MAC Diva Matte Lipstick

Hey All

Last week I shared Fast Play with you (post here) which was another lipstick I picked up at the airport on my way home from Copenhagen. Today I'm sharing Diva. I picked this up on the way out. After trying to find a red for a friend before Christmas we fell in love with Diva but it was out of stock. When I saw Mac at Gatwick I knew I had to have it.

I did take photos on holiday but the lighting in the room wasn't great so I'm am being a bad blogger and sharing used product photos. Shows I love it and was too excited to use it right, only a positive ha!

Diva is my first Matte Mac lipstick. I was concerned it would be drying on the lips but it's not actually too bad. It gives a really pigmented finish and has impressive lasting power! This doesn't budge, but in a good way. I can get through breakfast and lunch and still have the majority of it on my lips.

I love the colour of this. It was be applied straight from the bullet to give and amazing deep berry red colour (It reminds me of Rimmel 107 which is another all time favourite (post here) or when applied lightly and rubbed in stains the lips a gorgeous red colour.

I've been pairing it with Rimmel lip liner in wine or black tulip, both are great for red lip shades!

I'm loving this colour and have been wearing it to work paired with simple eyes! The perfect shade for the colder weather we've been having.

Are you a fan of a dark lip?

Love M

xxx

Travel: Things to do in Copenhagen

Hey All

So I've mentioned a few times now I've been to Copenhagen. I'm now going to try and do a things to do post when I go to new places as I'm always searching for these before I go and it's a nice reminder of what I did for me. When we went we had 4 days but we arrived in the early evening and left at lunch time so we basically had two full days. Looking at this post we clearly crammed a lot into two days! We absolutely loved our time there and would recommend a trip there to anyone. We stayed at the Absalon Hotel (reviewed here).

When we went to Copenhagen we had no real plan except a few places we'd been recommended to go and a guide book from my brother. We were staying centrally so we managed to just walk everywhere. Everything featured in today's post we walked to.

 The Rundetaarn

(website)

It costs 25DKK which was about £2.50 when we went to get in. It's a tower in the centre of the city you can walk up which has amazing views at the top with a viewing platform. It's great as instead of stairs most of the way it's slopes so great for buggies. There are steps to get to the top viewing platform but you do get views across the city on the way up if you can't managed steps. About halfway up you can get drinks and they have different exhibitions in the library hall. Definitely worth a visit. It's also very central and there is an amazing hot dog stand outside!

Trinitatis Kirke

This is the church next to the Rundetaarn, I love looking in churches as they are amazing buildings. This one has a beautiful organ and the most amazing ceilings. If your decide to climb the Rundetaarn definitely pop in afterwards.

Rosenborg Castle

(website)

The Rosenborg Castle is like a stately home in the UK which you can go and walk around. It's set in beautiful gardens and is an amazing building. It costs 105 DKK which is around £10 for entry you can get joint tickets to go into the Amalienborg Palace but this isn't open all year round. It does shut around 4.30 so visit this one earlier on in the day.  The crown jewels are also housed here which I loved seeing. There were some amazing jewellery pieces there!

Assistens Gardens and Cemetery

This is the furthest place we walked too but was still only around a 40 minute walk from the centre of the city. These are some of the most beautiful gardens in Copenhagen according to the guide book. They did look lovely but I think in winter gardens can always look a bit more bleak. Hans Christian Anderson is buried here.

Tivoli Gardens

I'm going to write a whole other post on Tivoli as there is too much to include in this post. I'll post a link to it here once it's up. It truly is a magical place that should be visited!

Amalienborg Palace

Mentioned above for tickets. As it wasn't opened we just walked around the buildings and saw what we could from the outside. We were lucky enough when we were walking back from the little mermaid to see a changing of the guards!

Amaliehaven

This is a little garden area next to the palace. It feels very symmetrical and pleasing on the eye (now that sounds weird!). Definitely worth a stroll through if you decide to visit the palace.

Nyhavn

This is what I'd seen all over instagram when looking at friends who had been to Copenhagan. It's a pretty little harbour area full of great restaurants and bars and the streets are lined with brightly coloured houses. I imagine in summer this place looks amazing. Rumour has it in a street nearby there are trampolines built into the pavements but we didn't get a chance to see those.

