My make-up must-haves ♥

Having sorted out my overflowing make-up bag this afternoon, I thought I would post about my essential beauty items. I tend to find my skin is a little dry so to ensure my skin is primed enough before I use foundation I moisturise with No 7 completely quenched moisturising lotion . Although not specifically a facial moisturiser, I find having tried many others that it's the only one which moisturises my skin enough to help prime it. Another essential I would recommend is the 17 Even Tone Corrector Stick . This is a green concealor which neutralises any areas of red, and I find it blends easily and is easily covered under your foundation, and i think it works much better than using a skin-coloured concealor alone.

My all-time favourite beauty item however is the Chanel Vitalumiere Satin Smoothing Foundation. Whilst the most pricey item in my make-up bag, retailing at £34 in the department stores, I really think it's worth it, having tried L'oreal,  No 7 and a few others along the way. So what's so good about it...Firstly it's very easy to apply, I use a foundation brush to help blend it in properly and it gives a good even but natural-looking coverage, which when dusted with a light powder will last all day. Left bare it gives a dewy finish which I like, as i think it gives your skin a healthy glow, but if you prefer a more matte finish, a quick dusting of powder takes it away. It also has an SPF 15, so helps protects your skin from the sun and prevent skin damage, I find this very useful as I always forget to use sun cream on my face. Additionally, although it is expensive a little goes a long way, I find that a bottle generally lasts a full year, and I always wait for either a money-off voucher from boots in the post to combine with extra points from the in-store card machine, or for Debenhams to run their 10% off all beauty products promotion, making it slightly more affordable.

No 7's Great Gatsby Inspired 'Deco Darling' Collection Preview

In a few weeks No 7 will be launching it's AW limited edition collection of make-up, which will be available to purchase in-store until boxing day. This year the collection, designed by Lisa Eldridge, takes inspiration from the upcoming film set in the roaring 20's starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Carey Mulligan, 'The Great Gatsby'.

The range includes 2 nail colours, 'Speakeasy', a shimmering grey, and a glitter top coat in 'Daisy Darling', an Eye pencil, Eye Pallette with smokey greys and dusky bronzes and golds, and a loose powder highlighter. The collection will range in price from £5.50 - £12 and according to Lisa "the No7 Deco Darling Collection will leave you looking and feeling as elegant as scenes from The Great Gatsby".
I'm looking forward to trying the glitter top coat and highlighter when they hit the shelves on 31st October.

Mini Haul ♥

With winter well on its way, I have purchased a few new items to update my wardrobe (and battle the increasingly chilly days!). First up is a new dress from H&M for going out, I ordered this about 2 weeks ago online but it still hasn't arrived :( H&M are notoriously slow for delivering orders, but I can't complain too much as I used a few discount codes that are around at the moment and only paid £22 including delivery.

I purchased this jumper from Dorothy Perkins last weekend, (who currently have a 25% student discount). It's very soft and cosy and I'll be layering it over a black top.

I also popped in H&M last week as I was passing and found this lovely little cardi. I love sequinned cardis as I think they're perfect for adding a little sparkle to an otherwise plain outfit or brightening up a dark winter one, and have a seemingly ever growing collection! This one was reduced to only £10 in the sale.

Finally, as winter fast approaches I decided to treat myself to a new pair of cosy slipper boots. I got this lovely pair from Primark for only £5, but unfortunately one of the bows has already fallen off, so I'll need to dig my sewing kit out at the weekend for repairs!

No 7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour "Milan" Review

In the January sales I treated myself to a No 7 gift set from Boots, which among a few other pieces of make-up included a sparkly pink nail varnish. I  have finally got round to trying it out, and I'm still a bit undecided on this one. It applied very easily, streak-free and dried really quickly, and only needed two coats to achieve the colour in the bottle. However the finish was a bit more metallic than I'd expected so it's a bit too shiny for day-time wear and I'm not sure it goes with many of my evening outfits. I think I might keep this one to wear on my toes in the summer.

The Great British Bake Off

I'm looking forward to tonight's episode of the Great British Bake Off, it's currently one of my favourite shows on tv and i think it's been a great series so far. One of my favourite bakes so far was where the contestants had to make a cake with a picture or pattern on the inside, some of them were amazing! This is one of the Battenburg cakes made showing a Union Jack inside:

 So I shall be settling down to watch it tonight with a cup of tea and one of my own cupcakes that I made today, not quite as impressive as the delights featured on the Great British Bake Off, but yummy all the same :)

Home Style Updates

Monsoon have just added more lines to their home and interior range, so I've been having a little look at what's available. I love anything with a french or country look, but it's strictly window shopping at the moment whilst I'm saving!  Here are a few of my favourite things i've found online:

Eiffel Tower Canvas  from NEXT, £18

Rose Hooks from Tesco Direct, £2.40 for 2

 
Mahalia Pink Throw from Monsoon, £75

Set of 3 Perfume Bottles from La Maison Bleue, £21.99

Bird Jewellery Tree from Monsoon, £28

Monday Brunch Waffles

This morning I decided to try out my new waffle maker which I picked up in Lidl earlier this year for only £14.99, and I wasn't disappointed! The recipe included in the box asked for 5 eggs and 500g of flour so I only used 1/5 of the ingredients and it still made 6 large waffles.
We topped them with chocolate spread and strawberries from the garden, delicious!

Recipe (adjusted to make 6):
50g Margarine or Butter
40g Sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Egg
100g Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
75ml Milk

Stir the margarine/butter until foamy. Add the sugar, vanilla essence and egg and stir. Blend in the flour and baking powder. Stirring constantly, gradually mix in the milk. Beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer.