Monday 30 September 2013

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Concealer Review


SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer Review

Seventeen has recently launched a new makeup line called 'Phwoarr'. This range consists of 3 products: a Primer, a Concealer & a CC Cream - all 3 together are supposed to give you perfect, long lasting coverage and 'everything you need to face the world'. I have only bought the Concealer from this range as I love my Laura Mercier Primer & I'm not fully on board with this CC hype!

The first thing I thought when I opened this was 'this is identical to Bobbi Browns Creamy Concealer'. I was using Bobbi Browns Concealer for about 2 years and loved it, I only ventured away from it because I wanted to experiment with a few other products on the market. Not only is this product cheaper but you get 7 times the amount of product ... crazy I know!!!! The tiny Bobbi Brown container contains 1.7g and is priced at £18.50, Seventeen Phwoarr is priced at £5.49 and contains a massive 12g.

SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer Review

SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer Review

This product is only available 2 shades - Light & Medium which is very limited (I opted for the Light shade). Some concealers are made to go on top of your foundation but this one is pretty heavy duty and should be applied before. I just used my fingers and apply it in the classic K-Dash triangle under my eyes, I then add my foundation on top and blend it all in together.

SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer Review
SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer Review
SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer Review


This concealer definitely covered all my dark circles and gave me a bright, illuminated look under my eyes. The consistency is quite thick, if you have thin skin, or are worried about dragging this may not be for you, the only solution to this is to keep it warm (on top of a radiator or with a quick blast of a hairdryer), it may also help apply some eye moisturiser beforehand.

I am super impressed with this concealer - it gives me perfect coverage, a highlighted look and is cheap! I can definitely see the drawbacks though for others (not enough shades available, to thick for some people to use) but I would definitely recommend checking it out in your local Boots!


Have you tried any of the Phwoarr Range?

Stevie
xoxo


Wednesday 25 September 2013

OOTD - Knot Tee & Khaki Jacket







Primark Khaki & Leather Jacket (similar here)
George Black Maxi Dress (similar here)
Primark Gold Necklace (similar here)

This lipstick is probably the brightest lipstick I own and I love it!!! I bought it purely on the fact that its supposedly Kourtney Kardashians fave... do I have her dark hair? No. Do I have her dark skin? Nope... but I'm still gonna rock it!!!

I chucked this outfit together for travelling to London in, I had a pretty nasty hangover (hopefully the lipstick defers from the bags) and I needed something comfy. The maxi dress I have on underneath is probably one of the best investments I ever bought... I got it from George (yup, Asda) about 4 years ago and have worn it SO much, it's really simple & versatile. The tee is just a plain H&M one which I put a knot in!

My hair is just up in a simple doubled over bun, and on my nails in Barry M White.

What's your favourite thing to travel in?

Stevie
xoxo

Monday 23 September 2013

Cath Kidston Inspired Floral Nails

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

I am instantly attracted to everything Cath Kidston, from the gorgeous bedding to the cute accessories. I fancied doing something a bit different with my nails the other day so I took inspiration from one of my cups & saucers and came up with these cute yellow floral & polka dot nails!

I started with 2 coats of yellow (Topshop Bees Knees) and then added the detail...

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow


Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow

Cath Kidston Inspired Nails Floral Flowers Polka Yellow


Once finished make sure you add top coat - this will smooth out all the nails and make sure it lasts without chipping!

Stevie
xoxo

Friday 13 September 2013

Mars Bar Rice Krispies Cakes (aka Bars of Heaven)


These cakes are frickin' incredible.
Mars Bar Rice Krispie Cakes are soft, sweet, chocolatey & gooey! They so easy to make and will be gone within minutes!

You only need 3 ingredients so they're cost effective to make and you won't have to spend ages weighing out everything.