Little mermaid

Now this is one of those you're in Copenhagen so you have to go and see. She's a little out of town so is a bit of a walk away but there are plenty of things to see on the way. Also don't let my photo fool you. I'm totally zoomed in to crop people out of it! Imagine selfie sticks everywhere!

Opera House

This photo is from by the palace looking across the water to it. We did also cross the river to see it but didn't go to explore inside. It's an amazing building set on the river front!

Copenhagen Street Food

(website)

Street food pop up food places are becoming really popular in Cardiff and I imagine most cities, Copenhagen is no exception. Set on the water's edge in a converted warehouse is the street food place. It was unfortunately closed when we went but it looked amazing from what we could see in plus as you can see below I found a swim outside to play on!! There were old shipping containers with sofas in and steps up to convert them to roof top areas. It looked amazing and I imagine when open it's a great place to visit.

Christiania

(link to info)

Christiania is a free town in Copenhagen. I think over the past few years it's changed a lot and is becoming more of a tourist attraction than anything else. I was desperate to go here as I'd heard lots about it but I think we went at the wrong time of day. We went first thing and it seemed to be lacking the vibe I'd expected I imagine in summer in the afternoon it would be great as there is a stage for performers and I imagine more hustle and bustle of people and more things open. Still worth a visit though.

Church of Our Saviour

(website)

Unfortunately the spire for the Church of Our Saviour was closed whilst we were there. It's only open for select days in Dec and closed totally for Jan and Feb but if you're there from March onwards I'd definitely say to go. You do have to climb 400 steps to get to the stop but for the views I'd say it's worth it if they are anything like the Rundetaarn. Plus it's an amazing structure to see.

Strøget - Lego Shop

Strøget is the main shopping street in Copenhagen and is mainly pedestrianised. it has a great selection of shops for any bloggers reading this there is a Sephora there. It is also full of some great coffee shops. The Lego Shop is also there. The home place of Lego. It's got some amazing lego buildings including the streets of Nyhavn.

We had a great time exploring Copenhagen and loved the feel of the city, it felt clean and safe and I'd like to go back at some point.

Have you been to Copenhagen? Hope this helps if you're planning a trip there.

Love M

xxx

MAC Fast Play Amplified Lipstick

Hey All

On Monday I shared with you where we stayed when we were in Copenhagen. I've got a few more posts to share on it over the next few weeks. While travelling to and from Copenhagen I couldn't resist a few beauty bits, especially when we had some money left over coming back. 

Mac Fast Play Lipstick Review Swatch

When we were travelling back to the UK and had money left after picking up some alcohol I couldn't resist my second trip to the Mac counter (a post next week shares with you what I got in the UK duty free) I didn't really know what I wanted except a neutral rose pink shade that would finish off a make up look. Thinking back I wanted twig but I went into this on a whim and hadn't thought shades. I tried a few that I know people love but they just weren't suiting me until I saw Fast Play.

Mac Fast Play Lipstick Review Swatch

Mac Fast Play Lipstick Review Swatch

Fast Play is an amplified creme formulation (one of my all time favourite lipsticks brick-o-la is also post here but colours of it here!!) I love these are they have amazing pigmentation and are still comfortable to wear on the lips. They give a slight sheen but nothing too much.

Mac Fast Play Lipstick Review Swatch

Mac Fast Play Lipstick Review Swatch

From the swatch above you can see Mac Fast Play is a neutral pink shade. I love these types of lipstick colours. I find them a much more flattering nude on my skin tone as they don't wash me out.

Mac Fast Play Lipstick Review Swatch

Ignore my spots in this photo I'm foundation free as managed to quickly rope C in to take photos for me. I love this colour on. It warms up my face, goes with all make up lots and isn't too OTT. This hasn't left my handbag since I bought it. I've been pairing it with Rimmel Addiction lip liner which is the most amazing nude. I need to share that on here soon!

Have you seen Fast Play?

