York | The Shambles.

York is located in North Yorkshire (England) and is a traditional little town with beautiful historic attractions and amazing medieval architecture. It's an extremely popular tourist attraction and it's really not difficult to see why! I love all things old fashioned and traditional to England so as you can imagine I was ecstatic about the visit - especially with it being around Christmas time! The festive decorations really added to the traditional atmosphere.

"The Shambles" is the name of an extremely quaint, medieval little lane full of amazingly detailed old buildings with quirky little shops and tea rooms. It reminds me so much of Diagon Alley (from Harry Potter) and has such an amazing, magical feel to it. It was definitely the highlight of our visit as we'd missed it on a trip earlier this year.

I'm pretty impressed with the photographs to say they were taken on a mobile phone! We had a lovely day wandering the old streets of York and have both fallen in love with The Shambles. I can definitely see us re-visiting numerous times in the future and can't wait to go again sometime soon!

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FOTN: Pop of Blue ♡

Hullooo! ♡

So last night I put on a whole face of make-up for pretty much no reason whatsoever. This is pretty much a "Face of the Night" blog post because I applied my make-up at night.. Not because I was going anywhere. Ah, the sweet life of a social reject.

I've seen a few people rocking this look recently - the blue liner/lower lid look that is - and as I thought it looked pretty awesome so I decided to give it a good old go. I actually really liked the way it turned out and figured it would be a little bit of a waste if I didn't blog about it.. So here you go! I realise I've used a TON of products (as you'll see below) - honestly, it's really not necessary - I was just playing about with my makeup and got a little carried away (lol). I hope you enjoy!

♡ FACE ♡

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

NYX Pore Filler

MAC Fix +

Loreal True Match Foundation - Golden Ivory

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation - Opal

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - Peach Glow

Loreal Glam Bronze Bronzer - Blonde Harmony

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder - 51

Collection Shimmering Glow Bronzer - 5 Sunkissed

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Beauty UK Blusher - Candy Pink

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish - Soft & Gentle

♡ EYES ♡

Sleek Brow Kit - Dark

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Candlelight

Naked 3 Palette - Limit & Nooner (transition)

MAC - Girlie (transition)

Naked 2 Palette - Suspect (Lid)

Sleek Vintage Romance Palette - Propose in Prague (Crease)

MAC - Cork (Crease)

Naked 2 Palette - Foxy & Bootycall (Highlight)

Barry M Fine Glitter Dust - 15 (Applied with Fix +)

Bourjois Metallic Eyeliner - 54 Bleu clinquant

Sleek Ultra Matts V1 Palette - Both blue shades (lower lid)

Sleek Vintage Romance Palette - Romance in Rome (outer lower lid)

Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Liner - Black

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara - Black

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner - Midnight Cowboy

Eylure Naturalites Double Lashes - 205

♡ LIPS ♡

The Body Shop Lip Liner - Clover Pink

Loreal Collection Privee Color Riche - Cheryl's Nude

MAC Angel

NYC Big Bold Lipgloss - Full on Fuscia

Hope you all enjoyed this post! What do you think of this look for a first attempt?

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FOTD: Modern Vintage (08/11/14) ♡

Why hello there.

I think it's fair to say that it has been quite a long while since I posted any sort of "Face of the Day" blog posts - shame on me. Since I quite liked my make-up yesterday however, and  since I also had quite a bit of time on my hands to take a few photographs of it, I thought it would be nice if I got my big girl blogging panties on and shared my face with you all.

 I aimed for a slightly "Pin-up Girl" look which is quite retro/vintage with the winged eye-liner and red lips. Of course, I myself am a modern gal in the sense that I am living in the present, so this is a "Modern Vintage" look - just to justify the title of this post!

 I've listed every single product used below. I hope you all enjoy this little read & I look forward to seeing you again soon!

♡ Face ♡

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

NYX Pore Filler

Loreal True Match Foundation - Golden Ivory

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation - Opal

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush - Plum

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - Peach Glow

Loreal Glam Bronze Bronzer - Blonde Harmony

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder - 51

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

MAC Powder Blush - Fleur Power

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish - Soft & Gentle

MAC Fix +

♡ Eyes ♡

Sleek Brow Kit - Dark (Powder only)
Too Faced Shadow Insurance - Candlelight

MAC Eyeshadow - Girlie (Transition)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Tease (Transition)

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette - Fuzzy Handcuffs (Lid)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Suspect (Lid)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Bootycall & Half Baked (Highlight)

MAC Eyeshadow - Cork (Crease & Lower Lash Line)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Blackout (Lower Lash Line)

Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner - Black

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara - Black

Eylure Exaggerate False Eyelashes - No. 149

♡ Lips ♡

Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Liner - Pleasure Me Red

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NOTD: Nail Art Fun ♡

I was a little bored last night so I decided to pull out the old nail varnish box. I wanted to play about with my nail art tools as I haven't used them properly in years. When I was about 15-16 I was obsessed in nail tutorials online and was always doing my nails up in funky styles - my school teachers hated me for this and I was constantly sent to the vice principals room to go and remove all of my hard work (stupid uniform policies.. it still didn't stop me!).

 I feel like I've lost my touch a little bit as it has been a while since I last tried anything like this but you know what they say... "Practice makes perfect!".

My favourite nail would have to be the leopard print index finger. I've never tried a leopard print before so I was pretty chuffed with how it turned out for a first attempt. I'm looking forward to trying out some new designs & purchasing a few more tools & accessories!

♡ Products Used ♡

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint - Papaya

Barry M Nail Paint - Matt White

Nicole by OPI - Modern Family - Haley Good Lookin'...

