Birthday Presents Part 1.

This year I had the pleasure of celebrating my Birthday in Cornwall, somewhere I have never been before, we had a lovely time and were very lucky with the weather. For my Birthday me and my boyfriend decided to go and visit the Restormel Castle in Lostwithiel and then we had planned to visit St. Austell but became lost and found ourselves at the gorgeous Pentewan Beach.

As like most people on their birthdays I couldn't wait to show off my presents and this year I was a very lucky girl and received this gorgeous tan Micheal Kors bag and tan Ralph Lauren Sandals to match. The bag is a slouchy style so can be used both day and night and I love how it can be worn on the shoulder, on the arm or in the hand making it so easy to stlyle. The bag also only has very suitable detailing something which I am very happy about as I'm not one for structured bags or big logos.

The sandals are an exact match in colour to the bag so I was very happy that I could wear them both together that day. These are extremely comfy and I really like the style, they're simple yet elegant and again only have some small detailing. 

Now a couple of weeks ago I went to Bicester Village and managed to pick up this gorgeous green Ralph Lauren jumper for just £17! Until my birthday I hadn't had an occasion to wear it but thanks to the weather in Cornwall I got the opportunity to wear it on my Birthday. Although it is a jumper the lightweight ribbed material of it means it can be worn in warmer weather and the short sleeves along with the colour make it look that bit more summery too. The sleeves also dress the jumper up a bit along with the brown suede detailing which I think is just stunning.

I finished off my outfit with a pair of faded mid-denim jeans from Miss Selfridges and my Ralph Lauren sunglasses. If you hadn't already guessed Ralph Lauren is my favourite designer as the clothes and accessories are always so simple yet stylish and have the perfect combination of casual and dressy.

Have you been to Cornwall?

Rodial Stemcell Superfood Glam Balm.

I want to apologise for the delay in my posts however it has been my birthday and I've been busy enjoying myself down in Cornwall. I've had such an amazing time and was well and truely spoilt but with that said, I have really missed blogging so was eager to write one at the first opportunity.

Now, since my amazing Balance Me freebies in Glamour I have be checking out the magazine isle a lot and last week I found something I was so excited to try in this months Red, Rodials Stemcell Superfood Glam Balm Multi.

I already own the Rodial Stemcell Superfood Glam Balm for Lips, and I love it, it's got such a good shine and leaves my lips looking healthy and plump though it is slightly sticky. The Multi one is also rather sticky so I have only been using it at night time. When I first put it on and it didn't soak in I was really scared I was going to wake up with a face full of spots and almost washed it off, but I braved it for you and I'm so glad I did.

Rodial claim that this product "is designed to feed skin with essential nutrition, restoring moisture and balance... and quickly reduce the look of fine lines" and I am happy to say that their claim is correct. I woke up to smooth, glowing skin that felt hydrated, tighter and no long sticky. I also felt as though my skin looked plumper and creases faded faster after smiling.

Both of the Rodial products have a strange sort of smell but it isn't horrible, and though sticky they are really good and I have thoroughly enjoyed using the Stemcell Superfood Glam Balm Multi this week.

At £35 I'm not sure it's a product I would incorporate into my routine as I'm not one for going to bed with things on my face, but for just £4 with Red I'm going to be picking up another.

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Multi, £35 // Lip, £17
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Have you bought this months issue of Red?

The Side Split Top.

Side splits and turtle necks are two things I'm loving at the moment and this Asos top not only has both but does a great job of taking turtle necks through to the warmer months in this white, loose fit tee. The top is very comfy and casual but in crisp white still looks very chic.

I decided to style this top with a pair of light denim ripped skinny jeans from Zara, the absolute staple piece in my wardrobe at the moment. The colour of these jeans is so summery and I like the amount of rips they have in them, more than my Topshop ones but less than others that are in the stores. They are the perfect combination of casual and classy.

Now being small I can't really get away with wearing a long top and jeans without heels so I chose to wear these cute navy pointed toe stilettos from Next Clearance. The colour and style is sophisticated but still summery and I think adds that final touch of class to the outfit.

