Monthly Favourites | March 2014

Hello I hope that you're all doing well. It's already time for another favourites post. Before I begin rambling on about all the products I just wanted to remind any of you that didn't catch my last post that I'm actually away on a course training for the next fortnight. Therefore my blogging schedule will be reduced to once maybe twice a week just while I'm away. I have a few posts set to publish and then all shall resume to normal, I also plan on doing a little update once I return too. Now onto those favourites!

Benefit The Porefessional.
The first product I want to talk about as one of my March favourites is The Porefessional primer from Benefit. Now I have actually owned this for a good few months but I have only really noticed the huge difference it makes in the last few weeks. I was on the fence about this for a little while (looking back I don't think I was applying enough product) it got to the point that it this ended up at the back of my Muji drawer and forgotten about. However now its spring and those highlighters, shimmery blushes and so on are in full swing I noticed that my pores were emphasised much more when my skin underneath wasn't primed.  I dug out the Porefessional from its neglected hiding place, and let me just say it definitely wont be hibernating again any time soon! This translucent balm smooths my skin so nicely and does fill in pores pretty well therefore creating the ideal base for my makeup. I've read that you only need to use a small amount but I found far better results when I wasn't quite so stingey.

Urban Decay Naked Basic Palette.
My eyeshadow choices for the month couldn't be any different to each other. Enter Naked Basics from Urban Decay - if you caught my recent Spring beauty haul you may have noticed that this palette made its way into my life and I'm so glad that it did. I have been absolutely loving some of these matte eyeshadows  to create really neutral yet very pretty eye looks especially when Venus, on the far left is used on the inner corner. I think that the reason that I've been particularly enjoying this palette is because I've mostly been saving the shimmer for elsewhere on my face and the eye looks that this palette allow for can tone things back down and still keep things remaining very natural looking.

MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow.
However for days that I was craving a pop of colour to my eyes I opted for what is probably one of, if not my favourite eyeshadow from Mac (it was also the first one I got too.) All That Glitters has been perfect in March for a hit of peachy shimmer on my eyes on the days that I didn't fancy those matte shades from UD. I just love this eyeshadow for so many reasons but ultimately it allows me to be very lazy, I literally spray my eyeshadow brush with some makeup setting spray as discussed in this post, sweep it in the pan and the colour transfers beautifully straight onto the eyelid and I can just leave it at that.

Real Techniques Powder Brush.
This powder brush has made such a difference to my makeup routine every morning, it is super soft and the size enables you to quickly distribute powder across your face effortlessly. I've been using
this with my bareMinerals touch up veil to set any makeup and also with my bronzer, which really quickly adds colour and life back to your face which I find so effective. I didn't really think that this was a brush that I needed, but it was only the 3 for 2 in Boots that prompted me to get it and turns out that this is oh so practical and as most RT are, its multipurpose which is another bonus.

Real Tecnhiques Retractable Lipstick Brush.
Possibly the cutest brush that you could own and a mircale worker when applying high maitenence lipsticks, or for quick touch ups throughout the day. I've already written a full review on this brush here.

MAC MSF Stereo Rose.
Stereo Rose from Mac has been my baby this month - seriously I can't sing its praises enough. Actually I think that an honourable mention goes out to all the pieces I picked up from Mac's Fantasy Of Flowers collection this month, as not one piece has left me disappointed - you can see exactly what I picked up in this post. But in particular I have loved Stereo Rose a lot in March, it gives my skin the prettiest, warm peachy glow that just seems to catch the light revealling a truly radiant finish to the face. I actually find that this lasts a good while on the skin too which is always a bonus, I'm so glad that I managed to get my hands on this limited edition skin finish.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream.
This CC cream from Bourjois has been everywhere on the bloggersphere in the last few weeks and I just had to see what all the fuss was about. The first few times I wore this I couldn't really get the hype which is understandable given that I've never owned any type of BB/CC cream before. However on the third or so attempt at applying this I must have got used to it a bit more and I finally learnt to love it. This gave me a medium coverage and the cream itself felt more like a liquid than what you would call a cream but otherwise it made the colouration in my skin even, and was extremely comfortable to wear.