Essie - Licorice

OPI RapiDry Top Coat

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A Teeny Tiny LUSH Haul ♡

So I've been feeling a little under the weather this past week or so. There's this nasty cold-virus thing going around (as always around this time of year) and I managed to contract it thanks to mother-dearest. It's always such fun being ill! Anywho, I managed to pop into town this weekend for a little fresh air and thought I'd treat myself to a few goodies from LUSH to perk me up. Who doesn't enjoy a bit of pampering?

What I got...

♡ Shoot for the Stars Bath Ballistic (Christmas Collection) - £3.50

"Paint the swirling colours of the night sky over the surface of your bathwater with this multi-coloured bath bomb. Drop this in your bathwater and watch it shoot around the bath releasing multiple colours before leaving a trail of quicksilver. As the spinning and swirling orb comes to a standstill, enjoy the sweet scent found in Honey I Washed The Kids and the calming, shimmering midnight blue water."

I think it's safe to say that I'm already in the festive spirit. It was so hard not to pick up every item in the Christmas collection but I managed to hold myself back! I figured if I waited just a bit longer I wouldn't ruin the xmas atmos for myself and I could purposely go Christmas bath-bomb hunting in a month or so. This smells GORGEOUS and I'm so excited to try it out! I've never purchased any festive-edition items from LUSH so it's pretty exciting trying something new! You can check it out here if you're interested.

♡ Twilight Bath Ballistic - £3.35

"If sleep is evading you, this combination of essential oils will help get you ready for a good night's rest. As Twilight dissolves, it turns from the colour of the setting sun and gets darker, turning your water a shimmering deep purple. The fragrance has been designed to help you sleep: lavender is a soothing, mind-clearing and calming fragrance, used in aromatherapy to treat insomnia and aid restful sleep, while benzoin and tonka call to mind a milky caramel malt drink."

I have purchased this a few times before. I was debating whether I should get this or not when another customer noticed me oogling at it (how awkward) and came over and told me it was of her absolute favourites and that I wouldn't be disappointed with it. Of course I didn't mention that I had tried it before but her enthusiasm for it made my mind up and into the basket it went! This is a lovely bath bomb that gradually turns into a beautiful, deep evening purple with little specks of shimmer acting as little stars - gorgeous! It's the perfect thing for a hot bath in the evening as it helps you unwind and get all cosy before bed. You can check it out on LUSH's website here.

♡ Space Girl Bath Ballistic - £2.35

"A space-dust filled bath bomb with a sweet and fruity fragrance. Once you drop this into your bath, Space Girl crackles with space dust (popping candy) as it spins around your orbit, restoring your good cheer. Grapefruit oil is refreshing and uplifting for the mood, clarifying and toning the skin, while bergamot makes you feel relaxed and cheerful."

I can't believe I've never purchased this before. I've bought it for my sister in the past and she absolutely loved it so I thought I'd pick it up and try it out for myself. This smells so fruity and girly - perfect for young girls and teens alike! Or for anyone who loves sweet fruity fragrances. I'm a bit of a child at heart so I was delighted when I discovered it has POPPING CANDY inside it halfway through writing this post *childish squeal*! I think this may possibly be a new favourite - it smells absolutely beautiful and I can see myself purchasing it again.You can check it out here if it tempts you.

That pretty much sums up my miniature haul. I find LUSH bath bombs so comforting and cosy, especially around this time of year. I'm looking forward to having a series of nice hot baths soon - I'm definitely starting out with 'Shoot for the Stars'.

My living room smells delicious right now. Thought you might like to know.

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Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette ♡

I've been a fan of Too Faced make-up for quite a while now, so when I saw this cute little palette in Boots I just had to get it. The shades were gorgeous and being a sucker for cute packaging I was completely won over. This is the first palette of theirs that I've owned that hasn't been made out of the usual cardboard that they package their shadows in. This makes it perfect for travelling as you won't have to worry about all of your lovely eye-shadows getting smashed up or squished - I know this was a common worry with the older designs!

(Please refer to the picture below "With Flash" for the true colours. I just couldn't picture the names properly with flash on - the text was too reflective!)

All of the highlight shades are positioned to the left of the palette, the contour shades are to the right and the lid colours are in the middle.

 Colours (left to right):

Top Row: In The Buff, Fuzzy Handcuffs, Voulez-Vous

Middle Row: Satin Sheets, Sugar Walls, Garter Belt

Bottom Row: Birthday Suit, Lap Dance, French Tickler

I swatched the shades a couple of times in the above photograph and you can tell how simple, yet beautiful they are. The colour pay off is amazing and the shades are natural and feminine (provided you don't use the darker shadows over your entire lid!).

As with all Too Faced palettes, this also comes with a mini look-book with step by step applications for three different looks. I didn't include a picture of the guide as it is very basic. If you are a make-up beginner thinking of purchasing this palette, then the little guide would be really helpful to you and would show you basic step by step application of the different shades. Bare in mind however, that this palette does not come equipped with any brushes, so if you do not already own any then you will need to purchase them. There is also a little mirror inside the lid of the palette which is really handy if you're out and about and in need of a touch up.

Overall I'm in love with this palette. I can guarantee you it'll be in my monthly favourites as I just can't get enough of it! I love the combination of matte and shimmery shades and the fact that the matte shades aren't chalky. The shadows glide on like a dream and are so soft that you can instantly tell that they're great quality.

I hope to post a few looks using this palette soon just so that you guys can see how well they wear! I'd definitely recommend this cute little tin to anyone who loves girly, flirty eye looks!


SaraBoopxo