Birthday Time!

Hi all!

It was my birthday last weekend so posts the last week have been a little thin on the ground...it was lovely to have a long weekend for it and I had something planned every day which was really nice.

It was overall quite a quiet weekend but to be honest I'm getting to the age where using a long weekend to see friends and catch up on sleep and good food is the best kind of weekend!

First me and M had an afternoon tea session at Celtic Manor which was amazing as you would expect. It was the Chocolate Afternoon Tea which is available until the 19th of June - we will definitely be writing a full post on this as it is beautiful! Here's a few snaps to show you how amazing:

After that we just about made it through the front door, and had a girly evening in with face masks, tan and some prosecco to celebrate! It was a lovely evening, and M even made some Captain America cookies for me, how cute and clever are these??

After this we had a very civilised night out with yummy cocktails and a cheeky McDonalds which was really nice as we haven't been out for a while.

I also had a lovely meal with my family at Wahaca, me and my dad shared the Wahaca Selection which was lush to try so many different things and I washed it down with a Mexican hot chocolate which is dairy free. It was an interesting taste and I'd order it again but it's quite bitter so hard to finish the whole thing.

I had some amazing gifts from friends and family. My brother bought me a sushi making kit which I can't wait to try out and also a selection box from T2 tea who have some crazy loose leaf tea flavours such as Caramel Brownie and Choc Chip Chai.

M got me a lush Origins set with my favourite products in and a pre order of the Harry Potter and the Cursed child - who isn't excited for that!!
I also had another Barnes and Noble classic book to add to my book shelf. I'm getting quite a collection together now and can't wait to get as many as I can!

I also had some vouchers so I went shopping on the weekend and bought the Naked 2 palette which I have wanted for ages and also some stuff from Lush too!

It was a really nice weekend and it was a shock to go back to work last week!

I've been struggling ever since and now I'm away with work so am feeling all over the place, looking forward to getting back to normality and joining my new gym permanently when I get back.

What have you been up to lately? I have so many posts to catch up on and so much to share with you!

L xxx

My Morning Routine

Morning All

For me the first thing I need in the morning is a cuppa! Boiling the kettle is the first thing I do before jumping in the shower! Nothing beats a cuppa, for me on the weekends getting a cuppa and going back to bed to drink it is the best thing! If I get up early enough during the week I do like to sit under the duvet drink my tea and catch up on twitter! Whilst in the shower I prep my face. At the moment I'm using my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. As soon as I get out of the shower I pop on my Balance Me Rich Moisturiser* and Bobbi Brown eye cream.

At the moment I'm enjoying less is more make up and not using foundation everyday. I prefer my skin to have a chance to breath if I'm not looking to red. I tend to chose extra time in bed over make up for work!! Beauty sleep/looking good for work! For me it's a simple choice.

If I do use foundation at the moment I'm loving the Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam. It feels so light on the skin and doesn't masque my skin but just evens the skin tone. I then finish with Liz Earle bronzer to contour and Dandelion Blush (seriously still loving this combination 18 months since I first got it!)

For the eyes it's usually a quick sweep of YDK over the lid and then I like to use a purple, brown or green liner to adfd some definition without it being as bold as black. Then onto a quick sweep of mascara. I love Lancome Hypnose Drama as it's done in one coat!

Brows are all about gimme brow at the moment! I love how quick it is. I thought it would run out quickly but it's still going strong at the moment with everyday use!

Time for a quick sip of tea and get dressed before making lunch for work then I'm running out the door as I'm usually late by this point. No matter what time I get up the last 5 minutes are always a rush!

Are you a take your time in the morning gal or rush, grab and go?

Love M

xxx

Get Ready with Me - Dinner Date

Evening All

Another late post from me. I seem to only find time in the evenings to write lately! This weekend was an action packed awesome one!! I'll share more of that later on in the week.

My favourite type of posts lately seem to be get ready with me and face of the day! I love seeing these posts from people as you can pick up little tips and get new ideas!

Today's get ready with me was for a dinner date, I wear this look quite a lot as it's quite classic and easy!

My hair was straightened so I started off by putting in my lauren's way rollers pre shower! When my hair is straight if I'm doing something in the evening I like to pop the rollers in for an hour if I have time so my hair has a bit of body. I find doing them pre shower helps speed up the process as the steam slightly dampens the hair!

