What's in my holiday makeup bag?

Today I set my self the challenge to sort out the make-up and beauty things that I am going to be taking on my holidays. I'm heading off to Gran Canaria for a week in the sun and I am honestly so excited. I just cannot wait to get away for a little while. So, I thought I would share with you all what I am planning on taking and a few of my holiday tips.

Firstly, You've got to have a perfume. I am choosing to take with me this perfume by Jimmy Choo. It's quite a fruity perfume yet its not a sickly scent. I usually find when I go on the search for a fruity perfume they're quite over the top and heavy however this one is not despite its unique scent it still remains quite fresh and light which I love. It has amazing staying power and I would definitely recommend to anyone! It's perfect for summer '14.

The next things I decided on was what I was going to take out of my makeup collection. This was the hardest part for me however I started making a few choices anyway.

Foundation: The foundation I went for was the Naked Skin foundation because I absolutely trust it. It contains no SPF which on holiday is not a great choice of mine however I wont be wearing it throughout the day when the sun rays are at their strongest. On a night I will be teaming it with a moisturiser containing a high SPF incase the sun is still out.  Read a more in-depth review about my favourite summer foundations here!

Setting Spray: I went for the matching setting spray to my foundation called 'all nighter' by Urban Decay. I haven't really used this much but i'm excited to put it too the test on holiday when it will be under more intense conditions with the heat being higher. I'll get back to you on my thoughts on that one as it claims to have 'temperature control technology'. I chose to take the setting spray as well because at the moment i'm really enjoying my skin looking dewy and fresh and a setting spray is great to achieve that look. 

Lip products: The two lip products I have opted for at the moment are Nivea's pearly shine which is a lip balm that leaves a metallic shine on the lips and they're only £1.99. I also think im going to pick up this one which contains SPF 15 which will be great for throughout the day when i'm in the sun. The lipstick I went for was 'Costa chic' by Mac which I absolutely love. It's amazing for summer and super bright. It's a frost lipstick and leaves a beautiful finish on the lips. Such a pigmented lipstick with a corally, orange colour.

highlight: Of course, I went for Soft and Gentle by Mac. This is one of those products that makes me feel better about my self. It leaves the most amazing glow on the tops of my cheek bones and also if I ever want a really quick eye look. I quickly sweep some over the eyelid. After that I contour my eye with a medium brown eye shadow and it looks effortless and amazing.

Pallet: The pallet I went for was the naked basics pallet which is a perfect little pallet and doesn't take up much room at all yet it can still create lots of different looks. Swatches will be featured below.



 My holiday tips:

The higher the SPF the better for you! You can still get an amazing tan through SPF 30 +. The lower the SPF the more skin damage you will get.

Check your sun glasses! You can go unaware that your sun glasses do not have any UV protection in them! They should say on them that they do! If they don't pop to Primark, currently they have some really nice ones starting at £1.00 that have complete UV protection.

Drink lots of water, as the weather is hotter you will be loosing a lot more fluids through sweating and things (ew). Water will improve the look of your skin and how you feel.

if anyone has any more  tips please leave they below! I hope you all are having a great summer.

Lots of love,

Antonia x

My Summer face | Brush & Foundation favourites

Throughout summer I've being enjoying quite a few different foundations. Having quite dry skin, I enjoy to look glow and bright and don't always want the typical matte finish. If you're living in Brittan right now you'll probably be experiencing 'summer', well a kind of hot, clammy yet still miserable weather and its hard to find a foundation that's going to stay put all day and not budge no matter what the day brings whether it's rain or shine. So I'm going to go ahead and share with you all what I've been enjoying recently:

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow- Benefit: I have had this foundation in my collection for a little while now as I got it in a set by benefit but through the winter, when I first tried it I didn't like it in the slightest. Mostly because it was far too dark for my skin tone. I have it in the colour 'Cheers to me: champagne' I recently tried it again and I absolutely fell in love. It had a flawless finish and somehow, perfectly matched my skin now I have a little bit of a tan. The coverage is quite light however as the packaging claims 'brightening makeup' it definitely lives up to the name. It's oil free and factor 25 which we all know is great for summer! In my opinion, I think it's quite a pricey foundation at £26.50 and can be picked up anywhere like House of Frazer and Debenhams and also on the benefit website here!