Love M

xxx

Travel: Absalon Hotel - Copenhagen Review

Hey All

For New Years Eve this year me and C decided we weren't going to spend it in the UK after finding decent deals to go to Europe. After some research we decided to stay in the Absalon Hotel (we booked ours through Expedia as it gives discount when booking flights and hotel, here are some photos from the expedia.)

It was really reasonably priced for the stay so we booked for the 3 nights in a standard double room. There was the cheaper option of a small room but we decided to pay the extra. In the end the small would have been ok as we actually didn't spend much time in it.

Here is our bedroom. It was of a decent size, looked clean, modern decoration and very warm. I always worry in cold countries I'd be cold but the rooms were a decent size. The only few negatives were there was only really one usable pillow. The other was like a sofa cushion and there isn't tea and coffee making facilities. I love a cuppa first thing in the morning but there is a little cafe near by. We decided not to have breakfast in the hotel so we could try out different places.

On check in we were greated by very friendly and helpful staff, they were full of local knowledge and willing to book us into different restaurants and give up recommendations! Every floor seemed to be decorated in different colours and looked great.

There was a bar in the hotel where we had a few drinks. There was seating by the bar or more sofas and quiet area where you can see me above. The drinks were a reasonable price and not much higher then what you get in other bars. We enjoyed having a drink before bed here or before we went out for the evening.

One of the best things about Absalon Hotel is the location, it's literally 5 minutes from the main train station (which brings you in from the airport) and a short walk to the centre of Copenhagen. 

We loved it in Copenhagen and would recommend the Absalon to any friends travelling to Copenhagen.

I definitely want to go away again next year for NYE. Have you spent NYE in another country?

Love M

xxx

Collection Lip Liner in 5: Damson

Morning!

I've been meaning to write this post for a veeeeeeerrrrry long time, as I've been wearing this Collection Lip Definer all winter - well since October time seeing as we haven't really had much cold weather yet though I hear it is making an appearance this weekend...

If I'm being honest with you all, I never used to see the point in a lip liner. But ever since coming across the Urban Decay liners and realising how much better lipstick looks with them I've been sold - the Mia Wallace was my first and it's a staple that i use often now. However at £13.50 they aren't always something that you can splash out on.

The Collection Lip Definers come in at a super cheap £2.79 which is absolutely perfect when it may be a colour you are testing out or something you might not wear very often.

I've mentioned before that I'm still in the process of recovering financially after buying a house - if I'm honest I don't think that ever really happens but Urban Decay is certainly on the 'win the lottery' list for now. So I picked up Damson from Boots one day and couldn't wait to give it a go to compare the results.

First off I would say that the twist up mechanism makes life super easy, you never run out as you just need to twist up more so it's great for on the go. The only downside I can foresee is when you have one of those really precise lines to be drawn which may need the help of a sharpener which this one can't use, but you can create a sharper edge by drawing at an angle, you just may need some practice.

After this I couldn't see too much difference in the pigmentation between UD and this offering from Collection, I was really impressed by how the colour turned out and you could definitely layer it for a more dramatic look.

See the results for yourself below:

In fact, the only downside I could see to the lip definer at all was the longevity. It lasted very well, impressively actually considering its tiny price but it did start to look a little patchy and dried my lips out faster than the UD ones. To me though this isn't really a downside because I tend to use the lip liners to line my lips and give a better shape before applying lipstick, which I would no doubt reapply anyway, and could replace with lip balm if necessary once my lips were stained.

I would definitely recommend these to anyone who asked! After looking into the range a bit further so I can pick up more of them I'd have to say I'm disappointed purely because there only seems to be 3 of them.....you what?! Collection! What on earth are you doing?!
Everyone needs more than three lip liners....tut tut!

I think they need to get a move on and make more, I can't say I wouldn't buy the Urban Decay 24/7 liner as a treat for myself but I would certainly pick up these without a second thought!

What do you think of the Collection Lip Definers? Have you tried the other shades? Do you wish they also had a few more shades to add?

I imagine with the Kylie Jenner trend for super size lips they'd make a small fortune if they had more!

