Beauty Wishlist

As of late I've been working irregular hours around the clock, full time through the week, full time weekends and very little time in between for eating and sleeping let alone shopping. This means there's a lot of new releases and products that I haven't got round to trying yet, probably good for my bank balance but not for me. I thought I'd share with you a few of the things that are on my need to buy list.... and who knows with Christmas coming up, they might make for a nice gift ;)

The one I'm probably most excited about is the Kat Von D range which has just launched exclusively to Debenahms. I've heard so many good things about the brand but with it being based in the US of A, I had no chance of trying it for myself. Therefore I'm keen to make a hugee order starting with the Lock It Liquid foundation (which has a pale enough shade for me and is full coverage, hallelujah), it's matching concealer, the Tattoo eyeliner and the Lock it Setting Powder. I also really want to pick up some products from the new Benefit Brow Range, I've heard so many people raving about them and they look soo pretty!

With the Autumn months rolling in now, a range of darker lipsticks are a must so I'll be repurchasing the Rimmel Kate Matte lipstick in shade 107 and hopefully pick up some NYX lip products at the same time. If you've read my Nyx Haul post (link here) you'll know how difficult it is to get my hands on the products but there's a few things I might try and order online such as the setting powder (winter = matte everything) and the countour sticks. Im really keen to see if these work better than the powder alternatives to get that fake bronzed glow.

Lastly, I've had my eye on a few things from Urban Decay including their new full coverage foundation and their Matte eyeshadow palette. I have a lot of love for the original Naked palette and my Naked 3 but sometimes you're not in the mood for shimmer and want to strip it back to basics so I'm hoping this'll do just that. I also need to pick up a new Mac paint pot in Painterly because nothing sets my eye makeup quite like it and it's such a close colour match to my eyelid. The final thing I've been eyeing up is something that's been on possibly every wish list since I started blogging - Nars Sheer Glow. I still haven't got round to getting to a stand to swatch the two palest shades but I'm determined I'll get my hands on it at some point! So there you have it, a pretty hefty wishlist 😊 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s are there any beauty bits and pieces on your wish list? 

NYX Haul // First Impressions

For the past so many months, all beauty bloggers have been raving about NYX coming to their local Boots and unfortunately for me, it took a lot longer for it to be introduced to my local. In fact it's still pretty out of the way to get to the only NYX stand and because it's the only one, it's always half empty (the stock I mean, it literally flies off the shelf) crowded or I just can't get my swatching on so when I went to Manchester and saw not one but several NYX stands I couldn't contain my excitement!

My brother had already jetted off to New York earlier in the year and I made sure that he had a huge list of makeup I just needed to have and that's where my love for NYX started. I usually hate ordering a lip product online with no idea what the shades really like but with an ocean between us and a few hours of researching shades online, I decided on Antwerp. It's a similar colour to my Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake which is more of a coral shade and since its usually never off my lips, I thought I'd buy a similar NYX one that I knew I would get my wear out of too!

The Soft Matte Lip Creams are my favourite NYX lip product so far as they give such a smooth application and aren't drying in the slightest. I've found they last hours before needing re-applied and when they do eventually fade, they fade evenly so you're not forever checking your lipstick situation after eating or drinking. Therefore when I saw the NYX stand, I needed to pick up another and this time in the shade Cannes. It's a beautiful muted brown/pink, the perfect nude for everyday wear in my opinion! I actually ended up wearing this to the wedding and only needed to top up once (I had it on roughly 12 hours), after drinking copious drinks and a three course meal!

I'm not really a lipgloss kind of gal, lipstick yes, lipgloss no so although I'd heard lots of positive things about the NYX butter glosses I still wasn't sure. I thought I'd pick up one, quite close in colour to Cannes that I could apply over it and Tiramisu seemed like the perfect match. I was over the moon that it wasn't as sticky as I'd expected (think sticking to your hair in the wind) and long lasting. I also needed one of the NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipsticks in my life too - if I'm honest there wasn't that great a shade selection on the day I was there. It was drawing to the end of the day and you could tell that all the most popular shades had already been bought, that being said I was able to spot Embellishment which is a really unique shade, I think.

