Mac Flamingo (Lustre) Lipstick

This little beauty is another cheeky buy from my trip to the US. I'm not usually a particularly confident bright lipstick buyer, but when I saw this, it inspired me to step outside my neutral-shaded comfort zone. I thought it looked perfect for summer and not too full-on for a day in the office. 

Part of the 'We're back' collection - a selection of the most popular limited edition shades - Mac's Flamingo (Lustre) is described as a 'light milky bright coral', and that's exactly what it is really, albeit a little less bright than I initially thought/hoped. But, I do like it, and the colour does intensify the more I apply, so I'm happy!

Now that I'm all experienced in this brighter-lipstick-buying malarky, I've decided I'm going to be more brave and slap on the shades I've bought on a whim in the past, as well as purchase the odd new one every now and again. Life's too short to go neutral all the time right? Watch this space for more lippy posts...

Now where's that Mac Morange I bought last summer?

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The Body Shop Baked-to-Last Blush

Following on from my post on The Body Shop's Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder, this post is dedicated to the gorgeous Baked-to-Last Blush in Petal, purchased as part of the 'buy 3 get 3 free' offer, which by the way is such a bloody good bargain.

I love the style of the packaging, especially the fact it's transparent, luring you in to want to use it!  It's a hand-made (impressive) blush that's baked slowly, which serves to give up to 8 hours of colour according to The Body Shop site. I can't say it truly lasts that long but it has a good go.

As you can see, there is also a little highlighter incorporated as part of the blush, which is a great touch. I've used it both ways: mixed together with the blush and as a highlighter on its own, primarily on my brow bone, and it's understatedly lovely.

Here's a swatch of it on my arm as well as applied; I'm not sure this picture does it justice to be honest, but you do need a good dusting or two of it to take effect on your face! By the way, can you look at this without noticing how pale my face is compared to my arm? Awkward.

What do you think of this blusher? Have you tried it? I'd love to hear your comments!

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The Body Shop Honey Bronze Powder

You might have read about my recent skincare buys from The Body Shop, which I bought while I was in America on holiday. We did some serious miles in our clichéd Mustang convertible (what else?), and I'll definitely be blogging about our experiences soon enough, but first I wanted to spend some time talking about what I bought there, because who doesn't like to see the results of a shopping haul or ten?!

So as part of the 'buy 3, get 3 free' offer, I bought this adorable-looking Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in Light Matte. I love the look of this bronzer: simplistic, sleek and leaves you wanting to try it out! The compact features a mirror, which is of course a big plus. Nothing worse than being out and about without a mirror and having to do a bit of patchy guesswork with your bronzing brush. Dangerous territory.

My favourite thing about this bronzer is the beehive embossed pattern - a nice tie to the honey name. It's not only sleek and high-quality looking, but it made for good grip with my powder brush, although I'm sure it doesn't really make a difference!

It's described as giving an 'even-matte' finish, and it certainly is plain old matte. I was purposefully looking for this though as opposed to a shimmer, as I prefer to highlight lightly with a separate product these days. Sometimes shimmer just doesn't sit right with me! I did find this shade to be very light though and I found I had to go back for more to build a bit of colour, but I guess the 'light matte' shade is a bit of a clue. To be honest, I think it's better to build up with bronzer anyway; no-one likes to be tangoed.

Source (adapted)

Here's a swatch of the bronzer on my arm and a trout pout pic of it on my face. Like I said, it's clearly not too heavy...I'm also wearing the Baked-to-Last Blush here, which I'll be reviewing shortly!

Have you tried this bronzer? How did you find it? I'd love to hear your comments!

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Life lately #1

Clockwise (L-R):

1. We went to a wedding recently; our first one here in Switzerland, so we had to take a good old selfie in the sunshine!

2. This is one of my US purchases - the Southwest Stripe dress from Aeropostale; a cute patterned mini dress - perfect for summer. This was just before we had a barbeque, hence the happiness here!

3. After my US holiday and the excessive amounts of lard I consumed, I'm trying to eat healthier and get my body prepped for my next holiday to Ibiza with the girls in August. This is a feta and sun-dried tomato green salad with chopped-up pork minute steak! Not your usual, but a bit of a taste sensation!

4. It's a fishtail plait. Whoop! My hair is long enough and, though they're old news now, I'm still excited enough about being able to do them that I had to take the proud-hair selfie! Oh yeah. Too cool.

5. I'm loving Rita Ora's range for Rimmel at the moment, especially the pastelly (new word?) ones. This one is Lose Your Lingerie. So simple and pretty.

