Grades, Uni and clearing advice.

Hi everyone, I know it was results day yesterday and well done to everyone who got what they wanted! But today I thought I would offer my advice and experience on what happens if you didn't.

 It took me 4 years to get to uni which included failing exams, resitting exams and taking a totally new course all together. But after all this things worked out and I'm now really happy at Uni doing what I love.

MUA Undress Your Skin - Shimmer Highlighter.

Hi everyone, hope you are all well! Today I'm going to review a relatively new product of mine from Makeup Academy (MUA) which is their powdered shimmering highlighter. Before this I had only ever used High Beam from Benefit (Review to come soon) but I wanted to see how a powder would work out, and this was a bargain so I couldn't say no!

This product has nice and neat packaging where you can see the powder through the lid. The powder itself  has nice swirly design which is a nice touch and makes it seem a little higher end. Though the packaging isn't the nicest in the world it certainly does it's job and I can't complain.

The highlighter itself has a light pink colour to it and is very shimmery. When applying it is easily picked up by my makeup brush and I find that it's very easy to blend and build up, so it's very versatile with what looks you want to achieve whether its a more subtle day time look or building it up for a more dramatic look. 

I apply this product to my cheek bones, cupids bow and under my eyebrows, though I must admit I prefer using High Beam still for my eyes and cupids bow.  The last time for this highligher is very good and lasted me for about 4-5 hours.

Like I've mention this highlighter was a bargain for just £3 so I would definitely recommend it! You can purchase it in Superdrug or online here:

http://www.muastore.co.uk/undress-your-skin-highlighting-powder

What's your favourite highlighter? 

P.S if you got you results today congratulations, I hope you got what you wanted! And don't worry if you didn't, it may be upsetting but there are always different routes to go down and I know this from experience.

Barry M nail varnish - Mediterranean from the Aquarium collection.

Hi everyone! I'm back from my holiday so today I thought I would review my holiday nail varnish from the Barry M aquarium collection in Mediterranean. I fell in love with this colour when I saw it in the shops, I think it's because I'm such a sucker for multi-toned nail varnish and thought it was perfect for a seaside holiday.

This nail varnish comes in a lovely glass bottle that has a gold lid with a fish scale pattern (which I love) to resemble that it comes from the aquarium collection. All the nail varnishes in this collection resemble the ocean/beach in some way and this one looks like a lovely sunset.

This nail varnish has a nice pink copper / rose gold colour. Like I said this is duo-chromed with pink being the main contributor with a nice rust orange undertone so when in the light it changes its appearance. I love the look of this nail varnish in the sun as it is really shines. 

I applied two coats of this nail varnish as it can be quite opaque with just the one. It had a really nice application and didn't leave any streaks which is great and also the drying time isn't really long. I would say that it took about 5 minutes for it to dry nicely, but I would wait 10 just to be sure.

Once applied this nail varnish lasted about 4 days before it started chipping, so it was great that I didn't really have to do any touch ups whilst I was away.

This nail varnish cost £3.99 which is a bargain! You can either buy it from your local Superdrug or Boots, or you can purchase it online here with the rest of the collection: 

http://www.barrym.com/products/nails/effects/aquarium-nail-effects.html

What do you think of this nail shade?

The Body Shop - Vitamin E face mist.

It has been really hot here recently so when I went into The Body shop I was looking for a product which will help refresh and cool my face, and this is what I picked up. This Vitamin E face mist is a relatively new product to The body Shop and I couldn't wait to try it out.

This face mist comes in an easy to use spray bottle with a lid so it is perfect for carrying around with you. It has a milky like colour to it, but it absorbs quickly and the colour doesn't show.  When applying I use two sprays on my face holding it around 20cm away from my face, and this may seem obvious but don't get it in your eye as it will sting! 

You can use this to help set your makeup and I think it gives a dewy finish to your face, but I'm not really sure if it helps to make the makeup last any longer. This product has a rose scent to it which I don't really like, but it doesn't last for long so I can deal with it.

This face mist helps to add moisture to my face and does have a slight cooling effect, though I personally would keep this in the fridge to help with the cooling effect in the summer. Also it doesn't make my face oily after using.

This face mist costs £8.50 from The Body shop so it is a bit on the pricey side and I'm not too sure if I would repurchase mainly as I don't like the rose scent and I would rather have a product that is more cooling, but I'm going to keep an open mind for a while. 

You can purchase it here:

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by-range/vitamin-e/vitamin-e-face-mist.aspx  

What do you think of this face mist?

Hi everyone! 

Just thought I'd let you all know I'm off on holiday today, so there won't be many blog posts this week.

I hope you all have a good time.

x

The perfect Sunday brunch - Vegan chia seed pancakes.

Today I thought I would share with you my favourite Sunday breakfast recipe, fluffy vegan chia seed pancakes. These are so easy to make and they taste so good!

Ingredients:

• 296ml / 1 & 1/4 cup of a non dairy milk (I use almond)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
•  140g/  1 cup of plain flour 
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 or 2 table spoons of chia seeds

Steps:

First measure out the milk and add the lemon juice to it and leave it to the side whilst you prepare everything else. The lemon juice will cause the milk to curdle a bit like butter milk and add a nice fresh flavour, but it's not overpowering.

In a bowl mix together the flour, sugar, chia seeds, baking powder and baking soda.

Oil up a frying pan so the pancakes don't stick and put it over a medium heat.

Now you can add the milk and lemon mixture to the bowl along with the vanilla extract and stir everything together until it's all incorporated.

Now all you need to do is pour some of the mixture into the pan and cook it. I usually make around 12 small pancakes and cook them for about two minutes aside. 

Extra tip: If you don't have a large pan, warm up the oven slightly and store the cooked pancakes in the oven to stop them cooling down whilst you cook the rest of the batter.

I really like these pancakes with fruit and maple syrup on top, but you can choose what ever topping you want! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Keeping safe in the sun.

I know I've said this a lot but it really is important to protect your skin from the sun otherwise it can cause your skin to age faster or it can help cause skin cancer. So with the summer holidays here I thought now would be a good time to review some of the sun lotions I own and use.