No7 Perfectly Bronzed 360 Self Tan

Now we're in to summer and the legs are coming out, despite the fact the weather hasn't been great (hence the reason for fake tan) here where i live i thought it would be a good opportunity to try a few new tans, Although i didn't end up trying as many as i'd planned after finding this one.

I picked this tan up in boots for a crazy price of £4 as it was on offer at the time from £12.75. Not knowing what to expect from a spray tan as i have always used a mousse formula but because of  the really low price i couldn't miss the chance, as No7 is usually a very good brand.

I picked up the light/medium spray because i am fairly pale, i would recommend picking up the medium/dark if you prefer a darker tan as the lighter shade is very natural, however saying that with my ghostly skin it made my legs look very glowy and naturally more tanned without being orange and leaving no streaks at all because of the aresol holes being more spaced out, giving it an even finish. With it being a spray formula i felt like i didn't need to moisturise as much as i normally would because its very hydrating itself.
Personally i would still use a mitt to rub it in with as it suggests on the box just so you know you are definitely streak safe. This No7 develops in a couple hours (although you can see it lightly straight away) and washes off, o it would be a great one to use for an occasion or if you were going out.

One more plus i have to add, is that i finally found a self tan with a great smell which is rare!

What tan would you recommend?

Meg x

The face changers

We all know how drastically make up can change someones face, some more than others and obviously depending on how much you apply.

I have picked out a few products and reasons to why i think these can transform your face the most. Every item of makeup plays their part and products such as eye shadow or lipstick can change your look but it is not necessarily something everyone wears.

The first product i picked out was probably an obvious one because of the whole brow hype at the moment and big brows have never been loved more! We all go through fazes of trying to find the best type of products to fit your brow- pencil, powder, cream and now there is so much more to choose from. I am one for a bold but natural brow because my eyebrows are quite dark and have got shape anyway they just need a bit more volume (do brows have volume?), I have been loving the Illamasqua Brow Cake recently in Gaze, its quite dark so i don't need a lot of product and i just roughly run the creamy powder through them with a Laura Geller angled brush to add a bit more definition. Some times less is more with brows.

I think mascara is a product that makes a massive difference and most make up looks just doesn't look 100% complete with out a coat or two. I did not want to give into the hype and buy the Benefit They're Real mascara but when i got sent it i thought i had to give it a go and.. well I love it! If you were thinking the same as i was, do not hold back go and buy it, my lashes have never looked longer, although i have quite long lashes anyway it just gives it a false lashes effect and you only really need one coat. I am very happy to just wear this by its self when it comes to wearing no makeup.

When i am not wearing a base like foundation or a BB cream i tend to stay away from bronzer/contour as i feel it doesn't have as much to cling on to and doesn't make as big of a impact, although it still works. However with a good base this product transforms your face and works really well on my pale skin as it is quite a light contour, Maybelline Master Sculpt also have a slightly darker shade for you darker skinned guys and gals out there. I was mainly concentrating on the bronzer in this product but i have to give some love to the highlighter side too as it is such a pigmented glowy powder, fab if you are on a budget.

Lastly, I picked concealer(s), you don't always need a foundation to create a flawless base, concealer is just as good and slightly more natural, or if you don't intend on wearing any makeup but feel you look slightly zombie-fied from your sleepless night like me, it works for that too.
Do i need to even tell you what the first concealer is? Collection Lasting Perfection a great must have to cover those imperfections, a slightly less coverage concealer but still one of my favourites is Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer, very creamy light weight concealer that brightens your under eyes from all the moisture.

These are the products i turn to everyday as part of my daily face but also work very well on their own when i only want to wear one product or i am having a good skin day i'll just pop one of these on to give more of a model off duty kind of look.

What face changers do you have in your makeup bag?

Meg x

Fashion Inspo

Fashion is a very personal thing.

I think a lot of people think they can just take ideas from other people, wear it and call it their own style, which to be honest i think i did to.
If you don't like it, don't wear it because you will be able to tell. It is definitely something that comes with time, it will take you a while to figure out what you are most comfortable in, what looks best on you and so on. I am still not 100% sure what my personal style is yet but i am getting there.

These are a few of my fashion inspirations.

I love Kate Moss' model off  duty style she always has, its really simple and classic. She wears really monochromatic basic pieces but layers them an pairs them with a pair of classy heels or a bold lip colour.

I really like how Fearne cotton styles her clothes too, they are
some times quite similar to Kate Moss' looks but maybe with a bit more colour and she definitely likes to pair different patterns together.

Lastly for celebrities, after loving her as Haley Dunphy i also love her when shes just her normal self Sarah Hyland, i quite like both of her styles on TV and off, she has more of a feminine look than the other two but she still likes to wear a relaxed, classic look too.

