Pay Day Spending!

So I recently got a new job after a fair bit of time spent desperately hunting and it is so nice to have my own money, a regular income again. Naturally, with my first pay check I had to do some shopping and dragged my surprisingly willing boyfriend to Basingstoke to treat myself...quite a bit. I don't think I'm the most normal girl in the sense that I find it quite hard to spend money. It's not that there's nothing I want to buy, because there's plenty as I'm sure you've noticed, but that I'm very conscious of the fact that I could easily end up being broke pretty quickly! You never know when you might urgently need some cash, be it an amazing pair of shoes or a dentist trip or something, it's the reason I really think twice before every purchase...does that make me boring? Haha. 

Anyway, Basingstoke, I honestly felt so excited I was practically shoving my money in the cashiers faces :). 

First stop, The Body Shop, somewhere I could so easily spend hundreds of pounds but I refrained and just bought this yummy grapefruit shower gel at £4, but I only had to pay £1 due to my little joy card (or something like that), that you get free in GLAMOUR this month and has either £3, £15 or £100 on it, yay! Free money, sort of. 

Pink Grapefruity goodness

Then Lush, where I always want to spend a ton of money but hold myself back and just but a couple of things! My purchases this time being an "Avobath", lemony fresh smelling and an "Ickle Baby Bot" for my boyfriends son as he loves watching them fizz away in his baths and thinks they smell of sweets, aww.

Coolest Packaging!

 Avobath. Baby Bot couldn't wait to be used it seems!

In Zara I bought this amazing, super snuggly, mustard coloured scarf for only £10 and also a cheeky little roller ball perfume in "11 Corso Vittorio Emanuele Milano" which smells so lovely but only cost me £3.99... It's definitely in my top 3 favourite perfumes, the others being Chloe and MAC's Turquatic. I'm no good at describing scents, the best I can do for this one is floral, fruity and a tiny bit sweet. The website describes it as the top note being apple, middle notes being peony, Brazilian orange and violet, and the base note being sandalwood.

Hard to picture a scarf, but it's the colour I wanted to capture!

11 Corso Vittorio Emanuele Milano

Tesco I spotted a new dry shampoo and, being a big fan of the stuff, decided to try it out. I've never found one that matches the quality of Batiste whilst also sticking to the drugstore prices until this little beauty! It's paraben, silicone (v. important for me with fine hair) and colorant free, smells amazing and best of allllll it doesn't leave a rubbish white residue and gives a lot of volume! Honesty, I love, love, love it.

Timotei Dry Shampoo

Last stop was Superdrug where I bought:

a Barry M nail polish in the gorgeous deep burgundy/red that looks just a couple shades away from black, perfect for autumn. It's called Red Black, inventive

a Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold - soft pink with silver and golden shimmer 

a Sleek blush in Pomegranate - a deep pinky red...which, after a couple of uses, I've realised is not right for my skin tone (pale haha) so I think I'll have to give that one away, boo :(

MaxFactor Masterpiece Max High Volume mascara which is my all time fave "drugstore" one!

Barry M Red Black Nail Varnish

 Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold

 Sleek blush in Pomegranate

MaxFactor Masterpiece Max High Volume Mascara 

I also got some boring old Primark white plimsolls, essentials but yawn.

Clearly this wasn't enough to get my fix so, later that evening, I went online and ordered these Zara leggings. I already have a pair of these and I love SO much that I was afraid to not have them in my life and bought a back up pair...that's just good sense I think. Also, I made a small MAC order of a Single Large Pro Pallete and the 15 slot insert as I've been dying to start building up a palette of my favourite shades! I think it's such a good idea to be able to custom make one and although they're not cheap, they last such a long time it's more of an investment :) 

Not the hugest haul but I love everything I got!

What do you guys think?!

November Shopping Haul

I went a tad overboard whilst shopping in New York, and please excuse the bad photographs but it was all a bit hectic! I love love love Sephora and MAC stores I just love being in there and having a wander and they have such awesome products! I decided that I wanted to try to find some of the Rihanna MAC Fall Collection but my quest failed because, as I'm sure everyone knows, the collection sold out in such a short space of time. But I did manage to find one of the Lipsticks and a couple of the eye shadow palettes. I had a little look at the palettes and I did really like them but instead decided I quite fancied creating one of my own. I opted for Quad palette which worked out at $10.00 per eye shadow and $48.00 for the case. Which does work out slightly cheaper than in the UK. 

The Eye shadows that I chose were:
Style Snob - this is a nice shimmer 'taupey' brown and it's great as a crease shade, its also really easy to blend so works great with other shades or when used on its own.

Jest - I love the soft texture and subtle shimmer of this eye shadow, it's great for highlighting and blending and has quickly become one of my favourite eye shadows.
Mystery - This is a pretty chocolate brown that is a great neutral crease shade, I find the 'plummy' undertones compliment my brown eyes, and if you dust off any excess, you'll have no fall out.
Coquette - This is great at complimenting other shades and for blending, I find it's a very natural eye shadow that has a slightly khaki/olive look to it, it's a very universal shade that can be used on the eyebrows or on the lids to create a beautiful natural depth.

