So ladies, NYE has rolled around again, I can't believe it! Is it just me or has this year gone crazily fast?!
So much has changed for me this year, & I have to say (without getting too sentimental & smooshy on you all) this year has definitely been the best of my life. I've never been so happy, & I'm already looking forward to everything 2013 has to bring.

Anyhooo, I thought I'd jump on the beauty blogger bandwagon today and do a little round up of  a couple of my favourite make-up bits from this year. I've used some really lovely products this year, so it was hard to pick, & these are just a handful...

1. Nars Illuminator in Copacabana- I got this beautiful highlighter for Christmas, & I know it's only been a few days but I absolutely love it and wish I'd come across it sooner. The perfect pink shimmery skin brightener, I've been wearing it every day since I got it. Full review here.

2. Nars Eyeshadow in Isolde-  Without a doubt the most pigmented eye-shadow I've ever used, their duos are simply gorgeous. I used this on a model for my make-up artist website, stunning. Full review here.

3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation- I'm not sure if  I've actually ever reviewed this foundation, I know I've mensioned it in a couple of my Youtube videos before though. This is the foundation that I always go back to after branching out and trying others. I think it will always be my all time favourite, I get so many compliments on my skin when I wear this. It's leightweight but with flawless coverage, and smells nice too.

4. Topshop lipstick in infared- This is just so creamy, long lasting and stunning. What I love about this, is that it's perfect for any occasion, day or night. It doesn't dry my lips out like MAC and some other brands. Full review here.

Have you tried any of my favourites? What have your favourites been this year?
Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

The natural look | Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser 

Having always been quite self conscious about my skin, I never thought the day would come where I would convert to wearing tinted moisturiser over a full coverage foundation. 

So when my friend Laura and I popped into Space Nk in Muswell Hill for a little make-over, and I decided to give Laura Mercier Tinted moisturiser a go. We weren't doing anything that day so I figured it didn't matter if I ended up looking horrific... hehe 
Needless to say, I actually ended up wanting to buy everything she applied on me... c'mon girls, we've all been there, right?!

I'm not going to lie to you, the first time I tried it, I did feel a little naked. I'm so used to having a mask, it felt kind of funny not having complete coverage, and I did feel a little bare. 
It soon grew on me though, and I believe it or not, I actually feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin now. I've got used to wearing less, I feel a little bit more like 'me', if that makes sense?

This tinted moisturiser has a beautiful consistency to it, it sinks in so quickly and leaves my skin feeling nourished & hydrated. It's great for evening out the skin tone and just making your skin look like a better version of itself, rather than just covering it up completely. 
If you have spots or blemishes you will want to conceal them after applying this, as the coverage isn't enough to be able hide them completely (it's descirbed as a 'no-make-up' look). I've found wearing less coverage has actually improved my skin as far as blemishes are concerned. It's also oil free, perfect for someone like me who has quiet oily skin anyway.  

My favourite thing about this, is that it's so lightweight it's almost as though you aren't wearing anything at all, you don't get that feeling at the end of the day where you're desperate to take off your face! It's so nice to feel like you're wearing less, and I actually think it looks nicer too. much more fresh faced and natural. 

There are 12 shades to choose from, and it comes in a squeezy tube, which I really like as it's light to carry round in my make up bag. It's £33, which I know to some of you may seem like a lot, but you really don't need to apply much to get a nice even coverage. I've always been a great believer in 'you get what you pay for' as far as foundation, bases and skincare are concerned, and this is no exception. 

So, if you're feeling brave and fancy trying a base with a little less coverage than normal, I'd definitely recommend this.

Have you ever tried laura mercier tinted moisturiser? Do you normally wear a tinted moisturiser or are you a more full coverage kind of girl?

Copacabana

I realize I haven't actually done much 'beauty blogging' recently, I suppose it's because I hadn't come across anything that I really liked all that much, and I wasn't very inspired by anything I tried. 

That is, until now...
Meet my new love, Coapacabana illuminator by NARS.
I've had my eye on this for a while now, I had an inkling it would be a gem.

This highlighter, or illuminator (whatever you wanna’ call it) has a lovely light consistency, and light reflecting shimmery particles. It’s such a lovely pink tone. You only need a small amount, and I just dab this onto my skin with my fingertips, applying on my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose, and a teeny bit on top of my upper lip. It’s so creamy, it blends beautifully.
  
Shall I let you in on a little trick I’ve been using? Oh, go on then!
I’ve been mixing a tiny bit of illuminator in with my tinted moisturizer (you can mix it in with foundation too) and applying as normal all over my face. This helps achieve a very gentle, healthy glow, which we all strive towards.
I feel like it makes my skin look really refreshed and healthy, and helps me out when I’m looking dull & tired.

I don't know why I thought this was around the £30 mark, so I was very pleasantly surprised when it was actually only £22. That's a reasonable price to pay in my opinion, I love it so much already it's been totally justified.

I have to say, NARS is fast becoming my new favourite beauty brand.

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas?
I was spoiled rotten by Stef, he surprised me a with macbook air, wowee. It's going to be great for blogging, no excuses for not posting everyday now hey :)

Have you tried Nars illuminators before?