MAC Costa Chic.
Costa Chic has been my most grabbed lipstick in March and boy was I happy to see this make an appearance in my life. I purchased this back in the autumn because I just couldn't resist its beauty, however it didn't really get much use as this just isn't the lipstick for those later months of the year. Costa Chic is the most beautiful hybrid of coral and peach with just a touch of golden shimmer due to the frost finish. This lipstick brightens up your entire face, and is just one of those that makes you feel good when you wear it. I would say that this is a great option if you're not brave enough to go for a full on orange, this is not exactly a statement lipstick yet it is still very beautiful.

What did you love in March?

Sunday Catchup #1

 

Hello and happy Sunday to you - plus an extra special mention to all the mothers out there as it is Mother's Day over in the UK today. Following in the theme of other bloggers who do a sort of weekly round up I have decided to incorporate a 'Sunday Catchup' here on my blog as a light hearted chit-chat, what I've been up to kind of post. I really like to read these sorts of posts and get an insight into the blogger behind the blog so I hope you will enjoy these too.

So obviously today I will be spending the day with my mum. I consider myself really fortunate as I get to spend a lot of time with her even though we both have busy lives we always try to make time for each other even if its just going to yoga, or popping to the shops to get stuff for dinner. On saying that the last two mothers days I haven't spent it with her as last year I was actually at Crufts and the year before I had to work but today I get to spend it with her - nothing major planned just the usual Sunday stuff.

This week has been quite a busy one as weeks go, I'm going away tonight as I've got the first of my two weeks clinical training to get my foot health qualification tomorrow. Although there has been an attempt to get organised throughout the week I sense a last minute emergency throwing of things into a suitcase before leaving tonight. Its too far for me to travel up every day so have to stay in a B&B until Friday. I'm very excited and also nervous too. Hopefully once I'm back I intend to write a full update all about what I've been up to but for now there will be a few scheduled posts going up while I am away.

I managed to squeeze in all my regular classes at the gym this week - Monday morning Bounce Fit, Yoga Monday night and on Friday morning, spinning Wednesday and Thursday night plus a Power Weights class straight after on Thursday, and then yesterday morning I did Boxercise. So I'm pretty pleased about that - I'm going to miss it so much while I'm away! Sad but true.

Despite spending 3 evenings at the gym I've also been crazy addicted to watching Breaking Bad, and finished season two I think on Tuesday it was? Record number of viewings in one session has been four episodes... lets just say there has been a lot of late nights recently due to this programme - which is quite unconventional for this early bird!

Plus on the blog this week:
The TMI Tag
MAC Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish
On My Face #2

How was your week? Have a lovely Mothering Sunday x

On My Face #2

What's On My Face: Friday Night With Friends

Happy Friday - the weekend is upon as and today I've got a quick FOTD. Seen as though I am going out for an Indian with some friends tonight (for an Elvis theme night?!) I thought a what's on my face post would be fun to show you the makeup I am going to be wearing later.

For my base I will begin by priming my face with The Porefessional by Benefit, I find that this helps prepare my skin for a face of makeup by smoothing everything out nicely. The foundation that I am going to be using is the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 100 Ivory. This was a Tanya Bur inspired purchase and I really like this product as it gives me a medium coverage and its a good colour match to my actual skin tone. I am going to be applying this with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush to achieve the best possible results. This will usually provide me with enough coverage so that I don't need to go over and conceal. To set my foundation in place I use my bareMinerals Touch Up Veil.

Next I will go in and contour with my trusty Nars Laguna Bronzer, I start off with a powder brush to warm the face up and if I have time at the end I take a small contour brush for a more sculpted look. My new favourite highlighter is MAC Perfect Topping MSF which I lightly apply up my cheek bones, to my nose and cupid's bow. On my eyebrows I am using two products, to fill them in I take my Elf Brow kit and an angled brush and over the top I will brush in some Benefit Gimme Brow, which I find sets it all in place nicely.

