Seven Make-Up Brush Must-Haves

When it comes to make up brushes, I'm quite picky. I like a brush to pick up just the right amount of product, help me to achieve an effortless, flawless finish, clean easily and last well too! I have a few picks that do just this for me, these are my fail safe, couldn't be without, must-have make up brushes!

Sigma 3DHD Kabuki Brush: The latest addition to my collection, this gorgeous brush has already made it to the top of my list as one of my favourite picks. The combination of the dense supersoft bristles and blunt, angular shape of this Sigma brush works to buff foundation in seamlessly and reach every crease, making skin look super flawless and polished. It's completely changed the way that foundation looks on me, I'm seriously in love!

Real Techniques Setting Brush: This gorgeous setting brush is ideal for everyday highlighting, it picks up the perfect amount of product for a wearable glow. I also sometimes use this multitasking brush for a bit of light powdering too, it fits so well under the eyes and around the nose to touch up and mattify the skin.

Bdellium Tools 925 Fan Brush*: Another hightlighing pick, this handy tool is my go to for sharp, precise highlighting. I like to dab the brush into my highlighter and distribute a light dusting on the brow bone, cupids bow and cheekbones for a divine, dewy complexion and a gorgeous runway glow.

Spectrum Tapered Finishing Brush: How dreamy is this mermaid-esque brush?! I love using this for contouring, it's super soft, the perfect size to fit the hollows of your cheekbones and the tapered edge means that it blends like a dream - leaving you with beautifully sculpted cheekbones.

Zoeva Luxe Brow Light: Probably the prettiest brushes I own, these blush pink and rose gold Zoeva brushes are heavenly! This flat shader brush is ideal for packing on eyeshadow, glitters and cream eyeshadows.

Zoeva Luxe Pencil: This is one of my top picks for smudging out eyeliner or blending eyeshadow under the lower lash line. I also love using this for applying highlighter to my cupids bow and inner corner of my eye for a spot of precision highlighting!

Zoeva Luxe Soft Crease - Lastly, an everyday pick, the fluffy soft crease brush covers all of my daily eyeshadow brush needs. It picks up the right amount of product, sweeps over the eye with ease distributing a good amount of colour whilst blending effortlessly. I really need to pick up a couple more of these, they're divine!

Which are your favourite Make up brushes?  

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Half Year Goals

I can't believe it's July already! I thought I would pull together a list of goals for the last half of the year, I love noting down a few half yearly goals as I have a clearer view of where I'm at, what's achievable and what I want to improve on over the next 5/6 months. Here are 10 small goals that I can hopefully achieve by 2017:

1. Worry less - more positive thinking.

2. Learn a little about the Moon, the phases, eclipses and full moon names/meanings.

3. Try Yoga for anxiety - Yoga With Adriene's Yoga for Anxiety looks like a great place to start.

4. Eat a little smarter, and seasonally too. Learn more about nutrition and food benefits - what to eat to feel better and how to take care of myself by knowing what to put in my body. For example - Ginger is ideal for boosting the immune system (must try a ginger shot!) and my favourite spice cinnamon is great for regulating blood sugar levels. I love flicking through Eat Pretty for inspiration, I also love the look of Eat Beautiful too, it's written by beauty and make up expert Wendy Rowe with a foreword from Sienna Miller - plus the blush pink and rose gold cover is unbelievably pretty!

5.  Spot and snap a double rainbow, a starry night's sky or lightning during a thunderstorm. 

6. Make time for hobbies, pick up knitting and calligraphy again and treat myself to a pom pom maker!

7. Fill my home with scented candles, ready for autumn. I love Diptyque, Anthropologie candles and Hopscotch candles sound divine!

8. Celebrate mine and Alex's 8 year anniversary by ordering one of these gorgeous keepsake prints. A personalised map of the stars sounds like such a wonderful gift, something to display and treasure for a long time.

9. Invest in more cruelty free brands. As brands like NYX and Anastasia Beverly Hills are becoming more and more available and easy to get hold of in the UK, and with incredible picks like Nars, Hourglass, Charlotte Tilbury and Becca, I really want to commit to buying more cruelty free brands.

10. Start taking the first few small steps towards huge life goals. Eep!

What do you think of my half year goals? Have you made any this year?

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New In: Beauty & Style

With summer sales, boots points to be spent and Asos discounts floating around I couldn't resist a little spree! Lately I've been picking up velvet textures, transitional lip shades and dreamy bath bombs from Lush...

