Barcelona Haul

I must start off with an apology - it's been a little while and a big change in season since I last posted. I've had a very busy few months in work and I've been feeling pretty run down so a few weeks ago I went to Barcelona for five days to visit one of my best friends. I try to visit at least twice a year to catch up with my friend and partake in some serious shopping, sightseeing and salivating (at all the wonderful food). Living there, my friend knows all the best little coffee places, dive bars, restaurants and cocktail bars so I luckily never find myself falling into the tourist trap. I don't think I will ever get bored of the city, so vibrant and energising I come back filled with inspiration and a bulging suitcase (not to mention waistband!). Highlights from my trip included a sunset trip up the Nativity tower at la Sagrada Familia, cocktails at Chătelet in the stylish Gràcia region of the city, a rooftop brunch at Federal and a stunningly sunny afternoon spent wandering around Parc Güell.

Of course for me, a trip to the city wouldn't be complete without a good few hours spent wandering round the shops. I always come armed with a list of ZARA items that I find difficult to get hold of in the UK as well as a mile-long KIKO wish list. I also paid a trip to the beautifully tempting & Other Stories store. Unsurprisingly I picked up a number of items...


KIKO Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette in 01 Lounge Tones

This is a stunning six-shade palette featuring warm neutrals, golds and mauve shades, perfect for the festive period. I've been so busy I'm yet to try it, but I have been greatly impressed with the pigmentation and colour pay-off of KIKO eyeshadows in the past so I'm certain this will not disappoint. I also picked up one of their Laser Nail Lacquers in 436 Strong Chocolate, as I am a massive fan of dark nails in winter and although not normally a massive fan of shimmery nails, I simply couldn't resist this decadent shade.

Sephora Mineral Powder Brush #45

OH-EM-GEEEEE! This is THE most incredible foundation brush I have ever used. A bold but entirely justified claim in my opinion. I am yet to use this brush for it's actual purpose, but using liquid foundation this brush gives the most flawless, airbrushed finish. I didn't have long to spend in Sephora (sigh) but I had heard great things about Sephora brushes in general and it was love at first sight with this bad boy. What made this purchase even better was that I foolishly wasn't aware that everything was 15% off in the store that day until I got to the till, making this brush an absolute bargain. I only wish I'd known that sooner so that I could have picked up some others in the range... 

ZARA Mini City Bag and Checked Scarf with Lace Detail

Ask any of my friends/family members and they will tell you that my handbag collection is bordering on the ridiculous (read: already ridiculous). I have a particular penchant for ZARA handbags as I feel they consistently deliver amazing yet highly affordable, timeless, stylish and functional designs. I've been wearing my black ZARA City Bag for around 15 months now and I still cannot bring myself to take any other bag to work every day. I had been eyeing up the mini versions for a while, yet hadn't been able to justify the expense. However given that ZARA is so much cheaper in Spain, I had to snip this bag up at only 29.99 EUR. The juicy raspberry red colour is perfect for the festive season and since I wear mostly black, white and neutrals I feel that this little gem adds a perfect pop of colour to liven up my winter outfits. I also couldn't resist this HUGE checked scarf which is so massive it can double up as a blanket on long journeys! Although you can't tell from the picture, it has beautiful black lace panels which I think sets it apart from the masses of checked scarves around in the shops at the moment.

As I mentioned above I also paid a visit to the beautiful &Other Stories store on Passeig de Gràcia, where I picked up some gorgeous rose gold cube studs for a mere 5.00 EUR and some 'Shinjuku Bloom' Hand Lotion which although not very in-keeping with the season, is utterly divine and was definitely my favourite scent out of the lot.

That was definitely all I was able to cram into my suitcase this time, but I will be returning to Barcelona in March for my beautiful, aforementioned friend's hen do... I'm counting my leftover €€€ as we speak!

Weekly Favourites #1

It's been a strange old week... With a nip in the air and a heavy downpour what felt like every ten minutes, the winter coats came out of hibernation and one of my favourite A/W nail shades was dusted off (O.P.I's I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic) and excitedly applied. A little trip to Wales this weekend to visit a friend had me packing my favourite pair of Topshop chocolate ankle boots to wear with skinny jeans. Little did I know the sun would crack it's flags once again and I'd be basking in glorious sunshine for most of the weekend.

My weekly favourites therefore, are a bit of an odd bag. Having favoured a lighter, dewy base for most of the summer (mainly switching between bareMinerals Original Foundation SPF 15 in 'Fairly Light' for work and Dr Jart's Water Fuse BB Cream at weekends), I dug out my trusty, slight battered and bruised Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation this week which has been my favourite foundation for the past few years as I find it gives me both amazing coverage and a flawless, glowing finish. Due to the fact that my skin is of the combination/oily variety (oh joy) I pair this with the original Laura Mercier Foundation Primer as I find it sits perfectly on top of my moisturiser without clogging my pores and increases the longevity of my foundation ten-fold.