It's described as a dusky lavender shade and surprisingly I love it! Since I'm so pale (think ghostly) I try and avoid really dark or out there colours or most nudes so that I don't look completely washed out but this is amazing! It's a really flattering colour and I feel like it would suit most skin tones. Again, it's a matte formula but it feels almost velvety smooth on the lips and lasts ages! Overall I'm so happy that NYX is finally available in local Boots and I can get my hands on little beauties like these - my bank balance would probably disagree lol but I can't wait to pick up some more!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s what are your NYX lip favourites?

Zara Bag Haul: I think I'm addicted

I definitely think my handbag obsession started from a young age, I always remember having a mini version of my mums usually from Claires or somewhere and thinking I was a big girl. Over the years my handbag collection grew until finally I had a huuuge clear out and stripped it back to a few of my favourites and told myself I didn't need anymore! I always thought bigger bags were better because I could practically fit everything but the kitchen sink in but with my back forever hating me, I knew this needed to change! I'm a real sucker for Zara and its beaut clothing but they're accessories are so underrated especially their bags and a few weeks back after I saw the red handbag online I knew I needed it in my life and because you can't just buy one thing one it's own, I picked up two more ....

My favourite of the three is definitely the Red Crossbody Bag which has intricate insect details and a gold chain strap. At first I saw this in black and was on the fence but once I saw the red, it was perfect. I wear a lot of monochrome and so a bag like this would give any outfit that gorgeous pop of colour. I actually brought this with me when I went to a family wedding a few weeks ago and it went perfectly with a black & white skirt and black, I think I shared it on insta! It's also really affordable at £15.99 and I know I'll get so much use out of it! Any excuse I have I opt for this little bag and with it just about fitting my phone (which is bloody massive), lipstick, purse, chewing gum etc basically the essentials, it's a winner!

As I said the other two bags were impulse buys but with the transition into Autumn, burgundy or maroon is one of my favourite colours to wear and whereas the red bag seems more Summery, this will last me well into the Autumn/Winter months. It's  crocodile skin texture (fake of course) but it makes it all the more interesting, it has gold hardware again and two little sections to keep all the important bits and pieces in! It also has a long strap too so I can either carry it or wear it over my shoulder, all depending on the outfit. This one I haven't used too much but I can definitely see me wearing it non stop in the coming weeks.

Lastly, my brown clutch. Now I know this one won't be to everyone's tastes but I love it, there's three sections to the clutch. One is a leathery effect, the second suede and the third snake skin. I'm definitely seeing an animal theme going on but I feel like it just makes it stand out all the more. I thought this would be perfect for a darker or plainer outfit throughout the Winter, giving it something without being too in your face! I also love tan and have plenty of tan/nude shoes that this will match perfectly. It was only around the £5/6 mark so I couldn't say no, one of my best bargains in a long time.

All in all, I'm loving all three and although I could say I've probably got the bag buying bug out of my system, that's probably a lie and it's only made me want to buy more cute bags! I think I'm addicted. Have you bought any new bags lately or for A/W?

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

Also what do you think of the new photography setup, yay or nay?  

October Daily Blogging?

Hi guys! Just a quick one today, daily blogging is something I've been toying with the idea of for a while now but boy is it hard to find the time to sit down, write and perfect a post, about halfway through I hit a wall and think 'who even wants to read this?' and stop. This is something I need to work on and I'm hoping that by daily blogging throughout the month of October will help me get my mojo back. It'll take a lot of work and maybe I'll need to prioritise posting over a new Game of Thrones episode but it'll be done!

I've planned out my posts and quite a few are all ready to publish but if there's any you'd like to see, feel free to leave ideas in the comments. JennysEverydayLife was primarily a beauty blog at the beginning but I think I knew even then that there was definitely going to be a heapful of lifestyle included just by the title. I feel like at the minute I'm posting a lot of lifestyle and nothing much else so I'm going to strip it back to basics and incorporate beauty, lifestyle, fashion, homeware (my favourite type of post ever) food, chatty posts and who knows maybe the odd exercise post but we'll not hold out for the last one loool! I want my blog to reflect all of me so hopefully this will cover everything and I really hope you enjoy reading the posts to come!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

Transitional autumn lipsticks

In the last week or so I've definitely noticed the excitement of other bloggers for the Autumn months, myself included. The dark nights are already rolling in now and I can't wait to snuggle up in the evenings enjoying my favourite tv shows, wear about 6 layers of clothing and drink copious amounts of hot chocolate. Sounds ideal right? It's not only the dark nights and change in weather we notice but beauty wise we see ourselves switching out a few things in our makeup bags for new exciting things as well. I'm one of those people that loves wearing lipstick (usually matte) to complete a makeup look - otherwise it just doesn't seem finished, with that being said transitional lipsticks are a must. You don't want to go all out with the darkest of dark shades but you feel yourself reaching for a berry shade over a coral and therefore I thought I'd share a few of my favourites.

