Maison Martin Margiela Beach Walk Replica Fragrance

I have blogged about my love for Maison Martin Margiela's Replica fragrances before

After finally using up my bottle of Funfair Evening I was bereft and headed to Selfridges the following weekend to try another scent from the Replica range.

Each fragrance is meant to replicate a familiar scent or moment from a particular time. Beach Walk represents Calvi in 1972 and is described as sun kissed salty skin. I really could not think of a better description than that!

 To me this fragrance instantly evokes memories of holidays and the beach, it is the perfect summer scent.

If you are a fan of Bobbi Brown's Beach or Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess then you definitely should give this a sniff.

Maison Martin Margiela's Replica fragrances are exclusive to Selfridges and priced at £65 each.

The Essentials

Although I am the first to admit I am an absolute beauty whore there are some products and beauty tools that I am extremely loyal to. These are things I use on a daily basis without even thinking about it. These items are so ingrained in my beauty routine that I never even think to blog about them, but I think its finally time I gave these little beauties the attention they deserve!

First up, the tools of the trade!

Tangle Teezer - I know how much I love my Tangle Teezer when I cant find it and the thought of using a normal hair brush fills me with dread. The first place I look is my little brothers room! Yes he is also a big fan and the fact that he has 2 of his own still doesn't stop him taking mine! So now I have 2 Tangle Teezers just in case, actually I have 3 but one is a travel one so surely that doesn't count?! If you have long hair I cannot recommend this enough, brushes through tangles so easily and painlessly. Would also be great if you have children who hate having their hair brushed. Definitely not a gimmick.

Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush - Since I got this for my Birthday last October I have not used any other brushes for my bronzer. As well as feeling so soft, the wide brush head applies just the right amount of bronzer and blends beautifully. I have had no shedding with this brush and although its pricey I definitely see it as an investment. I really should check out more of Bobbi Browns brushes.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - I tend to favour cream blushes over powder and the Real Techniques Stippling Brush is the best brush to apply them with. As they are synthetic they are easy to clean and dry easily. Also at £10.99 this brush is an absolute bargain and nothing comes close to it in terms of quality.

Tweezerman Tweezers - Simply put the best tweezers ever! I'm sure we have all been there, trying to unsuccessfully pluck that one eyebrow hair with a crappy pair of tweezers out a cracker. Don't let that be you, get some Tweezerman tweezers you will not regret it. Plus I absolutely adore the New York design on mine.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers - Like Tweezerman's these are a cult beauty tool for a reason and I think I can safely say the best eyelash curlers. I have had my silver pair for at least 8 years and I just bought the gold pair. This was a completely unnecessary purchase, but what can I say I was gutted when I missed out on the gold version the first time around!

Fluffy Eyeshadow Blending Brushes - Where was I before I discovered these! When I was studying makeup at college the eyeshadow blending brushes we had were so scratchy, verging on painful. When I discovered these, I would call it life changing! I have a few favourites, the Sigma E25, MAC 217, MAC 224. Pick up anyone of these and it will completely change the way you apply eyeshadow.

 Now onto the products!

Urban Decay De-Slick Make up Setting Spray - I spray this all over my face before I apply my makeup and again when I have finished my makeup. Before I discovered this, I would look in the mirror at lunchtime and my makeup would have completely disappeared from the middle of my face! Not really the look anyone wants! Since discovering this my makeup lasts all day until I remove it at night. Its love and I'm now on my third bottle!

Moroccanoil - When it comes to haircare I like to keep things simple, really simple! Its very rare for me to even dry my hair and this is the only product I use in my hair. This has completely changed the texture of my hair, I no longer have frizzy dry ends. I use this every single time I wash my hair, just one pump rubbed through the ends.

Laura Mercier Mineral Loose Powder - This is one product that I have raved about a lot on my blog already so I will simply say its my favourite powder.

Seche Vite Top Coat - How did I get by before I discovered Seche Vite, that's what I want to know! I refuse to use any other top coat now. My nails are dry within 15 minutes and I mean dry enough to actually do things with your hands! Plus its so shiny, I often get questions if my nails are gel! I will never, ever be without this! If they stopped making it I really don't know what I would do!

CND Solar Oil - This is a nail and cuticle conditioner which I swipe on my cuticles after Ive painted my nails. This stops my cuticles getting too dry and I also think it helps extend the wear time of my polish. I use this every time I paint my nails and I'm almost at the end of my bottle. I also love the packaging of this, its really convenient and non messy.

 MAC Lingering Eyebrow Pencil - Like my Laura Mercier powder, I rave on and on about my love affair with Lingering but I just cant help it! This fills my brows in but leaves them looking natural which is exactly what I want. The nib is so tiny that you can draw in actual brow hairs and it wont look like you coloured your eyebrows in with a marker pen! I constantly have a back up of this because if it runs out I panic!

Givenchy Hydra Sparking Magic Lip and Cheek Balm - These little pots are my babies! Without a doubt my favourite lip balms, they are so moisturising and the colour is gorgeous. I have these in my handbag at all times. The orange shade was a limited edition but the pink shade is available all year round. I wish they would make a red one of these, I have already planned that if they do I will buy at least 10! I hope someone from Givenchy is reading this!

