My Summer Base Face

Hello there! Today I thought I'd share with you what I'm currently slapping on my face during the Summer months (although, I'm using the word Summer pretty lightly because, well, the UK hasn't exactly been blessed with much sun this year has it...). However, I went to Greece recently and got a bit of a tan, so I have transitioned my base makeup into some sort of bronzey, glowy goodness. Heres what I've been loving!...

FOUNDATION/PRIMER - In terms of foundation, when I have a natural tan I don't bother too much with it, I just stick to some concealer & bronzer and thats it really. However, when I've wanted more coverage I've been reaching for this Healthy Mix Serum foundation from Bourjois, as its light and gives a dewy finish. For nights out I've been using my trusty Estee Lauder Double Wear as it stays on all night & gives flawless coverage. Primer wise - I'll always use the L'oreal Blur Cream as I have hideous pores on my nose and this does the job in smoothing them over. I've also added the L'oreal Lumi Magique base primer to my routine as its really glowy & I'll sometimes mix it into my foundation as well. For powder, I tend to just put a little bit in the T zone and leave it at that as I don't want my skin to look too matte, I've been using the L'oreal Nude Magique BB powder.

BRONZER/CONTOUR/BLUSH - This is quickly becoming one of my favourite products! L'oreal recently came out with their cushion foundation & alongside it came the bronzer version. As you can see, its a sponge filled with cream product and I've been wearing it none stop. The colour is so beautiful, even if you haven't got a tan, this will give you such a natural colour that it looks like you have one anyway! I've heard its a dupe for the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universal, which I've been dying to try but this is amazing and a third of the price! I've been using it with a buffing brush or a beauty blender, both work really well. It's packed full of product so a little goes a long way, but even if you do end up going over board, it blends out seamlessly so any mistakes can just be blended away!

I've also been using the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in Beautiful Bronze to carve out my non existent cheekbones and for powder bronzer, my holy grail Hoola by Benefit and The Balms Bahama Mama, this is more cool toned and is good for creating that contour shadow! Oh and for blusher I've been using the Max Factor Cream Puff blusher in "Lavish Mauve", this has a tiny bit of sparkle to it and gives a nice flush of colour to the cheeks.

CONCEALER - I've been using the Maybelline Fit Me concealer, another high end dupe I sought out after hearing it compares to the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer which I love. It gives great coverage without being cakey, the consistency is so light but blends and covers amazingly! I've also been using a lighter concealer to highlight with, and this one is actually from Aldi! Not somewhere I would think of for makeup, but I remember reading about it being similar to YSL Touche Eclat (this is turning into an unintentional "dupe for high end products" post!). Its light and brings a nice radiance to your under eyes/high points of the face.

HIGHLIGHT - I've been using either The Balm Mary Lou Manizer or a highlighting stick from Topshop, or for an even more intense glow, both together! Using a cream highlight under a powder one intensifies it, as does spraying setting spray and then applying your powder highlight just before it sets into your face and is a little bit dewy on the skin still. Topshop have some amazing highlighters and I've used this one for years! It looks sooo beautiful on, with it being a cream product it makes you just look like you're glowing from within. Mary Lou is more on the I-want-you-to-see-my-highlighter-from-space side, but I'm okay with that, because its so gorgeous.

So, thats pretty much it! Obviously, I don't wear all these products at once but these are what I've been using for the past couple of months since I've not been my usual pale self. I feel like when Summer comes around I'm much more into cream products and all that glowy goodness.

 My tan is fading now *le cry* but I'm off to Greece again on Friday so I get to top it up!

Corina X

The Barcelona Vlog

I pretty much document everywhere I go now, and Barcelona was no exception! Here's my attempt at trying to capture all of Barcelona's beautifulness :). Ps; apologies for the cringey thumbnail, youtube choose it for me

 -_-

Current Wishlist!

Hello there! I thought I'd have a chat about whats currently on my ~shopping mind~ (mostly makeup...) because, well, its my birthday next week & I'm feeling all kinds of "treat-yo-self".

Urban Decay Beached Bronzer - Okay, so I'm not gonna lie, I mostly want this for the palm tree packaging... but it does look like a good colour AND its a matte bronzer! ~ all hail the matte bronzers of the world ~ because who wants to look like a tanned disco ball.