For my eyes I used a combination of palettes. I used Urban Decay primer potion in eden to start (I'm in love with this and use it all the time if I need my make up to be long lasting or more vibrant. As a base colour I used a combination of bootycall from naked 2 and strange from naked 3. As I wanted a slight bit of colour I blended Benefite Raincheck? through my crease and outer V. I Then applied Buzz from Naked 3 under the eye for some shimmer!

I was feeling classic make up so went with a black flicked eyeliner!! I love winged liner but I have to be in the mood to do it. This nights wasn't that tidy. For foundation I used Illamasqua Skin Base which is my all time favourite foundation for flawless skin. For concealer I used Nars Creamy Concealer. Another big favourite!

For my brows it was of course browzings! They are horrible unruley as I was letting them grow pre brow arch march wax! For masacara I used They're Real but I was having a bad mascara day. My lashes weren't playing ball as I hadn't got it all off post shower!

For bronzer it was none other than my new bronzer love of Make Believe! I can't stop using this beaut! It's so easy! I contour my cheeks and nose with this!

On my cheeks I used the blush and highlighter from naked flushed. I'm in love with the highlighter as it's finer than MSF so much easier to wear! The blush I love for days when I want more than dandelion gives!

As I was off to meet the guy I'm seeing I opted for a soft neutral lip. If I was out with the girls a red lip would have been a must here! I opted for Revlon Kissable balm stain in honey! I love this shade for easy to wear colour on the lips!

I love how the rollers when applied to my hair straight just give it soft bounce and body. After being in for 45 minutes they give the perfect result for me.

I had to share my new dress as I'm in love with it. It was a bargain £5 from Asda kids range. this is a age 12-13 and I'd say it was an 8 -10 so if your a 12 I think the age 14-15 would fit. I love the bright daisy print and I was instantly sold with the cut out back! I really love a cut out back and as I don't have a whole lot of boob I love to show back instead of cleavage.

My necklace was a bargain my mum found in boots at Christmas time and was only a £1! As it has gold and silver it's a great piece. Boots have amazing jewellery and great discounts when they go in the sale so I'd highly recommend checking it out.

I finished off the look with my ever faithful Primark coat and black tights!

What do you wear on a dinner date?

Love M

xxx

Reviews of products mentioned

Naked 3

Naked 2

Naked Flushed

Benefit World Famous Neutrals

Benefit Browzings

Make Believe Bronzer

Primark Coat

Naked 3

Morning All

It's been a busy weekend for me. I ended up going home for the weekend as last weekend my brother really hurt himself doing jumps in the hills by me (he's 30 and should know better)! Any ways one very damaged pelvis and two nieces later I wanted to pop home and see him and take his little girls off his hands. He's currently in a lot of pain whenever he does anything. He could only manage 30 minutes sat down in a wheelchair before we had to go home. Seeing someone who is normally so active in so much pain from doing the simplest things was certainly hard!

Anyway onto more positive things. When L and I went to a product showcase a few weeks ago I couldn't resist buying myself Naked 3! Could I afford it? No. Was it Necessary? No. Did I need it? No. Am I completely in love? Yes!!!!

This shows Naked 2 and 3 next to each other. They are different enough to need both. As someone who loves naked 2 I do think 3 is complimentary to my skin tone.

I absolutely love my Naked 2 palette. Since buying Naked 2 I have used it so much I've hit pan on a few colours (this was how I justified to myself I needed Naked 3!). You can read my thoughts on Naked 2 here.

The packaging of Naked 3 is similar to naked 2. A metal tin that holds up well to damage and travel. It has a huge mirror in which is always appreciated and a great quality double ended brush. Naked 3 is a rose gold toned theme to it. Naked 3 comes with 4 sachets of primer potion. At first I was disapointed by these but they have lasted well and it's good to try all 4.

The primers really do enhance the colours and make them last even longer. For everyday use I don't usually use a primer as I don't feel it's necessary but for evenings I prefer a more intense colour.

In the above photo is the following colours without and with primer to show the difference. Here are Buzz, Factory, Blackheart and Dust.

Primer really makes a difference to dust as it is a very glittery shadow prone to fallout. I love the sparkliness of it though. Blackheart really intensifies with a primer.

There are a really good mix of shadows in the palette with mattes, glitters, shimmers and frost finishes.

Strange is a perfect all over the lid base matte colour. This is getting a lot of use from me.