Healthy Mix serum- BOJOIS Paris: This foundation has been one of my faves since about march this year when I first discovered it. I say foundation it actually is called a 'serum'. Honestly, i'm not too sure on the difference apart from the fact the foundation is a lot lighter than many others which personally, in the summer I prefer. It blends in perfectly with my skin and leaves a gorgeous finish. This foundation is quite hard to describe however I would say its kind of like a tinted moisturiser however not a moisturiser, a gel. I currently have it in the shade '52 vanilla' which is too light for my skin now and I need to repurchase it a little darker to match my new found tan. This foundation is super cheap for the quality and radiance it gives to your skin. It can be picked up in any store in the UK like boots etc for only £10.99 which I think is amazing. Plus, it contains loads of amazing vitamins which are great for the skin and stop you looking so tired.

Moisture surge tinted moisturiser- Clinique: Again, not a 'full' foundation however this still gives the face a gorgeous glow and coverage. It is light however it's still leaves the face looking flawless. This tinted moisturiser is really hydration for the skin and feels amazing to apply. Despite it being a moisturiser, I still like to apply it with a brush and buff it well into the skin. For this I used the Real Techniques 'Buffing brush' which does the job perfectly. I haven't really ever enjoyed tinted moisturisers before because I feel as though they always look streaky on the skin however this one does not! I have it in the shade '02 ivory' which matches lovely. It can be purchased in boots for £22.50.

NAKED Skin- Urban Decay: This foundation is one of those foundations that gradually looks better throughout the day. I've been raving about this foundation for ages now and I think its absolutely perfect for summer evenings and nights out. It has no spf, so not great for the sun rays but amazing under the light as it doesn't reflect like so no white, washed out faces all round, woo. Naked skin looks flawless on the skin and is probably around a medium coverage but is definitely buildable if you'd like a higher coverage. It feels weightless on the skin and it's the one I go for when I definitely want my foundation to last all day and night. I bought that from Debenhams and it was £27.00.

The face blender- Bobbi Brown: This brush is £33.00 from Bobbi Brown and I believe that its supposed to be used for things like bronzers and highlighters. I've being using mine for foundation and its unbelievable. It blends my foundation to a flawless finish and gives me an even coverage. It lives up to its name, it blends and perfectly at that. It is a very versatile brush. I put the foundation on the back of my hand and dip in the brush and use circular motions until it is blended right into my skin and there are no harsh lines or shadows.

Real Techniques- buffing brush: This brush is a lot harder than the Bobbi Brown one yet it also leaves my face with a flawless finish. This foundation is great for a quick application and is really soft on the skin. It's a lot cheaper than the Bobbi Brown brush however it has to be bought in the core collection which is still under £20.00.

Why do you wear make-up? | TAG

Hey Guys, I've just being enjoying summer recently and I haven't blogged often but now, I shall. I'd been browsing the internet looking for an interesting tag and something that suited me. I came across this one and thought 'YES'. So here goes... the ''Why do you wear make-up?'' Tag. Don't forget to comment and tweet me @_antoniax.

1. When did you begin loving make-up? I guess I've always loved make-up for as long as I can remember. When I was little I was always be intrigued by what all of my family members seemed to just 'put on their faces'. When I was younger I would write on my Christmas lists pleading for one of those massive sets from Argos that have everything from electric blue eye shadows to glitter liners and I used to love playing around with them making my self look like some kind of colouring book (i'm talking about when I was around 9-10) When I was even younger I used to always have that type of roller ball lip-gloss that tasted like something fruit, thinking it was the best thing ever. I got even more into make-up throughout my teenage years and went through some really odd stages like buying powder way too light for my face and covering my self in it (not too sure why) and of course plucking my eyebrows until I only had a line remaining, woops.

2. How do you feel without make-up? when I have no make-up on my face what so ever, I honestly feel fine, I just feel like I don't look fine. I'm not going to complain because luckily I've always had quite clear skin. I just don't feel 100% my self. When I have my makeup on I feel ready for the day (that's probably really sad). I enjoy feeling glowy and bright.

3. What do you like about make-up? I love everything about make-up. I love the way it can change my mood and make me feel better about my self. It's the way it can change your features, enhance the things you love, disguise the things the things you don't so much. Everyone should have the right to feel confident and i'm not saying makeup is the way forwards but it surely helps me out! I'm all for girls complimenting each other, like hey us girls gotta stick together.

4. Three 'Holy Grail' items 

Bobbi Brown Face Blender: This brush is the one. I just love the flexibility of it. I use it for almost everything. I do my foundation with it, I do my bronzer, blush, highlight and so on. It's amazing. The brush hardly sheds and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It blends all your makeup exactly how you want it.

