Carmex Tinted Lip Balm

Carmex Tinted Lip Balm £4.99

I think I may have found the best tinted lip balm ever, bold statement I know but I've finally found a tinted lip balm that I love. Tinted lip balms are a hard thing to get right because you want a decent colour pay off but you still want the balm effect and at this time of year I'm always looking for one with SPF and I think I've found the perfect all rounder. I recently discovered Carmexs range of tinted lip balms on offer in Superdrug at just £2.99 and thought what the hell I'll give it a try, I'd been searching around Boots and Superdrug looking for a tinted lip balm with SPF that would see my through summer and festivals for ages now and had no luck - it's harder to find than you think.

The Carmex Tinted Lip Balms retail at £4.49 so still affordable when not on offer, the lip balms come in a plastic cylinder case that's not that sturdy but we'll let that slide and they have the signature Carmex smell and tingle. The two shades I picked up are berry and peach, the berry shade is a red that packs a punch for a tinted lip balm and the peach that leaves a sheer peach tint to the lips. The formal of these lip balms are great they contain vitamin e, aloe, shea butter and contain SPF 15 so protect your lips from the sun as well as giving you a hint of moisture, colour and shine.

These lip balms are great for easily slotting into your pocket or makeup bag and will be really handy for festivals because they contain SPF, they have a slanted tip so it's easy to apply and the formula makes for it just to glide on. As it's a tinted lip balm the colour doesn't last a long as a lipstick which is to be expected but that's nothing to grumble about, the berry shades leaves slight lip liner effect when it wears off but that soon goes when you reapply. You can probably tell that I love these tinted lip balms as I can't stop raving about them, good job Carmex!

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ASOS Premier

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If you're an avid online shopper and a fan of ASOS you've probably already got ASOS Premier or at least heard of it. If you haven't let me fill you in ASOS Premier is a VIP service that offers you free unlimited next day delivery for a year, 10 free ASOS magazines (if you're a female customer), free returns, early access to sales and exclusive sales all for only £9.95. I think it's a great deal as next day delivery for one order is £5.95 so for only £4 more you're getting free next day delivery for a whole year. This service will come in handy for any order you place as you know you're going to get it the next day if you order before 10pm on a weekday and before 5pm at the weekends, it will come in especially handy for when you leave buying to the last minute for an outfit or present and just think about Christmas time, I'm getting excited just at the thought.

I bought ASOS Premier and have been really impressed with the fast service, I got my confirmation order within minutes of placing my order and I got constant updates on my delivery and even got a one hour window of when my order would arrive. As well as getting a delivery one hour window I also got the opportunity to leave it with my choice of neighbour or pick another date if the option I have wasn't suitable. I did have a tiny issues to begin with where my order email said my order would be delivered 3 days later than it should but a few quick tweets to the very helpful ASOS Twitter help team and they assured me my order would arrive the next day, and it did.

When it comes to returning your unwanted items for a refund or an exchange the process is simple you fill in the refund paperwork that you get with your order, reseal the package and label up your order with the supplied label. You also have an option of 6 different couriers to return your order; Royal Mail, Collect+, Hermes, In Post, My Returns and Doodle. I used Royal Mail for my returns and had no issues, returns can take up to 7 working days to be processed. The only moan I have about the return process is that I didn't get an email to let me know that ASOS had received my item for return or that they had refunded my account but again the here to help Twitter team couldn't be more helpful.

ASOS Premier can be bought from the ASOS website, I'll link the page for you here. Unfortunately this service is only available for UK residents only.

 

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Maybelline Master Sculpt Contour Kit

Maybelline Master Sculpt Contour Kit £6.99

 

Recently Maybelline released a contour kit available in two shade 01 Light Medium and 02 Medium Dark and I'm pleased to say it's really rather good. The Maybelline Master Sculpt come cased in a square compact with two compartment, the top compartment holds to contour and highlight while the bottom has a large square mirror and a brush. The kit is two thirds contour and one third highlight. I'm a pale girl but picked up shade 02 Medium Dark and it's great even though it's the darker of the two shades the lightest shade looked like the contour would be very subtle so I think if you've got dark skin then the this would be too light for you.