Dust is probably my favourite shadow. It is a glitter shadow so there is some fallout and it works better with a primer. It's such a pretty nude sparkle.

Burnout is a frost finish and one I've not really used.

Limit is the perfect neutral crease colour. It's a matte shade so perfect for defining the crease and is light so work perfect for no make up make up.

Buzz is a beautiful rose shadow and works for a smoky eye or I like wearing it under the eye. It's a shimmer shadow and looks so pretty.

Trick is a very yellow gold. I've used this as a liner for a different make up look and under the eyes. It applies well and lasts well with and without primer.

Nooner is a colour I fear I'll hit pan on. It's the perfect crease colour. I tend to layer this over limit if I want a more defined crease. This has replaced my beloved tease from Naked 2.

Liar is a really pretty shimmer colour. This and mugshot work perfect for lazy day make up. They provide a soft shimmer of colour over the lid. Liar is warmer toned than mugshot. I love to just sweep these over the lid.

Factory is a lovely warm brown that I like to apply to the outer V for some definition on everyday make up.

Darkside is a deep grey. It has a small amout of shimmer but is quite matte. I like to layer this under blackheart.

Blackheart is a complete beaut!! A matte black shadow packed with a pink glitter. It looks amazing on the eye and I'm in love with this colour.

Naked 3 is a palette I've used loads. As with the other Naked palettes it can easily be used for everyday or for nights out.

Here is strange on the lid and limit and nooner through the crease and under the eye.

Here I have used darkside to deepen the outer v and dust to add shimmer to the inner corner.

Here is a heavier make up look using naked 3. I love how the colours all blend in so easily to each other and can be built up. The 3 looks I have shown all start from the beginning and are built up.

Although I didn't need Naked 3, it's got a lot of love from me already.

Urban Decay are a brand L and I love. The products are great quality and so easy to use. For £38 the palette comes with a brilliant quality brush and 12 shadows. I do think urban decay palettes are worth every penny.

Have you got Naked 3 yet?

Love M

xxx

Naked 2

Morning all

Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine didn't go to plan with illness still hanging around but it turned out to be a great one. Sometimes lazy ones catching up with people are needed. I spent Friday night at the cinema (if you get a chance go see the Monuments Men. It was awesome!) Then after a lazy morning I finally tried to get over my mixing sweet and savoury foods and tried maple bacon pancakes on Saturday morning (mainly as it's a new food to cross off my list!) I was converted. The first mouthful was weird then it was good!! Saturday evening was spent with my housemate having a girlie evening and Sunday was a blogging, gym, coffee with friends and uni work! 

Anyway onto today's post. When I went to America 18 months ago I picked myself up Naked 2. After telling myself for months it wasn't needed and MUA was just as good and the price wasn't worth it. When I caved I realised how wrong I was! I've debated for a while whether or not to post about. It's been mentioned in posts but I've never reviewed it. But after recently picking up Naked 3 I decided to share my thoughts on Naked 2.

Since I got it 18 months ago I think it's probably been used 5 out 7 days every week. I've hit pan on 3 shadows and 4 others have sizeable dents! It's such an easy palette to use for everyday or for going out.

Firstly packaging. It's beautiful. The metal casing has lasted pretty well. This goes everywhere with me whenever I go away and apart from it few scrathes it's lasting really well. It comes with a great double ended brush that has a blending and shadow brush (which I also use as a liner brush!). The brush is super soft and doesn't shed and is still going strong.

For me there was no contest between Naked and Naked 2. I'm definitely a Naked 2 girl. I think the tones in Naked are too warm for me. Although there are a few I would love.

For a while I was drawn to bootycall and tease and would wear them everyday as they were so easy to wear without having to think. After hitting pan on bootycall I made myself use other colours. I really like foxy now and it creates the perfect base. With my blue eyes I love to wear bronzes and golds as it brings out the blue in them. So half bakes blended out with busted has been a firm favourite too.

The quality of the shadows are amazing. Some do give slight fall out but nothing major. I love the palette contains a matte black. For me this is an essential shadow. I always need a matte black in my collection and this is one with an amazing pigmentation.

Tease is the ultimate crease colour, the perfect matte mid brown. I would be lost without this shadow. It's got so much use. It blends out easily and has a good pigmentation.

YDK is a gorgeous shimmer colour. I love this lately for lazy day make up. I sweep this over the lid and under the lower lashes add mascara and my eyes are done.

