Sunday 28 August 2016

Playing with fire, red eyeshadows


After seeing Chanel’s le rouge collection No.1 everywhere, I realised the eyeshadow quad Candeur et experience looked awfully similar to a five eyeshadow palette that I already owned for the fraction of the price; Rimmel London’s five pan eyeshadow in Brixton Brown.The main difference between them being the Rimmel palette consists of mainly shimmery shades whereas the Chanel quad is all matte, but the colours themselves are very similar.


Here’s my favourite way to use this little palette:

I chose to do my eyes first as these shadows have slight fall out. I took the matte grey brown shade in my crease and then using the bottom left shade, a gorgeous dark browny red, I added this to the outside corner of my eyes. I took time to blend the shadows thoroughly with a fluffy brush. I packed the pale shimmery shade all over my lid using a flat eyeshadow brush, stopping when I reached the dark shade on the outer corner. Now time for my favourite part, the red! This colour is a beautiful coppery red. I packed this onto the centre of my lid, over the top of the pale shimmer. I made sure that these two shimmery shades were kept below the crease. Finally, I used the darkest shade in the palette on an angled brush to create a soft wing.

I finished the rest of my face makeup before going in with the pale grey brown shade on my lower lash line. I added some depth to the outer corners with the darkest shade and blended them together. I highlighted my inner corners with the pale shimmery shade. Curled my lashes, added mascara and I was done. I paired this look with a nude lip, Topshop lipstick in Nevada.




Here I am playing with autumnal colours and its 26 degrees outside. But I love this little Rimmel eyeshadow palette and the red was calling out to me.

Do you have any good dupes for the new Chanel collection? What is your favourite way to wear these eyeshadows?


Meg x 

Sunday 21 August 2016

Flower of the Month




























Japanese Anemone has been my favourite flower this month. It makes a lovely plant to have in the garden but they are also stunning in floral arrangements. They look beautiful through all stages of flowering. From the rounded bud to the delicate full bloom through to the ball left when the petals have dropped.

































There are many different varieties of the Japanese Anemone that come in white and varying shades of pink. My personal favourite are the Honorine Jobert variety. The bright yellow stamens contrast the pure white petals that surround them. They grow up to 75cm tall, making them a perfect stand out plant in your garden, grouping them on their own or mixed in with other plants. The height is also why I love them as a cut flower; no restrictions on what I can do with them!


Just beautiful!!


Do you have a flower that you’ve been loving this month?

Meg x 

Sunday 14 August 2016

My Breakfast Smoothie


Being a florist, some mornings I have to be out the house super early, therefore any extra minutes that I can get in bed are happily invited. But unfortunately I’m not one of these people who can skip on breakfast, especially if I am busy at work. So this would mean choosing between eating breakfast or putting concealer and mascara on; a choice I never want to make!



I have found that making a breakfast smoothie that I can take on the go is the perfect solution. Taking about five minutes to make, being super filling, and tasting so good, this smoothie is my saviour! Slight exaggeration, but it is really handy.
Using my blending machine at 4 o’clock in the morning wouldn’t go down so well with the parents, so make it the night before and store it in the fridge overnight. Just don’t walk out the house in your sleepy state, forgetting to pick it up!


 
So what’s in it, you ask?

250 ml of almond milk

2-3 dessert spoons of fat free vanilla yogurt

1 chopped banana

½ cup of porridge oats

½ cup of frozen blueberries

Squeeze of runny honey


This makes a pretty decent sized smoothie, filling a third of the blender cup which I just put the lid on and take with me. Drinking this throughout the morning keeps me feeling full until lunch, which is often after three. The banana and porridge oats are the two ingredients that mainly fill me up, the others are just to make it creamy and taste amazing.

Hope you give this recipe a go, let me know of any good breakfast smoothie recipes that you love!


Meg x

Sunday 31 July 2016

Beauty and Makeup Haul




It has been a while since I have bought more than one makeup item at once. My wish list was building up so it was about time I took a trip to Superdrug and Boots!

L'oreal Nude magique cushion foundation has been everywhere recently, I have heard great things about it and thought it would be a great option for the summer months. I also decided to pick up the L'oreal Glam bronzer cushion de soleil. I only have a powder bronzer so a liquid one for summer seemed necessary!

Superdrug had a deal on L'oreal products. So I bought the Lumi magique primer. After having swatched it on my hand, I think I may use this on top of foundation as a highlight. But I am excited to have a play with it.

A coral matte lip was next on my wish list, I thought the colour would go beautifully with the couple khaki coloured clothes that I have. Coral is a typical summer colour and I love it! I chose the Revlon ultra HD matte lipcolour in Flirtation, I think it is called.

