July Beauty, Clothing and Accessory favourites

Hello everyone. 

Spring and Summer is my favourite time of the year. I love the warm weather and the opportunity to wear pastels and neons. All the clothes seem to be much cuter in the Summer time. So here we have my July favourites and I've included a mixture of clothing, beauty products and accessories. 

Dress: I adore dresses so much and found this gingham shift dress on Boohoo.com. Boohoo have got some gorgeous items and I got a lilac daisy jumper too both in the sale.I love the colours of it so much and the material floats so it doesn't cling to your body so it's really flattering on. It cost £8 and it's now been reduced even further to £6.

Headband: I adore headbands and this one is super cute and incorporates cute ears with summer daisies. This is from River Island and I haven't actually worn it yet. It's only £2 in the sale. It would be perfect for festivals.

Necklace: I have a growing collection of statement necklaces and this is the most gorgeous one I own. It has rainbow crystals that I love, pink gems and makes an outfit instantly look glam. 

Scrunchies: I love these bobbles which have the little ears on them. They are a quick and easy way of tying your hair up and they look cute and quirky. I got a two pack from Ebay and the other one is pink with white polka dots.

Moisturiser: I absolutely love this Nivea in shower body moisturiser. Not only does it smell absolutely gorgeous but it adds moisture and a smoothing feeling to the body. I always moisturise so this is a winner for me. I also have it in the cocoa variety too. It's in the sale at the moment at Boots as I've just Googled it.

Lip crayon: I love this *Beautyuk lip crayon in the shade 'Would I lilac to you?' and have previously reviewed it here. I love the smoothness of the crayon, the colour and the effect it has on my lips. They're only £2.99 too.

Eyeliner: I love the finished look that eyeliner gives and this Skinny Liquid one from Eyeko is in a felt-tipped format which is really easy to draw on. It also has the staying power too.

Lipbalm- Yu-be is Japan's answer to extreme dryness of the skin. It has a wide variety of uses and I use it to moisturise my lips and it is amazing. Some people do not like the smell or taste of this but it does its job extremely well.

Hand cream- Molton Brown Rhubarb & Rose. This smells absolutely amazing and I received it in a past Birchbox. A little goes a long way and I find it easy to rub in , moisturising and not at all sticky. I need to repurchase this when my little tube runs out.

Face & Neck cream: I use the Dr. Organic moisturiser that I received in my AX Paris goody bag and it has a whole host of amazing ingredients inside which actually does some good. The one I have is the Organic Moroccan Argan Oil day cream 50ml.

Brushes: These are my favourite two brushes that I use regularly. The first one is the *Denman Dolphin Tangle Tamer which is designed for children and is so gentle at taking my knots out of my hair. After using ones which are harsher on my wavy hair, I have decided that this one is perfect. 

I bought the Hair Angel Tangle Cherub purely for the design and colour and I absolutely love this brush. It smoothes my hair so well and takes tangles out. I use this on dry hair and it makes my hair super soft and neat.

Perfume: My favourite summer perfume is this Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture. The bottle is amazing and the scent is divine. I got mine for my Birthday in a set which had a rollerball and lipgloss, make up bag and two nail polishes.

I love this flowery headband that my friend Jenny sent me through the post. She sent me a flapper headband and a gorgeous heart necklace from Topshop too. I've chosen this one as the flowers are perfect for summertime.

Nail Polish: Beautyuk *Daffodil Delight. What a perfect summery colour for this polish. I have recently reviewed a purple and a peach from Beautyuk and they were super glossy and gorgeous. I will be doing a full review on this one soon.

What have been your favourites this month?

Love Laura xoxo

Flavourly Food Unboxing - July

This month's Flavourly box was absolutely jam packed with goodies. The box costs £20 and is sent out monthly and today I have another unboxing and review for you.

First up for discussion is the presentation of the box. The brown paper and shredding matches well to the natural products that are sourced in the box. The paper is held together with a Flavourly branded sticker.

The products were well placed in the box and this is what I first saw when opening the paper.

Rani's Quality Mixture £1 for 60g is a gourmet Bombay mix which tastes really fresh and light as pure sunflower oil has been used. It's also crunchy and has a spicy kick to it. I would repurchase this again for the quality of it.

Clearly Scrumptious - Simply Golden Berries £1.19 for 30g. These golden berries are a superfood and I really wanted to love them but they were far too sour for me. They are meant to awaken your taste buds and they certainly did that. I love how they are 100% natural and healthy but I would have preferred the strawberry or apple varieties instead.

Seed and Bean Chocolate Co- Organic creamy white chocolate- Lemon and Poppy Seed £2.89. I have previously tasted a variety of Seed and Bean Chocolate from one of their gift packs at Christmas and it's honestly one of the best chocolate bars I have ever had. The creamy white chocolate has poppy seeds inside to give a crunch and is infused with Italian lemon oil. You can tell when you eat this chocolate that the finest ingredients have been used. Simply divine. I would definitely repurchase.