Urban Decays Naked Skin: I've not really had this foundation for ages, I just picked it up before prom however it is absolutely amazing . It leaves my skin feeling and looking flawless. I've never really had a foundation to perfectly match my skin tone when I've had a tan however this one does perfectly. I have it in the shade 3.0 because my skin has a yellowy undertone and not a pink. If your skin undertone is red/pink then your shade should end in a .5 (I think i'm correct but anyways a lovely lady at the counter would match you up) It has no flash back when under photography because it has no spf which is great because who wants a white face in photos? I'd say that the finish was semi matte and the coverage was medium however definitely buildable.

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara: This mascara is absolutely amazing. It fans out my lashes to a lovely length and it's so cheap for the quality. I couldn't recommend it any more, try it for your self! if you haven't already that is!

Thanks so much for reading! See you again soon

Antonia x

Pre-prom beauty haul

I really havent wrote a blogpost in a while due to things such as exams and revision and things but now it's all over! Recently I've been doing some shopping in advance for my prom on the 4th of july and im super excited.  I'm doing my own makeup which makes me a little nervous but hey ho. I though that i would share with you all my pre-prom newbies. 

Firstly I went into Debenhams to buy a new foundation. I'd been looking at a few that didn't have an SPF in them to avoid like flash back and having a white face in photos and things. I eventually went with Urban Decays 'Naked Skin' : click here to view it online.This was going to cost me £27.00 for that alone however they where doing a special offer in store where you could also get a 30ml of the travel sized setting spray which costs £9.00 alone and also a mini bluring brush which I assume is for the foundation its self for only £5.00 extra so in total it cost me £33.00 which I though was totally worth it.My first impressions on the foundation is that it is a really lovely foundation. I would say that it is probably a medium foundation but it really is great. 

The next thing that I bought was something I'd been wanting for a very long time, well ever since they where released. I bought Tanya Burrs lip gloss in 'Afternoon tea' purely because the name was so so cute but the colour was absolutely beautiful and was exactly what I was wanting for prom. The superdrug closest to me took a little longer to begin to stock these but I was thrilled when I eventually seen them. They come in the nicest packaging, super simple and elegant. I like that they dont come with a huge wraper because that's something that really annoys me (i'm not too sure why?). 

 When I took off the wraper and oh my gosh, I was so happy that the smell of this wasnt the usual vanilla etc. It was a fruity smell (strawberry I think). They are long lasting on the lips and not at all sticky. I love the fact that they are quite highly pigmented and don't even really need a lipstick/lipliner underneath to look gorgeous. 

Finally, I picked up the L'oreal elvive fibrology shampoo and conditioner which personally I believe work wonders for my hair. I have really thin hair so I will do anything possible to make my hair look fuller and thicker. I don't actually believe that my hair strands have expanded etc but it really makes my hair feel like there is more there. It is usually around £3.99 in boots etc but in Home Bargins this week it was on offer for £1.99.

EOS 'vs' BALMI

Recently I've been really enjoying both the EOS lip balms and the Balmi lip balms both of which are amazing. I've had them both a little while now and just had to share them with you all. They're both kind of a 'novelty' shaped lip balm and come in really bold coloured packaging however I love them both and think they look really cute. I have had EOS lip balms in the past when I picked them up in America and I loved them then. They where around $2.99 or something cheap like that . I had 'summer fruits' and 'sweet mint'  and both of them smelled amazing and I would highly recommend. However, now they are available on Ebay and Amazon to pick up for around the same price plus delivery. If you live in the uk Balmi's are more readily available to pick up as they are sold in stores like Boots for £4.99 which in my opinion is really good for the amount of product and quality they are at.

Balmi: If I remember correctly, Once up on a time Balmis where in a round packaging, Almost Identical to Eos Balms. This makes me think that maybe they had to change them because of their similarities etc? I am not entirely sure. Anyway, I have this Balmi in the raspberry flavour and it smells fresh, sweet and well like a raspberry. They glide onto the lips and give my lips that immediate moisture surge. Unlike the Eos, Balmi have an SPF of 15 which is always great to have. They boast that it is enriched with vitamins and gives your lips long lasting care and if i'm honest, I agree with them. I honestly cannot fault the product. It's easy to keep in your bag or have on you for on the go. I really love them because I don't really like the idea of sticking my fingers in little pots.

EOS: Eos come in a spherical shaped balm and are lovely. I chose the 'lemon drop' Balm because yellow is a cute colour and also because it smells lovely. It smells exactly like lemon pie and its really sweet to taste. EOS have a lot more choice of flavour than Balmi and use 100% natural products which is great. They smooth on your lips with equal ease to the Balmi lip balms but this lip balm leaves my lips feeling a little waxy as though the product hasn't sank in. If you put a lip balm underneath your lipstick, I wouldn't choose this one as I have tried it and its just not great for that.