The proposal...

Hey beautifuls, a very merry Christmas eve to you :)

A few of you have been asking me to do a post about my engagement, there's so much more to say than this but I'll try and keep it as short as I can...

On Wednesday night 12/12/12 Stef asked me to marry him. It was such an amazing surprise, I won’t ever forget it, it was beautiful, romantic and perfect, and I can't possibly even put into words how happy we both are.

Stef told me we were going to pick up his sister from the airport, and I'd booked half a day off work so we could all go for dinner together.
Luckily for him, I have no sense of direction whatsoever, so I didn’t notice until the last minute that he had actually driven me to the beautiful Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, the first place we ever stayed together.
He'd booked out the same suite we'd stayed in when we were first falling in love, and arranged for me to take the next day off work so we could really relax, what an absolute sweety.

We started off our evening drinking champagne and ordering room service next to the roaring fire in our suite, it was soooo cosey and we were having such a giggle. Later on, and full of bubbles, we headed down to dinner.
When the restaurant was empty apart from us, and the time rolled round for us to order dessert, the waiter came over and put a big silver tray with a dome lid in front of me. Ooooooh, I thought, surprise desert, 'Stef what's this?' I said, 'I don't know, have a look'. I lifted the lid and there was a ring box there, and then he asked me to marry him :)
The waiters must have been watching, as soon as my eyes started to well up with tears they brought over tissues and a plaque of congratulations chocolates with a sparkler on. And that’s how it happened J I swear I’ve cried about a billion times since then hehe

The next day, after a lovely long lie in, in possibly the most comfortable bed ever and a delicious breakfast of fruit and waffles, we took a chilly stroll around the grounds. After all that snow and cold weather, the lake had frozen and frost covered everything, it was stunning, like how I imagine the gardens from Alice in Wonderland or Narnia.

It really was the perfect little pre-Christmas get away to the countryside, I'm a very lucky lady indeed. Stoke Park is beautiful and has so much history, it was honestly like something out of a movie or a dream. It was the perfect proposal.

She made me buy it...

Hey beautifuls, 

sorry I've been a little absent, I've had a manic few days. If you haven't heard the news already, I got engaged :) I'm literally over the moon, it was absolutely perfect. I'll be writing a proper post about it really soon...

I was a little bit naughty today and caved in Space NK. Partly to do with the fact that my friend Laura convinced me that I needed this hand-cream... She made me do it, I swear!!

This Creme Broulee soufflé is my absolute favourite smell in the world at the moment, it's divine.

I literally want to soak myself up in it every night. I sound like a freak but it's seriously delicious. Laura made the point that I did just get engaged, so I need to keep my hands and nails in good condition to show off my ring... 

When she put like that, I suppose a little self-indulgence is allowed, right? I mean, c'mon, that just makes sense, right?

I'll be saving this for my bedside table, so I can go to bed smelling of soufflé, mmmm.

Have you tried Laura Mercier hand cream before? 

1. Nars Copocabana Illuminator | 2. Nars Laguna bronzer | 3.Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Body Souffle 4. Jack Wills Greatstone Headband | 5. Zara Suede Shopper

Hey gals,
it's that time of year again already... eeep how is Christmas only 14 sleeps away?
I managed to power-shop my way through most of my shopping last night, very proud of that!

Anyway I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and compile a little Christmas wish list, and yes I am very aware that the majority of it is from Space NK. Have you ever smelt this Laura Mercier Crème Brulee body souflee by the way? It is pure heavan I tell you.
I basically want the whole of Space NK and Zara please, is that too much to ask?!

Have you made a wishlist yet? Any of these beauties on it?

Photo Diary #13 and it's bound to make you smile...

Hello beautifuls!
How have your weekends been? I've had a packed one once again; I'll try and make this a quick-ish update so I don't bore you all to death!

Friday night Stef and I went out in Clapham for a curry and a few drinks with our housemate and his girlfriend. We ended up drinking rather a lot and I'm not going to lie, Saturday was a little bit of a struggle.
On Saturday we took a gentle stroll around the market in Angel (down Camden passage), and found the most exquisite little chocolatier, don't they look scrumptious? We tried the hot chocolate and it was literally like drinking melted chocolate, yummy. I've got such a sweet tooth its ridiculous. I think I have a super addiction to hot chocolate recently, I'm going to blame it on the time of year?! Which by the way, I also blame for my mulled wine addiction...

Saturday night was our anniversary, we went out for dinner at the very same place we had our first date, Paramount Centre Point. The food and wine was delicious (so delicious we gobbled it up before I realized I hadn’t photographed it, boohoo), and really, what can top that view of London at night, it's just stunning isn't it? We've had the best year together, and it was such a perfect romantic way to celebrate.

On Sunday it was time to get our Christmas tree, normally I make the Christmas tree man get them all out for me so I can choose the best one (I know this makes me sound like such a princess, but the right tree is important), but it just so happened that the first one he pulled out was perfect. That never happens!
After dropping it off at home we headed into town to meet the lovely Quentin Blake (you probably recognize him as the artist who illustrates Roald Dahl books). Stef bought a couple of Quentin’s original drawings to put up in our flat, so we were lucky enough to be invited to meet him for a signing. It was such an honor, he brought to life my favourite childhood books like 'The Witches' and 'Matilda'.

