Milani Baked Blush - Berry Amoure

I picked up this beauty while in Florida in February.  I ummm'd and ahhh'd over which one to choose, much to Darren's annoyance ("Heather, we've been looking at the same thing for 10 minutes, just. pick. one.!" I think he said!).  The tricky thing is, that in american drugstores, they don't actually have testers, so I couldn't swatch any of them.

The shade I eventually plumped for was Berry Amoure.  It's a pretty mix of a cool-toned pink with bronze-peach marbling.  If I'm honest, I've spent many minutes admiring the prettiness of this blush in the pan.  I think i'm weak for these kinds of 'baked' products!

As you can see from the swatch'y goodness above, the colours combine to create a lovely warm-toned neutral pink with just the right amount of shimmer to impart that healthy, i've-just-been-out-for-a-brisk-walk look!

I had worried that, like the Bourjois baked blushes, these may have poor payoff, however that isn;t the case.  In fact, if anything you need to go a bit steady when swirling your brush in this, or else you'll apply far too much!  It's a lovely smooth formula which lasts a good 8 hours on me before starting to fade a little.

Here it is on my cheekies!  It's very natural in colour and texture.  I only wish I'd bought more, since these are unfortunately not available in the UK.  However, GB girlies might be able to find these in a blog sale or on eBay, so keep an eye out!

Products Not Worth The Hype

It's always disappointing when you lust after a product for ages and when you finally get your hands on it, it's so underwhelming you just cannot understand what everyone else saw in it.  Doing as much research as possible does help minimise any let-down, but I have come across a few products which, despite my almost obsessive trawl of Google/Instagram/Twitter etc. etc., still haven't lived up to the hype.  While it's never nice to slate a product or brand, I think it's important to be honest - not every product will work for every person.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation
On paper, this foundation should be my holy grail; full coverage - check, lightweight - check, natural luminous finish - check, lasts all day - check...but no matter how hard I try I cannot get this product to work for me.  I have tried every conceivable way of applying this base, I've used fingers and brushes, primers and oils, tiny amounts of product, powders, setting sprays - I have tried it all.  The issues with this product start with application.  The pump dispenses the teeniest drop of product, which apparently is all that is required for the whole face.  Now, I'm under no illusion hat no matter how wonderful this product is, a drop of foundation no bigger than a couple of grains of rice just ain't gonna cut it to cover scars and redness.  However, use more than this and all hell is unleashed (well..not quite, it's just foundation..).   The problem with this foundation is that while initially it looks beautiful and flawless, it very quickly begins to almost separate and slide around on my face.    On my skin this happens fairly quickly, usually with the first hour of wearing it.  Less than ideal given the hefty price tag.

Bourjois Round Pot Blush
Blush is my absolute weakness, so the Bourjois stand draws me in like a tractor beam to their little pots of cheeky goodness.  I love the compact size of the products, the way they are subtly scented and the way the packaging matches the colour of the blush contained within.  All sounds good so far, right?  Unfortunately the baked texture of these products makes it nigh-on impossible to get payoff on my cheeks.  Seriously, you'd develop RSI in your wrist trying to get product onto the brush!  I have swirled, stabbed, and even scraped the damn thing and at the end of the day it's just not worth the hassle.  I've already used up far too many minutes of my life trying to get some colour payoff - I have even considered rubbing the little pot directly onto my cheeks..! Such a shame, as the colour I have (Sienne), is a beautiful muted pinky brown.  Let's hope Bourjois reformulate these soon.

Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade
My brows are very low maintenance.  A quick tidy up with the tweezers and a brush with a brow comb and they're happy.  Last year with my wedding approaching, and having decided that I wanted to do my own make-up, I thought I would treat my brows to a bit of extra grooming and ABH Dip Brow Pomade ( Pom-ade or pom-ad?) seemed like the ideal choice.  The colour is perfectly ashy, and it's relatively easy to apply once you realise that you need a very very small amount of this.  Plus, when it dries down it ain't going anywhere til you remove it.  The one major downside of this product is how quickly it dries out and becomes flaky and crumbly.  This, along with the fact you need very little means that it would be impossible to even make a dent in this by the time it starts to dry out.  Perhaps a smaller pot would be the answer?  Or a rethink on the packaging?

My tips for avoiding being let down (by beauty products....):

• Research.  Blogs, Google, Pinterest and Instagram are all good sources of information.  Check out swatches on different skin tones.  
• Don't rush.  There's always a fair bit of hype surrounding new releases, usually followed by a swathe of positive reviews.  If you sit it out a bit, you tend to find more honest reviews appear and you can make a more rational choice.
• Try before you buy.  This might sound obvious, but if it's available at a counter or stand, get yourself down there and ask the sales assistant to try the product on you then wear it for a few hours.  This will give you an idea if it's worth the splurge.

Are there any products which have disappointed you recently?

Frank Body Coffee Body Scrub & Balm

Taking cheesy selfies in the shower...perfectly acceptable behaviour..?!

A good body scrub is hard to find.  I have had high hopes for many a product only to be disappointed when, after scooping some product out of the tub, the grains immediately dissolve/rinse away before I can even start scrubbing.

