm not sure I have the perfect figure for it....let me know what you guys think? Shall I keep or return? 

Thank you for reading!

Loulou.

Benefit Gimme Brow - A Review.

This review has been a long time coming as I have been using this product non stop for several months now....so obviously I must love it! It was a new release when I purchased it and I originally found out about it through a promotional voucher in my March Birchbox promoting Benefits 'Brow Arch March' campaign.

Just to give you a little brow background....well thats the thing I have none! I've never done any major brow primping ever only the occasional pluck of the stray hair. This is mainly because my brows are so blonde they are practically invisible anyway but I've always been secretly jealous of people with thick arched precisely primped brows. When every blogger in their right mind raved about this I became intrigued mainly because how natural everyone said it looked. I've never been a fan of those awfully obvious drawn on pencil eyebrows and getting something light enough not to look too dramatic was always tricky. 

I took a look at the product at my local Benefit counter and instantly thought no way even the lightest shade would be too dark for me! But I was persuaded to try it and boy was I glad I did because it turns out that once applied the colour is perfect! It tints my brows enough to make them a little more prominent framing my face nicely without looking unnatural. The small tube comes with what looks like a tiny stubby mascara brush which is very simple to use and easy to control, stroking the brush through the brows and rubbing in a sort of 'brushing your teeth' motion coats the eyebrow hairs tinting and adding volume to them. 

When using Gimme Brow it doesn't make your eyebrows feel crispy....in fact once on you cannot feel it at all! It lasts all day long without smudging and its even pretty waterproof so no need to worry about it sliding down your face with the hint of sweat or rain! I have to say this has become a permanent staple in my make up routine and I cant see it ever being replaced! The tube costs around £17 but i really think it is well worth it and even with everyday use one tube will last a long time. 

Check out my before and after application pictures below please ignore my unruly brows as I am growing them so that I can achieve a shape I am happy with. 

The first picture shows the left eyebrow with product applied and the right on natural so you can see the difference it makes. The second picture is where both eyebrows have product applied. 

Before and after Gimme Brow application and the rest of my make up routine. 

I hope this review is helpful to you I really do rate this product I'd love to know what you think?

Loulou. 

In The Spotlight: New Look.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven. 

Shopping in New Look holds a slight nostalgia for me, from child to early teen New Look was the place to shop....and practically the only place to shop! Every town had one and Primark had yet to become popular almost every item of clothing I owned came from there! As soon as I hit seventeen I seemed to boycott New Look for stores like Topshop, Republic, Miss Selfridge and budget Primark partly due to the abundance of choice created by the building of a huge shopping centre near by. 

Its only been recently I have rekindled my love for New Look and have started shopping in there more and more. They actually are pretty amazing! Not only can you find the most beautiful pieces that follow the latest trends which are affordable and good quality but I feel their range has become slightly more sophisticated and also providing really great budget basics. 

When looking at writing a post on what my wardrobe needs I found myself heading straight to the New Look website....looking for a midi skirt, statement blazer, denim jacket and brogues....everything I was looking for all could be found at New Look. 

These are a few pieces that I absolutely need in my wardrobe, I mean just look at that floral midi how perfect does it look with that denim jacket, pretty strappy tops which can be thrown on with a pair of jeans and that beautiful coral blazer which will jazz up any plain outfit!

In all I am very impressed with New Looks summer collection and am hoping to do a little haul there soon so I will keep you posted!

Thank you for reading!

Loulou.

       

Vertbaudet Haul

Annoyingly I've had to use stock images because I am keeping everything packaged ready for when we move but this is the start of Wesley's first birthday presents!

So I had a little Vertbaudet haul when they had an offer on for £30 off and £80 shop (unfortunately that has now ended) because I knew I wanted to get Wesley some new bits for his bedroom in the new house as finally he will no longer be sharing with his brother. This fitted really nicely in the 'Need' category of his Want, Need, Wear, Read birthday presents and this is what I purchased.

I really wanted Wesley's room to be colourful and have already picked out a blue and white stripped tipi play tent as his main 'Want' present....not that one year olds can really vocalise their wants. I find choosing children's bedding quite difficult as I have quite a strong disliking for character bedding sets or  anything generally too tacky but as soon as I saw this I knew it was perfect.

This simple yet colourful vehicle illustration bedding set and beautiful matching lighting pendant will match nicely with an array or different colours and other objects and is not something he will grow out of too quickly. Also this toy and book storage is so handy because everything is at a hight that they can get to and help themselves yet it keeps it all nice and tidy.

Even though Vertbaudet can be a little pricey they always tend to do fantastic deals and I'm always so impressed with the styling and quality of their products.

Thank you for reading.

Loulou.

Wishlist.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six.

I've been really sucky at uploading my wish lists every Wednesday partly because there hasn't been many new things that caught my eye recently so I've decided just to unload them as and when rather then ever Wednesday like before. 