When we went to the UD showcase we were shown Eden primer. I used to swear by using UD primer potion everyday but I got lazy. Eden is absolutely amazing and after being reminded the difference it makes I have to start using it again.

From L-R without primer then with Tease, YDK, Half Baked, Blackout.

Here is a post using it to make a gold make up look.

and here is my go to look using tease in the crease.

Now I just need to start using some of the middle colours more. Do you have any of the Naked palettes? I now have Naked 3. The sparkle made me by it!

Love M

xxx

Urban Decay Product Showcase

Morning lovelies!

Hope you're not feeling too delicate this morning, I went out Friday night and came home at 5am and was feeling less than perky yesterday so today is going to be 100% productive!

Starting the day off were writing about our trip into Cardiff Debenhams the other evening where we met the lovely girls at the Urban Decay counter for a few hours of make up chat, playing with products and generally having a fun time. There were only 6 of us there at the meeting which was lovely as although we'd met the majority of the other bloggers (Georgina, Nina and Helen) it was great to meet Shelley too and get to know everyone a little better.

The main focus of the events was Naked 3 which I'm sure all of you have seen and heard about over the past few weeks and it is obviously a gorgeous must have palette for everyone due to its super flattering rose gold shades. However we were also there to check out the new Naked lip glosses, the Naked Skin foundations and loose powder as well as their BB cream, B6 spray and so many others!

It was like a sleepover party with all of your friends bringing their make up around, my hand was covered in swatches and I managed to get it all over me in an attempt to try everything...oops!

The Naked lipglosses were a big hit with both of us, the packaging is gorgeous with the cut out design and the range of colours is pretty good. My favourite one was Streak purely because I'm a coral girl at heart but I can honestly say that every colour is wearable and beautiful! Some are more shimmery than others, some have more colour than others and some are just beautifully nude. M's was Beso which she has already mentioned in a post. She's more of a plum/dark lip colours.

I'm sure you'll be seeing posts from us when we've been using them a lot more as they're so versatile and have so many good ingredients and effects that they warrant their own post!

What I love is when brands make things completely unique, and on a beautiful stand at the corner of the counter was a selection of cupcakes each called a different shade of the Naked lipglosses and I ended up with Walk of Shame....were they trying to say something? Haha. The icing was amazing and if I hadn't have been going for tapas for a friend's birthday I'd have taken home another!

It was great fun to play around with the products and M had her brows done by the lovely Haddie (isn't her blue hair amazing?!). It was lovely to see all of the kits as I'd never seen the brow box before nor the Naked Skin loose powder and I'm fast becoming a loose powder fan!

One of the items I couldn't wait to have a go of was Naked Flushed. I know its been out for a while but I still hadn't had chance to have a go with it and I can certainly tell you it's a beautiful palette!
I often stay at friends and travel at the mo and carrying a bronzer, blusher and highlighter separately can be a pain but this is all in one and perfect for any occasion. The blusher and bronzer are so pigmented you need a tiny amount and the highlighter has been so finely milled that its like a veil on your skin, lots of love for it!

Also on hand were the new Naked pencils, each matching a palette and they're all double ended which is a really great idea. Using their brushes was also a really good opportunity as although I've tried the eyeshadow brushes in the palettes I'd never tried the Optical blurring brush which I've heard so much about and its gorgeous!

Unfortunately as the time our goodie bags were stuck on a palette inside a lorry so we had to go back to collect them the day after. But who cares about the wait the goodie bag was so unbelievably generous that we're both still a bit shocked at the contents!

We were super lucky and we're given 6 full sized products including 2 Naked lipglosses, a Revolution lipstick, 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil, Naked Flushed palette and their B6 Complexion Prep Spray. Totally overwhelmed!

We both also picked up a few goodies on the night; M bought herself Naked 3 and I bought the 24/7 blending brush and the Naked Basics eye pencil and have been loving the results with them.

I'm sure you'll see posts from both of us in the future with reviews on all the products. We cannot believe how generous they were to us and how much fun the evening was too. Knowing that Ud products are so amazing anyway (we now own 7 of their palettes between us including the whole Naked family) we will guaranteed be back for some more in the future!

Do you love UD? Have you picked up anything from the Naked range? Which is your favourite palette?

Thanks so much to Haddie and Ffion for a wonderful evening, it was a pleasure to meet you both and you've given us some great tips and tricks!

L and M xxx