Slovenia: The Photo Diary

If you saw my latest weekend post; talking all things hot chocolate, you will know me and my family (mum, dad and my brother, Joey) took a week-long trip to a frequent family destination, Slovenia. We stayed in the town of Bled and even after visiting since I was a baby, it is still the same; peaceful but charming. Although we have visited the country countless times, I had not been inside the capital city, Ljubljana (except for the airport, of course), so a day trip was necessary.

The trip was exactly what I needed: fresh air, Christmas cheer, and a bit of peace and quiet. And as I am writing this with my head in the college books again, I wish I was back!

The Lip Lacquer Edit

Ah, the lip lacquer; a new beauty venture that began a couple of years ago...and I am only just jumping on the bandwagon. Oh how I have missed out! I haven't bought an actual lipstick in months, and my makeup drawers are now full to the brim with balm sticks, stains and lacquers.

So for today's post I have picked my favourite lip lacquers fit for purpose. But before I begin, I apologise for any rash (but necessary) purchases I induce after you have read is article. You have been warned.

The one for a bold lip

If I could marry a lip product, the Bourjois Velevet Rouge Lip Lacquer would be my lover! The formula is butter smooth, but this soon dries as a thick, matte colour on your lips. And then it will last all day. No cliches here, even after the messiest of meals the colour does not budge. With all of these factors, this lippie produces the perfect bold lip. The orange-red shade 'Hot Pepper' and the deep blue-red 'Grand Cru' are my current favourites for the autumn season, however the selection of bright pinks are on point for a spring and summer pout. 

The one for any time, any place 

I may of 'eep'ed a little when I heard the Maybelline Colour Elixirs had arrived along the aisles of my local Boots, and as predicted I belted my way down there to pick up a few shades. Like the Velvet Rouge Lacquers, the texture is so buttery, and the smell is amazing. Think warm toffee popcorn. And even with a thick, buttery finish, the formula is surprisingly long lasting. Not quite the same as the Bourjois balms, but equally as impressive. No other shade in the range can beat 'Raspberry Rhapsody' which is, unlike the name would suggest, a dark pink with mauve undertones, however I enjoy the pink true to its name 'Fuschia Flourish'. Both shades totally wearable and an any occasion go-to.

The one for a night on the town

For a night out, I look for an easy to apply option, to make sure I spend as little time as possible in the overcrowded ladies toilets at clubs, and a photo ready pout; so a bright colour that packs a lot of punch. And for me the Revlon Colourstay Lacquer Balm fit that bill for me. I only own one shade, the raspberry pink 'Provacetuer' and it is my go to for brightening my typically all-black ensembles. However I plan to pick up the purple toned pink 'Whimsical' and the sheer red 'Flirtatious' on future trips to boots when I am feeling spendy.

Tell me if you have surrendered to the lip lacquer, or if I have induced any purchases of these products...

The Catchup Post: July

Hello again! I am back with another update post, but this time with a different kind of title...

This month has seen many 40-hour working weeks as I have been seeing two jobs this summer; my Saturday Job at a Garden Centre (where I have worked for around a year now) and a temporary summer job at our local council. I have to admit I love the luxury of the office life - a constant flow of tea and coffee, lush outfits (a lot more feminine than my usual work uniform - consisting of combat trousers and bulky boots) and a happy set of colleagues.

On top of managing work, I have had my fair share of playtime, too. Making the most of my bike cycling around town, shopping (alot!) and in particular discovering a new diner - Chariots and Cherry Pie, so expect a review to pop on my blog very soon!

And most importantly, July is my birthday month, so several celebrations took place for my 18th birthday that was on the 30th of last month. I spent the actual day with family and friends, and on the Saturday took on my first day out on the town. For more on my first night out, take a look at my Get Ready With Me the night out beauty bag bare essentials posts for my perspective, and the beauty blogger in me's perspective of the night.

I hope you are all having an amazing summer, I can't wait for the next couple of weeks - a free house and festivals galore. Oh, and work of course.

5 Things I Have Learnt Working 9 to 5

      

Over the last month I have been working in a small team of ladies; tucked away in our local council offices for 3 days a week on a 9-5 schedule for the holidays. So I thought I could update you all on the matter by suggesting 5 lessons I have learned working from full time:

1) Caffeine is your best friend

I have always been a morning person, but by 4pm I am ready to get my PJs on and put the day to rest on the sofa. For the rest of the day, I will drink gallons of green tea and water, but relying on coffees and teas at that 4 o clock slump is a must.

2) Your travel-sized stash will come in handy

When in a rush, I have a habit of throwing more than I need for the day, which results in handbag zips that won't zip and very sore arms! To keep things simple, I always keep a mini hand cream, sanitiser and perfume, plus my lippie of the day. Yesterday I discovered 8 different lipsticks in my bucket bag, so a reminder to constantly clear it out is now on my agenda!

3) Yes, you can do eyeliner flicks in under a minute

I always leave doing my makeup till the end of my morning routine, so an on-demand steady hand for my flicked eyeliner has been required for the last month. And my skills with the pen have proved quite successful; surprisingly smudge and stress free!

4) Every meet up is now always a catch up

Now that I only have two days in the week free, meeting up with friends has been proven quite difficult (especially with holidays and their corresponding jobs) so I have found I am falling behind the radar. So weekly catch ups with at least one friend, and accepting every party invite I get are almost compulsory if I want to stay on top of the goings on in my social group!

5) You will spend 90% of your spare time shopping

And finally, as we all know, points make prizes, or in my case, several pay packets a month, and even saving most of my cash for driving lessons, still leaves me enough to introduce new friends to my wardrobe and beauty drawers. Besides, I do deserve it.

The Beach Beauty Bag // deskparties

Yesterday I spent the day on Bournemouth with some of my friends. But before I left I had to pack some of my favourite, much needed (!) beach beauty essentials for a day at the beach. 

As soon as I even get of the car, I slap on some suncream, and this year's favourite is Reimann's P20 Once a Day sunscreen. It has SPF 30, and I don't need to reapply during the day: basically anything to avoid sticky, sandy skin action and I am sold. 

I then cover my lips in Labello's Classic Care lipbalm. I picked this up from Germany last time I went and I like it a lot more than it's counterparts; creamy and not sticky, and stays put for a long time, which is much needed when I will be scoffing chips and ice cream throughout the day. And for a hint of colour, I always turn to my Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Sultry. These balms are the bomb.com: stay tuned for a review coming soon!

For my hair, a folup brush by The Body Shop and Batiste Dry Shampoo keeps my hair non-greasy and tamed. 

Towards the end of the day, I top up any sore patches of my skin with a sample sized Hawaiian Tropic Sun Lotion, just to prolong the longevity of the P20, and keep my skin flake-free. After applying, my hands are left pretty sticky, so A blob of The Body Shop's Mango Hand Cleanse Gel cleans this up when the bathroom queues are unbearable, and a thin layer of Loccitane's 20% Shea Hand Cream to keep my hands feeling super soft.

Going along with the Mango theme, I am always reapplying The Body Shop's Mango Eu De Toilette when I am spending time somewhere hot. It's my favourite summer scent and reminds me of being on holiday - period.

And to store my beauty stash, I used my H&M transparent ice cream print cosmetic bag - it matches my favourite beach snack, so what's not to like?

Let me know in the comments what your must-have product is at the beach - I would love to try some of your suggestions, 

Until the next post, 

Libby.