L xxx

Lush Frozen Bath Bomb

Hey All

Another Lush Review today. As I'm sure you can tell by now L and I are massive lush fans. I spent way more than I should in the Lush Sale but probably won't share much of that on the blog as not much of it is still available. 

Today I wanted to share the Frozen bath bomb. I first saw this when we went to a lush event and just had to pick it up. Not only because of the name but it smells great too. It contains Grapefruit, Rose and Neroli oil so smells really fresh!

I love bath bombs that totally transform the colour of the bath and this is one of them. As soon as it hits the bath it fizzes away to an amazing brilliant blue colour. 

How cute is my new pug bath plug my mum got me. I didn't realise he was upside down at first!

As well as turning the bath brilliantly blue it also leaves it sparkly silver. The perfect tribute to Frozen!! And although the bath is glittery you don't come out looking like a disco ball or finding the sides of the bath covered in it!

One last thing I loved about this was how soft my skin felt after. I don't know if it's from the oils it contains but my skin felt lovely after this! This is one I'll be repurchasing!

Have you tried the frozen bath bomb yet?

Love M

xxx

Miss Patisserie - Queen of Hearts Bath Bake

Hello all!

At CSI we regularly wander the shops of Cardiff, but only occasionally do we go into the arcades which is a shame as they have lots of wonderful shops.

Over Christmas me and my mum wandered the arcades in search of gifts that were a bit more special and we came across Miss Patisserie.

Miss Patisserie was created by Charlotte Ridgwell in 2009. She broke her leg and was forced to take 6 weeks off work and decided to keep herself busy by making bath bombs for family and friends. They loved them so much that she took them to craft fairs and Miss Patisserie began!

During my visit I couldn't resist but pick a few things up for myself. The Bath Bakes are beautiful, and the Queen of Hearts one was exactly what I was looking for - even though I didn't know it!

How beautiful is it!!

The Queen of Hearts Bath Bake contains notes of pomegranate, citrus zest and blackcurrant with a few extra floral scents thrown in for good measure.

What I love about these bath bombs is not only the beautiful cupcake design, but the fact the bath bakes work as a cake and icing - two separate parts with two separate jobs. The cake is the bath bomb itself, and the icing is a scrub to be used as an exfoliator once the bath bomb has fizzed away. It's a genius idea and it works so well.

Baths are not a regular thing for me but I was really excited to use this one. Peeling off the cupcake wrapper was a little weird, but only because normally when I do this it's to eat the cake and I certainly couldn't do that this time!

I absolutely love the design though, pink and swirly icing and bright red glitter. I'm like a lot of people and I love Alice in Wonderland, I have multiple copies of the books and many prints and handmade designs on the walls of my house, so this bath bake is very much appealing to me, don't you agree?




Below is a picture of the bath bake fizzing around the water, I loved that it stays upright whilst it spins around and the icing on the cake stays on the surface. My bathroom smelled absolutely wonderful, and as my house is rather small so did my entire house after I had finished in there!
I'm not a huge fan of strong scents as i seem to have a sensitive nose and if I smell something really strong i can't smell anything else for hours afterwards - I could smell this all evening.



So it fizzed around like a charm and smells amazing, what about the scrub? This was also pretty impressive as i expected it to crumble in my hands straight away and not be much use, but I managed to use the entire of it without it crumbling into mush on my feet, legs, knees, elbows, arms and actually my entire body and still had some left for my shower the next day. It wasn't abrasive and felt like a fine powder when it did crumble, I was very impressed.

Generally as my first product from Miss Patisserie I am very Impressed and especially for £4.50. As a Welsh girl I also feel quite patriotic about the fact they are made locally in Cardiff!

Have you visited the shop too?? I love it and have visited there twice since, if you're lucky enough you will also meet Charlotte and she is so lovely to chat to!

I have a few more things to try including a perfume, face mask and a candle and will be sure to post them soon. In the meantime you can check out the website by clicking here, and join me in making a huuuuuuuuuge wishlist!

Bath bomb selection box is next for sure - even I have vowed to work my way through them all and try out the Bath Pastilles too, they look just like macaroons!

L xxx