Skincare Haul: REN, Kiehl’s, Embryolisse

Recently my skin has been playing up, becoming dry, red and blemished on my chin and under my nose. After some advice, it was recommended that I cut back on skincare as it looked like i was using too many products which could be making my skin inflamed and sensitive. I used this opportunity to pick up some new skincare bits which I hoped would sooth my poor face. Firstly, I got the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask (£30) when stopping by Harvey Nichols on the way home. As I’ve cut chemical exfoliation and toning out of my daily routine at the moment, I thought this would provide my skin with exfoliation on a less regular basis, therefore hopefully not being as harsh. Next, as I just ran out of my trusty Re-Gen Oil, which I’ve used as a moisturiser for years, I decided to try something high end in the form of Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (£36). I’ve been using 2 drops all over the face and an extra drop on my chin area nightly. As this is so expensive and recommended for evening use, I also picked up the Embryolisse Lait-Créme Concentré (£20) as a day moisturiser. It has been raved about by makeup artists everywhere for years as being perfect for all skin types as well as working as both a primer and moisturiser, not being too heavy but still successfully hydrating the skin. This has been on my radar for a while, having tried a few samples and my friend Katie being a fan. So far, its working a treat. Review coming soon! Finally, I just grabbed a cheap alternative for my Re-Gen oil in the form of Rescue Oil (£1.99). This is pretty much going to be used if i run out of anything or if my skin needs a little extra love in the daytime. It will probably be really useful as a body oil when I’m working on the cruise ship as the air-con can really dry out the skin.

Apart from repurchases of Hydraluron and Cleanse & Polish before i start work on the ship, this is going to be my last beauty splurge for a while (unless i make a few naughty purchases in Florida). I have alot to pay out for before I start work and booking a last minute trip to Florida didn't help, oops! Have you bought any new skincare recently?

xox

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Cinderella’s Castle ‘The Hub’: Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Inspired Makeup Series

After taking some time off from this series to give my annoyingly sore eyelids some time to rest, I’m back with the final instalment! The area around Cinderella’s Castle, known as The Hub, is probably my favourite place in the whole of Walt Disney World. I get a little emotional just thinking about it. The home of ‘Dream Along with Mickey’, my favourite minor show, as well as a prime viewing area for Celebrate the Magic Castle Show, Wishes and the parades. I recall many a days wandering around the hub with my drinks cart, pretty much getting paid to watch the show as well as my time vending at the popcorn stands. Oh how I miss it… speaking of… this post couldn't have come at a more perfect time really! I may have just booked a holiday to Florida…. NEXT MONTH. It was a last minute thing between me finishing university and heading out to work on the cruise ship. I’m heading out there for 10 days on June 3rd, which just so happens to be exactly a year since I headed out to start my Disney College Program. All the feelz!

So, I wanted to do something fun yet classic with this look as well as attempting something I’ve never done before. I settled on an ombre winged out liner, graduating from white through pale blue, to darker shades. Using loose pigments, I combined them all with mixing medium to give a brighter colour and to help make the application more precise. I also gave abit of definition to the eyelid by using a highlight shade (Urban Decay Venus) all over and a light brown (Urban Decay Naked 2) through the crease. Creating the look was easier than I thought, as I predicted i would have some trouble perfecting the blending of two shades, but it was actually rather simple. I rounded off the look with a pink blush and a bright pink lip, to reflect the castle’s pink/purple glow at night.

Face
Inglot Primer, Dior Skin Forever in 011, NARS Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Fyrinnae Loose Powder, NARS Laguna Bronzer, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused.

Eyes
UDPP, Urban Decay Naked Basics (Venus & Naked 2), Geek Chic Mana Battery, Chinovi Cloud, Victorian Disco Rowena, Sugarpill Royal Sugar, Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara, Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara, Anastasia Brow Whiz in Ash Blonde.

Lips
MUA Luxe Velvet Lip in Funk.

Well, that's the end of my Magic Kingdom series! Make sure to check out my roundup post next week which will feature all the looks I created and also check out all of Sam’s looks on her blog. I really enjoyed this collaboration with her, even if we went a little off track near the end!

What’s your favourite Magic Kingdom show? I actually don't think I can choose just one, I love them all!

xox

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The April Recap

Seeing as this year I am blogging more frequently than previous years, i thought at the beginning of each new month i would do a round up of my favourite posts from the passing month. This is not only to help my lovely readers keep upto date but to share with you the posts I personally enjoyed putting together the most. I’m also going to use it as an opportunity to share any monthly favourites and upcoming “beauty goals”.

