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?

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.

True Beauty | "Beneath the make-up and behind the smile, I am just a girl who wishes for the world."

I've never been one for make-up, but I can't help but fall in love with the way it transforms us. It's incredible. I think women (and men) are gorgeous with and without make-up, but I can appreciate that we all want to feel beautiful and if make-up makes us feel that way, then so be it.

I get so frustrated with celebrity magazines commenting on people leaving the house with a fresh face as something that is just not acceptable. I've done a bit of research and the thing that comes across the most is 'shocking photos'. Why?! Why is that shocking? So what if we don't want to leave the house with a face full of make-up? It's not exactly a crime. No wonder we have self esteem issues when we're constantly faced with headlines like this.

Recently, my boyfriend and I had professional photos taken and we both got given a 'MAC' makeover before hand. It was a really new experience for me and I felt so pampered and absolutely gorgeous. (If I wasn't so lazy, I would probably try and do my look myself just to feel that way again). It took about 50 minutes and I didn't see myself until the final product. I didn't even recognise myself. It was refreshing. It gave me a completely new confidence that I'd not had before.

Here is a before (no make up at all), and then with the makeover.

It's frustrating when there is such a big thing around women having to wear make-up to be beautiful. Just because I'll go to work with no product on, doesn't make me any less beautiful than the rest of my female colleagues. We are such stunning creations. If you want to wear a face full of make-up every day; do it. If you don't want to wear any; don't. Lets not let the media decide this for us. Make-up does not define us. We are absolutely bloody gorgeous either way.