Some good quality gym pants - I know thats pretty vague but I'm after a pair of really good gym pants, probably Nike or Adidas?! With summer pretty much upon us now (having said that, I'm currently looking out of a very grey window *BrItIsH sUmMeRtImE YaY*) I'm trying to get in the gym more and I feel like its time I invested in some better quality leggings that don't fall down every time I run. I want the high rise ones as they're more flattering and hold you in a little better!

FairyDrops Waterproof Mascara - I've heard good things about this and been wanting to try it for ages! Unfortunately, I have not been blessed with beautifully curly eyelashes, therefore I pretty much only stick to waterproof mascaras, as they're the only things that help me hold a curl! However with it being around the £18 mark, I feel like its something I would get myself as a treat or ask for as a present maybe. (Oh, and again, can we just talk about this packaging?! So gorgeous! Can you tell I'm a sucker for packaging...).

Anastasia BH Modern Renaissance Palette - Can. We. Just. Look. At. That. Palette. Those colours though, uhhhh. I've been eying this up as its my birthday next week, so hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on it!

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BARCELONA Photo Diary/Mini Guide

So, as you can see, I visited Barcelona recently! It was my first time going and I already want to go back. It was one of the most beautiful places I've been to! The architecture is incredible, I feel like I spent the whole trip just pointing at buildings going "LOOK AT THAT ONE!". We went at the end of May and the weather was lovely and sunny (apart from the last day when we got caught in a torrential rain storm on the beach in very little clothing and had to seek refuge in the form a pizzeria...) and there was literally SO much to do, we were there 4 days and even though every day was jam packed full of sight seeing/eating/going to all the places we wanted to visit, I still felt like there was so much more to see and can't wait until I can go back!

MUST SEE'S;

- Parc De La Ciutadella - such a beautiful park (okay, they all are but...) with the most amazing fountain! (see 6th picture down). Its absolutely huge and there is loads of grass to lye/sit on, some water areas where you can go on a little boat ride and areas to sit with ice cream trucks/food etc.

- Mountjuic - this was a hugeee mountain that we trecked up one day and yes, it was tiring in the heat BUT the view was so worth it! We were so high up that we could see the Sagrada Familia and at the top there was a castle, you could pay to go in here but we chose not to and just admired it from the outside instead! You can get a cable car up here which would save you the walk but we were all babies that didn't fancy that, ha! Half way up they have a little pit stop area with seats and music where you can grab a beer or an ice cream, or if you're like us sit down and catch your breathe for about half an hour debating whether we can make it up the next half... (and if your wondering, yes, we did get a taxi back down!).

- Sagrada Familia - speaking of, this is another hugely popular tourist attraction that you have to see if you're in Barcelona! Yes, it is full of tourists and there is a lot of work being done on the building itself but it is still absolutely breathtaking, maybe if you squint your eyes you can imagine it without the cranes! Never the less, a must see and if you can go inside, do so! We unfortunately didn't end up going in because of the times of the tours they did (it was our last day and we were a little strapped for time!), you also have to pay but I imagine its worth it because the pictures I've seen are wwwooooooww.

I wish that I could say we got to see the amazing mosaic tiled seats in Park Guell but unfortunately we ran out of time and ended up having to miss it :( we did go to the park but not into that section as you had to wait until the next tour time (much like Sagrada Familia) & we had to catch a flight that interfered with the times. I am soooo gutted about this as its one of the things I wanted to do the most and we were right near it! But it will just have to be something to save until next time.

There are loads of other places but I would be here all day! I would've included where to eat but that is a whole separate post in itself (coming soon!). My advice would be to walk around as much as you can, obviously some things are quite far away and quicker to get to using the metro/bus, but for us, we didn't use any of these! (thinking back on it though, I think my legs would've appreciated having used them a few times haha!) the good thing is that we were always stumbling upon amazing buildings and sights by accident, sometimes we would end up being at a particular place we had planned to go by chance because we just happened to walk down the right road! We stayed next to a little square called Placa de la Universitat which we would always go to just to sit and people watch, it was full of people skateboarding, surrounded by gorgeous buildings and close to the University hence the name! Make sure to visit the Gothic Quarter and a club called Jamboree if you're into hip-hop/R&B but that is in Las Ramblas which is really touristy and full of people trying to give away free shots and guys selling cans of Estrella for 1 euro...