For my eye makeup I am going to take MAC Painterly paint pot as a neutral base, I apply this all over my eyelid with my wedding ring finger. Then I am using my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette to create a bronzy eye look focusing mostly on the colours Half Baked and Chopper. I find that I can only really use this palette for more evening looks as the colours aren't what I would typical wear day to day so I try and use it whenever I am going out. For mascara I am opting for Benefit Bad Gal Lash a product that opens up the eyes by adding volume and length to the lashes.

And finally saving the best step of all  until last - lipstick to complete the look.  A favourite pink lipstick of mine that I often wear when I'm going out is MAC Girl About Town. For times like this when I am going out I like to take a fine liner brush from RT to line the lips before filling them in, doing this really creates definition and helps shape the lips perfectly.

What's on your face on a Friday evening?

MAC Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish

 

 

 

 

When doing my research on Mac's Fantasy Of Flowers collection way back at the start of the year, the item that most grabbed my attention was the highly coveted Stereo Rose, spoken about in more depth here. I grabbed that up at the first chance I could get and I thought that would be that. But oh how wrong I was. The other MSF release in the collection, Perfect Topping was popping up on my bloglovin feed left, right and centre and well when Debenhams had on their recent promotions lets just say my temptations got the better of me...

From the moment Perfect Topping hit my cheeks I knew it was love. There is something truly stunning about this, as you can see there are quite a lot of colours going on in this with lilac and peach veins running through it dispersed with the occasional spell of cream - it just looks so beautiful on the skin. What I love about the minerealize skinfinishes from Mac is how versatile they can be, especially this one. For example if you had the right powder brush you could apply this delicately to your face to really give you a stunning pearlized glow, or I like to use it as a standard highlighter to make my features look more prominent - this really highlights your Cupid's bow giving your lips a fuller effect. In one of Tanya Bur's recent videos she also mentioned how highlighters are also being used as eyeshadow a lot at the moment too, although I'm not sure if I personally would do that as I'd rather use my eyeshadows for that.

All in all I would say that Perfect Topping is pretty perfect. If you can get your hands on this I would highly recommend doing so, but don't take your time as it won't be around forever as it currently is not part of Mac's permanent line. It was still available when I went to a Mac counter recently - I managed to persuade my friend into buying it and she loves it as well.

What do you think of Perfect Topping from Mac? Do you have a favourite highlighting product?

The TMI Tag

 

 I'm back with another tag for you today, the last one I did went down fairly well and that was the What's In My Bag tag. This time I'm doing the TMI tag, so hopefully you're feeling adequately nosey! I tag anyone who reads this and wants to let their readers know a little bit more about them. 

 

1) Have you got any tattoos?
No, my skin is completely ink free. I haven't ever really got the whole tattoo thing to be honest. I just couldn't justify the permanence of a tattoo - you don't know how your body is going to look years in the future and how you as a person are going to change physically and emotionally. Plus you see so many tattoos that clearly haven't had much thought or meaning put into them. Don't get me wrong I quite like tattoos on the right people but I highly doubt I would ever get one.

2) Piercings?
Yes I have 3. I've had my ears pierced longest since I was quite young, I think I've had my belly button pierced coming up ten years now too and my most recent piercing was a spontaneous one just last summer and that was my tragus in both my ears. I like the amount of piercings I have, however I wouldn't say that I won't get another one in the future.

3) How tall are you / how much do you weigh?
I don't actually have an accurate answer for either of these ones, for a start I've never really known exactly how tall I am but I do know that I'm a bit of a shortie and my weight is always fluctuating up and down. I don't ever step on the scales because I don't want to be governed by a stupid number. There was a stage where I counted calories, kept a track of my weight etc and it seriously sucked. These days I just exercise regularly, eat what I like in moderation and I go by how my clothes feel and look on me.

4) Have you ever been in love?
I think so. I have little experience of real love but I do believe I loved someone for a short while.