(Picture of Mac Palette)

Sephora was where I found the brushes ideal for what I wanted. I've been searching for a while for a blending brush for the crease of my eye so that I can start to play around more with different effects and colours, so when I saw the Sephora Collection 'Classic Eyeshadow Blending Brush #60' for only $16.00 I got all excited because it looked perfect and it's a great length too so very easy to handle and use. The second brush that I grabbed up for $14.00 is the 'Classic Must have Angled Liner Brush #90' this is great for blending in my eye liner, it's really great at following the shape of the eye to blend moistened eye shadow or liquid liner and leaves a really precise, finished look.

Now, I've heard about the Makeup Forever Smoky Lash Mascara and it was one of the items that I was already planning to buy when I got there. It was $23.00, which is one of the more expensive beauty products that I bought but I absolutely love it and it's definitely worth the amount I spent. I've been trying it out since my purchase and it has quickly become my favourite Mascara ever! I'm a big fan of the YSL 'Babydoll' Mascara but I find it only really adds length to my lashes so they still lack volume, plus when I use the Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara my lashes start to clump together and it just doesn't really work for me. But, the Smoky Lash Mascara manages to add volume and length straight away and I find that I don't need to use much of it either to achieve the desired look. I just love it and will 100% be re-purchasing it.

Sephora Purchases

I found some great jackets in Forever 21, which I adore! With the first, I went for a size bigger than usual because I wanted to be able to layer easily and for it to be slightly over-sized and I really love it. It is a dark blue colour that has a black Aztec print to it, but due to the colours being quite similar I don't feel it's too much and it creates a nice affect. I also opted for a black leather jacket which can be worn with virtually anything so is great for cold weather and for completing a casual look.

I've recently be finding quite a few items in Primark! They have some great, chunky knits and cardigans which I made sure I stocked up on! They also have a range of £5.00 skater dresses all with different patterns and arm lengths, which can be combined with some of there £6-£8 jumpers to create a nice look. I've been styling them with some of my big cardigans and I'm really loving the combination at the moment. I always grab some Primark vest tops when I'm in there, just to wear underneath a top that appears a bit too see-through, or just as an extra layer, because they are crazy cheap and come in loads of colours! I do find though if you get one that's a size too big it tends to roll/curl at the ends which is a major pain if you are tucking it in, so make sure you get a size that isn't too long. Can't reallllllly go wrong with a £2.50 vest top.

Primark £5.00 Dresses

I have fallen in love with a bag, it's quite small so you can't really get too much in there, but overall it's just awesome. It's the Burgundy and Red panel Mini Satchel from New Look, and it is just so cute. You can purchase it for £15.99, but if you don't want to spend that much then Primark are doing a lot of similar style over the shoulder bags which work out quite a bit less. I adore the colour of this bag it goes perfectly with the gold buckles and pretty much an outfit I'm wearing. I wouldn't carry around too many items as it's not exactly huge but a perfect size to get in the essentials! The block shape really makes the retro design stand out.

New Look - Burgundy & Red Panel Mini Satchel

I'm also currently awaiting the arrive of some items I purchased online, very cheeky. The first is some very cute floral dungarees which I bought from www.motelrocks.com I've heard about this website before, but after having a proper look through I have decided I actually love it and just want to buy everything all day everyday. I think the dungarees will go really well with a white turtle neck crop top or a loose, white t-shirt, they were £35.00 with free postage. My second purchase, was a pair of amazing platform boots from H&M, I've been looking for a pair of these for a long time, they would look great with frilly socks which you can buy from Primark or Topshop! 

1. Motel Rocks Dungarees 2. H&M Platform Boots

Overall I am very please with my recent shopping items and I'm very excited for my boots to arrive!

Wish List #2

I really wish I could afford all of these but my bank balance would hate me! I will have to dream (and save frantically) for now. Sad face.

1. The Philip Kingsley elasticizer is so incredible, nuff said. I've had it before in the smaller size but it works out better value to buy it bigger, I'm not complaining! I think everyone knows about this product, many peoples HG hair mask, leaving your hair so very soft and lovely. 

2. I'm currently holding my mums GHD's hostage and so it's about time I bought some of my own...or so I've been told. These yellow ones are just so beautiful that I can't even consider buying another colour, I don't know why I'm so infatuated with these ones in particular, I just love how bright and vibrant they are. Plus they're only £79 at the moment on lookfantastic.com

3. This little Christmas themed set is so cute and seeing as I currently only own two (honeysuckle honeydew and summer fruit), three more is ok right? Particularly excited about the vanilla bean flavour!

4. I like and tend to be quite monochramatic in my outfits, so much so that I do it by accident, and then add a pop of colour in my accessories such as scarfes or bags...or a purse...like an orange lizard and cream suede one from Aspinal of London...

Anyway, what do you think?

My Trip Back to New York City!