 

The contour is matte and the perfect contour shade for creating a natural looking shadow that's not at all orange or muddy looking, the highlight shade is subtle but buildable. My only little gripe about this product is that because the highlighter is smaller than the contour it makes it a slightly harder to pick up with the brush without it falling into the contour shade but overall I can't really complain, I really do love this kit. The brush that comes with the kit is ok it's a nice added extra but if I'm honest I won't use it and if the kit came without it I wouldn't be bothered. If you're looking for a contour kit that's affordable with great shades I'd really recommend this one, I think this might be the best drugstore contour kit out there right now.

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June Favourites

Time for another monthly favourites as we approach July, this months favourites is very beauty heavy. Right lets get to it... With the warmer dare I say summery weather (well all two days of it) I've been reaching for the Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation £11.99 to give my skin a fresh luminous glow. This foundation is creamy and lightweight with a thicker consistency that most foundations but it gives a really lovely fresh faced finish. You can read my full review on the Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation here.

 

Primark is my favourite place to get pyjamas from as the PJ section is full of cool cute pyjamas at reasonable prices. I've bought my fair share of PJs from Primark recently as I'm loving their collection right now. This minuet I saw the Emoji (£8) pyjamas bottoms on Primark I had to have them and when I saw them in the Glasgow store I ran to them and grabbed my size, I also got these super cute cropped PJs in the vintage cereal and MTV designs (both £8). Then in my local Primark I picked up these palm printed PJ bottoms in the sale for around £2/3.

 

This month I've been loving the Real Techniques Sculpting Set that I recently bought I've used it almost everyday since I bought them. All three brushes are great quality and a bargain at £20.99 they also wash really well. The fan brush is great for dusting off extra powder and applying highlighter, the setting brush is ideal for blending and setting concealer and powder under you eyes, lastly the sculpting brush is excellent for contouring it slots nicely under the cheek bone to create a natural looking shadow and it blends products really well. These brushes are a welcome addition to my brush collection and I know I'm going to get a lot of use from them.

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So unless you've been hiding under a rock then you probably know that June saw the eagerly awaited next instalment of Orange Is The New Black with Netflix adding all of season 3 on the 12th of June. I drew it out for as long as I could but watched the whole season in under a week, sorry not sorry! I'll be honest I didn't love this season as much as the previous ones which is a shame, I hope the next season is better but big love for Ruby Rose who is a babe! 

My most reached for blusher this month has been Dallas by Benefit £23.50, it's a pinky brown bronzer meet blush that gives a subtle hit of shimmer and a rosy bronzed glow over my face. The packaging it quirky with just the right amount of gimmick, £23.50 is a little pricey for a blusher but I really like it. Dallas is a great blush for us pale and fair skinned people.

Lastly this month I've been loving the Maybelline Master Sculpt Contour Kit £6.99 this contour and highlight duo is affordable and easy to use and gives you the perfect contour colour for under your cheekbones. My review on the Maybelline Sculpt Contour Kit will be up on my blog on Wednesday so make sure to pop back to read that, you can follow my blog by pressing here!

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Taylor Swift 1989 Tour | The Hydro | 23/06/15

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday night in Glasgow saw 12'000 eager and excited people cramming into the SSE Hydro for Taylor Swifts sold out performance of her 1989 tour. The merchandise stand queues where almost out the door as everyone wanted to get their hands on a souvenir of what would be an incredible night. Lots of homemade signs (even some with lights), costumes and excited fans decorated the hydro for top to bottom, everyone even got a light up wrist band that changed colour and lit up the the music. The lights went down right on time and the show began with Taylor and her dancers performing Welcome To New York and with that saw the start of a two hour spectacle. Taylor looked flawless through out, her costumes were gorgeous and she walked the runway like a Victoria's Secrets model. 'I happen to love Scottish people' Taylor told the crowd as she went on to say how her dad had sent an email telling her to tell the Scottish crowd that most of their family was Scottish. 

