MILANI EYE TECH PERFECTION LINER

Whilst doing some beauty shopping in America, it came to my attention that I've been using my usual liner for far too long, and could do with trying out another. I spotted this Milani Eye Tech Perfection Liquid Liner for a mere $7.99 with a free eyeshadow in Beach Sand too, and I couldn't resist. 

These curved liners have interested me for a while now after seeing the NYX Curve one but that was a little more pricey and I thought I'd give this one a go instead as I bought a few other NYX products. It does take some getting used to with how to hold the actual packaging, but my liner still looks good when I use this so I wouldn't say it caused much difficulty. You can actually take the pen out that just slides to reveal a tiny little pen but I think it's too short to actually get enough control. 

One thing I will say, is this is black. Like, intense black, and I love it. No layering it like you sometimes do with a greyish liner, oh no. This is a one coat and you have a gel-looking line going on. It is bloody brilliant. Also, I didn't find it to smudge, it lasted all day until I at one point in the evening (in the midst of coursework) began to manically rub my eye, but I gave it a rub in the day and it didn't smudge at all so it's rather long wearing. 

To be honest, I'm a little sad that I only have one of these now; I could do with another, or perhaps for Milani to come to the UK so I can keep my stock of this replenished...

TWO WEEKS IN FLORIDA

 Yesterday I returned from my travels to Orlando, Florida with my family and grandparents from my Mum's side of the family. I had been building up to the trip on here for a few weeks during and prior to the holiday and I am so excited to share the pictures (somewhat random) and stories.

Something I noticed that I really love is how clean it is everywhere, no litter and there are always plants, flowers, and things to look at even when driving down the majority of the motorways. I experienced the Florida Mall (haul coming soon), the drugstores (more hauling), Daytona Beach, the Disney parks as well as the Universal parks. I spent money I'd been saving for weeks and basically had a great time.

My favourite meal was at an Italian that we visited twice called 'Carrabbas' pictured above where I delved into the Grilled Tuskan Skewers and Garlic Mashed Potato (which, if anyone was wondering was barely tasting of garlic, so I really enjoyed it). I also love the Rasperry Soda you can get in a lot of restaurants.

Another highlight was the day at Magic Kingdom where we stopped on Main Street in the evening to enjoy the night parade and fireworks - prior to which they projected clips of new and old Disney movies onto Cinderella's Castle. Something definitely worth taking time to watch if you are at the park.

I also enjoyed going round the World Showcase at the Epcot park which gives you a small insight to cultures of many different countries. My personal favourite is always the Japan area where me and my sister got these adorable Sanrio characters (I do love a bit of Hello Kitty now and then).

So, I've tanned, I've shopped, I've ridden the rides, and now the only thing left to do is beat the jet lag (tips would be helpful)...

 

IN FLIGHT BEAUTY ESSENTIALS

In a matter of days (upon writing this post) I will be jetting off to Florida, and while you read this, I will be there, hopefully enjoying the sun as well as the beauty and fashion out there. In flight beauty is something I take quite seriously because my skin does get the worst of it when I'm on a plane.

It's a morning flight, so I will have recently done my whole skincare routine, which is why you only see the Balance Me Radiance Facial Oil* and Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask*, as I plan to slap these on to ensure for no dry skin issues, as we all hear of how much flights dry out your skin from video upon video of travel makeup bags.

I've also taken the Anatomicals Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer* gel pads because I think that popping these on half an hour before landing could do me well, relieve the stress (nervous flyer problems) and also make me look a little more awake after the 8 hour journey. To use afterwards, I have the Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener, as this is really lightweight but just seems to cover with a bit of tint any dark or tired-ness under the eyes.

I also have my Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm because we all know the pains of chapped lips, so I'll be topping my pout up with this very regularly. I put in the Burts Bees Hand Salve too because my hands are pretty dry at the moment, and once again, I don't want them to get any dryer from the plane.

Finally I have my Blink Contact Lenses eye drops, and although I am most definitely NOT wearing my contact lenses during the long haul flight, they come in handy for a refresh or just when I need them incase I put my lenses in upon landing.

So there you have it, everything that I will be using for some in-flight pamper. Expect to see numerous haul posts when I return...

AFFORDABLE JOGGERS: LAZY WEAR

So, as you may know I am going to the USA (Florida to be specific) in a matter of days when I am writing this post, and I will be there by the time this goes up. I was on the lookout for some joggers or leggings that looked quite nice for the journey, and I stumbled across these in Primark for £7 and I could have squealed.

I saw something similar in H&M for something around the £15 mark which is still quite reasonable, but for finding something cheaper that I still really like the look of, I obviously decided to save a few pounds.