In October this year I was lucky enough to have a second visit to one of my favourite places in the entire world, New York City!! I think it's just so amazing, with so many different things to do and is just a beautiful city. This year I went for 7 days and got to explore some of the less 'touristy' attractions as my friend was living there and had lots to show us! I didn't visit the Empire State Building or Rockefeller Centre this time as we got to do that on our first trip but both of those are a must when visiting NYC! With it being Fall (Autumn), the leaves had all turned, making it all so pretty and it was a nice temperature for someone walking around a lot. I would definitely recommend going at this time of year, especially as I got to be there around my favourite time of year, Halloween! And was able to see loads of Halloween themed houses/shops and go to some amazing Halloween parties and events!  

Central Park

Was it expensive, yes, but that's because I wanted to shop everywhere, all the time. Flights and accommodation weren't really too much money in total as we spent a couple of days staying at my friends too which helped with the overall cost, and meant more shopping money, which I was all for. When you go to New York there's so much to do that I couldn't possibly write about all of it but I decided to focus on some of the trip highlights. On our first full day we decided we would grab some ice cream and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn, we paid for a $30.00 Subway card which gives you unlimited use for 7 days and I would recommend this to anyone planning to use the subway to get around. It was definitely the cheapest way of doing it and I used it hundreds of times so it was great value for money!

We got to Brooklyn and it was beautiful, definitely go there, you get some great pictures of the New York Skyline and it's got some very peaceful gardens and is a bit less hectic than Manhattan. Due to our holiday being around Halloween time we decided to book with Groupon for an evening in a Haunted House in the middle of Times Square called 'Times Scare'. Make sure if you book with Groupon you read the fine print as sometimes there can be an extra fee to pay when you arrive at the venue. SPOILER ALERT: Seeings as I was at the front of my group in the Haunted House I think I did quite well, seeings as it was quite horrifying and I do feel bad for the actors jumping out at me as I was just screaming repeatedly in there faces. Overall, I loved the Haunted House, I love all things like that, and I don't think it was too scary in all, apart from a point in which I was generally running for my life, away from a crazed clown with what I still honestly believe was an actual chainsaw. I have never seen people as scared as the two girls behind us who I'm sure will probably still be having nightmares about it, it was just horrific, but also hilariously funny. So I recommend doing something like Times Scare, as they have Haunted Houses that run all year round and I have heard that a lot of them are pretty crazy.

Here is the link for the Times Scare Trailer, so you can see what I'm talking about, IF YOU DARE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk1BkQPmSLg

Some Highlights of My Trip

One of my favourite nights in NYC was at the New York Knicks Game. It was my first basketball game and I absolutely loved it, it's just so great to watch and get involved in, they have amazing audience entertainment in the breaks, for example the cheerleaders & dancers and people shooting free t-shirts out of a canon-gun thing! Tickets are quite expensive but it is definitely worth it, we also managed to get tickets for the night Madison Square Gardens Re-opened after it's refurbishment and that was just awesome, free t-shirts on the door, who doesn't love a free t-shirt. 

We spent our Saturday morning in New York at a Dog Halloween Fashion Parade. It sounds weird but it wasn't I just loved it, never have I seen such friendly dogs and there were literally hundreds of them, in every costume you can think of. I decided before we got there I wanted to find a dog in a Yoda costume, and of course there in the park, was Yoda Dog. I saw taco dogs, hashtag dogs, lobster dogs and of course a Miley Cyrus 'twerking' dog. The only costume I found a bit too strange was a little Chihuahua bride, only because the man holding her was dressed as the groom, and it was just a tad creepy town.

Skyline from Brooklyn & Times Square

Some other great experiences were sneaking into a College Halloween Party at Dave & Busters which was probably the best night of the holiday, best party hands down I've ever been to, these American kids sure can dance. I've uploaded the break dance video onto my personal Instagram @amyscurr so I'd get on over there to watch that!! Times Square is obviously a highlight, you've gotta be crazy to not be amazed by that place, explaining it just doesn't do it justice so if you get the chance to go to New York, I would definitely put some time aside for visiting it at least twice! 

We travelled over to Coney Island which is definitely an all day thing, as it takes around an hour on the Subway to get there. I think you either love or hate Coney Island, I think it's pretty awesome and the beach is so beautiful but if the park is closed there isn't really much else to do if you don't like having just a general wonder. If you visit Coney Island make sure you have something to eat in Nathans, a hotdog (which i think they are quite famous for), or a corn dog whatever you like, but order the cheesy fries, you just need to do it. The New York Aquarium is situated at Coney Island, and it is great fun, however after the storms last year and hurricane Sandy, its lacking quite a bit in the fish department, as in... there's a few fish tanks, a walrus, a couple of sea lions and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the penguins running off. But, seeings as the aquarium only has a suggested price, you can pretty much pay what you want so I had a really great day there only costing $5.00.
Overall, this trip to New York has been my favourite Holiday so far, it's an amazing place, and there is so much to do for everyone. Central Park is great for walking around for some peace and quiet it's got some beautiful views where you can get some great photographs by the lakes or in the zoo! The stores are incredible I would recommend visiting Macy's, Nike Town and Bloomingdales, there are also a number of MAC and Sephora stores spread around the city for beauty and makeup products! Plus, Forever 21 is a MUST, this is where I spent most of my time and money and the biggest Victoria's Secret store ever is in New York, that shop is unbelievable the staff are extra friendly too. I managed to spend quite a fair bit of money shopping so there will be a separate post for my New York purchases.