I also really like getting inspiration and ideas from bloggers, my favourite looks and biggest inspirations are Lily Melrose, Sammi (beautycrush) and Kailee Mckenzie. I love taking ideas and pieces from their outfits and styles they come up with and put together.

whose your style inspiration?

Meg x

The all day foundation

This is obviously a big factor when deciding on a foundation, its fab when they all have '12 hour' '24 hour' '18 hour' slapped across the front of the packaging, but do they really last that long?

How do the companies actually test staying power through the day? do they make colleagues stay up for a whole day wearing this foundation? or do they wear it to bed? What do they go by? Do they just apply it to a dummies face and leave it in a office all day and think yep that's 24 hours done? How does it work?!Too many questions, some one enlighten me!

Either way I've decided to write a post on my experience on Foundations with a daily stay guarantee.
I've picked a few foundations out of my collection that claim to last a crazy long time,  to write a type of versus post;
These are all foundations i have wore multiple times and recently wore to jog my memory a little, each have been worn without a primer to see the foundations true potential and i have a variety of high end and high street, so lets see who wins.

Just be aware that obviously we don't all have the same skin so these might vary slightly on your skin but it will give you a rough idea.

First up is my beloved Lancome teint idole 24H foundation. If you have read my previous posts you will know this is like one of my favourite foundations, one of the main reasons is because it does last a very long time, i wouldn't say a full face lasts 24 hour as after about 10 hours it does start to dissolve around the oily areas of my face but this is without powder or a primer, so overall it does a good job as it lasts the day with out slipping and sliding across your face and doesn't stick to any dry patches! if you want a all day stay, i recommend using a powder on top.

So we are now on to high street foundations; Here i have the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation, one of my most used foundations too, i love this foundation as it is quite a dewy finish but still has a good medium coverage to it, for a foundation with more of a glow to it you expect it might be easier for this to fade around your face, but its surprising that it doesn't. It lasts a little less time compared to the Lancome foundation, which is still great for a cheaper high street product it also keeps the radiant look on your skin instead of drying or wearing into a powdery finish.

Lastly i have the the L'Oreal Infallible 24 hour Foundations, here i have both versions of it-
 The Mattifying infallible foundation:
I am not a big fan of this like most people are, due to the fact i don't like matte foundations very much, i can see why people like it though as it is quite a high coverage and it does have a good staying power, although on my skin once it has sunk in it does tend to look like i have a bit too much powder on when i have actually applied none, i think its more of a liquid to powder- finish the reason i stay away from this foundation.

The Stay Fresh infallible foundation: I didn't like this foundation, to be honest i was very disappointed when i bought this a while back, i loved the way this foundation looked on my face as it isn't too dewy but it still gives you this a flawless base, i was disappointed as i felt like it oxidized on my skin once it had settled... little did i know i had picked up a shade TWO shades darker than my skin, god knows why i did that (clearly i wasn't paying no attention) and i continued to apply it on my face as it looked fine at first glance as most foundations do when you first apply them; after removing this foundation multiple times as i could not understand why it had oxidized this much i then realised it was not oxidizing.. i was just very very oblivious to the fact i had bought the wrong shade (silly me, im not stupid i promise). I bought a new shade that matched me but completely forgot how much i loved this product until i started using it again a couple of weeks ago. It gives such a flawless finish, it has a perfect medium coverage and would probably last a whole day on your skin although i am yet to stay awake for 24 hours to try, it just doesn't budge off your skin but is still super easy to blend out and blend other products into, it even has a SPF of 18. This is definitely my winner.. i think maybe even over my Lancome foundation.. aahh did i just say that?! wow commitment.

Thank you for reading, let me know if you have tried these foundations and what you thought.
Also what other foundations claim to last 12-24 hours?

Meg x

Products i always re-purchase

So this is my first post in a long time, mainly due to being very unmotivated and the fact my computer wasn't allowing me to upload photos to my posts.
But i am back and hoping to be right back on top of things.

I thought i would do this post because its quite an easy one really and had never thought of it until i realised how many products i end up going through.

Collection Lasting Perfection //
One that's slightly obvious but a definite staple, a great concealer especially for under the eyes as the lightest shade is bright enough to highlight but also thick enough to cover.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo + //
I wasn't too happy when i first bought this but now i have grown to love it, it is a lovely serum based formula that goes on before your moisturiser, it sinks in quickly and leaves your face slightly matte a feeling very silky. It also doesn't feel greasy which is a plus.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H //
You may have heard me go on too many times about this as i have done a post specifically for this product here. This is one of my favourite high end foundations as the coverage is quite high but it isn't to drying or matte on your skin, so you still have a slight natural glow to your face.