6. So this totes contradicts my earlier statement (3rd picture). I can't really justify it, but just.look.at.it. A home-made pavlova, made by my beautiful sister. Soooo gooooood.

Clockwise (L-R):

1. I bought some cute Alice bands recently in both this pastel pink shade and a cream one; this selfie is basically me trying to judge how I feel about wearing one. Yay or nay?

2. Now that the sun is out in Switzerland, I'm getting the chance to wear lots of nice, bright summery clothes, so I take great pleasure in taking bottom-half selfies. Clearly. This dress is a cute mini that I've recycled; I found it in River Island a couple of years back for a measly £5 or something. I heart a bargain...

3. We make an effort to try get out and experience Switzerland and the surrounding area as much as we can in our free time. I'm all about making the most of an opportunity, and living here is exactly that in my eyes. Last weekend, my boyfriend and I wanted to get out and about so we opted for a cheeky visit to Thun, a little city in the Bernese Oberland beside Lake Thun. 'Twas pretty and picturesque as you can see!

4. Last Friday was the 13th. No real biggie for most of us, bar the superstitious. Anyhoo, it was also a full moon. So my fact of the day and whole point of this pic is that it won't be happening again until at least August 2049. That's a whole 35 years away. So, errr, I found that fascinating enough to snap it. I find facts like that amazing as it makes me wonder where I'll be and what I'll be doing and what life will be like!

5. Balcony view of the sunset last weekend. 'Nuff said!

6. A perfect pre-World Cup England match meal last Saturday evening. Steak, home-made wedges (sweet potato ones this time) and a juicy salad is one of my absolute favourite meals. Even better with a glass of vino to wash it down!

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Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

July is big in the Swiss calendar, not just for those beautiful summer days, floating down the River Rhine with your clothes/belongings in a water-proof bag (they actually do that here), or marathon-long hikes in the mountains. Oh no. It's jazz festival time. Yup. You heard right. Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the most famous in the world along with Canada's Montreal one, so if you're into your jazz and you like your nice surroundings, Montreux is the place to be.

To be honest, I have never really listened to much jazz but we decided to get involved last year, purely to absorb the atmosphtere and see what it was all about. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, bar the stereotypical cliché of a smoke-filled dimly lit room, and an old dude singing about his pain and strife while strumming an archaic guitar (though I definitely mistook jazz for blues in this respect!). Safe to say, I'm obviously no jazz connoisseur, but I was excited as soon as we arrived.

You might wonder why this bronze beauty of a Freddie Mercury statue exists in Montreux, but it was apparently a spiritual home to him, and he settled here because of its serenity, famously saying "If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux". Lovely little saying, and it's a lovely littlebig 3-metre statue that really captures his presence and makes you feel as if you are somewhere special! It's a homage to all fans and touching to see that people still leave flowers in memory of him. This plaque explains the statue's significance in a little more detail...

Oddly but interestingly, there were quite a few artistic installations dotted around the place when we visited. I'm not sure if this was especially for the festival or not, but they weren't related to music or jazz as far as I could tell, so it could have been a separate thing altogether. Nonetheless, they made you look twice! Not so keen on this giant spider though...

Couple of even stranger ones here...


So much flower porn right now! Their gardening skills are truly amazing, and I have to say Switzerland in general love their flowers, but I'm definitely not complaining. They're such a good mood enhancer and make the world such a prettier place to wander! 

We were really looking forward to this late-night freestyle jazz session, which was penned in to start after the main evening stage shows had finished. After an evening of great fun, which ended with a reggae band called Booost (amazing!), we bagged a great seat as you can see, but it was unfortunately cancelled shortly afterwards, hence the empty stage. Disappointed wasn't the word...

Here's a few pictures of the surroundings so you can get an idea of how beautiful the place is...the beauty of the festival is the fact entry is free (apart from some selected shows featuring major artists), so you can wander in and around the various shows/sections of the festival as you please...perfect if you're new to jazz and just want to wander around for the weekend taking in the atmosphere!

Jamie Cullum back in the day I believe...

The streets are bustling with people all day long and lined with food stalls to keep you full of beans! 

The line-up for this year's festival (4-19 July) is pretty varied, as ever, but so good (Pharell, Ed Sheeran, Outkast, Paloma Faith, Robin Thicke, Stevie Wonder, and MK [one of my faaaave house DJs] to name a few of the ones I've heard of - yes, yes, I appreciate these aren't jazz artists but I did say I was no connoisseur)!