Coney Island & New York Aquarium

I hope to be able to visit New York again soon, and would love to hear about anyone else's experiences there! Plus, anyone who hasn't been to or heard of the Shake Shack, needs to get there pronto, the burgers will complete your life.

Amy x

Halloween Makeup: The Creepy Clown

Halloween happens to be my favourite time of year, ever! I love dressing up and getting my scare on, it's that time of year I get to purposely make myself as hideous and creepy as possible and people compliment me for it! I love to try out something different each year, last year I was a Zombie Nurse and managed to freak a fair few people out, but this year I wanted to really go to Creepy Town, and I know quite a lot of people get freaked out by clowns. So, I decided it had to be a Creepy Clown.

Before starting on my own costume this year I was asked to do a few of my friends makeup so I did some little practice sessions on my hand. My friend went as a Zombie Surgeon so I needed to be able to make a deep Zombie bite mark. To do this I blended Special FX Wax into my skin, formed individual teeth marks with a small wooden cuticle stick then covered this with Ben Nye Liquid Latex. I grabbed a small cheap face paint palette which you can buy from Wilkinson or Tescos and used the black to paint inside the wound. I painted over this with red paint from my palette also painting around the wound to make it look bruised and sore. I used Ben Nye Stage Blood, which I brushed inside the wound and around it to make it look realistic. The picture below shows my practice session, but when I did it for real I added a lot more bruising and blood!

Practicing a Zombie Bite

Getting myself ready for Halloween only took around 20 minutes in total which isn't too long for the entire costume, hair and makeup! I started by painting my whole face white with a wet sponge with my small paint palette from Tescos, the great thing about being a dead/zombie clown is that you don't have to be too precise you can make it messy. I used an eyeshadow blending brush (or you can use a paintbrush) with black paint to create diamond shape eyes, but again I left them messy to add effect. I used the same technique as when I created the Zombie bite when creating the 'Chelsea Smile' mouth, this was with Special FX Wax and Liquid Latex On top. This took a while to blend in due to the paint on my face so I would suggest that you add the wax to the face before painting it white. You can spread the wax and liquid latex as far up your face as you want to make the smile bigger, I then painted the inside black and red, then added the Stage blood inside and all along my face to make it freakier. Rather than painting my nose red I just added a small circle of stage blood to it, as I preferred how this looked. Right, my eyes... one of my favourite pairs of contact lenses, and they are called White Mesh Contacts. I find these bearable for the entire night as you can still see easily through the small holes in the contacts, vision is just a little blurry. For my hair, I put in a set of old/spare hair extensions so that it didn't matter if they became ruined, and used spray in hair colour to dye Half of my hair orange and half green. These hair colour sprays were from Asda, but you can find them in lots of supermarkets or in Claire's Accessories. 

Full Costume & Makeup

The dress that I wore, I had ordered online and only just arrived in time, so if you are ordering online make sure the estimated arrival time is well before you need the costume! There are lots of clown costumes available from various stores, Asda does a female clown dress as well. This one is a Leg Avenue Dress, which included the Bow Tie and Hat.

Close Up

Overall, this is my favourite Halloween costume so far, I really enjoyed getting ready and I love the horrified looks people give me! I'm already excited to start coming up with ideas for next years costume, so let me know if anyone has any ideas!

Amy x

Products Used:

* Ben Nye Stage Blood (Bought when in US) - $6.00 but can be purchased for £4.50 in UK
* Ben Nye Liquid Latex - $4.99
* Orange & Green Hair Colour Sprays - Asda £3.00 Each
* Clown Dress with Bow Tie & Hat - http://www.legavenue.com/costumes/
* Cuticle Sticks - Wilkinson £0.50 for a pack of 10
* White Mesh Contact Lenses - www.eyesbright.com £12.95 per pair
* Small Paint Palette - Tescos £3.99 for the 'Goth Makeup Kit' which includes     red http://www.tescoparty.com/ShowProducts.aspx?pageid=653
* Snazaroo Special FX Wax 18ml - £3.99 in Partyshop

Back to Dip-Dyed Hair!

I tend to be very indecisive with my hair, and I do change it quite frequently. I like seem to get a bit bored and want a complete change, but there seems to be a pattern emerging around Autumn time when I start to crave the darker shades. Now I really don't like my hair too dark, but I wanted something quite close to my natural colour this time, after having Ombre (Dip Dyed) twice before, it was dip dye that won my vote yet again!

This time however, I decided darker shade wouldn't be as dark as the previous times I've done it, and overall I really love it at the moment. I enjoyed my blonde summer hair, but caring for 'all over' bleached hair and having the roots re-highlighted regularly tends to be quite a mission and can get quite expensive. Everyone knows that roots are a massive pain in the backside.

I like to wear hair extensions quite regularly to add volume and length to my hair so matching all the colours and using the Bleach kit took quite a while all together. I decided that I would dye all my natural hair the brown shade I had chosen, this being Garnier Olia 6.0 Light Brown, and then find new extensions that were already dip-dyed to the colours I wanted. I chose extensions already dip-dyed as you can't really lighten the colour of Human hair extensions as it tends to go wrong, you're supposed to stick to only dying them darker.