Anyway onto what I've been lusting after right now! Firstly I saw this cute navy blazer on one of Tanya Burr's get ready with me videos and loved how it can be thrown on with jeans and a top to smarten up an outfit. I saw these tile print leigh jeans from Topshop on another blog and thought they would be amazing for summer, I've never owned a patterned jean before but I bet they would look great with a floral top and the navy blazer thrown on top.

A new discovery of mine had been the website sheinside.com an affordable overseas company that offers free worldwide shipping! These ripped high wasted shorts are such a great price at only £13 and would make a great wardrobe staple for the warmer months.  

Another new find is the brand Makeup Revolution they are new to Superdrug and are a similar price to MUA they have a range of baked blushes that I'm dying to try and I've heard extremely good things about. They also do pretty good dupes of all the Naked palettes from Urban Decay. 

Home wear always catches my eye especially this wall art of house rules from Next I though it would be perfect for teaching the boys good manors and the occasional reminder for me and Greig also. Lastly this set of cups and saucers from Cath Kidston would look amazingly cute for an afternoon tea with family and friends.....I'm planning on lots of gathering once we are in our new house! 

Thank you for reading.

Loulou.

Top 3 favourite Blushes!

L-R - Benefits Dandelion, TheBalm Cosmetics Hot Mama and Clinique Iced Lotus.

Im very new to experimenting with blush but it has quickly become my new favourite thing! I have so many blushes on my wish list right now but first I thought I'd share with you some of my current favourites from my collection.

Dandelion by Benefit is the most subtle blush that they do and because of my extreamly fair skin tone it works perfect for me. It is quite a matt baby pink blush compared to the other two which is great for an everyday natural look and you don't have to worry about going overboard with this because it layers nicely. If your of a deeper skin tone this would be more of a pink highlight but for pale girls like me it is the most perfect blush colour.

Hot Mama by TheBalm Cosmetics is a vibrant summer coral with gold shimmer undertones it is extremely pigmented and a lovely creamy powder texture. You need only the tiniest amount of this blush so the pan should last for ages and it is a highlighter and blush all in one which leaves your cheeks super glowing. The coral colour is great for summer and would work with most skin tones but a light hand is recommended.

Cliniques blush in Iced Lotus has a slightly more subtle frost rather then a shimmer and is a blue toned pink. This blush is also very pigmented but maybe not quite so much as Hot Mama, I love the packaging of this blush at is comes with a very nice mirror. This was one of the first blushes I owned and is still a firm favourite.

Thank you for reading.

Loulou.

Little Rimmel Haul.

Last week I was trying to find a few bits for the wedding I went to in particular suitable coloured nail varnish. You may have already seen my 'Didn't float my boat' post here where this nude nail varnish by Rimmel was featured unfortunately I just couldn't get on with it....so I am still on the hunt for my perfect nude!

The other two I purchased were 'Around the garden' and 'Rose libertine' these colours are beautiful and I didn't find it as hard to achieve the level of opaqueness that I desired. Unfortunately even though the colours are great the Rimmel 60 second nail varnishes are not my favourite formula wise dispite how much I wanted to like them due to their affordability.

Lastly I picked up this wonderful wonderful little product the Scansaleyes waterproof kohl kajal in nude. Often compared by bloggers to the Urban Decay eyeliners and given amazing reviews I felt I needed to give them a go. As you may know I've been boycotting my trusty black eyeliner somewhat recently as I feel it narrows my eyes too much where as a nude eyeliner is supposed to do the exact opposite. This eyeliner opens the eyes up making them look beautifully wide and awake, it really does make such a huge difference I urge you to try it out!

Hope this was a little helpful thank you for reading!

Loulou.

Summer Essentials - SPF!

I have always been terrible with protecting my skin from the sun only ever wearing sunscreen outside the Uk when I'm sunbathing and even then forgetting to reapply it and getting burnt. I almost never ever put sun screen on my face for the fear of looking greasy and feeling uncomfortable therefor every single summer suffering from a bright red Rudolf nose!

Now I am a little older and wiser I've realised how important it is to protect our skin from harmful sun rays daily and have adopted SPF products into my skincare routine which I start using as soon as spring hits. So I thought I'd share with you my two favourite skin care products which contain SPF and when I use them.

Solutions Truly Radiant Day Cream SPF 15 by Avon.

This product is all sorts of loveliness rolled into one and is the perfect all in one summer moisturiser. Not only does it have SPF 15 which is perfect for protecting your face daily from damaging sun rays, it has optic pearl technology which gives a luminous finish leaving the skin looking glowing. It is a very nice moisturiser which sinks in quickly without leaving the skin looking or feeling greasy and for only £7.50 (currently on offer for £6) I think this product is pretty darn fabulous!

Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Sunshield Superfuid SPF 50.