When I first came across an article for Frank Body, I had pretty much given up hope of finding a good body scrub and instead had been using exfoliating mitts.  Don't get me wrong, they do a great job of smoothing my skin, but they can feel a bit harsh and were leaving my skin red and tender.  

This particular article I found touted Frank Body coffee scrub as a miracle product for those with various skin concerns, ranging from acne to stretch marks.  I had to try it!  I ordered up the An Original Introduction bundle which contains the original body scrub and body balm.  As a side note, the website is super cute and stylish, it's well worth a nosey.  I think the branding is spot on, it's a bit cheeky and a bit naughty, but without being seedy or sexist.  

Anyway, I digress...a couple of weeks later the package arrived and inside the blush pink box were my goodies.  I literally ran to the shower, and for someone who doesn't run often, this is a big deal folks.  There's a bit of a knack with using this product; switch on the shower and get the skin wet, then switch the shower off and rub the scrub into damp skin for 5-10 minutes.  This seems like such a long time when you are loitering around in the shower, gradually freezing your tush off, but it's really important to leave it on to get the most benefit from it.  The first time I rinsed this off I was amazed by just how soft it made my skin, leaving a thin veil of sweet almond oil behind afterwards.  This thought was closely followed by pure shock at the state of the shower cubicle - it is a messy job and the coffee grounds were everywhere but, it rinses away easily and it entirely worth it.  I blotted my skin dry and then followed up with the body balm which is an unusual squeezable oily balm.  This is also a pretty special product and left me stroking my skin in a very unnecessary way for the rest of the evening.

I have used this product once or twice per week for the last couple of months (the website suggests continuous use for maximum benefits on conditions such as cellulite and stretch marks - this ain't no quick fix) and can't recommend it highly enough.  It has noticeably improved the texture and elasticity of my skin and I can imagine that the results will only get better the longer I use the scrub.

An Original Introduction - £29.95 from frank body

OOTD | Checks in a Corn Field

Today marks a momentous occasion indeed - my first ever outfit post!  I have umm'd and ahh'd for a long time about sharing some of my outfits on my blog, but finally decided that life really is too short to be giving it so much thought, so I put on my big girl pants and just did it!  You can imagine the look I got when I asked Darren if he would come into the field with me and take some pictures...but once I explained he reluctantly agreed, mumbling "remember I aint no David Bailey" as we walked though the corn field next to our house.

While in Glasgow yesterday I popped into Forever 21 to have a look at their plus size offerings.  I always used to get so confused with the sizing in Forever 21 when they first opened in the UK as they used US sizing which I think is 2 sizes less than ours...I think!  Thankfully, however they now have the UK sizing on the labels which makes things much more straight forward.  I spotted this checked shirt right away and fell a little bit in love with it before I even tried it on.  Annoyingly, I can't find it on the Forever21 website, although there are a couple of similar styles on there.  It's a longer length and comes with a skinny belt which makes it a bit quirky and interesting.  Today I styled it with some plain black leggings and ankle boots and also popped a vest underneath for a bit of a different look.  

I feel a bit of an OOTD fraudster as this isn't very high fashion and I don't have the perfect matching accessories but do you know what, this is real life and this is what I actually wear.  Speaking of real life, do you know how hard it is to get up onto one of those ruddy hay bales?  Nigh on impossible!  The method I used was to take a run at it (whilst trying not to break my ankle in my heels), jump up and then Darren literally manhandled me up onto the blimmin' thing while I shouted "keep pushing!" and flailed my legs around trying to get traction to push myself up...it's all about the glamour over here!  Getting down was interesting too...

I hope you enjoyed this kind of post, and while I don't think my invite to LFW will be dropping on the doormat any time soon, I sure did enjoy my little photoshoot!

Bed Head Joyride

I'm really not very exciting when it comes to styling my hair.  I have very fine hair which seems to be shedding even further (eep!...but that's another post entirely) so creating some loose curls is about as fancy as it gets with me!  Styling products tends to either weigh down my fine hair or make it dry and crispy - do you feel my pain yet?  So when Bed Head got in touch to say they were launching a new product and sent me a sample, I was pretty sceptical...

Called Joyride, they describe this product as the World's first Powder Primer Balm.  It creates the perfect base layer for any style and keeps it that way. JOYRIDE primes the hair with a fine, invisible powder that adds texture and grip making styling and hold easy. So, get a grip and hold on, for the JOYRIDE of your life!

I was fairly convinced that this product would be a powder, something along the lines of the ultra-fine texturising powders so I was a little surprised when I cut open the sachet this morning to find a clear gel inside...that'll teach me to read things properly!

As instructed I applied this to clean, damp hair and concentrated on mid-lengths and ends.  Initially I was quite unimpressed as my hair didn't feel any different after applying.  I expected to feel some kind of tackiness or grit but my hair felt the same.  I went ahead and dried off my hair as I would normally - using my heat styler to smooth out my natural curls and add a bit of volume.  It was at that point that I could see that my hair had a subtle texture to it, almost like second day hair but without any oiliness.  I ran the straightener through to create a loose wave and found that I didn't need to use any of my other normal styling products to get the subtly defined waves that I tend to go for.  This product seems to have some level of hold in it, but feels like it's just your hair.  