The setlist was mainly made up of Taylor's recent and bloody brilliant hit album 1989, with a few older favourites thrown in. I loved that when she played 'I Knew You Were Trouble' and 'We Are Never Getting Back Together' they had a rocker sound. There was a really gorgeous moment when Taylor did a mash up of Enchanted and Wildest Dreams on the piano and Clean was another stand it moment for me. The pop breakup/love ballad Blank Space had me singing and dancing along as did the last song of the night Shake It Off, in fact I was on my feet all night singing and dancing my heart out. 

Between songs, costume changes and stage resetting video clips played of some of Taylor's famous friends (Cara Delevigne, Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez to name a few) talking about her, her album, female friendship and empowerment. Taylor's chats between song were along the same lines mostly about friendships, empowerment, love and heartbreak but instead of sounding like a preacher she does it with such humour and honesty. 

Taylor brought glitz, glamour and a lot of pop to Glasgow and the crowd loved every minuet of it. I cannot explain just how fun, inspiring and utterly brilliant the night was. While the crowd screamed, cheered and clapped along at times Taylor looked genuinely overwhelmed. If your going to see the 1989 world tour your in for a treat I guarantee you'll leave a bigger fan than when you went in. It's easy to see why Taylor Swift is the hottest thing in the music industry right now and she's a great role model for young people all over the world. Props to Taylor, her amazing dancers and backing singers for putting on a pop show extravaganza! 

Ps) can I be part of your girl-gang Taylor?

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Festival Fashion Inspiration

Following on from yesterday's post where I shared my top 20 festival tips with you today I thought I'd share with you some festival fashion inspiration. Outfits for festivals should be practical, comfy and make you feel confident there's no point in wearing something that you feel uncomfortable in or that you have to constantly sort - ain't nobody got time for that! I've been looking online and in stores for festival inspiration and thought I'd share it with you. (all items are linked and the photos are taken from the stated website)

Backpack // New Look via ASOS

Dr Martens // Office 

Clear Mac // Parisian at New Look

Choker // ASOS

Top // ASOS 

Shorts //ASOS

This clear mac is super cool and quirky I've been thinking about getting one for a while now what do you think? I think they'll be nice for a festival because it will keep you dry and your outfit will still be on show plus it's got a hood and pockets. The only problem with jackets like these are that some of them make a horrible noise when it rubs together, this only is only £22.99 from New Look so wont break the bank. I really like these black ombre mom shorts from ASOS I actually ordered them last month so I had them for festival season, they have a little turn up and are high waisted which I love, I think they'll look really nice with a top tucked in like this striped cami from ASOS. When it comes to festivals footwear has to be practical and comfy for me and I love my Dr Martens I'd recommended them to anyone who goes to a lot of festivals. I would pair this outfit with a choker and a backpack so I had somewhere to store all my essentials and the mac when the weather was nice, I think this would be a cute outfit for any festival.

Bag // New Look 

Wellies // New Look 

Cami // New Look 

Shorts // New Look 

Waistcoat // New Look 

Denim Jacket // New Look

Sunglasses // New Look 

This outfit is a one stop shop everything is from New Look, the bag would hang nicely over the shoulder or across your body, it's great size for everything you need without the temptation to over pack and you can draw the bag in to stop people getting their hand in when your in the crowd. The high leg wellies would be great for a rainy day because with rain comes mud and the sunglasses would protect your eyes whatever the weather. Now on to the bulk of the outfit the shorts have a really nice tile flower print with a drawstring waist and tassels and the black cami would look nice oversized and slouchy tucked into the shorts, paired with the long line crochet fringed waistcoat would give the outfit a festival feel plus it's lightweight for when it's warm and you can layer it up with the denim jacket (again I'd wear it oversized) when it gets cooler in the evening.

