Summer Essentials | "The tans will fade but the memories last forever."

Summer is looming, and the sun looks as though it's trying to peek its lovely head through the clouds (finally!), so it's time to top up on our must have products for this time of year. If you're like me, and the sun is really not your friend then I can relate when you say that Summertime is not your favourite season. Countless freckles inhabiting your entire body, having to spend a million pounds on Factor 50 every single week and even then only getting a tan that is really just sunburn in disguise. 

Garnier Summer Body 400ml £7.50

I purchased this product from Morrisons at £3.99, while it was on offer, mainly because I'm so pale and wanted to see if this sort of thing actually worked. I'm secretly hoping this might turn me into some sort of Greek Goddess... a girl can dream right? I decided to try it out today and my god, the smell is incredible. It's a mixture between apricot and coconut, it just smells like a dream, a wonderful dream where I've been transported to a beach with the sun beating down on my body, an ice cream in hand. 

Honestly, I've never had a moisturiser work so well. It is fast absorbing, which is great for people who can't afford to wait ages for it to soak in and it leaves you feeling gorgeously smooth, soft and sexy.





Marc Jacobs Daisy 'Eau So Fresh' 125ml £68

If I had to go for the rest of my life with only one perfume, it would be this one without a doubt. I loved it so much the first time I bought it that my boyfriend bought me another bottle for Easter this year. Oh my God, it just makes me smell like a beautiful Summer day. Marc Jacobs has an amazing range of perfumes that all have a beautiful scent and are completely different to anything you've had before. To top it all off, they come in the cutest little bottles (as you can see...), which can make really lovely decorative pieces when you've used up all your perfume.
It may be a little bit pricey, but it's 100% worth the money. If you can't afford it yourself, put it on a christmas/birthday wishlist. You won't regret it.

Barry M nail polish £2.99 - £3.99

Any of you that read my blog know that I absolutely swear by Barry M for nail polish (and usually lipstick if I'm looking for a lovely colour). They bring out new ranges or shades every couple of months which is fan-bloody-tastic if you're like me and can't wait to get your hands on a new colour to paint your nails (and fingers...)

The polishes you see to your left are my must haves for Summer this year; Lemon Ice Cream,

 Prickly Pear & Greenberry (Gelly Hi Shine), Meadow & Mist (Silk). 

I'm currently sporting Lemon Ice Cream, which needs a fair few coats before it is opaque but when it's dried it leaves you with a nice glossy finish as you can see here. Who doesn't want their nails to resemble ice cream?

Mac Lipstick in Russian Red £15
L'Oréal Paris Superliner £6.99
Kate Moss Rimmel in 31 £5.49 

I'm a huge lipstick fan. Matte is my favourite as I find that the finish is much better and lasts longer than others I've tried. These are both red statement lipsticks which I find (along with corals) are the best for Summer. Especially for us pale girls, corals (as pretty as they are) can often not suit our pigmentation and make us look drowned out. What is better than a beautiful, bold statement red? Nothing. That's right. Superliner is my absolute favourite eyeliner. I completely swear by it. A nice thin 'cat eye' is perfect for this time of year and this one is so easy to apply.
All we need now is a high waisted bikini and we have 2014's new pin up girl... oops.



So there you have it, my 'Summer Essentials' for this year.
I've recently tried out the Garnier Summer Body moisturiser with a hint of tan and it has actually worked. Overnight my legs (and hands...) have become a slightly glowing tan colour which is incredible considering they were porcelain. I really didn't expect it to work as well as it has. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a little bit of colour.

Do you have any products you would recommend?

Affordable Fashion | "The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it."

I don't know about you, but money is always an issue for me, so Primark is usually my go to shop. At the moment, I don't have too much time to go into town so I've been browsing the internet for bargains. Honestly, I don't claim to know or follow any sort of fashion, but what I do know is that lots of people try to budget. A lot of the time it's really hard to find any decent good quality clothes and accessories for a small amount of money. 

