Whistles in Amsterdam

The second fashion post in my Amsterdam series contains a Whistles bag in a very punchy shade of orange, which I first saw in Vivianna Does Makeup's Coachella vlogs. I've loved the Whistles clutch bags from afar for a while now and finally got my hands on this beauty via House of Fraser.

The Whistles bag seemed the perfect accompaniment to my outfit, as it added a pop of colour to the monochrome blouse and skirt.
The white lace top is actually meant to be an off the shoulder number but I thought it looked cute worn as a lace blouse. I tucked it into my new Oasis embroidered skirt, which was a sale bargain at £15.50!

All my evening out items fitted perfectly into the bag, I now want the black and metallic silver versions too.

What handbag have you been loving lately?

*This post contains a PR sample

My Travel Bucket List

After visiting Amsterdam recently, I’m eager to jet off again. I had the usual suspects on my bucket list, New York and Rome, both of which I have now ticked off but I still have plenty more places I’d like to see.

Dubai
Dubai is the place of extravagance and sky scrappers. I'd love to visit the huge hotels and malls the city has to offer. The Palm hotel looks insane, it has 28 different cuisines on offer and has underwater suites! Maybe one day... *prays to win the lottery*

Paris

I’d love to visit the city of romance for a long weekend, eating all the croissants and dreaming that I could be as elegant as the French fashionistas. Paris is a city filled with fashion inspiration, I might just wander into Chanel and buy a little something...

Los Angeles

Having ticked New York off my list, I’d love my next American visit to be Los Angeles as they are worlds apart. New York is a busy city but Los Angeles has the beautiful beaches and laid-back vibe I crave.

Budapest
The city is the next city break on my list, flights are incredibly cheap, so ideal for a long weekend. Budapest has a mixture of cultural, foodie and historical 'must see' places. The thermal baths are on the top of my list.

What's on your travel bucket list?

*This post is in collaboration with Travel Bag

My Top 5 Base Products with SPF

Did anyone else's parents smother your face in sunscreen until you resembled Casper the Friendly Ghost? I'm glad my mum did, no premature ageing for me!

New SPF innovations have been released, we have plenty of choice in products for the body, mists, mousses, gradual tans with SPF, tan extenders and waterproof lotions. There just doesn't seem to be many impressive SPF products for the face, if you are avoiding the ghost look.

Rooting through my skincare stash, I noticed some of my suncare already had SPF in the formulas. 

Starting with skin prep, both Vichy and La Roche Posay have excellent facial SPFs, both suitable for oily skin. The Vichy Ideal Soleil Mattifying Face Fluid Dry Touch has an SPF of 50 and the La Roche Posay Anthelios AC Anti-Shine Matte Fluid has SPF30. They both mattify the skin and make the perfect base for makeup.

Alternatively, you could choose to wear your face SPF in a primer, the Dior Forever and Ever Primer has an SPF of 20, I highly recommend this under any foundation.

With all three matte fluid formulas, I recommend you sweep the product over the face and don't rub in circles, as the product tends to ball up.

Not forgetting your eyes, as the above SPF's aren't to be used on the eyes. I recommend the Dermalogica Total Eye Care with SPF 15. If anyone has a recommendation for an eye cream with higher SPF, leave me a comment.

My favourite long wearing foundation, Estee Lauder Double Wear, will finish off the sun protection and is perfect for those who suffer from oily skin in the summer. It provides flawless, long-lasting, matte coverage and SPF 10.

What products do you use on your face to protect it from sun damage?

Lighthouse Isla in Amsterdam

My new Olympus Pen was well used on my recent trip to Amsterdam with my boyfriend, Rhys. I haven't got the fashion blogger poses mastered just yet but I wanted to show off my new Lighthouse 'Isla' Waterproof Coat in Watermelon.

A quick weather check while packing the day before, (why do I always leave things till the last minute?!), showed light rain mixed in with sunny days. So I packed this Lighthouse coat just in case, it's super lightweight and flattens right down so took little space in the suitcase.