5) Have you ever had a terrible breakup?
No I haven't, my first (and only to date) relationship ended after 4 and a bit years on mutual terms. That was around a year ago now.

6) Something you miss?
Hmm, I moved house for the first time last year like literally down the road and so I pass my old house most days and even though I love our new home I still get a little fuzzy feeling in my stomach when I drive by and see the light on in my old bedroom. I don't miss it like crazy, but it was my first home so I still feel connected to it in some way I guess. I also miss the spontaneousness of last summer.

7) Zodiac sign?
Cancer, my birthday is June 26th. I don't believe in horoscopes or things like that and have never followed my zodiac signs.

8) Quality you look for in a partner?
Someone who is kind, thoughtful, honest, reliable, doesn't take themselves too seriously and most of all knows how to have a laugh and a bit of fun. Basically someone who I could easily be myself around is most important. Anyone who says looks aren't important is clearly telling fibs because lets face it looks do play a role because where would you be without any attraction?

9) Turn off?
If someone doesn't have any ambitions, goals or dreams. Also rudeness and arrogance.

10) Favourite quote?
"I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw. I think that the message behind this is pretty inspiring and motivating.

11) What are your fears?
My fears  (minus spiders,eww) are that time will pass too quickly, that I might end up alone, not having anyone to share my life with or build a future with.

12) Favourite show?
Ah my, where would I begin? I love so many. I've recently got the Breaking Bad boxset and oh my word, its freaking amazing! I'm only on season 2 so no spoilers ok!? I also adore Nashville because I love country music and basically Nashville is all about that. I've also been loving Mr Selfridge, as I quite like a bit of a period drama and especially as its focused around the introduction of shopping for pleasure. I'm hooked on Revenge at the moment too though. Oh and not forgetting my favourite supernatural type of TV show is True Blood. Wow how do I get time to blog when I watch all of those?

13) Favourite bands?
I'm not really sure? I have an infatuation with country music lately so I guess I'd have to say Lady Antebellum? :P

14) Favourite flavour of sweet?
Easy, orange!

15) Favourite song?
This always changes but 'All To Well' by Taylor Swift has a place in my heart because I can relate to it so much.

16) Do you have a crush?
Yes, who doesn't ?

17) The last song you sang?
Kacey Musgraves - Silver lining.

18) Where do you go when you're sad?
It depends how sad I'm feeling. I find exercise can be a great way of completely taking your mind off things. But other times I like to go and write in my journal, it helps to write down how I feel I find it greatly theraputic. Plus it helps to go back and read over things I've written in the past, as it usually helps me realise that if I've gotten through something tough before I can do the same again.

19) A place you want to visit?
I want to go to New York desperately! I've made a 25 before 25 list and New York is up there to do. I also would love to see more of Europe.

20) The last sport you played?
Does doing a spin class count as sport? :P I do spin classes every Wednesday and Thursday evening. But a proper sport I haven't probably done since I left school six years ago.

21) Favourite Colour?
Oh I don't think I have a favourite colour, I just couldn't pick!

22) Have you ever been in a physical fight?
No.

23) The reason you started blogging?
I started blogging because I missed it, I used to run a blog many moons ago. I love writing and reading blogs and this time it felt like I could come back with a specific interest / topic. Plus my obsession with beauty was just getting too much, I couldn't contain it any longer. It was only a matter of time really I suppose before I started back up again.

24) The meaning behind your blog name?
Graceyblossom is my name. Well I'm known mostly as Grace, Gracey but Blossom is actually my middle name.

25) The last time you were insulted?
Oh, probably at work by a customer!

Easter Themed Lush Haul

 

 

 

Hello I hope you're all having a great Friday and ready for the weekend to begin! I've been out shopping doing a bit of damage and thought I would quickly do a mini lush haul for you today as I ended up picking up quite a few things in there. I purchased lots from Lush during the winter especially from the Christmas range and I imagined that my temptations would end there as the spring months rolled around. However the new Easter stuff Lush introduced was far too tempting to miss out on.

