Today's Essentials

Here's a little sneak peek at my essentials for today...

Bag: Forever21

Watch: Marc Jacobs Rose Gold

Fragrance: Jo Malone Saffron Intense

Lipstick: YSL Volupte Sheer Candy in Coco Givree

Powder: MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Medium/Dark

Brush: Zoeva 106 Powder Brush

Love, H x

Christmas Gifting Ideas for Women

This year I have been searching all over the internet for Christmas gifting ideas. I have found so many helpful blog posts and YouTube videos that inspired my gifts this year. So with that said, I thought I would put together a blog post that will hopefully help others that might be lacking inspiration this festive season.

This post includes a range of different price points and is directed at gifts for women and girls.

So let's get started!

(Click images to be redirected to the website)

NAILS

Ciate Olivia Palermo The Fashion Edit - Mini Nail Polish Set - £25.00 from Asos

LIMITED EDITION TOPSHOP Christmas Berry Nail Varnish Duo - £12.50 from John Lewis

MAKEUP

Charlotte Tilbury The Perfect Pink Kiss Set - £49.00 from John Lewis

MAC Irresistibly Charming Lip Gloss Set - £26.00 from John Lewis

Star Print Makeup Bag - £8.00 from Asos 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit - £39.00 from Cult Beauty

HAIR

Limited Edition Twinkle Tangle Teezer Compact Styler - £9.45 from Asos

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Hair Heroes Gift Set - £29.95 from John Lewis

Bed Head Party Girl Set - £21.69 from Asos

GHD Arctic Gold Deluxe Dry and Style Gift Set - £195.00 from John Lewis

SKINCARE & BODY

Origins Mask Marvels Gift Set - £30.00 from John Lewis

Yes To Coconuts Exclusive Body Set - £16.80 from Asos

Charlotte Tilbury The Gift of Goddess Skin Set - £39.00 from John Lewis

Jo Malone Christmas Cracker - £32.00 from John Lewis

FASHION & ACCESSORIES

Bedroom Athletics Cream Slipper Socks - £10.50 from Asos

Oversized Pom Pom Key Ring - £8.00 from Asos

Marble Effect Phone Case - £8.00 from Asos

Jack Wills Mittens - £24.50 from Asos

HOME & MISC

Copper Cable Photo Holder - £8.99 from Asos

NEOM Tranquillity Diffuser - £38.00 from John Lewis

Hotel Chocolat Classic Christmas Luxe box - £35.00 from John Lewis

Hot Chocolate Gift Set - £13.00 from John Lewis

Winter Candle - £20.00 from The White Company

Also ANYTHING from Lush is always a good gift for us gals!

Hope this helped guys. Feel free to leave any comments below.

Love, H x

Our California Trip

Some of you may know that my boyfriend went travelling this year... I think I might have mentioned it in a previous blog post.

It's quite a story actually...

Carl and I met JUST before he was due to go on his travels, so it was obviously quite a sticky situation for us. Of course, we would just have to do our best to make a long distance relationship work for 4 months. And we did.

Just before he left in the January, he asked me how I was with flying. I said I was fine with it - and so then he proposed that I fly out to see him when he got to L.A in the April.

(HE'D PRETTY MUCH ALREADY BOOKED THE TICKETS)

I was shocked and soooooo excited at the thought of that, I OBVIOUSLY said yes!!!

And so April came around, and I flew to Los Angeles to meet him!

(This was also my first time flying by myself and I think I did amazingly well *pats self on back*)

It was honestly the most magical 12 days I have ever experienced. Not only did I get to see my gorgeous boyfriend after far too long of being apart, but we were in CALIFORNIA!

Having never been to America before, I clearly wanted to do some super touristy things.

Such as...

EAT AT THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!

EXPLORE MUSCLE BEACH & VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK!

SHOP AT SEPHORA, OF COURSE!

EXPLORE HOLLYWOOD & BEVERLY HILLS!

