What I've Been Loving #28

What I've Been Loving #28

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Real Techniques Retractable Bronzer Brush (£13.99):

I'm a fan of all of the RT brushes, but I have really been enjoying using this retractable duo-fibre brush for applying my face powder. Due to its duo-fibre nature, it is perfect for applying product quite lightly, and blends it out really nicely. I've used this for bronzer, highlighter, blush and powder, and the fact that it's travel-friendly is perfect for me. I'm very tempted to get the retractable blush brush now - have any of you tried it?

Essie 'Ruffles and Feathers' (£7.99):

How pretty is this shade? It reminds me a lot of a colour called 'Jade is the New Black' that came out with the OPI Hong Kong collection a few years back. I've been really enjoying sporting this during the summer months, but it will also be amazing when Christmas comes around with a bit of gold glitter thrown on top. The whole collection from Essie is insanely pretty, and I'm really tempted to get the blue shade called 'Strut your Stuff' as well. 

Dove Hair Therapy Leave-in Conditioning & Care Spray (£3.59):

Ever since discovering this last summer, this has become my go-to, number one hair product. I've always liked to use a leave-in conditioner and a hair oil, but this combines the two into one step, making it so much easier. It untangles my hair really easily, it softens it and adds shine - all whilst smelling incredible! You can't go wrong with this in my opinion. 

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The Reading List: June - August '14

The Reading List: June - August '14

Friday, August 8, 2014

Well, this is something new isn't it? With all the reading I have to do for my degree, I often find myself steering clear from reading in my free time. However, when the holidays roll around, I seem to rediscover my love for sitting down with a good book for hours on end undisturbed. 

I'd be lying if my degree didn't have an influence on the sort of books I usually gravitate to. If I had to choose, I'd say that historical fiction is my favourite genre of book - I love following a story whilst still learning about the cultural and historical background behind it. Being a Russian language student, I am on a bit of a Russian kick at the moment (historically - not actually in Russian!!) so I've been getting through pretty much all of the Russian historical fiction section on Amazon (especially the Tsarist era). I'm also a big fan of stories set in Asia, especially China. I think that because I have a bit of prior knowledge about it from living in the part of the world, I don't feel too out of my depth and can really appreciate the historical and cultural significance to the stories.

Despite indulging in historical novels, as a language student I need to be constantly reading and improving, so I'm also working my way through the first Harry Potter book in Spanish. It is easy to read, but there is an insane amount of random and magic-related vocabulary to look up along the way. I can understand it all as I go along, but I tend to jot down vocab to add to my ever-growing list whilst reading, and then look it up and write it out properly at a later date (hence why it's taking me so long to finish!)

So without further ado, here's the little collection of novels that I've been hoarding on my Kindle to be devoured this summer;  

- The Winter Palace (A novel of the young Catherine the Great) by Eva Stachniak (completed)

- The Empress of the Night by Eva Stachniak (completed)

- The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

- The Jewel of St Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

- Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal by J.K. Rowling (in progress)

- The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons (completed)

- Tatiana and Alexander by Paulina Simons (in progress)

- Summer Garden by Paulina Simons

- Peony in Love by Lisa See

What have you guys got lined up to read this summer? Any recommendations to send my way? 

Leave me a comment down below! 

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A month in Moscow: Makeup

A month in Moscow: Makeup

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

In case you weren't aware, I'm in Moscow for a month on a language course, which is the finale to my amazing Year Abroad. Easy Jet baggage allowances are never kind, so to avoid paying any extra charges, I've really streamlined my makeup kit whilst still giving myself plenty of options for different moods and occasions. So, without further ado, here's the run down of my condensed beauty stash for the next four weeks...

The Base:

I've tried to keep things fairly simple here, as we all know that I can get carried away quite easily and end up taking six foundations on a weekend away if I had the opportunity to. One foundation and one BB cream sounds fair doesn't it? I've been thoroughly enjoying the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation for a while now, and I want to get as much use out of it as I can before it becomes too dark for me again, so that's come along. Then we have the Erborian BB Creme Au Ginseng for those lighter coverage days. Plus, this is a travel size of it - space saving for the win! For concealers, I'm brining three, which I know might sound excessive, but I'm in between shades at the moment so it's (almost) necessary. My 17 Stay Time Concealer is pretty light for me at the moment but works under my eyes, so I ended up buying the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer before I left in a more suitable colour to cover any blemishes. I've also got my YSL Touche Éclat along for the ride as it is nice for highlighting my ever-so-slightly tanned complexion. I've kept it extremely simple when it comes to powders and I've just brought my current favourite along - the Bourjois Healthy Mix Powder which is incredibly fine-milled and comes in a ridiculously compact case - perfect!