Here are just a few of the things I've found on some super cheap (and reputable, promise) sites.

www.everything5pounds.com

LITERALLY EVERYTHING IS £5, HOW GREAT IS THAT?
I can't comment on the quality of these pieces, but there are so many things on that website that need to be in my wardrobe, and for £5 each I won't feel guilty buying them.

www.missluxe.co.uk
Now, this is a little steeper price wise. Most things range from £10 - £30. They do have some lovely items, but the majority of it isn't really to my taste.

www.missrebel.co.uk

Basically, I want to purchase this whole store. It's so cheap. I think the most expensive thing I've seen on there was a leather jacket and that was £25. I've purchased a few things from this store and they've always been amazing. Fast delivery and great product.

www.charmedivy.com

This website is such a little gem. Each of those items above are less than £3. I absolutely love every single piece on this site. If I could buy all of it, it would all be mine. If you're looking for beautiful pieces of quirky jewellery, then this is your newest bookmark.

And now for some of the more recognised names...

www.asda.com
Yes, thats right. You saw it correctly. ASDA. I am under no illusion that ASDA isn't a clothes shop, but my gosh, have you seen some of the beauties in there? I can't help myself but look at the new additions when doing my weekly shop. They also do the best bras for ladies with bigger busts -  now theres a tip for you lot.

www.elf.com

Elf has always been so great to me. Their lipsticks are so pigmented and stay on all night. I've never tried their varnishes but they are great value. The only things that are above £7 are the gift sets and brush sets. It's really a great place to go if you don't really have too much money to spend on cosmetics.

www.matalan.com

Matalan isn't exactly the cheapest of shops BUT the quality you get for what you pay is incredible. I have items of clothing I've bought from there for years and they still look new. They're good at keeping up with the newest trends and still keeping them at an affordable price. Definitely worth a look.

www.barrym.com

Barry M is quite possibly my favourite make up range. It seems like no matter how popular they are getting their prices are staying the same. Their nail polishes and lipsticks are incredible if you don't have money to spend on MAC etc etc.

A lot of people try and steer clear of sites that don't look 'professional' or are cheap, understandably, but what did your mother always tell you? Don't trust a book by it's cover. They might not look great, but it doesn't mean they are untrustworthy. I can't speak for every single site out there so you definitely just need to read the reviews and make your own decisions. 

If you're not a fan of sites you don't know too much about, don't forget to check out the sale items on sites like new look & topshop.

I absolutely despise spending money on clothes, which is odd considering how much I adore buying them. You'll always find me in the sale section and I'm not ashamed of it at all. 

You don't have to spend a lot of money to look a million dollars. 

Make Up 101 | “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.”

Now that my annoyance is out of the way *see previous post*, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the products I do use on a regular basis (for my own happiness, not for anyone else's...)

Although, it's not really my thing. I can't control my obsession for mascara, lipstick and nail varnish. It's getting to the stage where I have to have separate drawers for each. It's a bit embarrassing really.
For my 21st birthday, I treated myself to a gorgeous 'MAC Russian Red' lipstick. (You can see it in my picture to the right). At £15 each, they can be a bit pricey, but they are honestly so so worth it. This is the only lip product I'll ever go to now so I really am getting my moneys worth.

Barry M are my saviour when it comes to nail varnish. Their 'matte' and 'gelly hi shine' collections are just incredible, but due to the time of year it is, 'matte' has been my varnish of choice. Burgundy is such a great colour for winter, it just looks absolutely gorgeous with anything. They are such reasonable prices at only £3.99 each, you could buy the whole collection if you wanted to!

If you've never tried Barry M, they are just the best for cheap but great nail varnish and I'd really recommend them. You could ask anyone and my whole collection is pretty much filled with their products.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

I do often use a different base coat to Barry M though, as I find it's not as good as the Collection 2000 one. It's just a matter of buying the cheap ones (if you can't afford the more expensive ones) and figuring out which is best for you. The Collection 2000 is a lasting colour base coat and I've found that even after a week, I've not had a chip yet!

These are my current favourites.
(L-R Collection 2000 lasting colour, Barry M Matte 'Crush', Loreal crystal top coat)

I use 3 different mascaras and they are all great. The first one (the label rubbed off so I don't know what it is) has almost run out so is great to just lightly coat and extend the lashes. The next one (has also rubbed off), is in a purple tube and is used to curl the lashes and give volume, and finally, I use the Rimmel Day2Night mascara and it is my absolute favourite. 

I don't claim to know anything about make-up at all, and would never give anyone advice, this is just a post to show what I use and what I would recommend.

Stay beautiful.