At the beginning of April, me and my boyfriend Craig went to London for a few days before our university deadline/exam period begins. While there we went to see my favourite musical, Wicked, visited some of the tourist spots and ate some marvellous food, including a lovely meal at the Rainforest Cafe. All the Florida feels! I documented the trip with a few snaps that can be viewed in my London Photo Diary post!

This month also saw me discovering a new makeup favourite in the form of Urban Decay’s Supercurl Curling Mascara as well as picking up a much lusted after piece of clothing so I could pose on the pretty London streets for my Black Collar Crochet outfit post.

To conclude with, I finally bit the bullet and placed an order with Sephora. I was in need of some new foundations so splurged on some Tarte bits as well as a NARS concealer from Space NK. Expect to see reviews soon!

I’ve generally spent this month in my full time teaching placement, doing university work and working at the hotel with nothing particularly thrilling going down. In May I hope to have alot more free time as I’ve finished my teaching placement and have just left my job, to give me plenty of time to focus on university deadlines. My main beauty goals/plans for the next few weeks are to not spend as much money as I have been doing, to shop my makeup stash, condense my collection and use up as many products as I can so it will be easier to decide what to take to sea with me.

This month on Instagram, my feed has just been filled with photos of London and my excessive spending. Surprisingly, not as many pictures of my face, but i guess I haven't been wearing as much makeup as an extra 15 minutes in bed is a thing #wheredidthevanitygo.

What have you done this month? Do you have any beauty goals for May?

xox

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Sephora and Space NK Haul ft. Tarte & NARS.

After running out of my Illamasqua Skin Base last week I decided that I wanted to try something new before I head out to sea for 6 months (see my cruise ship announcement post). In particular, I was looking for something with spf in as I am going to be in the Mediterranean/Caribbean and my skin burns super easily. Anyway, this lead to me filling up a basket on the Sephora website, who now ship to the UK as you probably have already heard. After a few days of adding and subtracting various products from my basket, I ended up deciding on a few Tarte bits, as their new stockist in the UK, QVC, annoyingly don’t stock the lightest foundation shades. Additionally, I also made a cheeky Space NK order of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22) in shade Chantilly, as I’ve been wanting to try it out for quite a while. The colour is a perfect match and although I’ve only used it a handful of times, I'm completely in love with it. Hello new NARS obsession.

Anyway, onto the Sephora purchases. Firstly, I picked up the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation (£24 minus tax) in shade Ivory. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this foundation and although I have a feeling it will be a bit too dark for me, I can always lighten it up with a smidge of white foundation. As I am also I need of a new Primer, I picked up the BB Tinted Treatment 12 Hour Primer (£21.50 minus tax) in shade fair. As this is tinted I don't think I will be using it under a full coverage foundation, but it’s perfect for under a lighter coverage one. From what I’ve used of it so far it’s evened out the texture and colour of my skin, leaving it so smooth. I can probably even get away with using this just on its own with a bit of concealer to be honest. The added SPF 30 was one of the main reason I decided on this product and I know I will be getting a tonne of use out of it when I’m on the cruise ship. Finally, I couldn't resist the hype of the Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation (£22.75 minus tax) in shade Fair Honey and the Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush (£16.50 minus tax). I’ve never used mineral foundation before and was really curious to what its about. Stay tuned for my thoughts on this in the next few weeks.

Want to know the best part about all of these purchases? Tarte and NARS are both cruelty free! All together I did spend quite a chunk of money as taxes were an additional £18.56 plus £10 shipping (which does include import taxes thankfully), but seeing as I haven’t splurged on makeup in quite a while I wanted a little treat. Let’s hope all the products end up being worth it.

What are your Sephora picks? Have any of you UK lovelies made an order yet? What is on your Sephora wish list?

xox

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The Travelling Makeup Bag

I am one of those girls who, more often than not, finds it difficult to pack light. It’s not uncommon to find me “oooohing” and “ahhhing” over which products to take when packing for a trip, all the while trying to justify bringing along something I wont need. “But i might need this bright yellow eyeshadow from this massive palette in the 2 nights I am away in case I’m inspired by the sunshine”, no Jane, just no. Recently though, I have started to restrict myself to “one of each” not including lipstick, which i permit two of. Today I am going to share with you some of my favourite travelling makeup companions, that I took with me on my trip to London earlier this month.

