Phillip Kingsley | My Haircare saviour!

It's taken a good few years for me to find the products that work best for my hair. My hairs long and in some places thin which has always been the biggest insecurity and worry for me. I've tried all of the thickening shampoos, leave in sprays and tonics to try and build some volume but nothing ever worked the way I wanted. That was until I was recommended the brand Phillip Kingsley by a friend. I've never looked back! Last Sunday I used up my favourite products so did a little re-order on the M&S website as well as including something new that I hope will work great too. 

Hair treatments aren't anything new, however to me I had never tried them. I'm now onto my fourth pot of this stuff and it honestly does wonders. The Elasticizer is a deep conditioning treatment that you apply in wet hair for a minimum of 20 minutes before washing out and following your normal hair routine. You can use this however many times a week you want, but I like to apply it as part of my Sunday pamper. I apply in the morning, wrap my hair up in a bun and then go about my day before rinsing out in the evening. The product is literally what it says on the pot! It makes your hair more 'elastic' which prevents breakages and fall out, it also leaves the hair feeling smooth and shiny! 

The next product is one that I just thought would be great to try and something that on the bottle sounded like the perfect addition to my routine! You apply the Root Boosting spray after a hair wash before drying. You spray directly to the roots and massage into the scalp and then blow-dry. I've only used this one a couple of times but can already tell the difference it has made to the texture and volume. One thing I'm not sure on completely is how chalky it felt on my first use, but I do wonder if I perhaps sprayed too much so I'm willing to give it more of a trial. 

Finally purchasing two Phillip Kingsley products meant I qualified for the free gift set including 4 travel sized products. I was so happy that the Elasticizer was part of this set as it's going to be handy if and when we're finally able to travel abroad again. The root boosting spray was also included in this set which is great too. Next are two products I haven't tried before but was on my list when my budget extended to it. The Body Building Shampoo and Conditioner. I've read so many reviews on both of these products which I hope to be true, however my hair will be a good test for that! 

So there we have it, my Phillip Kingsley hair saviours! If anyone has tried any of these products let me know how they worked out for you, particulary the shampoo and conditioners. 

Until next time, 

Beauty | Harrods Beauty at Intu Lakeside!

When I first heard that my local shopping centre Intu Lakeside was getting a brand spanking new beauty shop I was so excited. Then when the news broke that it would actually be a Harrods beauty hall I was over the moon. Lakeside is full of so many incredible stores, including a few stand alone make up ones, but it really was missing one of this kind. So on Friday Emma and I decided we would pop down as soon as it opened to see what it was all about and we were not left disappointed!

Firstly the store itself is the perfect size for the wide variety of brands that are included. The aisles are large and allow social distancing which is ideal currently, but it also allows you to differentiate between the different brands. Charlotte Tilbury, Chanel, Penhaligons and Nars had the biggest displays and product ranges to select from, but smaller brands were also highlighted in individual aisles. With the current laws Emma and I didn't test anything out in the store on the day but the sample selection was great too. We worked our way around each aisle and was so excited to see all of our favourite brands in person, including a few that we hadn't ever seen up close before and thought were online exclusives. 

Another thing to note was the whole shopping experience itself. We were greeted by a lovely shop assistant and security guard at the door who welcomed us in and handed us a cute gold basket. Each main stand had someone offering help if needed, but allowed you to browse and prompt any interaction and the smaller ones had someone hovering every few metres or so. Nothing felt forced and we didn't feel like we had eyes on us the whole time. Both Emma and I commented on how nice it felt to actually look and we probably did browse for a good hour or so getting lost in all the makeup! The store also had a few stands of non makeup products too. These included the famous Harrods bear, water bottles and the new normal face masks. 

It was dangerous to our pocket but we enjoyed our little shopping spree, keep reading to see what I purchased!  

I had told myself I wasn't going to go too crazy on this trip, and I think I reigned myself in very well (I say as I'm fully preparing to go back for the Iconic London illuminator!). First was a repurchase of a very loved product of mine and my used to be daily lipstick. The Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in shade Super Cindy.  This colour is definitely my perfect nude and the colour that makes me feel the most like 'me' so I always make sure it's a repurchase of mine. The next product was absolutely encouraged by Emma who told me all the great things about it. The Brazilian Bum Bum Cream which claims to help smooth and visibly tighten the appearance of skin. If this works, you best believe I will be shouting about it from the rooftops! Finally I was swayed by the aisle of doom AKA the checkout which had so many mini products which always look so cute. The Tonymoly Egg Pore Nose Pack is another brand I had heard a lot about so wanted to try them out for myself. The pack comes with 7 sheets and I can't wait to get them out and use them. 