Luckily, we didn't see too much rain but this coat was perfect for the light showers. It's comfortable and is very breathable while walking around.

The Isla coat is very stylish for something so practical. I went for the Watermelon colour choice, as it makes more of a statement paired with a plain outfit. Pull strings help nip in the waist and the hood can be unrolled from the collar.

If you like brands like Boden and Joules, you'll love the Lighthouse brand.
How do you balance stylish but practical clothing?

*PR sample

Diet on Trial: Exante Review

I recently lost 1st 3lbs on Slimming World, I changed my diet to low fat, fresh food, and small snacks. As soon as I got to my target weight, I went back to my old ways and quickly put the weight back on.

Exante contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying some of their food options. They create plans to cater to your needs and have a range of meal replacements and snacks with high protein levels to keep you fuller for longer.

I was sent some of the snack bars in strawberry jam and yogurt, cookies and cream and chocolate orange. I thought I'd give these a go first and they were easy to grab on the go. I found them very sickly sweet, the better one from the selection was the strawberry jam and yogurt.

Next up was the breakfast options, I had three shakes in the flavours; honeycomb, vanilla and lemon and raspberry. Again, I found the artificial flavours very sweet but they were nicer than the snack bars, as I could dilute them with more water. The other breakfast option was the vanilla flavour crispy cereal, along the same lines as Rice Crispies or Coco Pops.

I had one ready meal to try which was mushroom pasta. I'm glad that you can still have some of your favourite foods for dinner as healthier options. They have a good range of different main meals including noodles, burgers, curries etc.

Having tried a few options from Exante, I would say that the range is more suited to someone who doesn't mind artificial flavourings. It does have ease and convenience if you don't have time to cook. I however much prefer fresh foods over these.

You can find out more on Exante's website about their plans and food options.

*These products were sent to me to trial but as you can see I am always honest in my reviews

Look Fantastic Beauty Box #HelloBeautiful Review

Today is a quick run down on the Look Fantastic #HelloBeautiful Beauty Box. If you haven't seen these boxes before, the online beauty retailer, Look Fantastic curates edits of their current favourite products in sample sizes for you to trial. The box also comes with an issue of ELLE magazine and a mini magazine which explains the items and how to use them.






The first item up is the Wet Brush, I've been a lover of the Tangle Teezer for ages but the Wet Brush is honestly so much easier to use. It's like a Tangle Teezer on a brush handle, so it's amazing at detangling your hair when it's wet.

The other hair product in the beauty box is the Revlon Uniq One Coconut Hair Treatment, it's a leave in conditioner which smells amazing. I have tried this before and loved how nourished the ends of my hair felt. Glad to have this in a handy travel size.

I have also already tried the Eve Lom Cleanser, the sample has a good sized muslin cloth along with a sachet of the balm. It feels luxurious on the skin, so worth the investment if you love cleansing balms.

Another luxurious item is the Decleor Intense Nutrition Cocoon Cream, I think this product would make an amazing night cream as it will repair the skin as you sleep. The Vichy Liftactiv Supreme would also be great to keep your skin hydrated, it's a little too thick for me to use in the day, but would work well as a night cream.

The great thing about these boxes is trying brands you've not heard of before. I'm interested to see how the Ioma Youthful Moisture Cream works, this 7-day strip of capsules makes it amazing for travelling.

The product I'm most excited about in the box is the REN Wake Wonderful Night-Time Facial. I've tried the brands Glycolic Acid Face Mask and loved the results, the Night-Time Facial also contains glycolic acid so I expect the same great results.

You can find more out about the Look Fantastic Beauty Boxes here.

Sun Care for Pale Skin

My ghostly white pins only come out once or twice a year when the temperature reaches the high 20s. This week is 'Sun Awareness Week' (9th - 15th of May), so I thought I'd share some of my top tips and products, which Holland and Barrett have kindly provided, to help you stay safe in the sun if you have pale skin.