If I am honest, I couldn't really pick a favourite. They are both lovely in their entirety and I thoroughly enjoy them both. If you live in the UK, Balmis are lovely. If you live in the US, go for the EOS they're both great. However, Thumbs up to the team at Balmi, SPF is very important all year round.

Lush | Twilight Bath Ballistic

Hello there, I feels as though I haven't wrote a blog post in ages which I suppose is true. I've been super busy which getting better and school work etc. Recently I had the pleasure to try out another of Lush's bath ballistics: Twilight. Wow what a bath treat.

The day that I tried it I was feeling really quite rubbish and was in a rather bad mood. I ran my bath to my preferred temperature and popped it in. I wasn't too sure what to expect because its just pink on the outside. It smells amazing of a balanced, not over powering lavender. The smell is very calming and peaceful (I'm not sure if that will make sense to anybody).  Immediately it began to fizz filling my bath  with a beautiful pink colour and the room with a gorgeous calming scent.

After a little, the ballistic began to twist and reveal a blue core which was so exciting. It was a beautiful baby blue that began streaming out creating all kinds of patterns in my bath. The water was a silky texture to touch ( a little tip: always wash your hair after a 'bath bomb bath')

Eventually the bath water was a really pretty lilac colour and there was little flecks of glitter floating around. I'm super excited to buy more of these bath bombs and wont be one that I pass by again. Definitely one for relaxing, helping sleep or improving mood. I would recommend this to everyone and it will probably be my staple bath bomb throughout that stressful exam period approaching me (ew). At only £3.25 it is definitely worth the way it leaves your skin feeling and its other magical powers.

What's your favourite Lush product?

Antonia x

February Favourites | a little late

Hello there everyone, I know I'm a little late with doing this post but I am going to share with you all my February favourites and things I have totally enjoyed throughout the whole of the month! I must admit most of them are lip products... guilty.

*Disclaimer- Orange is not my favourite colour, it was a quiescence I swear* 




Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum:First on my faves this month was 100% the Bourjois Paris healthy mix serum. I was super excited to try out this foundation because I've heard so many good things about it. I was feeling a little down about my skin and felt like it just looked totally dull. Its a gel based foundation with a really light coverage. It leaves my skin really radiant and soft looking. I would definitely recommend this as an everyday foundation purely because its super easily to apply and leaves me with an even complexion.


Classic Carmex Lipbalm:
Next up is my Carmex lip Balm in the little pot (which totally attracted me, I though it was so so so cute). I found this in Discount UK for only one pound which is crazy. If you suffer from dry or chapped lips in the winter I would recommend this because it literally is a life saver. It makes your lips feel all tingly and as though it is doing you some good even if it isn't. It doesn't really have the greatest smell or taste but hey ho.

EOS- Lemon drop:
Another one of my faves this month has been the eos lip balms. I have this one in the flavour 'Lemon Drop' which honestly smells so good. Its really sweet and fresh. I not going to lie and say that I wasn't attracted by the packaging because I totally was. The idea of the packaging makes it so easy for me to just carry it around. It glides onto the lips so easy and I love it. If you're living in England right now these are pretty hard to get hold of unless you order them online however I've heard that Topshop are going to start selling them which is super exciting.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté  Shine Lipstick & Revlon colour burst lip butter:

Next are my two favourite lipsticks this month. I have been enjoying them both equally. First up is my Revlon Colour burst lip butter in the colour 'juicy papya' read my full review on why I love these here! but another lipstick I've been totally enjoying is one I've had quite a while, this is the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté  Shine Lipstick in the colour 15: coral intuitive. It the most sheer shade of a lovely pink. I just absolutely love it. They're quite pricey at £25.00 compared to the Revlon lip butters but I really just love them both.



Tangle Teezer:

My Tangle Teezer has honestly been my favourite thing to brush my hair with throughout the whole of winter. I don't know whether this is just me or not but my hair seems to be a lot more cottered and tangled in winter (probably because of the nasty gale force winds and things). You literally just glide it through your hair to feel all smooth and silky once again, exciting.

Lush- The Bright Side:

Finally, my last favourite is a newby out of the Lush Easter range eek. All of their things this year where so beautiful and I cannot wait to try each and every one. Brightside is in my February faves because it is the most beautiful smelling and looking bubble bar I have ever seen in my life. It kind of resembles 'The comforter' which is probably my favourite product from Lush it has the same appearance and texture. Yet this one smells so citrusy and fresh. It hasn't yet failed to put me in a better mood and I will be definitely stocking up before the range finishes.