Minibreak Makeup

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

In May Matt and I were treated to a rather amazing stay at The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire. We had spent the day enjoying the Harry Potter Studios Tour and then Warner Bros sent us off to a gorgeous hotel to spend the night. To add the cherry on the already well iced cake, our rooms were upgraded to mansion suites. Oh my giddy aunt!

I will do a full review of our stay but until then, I wanted to share something beauty related with you.

I knew we would be having an overnight stay and knew it would be pretty easy going so I felt no pressure packing my makeup bag and in my relaxed state, missed nothing off my list- woop! Usually when we go places I'm planning activities, deciding on all the things Darcy will need and getting myself in quite the tizzy! This time though, plain sailing. Hur-rah.

Since you all love beauty products as much as I do, I though you might like a looksie at what I took. I will happily hold my hands up and say I overpacked but if you can't go a little overboard in a luxury hotel, when can you? I didn't need two mascaras, nor did I need two Mac Paintpots but everything else was used and I felt really nice. I know that sounds like a dumb thing to say but you know when you just feel good about yourself? Well that.

I don't walk round with my head held low and disliking myself, but it's not everyday a woman looks in a mirror and thinks, 'yes, I look really nice'. I don't know if it was the break from mundane habits, the luxury surrounds or my well stuffed makeup bag, but I felt brilliant. More weekends like that please!!

My absolute favourites from this bag are :

Mac Paintpot in 'Vintage Selection'. Described on the website as 'frosted dirty peach'.
YSL Shocking Mascara.
Soap & Glory Lid Stuff in 'What's Nude?'. 

If there is anything here that you would like a full individual review on, I would love to hear it in the comments or if you have any questions, please do feel free to ask them and I'll do my best to answer helpfully. 

What are your top overnight essentials?

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Toodlepip!

xx

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Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

A few weeks ago the kindly PR people over at Guerlain gifted me with a far too generous goodie bag of gorgeous products to play with. To be clear, I'm not being a smug showy beauty blogger, just an excited like a kid at Christmas one. Hope that's alright with you :)

As any woman would, I have been thoroughly enjoying the luxury of these beauties and thought now is a good enough as any time to share one of them with you.

This last picture was taken slightly spur of the moment whilst I was wearing the bronzing powder. I had applied it about 6 hours prior and as you can see on my cheekbone, it is still going strong. As you can see from my jawbone however, my foundation wasn't! I know this isn't your classic 'beauty shot' but I'm hoping you'll all think, 'Oh how lovely to see the makeup in it's natural on-the-go form', haha. 

So, onto the product. Let's all just stop a moment and rejoice in how b-e-a-utiful it is. When I have this compact in my handbag, I feel like such a lady. It's mature, sophisticated and luxurious, just like me -raise eyebrows here. Also, rather conveniently the palette is complete with a good sized mirror. 

Retailing at £34 per compact (handy link HERE), this is definitely a high end item. With five different shades of tan ranging from dark to coral and luminous pearly particles, this powder leaves a gorgeous subtle bronzed effect with a hint of highlight. There are no glitter flecks, nor are you left orange, it is just a super classic bronzing powder. 

If you were to use a light hand I think you could blend this all over your face to set your foundation and add a slight glow, but I prefer to concentrate it on my cheek bones to give a bit of a tanned flush. I love the pigmentation of this powder (not so crazy that you run the risk of looking muddy, but not so faint that you have to spend years with your brush) and I find it blends easily into my liquid or gel foundation and works well with other powders.

All round I am so positive about this sheer bronzing powder. It is an absolute pleasure to have in my makeup bag and I look forward to making the most of it this Summer. 

What about you? Have you tried this product before? Would you spend £34 on a bronzing powder if it was really lovely? I'm always so interested to hear your thoughts on luxury beauty products!

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Toodlepip!

xx

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Bourjois Goodie Bag

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Last week I wrote THIS about a recent work day I had in London attending blogger events. When I first started blogging, many moons ago, one of my favourite things to see on blogs were the goodie bags people were sent home with (I'm nosey like that) so I thought I would harp back to those days and show you mine.

Please note that this isn't bragging or showing off, I just figured that if one person (me) likes these sorts of posts, then other people (you), might like them too. It's not a review, just a 'ooohh look, purddyyy' dealio. Plus, I like looking at eye candy pictures of makeup. 

For me, the highlight of this collection is the blue 1 second nail polish. I'm not sure it did dry in one second but it was chip free for a good 4 days, beautiful to apply thanks to the flat ended brush and generated a heap of compliments- what more do you want in a polish? 

I'm excited by the cream blushes, apprehensive of the powder ones (never had much luck with the colour pay off) and intrigued by the bronzing products. I love a bit o' bronze in the summer months. Who am I kidding? I love a bit o' bronze in all the months! 

