Instagram: Cats, OOTDs and Brows

 And this is how I spent my Bank Holiday last week - I know you're 'suppose' to make every minute of it, but after a crazy few weeks at work, it was nice to spend some time just vegging out with a good book and a cat, of course.

 Can we all just appreciate the amazing-ness of Soap & Glory eyebrow products? My light a.k.a barely-there eyebrows, have a tough time in a world of Sharpie and quite frankly, scary, eyebrows. Nothing seemed to make them look natural but still there, except for the Brow Filling Pencil & Brush from Soap & Glory. Now people can actually see them!

 

I uploaded this OOTD the other day, and am still in love with it. I babble on about my skater shoes and just how much I've been wearing them recently. And I do another layering up outfit with my all-time favourite Breton jumper underneath. *insert sassy hand emoji*

 Another blogger cliche, but a room just isn't complete with some sort of plant. I picked these up last week from a supermarket and they're still going strong a week later! Good job I remembered to top up their water.

And a sneak peak of an OOTD that's coming later this week. I picked up a new purchase from Zara (obvs) and fell back in love with my gingham leggings. A new Zara shop has opened about five minutes away from me which is very dangerous, especially as they have all the new ranges in AND it was pay day last week. Please pray for my bank account.

What's been your highlight this week?

Rhiannon x

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Book Review: The Glam Guide by Fleur De Force

Not usually one to jump on the Youtuber book bandwagon (except for Zoe Sugg's Girl Online because I was curious but left disapointed, review here) I had heard great things about The Glam Guide By Fleur De Force and thought I'd give it a whirl.

The Glam Guide is categorized into Make-Up, Fashion, Hair, Health and Fitness, Body Image and Relationships. My particular favourites were the Make-Up, Health and Fitness and Body Image sections because you could tell it was Fleur writing it and not a ghost writer. She actually wrote the whole thing and because of that you feel like she's talking to you.

Each section is full of tips from finding your perfect foundation to the wardrobe essentials, and all are really helpful and not at all unattainable. She also shares her best tips for travelling and her favourite homemade skin and hair masks. As well as a small chapter at the back all about how to get into Youtube, then equipment to use and what's important when online blogging.

Overall I'd totally recommend this book if you're looking for realistic and honest beauty and fashion tips. Just to compare, I'd put this on par with Lauren Conrad's Beauty and Style books too! You can by The Glam Guide by Fleur De Force from Amazon for under £10.

Have you read the Glam Guide by Fleur De Force? What do you think?

Rhiannon x

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Products for acne and spot prone skin

Generally my skin has a few blemishes throughout the month then goes into a full-on meltdown at that time of the month. Because of that I generally have an arson of skincare to help my skin at particularly difficult times! I'm in no way an expert, but the combination of these products tend to improve my skin and help reduce blemishes.

After taking my make-up off, I'll opt for a clay mask. My current favourite is the Una Brennan Pore Purifying Clay Mask (they may have replaced it with a new Salicylic Acid Mask at £9.99 from Boots) This mask is deeply cleansing, as the clay really gets into all your pores and draws out all the impurities that can cause spots and blackheads. The salicylic acid also helps promote new skin renewal and unclog congested skin. I'll either apply this all over or just to my t-zone areas if I'm feeling a little lazy!

Next up I'll use a super moisturising cleanser like the Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser (£15 from Feelunique.com) as I hate using exfoliating face scrubs daily, because they tend to irritate my skin and cause even more breakouts. This cleanser includes Oats proteins to moisturise, whilst the White Tea refreshes and provides antioxidant protect to tone skin. I'll just squeeze a blob into my hand then lather across my face with warm water.

Although I don't usually tone every day, when my skin is particularly bad I like to use the Lush Tea Tree Water Toner Water (£7.95 from Lush) to help remove any excess oil across my t-zone. I've already done a full review on this product here, but it's a great anti-bacterial toner for keeping spots away and my skin feeling balanced. I'll add a few spritz to a cotton bud then gently sweep across my face. This also works great as a refreshing spray, so sometimes I'll add a couple of sprays direct to my face after applying my make-up too.

And my number one rule is to never forget to moisturise! Your skin won't be able to repair without a hydrating treatment from your moisturiser. I've used the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser (£4.50 from Boots) throughout my teens and find it to be a great standard moisturiser that won't upset my skin. With no added perfumes or colours and extra multi-vitamins, this moisturiser does what it says on the tin. Although you'll get skincare brands that do a lot more, when my skin is having a mare this moisturiser is perfect for calming it down. Just warm two blobs in your hand then gently massage into your skin in an upwards motion.