Have I tempted you to visit Montreux if you haven't already? Ever tried a jazz festival? I'd love to hear what you think!

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Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation

On our way back from our US trip, I panic-bought this foundation as I'd really wanted to take advantage of the dollar and treat myself to one while I was away. Having not got round to hunting one out, I spotted this for $30 (approximately £18) in LAX airport and home it came! After all, it's £26.50 in the UK, so I was doing myself a favour!

I adore the packaging of all Benefit products and love the informality of it and fact it's unpretentious. These little touches that I've pictured above are the icing on top of the proverbial cake for me; the "I'm pure for sure" ivory quote made me smile, as did the free primer tester inviting me in. Almost felt like Alice in my own little wonderland. But let's not get carried away; it's a box after all...

The transparent pump bottle is always a bonus as it's handy to see how much product you have left. Nobody wants to wake up to no warpaint, right? So, this is the Ivory shade at first glance. It's runnier than I expected but a great silk-like consistency, making it super easy to apply. 

The picture below shows a 'barefaced' before and a 'just applied' after face. Bear in mind the second picture is literally the foundation only: no powder, no concealer, blush, bronze etc, so it still looks a little bland, but all in all, I'd say the shade is a perfect match and it blended in well helping to even out my often blotchy face. I used the Real Techniques pointed foundation brush and applied a thin layer before building up around my nose and chin.

Once I'd applied the rest of my make up, I was really happy with the outcome, and I'll definitely be replacing my current foundation with this, especially now the sun is shining here. With SPF 25 protection, it's a must-have! Now, where's that primer tester it came with?

Have you tried this foundation or any other Benefit foundations? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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The Body Shop skincare selection

One of my first stops when I was in the USA was The Body Shop as I had accidentally-on-purpose forgotten to take enough moisturiser to last me more than the first few days. So when I saw a fab 'buy 3 products, get 3 free' offer, well, you know the rest! I know, I know, I can hear the faint shrieks of shock as to why The Body Shop was my first stop-off, over the Rolls-Royce of beauty shops: Sephora. But (big but), I live in Switzerland where everything is outrageously expensive, and The Body Shop was just there luring me in with its bargains and nice displays. So there. Simples really! That and the fact they don't test on animals makes it a winner all round!

I decided on a mix of skincare products, as well as a couple of beauty ones thrown in, so this initial post is dedicated to the skincare goodies to let you in on my thoughts after a few weeks of use!

Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask

I've tested this a few times now, and while my skin feels a little tight after using it (nothing a spot of moisturiser can't fix), it did leave my skin feeling super clean, soft and spoiled. It's a twice-weekly number, which makes it feel a little more special. Anyone else feel this way when there's a usage restriction involved? Just me? Anyway, I have to admit I'm a sucker for face masks; there's something about them that makes you feel pampered the moment you apply them. While this admission may have partially clouded my judgement, this clay mask claims to purify, cleanse and control excess oil, and it certainly does feel like it's doing something right. Regardless, sometimes looking great is a state of mind right? So I'm more than willing to keep using it twice a week, if only for that 'pampered to perfection' feeling!

Vitamin E Moisture Lotion

My favourite thing about this SPF 15 moisturiser is the texture; it's light, airy and almost mousse-like. However, I think that's as far as it goes for me really. It's nice enough but personally not outstanding. I'm forever on the search for the perfect moisturiser, and maybe my expectations are too high, but this is just another standard moisturiser for me, though I will point out it's non-greasy - a big plus for me. It does the job, bish, bash bosh, but that's it really. Meh.

Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil 

This is meant to 'replenish and recharge moisture', and I was slightly nervous of slathering it onto my occasionally oil-prone face but I really needn't have worried. My skin is quite dry at the moment anyway so I think it's perfect for those months where your skin is quenching for moisture. Put it this way, I have been using it every night for the past few weeks since I bought it, and have appreciated its effect on my skin. It features a pipette applicator, making it relatively easy to control with minimal spillage. When you apply it, it miraculously doesn't actually leave your fingers or face feeling too greasy at all; it's almost like a dry oil - baffling. What sort of magic sorcery is this I hear you say? Well, I have no idea, but I'm happy to go with the flow!

Vitamin E Eye Cream

To be frank, I haven't used this long enough to notice any real difference. My fine lines are still fine and evident, but I don't expect miracles really. I think eye creams are one of those things where you have to put a bit of trust into it, especially at a younger age where the effects may be less evident anyway!

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to hear what you think. 

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