From looking at the photos, you may think they're all berry shades but this is where I promise they are all very different!  The most well known MAC lipstick for this time of year has to be Rebel, which is a satin finish and a lot less scarier on the lips than in the bullet. This is always in my handbag, its so smooth upon application and stays on for the most part of the day. Although we all know mattes are my one true love mainly because I know they'll stay put throughout the day but surprisingly so does this (and it doesn't bleed). I think that's what makes me love it more, it'll always be a staple for my A/W beauty bag!

I always like to keep my posts and favourites, a mix of drugstore and slightly higher end just because there's always an option for everyone and I don't think anything could be more affordable than the Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in shade 107. Its a beautiful matte berry shade which is probably one of the darkest in this post, I always like to apply a few layers to create a bolder look but with its formula, it only really needs one swipe. Its super affordable and I feel like its one of those berry shades that would suit every skin tone, I'm super pale and it doesn't wash me out too much and on darker skin it looks just as fab!

As for the next lipstick, its probably the darkest of the lot and when it first arrived through the post I was like maybe I've gone a shade too dark but upon swatching realised its not half as scary as it looks. It is the darkest shade still but not too dark. Disturbed is a fairly new purchase from Urban Decay's latest release - its a comfort matte which is supposed to be less drying on the lips and as the name states easier to wear without the feeling of a matte lipstick but with the safety. It's really smooth on application and produces a gorgeous wine colour on the lips and can we just appreciate how gorgeous the new packaging is? I think this will definitely become a firm favourite of mine.

This next pick might cheating because the title says lipsticks and this is more of a liquid lipstick but still its probably my most recent purchase and my new favourite! My local Boots, in fact all Boots I've been to have had barely any NYX products left whenever I'm visiting (because it's so bloody brilliant) and so when I went to the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago, I wasn't as excited about the massive food court or indoor bowling or Victoria's Secret but the giant NYX counter. I was short on time so I was only able to pick up a few things including the  very affordable NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Embellishment. It's a gorgeous purple-dusky shade which isn't a shade I'd usually go for but I'm oh so glad I did. It wears all day on the lips and I was able to eat and drink without it budging!

Another matte, there's almost a theme going on here. The next is MAC's DIVA, I won't say too much about it because one of my recent posts is a review (link here) if you want to read that instead but the lipstick is amazing! Lastly Illamsqua's Magnetism - this is one I've owned for a while and probably the most drying of the lot in true matte form, the application isn't just as smooth as the others but I can't get over how cute the square packaging is and how it doesn't roll away when you're trying to snap a few photos #bloggerproblems! However it's still a beaut shade although not my favourite and great for that transitioning makeup bag.

I hope this wasn't too length-y for you all but let me know what are your go to Autumn lipsticks?

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo  

Holiday Edit: Majorca

I'm not sure if I briefly mentioned it on the blog but as a family we try and book an annual Summer holiday for us all, last year amidst the chaos of moving house we couldn't so this year we were determined to have a break. I think that's why going to Hong Hong mid-May (link here) for a little break was a bit of a no brainer - I was having some serious with-drawls and so when August rolled around I was super excited to be jetting off again. This time to the beautiful island of Majorca, somewhere we can't seem to stay away from with its amazing scenery, weather and most importantly the local food.

We stayed in the Ca'n Picafort region and honestly couldn't have asked for a better spot. Our hotel was on the beach front, I mean climb over the wall and your on the beach - how ideal is that? It had plenty of cute little bars and restaurants filled with character, an amazing pool, a nature reserve if being active is up on your holiday to do list rather than chilling round the pool and of course the people were friendly as could be. I'd definitely recommend!