I fell instantly in love with these gorgeous Asos velvet heels and snapped them up in both the black and dusky pink hue so that I could choose a pair to keep. They look ideal for parties, for Autumn/Halloween or paired with a chic black dress. It's so rare that I find a pretty pair that comes in a size 2 but unfortunately they're still a little too big on me (sob!), I think I'll try some inserts or invisible socks, I'm smitten with the black pair, I'll be so sad to send these back!

I also finally picked up the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, a soothing sleep spray that helps you to drift off at night. I haven't quite got the pillow misting technique down just yet but so far its worked wonders. Just one spritz of this dreamy lavender and chamomile spray over my pillow has left me well rested, relaxed and with more energy in the mornings. The scent lingers for a couple of days too and so although it's a little pricey, I can see it lasting me a while! 

After hearing great things about the NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks, I thought that I would part with some of my boots points and pick up a couple of shades to try out. 

Looking past the (quite disappointing) fact that although the packaging of the suedes is bigger than the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, there's less product in the tube, it is actually a really lovely lip cream. The NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks are creamy, pigmented and comfortable on the lips - slightly lighter feeling than the soft matte lip creams, and a little less drying. The shade range is heavenly - 90's picks galore, deep reds and bold brights. The shades that I picked up are a dream to wear, budge proof and gorgeous hues, Soft Spoken is a wearable rosy brown that's supposedly a dupe for Kylie's Dolce K and Vintage, a divine vampy mauve brown that looks perfect for autumn. I've got my eye on their reds to pick up next!

Lastly I popped into Lush to restock my stash, I picked up Intergalactic, one of my top lush picks - a ethereal bath pick that puts on an incredible display with swirling glitter, neon clouds and leaves the bath water a deep sparkling blue, like the night's sky. I also stocked up on the Lush Rose Jam Bubbleroon bar - an uplifting bubble bar that creates divine silky pink bubbles and has heavenly sweet, sharp and rose scented notes that fill the whole bathroom!

What do you think of my haul? 

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Dressing Table - Summer Snippets

For a while now I've been switching and swapping pieces on my dressing table, trying to get things organised. It's slowly coming together - I'm aiming for a light, airy feel and whimsical vibe by adding trinkets, crystals and dreamy hues! I've added a few gold accents too, this beautiful hexagon mirror, cute love sign and gorgeous Denman Hairbrush.
Peonies are quite probably my favourite thing about summer (I'm more of an A/W girl at heart!) and so I've been popping them around my home and keeping myself surrounded by these pink blooms throughout the warmer months to lift my spirits and brighten up my home.

For beauty, the typical rainy British weather hasn't left me reaching for the usual bolds and brights this summer, instead I've been favouring blush pinks, red-browns and dusky mauves. MAC Whirl, Soar and Brave are my current go to lip picks and Essie Merino Cool, a gorgeous muted mauve and Essie Ballet Slippers, a glossy pale pink are my preferences for a polished mani.  

I have pulled out a few perky corals for the warmer days, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat is ideal for pretty, flushed cheeks. This coral blush is a heavenly pick with swirls of radiance boosting ambient lighting powder for a dewy glow. Another favourite pick for summer is the NYX soft matte lip balm in Antwerp, a budge-proof flattering peach pink.

On my eyes, I've been reaching for my Nars palettes, in particular the Nars And God Created the Woman palette and Nars Alhambra, a gorgeous champagne rose and gold duo. Nars eyeshadows are beyond amazing, buttery soft, pigmented and the shades are unreal. The new long hot summer palette looks like an incredible pick, I'm so tempted to splurge on one!

Lastly, I've been keeping Lush's Dream Cream close to hand, this has been a total saviour for my parched skin. With oat milk, rose water and chamomile blue oil, this soothing, hydrating cream clears up sore, dry skin with ease, I'm so impressed with this dreamy cream!

What do you think about my dressing table set up?

Mani Essentials

I have pretty lacklustre nails naturally, they're dry, weak and flaky - not ideal. After testing out different nail oils, treatments and base coats to try and tackle my brittle nails, I've finally found a mani routine and a collection of products that I'm SO happy with. My nails are stronger, longer and nourished, nail polish applies better and lasts a little longer too. I've also been making an effort to keep my nails polish free for at least two days a week, normally three, It's completely transformed my nails!

I used to flit between using a daily treatment, strengthener, base coat, oil and growing treatment, now I've completely stripped back my routine, using minimal, essential products that really work for me. The only thing that I'm left to find is a good base coat!

To start off, I file my nails with the Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File, a worthwhile investment (which comes with a 25 year guarantee) this leaves nails incredibly smooth and strong, it turns the nail edge to dust in a few quick swipes and is instantly refreshed with a quick rinse under warm water. I can't ever see myself using another nail file, it's honestly the best!