The Face:

Again, keeping things streamlined, I've only brought two blushes, and even better, they're in the same compact! I know, I've even impressed myself with my restraint! My compact of choice is the NARS Blush Duo - Orgasm and Angelika (LE), which will cover me for every eventuality. Sticking with my love of NARS, I also packed my beloved NARS Laguna Bronzer to keep me looking sun-kissed. These three are a match made in heaven - they're all incredible quality - are we really surprised? - and make the skin glow. 

The Eyes:

The eyes are always my favourite, so by keeping it minimal in other areas I've allowed myself a tad more wiggle room here. Right, let's start with bases - I've got my much-loved Bourjois Colour Edition 24h Eyeshadow in Pétale de Glace which is great for everyday, and then I've brought my most reliable eye product ever - the MUFE Aqua Cream in #13. As for eyeshadows, I packed two palettes, the NARS And God Created The Woman for everyday neutrals, and my Z palette with some of my favourite MAC shadows in it (see more about this here). Then I have the most gorgeous golden bronze single eyeshadow from Laura Mercier called Fire Glow, and the KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 05. Day to day I only realistically use one eyeliner, my longtime favourite MAC Powerpoint Eyeliner in Stubborn Brown. Paired with that, I've been really enjoying the new Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara, so I decided to bring that as my daily mascara - and I haven't regretted one second of it. Finally we have to talk brows, and my two top products for taming them are the Benefit Gimme Brow and the Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil in Dark Blonde. 

The Lips:

For the lips I've stuck to the basics, one bold colour, one gloss and one balm - simples. There wasn't ever really a question as to which balm would be coming with me, as I've never found anything better than the Nuxe Rêve de Miel. Then I've brought along my favourite lipgloss ever - and that's saying a lot - the Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss in Pink Shock, along with the best bold lip out there, the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Pink Pong. Covered!

The Extras:For extras, I've only got a few bits and bobs. Firstly - a must have - a pencil sharpener for my MAC eyeliner. Then we have one of my handy lil' Travelos holding the perfect summer fragrance - the Chanel Chance Au Tendre. Finally I've bought a new addition to my stash (that should probably be in my skincare bag) the Lanolips Antibacterial Hand Cream to keep my hands clean yet moisturised whilst dealing with my face.  

So, how do you think I did? Have I conquered streamline packing, or do you think it's still too much makeup for a month away? Let me know in the comment section!

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The Comfy Way 'Round

The Comfy Way 'Round

Monday, August 4, 2014

I have big feet, I'll be the first to admit it. I've always struggled to find shoes that fit me - my 'canoe' like feet (as they've been affectionally called in the past) are a UK size 8-9 (about 42 EU), and not only are they large, but they are also on the wide side. So why am I telling you all of this? Well, it's because when I buy shoes, I occasionally have to stray over to the men's section to get my fix, and these brand spanking new kicks are a perfect example of this embarrassing confession. Apparently Nike hardly ever have anything above a 7 in the women's section, so when I decided that I needed some comfortable shoes in my life, it was over to the men's side of the store for me. 

I would be lying if I said that this purchase wasn't influenced by the gorgeous ViviannaDoesMakeup - she just has such flawless style! So, once I saw this post about her styling her own pair of Nike Free Runs, I knew I had to get myself some comfy trainers of my own. I wanted an 'everyday' shoe, something I could wear with anything, and that's where these bad boys came in. Like I said, I was a tad more limited due to my annoyingly-sized feet, but I managed to find this smart looking Nike 'Internationalist' pair, and for an extremely reasonable £65. Basically, I tend to walk a lot, and I'm sick of having sore feet by the end of the day when the weather is too warm for boot-wearing. In fact, for the last month or so, I've been sporting my Havaiana flip flops - which are really comfy, but not after a full day out and about, not to mention that I can't drive in them. Basically, I am extremely chuffed with the latest addition to my shoe-wardrobe, and I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about them in the future...

