Bumble and Bumble Travel Sets

Summer time equals miniature time. If you are away on your travels you don't want your case laden down with a load of heavy lotions and potions, so beauty miniatures are the answer. Even if you're not going away, miniatures are the best way to try a product and see if you like it, without paying the full price.

Bumble and Bumble is one of my favourite haircare brands and they do some of the best travel sets. For just under £20.00 you get all your hair care sorted with a mini shampoo, conditioner and a styling product.

The Hairdresser's Trio Travel Set

The Hairdresser's set contains the Invisible Oil shampoo, conditioner and primer. These all contain Bumble and Bumble's 6 featherweight oils which help soften, silken, tame, de-frizz, detangle and protect your hair.

The shampoo is sulfate free (a common chemical found in most shampoos) but still lathers up really well. After washing and conditioning my hair felt soft and squeaky clean.

The primer really intrigued me as I love Living Proof's hair primer. The Invisible Oil primer also acts as a heat/UV protectant so perfect if you are heat styling your hair, or on holiday and out in the sun all day.  The primer has the same oils as the shampoo and conditioner but also helps to prevent breakage and ease flyaways. I sprayed this on my towel dried hair and then brushed through with my Tangle Teezer.

This trio seriously impressed me, my hair feels super soft and light and I have to keep stopping myself from touching it, its that soft!

Available from Boots £19.50

Bumble and Bumble The Surf Set

If you have read my blog for any length of time you will know that i am a bit obsessed with the Surf range from Bumble and Bumble. These help me achieve the kind of messy, wavy textured hair that I prefer and as I use the full size version of all these products, the travel set is perfect for me.

The shampoo and conditioner leave my hair feeling bouncy and clean and I find they also give my hair a bit more thickness and volume.

The Surf Spray is a sea salt spray which adds texture and waves to my hair without using any heat styling at all. I spray this through my towel dried hair then go to bed. When I wake up in the morning and brush it out I have nice big beachy waves, which I love.

Available from Boots £18.00

If I compared the two sets I would say that the Invisible Oil range left my hair feeling much softer and smoother, whereas the Surf range gave my hair some texture and body but both left my hair feeling really clean.

Does RapidLash Work? Before and After Pictures

I have used eyelash enhancing serums in the past and from my own first hand experience I know they work, however I have never properly documented it before. Its been a few years but I was recently tempted to try RapidLash again. I have now been using it for around 9 weeks and this time I have taken photos so you can judge for yourself.

RapidLash promise a visible difference in your lashes after 4 weeks of use, you can also use it on your eyebrows although I haven't tried that yet. The serum is clear and you apply it once a day to your upper lash line, just like you would an eyeliner.

RapidLash doesn't come cheap and in Boots its sold for about £41.00 however I bought mine for £22.50 from allbeauty.com with free delivery.

Before RapidLash with no mascara

As you can see my lashes are quite fair and not particularly thick. The tips of my lashes are blonde making it hard to see the actual length of them!

Before Rapidlash with mascara

Its probably worth noting that I used the same mascara for all the before and after pictures, which was the L'oreal Miss Manga mascara.

After 4 weeks of RapidLash use without mascara

After 4 weeks use, without mascara I cant really see too much of a difference in length but they look thicker and fuller.

After 4 weeks of Rapidlash use with mascara

After 4 weeks use, with mascara you can definitely see a difference in length, particularly in the outer corners. In 4 weeks the difference isn't too dramatic but I can tell a difference in both length and fullness.

After 8 weeks of Rapidlash use without mascara

Damn my pesky fair eyelashes but I can again see a difference in both length and volume, however its only really noticeable once I apply mascara.

After 8 weeks of Rapidlash use with mascara

After 8 weeks my eyelashes are now in the stage where some have naturally fallen out and are growing back, I also have some new lashes which have grown and the lashes from week 4 which haven't yet fallen out are now pretty long. Although up close like this it looks pretty uneven, in person my lashes just look much fuller and longer. In the side picture you can see the volume I now have, which is quite a dramatic difference compared to the first picture before RapidLash.

Overall I am really happy with the results and will definitely continue to use RapidLash. 

Face of the Day for Afternoon Tea at the Savoy

To celebrate milestone birthdays for both my Nans, we went to the Savoy in London for Afternoon Tea. I have never had the experience of afternoon tea before, probably due to the fact I don't drink tea or coffee!

The Savoy is beautiful and for me the best thing about the afternoon was admiring the architecture and interiors. I took a few pictures which I thought were too beautiful not to share.