Overall Emma and I had such a lovely time visiting Harrods beauty. If you were to compare it to anything it would be Sephora, which as you know is a store the UK is missing! 

Until next time, 

BLOGMAS 4 || Gingerbread House Fail

Every now and then, I get these big ideas to do something super fun and crafty that completely fails. This is 100% one of those occasions! 

Every year I have attempted to make an amazing gingerbread house with white royal icing piped to perfection in cute little heart shapes with amazing trees and plump snow.... that never happens. This year I thought I would make life easier for myself and buy a kit. I found one in Ikea two weeks ago and thought I was onto a winner. That was, until I realised how much more effort it was going to take to put the house together. I followed every step, but no matter what I tried to do, I just couldn't get it to look that pretty. So here's my little house contribution. It doesn't look the prettiest, but I like it and it tastes AMAZING - so that's a winner right?!

Have you made a gingerbread house yet this year? Do you have any tips on how I can make it better? 

Until next time, x

Beauty | Urban Decay Naked Heat!

I know, I am VERY behind with writing this post and realise that everyone and their mum has probably already got a review of this little beauty up on their blogs already, but good things come to those who wait right?

I've dreamt of owning this palette ever since my eyes first saw it last summer when interning at Heat magazine (a story for another time, lol). To be completely honest with you, I just couldn't justify spending the money on buying it for myself! Just before Christmas my brother and his girlfriend Emma went to New York for a couple of days and face timed me to ask if I wanted one, of course I had said YES before Emma had even finished her sentence. 

Like most things this day and age, the packaging pretty much sold it for me. I love it when brands get creative, and Urban Decay never ever disappoint! I love how similar in shape and design this palette is to smoky as they look so cute sat on my dressing table together. Obviously with the name being Heat, the palette is full of orange, brown and gold shades that are all perfect to create a warm eye look. The pigmentation of the palette is equally as great, although I knew this would be the case!

The palette consists of 12 shades, seven mattes and five shimmers. Urban decay have gone down the right track with the perfect shimmery shade 'Lumber', which is probably my most favourite out of the whole palette. So what are the pro's and con's?

Pro's - It's a gorgeous, well thought and put together palette. The basic base shades of 'Low Blow', 'Sauced' and 'Chaser', set the eye perfectly for other colours to be effortlessly blended on top. I like to use my primer potion as a base and find it to work well with the shadows.

Con's - If I was to have to pick a con, it would probably be the fact the packaging is quite bulky. As much as I love it, a smaller design like the original Naked palette would be better for travel.

So there we go, my review finally, of the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette. It was about time I joined the beauty blogger world! I would love to know your thoughts on the palette, as well as looks I can try out!

Until next time, 

Lifestyle || Setting goals for 2019

Many people like to set themselves goals, and there's no more popular a time to be setting them than at the start of a fresh new year. I consider myself to be one of these people, although the way I've made these goals over the last couple of years has definitely changed! So let's take a look back on last years goals to see what I've been able to achieve, as well as make some new ones for 2019.

Blog four times a month

Well this didn't happen. I mean it almost did, but as the year went on, the busier I was getting at work which unfortunately meant my blog has taken a little bit of a back seat. I'm hoping to kick start things this month and feel really inspired to write again. 

Get outside and take advantage of the outdoors as a backdrop

Again, I have kind of met this goal. Over the last year I have felt more comfortable with taken photography with the help of my parents/brother. Many of these shoots have taken place outside. So my first big TICK!

Write for me

I think this is another goal of 2018 that I managed to meet. At my busiest this year I have felt stressed to write posts just to have content to advertise. Considering the fact I've been a little quiet through the months of September-December proves that I've taken some time to get myself sorted. My second TICK! 

Feel Inspired

I would consider this to be my third and final TICK! I have really enjoyed the content I have produced on this blog in 2018 and most of that is due to the fact I've been feeling inspired by trends/fashion and life! Let's hope this continues into 2019...

So I guess all that's left to do now is set myself new goals for the year ahead! 

1) Continue to enjoy writing and develop my own voice. One of the hardest things about blogging is finding your own way of writing and that's something that I have struggled with a little throughout 2018. I enjoy typing the way I would be having a conversation, however I know that this isn't always seen as grammatically correct. I would love to find that balance in 2019! 