We were able go on several day trips through our holiday rep - always be sure to check out the millions of leaflets in reception to see what you can do in the local area. We travelled into the capital of Palma a few times (mainly for the shopping) and I was stunned by the beaut architecture around every corner - it makes you want to up sticks and live somewhere that's so pretty all year round. We'd been to Palma before when we were younger and admired the La Seu Cthedral from outside - its absolutely stunning but we never had the chance to go inside for whatever reason until this year. The architecture is spectacular inside and when the sunlight comes streaming through the stained glass windows, wow. I don't think the pictures do it justice - its so pretty (photo above).

I'm not usually into the guided tours that you can book on to but honestly it was so informative and they packed so much into a matter of hours. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around the tourist attractions and definitely looking like one with the little headsets on. We were also given plenty of time to explore, honestly I think that's one of my favourite parts, just exploring a new city and finding new places and things and of course beautiful photo opportunities! 

Insta Snap: La Seu Cathedral

Apart from the lounging around the pool, reading good books and sipping endless drinks in the sunshine - I'd have to say there were 2 major highlights of the trip. It just so happens that they were 2 day trips we went on, the first is to the Alcudia Old Town. It's retained most of its character, with quaint cafes, bars and boutiques, a maze of streets and has so much history - its like stepping back in time. I'm guilty of taking a lot of photos here, if you ever think traditional Spanish village, this is it in a nutshell. I love learning about new places and just seeing what would have been a bustling village years ago - we were able to walk along the 14th Century wall and follow it around the village - definitely working that different angle and giving you more of a feel for the place. All in all, it was beautiful!

The second highlight would have to be the Western Encounter trip. At first I wasn't sold, it was something that my Mum had wanted to do for ages though so we all agreed it was on the to do list! It was another guided tour and let me tell you, our guide was brilliant - he was so funny and kept giving us all these quirky facts about the island as well as the important stuff. We started off the day (after all the hotel pickups, that part I slept through) travelling through the Tramuntana mountain range and as a Geography graduate, this was right up my street. I was in awe! The views from the top were just break-taking, it was a little cloudy so in photographs it maybe doesn't look as great as it could have but it was still amazing and the roads look absolutely tiny!

Afterwards we travelled by boat to Port de Soller and it was only then that the sun started to make an appearance. It was probably the cloudiest day of the entire holiday and didn't even last half a day but I was grateful for it - being stuck on a coach and roasting alive doesn't seem all that great. We were able to stop off for some refreshments in the coastal town and then we were off again, this time via the tram (the only way to get to it, luckily they don't have any bad weather) to the town of Soller which was just as unique and picturesque. We then boarded the wooden train and up into the mountains we went - giving us the time to appreciate the stunning views. Just incredible!

This holiday I definitely blanked out on the social media front, I mean on holidays who really wants to constantly look at their phone? I know I don't, I'd rather spend time with family and chill. I didn't tweet much or post on snapchat and I didn't want to spam this post with photos either so if you want to see more pretty travel photos, I've put them all on my Instagram (link here) ...

All in all, it was an incredible holiday and just time to relax after such a hectic year. It's a stunning location with plenty to do for the whole family - we've sort of outgrown the water parks and parks but there was one about 15 minutes down the road so really it has everything! I'd definitely recommend the place and I can't wait to go back to the island in the future.

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s What places are on your travel bucket lists?

MAC Diva Review

I hadn't bought a lipstick in what felt like forever so when I was passing through duty free in the airport and spied the makeup counter's, I knew I needed to treat myself! Sometimes you just can't help it! This time I purchased MAC's Diva - a shade I haven't actually heard too many people speaking about!

I'm terrible at swatching but I still wanted to show you guys the colour accurately!

As I said, Diva definitely isn't one I've heard about all that much but after swatching the lipstick I knew I had to have it! It's so under-rated. Its a beautiful red/burgundy shade (perfect for A/W hint hint) with a matte finish. If there's anything matte in a lip product I will most likely fall in love with it. I know there's quite a lot of people that don't get along with mattes but I think even this lipstick would convert them! The lipstick isn't drying in the slightest, was smooth on first application and barely fades throughout the day.