With some money I received for my birthday in August, I finally got my hands on the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla which I find is both hydrating and illuminating without drawing a big sparkly line right towards the very flaws you're trying to conceal. I am SUPER impressed with this concealer. Staying with the 'glowy' theme I've been using the Max Factor Miracle Touch Cream Blush in 'Soft Pink,' which I find gives a beautiful natural (ish) flush to the cheeks when applied with a stippling brush. I've also recently discovered theBalm Mary Lou Manizer, which when applied very sparingly gives a gorgeous glow to the cheekbones - I had it on this weekend and my friend instantly demanded to know where she could get her hands on one (Amazon / Feel Unique if you're interested). WARNING - do use the very lightest stroke of this stuff as it packs a heavy-duty, shimmery punch.

Whilst rooting through my eyeshadow stash for some autumn shades,  I came across this loose pigment from KIKO that I picked up on sale in Barcelona earlier in the summer. I am a pretty clumsy individual so loose pigments are not something I pull out on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. However I gave this one a go and found that is a lovely warm-toned beige with a subtle shimmer. I used it all over the lid on top of my chosen eyeshadow bases (MAC Painterley Paint Pot - standard) with MAC Swiss Chocolate shadow in the crease. Coupled with a little of the crease colour under my eyes and a mini gel liner cat flick, this little experiment resulted in a very wearable warm autumn eye look. I will definitely be dabbling with this bargain pot of pigment again.

With the heating cranked back up earlier in the week I've been loving my Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in the shade 01 to give a hint of colour whilst still keeping my smackers nice and moisturised. I've also been enjoying a subtle nude lip in the form of the Creme Brule Revlon Lip Butter which I find perfectly compliments a warm smokey eye.

Until next week folks...

Philip Kingsley saved my life.

Okay, okay so I may be known for some overt drama queen tendencies - if you want proof just ask my closest friends about that Monopoly game in 2008... But regarding this little tube of pure magic my proclamations are entirely justified.

Despite having a sizeable mop of naturally curly hair my locks are a downright slave to styling. The past ten years have been spent blow drying, straightening and then blow drying some more. Since I mastered the art of the curly blow dry some years ago, my locks have been whipped into big bouncy waves practically every other night, undergoing at least twenty minutes of intense heat per session. Although I'm pretty heavy handed with the heat protection spray (currently using this - mainly because it smells like Chanel Chance Eau Tendre and seems to do the job), with SIX barrelled brushes in tow breakages are always inevitable.

I'm currently at the stage where my hair is due for a trim (but I'd rather spend the money on new shoes...) and I'm starting to resemble a banshee who's been hanging out of a helicopter. I was therefore delighted when I spotted InStyle magazine were giving away a free 40 ml tube of Philip Kingsley Elasticizer with their October issue. Despite having a subscription to InStyle, which unfortunately does not include the free gifts, I'd heard such great things about this product and had much success with other Philip Kingsley products that I decided to buy another copy to bag this bargain.

I ran a dollop of this intensively conditioning pre-shampoo treatment through wet hair, piled it on top of my head with a couple of sectioning clips and donned a very sexy plastic shower cap. I pottered about for twenty minutes before rinsing out and following with my current shampoo and conditioner favourites. Even whilst wet I noticed how smooth and nourished my previously parched ends felt, but following my usual bouncy blow dry routine I was astounded by the results. Not only was my hair completely transformed into shiny, nourished waves, but it appeared to have added volume and my curls were noticeably heavier, without weighing down my roots one teeny bit. Even more miraculously, despite having to tie my hair back for my ten hour shift in work the following day, when shaken out for after-work drinks I needed to do little more than run a comb through the front sections and add a few kirby grips for my desired half-up half-down look.

24 hours later

I am mightily impressed with this little freebie (well done Philip Kingsley & InStyle) and will definitely be purchasing the full sized version in future months. Well my dramatic episodes just wouldn't be the same without the big hair now would they?

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Hello.

Good things come to those who procrastinate. A mantra I solemnly swear by in many aspects of my life. Cut to a rainy, lazy Sunday in Liverpool and two weeks into living back with the parents, I am happy to welcome Rose~Lily~Pearl into the blogosphere. Born out of a 12-year addiction to trialling the latest beauty products coupled with a quiet few months spent secretly devouring a plethora of beauty blogs and YouTube videos, I decided to throw my make-up musings into the mix. Well why the hell not? Stay tuned if you are comfortable witnessing my unhealthy obsession with rose-related beauty products (who am I kidding... rose related ANYTHING), my ever-expanding Zara handbag collection coupled with my quest to find the perfect red lipstick which doesn't make my complexion look like death warmed up. I'll keep you posted...