For nail polish, I'm obsessed with Essie. I love everything about Essie nail polishes - the easy application brush, glossy finishes, quality and the chic shades. The Essie Gel Couture range is divine, a long lasting formula that boasts impressive wear time. They're a game changer for me, most nail polishes only last around 3 days on me as I'm always pottering around, fidgeting or cleaning and therefore chipping my nails. I initially tried the Essie Gel Couture Polish in Take Me To Thread with Topcoat (see me wearing it here), which stayed put for days and didn't budge, I took mine off after 11 days and it was still going strong! The shade above is Essie Sew Me*, a pretty peach nude, I've currently got this with the topcoat on my nails - I'm on day 7 now and there's minimal chips! 

Once my nails are polished and dry, I apply the Lush Lemony Flutter Buttery Cuticle Balm to my cuticles. This buttery balm is full of heavenly ingredients to keep cuticles soft and supple - coconut oil, mango butter, lanolin and beeswax to name a few! Throughout the week I use a combination of Lemony Flutter and the dreamy Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil to keep my nails and cuticles nourished and hydrated. 

What are your mani essentials?

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Summer Beauty Picks

Although hot sunny days are a rare thing at the moment, I've popped my Caudalie Beauty Elixir in the fridge, reserved for the warmer days ahead. A few mists of this radiance boosting spray perks up tired skin, it's cooling, uplifting and so refreshing!

I'm yet to brave bearing my legs but I've pulled out a dreamy duo to ensure that I'm ready to whip out a summer dress if things do get a little warmer. First, I like to prep my body with Lush Rough With the Smooth, a scrubby little block that's packed with exfoliating sugar, vanilla and moisturising murmuru butter. It buffs and polishes, leaving your skin soft, smooth and pampered. Then, I reach for Lush It's Raining Men, a heavenly scented shower gel made from honey, wild orange and rosehip oil, making it ideal for shaving. This toffee scented shower gel is ideal to keep legs in top condition, leaving skin moisturised and silky soft.

For beauty, I've pulled out the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp, a gorgeous peachy pink. This dreamy matte lip cream stays put for hours and is such a flattering shade!

For blusher, Nars Orgasm is the one. A perky warm pink with a divine gold sheen, it brings light and radiance to the complexion, the texture is unreal - buttery soft, pigmented and blends effortlessly!
Another favourite is the Sleek Solstice Palette, a pretty quad of shimmery shades that's all packaged up in a dreamy gold case. Swiped over your cheek bones, cupids bow and down the nose, it gives a beautiful, dewy glow.

For eyeshadow, I have another Nars love, the Nars Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo. I just can't get enough of these brightening hues, with hayfever attacks, hot, restless nights sleep and brighter/earlier mornings this has been a saviour for my tired eyes. Washed over the eyes the combination of the rose and golden champagne hues are look divine and as with most Nars powders that I've tried, the texture is heavenly - pigmented and super soft. 

Lastly on my nails, I'm currently obsessed with the Essie Gel Couture range, they're perfect for a polished, fuss free, long lasting mani. The shade that I own is Sew Me*,  a pretty, wearable peach nude. I really need to pick up a couple more shades from the range, possibly a berry or red, I love the look of Spiked With Style!

What are your beauty picks for summer?

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A July To Do List

1. Snap up these super cute velvet Asos shoes, I can't decide between the dusky pink or black pair!

2. Invest in a flower press for snippings from my favourite blooms. I've been pressing them in an old book for now, there's something so whimsical and pretty about pressed floral pieces and petals!

3. Adopt a more positive attitude. Be kind, always.

4. Recharge and relax too, whether it's reading (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is out this month yess!) colouring in unicorns or taking long Lush baths, I really want to take a little more time out this month.

5. Find a radiance boosting night cream, I love the Kiehl's Ultra Balm for dry skin days but I'm in need of something a little lighter for summer. I have my eye on the Origins Night-a-Mins oil free Renewal Cream, an old favourite!

6. Start eating seasonally again, it's all about the strawberries, apricots, peaches, watercress and courgettes in July!

7. Pick up a Funshine Care Bear from buildabear, because I am actually 5.

8. Try and spot the full buck/thunder moon on July 19th.

9. Binge watch series 1 & 2 of Teen Wolf on Netflix,  I'm already on episode 7 - it's a little jumpy so far!

10. Invest in a couple more of the Essie Gel Couture Nail polishes whilst they're currently on deal in boots!

What's on your July to do list?
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