For my base I threw in an Inglot Primer as I’m determined to finish this off soon, along with my Dior Skin Forever Foundation. It’s really lightweight and lasts the whole day, perfect for a city break while the added SPF is always a bonus. Collection’s Lasting Perfection Concealer pretty much comes everywhere with me anyway, but we all know how amazing it is already right? NARS Laguna Bronzer and NARS Boy’s Don’t Cry Blush adorned my cheeks (I really need to get me some more NARS) while Fyrinnae Loose Powder, an indie gem I’m currently obsessed with, set everything beautifully.

Now I actually forgot to bring one of my staples on this trip, Urban Decay Primer Potion. When i discovered that it wasn't in my makeup bag I had abit of a panic that my eyeshadow would crease and I would look a mess in one of the most fashion conscious cities in the world. But, I actually faired well without it thanks to Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. Never did I think that I could wear eyeshadow without a primer, usually everything creases on me. Urban Decay, you are my saviour. Not only did Naked Basics stop my creasing woes, but it also contains some great versatile neutrals all compiled in a small, travel friendly palette. Did I mention how much I love Urban Decay? For eyeliner, my much loved Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero and Collection Felt Tip Liner made the cut, as well as a new discovery in the form of Urban Decay Super Curling Mascara. Additionally, as my eyebrows are non existent I always have to fill them in, for which I am currently using the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde. Finally for lips, I adore the Revlon “chubby pencil” ranges so had to bring along two of my favourites, in a bright colour as well as a more neutral choice.

What are your travel makeup essentials?

xox

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Announcement: Cruise Ship Photographer & Travel Blog

Todays Sunday post is some recent news I wish to share with you all! If you follow me on twitter or my (former) Disney Blog you will know that I have been offered a job as a cruise ship photographer! At the end of March I went down to Southampton for an interview with a company called The Ship’s Photographer who recruit for P&O and Cunard cruise lines, after which i was offered the job. I have been given a start date of June 18th aboard the P&O ship Ventura, which is currently sailing around the Mediterranean before heading over to the Caribbean for winter. The contract is 6 months with the opportunity to renew at the end of it and I'm so excited to start! Photography means so much to me and being able to travel the world while doing it is going to be a great experience. Unfortunately this probably means I wont be around on the blog as much, as i will be working 7 days a week and internet wont always be available. I love this blog and will never stop posting, it just wont be as often. On the other hand, if you do wish to keep up to date with my global adventures you can check out my Travel Blog here! This was formerly my Disney ICP Blog but I’ve decided to use it for general travel, as this something which is going to play a big part in my life for the next few years. Of course, its still going to have my Disney Adventures up on there. I’m going to be posting here as normal up until I leave and when I’m back in the UK for my holiday time and do have some exciting features planned for when I am on board. Wish me luck!

Have you ever been on a cruise?

xox

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The Alternative Neutral Eye

Muted purples and smudged out liner is the combination for one of my favourite everyday makeup looks. It’s still quite edgy without being too heavy and is really simple to create. I’ve always been on the darker/more gothic side of fashion culture and my makeup tends to reflect that, but for those who don’t wear a lot of eye makeup, this look would be perfect for the evening or when you want something that is a little more “dressed up”.

I primarily used the Beautifully Disney L’Amour Mauve Eyeshadow Palette, which contains some beautiful purple tones. First I applied a highlight shade, Venus from the Naked Basics Palette, all over the lid and upto the brow bone. This not only give a lighter lid colour which will open up the eyes more, but also creates a nice base for blending. Next I applied the light purple shade numbered Eyeshadow #2 to the crease and blended out, while further adding a darker purple, Eyeshadow #3, to the outer corner to give more depth. Using one of my favourite black eyeliners, Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero, I lined my eye and smudged out with a pencil brush before adding mascara. The great thing about this look is you can completely change the mood of it depending on what lip colour you opt for. I chose to use Collection’s Gothic Glam Lipstick in Revenge for a darker effect but I more often than not pair it with a purple-toned pink or a matte red shade.

Another palette that I like to use is the Kat Von D Ladybird True Romance Eyeshadow Palette, the shade Tur Elise is perfect for crease definition while Sugarpill Cold Chemistry has more shimmery options if you want more sparkle.
Do you switch up your everyday neutral eye? What are your “go-to” eyeshadows?

xox

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