Summer Essentials | Beauty

The Summer holidays is growing nearer and it's time to whip out all the Summer essentials.

Face SPF

Although all sunscreen is important, I think it is especially important to protect your face from the sun. It will decrease your risk of skin cancer and of course prevent you burning. Because I have fair, freckly skin I tend to burn pretty easily so I always apply a face SPF before my makeup. The one I use is from the Moisture Match Line by Garnier in 'Normal Skin' 

Gradual Tan

Do you want that Summer glow but stay inside watching Netflix all day? Then gradual tanner will be your bestfriend. It gives a really natural look which looks like you've spent the entire day by the pool. Being fair skinned I find it hard to get a tan at all, so I reach for the Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanning Lotion in the shade 'light/medium' Overtime it will build up into a sun-kissed natural tan.

Sea Salt Spray

You'll notice alot of people by the beach with perfectly wavy beachy hair. There's a way to fake it using a sea salt spray. Just sprizz a bit in your hair, give it a scrunch and you'll be left with toussled, beachy waves. The one I use is the Schwarzkopf Beach Matt Spray.

White Nail Polish

White polish on your finger nails gives a really clean elegant look to your nails. On a plus side it will go with any outfit! I use this white shade from Barry M.

Bright Coral Polish

However for your toe nails a neon coral colour will look great poking out of your sandles. The one I am loving right now is the Essie polish in the shade 'Russian Roulette'. This particular shade would look amazing with a tan.

Champagne Cream Eye Shadow

In the Summer you don't want to be spending time doing complicated eye shadow looks, so instead go for a simple champagne shade all over the lid. It will brighten up your eyes making them appear bigger, also for long lasting power go for a cream shadow that will last if you go in the pool ect. My recommendation is the Mac Cream Shadow in 'Bare Study'.

SPF Lipbalm

As much as protecting your face it is as equally important to protect your lips, as trust me it's painful when they burn. Nobody likes the look of burnt peeling lips.

Those are all my Summer essentials, be sure to let me know what yours are. I hope you enjoyed this post and that your all excited for Summer as I am. Thank you for reading.

The White Dress

Dress // Topshop

Shoes // Converse (diy)

Jacket // American Eagle

Socks // Topshop 

Anklets // Accessorize (no longer available), Menorca  

Bracelts // Black and White Boutique*, Made by myself

Rings // Clogau, Pandora

There's something about the white trend that scares me. I can never go out for dinner without managing to spill something down me, so as you can imagine wearing white can be a nightmare. However when I saw this sun dress in Topshop I instantly fell in love. I mainly got it for my holidays but since the weather has been so nice here recently, I dug it out of my wardrobe. It's a textured embroidered fabric, but is still lightweight and perfect for the warmer weather. I paired it with my lilac converse which add a pop of colour and because it's not quite as warm as the Greek weather I paired it with a denim jacket. For jewellery I have really been getting into wearing more bracelets and have been actually making my own rope ones. The bangle I am wearing is from this beautiful Black and White Boutique*, who offer a range of gorgeous jewellery pieces. The beauty of white is that it will go with anything you pair it with and will give you a classy, clean look.

Yesterday I went to see The Fault in Our Starts and I can honestly say cried for a good hour and a bit straight! but it was honestly amazing. Have any of you seen it yet? I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading.

Sudocrem With Added Benefits | Review

Sudocrem is an overlooked product and is used mainly by mothers for their babies, however there are many more uses for it that honestly save my skin. Although by itself Sudocrem is great, it is even better when mixed with lavender and chamomile oil, which contains lots of natural added benefits, which will help nurture you skin and prevent such things such as scarring.

As it's targeted Sudocrem is great for rashes and eczema. I myself suffer from eczema and when it flares up I use Sudocrem with the lavender oil and it soothes the rash. After continual use for a week or two my eczema has almost completely gone. So if you suffer from eczema or mild rashes this would work for you.

Another way to use Sudocrem is surprisingly for spots. Because it has the added benefit of the lavender oil, it works really well at reducing redness and reducing the spots size. It has a really soothing feeling on your skin and I immediately notice a difference in the redness after a nights use.

I also find Sudocrem to help with scarring. I don't know if this will work for everyone but I find it to work. I apply it directly to the scarred area and it reduces the size of scarring after 1-2 weeks use. It lightens the area you have been applying it to and after constant use will help to fade the scar.

Of course Sudocrem is great for using on cuts and grazes. The added lavender oil will help reduce scarring and also help fasten the healing process.

I find that with the added lavender oil Sudocrem works wonders, although on its own is still an amazing product. You could also change it up and add tee tree oil to it for it to help more towards spots.

So as you can see Sudocrem doesn't just have to be for babies, but also has many added benefits for teenagers and adults too. I would recommend you to try out Sudocrem if you suffer from scarring, eczema or spots. I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading.

The Better Mascara?

I think that mascara completes any makeup look, and if I'm honest without it my eyes feel naked. For today's post I'm going to be comparing four mascaras that each have their own pro's and con's.

Maybelline Rocket Mascara - £7.99

I am a huge fan of all Maybelline mascaras I've tried and this is no exception. This mascara claims to be volumizing rather than lengthening. I prefer to go for volumizing mascaras because I find them to hold a curl better. You can use numerous coats of this mascara and it won't go clumpy. The wand is fat with short bristles, which really helps to separate your lashes and give a natural yet voluminous look. However if your looking for length then I wouldn't recommend this.