Jacket // New Look

Top //Kendall and Kylie for Topshop

Shorts // Topshop

Bag // New Look

Boots // Dr Martens  

Who says festivals need to be all about prints? This simple monochrome outfit is gorgeous I love the top from Topshop it's part of Kendall and Kylie range for Topshop and I think the wrap over, gypsy style and lightweight fabric is great for a festival teamed with distressed black denim shorts, a pair of Dr Martens, a cute fringed tassel bag from New Look that can double up as a backpack and an across body bag then complete the look with a leather jacket for the cooler nights. Just remember to pack a waterproof mac and your all set. I really really love this outfit *heart eye emoji*

Jacket // ASOS

Dress // Topshop

Backpack // New Look

Wellies // New Look

I love oversized denim jackets like this one from ASOS they might cool cover ups for festivals, you can usually pick up jackets like this at the stalls at the festival if your feeling spendy! This printed dress comes complete with pockets making it great for a festivals pair it with these calf length wellies to keep the mud at bay (they are only £17.99) and this cool quirky silver backpack from New Look. I have this backpack you might remember seeing it on my blog at the start at the month, I bought it for festivals as I love the structured shape and it's actually rather roomy.

I hope you like these outfits they've certainly got me in the mood to go festival shopping. Are you going to a festival this year? What's are you planning to wear? Let me know in the comments below.  

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My Top 20 Festival Tips

 

Another year, another summer, another festival season to get excited/jealous about. If you are a fan of live music then the chances are high that you'll be attending a festival this year whether it be for a day or a weekend, I am only going to one festival this year (sob) and that's T in the park in July but I'm also going to see Paolo Nutini at Glasgow Summer Sessions.

As festival season has started up again I thought I'd share my festival tips with you. These tips are aimed at any festival goer but are tailored more towards weekends non-campers festival goers - as I've never camped at a festival. You might consider these tips to be basic simple tips but these tips always come in handy for me a self-confessed festival addict and I've learnt from personal experiences.

1. Stay hydrated yup you might have had 14 beers but throw in a bottle of water every now and again to keep yourself hydrated you don't want to ruin the festival for yourself by becoming dehydrated. 

2. Plan your trip this might sound like a bit of a boring one but have a rough plan of what you want to do/see while at the festival. There's so much to do as well as the hundreds of acts to enjoy, there's nothing worse than not seeing the act you were desperate to see. 

3. Think before you wear that playsuit might look cute but you know what's not? Having to spend more time than necessary in and around the portaloos. If you need a hand to get in and out of your outfit to go to the toilet it's not for a festival! You want to feel comfortable, confident and happy in your outfit.

4. Take sunglasses not only do they protect your eyes from the sun, they also hide the under eye bags and stop people from seeing your drunk eyes!

5. Don't take your entire purse a heavy purse will only take up more room and you don't exactly need your Boots advantage card so only take what you need like your ID, money and bank card - I'm not one for taking my bank card but there are ATMs at most festivals. 

6. Have a hands free bag because you'll want your hands for dancing, drinking, eating and waving in the air, you won't want to worry about keeping a hold of your bag. I like backpacks for festivals and there's lots of nice ones out there but the downside is you can't get things in and out that fast. Across body bags are good too! 

7. SPF whatever the weather do yourself a favour -I'm talking for experience - pack and wear SPF everywhere, don't forget your lips! It protects your skin from sunburn and damage even if it doesn't look hot and sunny spending all that time outdoors it's best to protect yourself. 

8. Never wear sandals well of course it's up to you if you want to wear sandals or not but for me it's a definite no, I always opt for boots or willies if it's heavy rain. Festivals can be so dirty with rubbish all over the place plus the crap in and around the portaloos (literally) you don't really want that on your feet. Plus you want something comfy because you going to be on your feet for a long time, my favourite shoes for festivals are my Doc Martens. 

