Blushing Bride?

As someone who tends to change my mind a lot and generally be a little 'last minute', this week I'm organising exactly what colours I want to wear for my wedding day (hence you may well see quite a few wedding-related beauty posts on here over the coming days!)

When it comes to blush, I tend to get somewhat stuck-in-a-rut, so while wanting to wear something different to my everyday go-to blushes on my wedding day, I still wanted to use something I know I love...

I tend to rotate between my favourite NARS blushes 'Sin' and 'Orgasm', with the occasional Dior Healthy Glow thrown in for good measure. The newest addition to my little line-up is Illamasqua's 'Ambition'. I have it in a duo with the shade 'Katie' (rather on the pale side for me at the moment, but definitely something I will use in the winter) 

Top: Katie, Bottom: Ambition

Ambition is a really gorgeous natural-toned rosy pink, with a touch of golden shimmer to it. As it's Illamasqua, the pigmentation is out of this world. One tap with your brush is all it takes (very easy to over do it - be warned!) 

The great thing about this is that even though the sizes in the duo palette are smaller than buying an individual, these will last you forever anyway! The staying power is great (a good thing to take into account when choosing wedding makeup!) and I find the colour to be really pretty and flattering.

What do you think guys? Would this be fit for a blushing bride?! Hehe... Sorry I couldn't help it!

You can pick up Illamasqua's blush duos on counter or online here for £26 - Steep but worth it for some of the best quality blushes around in my opinion!

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Catch Up!

I have to say, I was pretty shocked when I logged onto my blog this morning and realised that it had been 14 days (yes, two weeks!) since my last blog post. I don't remember the last time I went this long without blogging, but it's fair to say it's been a while!

Firstly, I'm sorry to you all! I've been to-ing and fro-ing over the Atlantic Ocean for the past couple of weeks, and body clock doesn't know where it stands! I'm also in the process for setting everything up for my wedding day, which is in 10 DAYS! It's come around so quickly and I can't believe how many last minute things there are to buy, make, glue, sew and pay for. It really does swallow up time. The last couple of days have literally disappeared before my eyes!

Enough of the excuses... I just wanted you all to know why I've been absent for a while. I can't promise the posts are going to be frequent for the next few weeks, as after the wedding madness dies down, I will of course be heading off on my honeymoon, but I do promise you I'll try! I've missed my little blog, and all you lovely people very much!

To make up for it (a little!) Here are a few snaps of some of the places I've been and people I've seen over the past couple of weeks...

Shooting with the wonderful team from Seventeen Magazine's Hello Style YouTube channel for the new series of Beauty Smarties ShowDown. It's for charity this year so I was so excited to be asked to appear on it!

With the other beauty smarties competing on the show... Lindsey from BeautyBaby44,  Ingrid, Heart from That'sHeart, Andrea from Andrea's Choice and Tracy & Stephanie from Eleventh Gorgeous. All such lovely girls!

Ingrid and I discovered the HUGE snack table at the Seventeen shoot!

Eating amazing sushi in Santa Monica on my day off with Ingrid & Tati from GlamLifeGuru

I got to fly home just in time for my Hen Do (or Batchelorette for all you non-UK peeps!) The girls went all out with a onesie-themed pajama party followed by water zorbing and a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding themed party the following night.

I headed down to the Big Brother studios to makeover newly evicted housemate Jackie Travers for the first of my 'Big Brother Makeover' series!

A bit of precious time with my puppies before heading BACK out to LA...

For VidCon 2013!

Hanging out with my friends Kalel, Tati & Anna at Vidcon.

Heading back to Bubba Gump Shrimp with my YouTube BFF Ingrid. We actually went to a Bubba Gump Shrimp when we first met, back in San Francisco in 2010, so we had a little nostalgic friend moment!

Snuggling with Ingrid's cat Nugget while staying at her place after Vidcon!

Discovering delicious treats at the Santa Monica Farmers Market...

The view from my hotel room on my final night in LA. It was Mr. C in Beverley Hills and it was utterly beautiful!

Getting my hair done ready for my wedding by the wonderful Matt Motherhead at the Kim Vo salon in the Montage Hotel, Beverley Hills!

My HOBBIT PLANE ride home!

The day after I got back home... Making over BB's Callum on my second makeover of the series!

Bringing Spike presents from the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney, LA!

Hanging out with my little niece Luca - she's grown so much!

Sleepy puppies! They've grown so much this month, I've been sad to spend so much time away from them!