When I'm wearing makeup or lipstick in general its usually for a long period of time, after applying early in the morning I rarely top up the colour until later in the afternoon. Its comfortable and even after eating (all lipsticks fade after eating, I'm still hunting for that one that doesn't) it hasn't faded that much either and with that hasn't left a horrible stain either!

I know that coming into the Autumn months, this lipstick won't be out of my makeup bag - its the perfect transitional colour and I'd highly recommend adding this to the lipstick collection. Over the past year or so, this is one of the lipstick shades that I keep gravitating towards and its brilliant because they're so universal, they genuinely suit all skin tones! Also considering I haven't heard much of a buzz about Diva, I'd definitely class it as one of MAC's unsung heroes and can't wait to use it now the darker nights are rolling in.

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s whats your favourite MAC lipstick?

Relaunching My Blog!!

Hi everyone! I'm not sure if anyone's been here since the beginning but if you have - thank you! I started my blog back in January 2014 (which seems like a life time ago now) as something I could do when I felt like I had something to share. I've went through phases in which I've blogged a lot and then life has got in the way and I'm unable to balance them both but I'm back! I think another major reason for my absence is my blog design and layout, I was uninspired and constantly thinking about what I could fix and then not having the time to fix it which was getting me down.

I'm not great at ICT or coding and therefore didn't necessarily want to play about with it incase I ruined my layout forever (dramatic I know). I was also forever visiting new blogs and thinking 'wow, this is so much better' or I really need to have 'a cleaner, minimalist layout' so I thought it was about time I fixed it. 

The first photo, above was of my blog at the very beginning, very square, plain and simple with a pop of colour and although I thought it was amazing just having my own blog then - it's not exactly great for others reading it. Once i realised this and had a bit more time, I started tweaking things as you can see in the photo below. 

I managed to centre my heading and create my own personalised one, insert a menu at the top for easier accessibility, enlarged my photo, added a bio, bloglovin button etc. Also the most important thing, finding the perfect font, centring it and making sure all of my photos were in line with each other. I find if they aren't, it just looks messy and off-putting for all. I thought this was brilliant and definitely lasted me a good year and a bit so this is probably what you remember Jenny's Everyday Life looking like. 

However fast forward 6+ months late and with a change of mind, I wanted to change it for good. Now theres lots of great places you can find blog layouts or you can have them custom made. If your really good at ICT (i.e not me) you can fix your blog up yourself. I did have sort of an idea of what I wanted it to look like e.g. featured posts at the beginning, instagram widget at the bottom, monochrome and minimalist theme and a similar sidebar. I just had to find it....

I kept looking and in the end decided on one from Etsy (see photo above), it was less than £10 and I'm pretty in love with it. It was a dream to set up taking less than an hour and all of the features are working just as they should be. This is one investment in my blog that I'm super happy with and I can it lasting ages. As for the new layout, comes plenty more motivation. I''m now happy with my workspace, blog design and how it'll look from here on out so with that, I'll be posting more often again - not a 5 days a week thing but a few days a week for now. I hope you enjoy reading the new posts! 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s has anyone changed their blog design recently? do you prefer pops of colour or monochrome? the traditional sidebar or the new style of massive photos? let me know 

I DID THE IMPOSSIBLE

Just a quick one! Once I had found out the brilliant news that I had been accepted to my chosen University and degree course back in 2012, my goal was to graduate a few years later with a second class uppers degree or a 2:1!

Now last September with my final year at University beginning I knew it was the time to buckle down and concentrate even more so than before if I wanted my 2:1. I regrettably said goodbye to blogging, a social life and probably my sanity lol! I spent my week working on assignments, attending lectures, commuting more than 3 hours by train per day and my weekends working in my part time job so really downtime wasn't an option. I just kept chipping away at my work whether it was 2am and an extremely late night or a 6:30am train journey (spoiler: it all paid off).

