Life Update

Statue of Liberty, Rainy times in New York, Cruise Posing, Work Summer Party, My Boys, Moving in with Mum and her dog, My Cousin's Hen Party, Drunk selfies from Hen Party, My Boy looking after me, Birthday BBQ fridge shot, Sanderson Mad Hatters Tea, Islington Wedding, the pooches giving their approval to my new training shoes, Fiance showing off his 'cooking skills', Myself and a pirate, close up of afternoon tea goodness

I figured it's been a while since I updated my little life here on my blog, and my face hasn't made much of an appearance either!

Since we've been back from New York, oh I wish we were there still, a lot has been going on

We have sold our little one bedroom flat, our first home together, and have purchased a four bedroom semi detached house...sounds impressive but right now it is a building site. We are currently living with my Mum again. It feels like such a step backwards but knowing that at the end of the road we will have  and amazing house is making it bearable.

The house is a massive project and is taking up most of our time at the moment

It was owned by a lady who was a hoarder, literally as bad as you see on tv, she got up and left one day about three years ago and the house has just been left to rot basically, especially with a constant water tank leak...it was not a pretty sight (nor smell)

We've filled 6 large skips of rubbish and still have a back garden full

Once we eventually get in the house I'll post some pictures but right now stress levels are high!

I've been drooling over pinterest more than usual dreaming of the perfect interiors

At the beginning of August was my 23rd birthday

Gavin and I spent the day in Rye and Hastings, somewhere I spent a lot of time as a child

It was so lovely showing him all the different places I used to visit with my grandparents

We also had a BBQ/Party with friends and family as Mum's birthday isn't long after mine

I took Mum up to London for the day to celebrate her birthday, we had Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel, this was absolutely fantastic and I definitely recommend everyone to try it!

After some shopping on Carnaby and Oxford Street we headed to Covent Garden to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I was slightly worried it would be childish and immature but it was brilliant, just the right mix of whimsical, darkness and innuendo jokes

We both loved it

We also had a wedding up in Islington for a good friend

It was such a gorgeous day so we spent the majority of it outside

Instead of the traditional wedding cake they had hundreds of mini meringues and cream with strawberries to make your own desserts...the different coloured meringues were different flavours and were seriously good

Other than these events I've just been spending a lot of time with Gavin and my Mum, and the pooches of course

We haven't started wedding planning properly yet because of the house but as soon as that is done it's full steam ahead

At least the venue is booked though

Hope everyone's doing well :)

Love

Belle

xoxo

Sleek iDivine Eyeshadow Palette in 'Storm'

Sleek iDivine Eyeshadow Palette

£7.99

Superdrug

I whole heartedly love British drugstore make up

Sometimes I may be jealous of what those over the pond in the states may have but when you think about it us Brits have a pretty decent range of cosmetics available to us

We've got Barry M, Models Own, Natural Collection, Fashionista, MUA, Look...and of course Sleek to name a few

Sleek has to be my favourite though, it's not as cheap as the other brands but the products in terms of quality are most definitely up there with the likes of MAC and Benefit

The iDivine eyeshadow palettes have almost a cult following here and overseas

And rightly so

Every single palette I have tried out so far has been of fantastic quality

Super pigmented, soft, buttery, blendable

All attributes of a high end shadow

But for only eight quid for twelve colours!

I don't quite know why it's taken me so long to pick up one of the original palettes, Storm, but I regret not owning it sooner!

The colours included are the perfect mix, the top row being lovely, pale colours perfect for a subtle eye or the inner eye for a smokey look, and the bottom row are sultry and smokey 

Being one of the earlier palettes none of the colours are named unlike the newer collections but my favourite are the first three on the bottom row 

I've been loving green colours on my blue eyes lately, they just feel like flatter my eye colour

What's your favourite Sleek product?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Victoria's Secret Haul

Victoria's Secret holds a huge place in my heart

Whenever we go to the states I stock up on the stuff

I know the store has come over here now but I'm just not willing to pay the hugely marked up prices 

The body mists are my favourite item VS stock and this time round I bought 6...got a bit of a problem I must admit!

I bought some back as presents for friends too, they're just universally liked!