I would love to hear some of your beauty essentials :)

Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Collection

Ever since I heard Real Techniques were releasing a new collection of brushes I have been refreshing the Boots website like a woman possessed! Finally on Friday night I found them in stock and didn't hesitate to add them to my basket!

 The duo fiber collection consists of three brushes, duo fiber face brush, duo fiber contour brush and duo fiber eye brush. The collection is limited edition and in stock on the Boots website now. They should be available instore from the end of May, although my local Boots did not have them when I checked on Saturday.

Duo fiber brushes are great for a lighter application, if you are prone to getting a bit heavy handed or love very pigmented blushes you will really see the benefit of using a duo fiber brush. I also find they blend your make up beautifully leaving no harsh lines, or the dreaded tide mark!

 Duo fiber face brush: "For lightweight application and blending of face powder and pigments"

I love a glowy finish so I'm not a powder lover, but if I don't powder my skin it ends up looking shiner then Britney's red catsuit. This brush is great for people like me as it will deposit less product for a more natural finish.

Duo fiber contour brush: "For controlled contouring and sculpting"

There is one product I cant wait to try this brush with, the infamous Chanel Soleil de Tan.  A beautiful cream bronzer but prone to leaving orange streaks if not blended well. I think this brush will work wonders! Would also be great for applying highlight.

Duo fiber eye brush: "Add finishing touches to the eyes"

I know, I know you should apply your make up in natural light but I cant be the only one who only opens half a curtain in the morning! This brush will be a life saver for me on the days where Ive gone a bit heavy handed with my eyeshadow!

All the hairs on these brushes are synthetic, taklon bristles and are surprisingly soft. I was worried they might be a little bit scratchy but I couldn't be more wrong. All of the Real Technique brushes I own have really impressed me due to the fact they don't seem to shed....at all! The quality is amazing.

 If you have got your eyes on these I would act fast as I don't reckon they will be around for long. Available from Boots for £23.99

Face Of The Day With Diorskin Nude BB Creme

First of all can I just say, screw you super fast BT broadband! Its been a long month but I'm back to blogging and I have missed it :) To make up for my internet woes I'm going to try and post everyday for the next month, so lets see how that goes!

I thought I would ease myself in gently with a face of the day and these are actually my favourite posts to do.

I started off spraying Urban Decay's De-Slick makeup setting spray all over my face, this has been a life saviour this month as the weather gets warmer and my skin shinier!

I wanted a lighter coverage so I used the Diorskin Nude BB Creme all over, blended in with my fingers. Like everyone else I saw Lisa Eldridge recommend this and unashamedly plonked my chubby flat arse right on that band wagon. I haven't used it enough to give a full review yet.......

Powder wise I went with my ye old faithful Laura Mercier Loose Mineral Powder in Real Sand, no surprises there!

To try and brighten my ever darkening under eye circles I used the MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter in Light Boost. This is a very yellow toned concealer which I like as it helps cancel out redness. Also this concealer does not crease on me at all, so happy days!

For bronzer I used the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. I'm starting to think this bronzer is never ending! I have been using it non stop but it just wont go!

My blush is another favourite, NYX's Red. I love this blush and would really recommend checking out NYX blushes if you haven't already. Amazingly pigmented, long lasting and an absolute bargain!

Now its a bit sunnier I have started reaching for my cream highlighters again, MAC's Cream Colour Base in Hush is a lovely warm colour which looks more natural on my skin then Pearl.

I then spray my face again with the Urban Decay De Slick, double lockdown!

Eyebrow wise I used my staples, MAC's Lingering and Illamasqua's Brow and Lash Gel. Its hard for me not to talk about these two in every post, but honestly they are amazing and every time I use them I just love them! If you want to thicken your brows but keep them looking natural, stop what you are doing and go and try these!

NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow base is another must have. This makes my eyeshadow last all day and I like that once its blended in it just disappears. Its easy to blend eyeshadow over it and it doesn't change the colour of the eyeshadow you are putting on top.

For eyes I used Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow in "My 2 Cents" this is my favourite shade of colour, a coppery brown. I always reach for these shades as they bring out my eyes....if I do say so myself! On top I used the lighter golden colour from the NARS Isolde duo, another one of my favourites!

I cant believe Ive used 2 Benefit products in one post and I really like them both! I am not drawn to Benefit as a brand, I find their products to be quite gimmicky and overpriced but I have to hand it to them, this mascara is really good. Now ignore the picture on the packet it wont make your lashes look anything like that, but it will define every single on of your lashes, therefore making your lashes look fuller. The torture ball end is also great for getting the outer corner lashes. This is a mini tube which was free with this months Elle magazine and I have loved it so much Ive already gone out and purchased the full size tube.

After using that expensive mascara I thought I would keep things cheap and simple with my lips and went with Miners Tin O Tint in Cherry. I love this little pot of tinted lip balm.

For a change I thought I would include my nail polish as well. I'm wearing Rimmel's Rose Libertine which is probably the prettiest, girliest nail polish you will find me wearing! This is another beauty bargain and Ive worn this all week with no chips, brilliant!