We then nipped out for some dinner with the lovely Sam Pepper (some of you might know him through making Youtube videos with Zoella). I ordered this pizza without realizing the size of it, half prawn and crème fraiche and half spicy sausage and chillies, wow what a combo! Somehow I managed to eat the whole thing, and I'm very proud of myself for that! Two bottles of Prossecco later, we headed home, cracked open some mulled wine and rather tipsily decorated our tree.

Phewf, what a manic weekend!

What did you all get up to? Lots of festive things?

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I'm planning on blitzing all of mine tonight after work in Covent Garden, wish me luck, I'm slightly terrified of the manic Christmas shoppers....

Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Spray

I have mixed feelings after trialing this Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Spray.

So I'll start with the all the best bits…. 

I absolutely LOVE the colour it gives me. I would even go as far as saying that I prefer it to my usual St Tropez. It's not as noticeable as other tans I've used, but I actually really like that it's much more of a subtle glow. It's what I would describe as a 'winter tan'. It just gives my skin a lovely colour that doesn't look like I've tried to fake it.

The applicator is great, it sprays out an even mist, and is pretty much mess free, as long as you keep it a good 30cms away from your body. I actually found this method much less messy than using mousse, especially for tanning my back myself, it was perfect. The instructions say you don’t need a mitt but I used one anyway just to try and make it even and blend it in while it was wet still.

It dries quickly and I had no problem with colour transfer onto my bed sheets or clothes.

Now, the only problem with this product is that when you spray the tan on, it actually comes out clear, so you can't really see which areas of your body you've covered and which you might have missed.

The first time I used this tan, I managed to get the top half of my body even, but I'll be honest, my legs were pretty patchy.

You know me by now and I'm certainly no stranger to fake tan, so I definitely wouldn't recommend this to a tanning newbie. It took me a couple of attempts to get the hang of it, and as I said before, I've been using a mitt to help me out!

Over all though, I did really like this tan, once I got used to the application. I will definitely be buying it again during the winter.

Have you tried DIY spray tans before? Do you change your tanning routine in the winter?

Photo Diary#12 It's part of me, apart from me

Chilly Sunday stroll around the common | Ice-skating in Hyde Park | Icy pond | Chicken wraps for lunch | The Ferris wheel at Winter wonderland | Yet another Cheeseburger

You might have guessed that I've become slightly snap happy ever since I got my Iphone. I'm the most annoying person to go out with now because I just want to photograph everything. I won’t let you eat your food until I've photographed it.

It was so hard for me to pick a small selection of photos for this post, I've taken so many... I hope you like these little snapshots of my week.

So anyway, what have I been up to?

Last week the work ladies and I headed over to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, I've never been before and it has to be done really doesn't it?!

It really gave me that little Christmas tingle, the smells of mulled wine and hot-dogs, ice-skating and fair rides. I'll admit I was a little apprehensive about ice-skating, I haven’t been for a good few years, but I'm very proud of myself for not falling over! 

The highlight of my evening has got to be going on the "Power Tower". It lifts you up to the same height as a high rise building (it's not for the faint-hearted), we could see the whole London skyline at night time. It was completely breath-taking and I kicked myself for not taking my camera on the ride with me!

Stef and I spent Saturday afternoon watching the rugby by a log fire in a cute little pub in Primrose Hill. I'm not normally one for rugby, but when you team it with a few glasses of mulled wine, home-made sausage and mash, a log fire and a cuddly boyfriend, it sounds much more appealing, right? I love Primrose Hill, it's got to be one of my favourite places in London.

We walked to the top of actual Primrose Hill after dark, to see London all lit up and pretty (for those of you who don't know, it's another spot where you can see the whole of London). It was tooo cold to stay out forl long so we headed home with a bag of dark chocolate covered pretzels. Good way to spend an evening? I think so.

On Sunday we had a little stroll around Clapham Common, it was so chilly that the pond had frozen over and by the time we got home for a scrummy lunch of chicken wraps, my face was pretty numb!

Since I've recovered from my ill spell, pretty much all I wany to consume is cheeseburgers. This one was burger number 4 of the week, I'm such a pig. I think because I couldn't eat anything for so long I'm making up for that now! So sorry for the constant food porn photos, you know by now that I'm such a foody and I'm just really enjoying eating at the moment!

Now, I seem to have rambled on sufficiently....

How were your weekends?

Do you like taking photographs of the things you're getting up to?

Youtube#11 Bronzing Tutorial

Hey there!

I hope you've all had a great weekend? 
I've just filmed this quick little bronzing tutorial for you, I hope it helps you out, I know I certainly didn't do my bronzer this way before I became a make-up artist! Shameful. 
Anyway it's one of my favourite, quick tricks (and one of the easiest) to achieve a nice natural sun-kissed look. 
Let me know if you like it :)