And for when your spots need a real arse kicking, I opt for the T-Zone Rapid Action Spot Zapping Gel (pretty sure I got this for a £1 in Savers or Bodycare!). This stuff is just amazing, full review here. Containing Tea Tree, Witch Hazel and Salicylic Acid (can you see an ingredient trend?!) this gel dries super quickly and leaves no sticky residue and works to reduce my spots. Although it doesn't get rid of them totally, it does a fab job of reducing the redness. A little goes a long way, so I just squirt a small amount onto my finger then dab onto the spot directly.

What do you think of this post? Have you got a favourite product for spot prone skin?

Rhiannon x

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OOTD: Colbat Peplum and Skates

 

Coat and Skirt: H&M

Top: New Look

Stripey Top (worn underneath): Mango

Shoes: Topshop

Bag: Zara

Necklace: Accessorize

When I was younger I always thought skater shoes were so uncool and vowed never to get a pair myself, yet here I am now with more than one pair! This Topshop pair are crazy comfortable and so easy to wear with smart or casual clothes. Usually Topshop shoes decide to hate the shape of my feet and painfully mould them to the shoe, but these have a cushioned sole and elastic slip-on top so you can slip them on and off easily. The black snake skin means they're still smart enough for work but I can dress them down with a pair of rolled up boyfriend jeans at the weekends. I've definitely been having a shoe moment these past few months after this post all about my current favourites.

I never thought an outfit like this would work but I really do love it. Cardigans get boring after a while and layering means I stay super cosy at work. Also the peplum shape is fab for adding the illusion of curves whilst covering my food baby (mainly cakes and the last of my Easter chocolate!)

What do you think of this outfit?

Rhiannon x

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A New Week

 

It's always that weird Sunday/Monday hybrid on Bank Holidays, that you never really get your head around until you're back to work on the Tuesday. So I kinda forgot to do my weekly Instagram post yesterday, mainly because this week has been a little bit mad.

My health hasn't been the greatest this week, waking up with mild migranes that it hurts to even blink and turn my head. Then getting sunburnt on Sunday with my feet now covered in that horrible itchy heat rash. Who'd thought that overcast sun can still burn fair skin with suncream on? 

But I do like Bank Holidays because they give me that little bit extra time to get prepared for the week. And I actually find that I'm more productive on a 4 day week, than I am during a 5 day week - but suggesting that to my boss went down like a lead balloon i.e. him laughing it off and telling me to get back to work. 

Hope you're all enjoying your bank holidays whatever you are doing!

Rhiannon x

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Review: Always The Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk

Always The Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk £7.99 from Waterstones

If you're ever in the need of a lighthearted chic-lit but still impactful and serious author, then Lindsey Kelk is the one for you. Her I Heart books make you want to travel to New York and never come back (seriously, I've tried!) and her latest edition is a fab page-turner.

Maddie is 31 years old, single and an assistant events planner to her awful boss. It begins with her best friend Lauren annoucing her engagement and shot-gun wedding, whilst another, Sarah, announces her divorce. So whilst juggling the bridezilla of the century, a mood-swinging divorcee, a fight for a promotion at work and stumbling through a steamy affair with a lawyer, Maddie reaches breaking point. It's a fun and exiciting romantic that represents the changes from your mid-twenties to a fully-fledge adult. 

I read this book in about 6 days and could not put it down, every time the train announced the next stop was mine I couldn't stop reading it. You never know what's coming round the corner and it's exciting to see how Maddie deals with the crazy things and accidents that happen to her.

Have you got a favourite chic lit authour? What's your go-to read at the moment?

Rhiannon x

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P.S I'm safe guarding my signed copy now...

What's My Face Worth?

Not one to jump on the blogger bandwagon... but I've seen so many What's My Face Worth posts and was curious to see how much mine was. Generally I stick to highstreet brands, as I believe it's better to spend more on skincare because then you wouldn't need to spend as much on make-up as you already have a great base to work with. 

First up is foundation as I never use primer on a daily basis, I've recently chosen the MAC Face & Body Foundation after lusting for it for so long. I've got shade C1 as my skin is more yellow-toned than pink, you can read my full review on this product here. Once I've got a medium sized blob, I'll use a Real Techniques Brush to buff it in. Then it's onto concealer and I use the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer on shade Ivory and blend that in with a small fluffy brush. After that it's the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in Vanille to set my base make-up.

Onto the important brows, I tend to go for pencil instead of powder (time is of the essence in the morning!) and I love using the Soap & Glory Archery Pencil in Blondeshell. Once that trauma is out of the way I sometimes add a little brown pencil eyeliner with the Revlon Eyeliner Pencil but some days I skip this altogether. Then I'll quickly swipe the L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara across my lashes, after curling them of course. And finally a natural flush of colour from MAC's Powder Blush in Fleur Power. If I'm feeling fancy I might add a dash of highlighter or swipe of lip crayon, but this is the basic of every day make-up I'll use!