XO Fleur

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Chubby Eyes

I'm so late on the bandwagon with these, but I've been really loving them recently so wanted to share them with you all. They are the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tints for Eyes. They were released a good few months ago now (back near the beginning of the year I believe) and Clinique sent me a few to try at the time. Having not been a fan of the original Chubby Sticks for the lips (although I did quite like the intense versions... but that's another story.) I wasn't overly intrigued by them and have to admit, they sat in my drawer for a while, untouched. 

Recently however, I have been reaching for these two shades an awful lot. They are the perfect products for 5 minute makeup application...

(and with my wedding less than 4 weeks away, I have to admit that I'm lucky if I even get 5 minutes at the moment!)

They are essentially cream shadows in a stick formula. Similar to the discontinued MAC shadesticks (but better, in my opinion.) They are really easy to apply and blend, the shape of the crayon actually makes it really simple to apply them to your lids from the stick and blend them using your fingers, though I would recommend using a brush if you want to take the colour under your eyes at all. They don't crease or move once blended. 

These two gorgeous shades are Lots o' Latte and Whopping Willow. I have Green/Hazel eyes so both of these are very flattering on me and I really love how quick and easy they are to apply. They also make for a lovely base for other eyeshadows.

All in all, these have definitely been makeup bag essentials for me over the past few weeks. You can pick them up from Clinique counters, or online here for £17 each. Not cheap but very lovely. These are definitely one of my favourite products from Clinique.

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Marc Jacobs Honey

The latest addition to Marc Jacobs' adorable line-up of fragrances has arrived, in the form of 'Honey'. This sunny, delicious floral scent is quite similar in both scent and design to last years' 'Dot', with a bright yellow, polka dot bottle inspired by honey bees. The bottle is happy and bright, while the fragrance is floral, yet young, fun and energetic.

While the perfume does have a hint of honey in it's base notes, it isn't as strong as I was expecting, and certainly not overpowering (sometimes I find honey can be a little sickly!) On first spray, the top notes of pear and mandarin orange come across very strongly: a sweet, fruity hit that dies down very quickly and blends into a soft, feminine floral dominated by honeysuckle and orange blossom. The subtle base notes of honey and vanilla sweeten it up a little, keeping it young and fresh...

If you were a fan of the original Daisy, or Dot, I think this perfume will be right up your street. It actually makes a lovely fragrance for summertime too, with it's subtle citrus notes.

The staying power of this EDP is also fantastic. It lasts about 4-6 hours on me without the need for a top up. The fragrance is available now in both 50ml and 100ml sizes, priced at £50 and £68 respectively.

To celebrate the launch of Honey, Marc Jacobs are hosting an exclusive competition on Instagram asking you to share your very own 'honeyspots' - Your favourite places to hang out, be it in your own back garden, your secret shopping spot, or your favourite coffee shop in your favourite city...

If you want to be in with a chance of winning one of 32 prizes, including Marc by Marc Jacobs handbags, jewellery and (of course!) your own bottle of Honey, all you have to do is:

1. Take a picture of your very own 'honeyspot'

2. Post the picture on Instagram using #MJHONEYSPOTS, and write in the description where the photo was taken.

3. You'll automatically be entered to win!

I'll be posting a few of my very own honeyspots this weekend, so make sure you're following me on Instagram in the mean time!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Compensation was provided by Coty via Glam Media The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Coty.

Marc Jacobs Honey

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The New Naked?

I'm totally in love with this new 'Fade In' palette from Smashbox's 'Fade to Black' collection. 

While I adore my Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 palettes, I have used them to death over the past year or so, so this makes a new but very welcome option in my neutral eye wardrobe...

It contains four mattes and three beautiful shimmers. As you'll notice in the pictures, the darker shades show up slightly darker than they appear in the pan, but are all beautiful. 

The formula and pigmentation of these are all really nice. I would note that the black with a tiny bit of shimmer in it is slightly less pigmented than the others, and took a little work to get the finish shown above. The addition of a gorgeous, shimmery olive green also makes this palette stand out from many others. I've got green/hazel eyes so love this kind of colour.

Apart from that, the formulas are lovely, they blend well and the staying power is really nice.

The packaging is stunning too and I think this is going to be my go-to-palette for the next few months. There is also another colour-way in this palette which contains more plummy, purple shades. They are already available in Sephora in the USA, priced at $42, but if you're UK based they will be available online and on counters at the end of August, priced at £32. 

Value for money isn't quite on a par with the Urban Decay options (if you don't already own a Naked palette, I would definitely recommend getting one over this, but if you are stuck in a neutral-eye-rut with your Naked palettes and are looking for something new in a similar vein, this is my recommendation.