Four years down the line from sitting my A-levels, a whole degree and placement later, I can officially say I'm a graduate (well as of the beginning of the month). I'm absolutely over the moon and to say that after 4 wonderful years, it's finally time to graduate with a first class honours degree fills me with a great sense of pride. I didn't think it was possible but alas after all the stress, late nights and hard work its paid off! My time at University has been amazing and I'm so grateful that I have met so many friends for life whilst studying something that I loved. The moral of the story being: don't listen to others. Don't let them tell you that you can't do something or won't succeed. If you put the effort in and believe in yourself, you'll do great. Now reflecting on the past 9 months, I can say yes they've been tough but they're over and I couldn't have possibly done anymore. Also don't stress yourself out, you don't need it. Uni has been such a rewarding experience and dare I say it its flew past in blink of an eye so just enjoy it while you can and hopefully you'll find a job that you love as the end result. I know that's my next step, finding a graduate job as enjoyable as my degree!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

My Graduation Day!

Hi there! I know my most recent post was a graduation post as well (read here) but it's such an important day and with such an important day finding the perfect outfit is key. I'd had the usual panic in the weeks coming up to the day about what to wear... trust me it was hard.

Girls have more of a choice with what they can wear, yes but there's still the usual dilemma of  'what dress?', 'what style/colour?', 'what heels?' and the most important question: 'what if I fall?' It really is a struggle and so I thought I'd write this post to dicuss how I found my perfect dress in the end.

A lot of my friends had already found their perfect dress months before and I sort of panicked that three weeks before the big day I hadn't. I knew it was top priority but with my hectic schedule I knew that the time window I had to shop for the dress and accessories was limited. From the offset I knew I wouldn't be able to order it online although I'd seen soo many beautiful ones because it would be touch and go whether a) they'd arrive on time and b) fit me properly so a few trips to town were needed!

I thought the whole thing would be a bit daunting, the one thing I had been sure of was that I wanted something natural and quite plain so it wouldn't clash with my robe and hood which was green. I also thought it would take quite a long time to find something that I would fall in love with however after the first shop and seven dresses later, I had found the one. It was figure hugging, smart, simple and classy with such pretty lace detail. Once I had tried it on, I knew this was the one that I wanted and it wasn't until I reached the till that it was on sale too! I always assumed a graduation dress would be expensive but that's not the case at all as this one was from Miss Selfridge.

The only problem I had was finding shoes to match the colour of the dress exactly as they were more of a blush nude but eventually I managed to find just that from New Look. At the same time I realised that I wanted more of a statement clutch for the day and the dinner afterwards so I picked up this navy (also New Look) which had plenty of jewels and the blush colour running throughout. As for jewellery, I luckily managed to pick out the jewels in the clutch and match them perfectly to a necklace and bracelet from Next. I wanted something to stand out against the dress and around my robe with such a high neck line and this did just that. I then matched it with my silver Pandora rings and my Accessorize watch which again was a blush nude.

I wasn't able to book in to get my hair and makeup done as planned - my ceremony started at 11am and is 2 hours away from my house so we knew it would be an early one and nowhere would be opened in time. However us graduates actually needed to be there for 9:30am instead and so we had to wake up even earlier and I decided doing it myself would be the only option. I kept the makeup minimal for the day and curled my hair loosely the night before.

As for the ceremony itself, it was over in the blink of an eye and all those little worries about tripping on stage seem so far away. For a start, we had a ramp and so tripping wasn't even an option. In addition we were presented with our degree and shook hands with James Nesbitt - an actor from Northern Ireland and also our Vice Chancillor. Afterwards, we were able to catch up with all of our friends and lecturers with lunch spreads on in the gardens. I made sure to talk to everyone in amongst the glasses of wine and buns. Everyone was in such high spirits and of course photos had to be taken. Let me tell you: group photographs are so hard to organise, especially with 7 odd sets of parents all wanting us to look a certain way haha!

After giving back the gowns and hats, it was time to spend some quality time with my family. We went for a gorgeous lunch at the Bushmills Inn - it wasn't too packed but the food was absolutely delicious and the sun was out so it made the day all the more enjoyable. Before we started off on the trek home, exhausted from the day we stopped off for an ice cream by the sea and it was incredible. All in all, the past four years have been hard at times but definitely worthwhile and its hard to believe that Graduation day is finally over! As cliché as it may be, it's time for bigger and better things

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s Have you Graduated recently? What outfit would you pick, simple or bold? Are you at Uni?

