Saturday 28 June 2014

June Beauty Favourites!

Hi everyone!

With June coming to an end (and apparently our summer too!), I thought I would share my beauty favourites from the past month...

All of the items here I have bought in the last month or so, so they can still be purchased in case you are interested in buying any of them (I'll put links to their page on Boots' website)!

First up, some lovely face products from No7. I use their Soft and Smoothed gentle cleanser and toner, and their Essential Moisture day cream. I LOVE these three. They are fairly pricey but totally worth it.

 
I bought the Soft and Smoothed Gentle Cleanser for £8. It feels really nice on my skin - it is not too greasy when I put it on and I find that it takes off make-up really easily, so actually quite good value, given the quality! It certainly isn't lying when it says 'Soft and Smoothed' - my skin feels lovely and soft when I've used it, whether it be morning or night, and that's before using moisturiser!
 
 
After wiping the cleanser off with a damp cotton wool pad, I always use a bit of toner to get rid of any left over make-up and to hydrate my skin. Like their cleanser, this No7 Gentle Toner leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth, and it doesn't leave a sticky feel like some toners do. It is also £8, and once again, definitely worth it.
 
 
Finally, I use the Essential Moisture day cream, especially on my forehead as this is where my skin is driest. And I love this cream! It isn't too heavy on your skin and absorbs quickly, so it doesn't take long to massage in. It works instantly - it really softens and moisturises my skin well, making it a lot easier later on when putting on make-up! At £9, it is quite pricey, but you only need the tiniest bit for your whole face so it lasts a long time.

 
My next favourite is No7's Sheer Temptation lipstick which I bought for £9.75. I have this in the colour 'Entice' which is a gorgeous purple-burgundy colour - it is a only couple of shades darker than my actual lip colour, so I can still use it for my everyday make-up look, but it would also look great on a night out when wearing a darker eye make-up look. I find it very moisturising which is really good because I get very dry lips and am always a little conscious when wearing lipstick that it will look flaky, but there is no chance with this product! It has a glossy finish with a hint of shimmer, so perfect for summer.
 
 
If you saw my 'Summer Favourites' post from last year, you will know that I have Sleek's eyeshadow palette in 'Storm' already. I have recently bought their 'Au Naturel' palette (£7.99) after wanting it for some time and I have fallen in love with it! There are twelve colours in each of their palettes and I find that they are very pigmented and of good quality. The top half of their 'Au Naturel' palette is more natural colours whilst the bottom half is darker colours, perfect for blending into the crease of your eye. As an every day make-up look, I use the first colour (white) all over my lid and also to highlight my brow bone, before blending the shimmery mauve-brown colour (bottom half, 4th from the left) into my crease. To finish off, I use the shimmery champagne colour (last colour of the top half) in the inner corners of my eyes as a highlighter and then a slick of mascara - natural and effortless!
 
 
So there are my June beauty favourites - I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe found it useful! Let me know in the comments if you would like to see more 'Favourites' posts - how about one every month?

Helen xx

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Cassandra Harrison

Hi everyone!

As you may know, I love art and textiles, and so I'm on a constant look out for inspirational and exciting artists.

I came across print and textile artist Cassandra Harrison (check out her website!) last week and fell in love with her work instantly.

Image from http://www.cassandraharrison.co.uk/

Image from http://www.cassandraharrison.co.uk/
 With her work based on architecture, she uses various printing methods, fabrics and stitching to create fun, vibrant pieces.

Image from http://www.cassandraharrison.co.uk/

I love her use of colour and line - simple but striking.

Image from http://www.cassandraharrison.co.uk/

I find her very inspiring - what do you think?

Helen xx

Monday 9 June 2014

Haberdashery Haul!

Hi everyone!

So last week I went to my local haberdashery shop after hearing about their sale where EVERYTHING was half price - you can probably understand my excitement! Unfortunately, their sale was clearly no secret as there wasn't a lot left, but I still managed to find a few bargains...

First, I found some gorgeous apple green wool - Sidar Snuggly Baby Bamboo double knitting wool. It is so soft and lovely to crochet with; I'm using it to crochet a cushion, so I will post that on here once I finish it.  I bought two balls for just £3.45 which was such a bargain when the quality is so good.


I then found some light blue polyester thread (a bit boring I know, so I won't go on too much about it) from Gutermann so that I can make the bag in Cath Kidston's 'Sew!' book... I usually only get my thread from Gutermann as I find it is reasonably priced (I got it for 90p instead of £1.60) and also good quality as it doesn't break easily like cheaper threads.


I also bought some of this grey pom pom trimming - I got three metres for £2.40, so that was another bargain! I just think it would be so lovely edging a pretty vintage fabric cushion or the hem of a simple skirt to jazz it up a bit.


Finally, I got two reels of ribbon and one of lace - for a total of £4.90 (were £3.20 each). The first is some very pretty lace (12mm x 5m), then some ribbon with a vintage style bee print (15mm x 5m), and then a blue floral one (again 15mm x 5m). I love using ribbon and lace on cushions, cards and hanging hearts, so I like to have a good stash!

 

Hope you enjoyed this post! More to come next week...

Helen xx

Monday 2 June 2014

50 Things in My Room

Hello everyone!

A couple of days ago I made and uploaded my first ever YouTube video - very exciting! I'm quite a large fan of YouTube and watch many different vloggers such as Zoella, Tanya Burr and Sprinkle of Glitter (I've linked their YouTube channels so you can have a look at them).

The video is called '50 Things in My Room'. I've seen several versions of this from different YouTube channels and decided to give it a go myself. It's really a short video where I show you 50 different items in my room - a little random, but perhaps it will give you some inspiration for your own room or even tell you a little about myself and my style...

 
I hope that you enjoy watching it! Sorry the camera and lighting quality isn't very good - I have very basic filming equipment! Let me know what you think and don't forget to subscribe for more videos.

Helen xx