The first thing to catch my eye were the adorable Bunch of Carrots bubble bars. I really like the bubble bars from Lush, and these smell exceptionally fruity and delicious. Its good that with this you actually get three 'carrots' that are reusable so you will get plenty of bubble baths out of these. The bright pink Fluffy Egg bath bomb was next to catch my eye, equally as fragrant and delicious - exactly like candy. These remind me of the Think Pink bath bombs, both in appearance and smell but obviously the fluffy egg is larger and shaped like an egg of course. I can just imagine the pretty colour this is going to make in my bath water.

 Last from the Easter range I got the glittery Golden Egg bath melt, the smell reminds me of caramel or toffee or something. If this is like all the other bath melts I have tried from Lush, this is going to be super luxirous and make my skin feel all soft, I always describe the melts as sort of oily as they make the bath water all silky smooth - and glittery golden from this one I expect! Something I have been meaning to pick up from Lush for ages but always forget is one of their lip scrubs, I went for the Popcorn scrub and can't wait to get nice smooth lips from this.

Now all I have to finish off by saying is, is it bath time yet?

What do you think of the new Easter range from Lush? Will you be picking anything up?

Products I've Used Up | Empties #1

 

 

 

 

Hello, I've used up some products recently so I thought, why not feature an 'Empties' styled post on my blog? These won't necessarily be every month because I don't always use up a load of products just in a month, but just whenever they seem to run out. 

 

Soap & Glory Clean On Me 500ml shower gel.

This shower gel has lasted me forever! Literally the S&G shower gels are amazing value for money and especially when they are in a 3 for 2 offer as they just seem to last and last. I like the fact that it has a pump as it means you can control exactly how much product you want resulting in less waste, plus they look pretty smart sitting on your bath tub too. This smells so fresh and the consistency is incredibly creamy - so it feels like it does two jobs in one product. I have repurchased this before and will continue to again I expect.

 

Soap & Glory Scrub Em and Leave Em Body Buff 300ml tub.

After adoring S&G Scrub Of Your Life I had high hopes for this tub of Scrub Em and Leave Em, however I was left disappointed and wishing I had tried the small travel sized version before splashing out on this 300ml pot. It smells pleasant enough however I really didn't find this very exfoliating at all, it just didn't do its job. For a start the pot is really annoying and only makes it practical for use if you're in the bath as otherwise I found that it just got water from the shower in it. I just really strugged to see that this had any impact or exfoliating benefits on my skin and so it ended up being quite pointless. I wouldn't repurchse this again, but instead just stick to S&G Scrub of Your Life from now on.

 

Lush Cream Candy Bubble Bar.

My favourite product from Lush and also the first thing that I purchased in there along with a bath bomb. This smells absolutely incredible (leaves your bathroom like a mini Lush shop for hours afterwards too) and is such a luxury addition to your bath time routine. I have repurched this and will definitely buy the cream candy bubble bar many more times again, although I am definitely going to have a nose at their Easter range next time I stop by a Lush shop.

 

L'Occitane Violet Handcream 30ml.

This was a limited edition from L'Occitane and a free sample from a magazine last winter. Aren't the freebies always best? Quite a shame that this was limited edition because it was lovely, with a very light feminine scent and the cream itself was very moisturising without being at all greasy which I quite often find with handcreams. 

 

Skin Therapy 3 in 1 Facial Wipes.

I use these ocassionally before removing my makeup properly. One thing I find practical about these is that they come with a lid meaning it keeps some of the moisutre in the wipes and stops them drying up. I find them quite useful to throw in my gym bag on nights where I finish work and head straight to a spin class when I obviously don't have time to thoroughly remove every scrap of makeup from my face. For that reason alone I would probably buy them again.

 

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical.

I don't really have a lot to say about this product, it does the job ok as it does freshen up day old hair to some extent. But there is just something about this that makes me wonder if sprinkling talcum powder in my hair would achieve the same result as all this does sometimes is make my hair have a white tinge. I don't like the smell of this version of Batiste either. If anyone has any dry shampoo recommendations for me please comment below as I think I need to branch out a bit in the dry shampoo world.