I fell in love with these pop art paintings of various famous guests who have stayed at the Savoy, including Marilyn Monroe, Alfred Hitchcock, Ava Gardner, Katharine Hepburn and Frank Sinatra.

From one form of art appreciation to another, makeup! I was in a mood to experiment slightly with my eye makeup but as I knew there was bound to be a family picture or two taken, I wasn't about to do anything too crazy!

Face

Foundation

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet in B30

A fail safe, I love that this provides a good level of coverage but doesn't look or feel heavy on your skin.

Concealer

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla

I really have tried with this concealer but I just don't get the hype. The coverage is ok but not great, the lasting power is so so and the annoying applicator drags my skin. I just think there are better performing and cheaper concealers out there.

Bronzer

MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell

This is lovely but no longer available. If you are looking for a new bronzer though I highly recommend Jouer, which you can buy from Cult Beauty.

Contour

MAC Sculpting Powder in Sculpt

This is available online as a MAC Pro product. I like to use a tiny bit to try and add some definition to my chubby cheeks.

Blush

MAC Cheeky Bugger Blush

Full review here

Powder

MAC Prep & Prime CC Colour Correcting Compact in Neutralize

Full review here

Eyes

Eyeshadow Primer

Nars Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base

My favourite eyeshadow primer

Eyeshadow

Too Faced Chocolate Eyeshadow Palette

Now is the time I have to try and remember what shades I used! All over the lid I used Marzipan with Salted Caramel and Milk Chocolate in the crease. I posted a more in depth review of this palette here.

Eyeliner

MAC Teddy and Powersurge Eye Kohl

Not one but two eyeliners, can you tell I was feeling wild?! I used Teddy, which is a metallic brown, smudged out on my upper lash line. I then used Powersurge which is a metallic gold in my waterline. I always forget I own this liner but its perfect for bronzey summer makeup looks.

Mascara

MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash

A repurchase, one of the best lengthening mascaras I have tried. It also lasts all day without flaking or smudging.

Eyebrows

Hourglass Arch Brown Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette and Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

As always!

Lips

Lipstick

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Bangkok

As I did a slightly heavier eye makeup, I wanted to keep my lips pretty neutral so this matte lipstick by NARS was perfect.

When it comes to hair I am pretty boring and if I am going out there is only hair style I do, which is my Game of Thrones Hair. There are two tricks to this, number one my Babyliss Waving Wand, which makes curling your hair idiot proof and number two brushing your curls out. This is the key to getting those loose, big waves! 

I am also currently loving the Lee Stafford Argan Oil Flexible Hold Hairspray. Smells amazing and not a single strand of crispy hair in sight. The hold is quite light though, so bear that in mind.

For nails I went with my current favourite polish, Essie's Lilacism <3

I also just wanted to share my earrings as I think they are pretty cool ;) Jules Smith has some amazing, unique jewellery designs and I loved these art deco inspired Sunburst earrings. You can drool over her pieces on Shop Bop.

Too Faced

Too Faced is a brand that I have never really explored. I do love their chocolate bronzer but I have just been put off by their high prices and borderline tacky packaging. 

I was in need of a new setting powder and after hearing some rave reviews about their Primed and Poreless powder, I decided to put my preconceptions to one side.  

I had also heard good things about their lipsticks, so I picked the shade Spice Spice Baby to try as well. The makeup Gods must have been smiling on me that day because when my order arrived, there had been a mix up and I had been sent the Chocolate Eyeshadow Palette by mistake, result!

Too Faced Chocolate Eyeshadow Palette

This palette contains 16 eyeshadows, each infused with real cocoa powder and I will admit, they really do smell of chocolate! 

On the whole this a neutral palette, with a few wildcard shades thrown in. A mixture of mattes and shimmers, the quality and pigmentation of the shadows is lovely. However at £45.00 I think the palette is way over priced. The shades are nice but not particularly unique and the packaging is more tacky than kitsch. Skip this and try one of Urban Decay's Naked Palettes instead.

Available from Debenhams £45.00

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pressed Powder

As a setting powder, this was very mattifying and kept my face shine free for most of the day without any touch ups. I did really like this but there is one big drawback, it doesn't photograph well with flash. 

In pictures with flash, this gave my face a rather unflattering white cast and whilst on a daily basis that's not a problem, its still a bit disappointing.

For now I will enjoy using it but I just need to remember to use a different powder if its a special occasion and I'm likely to be 'papped'.