My favourite scent has to be Love Spell, a sweet smell which has peach and cherry blossom in

I bought a bottle of this duty free when I went to Kenya a little while ago and fell in love with the stuff so bought another two bottles when we were in New York

I always get compliments when I wear it

We're planning another trip over to the states in March so will most definitely be stocking up more

Knowing that I can stock up means I won't be so tight on using these goodies

I would definitely recommend the body mists and from what I've tried of the body lotion these are also amazing

Especially when the same scent is used throughout...yum!

Have you got any favourites from the Victoria's Secrets line up?

Love Belle

xoxo

Sleek Blush by 3 'Sweet Cheeks'

Sleek Blush by 3

Blusher Palette

Sweet Cheeks

£10.00

I'm not 100% sure if this is limited edition or now a permanent fixture to the Sleek line up but I do know I like it...

The Sleek blusher palettes are perfect if you're looking to add some new blusher shades to your collection but don't want to shell out too much hard earned cash

£10 for three full sized blusher pans is bloody good value, coming in it at £3.33 a blusher

They are extremely good quality for the price point and I highly recommend giving them a go 

In this palette you get a cream blusher in Cupcake, a matte blush in Dollymix and a shimmer finish blusher in Candyfloss

This is the first time I've ever tried a Sleek cream blusher and have to say I'm very much impressed, extremely pigmented, easy to blend, lasts well on the skin

everything you would want from a cream blusher in my eyes

The other two blushers are both powder, one a matte finish and one a shimmer

The shimmer shade, Candyfloss, is a bright pink leaning to more coral tones

As these are so pigmented a light hand is definitely needed when applying these blushers so as not to look like a clown! But that does also mean the product will last forever

The matte shade, Dollymix, is much more lilac and something I've never tried

This translates quite subtley to the skin, being matte it doesn't highlight any large pores unlike shimmer shades and is therefore very flattering on

I would imagine this palette would be good for all skin tones as the colours would look amazing on both fair and dark colourings

Have you tried any of the Sleek blusher offerings before?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain 'Honey'

Revlon

Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Honey

£7.99

I think it's fair to say I'm obsessed with these kind of lip colours

I've got the majority of the colours from Revlon available and am eying up various brands offerings

The way these products work is so convenient

You don't need to sharpen them as they just twist up and are super easy to apply in a rush (well the more neutral colours anyway!)

 The Revlon balms aren't as pigmented as the newer Clinique Chubby Sticks as they have been reformulated to be more so. However I quite like the way these provide a glossy wash of colour, nothing too bright.

The Red colour is probably the darkest but is subtle enough to be wearable in the day time,  great for a bright colour phobe like me! 

The swatch above is of the colour Honey

A gorgeous nude toned pink,  perfect for day wear

It's the best my lips but better shade for me and I can apply without a mirror at anytime

Great for work

I find the formulation softening and smoothing on the lips, moisturising too which doesn't normally come from a coloured lip product

Love

Belle

xoxo

MAC Paint Pots in 'Indianwood' & 'Let Me Pop'

 Paint Pots in Indianwood and Let Me Pop

£14.50 each

MAC

I bought these from Macy's in New York, couldn't go to America and not buy any MAC

I didn't purchase as much as I thought I would, mainly because the stand in Macy's didn't sell the eyeshadow pans only the ones in the pots and having a palette I didn't want to waste the extra money on the packaging

I bought Rubenesque a couple of years ago and use it on a regular basis, at least once a week, and just love the formula of the shadow

They last so long on my lids and are so easy to just pop on with some eyeliner and that's pretty much it

I was initially drawn to Indianwood, a gorgeous rich brown tone described by MAC as a metallic antique bronze

This looks gorgeous built up with some brown liquid liner and has become my go to look for work on a day to day basis

Let Me Pop is a light peachy toned gold which to me is slightly lighter than my favourite Rubenesque and when the mua said it was limited edition I knew I wanted it, but it seems to be available on the UK website...sucker right here!

The website describes the colour as a frosted light copper

This one doesn't last quite as long on my lids without a primer compared to Indianwood but it is more subtle for the days I need something but don't want it too in your face

These were only a few pounds cheaper bought in the states but still every little helps (tescos ftw) and I'm glad they're in my collection

Love

Belle

xoxo