We also took the bus up to San Francisco, which was AMAZING!

SMOOCHIN' AT THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE!

UNION SQUARE, SF, FROM THE TOP FLOOR OF MACY'S!

And we did soooo much more! 

If you couldn't already tell, I had the most amazing time and I just wanted to document this experience via blog post so I can remember all of these memories.

Carl, I cannot thank you enough for giving me the most magical trip of my life. I will always treasure every memory that we made.

I honestly felt so comfortable and at home in L.A, I reaaaally hope I one day get to go back! If you live there it's safe to say I'm beyond stupidly jealous of you.

Thank you for reading!

Love, H x

Autumnal Makeup - Purple/Berry Tones

Autumn is here! It's official!

I absolutely love this time of the year, it's definitely my favourite season. 

I feel that it is also the most romantic season... Cosy nights in, cuddles, blankets, crisp morning and evening walks, HOT CHOCOLATE... All that good stuff. It might just be me, but there's something about spending this time of year with that someone special that is just sooooo warming and lovely.

I also love that dark lips, dark nails, fur coats and wearing head to toe black are all now so acceptable! YAY.

Feeling very inspired, I created this purple toned look. I filmed a video on it for my YouTube channel, so go and check that out to see what products I used! ...

I hope you enjoy!

Love, H x

My perfect weekend

This weekend was one of those weekends where you look back at it and think... Yeah. That was such a perfect weekend. Just little things that make it a really good time, you know?

It started on Friday when I saw my gorgeous boyfriend after work and we made our classic stir fry for dinner. Food makes me happy. As does he ;)

Stir fry is such a reoccurring meal for us haha we can't get enough! I might upload a recipe for it actually, it's super scrummy!

So on Saturday we took a road trip down to Whitstable to the seaside. We hadn't been to the seaside yet this summer... I know right... So we were super excited to chill by the coast. It turned out to be such a lovely day - was scorching hot, even by the sea. Literally no breeze. So I was suffering a little in my black skinny's and converse.

Once we'd had a little walk around, we settled down for lunch in a lovely cafe restaurant overlooking the sea. And after an excruciatingly long wait... Our food was served.

How good does that look?!

Scampi, Whitebait and Chicken Caesar Salad, just between the two of us. Haha we are such peeeegs. After eating pretty much everything... We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and back to the car.

When we got home, we decided that we were going to (or should I say Carl forced me to) play some basketball. I'm only joking, I do rather enjoy it. So we headed to the court for some quick hoop shootin'. Can I point out that I did preeettty well considering Carl's 6 ft 3 and I'm 5 ft 4 or something. Once we had worked off all of the calories from earlier that day we headed home to chill. (Not without a quick stop at the Chinese takeaway of course).

SUNDAY!

I love Sunday's. They are sooooo relaxing. But the thought of Monday looming around the corner is always a little depressing. Anyway we decided that we were going to have a BBQ as the weather was looking to be around 24 degrees. It actually turned out to be hotter than expected so that was a bonus.

Of course, before anything, Carl went to the gym. And then we played some more basketball. During which I was maliciously chased by a the most persistent wasp there ever was. I think he thought I was a flower as I was wearing the brightest yellow top and a very sweet Victoria's Secret body spray. Haha. But Carl managed to save me so we continued playing.

After kicking Carl's ass at basketball, we headed back to start prep on the food for the BBQ. So. Much. Food.

We also had fun trying to figure out how to put up the swinging chair in the garden haha. It's more difficult than it sounds!
It turned out to be such a lovely evening with Carl's family, I loved it.

To finish off the most perfect weekend, Carl and I caught up on our favourite series, Suits. HOW GOOD IS SUITS???? If you haven't watched it... What are you doing?

And then after that, I headed home. And that is what I call my perfect weekend.

Can I just mention that I am so beyond lucky to have the boyfriend that I do. He's so thoughtful, loving and HANDSOME and he makes me so happy. I love every second that I spend with him. Love him with every piece of me.