Clinique High Impact Mascara - £16.50

This is more on the expensive side of a mascara I would usually pick up, however I got it in one of the gift sets. I have never tried Clinique mascara so I didn't really know what to expect. In my honest opinion for the money I don't think this mascara is worth it. It does lengthen your lashes. However I don't really feel it gives me the volume I like, it's for that reason I wouldn't recommend it. Also the brush has very thick bristles and it is the actual brush wand, when I prefer the plastic wands. I find you can't apply to many coats without it going clumpy, although it does thicken up your lashes as a second coat mascara. Overall I think this mascara is overpriced for what it is.

Benefit They're Real Mascara - £19.50

The Benefit They're Real mascara is super hyped up in the bloggersphere. As you can tell I only have the sample size as it is very expensive mascara. However it is one of my favourites. Like the Rocket it is a plastic wand, so really separates your lashes whilst keeping them thick. This mascara is meant to do everything; volumize, thicken and lengthen. I can truly say it does all three, I love the way it leaves my lashes and it can hold a curl all day. The only bad thing I have to say about this mascara is that the bristles are quite sharp so it almost really like your poking yourself in the eye each time you apply it! But that aside this is a great mascara and I'm definitely looking to pick up the full size.

No7  Exquisite Curl Mascara - £12.95

Like the Clinique mascara's I have never tried No7 mascara's, however when I went into Boots I saw this in the sale section for £5 so I couldn't pass it up. I was slightly disappointed as yes it does claim to hold a curl which it does however it does nothing else for my lashes. I just adds black to it, it doesn't noticeably lengthen or volumizes. The brush is quite thick and is curved which helps your lashes hold a curl for longer. Although it gives your lashes a fluttery effect, I wouldn't recommend this mascara. I think that all No7 mascaras are slightly overpriced for what they are, I would sooner buy a Maybelline mascara for better quality that's cheaper.

Those are the four mascaras I will be comparing, They're are some great ones and some bad ones. But when I find a good mascara I tend to stick to it for a while and am too lazy to find a new one. I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading.

The Denim Shirt

Top // Topshop
Jeans // Topshop
Shirt // Forever 21 (no longer available) 
Shoes // Steve Madden
Bracelets // Thought Blossoms*, Autumn Jewellery* & Pandora

When it gets cooler in the Summer you don't want to be throwing on a huge coat. Which is why I have recently been loving wearing my denim shirt from Forever 21, a few years ago, with almost everything. It's a perfect alternative from a jacket in the Summer months, and goes with just about anything you pair it with. I love how this shirt is semi acid wash, so it isn't just plain and adds something extra to an outfit. I pair this shirt with simple outfits, which I have currently been living in. Here I wore some skinny black jeans and a flowy cami top, with my Steve Madden Troopa boots. As for accessories, I am wearing two gorgeous roped bracelets from the lovely Thought Blossoms*, who stock beautiful items. Also I'm wearing this other gorgeous purple rope bracelet from the lovely Autumn Jewellery* and of course my trustworthy brown rope Pandora.

Although this isn't a very Summery outfit it is appropriate for the recent British weather we've had. So I hope you enjoyed this outfit post, and thank you for reading.

Skincare | New In

From time to time I like to pick up new skincare items, as I find my skin almost gets immune to the products if I use them to often. On a recent trip to Boots I picked up two new cleaners including and old favourite and a new moisturiser.

- Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser £3.33

- Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser £3.33

- Yes To Tomatoes Daily Balancing Moisturiser £7.99

The two cleaners I got from Biore were on offer for half price so I couldn't pass them up really. I got an old one of my favourites and a new one, which I was intrigued by. It's a charcoal cleanser and I have heard great reviews on other charcoal cleansers from other bloggers, so I thought I would pick it up; it's supposed to help greatly with oily, blemish prone skin. The moisturiser I picked up is a completely new brand that has only recently come to the UK, I had previously heard of this brand of American bloggers and YouTubers and have always wanted to try it myself. It's a totally natural skincare line so has lots of added benefits for your skin. When I saw it in Boots I knew I had to pick it up, so I picked the line best suited for me as they have a range of different lines for different skin types. I picked the Yes To Tomatoes line as it is targeted at people with combination skin which is my skin type. I wanted to try a new moisturiser as I have stuck to my old trustworthy simple one for years, so I though it was time for change.

Those are my recent skincare purchases from Boots, I will be doing more of these posts in the near future so keep your eyes out. I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading.

Shine Be Gone

I myself suffer from quite oily skin and like most others struggle with controlling the shine that will build up on my face throughout the day. I know many teenagers like myself struggle with oily skin and it's a part of growing up, but there are ways to keep it under control!

Use a mattifying primer:
When you have oily skin your makeup can tend to 'melt' off by the end of the day, so to keep it in place using any type of primer would help your foundation/concealer lasting power. However to further help the look of your skin try using a primer that mattifies your skin, such as the 'Baby Skin Primer' that will lock in any excess oils and erase pores.

Powder:
Of course an important step to keeping your face shine free is to powder! Try using a translucent powder so it won't look cakey over your base the one I use is 'Rimmel Stay Matte', this is a great drugstore powder that has many great reviews. It is great at reducing shine. When applying it use a denser brush like the 'Real Techniques Buffing Brush' this will really pack the powder onto your skin leaving a less powdered look and you'll find it will keep you matte for longer.

Blot:
A step people often don't think of is to blot your face using blotting sheets. Most of the time I don't have my powder with me, so I just carry around these 'Kleenex Blotting Sheets' unlike other blotting sheets they don't contain powder, they just absorb up all the excess oils that have gathered on your skin. I like to use these after PE and whenever my face feels oils, but also right before I powder to make sure all the oils are off my face It keeps my powder on for longer and makes my face feel fresher.

I hope this helps everyone who suffers from oily skin. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.