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Stuff I can finally throw away - Empties #3

Stuff I can finally throw away - Empties #3

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Moving countries and jumping all over the globe (not complaining!) has really put me in use-up/finish-off mode and I've been ploughing through products like my life depends on it. As you're reading this, I'm most likely in Russia which means that I might not have the ability to blog, so I am writing up as many posts as I can in advance so that I can keep up my blogging schedule. So, these favourites were actually from just after I left Madrid at the beginning of July, so that's why you may have already seen repurchases etc. before this actually goes up! Anyway, with disclaimer out of the way, I wanted to share with you the empties I've managed to get through and give you a little idea about what I thought about the products, and if I would consider buying them again. 

So first we have the Garnier Intensive 7 Days Body Lotion in Peach Sorbet, which I've talked about a few times as being perhaps my favourite moisturiser of all time. It has a gel-like consistency, which makes it feel really soothing and cool, as well as allowing it to sink in faster than any other moisturiser that I've tried. At £2.99, it is absolutely incredible value and it gives my legs that incredibly soft and silky feeling that it quite hard to come by as a dry-skinned gal. Also, the claim that you will have soft skin seven days after your last application is totally true - it's actually insane how soft this leaves your skin feeling. I haven't repurchased it yet as I want to try out a few new releases, but I will always go back to it when in doubt.

On from body lotion and straight onto hand cream, I've finished a sample size of the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Concentrated Hand Cream. When they say concentrated, they really mean it - the consistency is balm-like and it is some heavy duty stuff, but it still doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy in the slightest. Very good stuff for winter.

Then we have one of my favourite skincare items, the lovely Sumptuous Cleansing Butter from The Body Shop. I've talked about this loads on the blog in the last few months, so I won't ramble on, but it is an amazing cleansing balm/butter that melts away your makeup in one easy step - all whilst smelling incredible and leaving your face lovely and smooth at the same time. In case you haven't seen it, I've actually repurchased this already along with some other products from the Camomile line, all of which you can see in this post.

Although a tad expensive perhaps for what it is, the Aveda Foot Relief is one of the best foot creams I've come across. I know it's a bit of an avoided topic, but my feet can be right dry buggers and have a tendency to crack all year round, so a good foot cream is something that has to be part of my routine. The scent is gorgeous, it's incredibly nourishing and it really helps to soothe and heal any cracks. As it is a bit on the steep side, I'm not going to repurchase it just yet, but it is a really good treatment if you're in the mood to splurge on a bit of foot care.

Next we have one of Sephora's newest skincare releases; their new cloth masks, and I've tried out the Lotus one. When I bought it, the sales assistant recommended to put it into the freezer for about 15 minutes before use, and it was a marvellous experience indeed. The mask was moisturising, calming and (extremely) cooling - which was lovely at the end of a hot Spanish summer day. I actually picked 3 more of these up before I left Spain, and I plan on using them when I get a bit hot and bothered during the (hopefully) hotter summer months. They have loads of different 'flavours' to accommodate different skin types and needs, so they are definitely worth checking out if you're near a Sephora anytime soon.

The Fresh Fig Body Butter from Laura Mercier was a really nice moisturiser, but the scent didn't really do much for me. I've tried the Creme Brûlée bubble bath before and I think that scent is divine, so perhaps if I did buy one of Laura Mercier's body butters again, I would go for that scent. However, this is a fairly pricy body lotion, and considering how much I love the Garnier version I spoke about above, and the fact that it's a hell of a lot cheaper, I probably wouldn't buy this for myself again. 

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins Night Cream that I received with an order when I spent over a certain amount not that long ago. First of all, this smells incredible - it has a similar zesty scent to their GinZing line - and it's generally just a really nice moisturiser. It's packed full of all sorts of goodness, yet it doesn't feel really heavy or overly rich like you might think. Again, I have a million-and-one moisturisers to get through, but I could definitely see myself buying this in the future. 

Have you guys tried any of these? What did you think of them? have you used up and impressive (or seriously unimpressive) products lately? Do share! 

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