Drink me Chai- An aromatic blend of tea, milk and spices- £2 for the tub and I received two sachets so approx. £1. Real ground spices have been used with milk, black tea and spices to produce an authentic Indian chai latte. All you have to do is add hot water and stir or if you would like it to be creamier then add half milk, half water. There are only 90 calories per cup and they are 99% caffeine free.

Pepper and Stew - Eastern Africa- Niter Kibbeh Spices £2. A variety of these has been produced by Pepper and Stew to make African recipes quick and easy. Each packet has a recipe idea on the reverse and this particular one can be used to make a spiced clarified butter. These are an interesting idea and great to have an authentic taste in a simple, ready to use packet.

Get Fruity- Scrumptious Strawberry £0.89. This is the best fruit bar that I have ever tasted in my life. It's made from a blend of whole grain oats with added fruit and fruit juice. I can really taste and smell the coconut oil used in this bar and it is absolutely delicious. I would definitely repurchase. I'm in fruity heaven with these.

Super Nature- Ginger infused cold pressed rapeseed oil £2.45 for 100ml. This particular variety is recommended for use in stir fries and roast vegetables and also is available in lemon, garlic and chilli. This is really healthy and I can't wait to try it out.

Trotter's Mojito Marmalade- £2.95. Byam Trotter specialises in sourcing, developing and producing products that are hard to obtain in the UK's market. This is definitely unusual and a real talking point. I love Mojito cocktails and I like marmalade too so this is an interesting concept. There are lots of recipes available on their website and the recommendations are to spread on toast, use on ice-cream, crumbles and in baking.

Eat 17- Cowboy Bacon Jam- £3.99. A BBQ flavoured relish with bacon. Super interesting idea that Eat 17 use on their burgers in their restaurant. It would be fab to use at a BBQ party and spread on burgers, bread, chicken or ribs. They have a host of ideas on their website for inspiration too. 

Darling Corn- Smoked Toasted Corn Kernels £0.69. Darling Spuds is from the same creators as Salty Dog crisps. These are gluten free and a healthy snack.

Berry White organic drinks- Lemon, ginger and Acai berry with white tea and Yerba mate £1.60. These drinks contain super fruits and are light and refreshing.

Lizi's Granola- On The Go £1.19. This is a single portion and with the clever packaging, it doubles up as a bowl with a spoon. It has lactose free milk powder added so that when you add a few spoonfuls of water it turns into a healthy breakfast. What a fab idea and I love granola too.

The box costs £20 and my items added up to £22.53. So what Flavourly in effect does, is source the healthy food products, for you to save you the time in collecting them together yourself. The items are all of exceptionally high quality with the best ingredients used.

There is a fantastic variety included in this box and overall I'm really pleased with it. My favourite items are the Get Fruity Strawberry bar, the Seed and Bean chocolate, Lizi's granola, Eat 17 Cowboy Jam and Trotter's Mojito Marmalade.

Have you tried any of these brands before?

Love Laura xoxo

Bobby's Life

Age: 

I've just turned 11 years old.

Breed:

 A Himalayan chocolate point persian cat and I am super fluffy with cotton-wool soft fur.

Eating: 

I love cat biscuits more than anything but I have to have wet food too as I had bad cystitis when I was two and nearly died. My favourites are Iam's and I love Whiskas pouches. I am really fussy and my mummy has tried me on everything. I also love ham and roast chicken too and get this for my supper. I cry randomly for treats too. My favourites are Dreamies and Temptations. I love cheese so much, especially the soft cheese as I lick it off my mummy's finger and get carried away and bite it.

Drinking:

 I'm not a big drinker and never have been but when I do I have fresh water as anything else will cause my tummy to be upset. I love the brine which is in the tuna tins too.

Playing:

 My favourite toys are magazine inserts, ribbon, string, tape measures, crisp packets that have been folded up into a little ball, laser lights, reflections from the sun and flies. I try to eat ribbon and string and  also like to rub my gums on the corners of objects and nibble them. Mummy had to throw three bins away in the past as I bit all of the corners. Every time I have been to the bathroom I have a mad do and run everywhere. I paw at the carpet at imaginary items and run as fast as I can. I also like to run and jump randomly at doors. I love catnip and get very relaxed off this. I rub it all in my face and fur and then lie on the floor for ages afterwards. I run with my brother too as I want him to chase me but most of the time I am in my own world and wonder what he is doing when I realise he is chasing me.

Friends:

 I am super shy so I don't trust or make friends easily. I have one friend I suppose and he is a Persian cat too called Cinnamon. Other than that I just love knowing where my mummy is and sitting beside her all the time. 

