Bank Holiday Weekend

A few photos from bank holiday!

Relaxing with my new yankee candle.



Well hello there Mr Sunshine. Perfect opportunity to wear my yellow top:)


Pretty daisies.


I couldn't resist these while out shopping. White roses are my favourite.



Hope you all had a great weekend and it's back to work now:)

New Hairbrush!

Hi guys a quick post today about a recent purchase. I've been growing my hair for ages now and it's pretty long therefore needs much more care. When my hair is freshly washed and wet it is a nightmare to get a brush through. I bought a tangle teezer and while that worked it didn't get right through my hair just the surface. So I set about doing some hairbrush research!
Mason Pearson brushes seem to come out top but with a £99 price tag I'm thinking no!!
I searched a few sites and found that Shu Uemura had great reviews for their paddle brush.

"The hand crafted SHU UEMURA ART OF HAIR Paddle Brush combines the suppleness of an air cushion with double nylon and natural softening bristles for efficient detangling, enhanced shine and smoothness from roots to ends".

A closer look at the bristles which are a mixture of boar bristles and double nylon. The nylon bristles really detangle my hair and boar bristles give that beautiful shine. Also ALOT less hair gets yanked out which is a bonus.


I've used this for about a month now and I definitely find brushing my hair wet a lot easier and blow drying with this brush gives a much smoother finish.
The price is about £35 and I think it's worth every penny and considering hair brushes can last years its definitely a worthy investment.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Hi guys! Today's post is about a product I've been using daily for about 3 months now so it has certainly stood the test of time in my opinion.
Recently I've become more "skin aware". There hasn't been any major difference I'd say in my skin to decide to take more care other than the odd fine line creeping in. I have been reading a lot of blogs though that do focus on the importance of cleansing, toning and using face masks etc. I'm not going to lie I was a face wipe and cocoa butter girl for years!
Anyway I decided it was time to cleanse, tone and moisturise every night without fail and the toner I picked up was this Liz Earle one. I had no real expectations so anything nice was a bonus. Since using this my skin feels much cleaner at night, it really does soothe it and I feel it's brighter, fresher and clearer in the morning. I literally can't rave about this product enough I love love love it. I will probably use this forever as it does everything I want it to. I think it was about £14 and I've still got over half left so it lasts around 5-6 months which is amazing value. I also love that it's a totally natural product so you know your not clogging up your pores with any nasty chemicals before bedtime. Ok my lovelies...till next time x

YSL lipstick loves.

Hi my pretty ladies:) I'm back in the UK now so back to reality and blogging! I'm totally missing the weather in Portugal and my fingers are crossed for a beautiful English summer.

Today's post is a declaration of love for my new YSL lipsticks. I say new but I've bought these 3 in the last few months. They have worked their way into my daily routine and handbag so a review is totally due.



My little sparkley soldiers lined up beautifully. How gorgeous is the packaging! It just makes using them and keeping them in your bag that much more special. All 3 of mine are a different type of lipstick as you will see below.



This range has a beautiful creamy texture, it gives strong colour but still glides over the lips. It is just so pretty and one of my favourite colours.



This range is very pigmented. Probably the most out of the 3. However the colour just slides on but there's not as glossy a finish. I've recently got into 'nude lips' but not the type that make you look ill. Being Asian I have to be careful that the nude has a pinky tone otherwise ill get that awful concealer lip finish. Yuk! This definitely doesn't do that. I usually apply it and then smudge in with my fingers.



Lastly the glossiest of the 3. This is super shiny/glossy/creamy. It gives a lovely colour pay off but it does seem to fade easily so touching up is needed quite often. I don't mind though as the packaging is just that pretty:) Also if you have dark lips I'm not sure a lighter colour would be the 'true' colour of lipstick if that makes sense so using a mac lip erase might be worth it.

Hope your all well x

Photos - Portugal

A few photos to share with you guys.
Portugal has some truly beautiful views and is so so peaceful. I love England so much but this just isn't the kind of weather or serenity you find back home.
The local town near the hotel is called Alvor. Its a mixture of cute little family run restaurants, a fishermans port and lots of icecream parlours.







My view at lunchtime today.



Nutella crepe. Yummy.



The cutest restaurant.