After matching my newly brown natural hair to the brown on the dip-dyed extensions, I just had to slightly lighten the ends of my natural hair, so that all the hair went into blonde at the same point. To do this I used the Jerome Russell B Blonde Hair Lightener Kit, and scrunched the mixture into the ends, leaving it for 30 minutes.

Overall this was very long-winded, I know. But I am really pleased with the finished look! It is much warmer and compliments my ultra dark brown eyes, so they look slightly more brown rather than black. I also feel more confident without any fake tan as I don't seem to look as washed out, I think that the slightly paler skin adds to the look.

New Dip-Dyed Hair

Happy to be waving goodbye to hours of highlighting!

Amy x

Products used:
Garnier Olia 6.0 Light Brown - Boots £6.00
Jerome Russell B Blonde Hair Lightener kit - Boots £5.99

Some Websites Selling Dip Dye Hair Extensions:

http://www.buyhair.co.uk/dip-dyed-hair-lp-282.html
http://www.hothair.co.uk/16-Clip-in-Ombre-Extensions.html
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=dip+dye+hair+extensions

Collective Review: Yves Saint Laurent Makeup Range

I was always very jealous of those people who manage to find the foundation that's perfect for them, very jealous. I also envied the dewy, light coverage that some people manage to pull off because my face just used to look oily or just sweaty, very attractive I'm sure. I've tried Mac, had a stab at Maybelline, Rimmel, more Mac. But I have indeed found the one. 

Yves Saint Laurent - Le Teint Touche Éclat Illuminating Foundation. What a beautiful creation. I adore this product, it provides me with medium coverage, but feels so light, and it claims to target shadowy areas and highlight the contours of the face, which it does. When I wear this foundation my face doesn't appear overly dewy but has this illuminated affect.  I use my Mac 187 brush to apply this foundation and it basically just glides on, it's very easy to get the coverage you want. I usually use my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder afterwards to make sure it stays in place and I get hours and hours of wear from it. The packaging looks amazing, lots of gold and kept in a glass bottle, makes me feel very posh. Plus, the glass means that you can monitor how much you have left very easily, so you don't have to panic realising the next day you might not have a face to put on.

This foundation does well to conceal imperfections as well as providing an even complexion. It smells amazing, and I think it is perfect for summer and for those with combination/oily skin that are a little bit scared to try a more dewy look. The foundation might not work for everyone but it is definitely worth trying, and I would recommend it to anyone. I purchased the product from House of Fraser for £29.00, and I would advise going into a store to have your shade matched, because the price stung a tad, especially after I got way too excited and bought the Concealer aswell. 100% worth it, amazing, and at least if I don't get married one day, I'll know I found this foundation. 


Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) Touche Éclat Radiant Touch Concealer. I'd heard big things about this concealer after it was previously voted the UK number 1 luxury beauty product, and it did not let me down. It's a little pricey so I made sure I had my colour matched in a House Of Fraser store before I purchased it. The shade I ended up with was 1, no surprise here as I may be in the top 10 palest people alive, and I love this product as much as my YSL Foundation. 

This concealer is amazing at hiding dark circles beneath the eyes, while also brightening the areas of your face. It leaves you glowing, and the product is extremely easy to blend and build for a low-medium coverage. Very easy to apply, the first time you use it you may need to click the dispense button a few times, but for regular use you only need to once. It is packaged in a slick gold tube, that has a brush at the end for blending and this is where the product is released. This concealer has Light-reflecting pigments that will make your eyes and entire face appear brighter, however it doesn't give much coverage for blemishes, I was told by the staff member that there is a separate YSL concealer stick for this specific role. 

YSL Illuminating Foundation & Concealer

Overall I love this concealer and  the unique glow that this product gives your face, plus the highlighter effect it has. It was worth the money for me as I was on the search for a product that would hide dark circles and that had a light reflecting effect, but it may not be so great for those looking for a concealer to solely cover blemishes. I also try not to use the concealer on a day-to-day basis because I don't think I can deal with it running out on me, I'm not ready to lose my secret brightening wand.

YSL Babydoll Mascara

The YSL Babydoll Mascara... not going to lie, the main reason I wanted to buy this instead of the Shocking mascara was because I love Cara Delevingne (who doesn't) and I really loved the advert, being a sucker for advertising and anything pretty! Before I had the Dolce & Gabbana Secret Eyes mascara that my boyfriend bought me for Christmas, which I LOVED and so I knew I wanted another designer mascara, not for the name but because they really are so much better than the highstreet/drugstore ones in my opinion. 
And...I'm absolutely in love with it! The brush is small and thin with evenly spaced plastic teeth that really grab every lash and give them an even coating. I really hate mascaras that have a tonne of product on the brush so that you either, apply it and end up with about four thick triangular eyelashes or you spend an hour scraping the brush round the edge of the tube to get it all off, so I'm pleased to say that you get the perfect amount of product right away with the Babydoll! No lumps, no horrible globby bits just really long, black lashes. I would say that it adds more length than volume but I tend to apply a second coat to get my desired effect which I don't have a problem with!
Overall, love it, will definitely repurchase.