I snapped a couple of quick selfies in the car before work, which accounts for my sleepy face!  Concentrate on the hair, people!

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the texture and lightweight-ness (yup..reckon I just made up that there word!) of the product in relation to fine haired types like myself!

I'm pleasantly surprised that I like this product, I was sure it would be too much for my hair texture.  However instead it seems to work with the texture of my hair really well.  

Bead Head Joyride is £16.95 = buy here

First Wedding Anniversary

Darren and I celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary on Saturday and after much stressing about not being able to find a lodge with a hot tub (got to be done!), we ended up booking a glamping pod in Aberfeldy.  The word 'glamping' is far too similar to 'camping' for my liking, so I was a bit apprehensive...a girl needs her straighteners and I wasn't keen on traipsing off to a communal toilet block in the middle of the night for a wee!

Alas, I needn't have worried, because our super little pod had plug sockets aplenty and it's own real, full-size, actual flushing toilet and shower inside!  

We set off after work on Friday, and after the most beautiful scenic drive through the hills, we made our way up the dirt track towards our home for the weekend perched up on the hillside.  Our first task was to get the fire pit lit and get our burgers cooking - we were both starving!  We sat and ate outside with the sky gradually growing dark and the only sounds being the crackling of the logs on the fire and the odd sheep making it's presence known.  The rest of the evening was spent sipping on Prosecco before retiring to the pod where we cranked up the stereo system and sang and danced at the top of our voices until the wee small hours!

The next morning we woke up and got the fire going again for breakfast of buttermilk pancakes and lovely crispy bacon.  I was sure the pancakes cooked on the fire would be disastrous but they were actually really lovely!  We opened all of our anniversary cards and teared up over all the kind words and sat reminiscing about our wedding day last year.  Then we leisurely got ourselves ready and headed out towards Loch Tay for the day.  I was keen to rent a little motor boat and explore the Loch but Darren chose that particular moment to tell me he was afraid of deep water and, seeing the fear in his eyes, that idea was quickly scrapped.  Instead we just walked around the pretty little village of Kenmore which sits right on the banks of Loch Tay.  

We had our anniversary meal at The Three Lemons in Aberfeldy and would highly recommend it - especially for their wood-fired pizzas..to die for!  Then it was back to our pod for s'mores on the fire and yet more Prosecco.  It was such a peaceful, chilled out night round the fire.

The next day rolled around and it was time for us to get packed up and head home.  We were pretty sad to be leaving behind this idyllic little place, but I guess only experiencing nice things like this once in a while makes them all the sweeter?  

LUSH Sauchiehall 20th Birthday Celebration

Oh to be 20 again...

Earlier this week I was invited to head along to the Lush store at Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow to help them celebrate their 20th Birthday.  It was lovely to be able to have a proper look at the products - the store is usually pretty busy and it's quite tricky to have a good old mooch around.  

We were introduced to some of the Oxford Street store exclusives and boy oh boy do they have some amazing stuff.  I am hoping that they will consider rolling some of these out over the rest of the country, otherwise a trip to London may be on the cards.  My favourite was the Experimenter Bath Bomb, which was dropped into a small bowl of water.  I can only imagine how pretty it would be in a full size bath - like bathing in liquid rainbow!

I was also treated to a delightful arm exfoliation using the Life's A Beach Body Scrub Powder, which is an unusual product in that it's mainly a blend of sea salt and sand.  I was stroking my arm like some kind of weirdo for quite a while afterwards - I couldn't believe how soft it had made my skin feel.

Lush also have a Spa.  Who knew?  Not me!  And by the sounds of it not just your run-of-the-mill soothing music and soft lighting kinda spa.  Lush seems to have considered the whole sensory experience with specially choreographed music, unusual techniques and spa-exclusive Lush products.  I must admit it sounds amazing, completely indulgent and I fully intend to treat myself at some point at their Spa in Edinburgh.

We got to try our hand at creating our very own Big Blue Bath Bomb, which is one of their hero products.  It contains arame seaweed, which not only softens your bath water, but the iodine helps to regulate your metabolism plus the lavender oil helps to calm and is an antiseptic - there's a lot of good stuff packed into that little blue ball!   If I wore a hat, I would take it off to the people in the Lush factory who make these all day (up to 200 per hour I'm told!), you need some serious arm muscle to smoosh it together to form a ball. 

Look at my wee face. 

The evening was rounded off by a game of 'Who Wore It Best?', getting creative using their range of knot scarves.  I panicked, folded the scarf up and tied it round my head.  Not my finest look let me tell you.  Needless to say I didn't win that particular game...

Lush kindly gave me a selection of products to try so keep an eye out for my thoughts on those in an upcoming post.  It was a lovely, fun evening and it was great to meet some rather awesome fellow bloggers too.

Do you have any Lush recommendations?  What are your favourite Lush products?