Thank you so much for reading guys.

Love, H x

NEW Rimmel Kate Moss Nude Lipstick in shade 40 - Review

Hey beauties.

Today I'm bringing you a mini review on the new Rimmel Kate Moss nude lipstick in the colour 40.

I did intend on picking up all of the shades from the collection so I could do a collection review for you, but believe it or not there were only a couple left, and they looked pretty grubby. But if you would be interested in seeing a full review, please let me know!

So here is what shade 40 looks like...

To be honest, this is probably my favourite shade from the collection anyway. It's a pale, peach and slightly pink nude. I believe it's the palest lipstick in the collection, but even so, it's not SO pale that your lips disappear. However I would recommend putting a darker lip liner underneath or a gloss over the top. (That's if you're not into the super nude nudes). Although if you're not into the super nude nudes, then I wouldn't purchase this lipstick haha! There are darker nudes in the collection.

RAMBLE OVER.

Okay, so this product will cost you around £5.49 from Boots. I think that is an absolute steal!!! The formula of this lipstick is super creamy, but I would say that if you suffer from chapped lips (like me), give them a good exfoliating before applying this product as it did stick to some of my dry areas, and settled into some fine lines. But other than that, it's super nice.

I feel that the colour pay off is amazing, and you're really getting an overall great product for your money. I can't say much about the other shades in the collection, however I'm sure they would be much the same.

This lipstick has a really mild perfume to it, so it's not overpowering but it does have some scent, which I like. It kinda reminds me of 'new car smell' if ya know what I mean. Haha. So random.

I personally love wearing this shade over the top of the L'Oreal lip liner in Beige A Nu. I also love pressing it into the centre of the lips over other lipsticks to achieve a fuller look.

I've actually had some really bad experiences with Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks; others that I have tried have been sooooo drying and have had little lumps in them (it's hard to explain) does anyone know what I mean? I found it especially with the shade 113.

Anyway, this lipstick has restored my faith with the Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks haha. So that's a good thing! Would I recommend this lipstick? Yes, absolutely.

I hope that you enjoyed this post - please leave me a comment if you did :)

Thanks for reading.

Love, H x

The "No Makeup Makeup" Look

Hello beauties.

Today I wanted to share with you my take on the No Makeup Makeup Look. Besides the very obvious mascara tee hee.

I feel that it's important to let your skin breathe in the summer time. Who wants a ton of makeup on when it's super hot... Not me!

The key is to use as little product as possible. I like to use a damp beauty sponge to blend everything out as this sheers out the product, resulting in a much more natural looking finish. You want your skin to shine through but be perfected.

Here are the products I used to achieve the makeup look in the picture above:

• Nivea primer to moisturise and prime the skin

• Too Faced Beauty Balm in Beach Glow as my base

• Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer in 20 to conceal under the eyes and any redness

• Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Warm Almond as a bronzing base

• Mac Mineralised Skin Finish in Medium Dark to set my base

•  L'Oreal Glam Bronze Bronzer in Golden Bronze to warm up the skin

• Anastasia Beverly Hills contour powder in Fawn to add some definition

• Revlon Highlighting palette in Rose Glow to highlight the cheekbones

• Maybelline Brow Drama brow gel in Medium to shape, tint and set the brows

• Shu Uemura eyelash curlers

• Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof mascara (important for the summer as it doesn't budge)

• Natural Collection lipgloss in Fondant

• Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray (also very important for the summer)

I don't tend to go all out and do an eye shadow look on a day to day basis, so in this picture I don't have any on. However if I was to, I would use a cream base (something like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadows) and set that with a powder.

I hope that this was interesting!

Leave a comment telling me what you think, I'd love some feedback.

Thanks for reading.

Love, H x

Maybelline Fit me! Concealer - Review

Guyssssss I have to talk to you about this concealer. 