Wish, want, need

1. The most beautiful Mulberry bag, a Bayswater shoulder bag in "Oak". I also love it in "Deer Brown" which is ever so slightly darker and "Mole Grey" which is an amazing smooth grey colour but is even more expensive at £1,100 ! Whichever I choose I think I'm going to be saving for a while...should I, shouldn't I...

2. Some cute Polaroid style prints of my Instagram photos to frame and put on my wall. I've seen quite a few people who've done this already, I think it's such a cool idea.

3. Going to have to buy this at the weekend, it's from H&M, a really vibrant lime green material and gold chain statement-style necklace. It's such a bargain too!

4. I've been searching for a new moisturiser for ages and I was mooching about in boots round the Origins counter before spotting this, it smells incredible - like freshly juiced oranges :) yum.

5. I wish we had Bath and Body Works in the UK (or do we? In London?) because they have such nice sounding things! I love hand sanitizer for my handbag and they sell really cool flavours/scents, such as this Island Margarita one I've already ordered. They're super easy to find on eBay.

I am a Lee Stafford Obsessive

We already have one collective Lee Stafford review of a whole bunch of products but as that one was pretty long already and seeing as together I think we almost have the entire range we decided to split it into two posts!

Excuse the rubbishy photo :(

So i'll try to make this quick and i'll do it in order from left to right of the photo...

Poker Straight - Flat Iron Protection Shine Mist: I love this! I don't need to comment on the smell because it smells like basically everything else in the range and I think it's a love it or hate it kind of thing! At first I was a bit like "woah, not sure about that" but now I love it! Very strong, perfume-y, salon like smell that might take some getting used to. As for the actual product itself, it's amazing. I needed the heat protecting side of things as I use both hairdryer and straighteners and I loved the fact that it'd help keep my hair straight. I spray it really liberally all over my wet hair, blow dry it and then spray my hair again before using my straighteners. Not only does it definitely help with the straightness on the day and the day after but it doesn't leave any residue or weigh my hair down which I think is a necessity for everyone, right?
So it is really good and a bottle lasts for aaages but I think I will try some other products out there because I don't think this is the be all and end all!

Dry Shampoo - Dark: Meh... I'm not really a fan of this. Again, it smells good but I think that's about all I can say that I do like about it. This might just be me but I feel like it actually makes my hair more greasy, which is completely defying the point. It kind of freaks me out that when I shake it, it sounds like a spray paint can but also I think that because it obviously has some sort of product in it that makes it brown coloured and in turn that makes it a little sticky! Anyway I've used it about 6 times and haven't liked it each time so I wouldn't recommend this and I'm just going to stay with my trusty Batiste.

Poker Straight - Dehumidifier: I really like this! I've said before that I have the most useless hair and it always goes like a lions main in any form of humidity and this really does help. It tames my hair and although it's not going to completely stop any sort of effect it definitely lessens it, even in the rain. My only problem with it is that as I have fine hair, it does weigh it down slightly and I do find that I can't often get away with not washing my hair the day after use so I tend to save it for desperate times! I think if your hair was a little thicker then this would be fine for you but hey, trial and error!

Solution Spray - I Hate My Hair The Day It's Washed: To be honest I really don't know why I bought this. I used to think I hated my hair the day it's washed but actually, I quite like it so...yeah this product was not for me because it just meant I had to wash my hair again sooner. I do think that has a lot to with the fact that my hair is quite fine and can be quite oily. However I know a lot of people that love this product so all I can say is if you have fine hair or oily hair - don't buy this.

Protection Spray - Climate Control: Basically, for a hairspray I think this is amazing. It has good hold and it really does act like a bit of an umbrella as it suggests - if you're like me and when it's raining, drizzling, spitting or any of that kinda thing and your hair doesn't just get wet, it goes crazy then this is for you. Stops any frizz or fluffyness and helps keep your hair looking half way decent in the horrible English weather.

Argan Oil: As far as I'm aware this is the same as most argan oil products out there. You only need the smallest amount, I only use about half a pump, on wet hair, to get smooth, soft and sleek hair or you can use it on dry hair to smooth everything down and tame any flyaways. I don't use this too often as I'm worried about creating a build up on my hair but 2-3 times a week works perfectly! Also I think this might be one of the only products from the Lee Stafford range that doesn't have the signature smell, it smells slightly flowery instead.

My Big Fat Healthy Hair Shampoo and Conditioner

I'm always looking for things to make my hair more voluminous, if it has anything to do with volume (or volume related words i.e. big, fat) on the package I've probably got it and the Lee Stafford range is no exception. A lot of people have said that these products are really drying to your hair, they make it feel crispy and things like that but I really haven't experienced that. I think maybe the reason they feel it's drying is nothing to do with the shampoo but because the conditioner is a bit milky. I don't really find this a hugh problem, I just use a leave in conditioner afterwards and my hair feels like normal and I still get the effect from the shampoo. This shampoo works really, really well for me, as soon as I've dried my hair it actually feels lifted and voluminous and I think it makes my hair really clean, to the extent that I can get away with an extra day without washing. I wouldn't use it everyday as I think my hair can get used to products sometimes and if I don't mix it up, I'll stop getting the effect. Overall I would definitely buy the shampoo again but I probably wouldn't bother with the conditioner because I don't think it makes a difference.

