Sunday 28 April 2013

Nail varnish: Yves Rocher Rose Pastel - R201

It is finally spring so pastels are everywhere at the moment. I'm not a pastels girl to be honest but I found this colour which is a more subtle version.


It's a pale pink with sparkle. If you want to be able to really see the pink you're going to need a few coats, otherwise it just looks like sparkle.


I really like this nail varnish. Yves Rocher products are good in general so I knew I could trust this. The formulation is really good, it's not too gloopy and sets well. It's really easy to apply thanks to the shape of the brush.

It doesn't take too long to dry but I'd be a bit careful. It usually lasts up to 4-5 days if you're not doing anything that will chip it easily.


This colour looks really nice if you're going for the french manicure look. It also makes it a bit different by adding some sparkle.


Wednesday 24 April 2013

Maybelline The Falsies mascara


I bought this a couple of weeks ago and it is ah-may-zing! I bought it at Boot for £7 I think, which is a real bargain considering the quality of the product.

The wand is curved to fit your eyelashes and it's not too big. This makes it so easy and quick (always a bonus for when you're on the go) to apply. The brush is also designed so it doesn't pick up too much product so it doesn't come out in clumps.


It really doesn't make your lashes clumpy and it's quite lengthening. It's not the best mascara if you want volume but that's not really what I like. It is buildable so you could probably create a certain amount of volume if you wanted to. The other thing about it is it doesn't smudge. Now I put it on at about 7am and take it off at 9pm. It does not bugde unless you want it to. I've not tested it in water yet though.










I can now relate to all the beauty gurus raving about this product. It's the best mascara I've ever tried and it's so inexpensive! I would highly recommend it.

Saturday 13 April 2013

Scotland: Elgin

If you've read my latest posts, you'll know I've been on holiday in Scotland. It was very relaxing but unfortunately I managed to catch a bug a couple of days before we left. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the things we did seeing as this is partly a travel blog.

Scotland is a very beautiful part of the world, especially in the sunshine. We were very lucky the first few days we were there because the sun came out! But then it snowed... Ah well, you can't have everything.















As we live in Belgium and we were going up near Elgin, right up north, we decided to experiment and catch the overnight ferry from Zeebrugge to Hull. It was very nice even though the cabin was quite small. The food was a tad expensive but there was quite a wide choice on the menu. There was lots to do: cinema, live acts, disco party, etc.

Sunset at sea

The first thing we did was visit Elgin. Its quite a nice little town. It's got a few shops including a TK Maxx and a Boots and some very cute cafés. We went into Scribbles which was lovely, they also have a Costa and a Starbucks. It's quite a peaceful place and wandering up and down the highstreet was very nice.

Elgin

We then went on a 6k walk with the dogs in Culbin wood. I think it was called the Hill 99 trail. It was sunny and not too cold. It's quite a popular wood so there were a few people milling around but it was still quiet. There's a view tower so you can see everything above the trees which is spectacular if you're not afraid of heights.
















The next day we walked from Roseisle to Findhorn and back along the beach. It was very sunny, not too windy and warm. We even sat outside at the  Kimberly pub. You had a gorgeous view of the beach, the sea and then the snow peaked mountains behind. This one was a longer walk. I reckon it was about 15k for the whole walk so 7,5k to the pub and then back again. It was worth it though. The pub did some brilliant food and the dogs could get rid of some energy.


























We then went to Inverness to do some shopping. We spent most of our time in Debenhams and then wandered in to Lush on the highstreet. We went for lunch at a tapas place called La Tortilla which was really yummy. The staff were lovely and chatty too so it was good fun.

After that it snowed and I caught this bug so I didn't get to see much more of the outside world. We had lunch at The Old Mill, a pub in Brodie which was very tasty. We also went on a drive through Fochabers, which is quite a nice town and then along the coast. We stopped at the dolphin centre. There are some lovely views out to sea there but I didn't have my camera. It's a pebbled beach so, learn from my mistake, don't wear heels. I nearly broke my ankle!

These are the animals. From the left there's Jack, then Poppy and then Macey the cat.



Far too quickly it was time to leave though. But just before we got in the car for the long drive back to Hull, we got a quick snap of the view from the house. A lovely frosty morning.