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Honey Touch

I don't think I've been this obsessed about a body cream. Ever. Laura Mercier's Creme de Pistache came close I'll admit, but this baby really takes the biscuit. It's the Rituals Honey Touch Rich & Moisturising Body Cream.

I'm a big fan of Rituals in general, but the Indian Rose & Himalaya Honey scent has always been my favourite...
I've tried the shower gel, deodorant, shampoo & conditioner and body oil from the same line, but this has got the be my favourite product from the whole store. It's a rich cream that feels heavy and light at the same time, almost slightly whipped. It's so smooth to apply to the skin, absorbs instantly, and leaves my skin feeling baby soft. I'm normally so lazy with using a body moisturiser, but this one has me actually looking forward to moisturising every morning.

The scent lingers on the skin too, which I love. It's strange because I'm not usually a huge fan of either rose or honey scents, and to be honest I don't notice that this line particularly smells of either, but I am totally in love with it. It's not the cheapest at £15 for 200ml, but in my opinion it's totally worth it! You can pick this up in Rituals' shops in the UK, or online with free international delivery here. 

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Le Visage De Chanel

While I do get sent a lot of skincare products to try out for potential review on my blog, I have to be honest and say that I keep very few of them. I'm just so happy with my current skincare routine that next-to-nothing can tempt me away from it. I was however, very intrigued when these landed on my doorstep this morning. 

The new skincare concept from Chanel simply entitled Le Jour De Chanel, La Nuit De Chanel and Le Weekend De Chanel...

Now, day cream and night cream are nothing new, but I was interested to see that they have added a weekend cream into the mix. A more nourishing, replenishing version of the others, it is to be applied morning and night at weekends, to replace the other two.

Just a gimmick to shift more product? Perhaps, but we shall see, as I'm going to be road-testing all three. 

The thinking behind the three products is to keep the skin in a 'natural' rhythm, based around the modern, hectic lifestyle. The day cream is focused on reactivation of the skin, with jasmine for energy and salicylic acid for radiance, while the night cream is focused on recharging the skin with frankincense to soothe and hyaluronic acid to plump. Finally the weekend cream is focused on renewing with rose water to soften and a glycolic acid complex to promote hydration. 

A further eyeball at the ingredients list tells me that they are all mineral oil and paraben free, but I don't claim to be a skincare expert so I'm not going to go into anything further than that.

My skin may hate me... we shall see. I couldn't resist. I will keep you updated on these.

They will be available to buy from Chanel counters this Friday, priced at £60, £60 and £72 respectively, or all three for £172 (saving £20... cunning!)

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Glow All Out

I've got something bordering on an obsession with Soap & Glory makeup at the moment. It really is just fantastic. Like any brand, there are a few 'dud' products, but the majority of the line is just wonderful. The more things I try, the more things I like, and this product is my most recent discovery.

It's the 'Glow All Out' - Luminizing Radiance Face Powder...
The sturdy cardboard packaging is really lovely and feels very high end. It's fair to say that the entire branding of Soap & Glory is rather similar to benefit, but hey, it's a almost a third of the price so I'm not complaining...

The product itself is a pink-toned powder. Although some might label this a highlighter, I would definitely class it as an illuminator (as do S&G, judging by the name). The important difference being in the fact that this doesn't have any glitter, or even shimmer really. It's just so beautifully subtle. It gives you a glowing sheen. A pinky-toned candlelit glow that is simply stunning. Although Soap & Glory say you can apply this all over your face, I wouldn't if you want to avoid looking a bit OTT on the 'glow' front (taking the name a bit too literally and really 'glowing all out' - NOT a good look in my opinion!)

This has been a go-to product in my makeup bag since I bought it about three weeks ago and I can see it sticking around. I haven't swatched it on the skin in the photos as it really is so subtle, it's almost impossible to photograph (at least to do it justice!) I would highly recommend taking a peek at this in the shop to see how beautiful it really is...

It's not the cheapest on the high street at £11 but it's the best 'budget' product of it's type that I've tried (and I've tried a lot!) Soap & Glory makeup is currently 3-for-2 in Boots too... always tempting!

Have you tried any Soap & Glory Makeup? What's your favourite product?

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Three of the Best: Facial Sunscreens

Having had such glorious weather over the past few weeks, and the fact that many of you will be heading off on your summer holidays over the next month or two, I thought I would share my three favourite facial sunscreens with you today.

Now, I wear SPF50 on my face everyday anyway...
but when I'm out and about in the sunshine, or on holiday, I make sure I re-apply numerous times throughout the day with a more purse-friendly option (The Prevage Triple Defence cream I use daily is £65 a pop so I'm not really going to be popping that on four times a day!)