9. Use a SPF lip balm I touched on this earlier in the post, to stop your lips from getting sore, chapped, dry and damaged take a lip balm that contains SPF and don't forget to apply it your lips will thank you for it - talking from personal experience again!

10. Tissues I cannot express how important tissues are, take a truck load because they come in handy. You will need them more so for the portaloos as they never have toilet roll so it's safe to take your own but be warned hide them because when you're standing in the long queue for the toilets and people see you with tissues you'll be pestered by every second person who wants 'just one'!

11. Invest in a waterproof always always always take something waterproof, the weather is so unpredictable here in the UK it's better to be safe than sorry. Something lightweight that can be thrown in your bag and chucked on if it starts to rain, you can buy some nice waterproofs now on the high street. If you want to show off your outfits you can find nice clear see through parkas in the likes of Primark, New Look, Topshop and ASOS. As long as it keeps your dry you'll be grateful because soggy clothes are no fun and will only make you colder.  

12. Take sandwitch bags this sounds strange but resealable sandwich bags are a life saver when there's heavy rain at a festival. Pack a few and put all your valuables in there to stop them getting damaged, the bags are waterproof so it's great for your phones, cameras and tickets!

13. Be Safe look after yourself and the people you go with, if someone's had a bit too much to drink don't let them wander off on their own. If you're splitting up with your mates arrange a meeting point and time, if you're not great with directions use the festivals app or buy a map so you don't get lost.

14. Take a Portable Charger these things are a god send. It keeps your phone charged on the go so you can keep in contact with your friends, keep an eye on the festival app and take photos until your hearts content. Most of them are lightweight and not too bulky so you can charge your phone with ease, it saves you having to stand in the seriously long line to use the overpriced mobile phone charger areas. You can pick up a good portable charger for cheap on amazon.
 
15. Don't over pack your the one who has to carry your stuff and 3 days with a heavy bag will kill your back and shoulders. I've done my fair share of over packing when it comes to festivals but trust me you don't need a makeup bag packed with every product you own. Pack only what you need; your purse, phone, tickets, tissues, hand sanitizer, SPF, a lip balm, a waterproof jacket/cover up/emergency poncho.

16. Always take a cover up because no matter how glorious a day it is the chances are you'll go through a cold patch. Whether it be a kimono, jumper, hoodie or jacket pack an extra layer that you can chuck on if you get cold.

17. Want to get to the front fast? Go down the sides it'll be much faster than pushing your way through thousands of people. Also don't be that dick that pushes people out the way to get to the front and then leave 10 minutes into the set and have to push out again! 

18. Take hand sanitizer it'll come in so handy for the grotty portaloos. As you probably know portaloos don't come with a sink so hand sanitizer is great for cleaning your hands when you come out of the portaloos as most of them will run out of the supplied hand sanitizer fast. Baby Wipes work just as well and help keep you clean.

19. Explore the festival there's so many things going on at festivals so make the most of it and go and explore it. Check out new bands and unsigned bands, check out the stalls you might pick up something unique, dance away in the dance tent, visit the comedy tent, there's always something going on so if there not an act you want to see try something new.

20. Have a great time you've spent months waiting for the festival to come round, spent a lot of money on your ticket and have probably hyped it up in your head and with your friends so make the most of it and have a great time! Dance the night away, sing till you've lost your voice, soak up the sunshine, get soaked in the rain, make new friends, create new memories just have a brilliant time so what if your covered in mud and soaked by the rain so is everyone else, so embrace the great British festivals and have a wonderful time.
 
I can't wait for T in the Park, I absolutely love festivals they are an essential part of the summer. What festivals are you going to this year? What are your top festival tips let me know in the comments. Check back tomorrow to see my festival fashion inspiration post it goes up at 7am, make sure to hit my bloglovin button to never miss a post!

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