INGREDIENTS
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
125g Butter
100g Rice Krispies
6 Mars Bars

METHOD
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1. Cut the Mars Bars into cubes and melt 5 Mars Bars with the butter in a bowl over boiling water. Don't let the water touch the bowl as it'll burn and be carefull all the water doesn't burn off as you'll get a horrible smell!!!
2. Keep stirring the chocolate & butter together, it will split but don't think you've gone wrong... just keep stirring and eventually it'll all come together to fom a nice caramely sauce
3. Pour in the Rice Krispies into the chocolate and stir together until all the Rice Krispies are coated
4. Spoon the mixture into a cake tin or dish - I laid Greaseproof Paper in mine as it makes it so much easier to remove and washing up is a lot easier!
5. Using the back of a spoon push all the mixture down and make it eally compact, make sure it's pushed into all the corners too
6. With the last Mars Bar cut into tiny squares and push this into the top for decoration and extra treats of Mars
7. Place in the fridge for about 3 hours (or overnight if possible) until it is set
8. Cut into squares and watch disapear!











Stevie
xoxo

Thursday 12 September 2013

OOTD - Black Skater Skirt & Crop Top





I loving with these Topshop Crop Tee's, so comfy and easy to check on with skirts I literally want them in all colours! Last weekends I paired it with my textured skater skirt from Urban Outfitters and this A-MAZING new necklace from Primark. I picked this up about 3 weeks ago for £3!!! It's so pretty and has pastel pink and mint so pefect for wearing through to autumn!

I've been wearing my converses loads recently... does any one else have smelly converse syndrome?.... yup, gross I know, definitely should be wearing socks with them!


Stevie
xoxo

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Miners Fresh Face Foundation Product Review

Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Swatch

This week Miners have launched their brand new foundation FRESH FACED. I was sent all 3 shades of this foundation to review for my pretty readers (yes, that's you!) The foundation is available in the shades Ivory, Buff & Almond.

First of all this foundation is Paraben Free which is great news - parabens have been shown to increase the amount of oestrogen (although only weak) but this can be dangerous to us humans. Secondly this is a Mineral Based product which means it's going to be excellent for sensitive and acne prone skin as it won't aggravate the skin.

The foundation comes in plastic squeezy tubes and contains 24ml of product, although they look quite small most foundations only contain 30ml. I personally prefer bottles of foundation as they feel better quality but this is great for chucking in your makeup bag as it is small and wipe clean! The lid is a twist on and you just need to squeeze the tube to dispense the foundation.


Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond

Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond

I applied the foundation directly onto my skin (no primer or concealer) as I wanted to see whaat kind of finish it gave and how much coverage it had for dark circles/blemishes. I squeezed a blob of 'Buff' onto the back of my hand and applied with my MAC 187 brush (Duo-Fibre Blending Brush).

The foundation is quite thick (and has a scent of talcum powder, which kind of put me off) It took a bit of buffing to get it looking flawless but you can see from the picture with no makeup on, then the picture with 1 layer on that it evened out my skin tone excellently. Looking at the pictures I really feel like it brightened up my skin and gave me an all over flawless finish.

To finish my makeup I added MAC MSF, Bronzer, Blusher, Brows, Liquid Eyeliner & Chanel Mascara (review here).

Overall I'm really happy with the finished look, it looks fresh and flawless in the pictures. When applying I found it slightly 'cakey' but I think that's because it's a lot thicker then I'm used to. The foundation is full coverage which I don't love for day-to-day wear , but the easy way to solve that is to add a dab of moisturiser. I don't think this is an everyday foundation if you don't like heavy makeup but its great for a night out/photo's.


Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond

Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond


Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond

Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond

Miners Fresh Faced Foundation Review Ivory Buff Almond


This foundation is available in 3 shades which is quite limited. Ivory is perfect for me without a tan but I hate being that pale, Buff was good as my tan was wearing off and Almond would be good if you have olive skin... or wear a lot of tan!!!

The smell of talcum powder did put me off a bit at first but I think it's because I'm not used to foundations smelling like this but overall the formula it great for someone looking for medium to full coverage at an affordable price.

Miners Fresh Face Foundation can be found HERE and retails for £4.99

Stevie
xoxo

Monday 9 September 2013

Autumn Wish List #1

With the blustery winds and autumn leaves fast approaching I have to admit I'm getting slightly excited about the thought of layering up cosy tops & knits (not to mention the evenings wrapped up in my dressing gown in front of the log fire.)

I've been spotting Autumn Attire everywhere and it's got me thinking already about what I want to fill my rails with and how I want to style it... at one point I even considered going brunette but I've since changed my mind!