My first choice is Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Sun Defence for Face with SPF 50. This cream is very thick and ever so slightly greasy. I really like this however, because it doesn't just block out the suns harmful rays, but also leaves your skin intensely moisturised. This is a great choice for those of you who suffer from dry skin. I also use this on delicate areas like my chest, or on any freckles or moles that might be on show. If you don't like the distinctive smell of Eight Hour cream, this one might not be for you as it is quite heavily scented (I personally love the smell and I've used it for a few years now so it now reminds me of holidays which is nice!) You can pick this up for £21.25 for 50ml with free delivery from feelunique.com

My second choice is St. Tropez's SPF 50 with Tan Enhancer. This is an option I go for when I'm looking to get a bit more colour, but still want to protect my skin. It's a much more lightweight cream than the Elizabeth Arden and it's formulated with Melanobronze, which helps to stimulate Melatonin in the skin, to help enhance your tan naturally (surprisingly for a fake tan brand... there is not actually any fake tan in here, so don't be scared of any streaks etc!) It's a little cheaper than the EA option at £13.50 for 50ml with free delivery.

My final pick has got to be Piz Buin's In Sun Radiant Face Cream. While I own this in a slightly lower SPF of 30, it tends to be my sunscreen of choice for sunny days at home, where the sun isn't quite as powerful. Piz Buin has long been my sunscreen-of-choice for the body, and the smell for me is now synonymous with sunshine. I love it. This SPF is non-greasy and despite having 'Radiant' in the name, doesn't contain any fake tan or added sparkle. It's water and sweat resistant too so perfect if you're out and about in the sunshine or prone to getting hot and bothered in the sun! This is the cheapest of the bunch at £10.99 for 40ml but also comes highly recommended from me. (It is also currently buy one get one free in Boots!)

I hope you all had a lovely weekend in the sun, and thoroughly enjoy any holidays you have planned this summer! There will be a few more of these little posts targeted at summer products, so if you're looking for holiday-friendly product recommendations, then keep your eyes peeled! On another note... if you're not already following me on BlogLovin', please do! I find it's the best way to keep up to date with all of my favourite blogs! Check out my page HERE.

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Worth The Hype? NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

After hearing so many rave reviews about this concealer, I couldn't resist picking it up while in New York a couple of weeks back (NARS is a bit cheaper over there, so it's even more tempting!) It's their Radiant Creamy Concealer. Every blogger worth their salt has been chatting about this recently, whether it's on their blog or (the best recommendation of all when coming from one blogger to another...) through word of mouth.

I haven't been overly taken with any of the NARS' concealers I've used in the past, so was intrigued to try this new liquid formula...

The first thing I noticed about this concealer is that it comes in an impressive 10 different shades. The one I chose was Honey and it's a great match for me.

The packaging is identical to their Larger Than Life lipglosses, but with a doefoot applicator. As the name would suggest, it is very creamy in consistency, and while it is thick, it blends into the skin nicely and isn't cakey at all. It actually reminds me a lot of my Holy Grail concealer Collection 2000's Lasting Perfect, but something about this is just better...

I think it may be just a smidgeon less drying than the Collection 2000 one, but either way, the coverage is high, yet it's still light enough to be used under the eye as well as on any pesky blemishes. The staying power is great too, I only need one or two top ups throughout the day to keep my skin looking flawless.

Overall, it's an amazing all round concealer that I would definitely recommend to anyone. In terms of skin type, I know people of all skin types who have raved about this product, so I would happily say it's suitable for everyone.

It is rather pricey at £21 for 15ml, but I can safely say that this is my current favourite conealer. I reach for this one over all of my others and that's got to be a good sign, right?!

Have any of you tried this?

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Tiffany Blue Nails

I'm loving this new colour from NYC. It's not a brand that catches my eye much, but they have some lovely colours coming out for summer this year.

This is 'Sky Blue'. It looks...
slightly green-toned in the bottle but when it dries on the nails it's a stunning turquoise-baby blue, very similar to Tiffany & Co.'s iconic packaging.

It's a quick-dry formula so the drying time is impressive, it's quite thick in consitancy and leaves a perfect finish in two coats. Wear time is average to good if you use a good topcoat.

The best part is, they're only £1.79! A cheap and cheerful way to update your polish wardrobe for summer.

You can pick this colour up from Superdrug now (You can also buy them online, but please note... Superdrug seem to have mixed up the names of colours 'Raindrop' and 'Blue Sky' so I don't know which you would get if you ordered it, and would therefore recommend popping into a Superdrug store if you fancy getting your mitts on this one!)

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