Available from Debenhams £24.00

Too Faced La Creme Colour Drenched Lip Cream in Spice Spice Baby

Out of the three things I tried, the lipstick is by far my favourite. It has a lovely creamy texture which feels moisturising on the lips, the shade is a beautiful my lips but better colour and the packaging is cute. I would definitely try out more shades in the range.

Available from Debenhams £18.00

Overall my opinion on Too Faced hasn't really changed. The products are all of a good quality but the pricing is just too high. If they halved their prices I would definitely be inclined to try more, but for now I'll stick with my chocolate bronzing powder and lipstick.

On my eyes -  Too Faced Chocolate Palette: 'Amaretto' and 'Marzipan' all over the lid with 'Salted Caramel' in the crease and underneath the lower lash line. 

Powder - Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder

Lipstick - Too Faced La Creme Colour Drenched Lip Cream in Spice Spice Baby

New In

Time for a round up of a few new products I have acquired recently, all in the name of research of course!

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in New Moon

This was a complete impulse purchase. I was absent mindedly browsing the Chanel counter and just happened to stick my finger in this little pot of joy. When I saw the amazing sparkle that occurred, I knew it was fate and our paths had always been destined to cross ;) Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre's are cream eyeshadows with a mousse like consistency. They have great lasting power and pack some serious sparkle, in fact this swatch really doesn't do New Moon justice. This was my eyeshadow of choice for my Sister's hen do last weekend and I think I need to arrange another night out, just so I can wear it again! Side note, the name New Moon stuck a chord with me, by far the best film in the Twilight Saga, don't you agree ;)

Maybelline Electro Baby Lips

I love me some Baby Lips and when I saw these in Superdrug I did a little squeal of excitement. I first discovered these electro shades when I was in America last year but for one reason or another I didn't pick one up and now they have finally made their way across the pond.

I have the shades Strike a Rose and Pink Shock. They are the exact same formula as the regular Baby Lips, but the colours are much brighter and stronger. If you are a tinted lip balm fan like myself, you gon' need these!

Left to right: Strike a Rose, Pink Shock

Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Formentera

For some reason I have a bit of a magpie tendency with any makeup product that is labelled multi-use, so of course my ears pricked up when I heard about Charlotte Tilbury's new beach sticks.

Similar to the NARS Multiples, these sticks can be used all over the face/body, lips, eyes, wherever the hell you want. I was going to skip these but this shade, Formentera is the perfect summer colour. 

A natural tan is not orange, its much more red based (think sunburn), Formentera is a reddy brown which when swiped across your nose, cheeks and forehead, will make you look like you have just come back from a week's holiday. I am so excited to use this! 

Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint (shade Clair)

I have my Sister to blame for this purchase. She bought this foundation and has been raving about it ever since. My Sister is pretty hard to please when it comes to makeup, so I knew it must be good. 

Guerlain promise that this foundation will give you a sun kissed healthy glow whilst not looking like you are wearing makeup, sounds like the perfect foundation for Summer!

I have been using this for a few days now and was initially quite surprised at the light coverage. I was originally applying this with my usual foundation brush, however I think this foundation looks and works so much better when you apply it with your fingers. Like I said, this is quite a light coverage and a separate concealer is needed but I have to say that once applied with my fingers, it really does give my skin a healthy tanned glow but looks incredibly natural. 

Maybelline Colour Show Bleached Neons Nail Polish in Tropink

Summer is the time of year when neon nail polish is fully acceptable. From the months of May to September my toe nails are painted neon yellow and I have no shame in that. However I love the idea of these more pastel toned neons by Maybelline. I opted for the Barbie pink colour, depending how I get on with this I might have to go back and get the coral colour too!

Essie Nail Polish Lilacism

This is a classic Essie shade and I don't know whats taken me so long to try it, but it is officially my favourite pastel purple colour out there. When compared to similar lilac shades by Barry M and Topshop, this is more blue toned and personally I think a little more unique looking. I painted my nails with this straight away and its definitely up there in my top 10 all time nail polishes (I feel a blog post coming on!)

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Bangkok

If you have read any of my recent blog posts, you might know I have developed an obsession with the NARS matte lipstick in Montego Bay. As that hasn't left my lips for the last month, I figured it was time to try a different shade. After a bit of googling, I opted for Bangkok. The fact that Christina Hendricks has worn this shade, may have been a key factor in my decision! Bangkok is much lighter than Montego Bay and is more of a blue toned pink. Its very natural looking and would look amazing with a smoky eye. I have a Face of the Day with this coming up next!

Now repeat after me, I wont buy anymore makeup, I wont buy anymore makeup.......