MAC Face & Body Foundation: £28.50

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer: £5.49

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder: £8.99

Soap & Glory Archery Pencil: £8

Revlon Eyeliner Pencil: £4.29

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara: £10.99

MAC Blusher: £18

Overall £84.26. More than I expected, maybe I should look at getting my face insured next time? I joke of course.

 

And this is the finished results. Pretty simple but I'm not one to spend hours on my make-up each day, I believe sleep is more important!

How much is your face worth? I'd love some links to your posts!

Rhiannon x

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The Pointy Shoes

 Both from Primark. Grey pair £6 Black pair £10

If you've seen my last few OOTD's, then you'll probably heard me prattle on about these shoes enough times. But it's time they got their own post, and also so I can write all about two pair of shoes without feeling like I'm boring you to death. 

 

A weird hybrid between gladiator shoes and pumps, this pair has slowly grown on me. My feet are normally between a UK size at 5-6, but even the 5 are a little too big. They have a lace-up tie at the front and a zip for the heel and ankle, so these babies definitely won't fall off your feet. 

These are perfect for warm summer days and can be worn to work or with a casual outfit because they've just that versatile. I love wearing them with blue skinny jeans with the hem rolled up or with skirts and tights. 

 

 My favourite pair out of the two, they're a grey dove colour in a soft suede fabric with a cross over strap and buckle on the side. I've worn these so much, there's a little crease forming on the tip of the point. which is a little annoying but shows they're worn in and well loved. Compared to the last pair, these are a slightly smarter flat sandal, so don't try wearing these on a rainy day! Usually I'll pair these with jeans and especially with rolled up boyfriend jeans and a white t-shirt.

What do you think of these shoes? Have you got a favourite pointy pair of shoes?

Rhiannon x

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Instagram: Meeting Lindsey Kelk, Cupcakes and #TheLiveShoot

To say this has been another crazy week is an understatement! I was so glad to see Friday come around that I can't believe that it's almost Monday again. Ever wish that it was a three day weekend? Definitely something the new government should consider.

 

My sister sent this picture of me eating a wedding cake from a few weekends ago. Needless to say the bride and groom weren't around to see the picture, but it was just too tempting not to fake-eat it!

 

And I finally met one of my favourite authors! I mentioned in this post last week that I was going to an author event to meet Lindsey Kelk who's written the I Heart series, which I'm obsessed with. After the talk, signing books and taking pictures, we went to Jamie's for dinner, then bumped into her outside again and asked for another photo. She probably thought I was a stalker...

 

 

Yesterday I went along to #TheLiveShoot with Elle magazine and GHD hair to watch their August photo shoot and have our hair styled by GHD stylists with the new Platinum straighteners. It was actually a really good event, despite queueing for hours and the event running out of goody bags and food and drink. Anton styled my hair with loose curls that lasted all day and it was great to chat to someone about what styles would suit my hair and he almost convinced me to go short again. But we won't go that far!

 

After that we strolled along Kensington Gardens in the sunshine, watching people eating picnics and lolling around in the park. Sums up a pretty good Saturday to me!

What's been your highlight this week?

Rhiannon x

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A Day In London

It's weird that even though I work during the week in London, I never get to explore London. Not unless you call a quick whizz around Oxford Street a sight-seeing spot. So armed with my London Bucket List, I headed off with a friend to Primrose Hill (I didn't say they weren't going to be cliche...)

We caught the tube to St John's Wood and walked through all the posh houses in Primrose Hill - and they're serious posh! My Nanny used to live here when she was a girl and said it was such an awful area before it's amazing to see these houses now. This was one of my favourites, the white walls, black gates, stairs and climbing flowers looked so pretty.

 And we finally made it to Primrose Hill! Even though it wasn't the clearest of days, you could see the business area (middle to the left), the Shard (middle to the right), the BT Tower (right), London Eye (right) and so much more that wouldn't fit in the frame. I'd definitely come back in the summer when it's warmer and lighter with a picnic and Pimms of course!

Yes it was super windy at the top!

We then had a look around the area and a nose in all the posh shops, which was quite entertaining!

The obligatory mid-morning foodie stop at Sweet Things and their award winning scones had to be take up. Serious yummy, and real clotted cream which made me super excited - guess I'm just way too British!

We decided that this shop is how we'd want our house to look like. Squishy cushions, a massive bed and mismatched glasses and kitchen utensils, oh so Pinterest!