Any suggestions to help my get voluminous hair?

Bioderma vs. Taaj Himalaya

Everybody and their mum knows Bioderma , the cleansing make-up remover perfect for sensitive skin that is well loved by all from make up artists to celebrities and everyone in between! Taaj Himalaya is less well known but could easily be in the running for best micellar water with its calming properties and plant extracts.

I first bought Bioderma on Escentual to see what all of the hype was about, I only bought the small 100ml just to give it a try and since then I've been hooked (and I now refill the cute little bottle so I can travel with it too) - it really is as incredible as everyone says. 

Then, when I went to Paris and was searching the shelves of CityPharma, I saw the Taaj Himayala bottle nestled up high and remembered reading a blog post by Zoella who swore by the stuff so decided to pick it up.

Naturally I felt I had to compare it to Bioderma because I really didn't think I'd ever find something I preferred.

So, i'll start with effectiveness of removal and to be honest I cannot tell a difference, neither require any rubbing or fussing, you just swipe a saturated cotton wool pad across your face to easily remove all traces of make up. The smell however there is definitely a difference between; Taaj Himalaya smells really flowery and fragrant, nice and fresh, whereas Bioderma actually smells a little funny - I can't put my finger on it but all I can think is it's a little plastic-y? It's supposed to be fragrance free but in this case I think a little fragrance wouldn't go amiss. As for how your face is feeling after use, with Bioderma I felt squeaky clean and it dried pretty much instantly. With Taaj I felt a little sticky or greasy and it took a fair while to dry which I really didn't like, I hate feeling sticky with a passion.
Next is the price, for 500ml of Taaj Himalaya it will cost you £16.00 plus p+p from Birchbox and 500ml of Bioderma is £14.50 plus p+p , not a huge difference!
The Taaj Himalaya does include some fancy ingredients like chamomile, green tea and rosemary which all sound like they should be good for you and apparently improve resistance to stress, and it is paraben free which I know can severely irritate some peoples skin, so in that case you may prefer it. However, I still believe nothing is better than Bioderma and am yet to be swayed. I will happily finish my bottle of Taaj Himalaya micellar water but I doubt i'll be buying it again...at least not any time soon!

Which do you prefer?!

Charity Skydive for Beating Bowel Cancer!

Saturday was an amazing day, the day of my charity skydive for the 'Beating Bowel Cancer' Charity. This was my second tandem skydive, my first was when I turned 18, but this time I wanted to raise money for a charity of my choice, and it was unbelievable. 

With the skydive airfield being about an hour and a half away, we had to leave at 6:00am to arrive before my 8:00am check in time. Now I am late for almost everything but when it comes to my adrenaline junkie days it's like WOAH she's half an hour early. Some of the centres chose the groups on a first come first serve basis and I wanted to fly in an early plane. However, this time I decided I would like an assigned camera man (best decision ever) so I was in the air about 12:30 because there are only so many of them. This was okay though because the Skydive centre had a cute cafe and bar so I got some breakfast and a cup of tea.
Was I nervous, yes - But definitely more excited, the people at the airfield were so friendly and organised and they make you feel like you know what your doing in training when they check each of you individually when you practice the body position. After 30 Minutes training and lots of people thanking me for raising money for a wonderful charity, it was my turn. 

Well, when I get nervous my gums go all tingly, and yes I know this is weird and the skydiver attached to me was probably thinking I was very strange to keep moving my jaw, but I didn't care. The Skydiver I had was amazing and so was my photographer, both so friendly and chatty, and the views from the plane are just amazing. Then they start to tighten your straps and talk you through exiting the plane. You start to see people jumping out, and the camera men diving out, (they are crazy) and then it's your turn. On my previous skydive I sat on the edge of the plane, but this time I was sort of rocked back and forward before diving out , and it was THE best moment ever. I would definitely recommend a photographer as they make you enjoy the experience a whole lot more as you aren't worrying about your hands and arms. I don't know quite how I managed to smile the entire time but in the photos I look like the happiest person alive and I really was. In many of the photos my face looks slightly unusual, resembling someone with a giant hairdryer blowing in their mouth, but I loved every second of it and the photos are amazing! The hat also makes my head look like a peanut, but I loved it all so much I was gonna take it home and wear it everyday.

The response and support I received was lovely and I feel so proud, for doing a skydive and also for raising hundreds of pounds for charity. I would recommend doing a tandem skydive to anyone, at least once in your lifetime, and if your an adrenaline crazed frenzy like me, just keep doing them!

 I would also recommend the Go Skydive centre in Salisbury, all the staff were incredible and my skydive instructor was just the best. I did my skydive from 10'000ft this time, but you can upgrade it to 15'000ft, I booked it through skyline online and it was extremely easy to do, and they make sure you know and have everything you need. I received a sexy t-shirt from my charity, a skydiving certificate and couldn't stop smiling all day!