SPF

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SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. So what's the difference between an SPF15 and 50? SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent. 

Aloe Pura Organic Aloe Vera Sun Lotion with SPF 25 offers protection from the sun but also uses the moisturising properties of Aloe Vera to keep your skin hydrated.

I also love the La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC Anti-Shine Matte Fluid with SPF 30, for my face as it creates a matte base for oily skins.

RE-APPLY

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Even though most of the sun creams on the market say you don't have to re-apply after being in the pool or they are sweat proof, I still like to re-apply to be safe. Don't forget the top of your hands, feet and your scalp.

AFTER SUN

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We've all over done it in the sun, resulting in a lobester red complexion, so make sure to pack an aftersun. The Aloe Vera range also has a cooling aftersun. If you have a mini fridge in your hotel room, put the aftersun in there while you are out. It provides an instant cooling feeling on the red raw skin.

LIPS AND EYES

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People often forget to protect their lips and eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. Holland and Barrett have the Lavera Sun Lip Balm SPF10, slick this on to avoid dry, flaking lips.
Some eye creams contain SPF, so this will protect your eyes but I would also recommend investing in a good pair of sunglasses that have UV protection in the lenses. Squinting can also lead to crows feet so shades are a must.

ON YOUR RETURN

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Yes your tan will fade but the best way to avoid peeling is to keep the skin moisturised. I often find my nose catches the sun and peels but products like the Weleda Skin Food and the Trilogy Rosehip Oil will keep the skin hydrated. Swap your normal moisturiser for one with a gradual tan to extend the colour.

FAKE IT

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If you aren't going on holiday or prefer colder climates for vacations, you can just fake the golden look with fake tan. The Doctor Organic Morrocan Glow range contains a Pre-Tan Exfoliator Scrub, a Self Tan Mousse and Tan Extender.

Do you have any tips on staying safe in the sun?

*Contains PR Samples

Sephora Haul - Kat Von D, Bite and Marc Jacobs

‘So what would you like from Sephora?’…. ‘Everything’. My sister, the lucky sod, went to Las Vegas last week, so I immediately started writing up a wish list. I went for brands that aren’t stocked in the UK or are hard to find.



Lots of you on Twitter recommended the Kat Von D Liquid Lipsticks. I googled a few swatches and decided upon Bow ‘n’ Arrow, her famous sell-out nude and Double Dare, I’d seen Essie Button wearing this and fell in love. Bow ‘n’ Arrow is my new favourite nude. As for the formula, I drank many glasses of wine over the Bank Holiday and it didn’t budge and felt comfortable on the lips.

Bite’s cute mini lipstick set, called Spring Fling, was the perfect opportunity to try out a new lipstick brand. I’d heard lots of American Youtubers talking about how lovely the formula is. The set contains 3 of their Amuse Bouche Lipsticks in the shades, Gazpacho (shows as a true red in real life), Verbena (mink pink) and Beetroot (purple red), as well as a Line and Define Primer. I never actually use up a whole lipstick, so these are a great ‘trial’ size. I’ll let you know how I get on with these.

I got a little surprise from my Aunty who also went to Las Vegas, she picked up this Marc Jacob’s nail polish in Jezebel. It's a classic red I know I will get lots of wear out of. The box and bag are a little overkill on the packaging but love keeping little things like this!

What would you buy from Sephora?

TRAVEL VLOG: Porthmadog, Criccieth and Pwllheli

There is nothing more calming than fresh sea air. I'm lucky enough that my family own a caravan in North West Wales, in a place called Harlech. Rhys and I decided to take a trip and visit some of the neighbouring towns and villages. We explored Porthmadog, Criccieth and Pwllheli. 

I decided to film the trip to make use of my brand new Olympus Pen camera and test it out before our trip to Amsterdam next week.

Hope you enjoy my travel vlog!