I accessorised with silver jewellery and a sleek low pony tail to keep my hair off my face. This was such a light weight and comfy outfit for the cinema on a warm day and I felt very 'me' in ripped jeans teamed with heels!

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Jeans - Similar Here, £35

Top - Same Here, £16

Shoes - Similar Here, £28

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Fast and Furious 7 is an amazing film and it's definitely worth going to see in the cinema, It was funny, action packed and filled with emotion. I'm really wanting to do a movie marathon with the other 6 now!


What's your staple piece?

Take Care Of Your Hair.

After going blonde a few years back my hair was left dry, damaged and looking awful so since then I've gone to great lengths to get it back to its full, shiny and healthy self. To do this I've washed it less, used less products, almost completely stopped blow drying it and have only styled it when necessary. During this time I've tested many differerent shampoos and conditioners and discovered the amazing brush that is No Tangles by Macadamia.

There are lots of brushes similar to this one on the market but this is by far the best. For starters it has a handle unlike many, secondly it's the best quality with long flexible bristles to get through hair as thick, curly and knotty as mine. If you want to take care of your hair this is the brush for you as unlike other brushes it has no joins or plasticly bits on the ends of the bristles which snap and pull out your hair. It's an amazing brush and can be used on both wet and dry hair, is great for softening curls and can be used for a smooth and sleek up do.

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If you read my blog post on the Arbonne Skin Care products I was sent to try you will have seen that I was also sent samples of their Pure Vibrance Shampoo and Conditioner. The samples were only small but I liked them so much that Sharon, an independent representative for Arbonne, was kind enough to send me the full sized bottles.

Now I've been using my Avon Morroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner for 2 years and it's incredible, I mean it's got to be if I've used it for this long, so you have to appreciate how amazing Arbonnes Pure Vibrance Range has to be when I say it really is amazing, it's the best conditioner I've ever used. I feel like such a traitor as I write this as I've loved my Avon range for so long!

The Arbonne Pure Vibrance range smells amazing, sort of a fruity bubble gum scent and comes in a gorgeous purple bottle. Now the shampoo is quite thick which for me was the only downside as I use a lot of shampoo but to be honest despite it's thickness it did spread quite well. Now the conditioner is what made me fall in love with this range! It spreads so well and as you're rinsing it out you can feel the smoothness straight away.

My hair dried so nicely with minimum frizz and as for the styling well, there was no frizz at all, my curls were soft and bouncy and my hair didn't fuzz out or get knotty in the wind and drizzle. If you have thick/curly hair thats prone to going a tad fuzzy this is the range for you, my hair has honestly never looked and felt so healthy and shiny.

From the name you probably gathered that the Pure Vibrance range is intended for people with coloured hair and though my hair isn't a bright colour after washing and styling it I could definitely see a difference in the colour compared to usual, the red tones where much more visible and my hair had a warmer more vibrant look to it.

Overall this is an amazing range though if you have rather fine hair you may find the shampoo too heavy. I have recently ran out of the shampoo so have been using the Arbonne conditioner with a different shampoo and can still see amazing results. For £25 each these are far from the price of your drug store brands but I really do think they are worth it, especially the conditioner which I will definitely purchase when this one eventually runs out, I can't imagine styling my hair without it now!

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Buy Online Now

Sharon is an independent consultant for Arbonne and

her consultant ID is 441244082

arbonneinternational.co.uk

sharonroberts.arbonne@gmail.com

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How do you look after your hair?

A Beautiful Day In Matlock.

As a child I went to Matlock a lot, walking, visiting the caves and spending time in the sweet shops and arcades. Now that I'm older that's changed I love to go there and explore the antique stores and local shops, as supporting local businesses is such an important thing and you often find much nicer and unique items. Matlock is a beautiful place and it's perfect for a day out no matter what your age.

This bank holiday weekend the weather has been a bit temperamental we've had wind, rain and sun so I wanted an outfit that would be suitable no matter what. This gorgeous grey and nude knitted wrap was just £20 in the Next sale and I love how it can be dressed up or down and worn come rain or sun. On this occasion I tried to dress it up a bit wearing my new River Island hat with gold buckle detailing and having my hair in a chic yet simple updo. 