I already own a Rimmel wake me up concealer, but it wasn't light enough to use under my eyes, so I picked up a lighter colour.

I also picked up individual duo and trio lashes from Eylure. I don’t really wear false eyelashes too much, but they always look beautiful when I see others wearing them. I picked up some Duo glue. I had a reaction to the glue that came with another pair of my Eylure lashes, which ain’t that great!

Bastiste is the dry shampoo I normally use as it does a great job when I have three day old hair (I don’t like to wash my hair too often!) but it does leave my hair feeling coarse and not particularly clean. I wanted to try something new so picked up Co-lab dry shampoo which I am excited to try.

I was running out of my Nip + Fab glycolic fix night pads, I cannot live without these so I had to repurchase before I ran out.

I am going to Wilderness festival next weekend, so I bought two travel bottles to take essential skincare products with me. I also bought clear elastics because they’re perfect to create different festival hair styles with.



I also bought a pack of tissues, not that you needed to know that!

What were the last makeup bits you bought?

Meg xx 

Sunday 24 July 2016

My Current Skincare Routine


My skin has recently become something I really care about. I had never thought about it too much, just whacked on some moisturiser as and when I thought I needed it. I’m only 20 but I thought ‘you’re never too young to take care of your skin’ and thanks to the queen of skincare that is CarolineHirons I’ve learnt a lot, looking after my skin better and enjoy doing it.

I knew nothing about skincare, so I read lots of blogs and reviews to get the best products for me and my skin. I had a lot of fun researching different products, I took my time as I knew I would be spending a fair amount and didn’t want to get it wrong. It took me a couple of months building up my skincare products to get to the point I am at now. And I still have a few more items I want to buy to get it perfect.

I’ve learnt a lot about my skin since starting my skincare journey. I have dehydrated skin with an oily t-zone. I can get a few spots around my chin, nose and forehead area. I also get redness on and around the nose and chin area, plus very dark circles.

So that’s the basics. Let’s get into the good stuff, the products!

I love this micellar water; it is a great first step to remove most of my makeup. It’s powerful enough to remove mascara, but gentle on my eyes and skin that other micellar waters were not.

I look forward to using this balm every night; it feels great on my skin and does the job of removing remaining makeup and giving a general clean brilliantly.

Second/morning cleanse: Simple, pore minimising toning cleanser.
This is one of the steps I’m not completely happy with. I am on the lookout for a better morning/second cleanse that I can wash off with a face cloth, to feel fresher in the mornings. Any suggestions? However this does the job pretty well, plus its quick; just rub it on with a cotton pad.

Acid toner: Pixi, glow tonic.
I use this in the mornings and I love this exfoliating toner. It reveals great glowing skin.
I use this acid toner in the evenings as it is slightly harsher. I also love these pads, so handy to take away with you. Love to use these when I am slightly spottier.

Hydrating toner: Pixi, hydrating milky mist.
I love this step in my routine; it’s a burst of freshness and moisture on my skin. I have gone through a couple bottles already, I just mist is everywhere!

This is another step I haven’t quite perfected. This eye cream is good to keep my under eye hydrated but I don’t think it is doing much for the darkness that I have (thanks mum!). Any suggestions on good eye creams would also be appreciated.

I’m in love with this, such a nice consistency and texture. It smells great and gives my skin a beautiful glow. I’m nearly running out, but the price has gone up on cult beauty. Nooo!!

This moisturiser is great, super hydrating and it contains UVA/UVB protection which is perfect after I use Pixi glow tonic in the mornings. It gives an amazing glow, almost too much glow if that is possible? Plus is it smells of oranges. I’d be interested to try the other products in the range.

This facial oil feels and smells so luxurious. My combination skin means I don’t use this every night but is great 2-3 times a week for added moisture and goodness.

That’s a wrap.

Like I said, I haven’t completely perfected the routine and I don’t mind taking my time to get there, especially as these things cost money! Please let me know if you have suggestions of products or how I could improve my routine.

What’s your favourite skincare product at the moment?


Meg x 

Tuesday 19 July 2016

May Wedding




 










Your wedding day is probably one of the most exciting and happiest days of your life. For this couple they got to experience that feeling twice! You could also argue they dealt with twice the stress, but it was completely worth it.

Jessica and Ash were married in Malta on Thursday 21st April. They celebrated with close friends and family for an intimate, sunny wedding in a beautiful setting. The sun alone is more than enough to head off abroad to tie the knot. It looked like such a magical day.