I know it's not new a new product, and so many Bloggers and YouTubers and God knows who else have raved about this already, but I just gotta. It's the concealer I reach for every day and I just know I'm going to love it for the longest time. 

Let's talk about formula.

It is suuuper creamy and blendable, so is excellent for underneath the eyes and highlighting the face. That is what I use it for. It has enough coverage to be amazing at this job, however not enough coverage to be a spot concealer (in my opinion). That being said, if ever there is a day that I don't need a heavy duty concealer and just want to even out some redness, then this concealer does the trick. I find this product blends the best when I use my fingers or a damp beauty sponge. My friend Lauren and I have an inside joke about how amazing this concealer applies when you swipe it under the eyes. So satisfying. Is that weird? Probably.

Maybelline VS Nars

So you've probably heard that this concealer has been compared to the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer maaannny, many times. I think this has A LOT to do with the similarities in the packaging but either way... let's talk about that. So formula wise they are completely different. In my opinion, the Nars concealer is quite dry and difficult to blend, but has amazing coverage for spot concealing. So if anything, these products are pretty much the complete opposite to one another. Need I mention the difference in price - Nars coming in at around the £22.00 mark and Maybelline at around £6.00.  I feel that there is no competition. If you're umm'ing and ahh'ing about which of the two to go for... Maybelline all the way.

The longevity of this product is also really good. A little goes a long way and it stays on well throughout the day. I don't find that this concealer creases any more than any other that I have tried... But it isn't crease proof in any way. Just make sure you set it well and you'll be fine.

In terms of colour range, they have a small but great selection to choose from - I believe there are 6 colours in total. They range from light to dark and cool to warm so you're guaranteed to find something for you.

I have repurchased this product many times already and just know that I will continue to do so. If I could recommend a concealer from the drugstore it would honestly be this one. Or the Collection one that everyone loves. They are just such good value for money. I really feel that there is no need to splash out on the Nars one, unless you really want to. It is still a great concealer but there are definitely fabulous cheaper alternatives.

Thank you for reading guys, I hope this was helpful. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions in the comments section below.

Love, H x

An unfolding dream...

I stirred in my bed for a moment as I slowly gained awareness of my surroundings. I could hear a faint, inaudible melody in the background that gradually grew clear. “That was the brand new single from The Wanted here on Capital FM…” said the radio host. I turned to the direction in which the sound was coming from and squinted to make out what it read. 6:00 am. Reaching over with great effort to turn off the radio, I flinched. The scorching surface where the sun had been blazing through a gap in my crisp, white curtains, gave a shock to my system. Silence.

As I fiercely whipped the soft white sheets off of my body I made my way over to the window, the sun blinding me with every step. I reached up to the handle of the window and thrust it open. A strong breeze gushed past me as the smell of freshly cut grass overwhelmed the room. The birds were singing and the cars were zooming past. I stared down at the busy town. This is where I had longed to be for some time. Feeling content and no longer lethargic, I grabbed a soft towel off of the radiator and wandered into the bathroom. Jumping into the shower I turned the dial from cold to hot and let the water fall down on me for a moment. Running my hands through my hair, I felt completely relaxed. After cleaning myself and forcing my body out of the shower I dried off, wrapped myself up in my cosy dressing gown, towel enfolded about my hair, ready to continue with my daily routine.

Hanging on my wardrobe was the outfit that I had picked out to wear the night before: A gorgeous white silk blouse, a black high-waisted skirt and a pair of stunning high heels to complete the look. Being a fashion journalist, I was always expected to look presentable and with my designer wardrobe, that was never a problem. I slipped the blouse over my arms as the silk caressed my skin and pulled the skirt up to my waist. Each button on the blouse, so tiny and detailed, were done up one by one. I tucked the shirt into my skirt and slipped on my shoes. My hair was almost dry by this time. Not needing a lot done to it, I left it to dry completely naturally. My hair had a wavy elegance about it that I loved. My skin retained a natural glow, and so all I needed to do was moisturise to look appropriate for the day.