Frosty morning

Sunday 7 April 2013

Scotland haul

I've been in Scotland for about a week now and we went shopping. Twice. I don't think we'll be going again though so I thought I'd do a haul post. I didn't get loads of things, in fact it's all beauty, I didn't find any clothes that I liked or that fit well.


First, I went to Boots. I love Boots, it's the one shop I miss the most in Belgium so it's a must whenever we come to the UK. We also walked in to discover that loads of the makeup was on a 3 for 2 offer, brilliant!

Anyway, I picked up the l'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash in Princess. I really wanted it in Juliet but I couldn't find it so I settled for this one. Its lovely too. very glossy, not too sticky and it has brilliant colour payoff.














I also got a Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sorbet. I wouldn't normally go for such a vibrant hot pink lipstick put I really like this one. It's really moisturising on the lips too. It's quite pigmented and it's not sticky at all. I love it.













Lastly from Boots, I bought th Maybelline The Falsies mascara. I'm running out of my Rimmel Scandal eyes one. To be honest, it wasn't amazing. It was ok if you worked with it but I found it quite hard to apply without getting it everywhere. I've heard so many good things about this Maybelline one though and so I picked it up. I will do a full review on it soon because I haven't tried it yet.


After that I went to Lush. I don't usually buy things from Lush but as I walked past it I remembered someone telling me that the Lip Scrubs were really good. So, naturally, I went in.

The first thing I saw was the Ultrabalm. I wasn't going to buy more than the Lip Scrub but this stuff is incredible. This can be used anywhere on your body. It feels really nourishing and moisturising. It says on the package that it restores, sooths, protects, relievs and moisturises. Perfect for any dry skin patches! Lush products are all naturall too which is a huge plus.


I then went and picked up what I planned to pick up: a Lip Scrub. Most of the scents really didn't appeal to me but I got the Popcorn one. It's less sickly sweet smelling than the others. It tastes quite nice too and it does work. I've just tried the tiniest amount and my lips feel exfoliated and softer. If you then put the Ultrabalm on top it will leave your lips feeling uber soft and smooth.


That is all I got from Scotland. I hoped to have got more things. I was planning on buying the Urban Decay Naked palette but couldn't find it unfortunately. Anyway, I'm quite satisfied with my purchases and at least I didn't break the bank!

Thursday 4 April 2013

March favourites

Sorry this is so late. It was supposed to go up on sunday but I'm on school holiday at the moment so all sense of routine has gone. I have another blog planned for this week though so it should all be fine.

1. Food: Ok, it's Easter and so chocolate is on the menu, right? I couldn't help myself, the chocolate was piling up in my house so... Naturally I ate just about my weight in it. It's just so yummy! I've been cutting down on chocolate for a while and I did start to prefer savoury foods. But I can't get away from it, it's too tempting and too delicious.

2. Concealer: I ran out of my highlighting concealer this month so I've just been using my normal one for everything. I actually really like it. It's the 2B Concealer - Corrector. It's really creamy and it works quite well. It does cover most things up, I do find I have to apply several coats, especially for dark undereye circles but it doesn't feel heavy or cakey.

3. Cleanser / Moisturiser: My skin has been awful this month. The weather has been up and down all the time. We'd have sun 2 days, then a week of snow and then a week of clouds. It was ridiculous. Anyway, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and the Skin Repair Moisturiser have really helped and I've been using them a lot. Especially the moisturiser because my skin was so dehydrated and itchy.


4. Clothes: I went shopping this month. I needed jeans because mine are all falling to pieces so I found these. They were on sale in H&M and cost me 15€ (about £12). They're very comfortable even though the zip is on the side and not in the middle where you'd expect it to be. That does take some getting used to, especially when you try to take them off quickly.





















5. Exercise: The final thing I've been loving this month is long walks. I've been on several and plan on going on a lot more because I'm at my aunts, in the countryside of Scotland. She has 2 dogs and walks about 5 miles everyday with them, perfect! This is a walk I did near my house. It was lovely. I do find this very relaxing. Unfortunately, we can only take Harry (the younger dog) on long walks because Belle (the older one) gets quite tired and she has athritis.