Black is always effortlessly glam and with the colours and pattern in the shawl I could get away with wearing it head to toe. This ASOS turtle neck dress top with side splits is gorgeous and I cant wait to share it with you a little bit more at a later date but for now all you need to know is that it actually has short sleeves and I have simple worn a long sleeved black top underneath in order to keep me warmer and also create the impression that it is a long sleeved turtle neck top. I completed my outfit with black skinny jeans, my thigh high boots and a small gold skull necklace. These boots may not have been cheap but they were definitely worth the money, I wear them loads!

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Wrap - Similar here, £12

Top - Same here, £16

Jeans - Similar here, £22.99

Boots - Same here, £159

Bag - Similar here, £7.99

Necklace - Similar here, £12

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I had great day exploring all the shops and found lots of amazing things like old binoculars, cameras, toys, typewriters and prams, we also had fun at the aquarium and enjoyed a delicious slice of tiffin at a little cafe. Whilst all the stores in Matlock are lovely I would like to give a special mention to Magpie Antiques & Collectables a gorgeous shop with friendly staff who were happy to help with taking a few photos for my blog, if you're ever in Matlock make sure you pay them a visit.

I of course couldn't leave without buying a few things and treated myself to some bathbombs from Talisman, some Joint Pain Relief from Dad's Bees and some gorgeous Helena Rudkin Earrings, all of which you can expect to see on my blog soon.

Thanks for the picture Magpie Antiques!

The MUA's £1 Lipstick.

First of all lets just stop for a moment and appreciate the fact that these lipsticks are only £1, that means that I got four lipsticks for just £4. Thank you Make-up Academy! Now we've all established that these are a total steal let's have a look at the product.

First, the packaging. With their clean, simple, modern and very stylish look these lipsticks do not look cheap at all and I would say look in the price range of £7-£10, I know its whats inside that counts but nobody wants to be seen applying an ugly looking lipstick. One of the features I love about this product is that I can easily see which lipstick I am picking up as not only do the normal lipsticks come in black and the matte lipsticks in white but each one has their colour at the bottom. This is a downside to the MAC and Elizabeth Arden range as I am forever rummaging through reading silly little labels to find the one I want.

Now for the product it self. I picked the MUA lipsticks up in four shades that I thought would be suitable for spring, two normal and two matte. The first is Peachy Keen in Matte which is very subtle and I think would look lovely if you was already wearing a brightly coloured top. The second is Nectar, a brighter and shinier version of Peachy Keen, it is a lovely pinky/orange colour that would look gorgeous if you wear wearing a crisp white top or blazer. Third is Scarlett Siren in Matte, this is probably my favourite colour as though it looks almost pillar box red, upon application it is much pinker which goes well with my olive skin. I shall be wearing this with monochrome outfits. Finally is Shade 11, I'm not sure why it doesn't have a name but it is very similar to my favourite MAC lipstick, Cosmo, a darker shade of my natural lip so perfect for wearing with most outfits.

The matte lipsticks require several more coats than your pricier lipsticks in order to become visible and are slightly drier, but with a touch of Vaseline underneath and in the summer months when lips are much less chapped I don't think it will cause much of a problem. Although I would be careful with Scarlett Siren as if you go over the same area too many times it seems to fade, which in such a bright colour can be quite noticeable. The normal lipsticks go on very well and Shade 11 is almost and exact dupe of MAC Cosmo, the only difference is that my MAC one does last longer, though for £15.50 I should hope it does!

If you suffer from chapped lips I would suggest staying away from the matte ones and go for the medium to dark shades of the normal lipsticks, as with most brands lighter coloured lipsticks highlight dry areas.

For just £1 from Superdrug these Make-Up Academy lipsticks are worth checking out and I will definitely be buying some more as well as having a look at the other products they sell.

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muastore.co.uk / superdrug.com

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Have you tried the MUA lipsticks?