Watching:

 I love watching flies and trying to get them if they fly in the room. I love watching mummy cook to see if I can get lucky and get given some meat. I watch to see if the puppy comes near me and I bat him away with my paw if he sniffs at my face. I've watched the fish in the BiOrb a few times but then I lost interest and went back to sleep. 

Listening:

 I listen for the alarm going off in the morning as I know that mummy will feed me my breakfast. I don't wake her up though I just wait patiently. I listen for the sound of mummy's footsteps especially if she is going into the kitchen and I also listen out for the rustle of packets as I think these must be my treats.

Day-dreaming: 

I daydream about rolling in catnip and being hand fed treats.

Wearing: 

I don't wear anything apart from my fur. Mummy has put the occasional sparkly clip in my fringe or a nice sticker on me but apart from that I like to be naked.

Exercising: 

The exercise I mainly do is running up and down the stairs to the toilet, running after I have been to the toilet as fast as I can, wandering outside for fresh air and jumping at doors. I do lots of exercise in my sleep though.

Meow xoxo

Beautyuk Shimmer Box Blush In Rose

Hi everyone. Today I have a *Beautyuk Shimmer box in the shade Rose to review. The Shimmer boxes are available in two colour variations with the other one being Bronze.

The Shimmer Boxes retail for £4.99 for 12g and you seem to get a generous amount of blush in the compact.

The blush is made up of five different stripes. These include a white gorgeous pearlescent highlighter, three tones of bronzer and a candy pink at the bottom. The powdered blush feels super soft to the touch and is pigmented. I swiped the colours individually and then swirled my brush to create a combination of the shades and the effect was a shimmering pink on my cheeks. The blush can be worn in a subtle way or if you add more product then the colour is more vibrant.

 The blush lasts the duration of the day too but I would suggest if you were wearing it from day to evening then a top up would be required. I probably wouldn't take it in my bag on a night out as I only really take a lip product out to top up but it is very handy with the mirror included.

The compact is a substantial size and clicks together securely. There is a cardboard sleeve over the top too which can easily slide off and this gives information on the ingredients contained inside. The Shimmer box has a handy mirror inside which is a generous size and I used this when applying the blusher. (The compact doesn't include a brush so you will need to provide your own.)

Black plastic has been used for the Shimmer Box and it feels good quality. It does leave fingerprint marks on the top of the case after use but these are easily wipe-able if you like your makeup packaging to look pristine.

Overall I'm really impressed with this budget blusher as for the performance, shade and duration it lasts, it is a steal.

Love Laura xoxo

*PR item kindly sent for an honest review.

Laura's Life

Watching:

 Just started to watch Hemlock's Grove which is quite scary but interesting at the same time. We've finished watching season 2 of Orange is the New Black and and the latest season of Revenge. We also just watched two seasons of Friday night Dinner which is a comedy from the UK which has Simon Bird in it from the Inbetweeners and it was so funny!

Reading: 

Marilyn Monroe- The Truth About Her Final Years. I'm fascinated by people's lives and devour them quickly. This one is really interesting and I've learnt a lot about what Marilyn was like so far. I didn't know too much about Marilyn before but I am really interested in who she was.

I'm also reading The Book Thief and Circus. I really need to stick to just one and finish but with me it doesn't happen like that.

Finally the Bloglovin' app on my Ipad has stopped freezing so I've been reading and clicking like on lots of interesting and inspiring posts.

Making: 

Falafel pitta salads for tea tonight. I've been eating a lot healthier and feel much better for it. I love falafel as it's so tasty.

Listening: 

My favourite songs at the moment are Rixton- Me and my Broken Heart 

George Ezra- Budapest as it's so catchy and uplifting.

Day-dreaming:

 About being on holiday on the sea front with a cocktail.

Buying: 

Too many cute items such as heart shaped sunglasses and a shake and make ice cream maker.

Walking:

 In the fields with Alfie but being careful not to walk through long grass with my dresses on as I am allergic to grass and pollen and come out in rashes :(

Appreciating:

 The sunshine that we've been having. 

Trying out: 

The new Beautyuk Shimmer box today in Rose.

Preparing: 

For my new job which is exciting. Let's see where this one takes me. I'll be working as a visual merchandiser whereas before I was a Primary School teacher.

Wearing:

 Shift dresses and skater dresses and these ones suit my figure the most. Especially with the hot weather we've been having I can wear a different one every day.

Looking forward to: 

Seeing my mum, dad and brother, Persian cat and Whippet Ruby in England this week.

Moving into our new house which is beautiful and modern.

Tidying:

I've been having a sort out of my clothes, shoes, make up etc as when you move house it's exhausting so the less you need to move the better. It gives you an ideal opportunity to think about what you actually wear and then what I do is give it to family and charity.