After all the commotion of getting ready was concluded, I strolled into my bright white kitchen and placed two slices of wholemeal bread into the toaster, while engaging in deep thought of what the day ahead of me would consist of. The aroma of fresh, warm toast wafted past me and I soon focused back to my task. Unexpectedly and making me jump a little, the toaster pinged! I lay the toast on the worktop and spread some butter upon them. I hungrily sailed through my first piece, the mouth-watering crunch so appealing to my senses. The second slice I gripped with my teeth as I dashed about the flat collecting my things. Finally ready to leave, I grabbed the keys off the table and hurriedly leapt out the door.

Walking along the street was always enjoyable, watching everyone rush around and listening to the town go wild. I came to a halt as I walked past Starbucks. The smell of the fresh coffee was such a treat, tempting me towards the shop. However I was already running a little late due to the fact that I was so involved in everything that was going on around me, so I carried on my journey to work…

…I stirred in my bed for a moment as I slowly gained awareness of my surroundings. I could hear a faint, inaudible melody in the background that gradually grew clear. “That was the brand new single from The Wanted here on Capital FM…” said the radio host. I turned to the direction in which the sound was coming from and squinted to make out what it read. 7:30 ­­am. “Time to get up!” I heard my mum shout from downstairs. Today was the day of my English exam. I hadn't stopped worrying about it for months. I really required a good grade if I wanted my dream to come true. All I could do was hope and pray. One day, one day I will become a fashion journalist.

----

Hi guys! 

So, this was a short piece of creative writing that I came across tonight that I had written for year 11 English. It shocked and amazed me to discover that my ideal "dream" has not changed a single bit since then. When I finished sixth form I got really distracted from said "dream" as I was doing my make up course and focusing on becoming a Make up Artist. I was so wrapped up in it that I forgot where my passion really lied. And that's with writing. I have always wanted to eventually become a Fashion Journalist, and from this evening onwards I have decided that that is exactly what I am going to focus on. 

"Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you." - Marsha Norman

"If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney

"Everything starts with a dream." - Anon

Love, H x

My Veggie Bean Chilli Recipe

Hey guys!

Today I thought I would share with you my vegetarian bean chilli recipe. It's one of my all time favourite dishes to make... And eat...

It's super quick and simple and soooo delicious. Of course you can alter the recipe to work around your personal taste, but I'm sharing with you my favourite way to make it. Hope you enjoy!

This recipe makes 2 large servings.

What you will need: 

100g quinoa

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of mixed beans in tomato sauce

1 half tin of chick peas

1 white onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 half of a hot red chilli pepper

1 red bell pepper

As much chilli powder as you like...

A squirt of brown sauce

2 vegetable stock cubes (I like to use beef stock as I'm not a strict vegetarian - beef stock gives much more flavour than veggie stock - but vegetable stock works just fine)

Method:

1. Chop the onion and bell pepper into 1cm chunks. Mince the garlic and chilli pepper.

2. Add the quinoa to a pan. Dissolve one of the stock cubes with half a pint of water. Once dissolved, add to the quinoa and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. 

3. Whilst the quinoa is simmering, fry the onion in a little oil until translucent.

4. Add the bell pepper to the onion and allow to soften. Once soft add the garlic and chilli pepper.

5. When all the veg is soft you can add the tinned tomatoes.

6. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the mixed beans and chick peas. Leave the mixture to simmer until the beans are warmed through. 

7. When the beans are warmed through, dissolve the second stock cube in 200ml of water and add to the mixture. 

8. Then add as much chilli powder as you like... I like ALOT.

9. Next, add a good squirt of brown sauce. This adds a really nice sweet kick and some richness.

10. When everything has been added, the final thing to do is add the quinoa to the mix, Stir until everything is combined and leave to simmer for another 5 mins or so.

And that's it!!! Your veggie bean chilli is ready to serve.