My Go To Summer Makeup

With me being at work a lot and the warmer weather out in full force (well was out) I opted to ditch the makeup and go au natural. Although I was a bit conscious at first, those extra 15 minutes in bed sounded a lot more appealing! If you'd have said to me a few months ago that my makeup routine would become close to nothing, I'd have laughed. I have the same worries as everyone does and usually want to cover up spots not show them off and so I thought I'd write how a few products can both save you time and help clear your skin.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know I love foundation, the heavier and fuller coverage the better and that's why this will come as such a shock. For my base, I've been alternating between 3 concealers, my Nars Concealer, my 17 Phwoarrrr Concealer and my NYX HD concealer, all in the palest shades in the range and no foundation at all. I've been simply using or dabbing them under my eyes (that's a necessity), along my nose, cheeks and a tiny bit on my forehead, blending it out and leaving it as is. They provide a light coverage (but not too light) and even out all the redness that may be there. Then I simply powder over real quick with either my Bare Minerals powder or Rimmel Stay Matte and fix my brows in place with brow gel, no filling in required. It all takes about 5 minutes not even and stays in place all day.

The most crucial step that can't be skipped though is mascara. As someone who is really pale and has light eyelashes they need some definition, lately I've been reaching for either my Soap & Glory Thick and Fast or my Maybelline The Falsies mascara and both have done the job perfectly. Last but not least, the fun part.... lipstick! I simply apply some before I leave the house and jobs done, I'm ready for work in less than 10 minutes.

So there we have it, when getting ready for work or a quick nip to the shops take a minute and think do I really need my Double Wear, eyeliner, brows, contour etc done (I think you get the picture) or can I just make do with minimal? Don't get me wrong I'm first to want full coverage but I think in the summer months its a nice switch to use a lighter base and whats lighter than concealer? Its also a lot better for your skin as it lets it breathe more! Let me know what your usual go the shops or work makeup is like, do you go lighter or full coverage?

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

Holiday Edit: Hong Kong

In my last post I briefly mentioned that I was jetting off to Hong Kong and super excited about it! Up until now Italy was the furthest I'd travelled so even the thought of a double decker plane had me buzzing. I'm now home a few days, jet lags still a bit of a nuisance but I had such a brilliant time, Hong Kong really is a beautiful place!

Although I was travelling with two of my friends, don't get me wrong I was excited but still a little worried about travelling halfway around the world. However once we arrived in Heathrow, those worries were long gone! Now luckily it was a direct flight from London to Hong Kong and we spoiled ourselves by travelling premium economy (definitely worth it!) and the buses/trains/underground at the other end weren't too long and luckily air conditioned so we made it to where we were staying in no time.

Over the 10 days we didn't stop! I knew that it was sort of a once in a lifetime sort of trip so we all agreed that we would try and do as many things as we could in the time we had! We made sure to stop by at least a few shopping centres to have a look around, shop and relax - I'm not kidding when I say there are amazing shopping centres everywhere in Hong Kong, one was like twelve floors and I made sure to go to every single floor! Also once I'd heard there was a Disneyland, my inner child appeared and since I haven't been to Disney in Paris or Florida, I wasn't missing the chance! We ended up making a day of it and it was magical! Whatever age you are, Disney is spectacular and now I've made it my life mission to visit the other two :)

We also ended up going to Ocean Park, sort of a theme park, water park, aquarium, zoo and cable cars all rolled into one and it was probably one of the most enjoyable days! The views were spectacular and were probably one of my favourite things - we ended up going on cable cars, went to a few traditional temples which were stunning, had a night out (just the one now) and tried some amazing food whilst there! I think the thing that made the trip even better was that we were able to catch up with a few of our friends who live out there and they sort of acted as tour guides!

I was so upset when the day came to leave and a little anxious about travelling, this time just the two of us but it was honestly fine, no need to worry. We were a little tied down with the extra suitcase and hand luggage weight oops but we made it home eventually. I even managed to get a bit of a suntan, when I say tan I mean a pink face and shoulders but it still counts! I kept Snapchat and Instagram updated of course, (social media links on the side) and tried to limit the amount of photos in this post but I'm sorry it was just so hard! I also think this trip has now given me the travel bug and I'm dying to travel to new places now, places I maybe wouldn't have thought of before so I'm really excited about getting round to this. Honestly I know Hong Kong isn't a traditional holiday destination but its amazing and I'd definitely recommend going!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s Is there anywhere you'd love to travel to?