 

Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation sample.

When I was in John  Lewis a while ago I asked for a little tester sample of the Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation so I could try it out on myself and see if I liked it or not. I had read a lot of rave reviews on this but there are also a fair few negative ones so I wanted to actually try some on my face to help me decide if it was something I wanted.

 

The Body Shop Hair Chalk.

 No surprise here really. I used up some more of my well loved hair chalk from The Body Shop, I've done a full review on this product that you can read here. I will definitely be repurchasing, I think the pink will look so pretty come summer time too.

 

What products have you been using up?



MAC Well Dressed Blush

 

 

 

 I wasn't a huge blusher girl until recently but I have rapidly grown an unhealthy obsession with them and I can blame MAC for that. There are so many to chose from all with different finishes that you could probably find yourself swatching away at the Mac blushers for hours, or at least I could anyway. My Mac blushes have suddenly found their way to the top of my beauty item favourites which is quite a statement given my love for lipsticks. Today I'm going to be talking about Well Dressed an item that has become a perfect everyday staple for me.

Well Dressed is a powder blush with a satin finish, so I do find that it adds a nice subtle sheen to my cheeks but without being hugely noticeable. This is a very cool toned blush yet I still find that on my skin tone it adds the perfect pinch of colour to my face. I know that for some people the pigmentation of Well Dressed would be a huge disappointment, and frankly on any medium to dark skin tones I have to admit that this blush would take a hell of a lot of building up for it to become even slightly noticeable. However for me that it what I like about this blush, its not at all 'bam' in your face but it still gives me a subtle wash of colour.

This is definitely not the blush for people who want high colour pay off. I would however say that this blush is ideal for those who are perhaps beginners that are a bit intimidated by blushers or just for the fairer skinned girl, as Well Dressed is probably the easiest I've come across to apply in the sense that you couldn't really ever over-do this blush. This is so ideal for work or days when you simply want a little sheen of colour to the apples of your cheeks. Overall I know that I will get a lot of use out of this blush as this is the look I mostly aim to go for on an everyday basis, however I can see that for some Well Dressed might not be the right blush for them. I would definitely recommend trying this at a Mac counter first to see if it is right for you. I've included a swatch/comparison below, from this you see how Well Dressed purely leans pink compared to Springsheen that is a peachy pink with also some gold shimmer running through it. The swatch also reveals how cool toned this blush is.

 

Swatches taken in natural day light.

Have you tried this blush from MAC? What are some of your every day staples?

Real Techniques Retractable Lip Brush Review

 

Retractable Lipstick Brush | Real Techniques | £7.99 | Link
 

In the ever popular world of makeup brushes I think that lipstick brushes are a bit of an unsung hero. Right from the beginning of my love affair with lipstick I have used a brush to help apply it, so when I heard about a RT one I was very excited to try it out. If you caught my recent beauty haul you will have seen that I picked this brush up in Boots with their 3 for 2 offer.

 

 Real Techniques just know how to get makeup brushes perfectly right, don't they? The fact that this brush is pink instantly adds to the appeal for me, visually its gorgeous and stands out from any other plain black lipstick brushes I have ever tried and plus this means you can find it in an instant in your makeup bag. Another marvellous quality of this brush is that there is no mess thanks to the clever little retractable cover that all three of the new RT brushes have been released with. The brush itself does a fantastic job in helping you apply lipstick perfectly, the tapered bristles are firm enough so that you can line your lips but also smoothly cover larger areas as well. This creates a perfect application of lipstick so quickly and once your done simply pop the lid on and your safe from any unexpected lipstick marks.

 

Obviously there are some formula's of lipstick that are very quick and easy to apply without the use of a lipstick brush for example lustre lipsticks from MAC that just glide effortlessly across your lips, however for those that are a little more high maintenance like satin or matte lipsticks, this retractable lip brush is so, so handy to create a gorgeous definition of the lips. The RT lipstick brush helps produce a smooth and defined application of lipstick to the mouth and should be a must have tool for the avid lipstick lover, in my opinion.