Also, we stayed at the TOC Hostel and cannot recommend it enough! We stayed in a private room with a bathroom for the three of us, it had these cool bunk beds and you had to use your finger print to get in the room! Location is perfect, the hostel is very modern and new and doesn't feel like a typical hostel at all. I'm going to stop before this sounds like a TripAdviser review but basically, its amazing and you should look into staying there if you're in Barca!

PS; they have a Sephora. Its huge. Like massive. And amazing.

Corina
x

PPS; make sure you always put sun cream on your feet kids, other wise this might happen to you too
#birkenstockburns

Whats in my travel beauty bag - Barcelona

I'm headed to Barcelona next week and as I'm an absolute ~makeup hoarder~ who can't pack light for anything (you should see how much I take for just an over night stay...), I thought I would share what I'm taking as I'm going to have to be pretty selective and only take the essentials *rolls eyes*. I also like reading these posts to see how other people utilise their packing space, as any tips are always good!

MAKEUP

Eyeshadow wise, I'm just taking my Lorac Pro Palette as it has every single colour I need and yes, its is quite big...but its really lightweight and much better than taking loads of single eyeshadows! The only other eye product I'll be bringing is my Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise in Jean, because, well, its too beautiful to leave behind :').

As for the rest, I'll just be taking the usuals and try not to pack 3 different types of mascara. I find I ALWAYS take a million lipsticks/lip liners and end up only using 2 or 3, so I'm only bringing the ones I reach for the most usually. I'll also be hitting up Sephora (obvi) so I want to make room for all the new makeup goodies I'll be bringing home with me! I also need to get some kind of brush holder to take my brushes in too.

SKINCARE/TOILETRIES

The only travel size things I have really are my razor and this little Origins GinZing scrub, other than that I'll by lumbering my Liz Earle cleanser (+ muslin cloth) & moisturiser with me! Then other stuff like deodorant, contact lens solution, mini shower gel blah blah boring. I also need to get my hands on some makeup wipes for lazy days and a small bottle of Co Lab dry shampoo because its the besttttt dry shampoo ever (again, for lazy days!).

 I have these really handy pouches of shampoo and conditioner which I think I got from the pound shop a while ago?! They're so good for travelling as you can just rip off as many as you want, they don't weigh anything and take up no space at all. So if you can get your hands on some of these do!

I think thats everything! Apart from stuff like paracetamol, plasters etc, all that kinda stuff. I can't wait to explore Barcelona and get some sun! If you have any recommendations of where to go, I'd love to hear :)

X

New in from Beauty Bay - MUG & Morphe

I recently found myself on Beauty Bay (like most nights) and decided to start creating my own palette of Makeup Geek eyeshadows as I've heard so much about them and how good they are, I had to order some! Each individual eyeshadow pan is £4.95 which is an absolute steal considering the formula has been compared to MAC eyeshadows, which retail at about £10-£12 and up. 

The colour pay off is excellent and they blend like a dream, they also have a huge range of colours! I chose mostly warm tones as I favour more of a warm toned eye shadow look. As I'd never tried them before, I took to YouTube and did a little research on swatches etc. These 2 videos from Kathleen Lights and Jaclyn Hill helped me choose - Cocoa Bear, Cosmopolitan, Peach Smoothie and Burlesque. Rest assured I'll be referring back to thee videos when I want to purchase more!

I chose the Small Z Palette which fits up to 9 shadows. I easily could've gotten carried away and opted for a bigger size but I thought this would be good for travelling and I can always purchase a bigger one at a later date if I run out of space!  

(^^ left to right ^^ - Peach Smoothie, Cosmopolitan, Cocoa Bear, Burlesque)

With these I also bought 2 new Morphe brushes! (Again, referring to this video!) I got the M501 Pro Pointed Blender Brush to use for highlight and the E18 Round Crease Brush for blending out shadow on the lower lash line. Again, great quality and price! I feel like I'll be ordering more very soon, not that I need any more brushes...