Cooking:

In this past year I have tried out so many new recipes and really enjoyed creating meals from scratch. Lately I have made chicken Chow Mein, Chicken Noodle broth and chicken and chorizo paella all of which were yummy.

Drinking:

Just cold water when I'm really thirsty and I love Innocent pure fruit juices too. I also love a nice cup of tea or flavoured coffee too. Ooooo and a Crabby's Ginger beer too although they are quite hard to drink more than one as the bottle is huge and the ginger gets my throat.

Exercising:

Just walking at the moment three times a day with Alfie. I power walk to get fit. The last time I tried to do zumba on Youtube in my living room Alfie (My puppy) decided to jump up, bite and swing from my crotch!

Planning:

I found a perfect 1st Birthday present for my baby cousin, a book for my grandma's Birthday, my sister-in-law's 30th Birthday and then in September my brother turns 18!

What have you been up to lately?

Love Laura xoxo

Under The Heather- Nail Polish Review

I have a new found love for all things lilac and I gravitate towards them. . Whether it's a lilac handbag (which I don't yet own) lilac shoes or dresses, it's my new summer shade. I had my new shoes in mind when I chose this Beautyuk  *No7Under The Heather Polish as I love co-ordinating and what better way to match your nails to your shoes?

The polish retails at £2.99 which is an affordable price and the bottles are clean and crisp looking with the addition of the white lids.

The polish was really easy to apply but requires two coats for opacity and an even finish. I loved how the polish has a high gloss finish and didn't need for me to add a top coat. I left a longer time between each coat this time and got a perfect finish without smudging. 

Here's my new shoes. What do you think? Quite a good match between heather and lilac?

I wanted to try out the ultra gloss again but as soon as I added this to the my polish and rummaged in my wardrobe to retrieve my shoes they smudged! Story of my life. Note to self. Leave the glossy top coat to matte shades or don't root around in my wardrobe after polishing my nails.

Love Laura xoxo

*PR item sent for an honest review.

Beautyuk Posh Pout Lip Reviews

I absolutely love these *Beautyuk Posh Pout Lip Crayons. These are my favourite products from their whole collection and today I have five of them to review for you. I get so excited about lip items and especially lip crayons which are a dream to apply and look super pretty. If you're searching for a product which will add colour and provide a smooth feeling to your lips then these could be the ones for you. They are available in six different shades and I have previously talked about the Power To The Purple one here. 

They retail for £2.99 each which I think is a really great price especially for the effectiveness of them. These crayons are tinted lip balms in a twist up format which provide the lips with moisture and a rush of colour. All of the lip colours lasted for a very impressive three to four hours on my lips and I could still feel the smoothness after all that time. The colours then faded so this would be the time to reapply. The colours did transfer because I kissed my puppy's cheek whilst wearing Corally Incorrect and it left him a red lips mark!

The shades from left to right are; *How Nude! *Would I Lilac to You? *Big Pinkin', *Corally Incorrect and *Sugar Plum Fairy. 

Here are the swatches. From top to bottom there is How nude, Would I Lilac to you? Big Pinkin', Corally Incorrect and finally Sugar Plum Fairy.

They felt super smooth when applying to the back of my hand for swatches and also extremely smooth and soft on my lips.

How Nude! This one had the strongest scent of mint to it. As you can see it adds a little colour to the lips. If you are wanting a subtle everyday lip shade then this would be the one for you. It enhanced my natural lip colour a little by adding pale pink, moisture and smoothness.

Would I Lilac to you? adds a flush of pinky purple-ness. In my crayon there was a fleck of darker purple which I had to take out as it was leaving a darker streaky line. After this it was perfect.

Big Pinkin' is my absolute favourite. It's more pigmented than the previous two and adds a gorgeous Barbie pink to the lips which I love.

Corally Incorrect is the crayon which has the highest pigmentation. If you're wanting a vibrant shade then this is the one for you. I really like the tone of this red colour. Like with all of the crayons you can add more colour by layering.

Finally is Sugar Plum Fairy which on my lips looks quite natural. It darkens them and would be great for people who like the subtle look.

Positives:

Twist up packaging so need to fuss with sharpeners.

Long-lasting.

Smooth feeling.

Adds moisture to the lips.

Minty scent.

Cheap price.

Great colour selection.

Improvements needed:

The product information states vibrant colours whereas I feel that only Big Pinkin' and Corally Incorrect offer this.

Would I Lilac to You? had a little imperfection of darker purple added to it which made the colour uneven. 

Overall I absolutely recommend these lip colours for everyday wear and for nights out. I can't get enough of these Posh Pouts.

What's your favourite shade?

Love Laura xoxo

*PR items kindly sent for an honest review.