 

If you haven't used a lipstick brush before I definitely recommend picking up this one from RT, it will transform the way you put on lipstick by defining your lips and generally providing a neat and precise application. You can see how much I adore these brushes as I've already got two ;)

 

Will you be picking this new brush up from RT?

What's In My Bag

Hello, I hope that your week is off to a good start. I woke up Monday morning to an email from Becky who blogs over at Angels Secrets telling me that I had won her 100 followers giveaway - I never expected to win so I was really surprised! Giveaways can be an amazing platform to discover brilliant new blogs just like Becky's so go and check hers out if you haven't already. Today's post is going to be something a little different from my usual beauty themed posts with the 'What's In My Bag' tag. Continue reading to find out what's in my bag...

 

My handbag is the Sydney Satchel from Fossil in black leather. Initially this might look like a smallish handbag but it is actually one of those Marry Poppins creations as the zip opens up all the way down both sides and you can fit quite a lot in if you needed. I originally saw and liked this in Navy but after sitting on the fence about what one to go for I finally decided on black and I'm glad I did because you really can't beat a classic black handbag that will be ideal for so many different occasions. There is also an attachable shoulder strap which looks really cute but I had taken it off on the day I decided to take these photographs. To match, my purse is the Sydney Zip Multifunction wallet. I would normally go for a clutch style purse but decided on changing it up. One of the reasons that I opted for this multifunction wallet was that it features loads of card slots and I have accumulated quite a lot of those over the last few years!

 

 

After a beautiful, bright weekend in south east England my beloved Chanel Sunglasses that I was gifted for my 20th birthday, have found their way back into my life and therefore my handbag. I know that it might be seen as a bit of wishful thinking keeping sunglasses in your bag in March (this is England after all) but you never know when that thing in the sky might decide to surprise us by showing his face! I wouldn't be much of a beauty blogger if there wasn't a MAC lipstick floating around in the midst of my belongings, this one is my latest that was mentioned in my recent beauty haul, Angel.

 

 

Still sticking with the beauty theme briefly, my Denman Compact Hairbrush will normally be found hiding somewhere at the bottom of my bag, I also use this for a mirror too so this is a good multipurpose item to own. For quick freshen ups on the go I always keep a travel sized Sure Anti-Perspirant 35ml spray, and in case my hair needs rejuvenating back to life I also have a Batiste Dry Shampoo - floral and flirty 50ml spray ready to use in my bag. My Bath & Body Works anti-bacterial hand gel in I heart Bubble Gum is a life saver for an instant cleanse and blast of sweet fragrance. I also like to keep some hand cream with me and the 30ml tube of L’Occitane Red Cherry Hand Cream is ideal for throwing in my bag to keep moisturised whenever I need to. I also always have a packet of facial tissues in my bag, however I've just had a cold so this has reminded me that I need to replace those ;)

 

Some of the more practical items in my handbag include my Cath Kidston Zip Coins Purse. My wallet can only fit a few pound coins at a time and I always like to keep change for car parks and other stuff so this little purse does the job plus its pretty and stands out in my bag when I need to find it quickly. I swear by keeping a JuiceCube in my handbag for an emergency charge of my phone especially when I know that I'm going to be out all day. Any other iPhone 5s owners will understand the frankly unreliable battery life span you get with these phones so being able to charge my phone on the go is so convenient. To write down any blogging inspiration or lists I carry round a small A6 size Notebook and Pink Bic Pen in my bag. And lastly, whenever I leave the house of course I keep my keys with a matching Cath Kidston Key Fob tucked away safely in my bag somewhere too.

Whats in your bag?