Serving suggestion: Add a good dollop of soured cream to the centre. YUMMM.

Whenever I cook something veggie like this, which is quite often, my boyfriend likes to add his own meat. To this dish he added some chicken breast he had marinated in cayenne pepper and chilli powder.

Hope you enjoyed this post guys! I love sharing recipes with you.

Please share any thoughts in the comments section below, and let me know if you try this dish out!

Speak soon!

Love, H x

My 5 favourite foundation brushes

I am an absolute sucker for a foundation brush... As weird as that might sound. I used to be super into applying foundation with my fingers (and still do sometimes if I'm going for a really natural look), but the majority of the time I love using brushes. So in this post I am going to talk to you about 5 of my absolute favourites... (The brushes had just been washed so the bristles still look a little wet in the pics)

1. Real Techniques Buffing brush

This brush is the one I've had the longest. It is definitely tried and true. I used to use the Expert Face brush but found that the bristles were a little too dense for my liking and I much preferred the bristles on the buffing brush. This brush (as the name suggests) is great for buffing and blending in foundation to create a flawless base. I switch up the my foundation brush a lot but I have to say I keep coming back to this one. Loving this brush at the moment! 

As I was searching where to find this brush, I realised that I think you can only get it as part of their Core Collection Kit. Which is super annoying! The kit is £21.99 from Boots. You could probably find it sold separately on Ebay or Amazon though. Sorry about that guys!

2. Sigma F88 Flat Angled Kabuki brush 

This beauty is my absolute favourite for achieving a full coverage base. It works best (for me) as a brush for packing on foundation, almost like a stippling brush. In my opinion it's the best way to achieve fast full coverage results without having to layer on foundation. It's designed in the most perfect way to fit into every crevice of the face, making product application super fast and easy. Love it! £18.95 From Love Makeup.

3. Zoeva 122 Petit Stippling brush

This brush is my favourite for when I want to take a little more time with my foundation and really get it worked into the skin. This brush makes foundation almost look like second skin, if you know what I mean. It gives an absolutely flawless effect, but it does take more time to get it perfected as it's such a tiny little brush. I love this brush for working on clients as it's nice and small and you can really control where the product is going.  

£8.95 from Beauty Bay.

4. Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face brush

This brush is amazing for achieving a really lightweight natural base. I have found it works really well with foundations like MAC Face and Body and BB cream type products. Because the fibres on the brush are so long, it doesn't buff like some other brushes I've mentioned, but there's something about how this brush applies product that I just love. It definitely works better with thinner foundations as they don't require so much working into the skin... So bare that in mind. But for a quick and easy application this brush is an absolute winner!

EEK the same thing happened with this brush as with the Buffing brush! You can only buy it as part of the Limited Edition Duo Fibre Set. Guys I am literally so sorry!
The set is £23.99 from Boots. Again you might be able to find it sold separately on Ebay or something!

5. Zoeva 102 Silk Finish brush

Now this brush is very similar to the real techniques ... Brush, but is much more domed in shape. I'm not sure if it's the shape that makes me prefer it to the RT one... But I do. The application of product with this brush just seems to be much more even and flawless. I went through a stage of being absolutely obsessed with it, I'd use it every day without fail. I have to say it's an excellent every day foundation brush. Great for buffing and blending but could easily be used to stipple and pack product onto the skin. A real all rounder I'd say. Mine is from the Zoeva Rose Gold Collection but you can just buy the single one for £11.50 on Beauty Bay.

Oh and I just wanna add this in here... Not a brush but still a favourite... The Real Techniques Miracle Beauty Sponge! It's just a makeup sponge really. But an amazing one. Applies foundation beautifully and gives a seamless natural looking finish. Use it damp to achieve best results.
£5.99 from Boots.

And that's it... There are my favourite foundation brushes. I hope that this has been helpful for you if you were thinking of investing in a new foundation brush.

Thanks so much for reading!

Love, H x