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip liner //
I am on about my third one of this.. maybe fourth. It is such a natural rose pink colour, it lasts nice amount of time on your lips and i some times wear this by its self without anything on top, however the only bad things is that the pencil/stick itself doesn't last very long as there isn't alot of product. But at £3.99 you can't complain.

Garnier Mi-cellar water//
all i can say is its one of the best products ive used. It takes all your make up off instantly including eye make up so you don't have to use a seperate product and it leaves your face feeling refreshed.

Nivea Dry Confidence Plus //
To be honest i think i only bought this because it was on offer but the scent is so nice and it lasts all day so i guess it does the job.

Co Lab Dry Shampoo //
I always pick either this dry shampoo or the batiste, like everyone i guess. I prefer this one just a little bit more because i feel like the can lasts a little bit longer and you don't tend to get that white ashy-ness in your hair. as you do with most dry shampoo.

Meals of the week

I was quite excited to right this post as it was something a bit different, but unfortunately my photos haven't wanted to upload and as this is a photo based post, it kind of looses its purpose (the reason i have been a bit distant from blogging recently).

Whilst struggling with uploading, my laptop decided to delete a few photos which is so frustrating, but i decided im still going to upload the photos and post, it will just have to be a short week, sorry guys!

These aren't all main meals some of them were lunches and some were dinners all from one week, and no i don't eat out alot i just thought it would be more interesting if i posted about a week a went for meals a few times.

Gorgeous snacky lunch at Revolution ( a great place to eat) with buttermilk chicken strips- which was so tasty, snack size burgers and homemade sweet potato chips. It was surprisingly healthier than i though.

A quick lunch from Caffe Nero. Tuna and Mozzarella melt panini, can't go wrong with Caffe Nero.

My first ever visit to Wagamamas. So of course i got the all famous Chicken Katsu Curry, which i loved, however i am aware they aren't very good for you. But this isn't a 'Healthy meals of the week'.

And one of my favourites, my mums homemade Moussaka (like a potato lasagna) with veggies and my absolute favourites Sweet potato fries, which i eat with nearly every meal at the moment. These ones or just shop bought but my mum definitely makes them better.

Lastly i made myself a lovely Spinach and ricotta tortelloni as that is my new obsession, placed with tomato and basil sauce on top with peppers and caramelized onions and of course a piece of garlic bread on the side. However the picture did go missing.

I am so sorry guys for the mish mash of a post, i hoped it would be better if i didn't have laptop troubles. 

Thank you for reading.
Meg x

Things you will always find in my bag

If im not mistaken i think i saw Corrie from DizzyBrunette do a post like this and i quite liked it so i thought i would do it a post like it too.

The bag i am using at the moment is the Fiorelli Luella grab medium bag, i have been loving this bag recently, i think its because its cream so it kind of fits in with summer instead of black.

The first thing i always have in my hand bag is a umbrella, it just sits at the bottom of my bag all the time because well, just in case, British weather is very hit and miss so that keeps me safe when the rain strikes.

Palmers cocoa butter hand cream is one thing i always keep in my bag, im not addicted, i don't always use this ( because i don't like stuff on my hands) but when i have dry hands this is always the hand cream i go to.

My portable charger is a must! I always leave the house with a 80% battery or above on my phone which im totally comfortable with, anything lower and i worry how i might cope. I always end up fine but if i end up staying out or going somewhere straight after then i like to know i have it in my bag in case i stay the night, if gives you up to 4/5 extra charges which is plenty.

As i said; i like to make sure my phone is charged if i stay out the night with out taking my full charger, i also like to know im prepared to. This might be quite weird but it has proven very helpful in the past, i like to keep a small makeup bag in my handbag and inside: some ibuprofen for nasty headaches, plasters, a travel toothbrush (in case i end up staying somewhere), a razor (weird but same reason really as the toothbrush) and girly products. It has become a habit now to keep this purse in my bag and it surprisingly doesn't take up much room.

Obviously i have my purse in there to carry money and my cards, it is from new look but i am currently on the look out for a new purse as this one is starting to give in. A long with that i always have my headphones in my handbag too, i say that but ironically i have forgotten them the last few days as they were in my coat pocket. Typical.

I no longer carry my whole makeup bag with me even though is used to be a complete essential but instead of the whole bunch i just carry a concealer and what ever lipstick i decided to wear that day, I say which ever lipstick i was wearing, when really i have about 5 at the bottom of my bag due to being indecisive or just forgetful, they are: Mac Brave, Mac plumful, Mac Mehr, Maybelline color drama in Nudist and Rimmel lasting lipliner in Eastend snob.

Meg x