But, the fun wasn’t over for the happy couple. On Saturday 7th May Jessica and Ash had their blessing at home in their family church to celebrate their marriage with all other friends and relations. They were even lucky enough to have amazing weather here too. It was the first proper warm day of the year.

That however, was not so lucky for me! Keeping the flowers cool was a mission in my little shed, but after removing various items (that didn’t belonging to me) out our garage, they were fine. I couldn’t complain about the sun, it wouldn’t have come back again if I did.

The colour scheme was pale blue, blush and white. Bride in white, Bridesmaids in sky blue, groomsmen in pink - well their ties at least. With a mixture of Stocks, Roses, Forget-me-not, Freesia and Gypsophilia I created one of my favourite bridal bouquets that I have made. I personally knew the couple and their family, which made the experience of creating more enjoyable as I made sure everything was extra special. Not that I don’t make every wedding special!


Jessica and Ash also seemed to love the flowers:

'Meg is the perfect choice if you are looking for a wedding florist.  She strikes exactly the right balance between listening to what you would like and making great suggestions.  She was great working with a limited budget and came up with sensible suggestions to come within budget, without compromising on style or quality.  Finally (and most importantly) the flowers were just perfect and exactly what I was looking for.  Absolutely no stress on the day - the flowers were beautifully set up at the church and bouquets arrived at my door as planned.  I can't recommend her highly enough.' 

The blessing was captured beautifully by Dani Salmon Photography. Her photographs show the pure happiness and joy on the day.


Wishing Jessica and Ash a lifetime of happiness together,

Meg x


Sunday 17 July 2016

My Everyday Makeup Look


A lot of the time I feel more comfortable wearing some makeup, but it has to be quick and simple. I quite often don’t have enough time to spend more than 10 minutes on my makeup in the morning. So I have perfected my everyday makeup look so I could do it without even looking. Well, maybe a mirror is needed for my brows - no one is that good!


Base - Nars, pure radiant tinted moisturiser, in the colour Alaska, light 2. For quick application I use my fingers to blend in. This tinted moisturiser has a small amount of coverage but gives the skin a lovely glow. It also has SPF 30, perfect for summer, if we’ll have one!




Concealer - Urban Decay, Naked skin, weightless complete coverage concealer, in the colour light warm. A very popular product amongst makeup lovers, so I probably don’t need to tell you why I love it so much! I blend this in with a damp Real Techniques, miracle complexion sponge; it helps give the concealer a beautiful finish.


























Powder - Rimmel London, stay matte powder in the colour 005 silky beige. This isn’t the best powder in my opinion. It doesn’t stay matte as it claims to. But I am a bit of a stinger, I will not buy a new powder until this has run out, I have finally hit pan though. The end is in sight!

I use the Real Techniques,setting brush to pack on the powder under my eyes and other areas I had concealed. What a brilliant little brush this is!

Brows - Rimmel London, brow this way eyebrow gel in the colour dark brown. I don’t need to do much to my brows other than tame them. This does the job pretty well!


Bronzer - Rimmel London, natural bronzer in sun bronze. My thoughts on this are the same as the stay matte powder, and yet again I won’t buy a different one until this is all used up! I have bills to pay people!


I just use a random big fluffy brush for my bronzer, I don’t even remember the brand - it’s probably that old!

Highlight - Sleek, face form contouring and blush palette in fair. I love the highlight in this, great pigmentation and lasts pretty well too. An all-round great, affordable palette. I use the nifty Real Techniques, setting brush for my highlight. I don’t have time to find my other brushes!













Eyeliner - Rimmel London, waterproof exaggerate eye definer in rich brown. I think this is a great eyeliner, I love the colour for everyday and it lasts really well. It’s retractable so I don’t have to spend most my time sharpening the thing! It does however come with a mini sharpener the other end, if you so wish to use it!
 


Mascara - Bobbi Brown,smokey eye mascara, in black. I love this! It has the perfect sized wand and bristles, it gives great lashes for smokey eyes, but I love it for everyday use too!

 


Lipgloss - Tanya Burr Cosmetics, lipgloss in lunch date. This is the perfect everyday lipgloss, a great nude colour that just gives my lips an amazing shine. It also smells really good!


 


Aannnd Done!




 Most of the products I use are highstreet and affordable so great for those on a budget but still want to look great. If anyone has any recommendations for an under eye concealer that is affordable but works amazingly, I would love to know! I have nearly run out of my Urban Decay naked skin, so I am on the hunt for a new concealer.






 


Thanks for reading,

Meg  x