According to the blogsphere this is supposed to be a great dupe of the cult classic Kiehl's Daily Defence which everyone raves about. This SPF 50 moisturiser I tend to use when I know I'm going to be out in the sunshine for a long period of time, like on a hot sunny day at the park with the boys or perfect for on holiday. I apply it as my moisturiser under my makeup it takes a little while longer to sink into the skin and even though it claims to have oil control I find it makes me a little oiler then usual and power is definitely needed after I apply my foundation and throughout the day. Even though I find it a tiny bit greasy it is no where near as bad as applying generic sunscreen to your face. This can be picked up for £15 but I bought it when it was on offer for only £10 but even at full price it is still half the price of its rival by Kiehl's.

What SPF moisturisers would you recommend? Thank you for reading!

Loulou.    

Things That Didn't Float My Boat!

I hate buying a product that you end up hating or not using at all, I hate wasting money and tend to read a ton of reviews before committing to buying something although sometimes a few products do slip through the net especially spontaneous purchases!

So here a few products that didn't quite float my boat....

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Varnish in 'Lets Get Nude' from the Rita Ora collection. I wanted a good nude nail varnish and this looked perfect....boy was I wrong. It took 3 coats to become completely opaque and each coat became increasing difficult to apply and definitely did not take 60 seconds to dry I managed to smudge it even 30 minutes later! I thought it would look nice and sophisticated but it looked really messy and tacky and after spending so long trying to get it right I got so mad I just took it all off again.

Party Proof Matt Lipstick by Model Co in 'Get Naked'. Luckily this came in a birch box and I didn't actually buy it because I was not at all impressed with this lipstick. For one I would definitely wouldn't call it matt, it was sheer and balmy but when applied it was stupidly patchy and clung to fry patches or creases in the lips. It also looked like I just covered my lips in concealer....not a good look at all.  

Clinique Eyeshadow Chubby Stick in 'Lots of Latte'. I really haven't got much use out of this I'm not sure whether its the colour or the eyeshadow stick formulation but I like a soft eyeshadow look and I find this colour quite harsh, hard to blend and looks a bit like I've got a black eye.....again never a good look.

Have you guys got an opinion on any of these products? Thanks for reading.

Loulou.

Indian Wedding At The Sikh Temple.

We were lucky enough to be invited by an old school friend of Greig's to his wedding at the Sikh temple in our town. The newly built Sikh temple is the largest in the UK, we can actually see the domed tops which glow multi colours from our bedroom window. It is a stunning building and I've been dying to get a closer look so I was really looking forward to the wedding that was on Monday.

We had being to the pre wedding party on Saturday which was like the wedding reception but before the actual wedding. There was a 3 course meal that was so yummy and a lot of alcohol, a bottle of Vodka, Bacardi and Jack Daniels on every table! The music was provided by Desi Vibes and everyone danced the whole night long, it was fun and welcoming and we had a fantastic time. 

The wedding however would be a little different as no meat or alcohol is allowed in the temple. As we arrived we wandered around the outside of the temple where all the guests congregated awaiting the arrival of the groom. Luckily it was a lovely day and I managed to get some beautiful pictures outside the building. Greig was given a pink tie, bandana and rose that symbolised that he was a part of the grooms party, I had a floor length dress that covered my legs and a scarf to cover my hair for when we were in the prayer room. 

The groom arrived in a white Rolls Royce and all his guests walked with the car up to the main entrance where the meeting of the families took place. Once inside we sat down in the dining hall and had a casual breakfast/snack of samosas, pakoras, tea and juice. Afterwards we took our shoes off, covered our heads and entered the prayer room where the wedding ceremony took place. All guests are to sit on the floor throughout and the whole ritual lasted about an hour. 

Afterwards we had appetisers and drinks in the foyer before going back into the dining hall for a 3 course meal and live music consisting of a sitar and drums. Several large dishes of vegetarian food was placed on every table to serve yourself and it was constantly being refilled once nearly empty. The food was delicious we had vegetable curry, rice, dahl, salad, curried paneer and flat breads followed by eggless wedding cake. 

Overall the day was lovely and it was great to experience traditions of another culture, they sure do know how to look after their guests! Here are just a few pictures I took from the day.       

 

Easter With The Fishes!

This Easter weekend has been great! It's been filled with shopping, baking, yummy food, Disney films, family, socialising, dressing up and new experiences. 

It was lovely spending time with family and the boys really enjoyed themselves. They got spoilt with lots of lovely gifts and a lot of chocolate Eli's favourite being some new Disney books! Eli also has a new favourite film which is Frozen we must have watched at least 20 times in 4 days has he is now always asking for 'Snowman!!' haha. 

I loved dressing the boys up smart to visit family, wearing there new checked shirts and bow ties to go see their great nan and their one and only matching outfit for Easter Sunday lunch, they looked absolutely adorable! 

Here are just a few pictures of the boys from the weekend. I hope you had a lovely Easter too.

Thank you for reading!

Loulou.