For the curious ones, Clouds taste like salt.

Amy x

The New Mr & Mrs Van Gaveren

Sunday was the day that one of my best friends became a married woman, I cried the whole way through the ceremony as it was just beautiful and she looked just stunning. After arriving at around 1:20pm (slightly late as always) we were invited for drinks in the sports bar and I got to have a good look at everybody's outfits and fascinators, some of them lovely some a bit wild.

The First Dance

The wedding took place at Old Thorns Manor Hotel, Golf and Country Estate, which is a gorgeous venue and it is crazy huge, when it was time to enter the ceremony I made sure I had an aisle seat so I could snap their faces up in some pictures. Turned out we were all just crying the whole time anyway so some pictures are a bit funky. The ceremony was lovely throughout, and as she walked down the aisle with her dad you could see just how beautiful she looked, and her dress was perfect for her. The veil was mid-length and decorated with scattered diamante crystals which looked amazing in the light. 

Now for my favourite part of the wedding, the lovely Groom is dutch, though his English is incredible, he read out the vows he had written himself and in them read how he hoped to teach the bride dutch so that she could communicate with the new part of her family. However, he was unaware that she had learnt her vows in Dutch, and as she read them out you could see how much it meant to him, and it all set me off crying again, dabbing tissue all over my face, yum. 

The Beautiful Table Decorations

The rest of the wedding was lovely too, the food, then the speeches, me crying again, dancing. Overall I hope to eventually have a wedding day that can live up to it. The bridesmaid dresses were a beautiful colour and fitted each of them perfectly, the flower girl was one of the cutest I've ever seen twirling her way down the aisle, plus my sister looked amazing in the dress that had taken her months to choose- definitely worth the search. I didn't catch the bouquet although I performed my best dive into the ladies, my sister did get hold of it, but a bit of an eager beaver snatched it out her hand. Naughty Beaver. 

With Some Of My Closest Friends, I'm on the far Right

Beautiful day, gorgeous people, I really loved my dress and it's been waiting to make it's appearance for a while now. Overall amazing. A little tip for anyone whose got their wedding planned in their head already... add a chocolate fountain for the guests, people start to get bloated, their mouths smothered in chocolate and sometimes their dresses, easy way to make sure no-one even looks slightly as good as you. If you think someones looking just a tad too sexy, just give the running chocolate a little flick. 

Congratulations to them both.

Amy x

Review: Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Hairspray

I'll make this short but sweet... I think I've found it. Finally, a hairspray which does what it says on the tin! I really am so pleased with this product because it smells incredible for one, like vanilla/raspberry ice cream or cupcakes or something, but it also stops your hair from being frizzy which I really need. It's strong hold but not at all crispy and it makes your hair really shiny too.
The only slight problem I have with it is that it comes out pretty fast so I have to do little bursts of spraying as to not spray far too much...but that's not enough reason to put me off. 
I don't know what more I can ask for really! Plus Superdrug often does deals on Fudge products. Love, love, love it. Go buy.

Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Hairspray

Review: Caudalíe Beauty Elixir vs Caudalíe Grape Water

I heard a lot about both of these products but finally decided to pick them up whilst I was at City Pharma in Paris as they were so much cheaper than I would find them in England. I also thought they'd be perfect for refreshing my face considering the weather at the moment is so boiling hot.

The Beauty Elixir contains orange blossom, grape, rosemary, rose and organic balm mint which all claim to help tighten pores, smooth skin and give you radiance. First off it smells so nice, really luxurious and you can definitely smell the mint which is great for refreshing, that and the frosted glass bottle makes it feel like such a treat to use. However I do think it might not be to everyone's taste so have a little sniff first if you're considering buying it. You're supposed to it either after moisturizer, after foundation but before powder to really set your make up or just to refresh yourself during the day (or all three) and it comes out in a very fine mist so you don't have to worry about waiting for it to dry. When I do use this I use it before make up or if I'm having a no make up day to give me a bit more radiance and make me look a little less scary!
I can't say if it's had any drastic effect on my skin as I'm quite lucky and don't get many spots but the thing I am always searching for is a product to give me radiance as I feel my skin can get quite dull and this definitely does the trick!

Caudlie Beauty Elixir

Their Grape Water or Eau de Raisin if you want to make it sound more fancy is supposed to refresh, tone and moisturize your skin during the day or after cleansing. I really enjoy this product because it doesn't have a particular smell to it (or at least not one that I've detected) and it also comes out in a fine mist so if you're looking for something similar to Beauty Elixir but without the smell this might be for you, and although the Grape Water doesn't have as many beneficial factors, it's still a nice product and is also quite a bit more affordable. I tend to use the Beauty Elixir when my skin is looking a little worse for wear and the Grape Water as a more everyday product as I can definitely see myself getting carried away with the Elixir and can't afford to repurchase it all the time. 

Caudalie Grape Water

I'm really pleased with both of these products so if you can afford both and want to try both then I'd suggest you do! However if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the Beauty Elixir, although it's not as beneficial, the Grape Water may be the right choice.

What are your thoughts? Have either of them worked for you? We'd love to hear what you think.