2) Get creative with photography. Photography is one of my favourite parts of writing this blog. 2018 was the year I fell in love with Instagram. I would love to continue enjoying this platform by being creative with my photography/editing. 

3) Attend 5 blogging events. I would love to meet new bloggers this year! Blogging can be quite a lonely hobby, so I'm hoping to discover events in the Essex/London area that I can make the effort to attend. 

4) Enjoy blogging!!! Blogging has been a big hobby of mine for the last 4 years, but there's been many a time I have felt myself posting because of a schedule/wanting something to upload. This year I want to enjoy and fall in love with blogging again - so far so good!

So there's just a few of my new blogging goals for 2019, I would love to know what yours are or if we share any similar aims!

Until next time, 

Lifestyle || Steps I've Taken To Up My Photography

Taking photographs for my blog is probably one of my favourite steps in the whole blogging process. I love trying different things, using different props and generally experimenting when I shoot. As much as I love photography, it does at times become quite stressful. I can picture how I want images to look in my mind but it doesn’t always translate on the camera. I’ve been changing a couple of things up recently which, in my opinion, has helped me to take better photographs.

1.    Planning

I already kind of mentioned this above, but I find planning out what photographs I want to take before taking them helps a lot. This obviously changes depending on what I am photographing. I plan in a couple of ways. Simply searching flat lay ideas on Pinterest or scrolling through Instagram is a good way of researching ideas. Another way of planning, which works mainly with makeup photography, is physically looking at products to see which angle they will photograph best. Do they have anything special on their containers that’s worth photographing?

2.    Props

I’m a big fan of props, especially ones that can be used for a multiple of pictures! As well as my Marble backdrop board that I created as the perfect backdrop, I also use diaries, ribbons and confetti to scatter in the background of images. More recently, and probably thanks to the Christmas season, I have been using fairy lights to add a bit of ‘background’ to my images. You might have noticed a gorgeous light pink faux fur rug in a couple of recent Instagram photos? – That’s my comfy Zara Gilet. So you can truly use anything as a prop for your images! I have listed below a couple of ‘Blogger’ favourite’s that always look pretty when photographed.

-       Light Box (I’m yet to use mine in photos, but they look great!)

-       Other Products – This is a great idea when photographing products from the same brand.

-       Candles – Always look pretty when photographed from above, just be careful not to have them lit as this can damage your camera!

-       Jewellery – There’s something about jewelry that looks pretty when laid out.

-       Rugs – Faux fur, brightly coloured or monochrome. Rugs are always a great addition to a photo, and they extend your frame too if your running out of space on a surface!

Both ribbon and shredded paper that came with my Glossybox made a great photo prop!

Fairy lights and Christmas garland aren't just for Christmas!

Blurred out, the fairy lights and garland look pretty and make the background interesting.

Marble board, fairy lights and my trusty faux fur body warmer!

3.    Looking back at images

This is a step that I have been doing a lot recently, especially with the changing of weather and light when taking my images. Although I now own two studio lights, it’s still tricky to control the outcome of my photographs. So looking back over them when there’s time to change the finishing product is a great step to take. This can be annoying, especially if your using a tripod as you have to take everything apart before continuing with your images, but it’s worth doing trust me. It makes the editing step a lot easier, as you’re kind of taking out the middle man.

Before

After

4.    Angles

I read a great post the other week (I am so annoyed I now can’t find the post or the blogger!) about changing up the angles of which you take your photographs. I agreed with every point that the blogger made about taking photographs for you, and following your own instinct when it comes to blogging photos. Since starting my blog I have been a firm fan of the flat lay, and don’t get me wrong I still am, but I have enjoyed switching the angle slightly and changing up my lenses to photograph in a fresh profile style way.

5.    Have fun!

This isn’t really a step, or a tip, but something that’s taken me a while to truly grasp. Photography is such a fun thing to do, and half the time we stress out so much about it the enjoyment is taken away. I try to combat this by photographing when I want to, rather than when I need to. This does mean I tend to plan my posts in advance, which can be annoying, but it also gives me time to come up with ideas for Instagram posts as well as for my blog. Things don't always go right either and that's ok too! As you can tell from the next set of photographs, taking photos AND owning cats brings up it's own problems!

Hope some of my tips have helped in some way. Photography is truly all about how you want to do it, no rules and no guidelines. I think that’s probably what I like about it the most! I was going to go into tips on shooting OOTD’s or fashion posts on your own, but think that’s worth a post all of its own! Let me know if that’s of any interest!

Until next time,