I've compiled my current wants... I don't even feel like I just want these to be honest, I need them!!!


Autumn Winter Fall 2013 Fashion Ideas Trends



Love the look of this hat, I saw a few similar ones in New Look but this one looks far more chunky and luxurious! Paired with long hair and perfect eyebrows it'll look fab when it gets a bit chilly.

I saw these as I was leaving the store last week! Love the quilting detail and they look super comfy.

Been lusting over this dress for so long, looks so pretty on it's own, paired with a Khaki Shirt if it's a bit chillier or with the big cosy Parka!

I was really tempted to get a Khaki Parker Jacket last year but didn't, this year I can't wait to get my hands on one. It's a great way to transition your summer floral dresses into Autumn essentials... team this up with a pair of tights and you're ready to go!

After seeing this perfume all over blogs I only just smelt it last week and I love, it's really sweet & refreshing. I'm not 100% sure it's a 'Winter' perfume but I want it!


What have you been lusting over this weekend?

Stevie
xoxo









Wednesday 4 September 2013

A Little Trip to London and The Lion King

You take your seat.
The lights dim.
The curtain starts to rise and the next thing you know you're surrounded by animals signing Circle of Life and you're holding back the tears at how amazing it is...

This weekend just gone we headed into the Big Smoke for a few days full of adventure. The first night we were there we headed to see The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre. I had booked seats in row F which were perfect, I didn't realise how close it was to the stage and we got to see everything in such detail, I won't reveal too much about the show as I would recommend everyone to see it and I wouldn't want to ruin it but the stage & costumes were incredible and the actors and show itself were breath taking.
When people told me I would cry at the show I didn't believe them but boy was I wrong, I cried so much (so did the cute 80 year old next to me!) 



Once the show had finished we took a slow 10 minute walk back through the hustle & bustle of Covent Garden to our hotel. I booked us a room at Thistle Holborn due to it perfect location (5 minute walk from Oxford Street & Covent Garden). The hotel was beautiful, it had all it's original charm but it had been bought up to date to make it a perfect overnight location. The staff were fabulous and I couldn't fault them in any way, we even had a free upgrade to an Executive King Room which was just perfect!

 

Gorgeous stairs in the hotel (we were on the 4th Floor so only took the stairs down!)



The room...

Bathroom with toiletries




Glamming and taking advantage of the comfy robes!


Make up & hair done...

Made quite a lot of mess!

How cute are these socks, perfect for The Lion King!!!

Ready for the theatre!

Dress from Zara HERE now £9.99!!!!

 

Had to get a snap of the Chanel Beauty Store as we walked through Covent Garden!



On Sunday we had a lovely lie in the big white hotel quilt (one reason I love staying at hotels!) We then went down to the restaurant in the hotel for a delicious breakfast! After this we left our luggage with the concierge and headed out to explore! I took a cheeky little picture of my OOTD, please excuse my facial expression, I was getting pretty distracted/cringed by the amount of people walking past!

Leather Look Leggings from New Look HERE
Topshop Roll Sleeve T-Shirt HERE
Zara City Bag SIMILAR HERE
Converses HERE
Embellished Necklace from Primark (current stock)
Shirt from Army Repo & Customised


To start we went to London Bridge Experience, we found a 241 Voucher online so it worked out at about £10 each, this was so funny, especially the Tombs which is where you have to walk through scary rooms and people jump out on you! Previously we had done London Dungeons, if you were going to London for the weekend I think The Dungeons is definitely more interesting.

After this we went to Camden as I'd never been and really wanted to check it out. There's a lot to see... people and shops! The classic punks hanging around and lots of markets with the same sort of... crap. Nothing really caught my eye except a purse I saw in a shop window that I picked up!

My favourite part of Camden was all the Food Stalls and being able to sit and people watch! I tried some amazing Nachos from a Mexican Food Stall, they were stacked high with delicious chicken and jalapeno's!!!

After all the excitement of the weekend we drove back down South and enjoyed an early night. It was such a fun weekend and I would really recommend The Lion King to anyone, I can't wait for my next Theatre Trip already (hopefully Charlie & the Chocolate Factory!)






What's your favourite thing to do in London?

Stevie
xoxo