Week in photographs #36/37

The past two weeks has consisted of: shopping, meeting up with family, cafes/restaurants, writing reviews, looking at bunnies, making homemade soup, coffee, lusting over new autumn/winter candles, my sister moving to university and being ill. 

I have bought a good amount of beauty products over the past couple of weeks, especially new releases from Loreal, Rimmel, Revlon and some bargain buys from Bliss, Redken and freebie Nails Inc polishes from Colgate. Also Primark bargains. Oh and I entered a John Frieda competition on facebook and I won a hairdryer! I have been testing out new buys, such as the Murad redness treatment, Dr Jart BB cream (regenerating version), the Revlon lash potion grow luscious waterproof mascara and the real techniques sponge - reviews coming soon!

Also I have a horrible cold, aching and ill - yey! So I have been under a fluffy primark blanket with gingerbread lattes and I have been making vegetable soup a couple of times this week. Soap, candles, blankets and Modern Family have been almost constant this week. But myself, my sister and my aunties did go out for lunch this week and we went to a garden centre too which means I was awwwwing over the adorable bunnies - I wanted to take them all home! We also went out for dinner at Karims yesterday as my sister is going off to university tomorrow. 

That was my past couple of weeks, I hope everyone had a great week and stay tuned for my upcoming blog posts such as: hauls, A/W inspiration, candle buys, wish lists, new beauty releases, reviews and a couple of exciting competitions! x

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Holiday Photo Diary: Helsinki, Finland

Here is the second part of my holiday photo diary and this one is all about Helsinki, Finland! This is part of the cruise again with royal Caribbean that I went on this august - I would definitely recommend royal Caribbean cruises and especially this cruise to Scandinavia and Russia.

The morning we woke up in Finland we hadn't docked yet and it was pouring down with rain - I haven't been on a ship on the sea when it was raining before, it looked quite strange and it didn't look like it was going to be a great day. When we were getting off the ship the rain was very heavy and it was about 17 degrees Celsius - in august! I went out of the ship, in the rain and wind and cold with just a jumper, cardigan, jeans and my ballet flats so I had to go back on the ship to get my coat! Not a great start to the day and we had a walking tour booked!

We got on a coach for the first half because it was pouring down and chilly - in the middle of august, although the rest of the day was gorgeous and sunny so I broke out my Free People Mr Cleaver Sunglasses (sale) which I love. We walked around the city, from souvenir shops, the rock church (Temppeliaukion Church), Finlandia hall, the city centre and finally the Helsinki cathedral/The Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral. We also walked to the Töölönranta resteraunt which was gorgeous inside, it has a fireplace and sofas - we had tea and pastries and then walked through the park.

Overall, I really liked Helsinki but as a capital city it wasn't as busy or congested as I imagined it to be. I would go back to Finland again, probably to northern Finland to see the northern lights.

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Holiday Photo Diary: Saint Petersburg, Russia

This is the first part of my holiday photo diary series, I went on a  royal Caribbean this august and I wanted to share my experience, and outfits, so here is my photo diary for Saint Petersburg, Russia.

 We were in Saint Petersburg for two days, it was the highlight of the cruise, in my opinion. For the first day in saint Petersburg we went on a walking tour and the weather was really nice - it was about 23 degrees Celsius and I wore my Dorothy Perkins petite skinny jeans which I love, my H&M black trapeze top (sale) and my trusty La Redoute brown ballet flats which were so comfy - we did a lot of walking! 

In the morning we went walking around the field of mars where the eternal fire is, we walked around some streets/souvenir shops and we went to the spilled blood church which is just incredible - we went inside and it is so brightly coloured and breath taking. We went to a gorgeous restaurant afterwards, the décor was amazing and we had tea and Russian pastries. When the first tour finished we went on another on which went on the Russian metro (we went on three royal Caribbean tours in total over the two days because we didn't want to buy visas, so you had to book tours). The metro in saint Petersburg was a little bit scary because there was a lot of people and we were in a group with a guide - it looked a bit strange but I am glad we went on it.

The second day we went on a coach tour which was also really good, and I am glad we were on a coach because for some parts of the day it rained a bit. I wore a white tee, my Topshop Pippa jeans (very old, they don't even make Pippa jeans anymore unfortunately) and my asos aviator jacket which I love and I am so glad I took a jacket with me because even in august it was raining and fairly chilly! We drove past places such as the hermitage/winter palace, saint Isaac's church, the ship that signalled the Russian revolution and other buildings/statues.

I loved saint Petersburg and I definitely want to go back to Russia!

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Most Worn Summer Things 2013

Here are my most worn/used summer things of 2013. I took all of these items on holiday with me and I have been using them for the past couple of weeks while I have been back too. Some of the items are fairly long term favourites and others are new buys.

Firstly, my bag. I took this newlook bag with me on holiday and I used it in almost every country - from Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Finland and also Estonia and it is fantastic. I love Newlook bags, they are really durable and they are fairly cheap too.

Now onto makeup, the makeup brushes I have been using the most during the summer have been two from Real Techniques - the Expert Face Brush and the Pointed Foundation Brush. The expert face brush has been a long term favourite brush for me but especially during the summer as I tend to apply my foundations with brushes during the warmer months and a sponge during the colder months when my skin is super dry. I also loved the pointed foundation brush for powder, it is great for pressing on powder under the eyes and on my T zone.

I have been using the Revlon Nearly Naked powder in the shade 'fair' which I adore - as you can see I have hit pan on it a lot! The powder is slightly too dark for me which is the only negative I have about this product. The foundation I have been using with the Revlon powder is the Jemma Kidd Pro Radiance Moisture Tint which has spf which is great for the summer (I don't usually wear any so the fact that it is in my base is great for me). I will have a review of the Jemma Kidd foundation and the Revlon powder in the up coming weeks. The final makeup product I have been loving all summer is the *Loreal Super Liner Brow Artist Pencil in the shade 'brunette' which I was kindly given as part of a set from Loreal and I love this brow pencil. I took it on holiday with me and it is so quick and easy to use.