They are a grey wool looking material with black accents like the waistband, heel cuffs and pocket linings, and I really like the style. Being short like myself, it is often difficult to find things like this that still look slim, but these seem to look really nice on me.

Overall, a great bargain and I know these will be my choice of at home loungewear from now on, and if you spot these in Primark, definitely get yourself a pair.

DR LEWINN'S BASE ADDITIONS

I was a little skeptical when a package containing 2 Dr Lewinn's products dropped through my door as I'd never really heard a great deal about the brand, other than their nail products which have been hyped by the likes of Lily Pebbles, but I hadn't seen any raves about their skin products, so obviously I thought I'd give them a go and share the feedback.

They are both anti-ageing products, and this isn't something that really bothers me nor interests me, I just use the products for their other purposes other than diminishing the appearance of wrinkles etc. which I'm not really sure I show any of being the age of 15 going on 16.

The first product is the Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Illuminiser*, which is basically a liquid highlighter. It's a stunning pale champagne colour, which adds a hint of candlelight sheen to the sheekbones, nose and brow bones (and wherever else applied). I tend to use this on these targeted areas using a contour brush or bigger eyeshadow brush, and buff it in, and I will tell you now, it the right light you get some serious glow. I'm yet to try mixing it in with foundation but that does interest me quite a lot so I'll report back on that one.

The second product is the Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Primer*, which comes in luxurious frosted glass type packaging. It doesn't carry the silicon texture that a lot of my primers have in common, so it's a nice addition to my collection. Although I can't entirely nail what this does specifically for my skin, it makes my base apply far more evenly and it also fades slightly lower, at a more even rate too.

Over all, two pretty good products. In my opinion, I recommend the Illuminiser over the Primer if I were to pick one for you to pick up, but definitely look into it if you are tempted. Have you tried anything from this range before?

TRANSITIONAL TOUCHES

It's coming to that seasonal change time of year yet again, as we welcome Autumn into or calendars, and sometimes I'm not quite brave enough to go for the full berry lip and smokey burgundy eye, so I thought it's be a nice idea to gather up some of the things I've been using to warm myself up for Autumn (excuse the pun).

 LIPS: For lips, as you might tell from the picture, I do go in very subtle to begin with. I'm quite a fan of the Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in Honey, and this is actually my second one of the stuff. It's a muted pink colour which is lightly darker than your average pink, and has a semi-matte, long lasting finish on the lips that really does stain. I also quite enjoy the Body Shop Born Lippy Plum Lip Balm as this offers a hint of tint in a slightly berry tone.

EYES: For eyes I'm not quite as restrictive as I am for lip products, and I like to crack out the slightly pink or red colours along with the warm bronzes, that do quite compliment my greenish eye colour. The first is in cream form, and its the Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow in Gemstone, which is a nice purple/pink/bronze. This Maybelline Quad in Coral Drama has a nice selection of autumnal colours, with the deep red at the end to fit in quite nicely with the season. The MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked is also a nice bronze offering for something a little more subtle, but the warmth really emphasises the autumnal ideas.

NAILS: For nails I do love my deep reds and plums but I also am I quite a fan of something more subtle, because I find it hard to go straight from pastel to vampy shades. Ciaté Starlet is a really pretty duocrome purple, olive shade and although it's a little metallic I actually quite like it. Sinful Colours Dancing Nails is also slightly metallic, but on long, square nails, it looks really nice, but I have to be in the mood for this one I guess.

So there you have it, if you would like to see the full on autumnal products I'm cracking out this year, do let me know. Also, the pictures in this photo were actually business cards I got from the Graduate Fashion Week, and I thought they made a nice touch so here's links Siobhan Morris and Toni Anne.

THE CHUNKY MONOCHROME JUMPER

The seasons are changing, and for me, that means buying more clothes. I was in the need for some new jumpers, and I had three ideas in mind; a monochrome option, a camel coloured one, and an oatmeal coloured one. In H&M I found the perfect 'salt and pepper' esque jumper and I cannot wait to get more wear out of this.

It cost me a mere £14.99 which is really affordable for a jumper, and it's just the right thickness - not too overheating, but not too thin that you need to wear something underneath for warmth in the colder months. I am picturing wearing this with ripped jeans, a leather jacket and ankle boots, or even some leather coated jeans if I can find any and a beanie - the looks are endless, which is why I really love it. It is a nice length, not cropped, but not oversized or long, and although it's not completely fitted, it isn't too baggy (I want an oatmeal one with these qualities instead).

I am hoping that H&M come out with some more jumpers of this style so that I can grab a couple more, but if you have been seeing any nice ones in any other stores, let me know.