We swung by Camden Market for a nose around and found this camera-tech heaven. Think of all the photos taken with these! We didn't stay too long because it was rammed busy on a Saturday and half of it is under reconstruction still :(

 Obvs no London trip was without a dirty Five Guys Burger in Covent Garden. And I've finally realised where I was going wrong, tomatoes make the burger soggy every time, so they'll be coming out of my order.

And because we went on the day Princess Charlotte was born, we headed towards Buckingham Palace to see the announcement easel. Everyone had flags and were feeling so patriotic, it was actually a great time to be in the capital.

After ticking off Primrose Hill on my London Bucket List, there's still a ton to explore and see this summer, so watch out for those posts.

What's your favourite part of London?

Thanks for reading!
Rhiannon x

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Review: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner

When it comes to choosing shampoos, I'll normally stick to my favourites of Aussie and L'Oreal but I found these in Wilko at just £3.75 each - so it was hard to say no really! I've used old style Herbal Esscences before and found that they're a great standard haircare brand, and they have such a massive range that you'll definitely be able to find something to cater your hair.

A bit of hair background: mine tends to veer towards the curly and frizzy end of the spectrum, but with the right products (and patience) it's manageable. Fail that, there's always a hair band or bobby pin.

As with all Herbal Essences products, these smells just gorgeous with a slight coconutty scent that lingers in your hair. It says ideal for dry and damaged hair, which I'd definitely agree with because after using these two and blow drying, my hair feels super soft and silky I spend a few minutes just stroking it. They're super easy to lather in your hair because of the SLS in it, so people with sensitive scalps might find this a little irritating.

The only downside is that after washing, my hair only seems to last two days tops, whereas before I could get away with a third day, plus a ton of dry shampoo. So if you get greasy hair, then I wouldn't recommend this but they're targeted for dry and damaged hair anyway.

Besides that, these two are lovely for adding extra hydration and moisturiser for your hair, without breaking the bank. I'll definitely try these again, and perhaps a few more from their range too.

Have you tried these before? What's your favourite haircare brand?

Thanks for reading!
Rhiannon x

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OOTD: Pointed Flats and a Blazer

 

Mac: H&M

Blazer and Skirt: New Look

Top and Shoes: Primark

Bag and Necklace: Accessorize

Annoingly you can't see my new shoes in this picture! They're these black lace up pointed flats from Primark and I'm still wearing them to death. Even if they do make my feet look like a giant's. This blazer has also been my go-to jacket for work, because even though it's summer, the office I work feels like a freezer sometimes, so it's still layers even in May!

I'm planning to do a seperate post about my new pointed flats from Primark, as they'll be a definite staple in my up coming outfits - so you'll probably get sick to death of hearing about them! But I'm not as fickle with shoes as I am clothes, once I find a pair I love then I generally stick to them, especially my Converse. I think someone will have to prise them off my feet to stop me from wearing them 24/7.  

Have you got a favourite pair of shoes? What do you think of this outfit?

Thanks for reading!

Rhiannon x

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Instagram: New Lippie, Laughing and Lindsey Kelk

To fill in all the cliches, I'm so happy it's now May - even if the year does seem to be whizzing by. Warmer weather and sunshine are on the way, and after the surprising (and awful) election results, I need some summer sun to cheer me up! As usual, a little Sunday Instagram Summary which have been long-awaited since my mammoth Japan Photo Diaries (which you can catch up with here...)

 

 I'm not normally one to post 'selfies' - even the word makes me cringe sometimes, but I just can't find that right angle or pose! Even so, I was pretty proud of this photo because I managed to curl my hair WITH STRAIGHTENERS and apply a red-ish lippy without any hiccups *insert praying emoji*

 Most of the time my friends are either laughing with me or at me, mostly the latter. But even on the most rubbishy days all I need is a laugh to change my mood and all negativity is forgotten. (If you need a daily laugh, I'd totally recommend following Random Turtle on Instagram.)

A salad almost as big as my head must be a good thing. Myself and a work colleague were on the hunt for lunch last week and found a healthy food chain called Vital Ingredient. You pick your base and make up your own salad or pick one off the menu. This is the Oriental Prawns which I can personally vouch for being delicious. And yes I did eat it all...

Another week and another OOTD. My mac is out in full force now it's that spring/summer hybrid and not quite warm enough to go without a jacket yet. I'm wearing my new pair of grey pointy flats from Primark that I'm obsessed with, although not good in the rain, they're too pretty to leave behind.

Lindsey Kelk is one of my all-time favourite authors and she writes just the funniest books, I featured her in my favourites in this post here. Always The Bridesmaid only came out last week and Lindsey is doing a book tour round the UK, which I've got tickets for in London, so I'm super excited to meet her!

What's been your highlight for the past week? Have you read any Lindsey Kelk books?

Thanks for reading!
Rhiannon x

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