Spring Beauty Haul

Hands up if you've been taking advantage of all the amazing beauty deals that are out to tantalise us. Yes, I thought so, me too. Left, right and centre we are being hit with offers that are frankly far too good to pass up on. Boots with their naughty 3 for 2, Debenhams and their New Season Spectacular with 10% off all beauty ...plus free postage if you spend over £30? Oh go on then! Its safe to say that I have succumbed the last week or so.  Obviously new beauty purchases called for a beauty haul! Reading other beauty bloggers' hauls and watching them on YouTube are one of my favourite things so I hope that you will enjoy this post.

 

As you can see I've gone for a nice balance of things, ranging from good old Real Techniques to something completely new for me from Bourjois and well it wouldn't be a Grace haul without of course a new Mac lipstick... Some of the things from this haul I've had my eyes on for ages while others were just purely bought on a 'couldn't resist' basis.

Urban Decay Naked Basics.
Starting off with something that I have in fact had my eye on for quite a while now and that was the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. I have been covetting this from Urban Decay for some time but its been one of those things that I kept putting off, so when I realised that this was part of Debenhams beauty offer with a charming 10% off I was all for it. I'm sure you know the drill but just incase you don't this neat, compact little palette includes six neutral eyeshadows that are perfect for daily makeup looks. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to be honest as I love these kind of barely there shades. However it was worth waiting in a way to grab a bargain, at just under £20 I think its pretty good value for money, especially when you consider that for the same amount you could just about fill a Mac duo.

 

Benefit gimme Brow.
Having never been one of those girls who is obssessed over their eyebrows I was surprised at how badly I wanted to get my hands on Benefit's new brow must-have. It was even sweeter to finally buy this with 10% off too! The release of this new brow product from Benefit has been extremely hyped up all over every social media platform I know for the last few months and so I'm really hoping that it will live up to my high expectations. My brows have been enhanced by Gimme Brow's powers over the weekend and although its still early, so far my initial impression of this is two thumbs up. Gimme Brow comes in two shades and I went for the light/medium option. I was also excited to receive some free Benefit beauty samples with my order, so thank you Benefit!

 

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream.
Oh what a surprise, Bourjois' most talked about product of the moment ended up in my little beauty haul. I've followed on the BB/CC cream bandwagon extremely late and to begin with I swore that it was something I didn't really need to have. However after coming down with a cold last week and inevitably a nose that looked similar to Rudolph's I was swayed by the colour correcting promises from Bourjois. I admit that this has kind of been one of those things that has suddenly popped up out of nowhere and this was a bit of an impulse purchase in Boots, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I picked up the shade Ivory and the first time I wore it truthfully I wasn't wowed. It was just average in my opinion. But I tried it with my stippling brush again a few more times with much better results, my complexion looked healthy and youthful so I'm still in the stages of deciding whether I like this or not.

Real Techniques Brushes.
From Boots with their 3 for 2 offer I took advantage and decided to add a few more Real Techniques brushes to my collection. I decided to go for the powder brush as I don't have any large brushes like this one and I thought it would be useful with my bareMinerals Touch Up Veil that I spoke about in my last post. I finally purchased the expert face brush that has been on my beauty wish list for some time and I have again put off buying for some reason. There are so many rave reviews on this brush so I'm anticipating its first use! And the last brush I chose was one of the new brushes from the RT line the retractable lip brush. I can't tell you how happy I was when I learnt that RT were releasing a lip brush as I swear by applying lipstick with one of these. I already own one but I decided that as my third brush in the offer it would be handy to have a backup and I may use one for darker lipsticks and one for lighter colours. I'm hoping to do a full review on this brush in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned.

MAC Lipstick - Angel.
My most impulsive buy and something I definitely didn't need but wanted all the same, was this lipstick from Mac and it is one of their cult lipsticks Angel. When my friend purchased this lipstick the other day I was certain that it could very well be the answer to my love/hate relationships with nude lipsticks - Creme Cup just isn't always for me. Although in the bullet these are two lipsticks from Mac are virtually identical, on the lips they differ a lot. I have my fingers crossed for you Angel.

What beauty buys have you purchased recently? Have you taken advantage of any of the Spring offers?