If any of these products really impress or really disappoint, I'll be sure to write a review and let you know. 

What experiences have you had with Bourjois products? Do you have any recommendations? 

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Toodlepip!

xx

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Luxury Lipsticks || April

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

If you watched my Luxury Makeup Haul on my YouTube channel last month, you will know that I have had quite the splurge lately, mostly on lipsticks. 'Oopusdazy', as Darcy would say.

I don't know what it is about a luxury lipsticks that pleases me so very much but honestly, I think I have a problem. I buy them like money is going out of fashion and I have about three floating around every handbag. It's almost a bit embarrassing!

Before this pricey little problem goes any further, I thought it might be a good idea to review my current top three and plan to do this again in the future. Heaven knows I've got enough to feature!!

This month I have found myself coming back to the same three lipsticks again and again. Armani Rouge d'Armani in 503 (rrp £25), YSL Coral Intuitive (rrp £24) and MAC Candy Yum Yum (rrp £14). 

I look to Armani when I'm having a low key day with just mascara and concealer because it makes me feel like I've added a hint of glamour to and otherwise 'meh' look. I use the YSL number for muted peachy lips when I have done big black smokey eyes and I turn to MAC Candy Yum Yum when I want to be show-stopping (which is surprisingly more often than you'd think. Worrying). 

As you can see from the swatches, both the Armani and YSL lipsticks have a frosted/sheen finish, where as Candy Yum Yum is entirely matte. Personally I prefer to add a little lipbalm over the top to keep my lips from drying and to add some shine, but I know some people love a gloss free lip. 

I'd also like to add, just because I'm anal, that the Armani has a beautifully engraved 'GA' on the bullet. Sadly, mine has sort of smooshed off due to a tragic melting in the sunlight accident but it was lovely none the less. 

All three apply beautifully, last a great amount of time (by 'great' I mean about 4-6 hours, probably more like 8 for the MAC), have gooorrgeous packaging (magnetic seal for Armani that gives a VERY satisfying click and just look at the YSL would you!) and make me feel amazing.

Yes, I know these are frivolous, and yes, I know there are likely to be great dupes out there for these, but to me, they're worth it. It's not just colour on the lips in pretty casing, it's the way they make me feel.  When I wear one of these products I instantly feel more 'together'. I feel like I look like a woman who takes care of herself, even though I'm a busy Mum who more often than she'd care to admit uses dry shampoo and has been known to febreeze her tights in emergencies. 

What do you think? Way too much for a lipstick or worth the money for my sanity? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

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Toodlepip!

xx

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Beauty Bargain Alert

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I've actually already blogged today (scroll down why dontchya) but I wanted to give you another quickie- ooer.

I bought this palette a few weeks ago from ebay as a treat for my new Step Sister Hollie and now that she has opened it, I managed to take a quick snap.

This is a ten piece blusher palette and Hollie is thrilled. She hasn't used it yet so I'm not ready to comment on it's quality but based purely on price (£3.49 inc p&p), looks and size (big but slim), it seems like a total winner. 

I think this is ideal if you are looking to have all your blushers in one place or if you are starting out and building up your collection, like my little sister is. 

This isn't a review, but me letting you know about affordable beauty products that might tickle your pickle. Tickled pickles are what we're all about round here. Ew, that sounds really wrong!

If you would like to check this beauty bargain out for yourself, click HERE. 

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Toodlepip!

xx

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March Beauty Favourites

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

This Sunday on my YouTube Channel I uploaded a long over due 'favourites' video. I love watching this kind of thing because it really helps me discover tried and tested products and get excited for things. 

Despite the sunlight not being on my side (one minute brightywhitebright, the next cloudymcgreyskies), I enjoyed making this. If you haven't already watched it, have a little looksie. Oh, and don't forget to subscribe- it's free you know.

What sort of YouTube videos do you enjoy to watch the most?

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Toodlepip!

xx

January Wish List || Nails

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

With the festive season safely tucked up in bed and a big family holiday to save up for this year, I'm trying very hard to curb my spending. It's boring I tell you! 

In a bid to quench my beauty thirst, I have created this visual wish list of nail products I'd love to own. 

All the products in the collage can be found on BeautyBay, accept from the Dotting Tools from eBay, which I accidentally just placed a bid on. In fairness, they were only £1.38!

I flip flop between pastels and neons like nobodies business. For months I'll be obsessed with mints, pinks, peaches and greys and then all of a sudden, out of the blue, I'm enchanted with anything luminous. My nails are terribly fickle. 

What nail colours and products are you utterly obsessed with at the moment? Do you ever go bare?

Toodlepip!

xx

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