A lovely Italian.



I spotted this on a walk back to the hotel.



Me today ready for my trip into the village. I'm wearing a bird dress from Dorothy Perkins.



Took a random little walk past all the restaurants and found a side of the sea where there were no boats, no music...nothing but the sound of the waves.



Hope your all well x

What's in my beach bag

Hi guys! Still posting from Portugal. The weather is absolutely amazing here:) It is so sunny and to wake up in the sunshine everyday just feels incredible.

So a requested post...what's in my beach bag?


My beach bag itself is from Accessorize. It was about £30 I think but I use it every time I'm away so it's worth the money. It's pretty spacious and has a zip at the top to keep everything safe.



Here we have my Kindle. It be totally lost on holiday without this. I love reading so much and get through at least 4-5 books in a week while I'm away. I was always a "real book" kinda girl but this is such a space saver and books are cheap;)

My leopard print purse from French connection. Just to keep some money handy and hotel cards.

Chanel aviators.



Beauty wise I don't keep much with me. I put on my Lancôme SPF 50++ before I go so with me I carry Dr Lipp nipple balm for lips. This stuff is just incredible, since I made the switch from ordinary lip balms to this I can honestly say I've never looked back.
Clarins lip perfector. The smell of this is just soooo yummy and it has a lovely pink hue.
Hair clip to keep my hair from blowing about everywhere!

Ok that post was quite long...:) Ill be going a what's in my holiday make up bag soon too. Hope your all well x

Travel beauty bits.

Hi guys!
Another post from Portugal. So anything that I've brought with me on holiday I regard as "essential". I'm sure the words essential mean very different things to normal people and beauty bloggers:)....but you guys understand right?!
Firstly...I'm obsessed with not tanning my face! This probably sounds very weird to many but I hate that my make up doesn't match, my skin gets so dry and I really don't want to look like a tan handbag in my old age. So I bought this little beauty a few months ago for my face.




Lancome SPF 50 which is super high and basically a total block.
Even though I wear this I still moisturise like crazy once I'm showered and my make up is off. I'm loving Dr Lewinns Radiance Booster. My skin literally drinks this in the evening.




Now on to my travel minis and what's in the bathroom.




John Frieda Full Repair. My hair loves this. It leaves me with soft healthy smooth locks and I'm so glad I found it in travel size.
Soap&Glory body scrub. I exfoliate my skin daily in the shower on holiday to get rid of any dry skin.
St Ives face scrub. This is a true oldie but a goody. I love how gritty this is and I scrub by face with this for at least 2 minutes. That probably is too long but it just leaves me with the softest skin ever and it looks so much more glowy!
Steam cream. Just my basic after shower moisturiser.

On to my hair. My hair on holiday literally goes crazy. It's like big but not in a good way. So my lovely mum gave me this humidity control spray and it works:) And of course I wouldn't go anywhere without my trust Macademia healing oil spray.


Ill be filling you in with what make up I have brought with me...my duty free purchases...more beauty bits out here and of course other stuff:)
Me off to go shopping











Dress - Dorothy Perkins
Sandals - Kurt Geigher
Watch - Michael Kors
Sunglasses - Chanel

A little holiday post.

Hey guys I'm in Portugal! It's absolutely beautiful:)
Ill be doing a few posts while I'm here, some may be beauty related and some just photos. A few quick photos first.

View from my hotel


Harbour at Alvor


Me sat on a bench by the harbour


I'm on the beach


What more could I need.


If there's any particular posts you would like to see while I'm out here tweet me @iz222
Ill try do the usual...what's in my beach bag, skincare etc:)
Hope you have all had an amazing bank holiday!

Rimmel Airy Fairy Lipstick

Today I'm totally excited about....yes a lipstick!! I have finally got my hands on Rimmel Airy Fairy. I have watched so many youtube videos, read blogs etc raving about this lipstick. It's not available in the UK which I must add I think is ridiculous. I can't believe a UK brand doesn't make all the colours available to us easily.
Anyway....it's a beautiful pinky nudey colour and I love love love it. It's creamy, pigmented and just ahhhhmazing.

Swatch



If you are from America or can get hold of this easily then please do! You won't regret it:)

Quick photo wearing it. Taken after work so not the freshest look!