Now skincare favourites, I have dry/sensitive skin so when I go on holiday I don't try new products, I stick to the products that I know are not going to irritate my skin. For me the cleanser I have been using this summer is the Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleanser which I received in a beauty box a while ago and I really like the product - it is very basic but it doesn't irritate my skin and it leaves my skin smooth and clean. I have been using the Organic Surge Super Intensive Daily Moisturiser as my night cream, while on holiday, and my day or night cream while at home. I bought it on a whim in the sale because it was reduced to about £2.80 so I bought two tubs and I am so glad I did because this product is incredibly moisturising - love it!

My final most used product of summer is the Kiehls Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. I received this product in my Selfridges beauty advent calendar last Christmas (ps. I would definitely recommend the beauty calendars, I am definitely getting another one this year). I adore this hand cream, it is basic in terms of scent and function but it is very moisturising and I just love using it.

There are my summer favourites, what are yours? 

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The Beauty Blogger Tag

Here are my answers to the 'beauty blogger tag', I don't think it is that well known but I thought that it would be fun to do and it makes a nice change. I was tagged by Emily at Ahem, its Emily to do this tag. 

1. Name a beauty routine you barely do.

Tanning or using gradual tan - I am a bit of a stranger to tanning although I am trying to get into it.

2. Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly?  

I try and wash my makeup brushes every two weeks, although I do forget and sometimes my brushes do not get washed for about three weeks. I washed my makeup brushes yesterday and it is a little time consuming if you wash them thoroughly but it needs to be done.

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish? 

I can last for a while with chipped nail polish if I am at home for the week but if I am going out shopping, visiting people or at uni/events then I will have to reapply my nail polish once it is chipped slightly. 

4. How long do you put off buying/replacing a beauty product even if you need it (i.e., top coat, foundation and so on)?

I do stock up on certain products, especially bath/body products but when something does run out and I want it, it usually depends on the price. If it is cheap then I will buy it in the next few days but if it is a bit pricey like the Caudalie Beauty Elixir then it can take a few weeks for me to buy it again.

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

Not applying face and hair masks regularly. My skin is a bit temperamental and sensitive so I try not to use too many products but I do neglect hair and face masks. 

6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time.

Putting new clothes away.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not?

I try to be ready an hour or so before but knowing me I will be rushing at the last minute doing final checks. 

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

NO! I am not good at not spending....I love shopping, it makes me happy. Although obviously I only buy things I need or really want. I do cut down my spending at certain times but I don't like the idea of a spending ban at all!

9. How organised is your makeup and nail polish collections? 

My makeup and nail polish is really quite organised I think. I use the Muji two drawer acrylic storage for all of my makeup which keeps everything neat - I am going to create a blog post soon on my Muji makeup storage because in my opinion it is the best storage for makeup. 

10. What is the longest time you've gone without writing a blog post? 

Maybe one week at the most but I usually try to publish three or more blog posts per week but it just depends on reviewing times, deliveries and personal things. 

People I tag:

Meghan @ Peach Pips

Zoe @ zozeze
Holly @ petitpromise 

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My Summer E-Books

Here are some of the books I have on my Kindle app on my iPad mini - I bought them for summer, apart from one book which is a long time favourite. I do like to read on holiday, particularly on the balcony on our royal Caribbean room in the sun. These five books are my summer picks that I read on holiday!

All of the book cover images are from Google

1. An Idiot Abroad - The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington: I love the An Idiot Abroad TV series (I think they are coming out with a 4th season!) so I had to buy the book. I actually bought a couple of karl pilkington books for my mum and she likes them. I can't wait to read this because Karl is just so funny and quite mancunian!

2. Can You Keep a Secret, Sophie Kinsella: I have had this book for a while. A friend lent it to me in college (four years ago now!) and I loved it. I have read it a few times on my kindle and now I have the Kindle app on my iPad mini and I need to read it again! It is a fairly unusual, very funny and entertaining - a definite chick flick must read. The chick flick film and book genre is really over done, in my opinion, but Kinsella adds a new refreshing voice to the genre. 

3. Is It Just Me? Miranda Hart: I downloaded the first chapter of this book a few weeks ago and I loved it (even though it is a little repetitive) but you can just imagine Miranda hart reading it to you (not in a weird and creepy way...), it is just so her and so funny! I can't wait to read the rest. Oh and I highly recommend the TV show Miranda too, such fun. 

4. First World Problems, 101 Reasons Why The Terrorists Hate Us, Ben Nesvig: I was going to save reading this book for holiday (when this post is uploaded I will already be on holiday) but I couldn't wait to read it. It is a bit unusual but funny and lighthearted. Allow me to explain, a first world problem (not very politically correct but anyway) is a problem that isn't really a problem, such as 'I burnt my tongue because I couldn't wait for my pizza to cool down' or 'my wifi is not as fast here as it is at home' or 'I can't decide what to buy' etc - it is a bit of a controversial topic but the author makes it into light hearted humour that will have you smiling and giggling as you read it - I have finished this book now and I really liked it.

5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Seth-Grahame-Smith: Finally, a classic, well a classic with an unusual twist. I have read pride and prejudice mostly at school but I think this one will appeal to me a bit more! Firstly, what women out there doesn't like period dramas (especially involving a hunky, wet Mr Darcy...) but throw in some zombies and you have me hooked! Not a typical summer read but I can't wait to finish it. 

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