Budget Friendly "Pamper Night" Products

We all love a bit of pampering, but not everyone can afford luxury brands on a regular basis. I am not going to lie - I love high end products, but... it doesn't mean that I don't use affordable alternatives. In fact, I am a massive fan of some budget friendly options!

Favourite highlighters: theBalm, NEW CID, MAC, Glo Minerals & Jane Iredale

My collection of highlighters became slightly excessive, but the fact that I now need a separate "highlighter drawer" in my dressing table, doesn't stop me from buying more. In fact... I just received my Illamasqua order with two of their Illuminators and... I also bought my dream Guerlain Metoerites Pearls last night :) It is turning into an obsession, but I love a bit of sparkle and a healthy glow! I will definitely review the Meteorites and Illamasqua Illuminators on the blog soon, but today I am sharing my current favourite highlighters.

Some Of My Summer Essentials

I've been  planning to post this "edit" since the beginning of June, when we got to enjoy a lot of sunshine :) but choosing the products to feature was harder than I thought. When I was preparing this post, I put over 30 products in my summer basket, but I managed to narrow it down to 17 :) Most of them are products I discovered recently, but I also included some of my all time favourites.

Leopard Print Perfection- Leopard Print Bag With Gold Studs

Studded Leopard Print Bag* $63

I love leopard print accessories and as soon as I noticed this beautiful bag on oasap's website, I had to have it! I have been looking for a studded leopard print bag for over 3 years (or longer) and finding the perfect one seemed impossible, until I spotted this beaut!

OCC Lip Tars, Loose Colours and Creme Colour Concentrates

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is one of the most popular vegan and cruelty free brands and I have always been intrigued by their products. OCC was created by a fashion runway and celebrity makeup artist David Klasfeld and provides pro quality cosmetics, known for their great formulas. I was kindly sent a selection of OCC goodies from Cocktail Cosmetics and I am excited to share my thoughts with you!

OCC Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tars* in shades Interlace and Memento £11.95 each

When I tried the lip tars for the first time, I squeezed far too much product out :) I didn't realise how amazingly pigmented they are! The tiniest amount of the lip tars, gives opaque, even coverage and a beautiful satin finish. Each Lip Tar comes in a plastic bag with a little lip brush, making the application and storage hassle free.

Sunday Manicure: Cookies and Cream, Shooting Star and 18K Gold Leaf Top Coat

Caviar manicure is a trend you either love or hate :) It is a bit tricky to apply, but if you follow the instructions, you should be fine. To keep it simple, I only used caviar pearls on the accent nail. I used the Mini Ciate kit, I got with this month's Marie Claire magazine and added the OPI 18 K Gold Leaf Top Coat. I adore the final effect! It looks very elegant and pretty.

Exfoliating Toners: Clarins Gentle Exfoliator and REN Clarifying Toning Lotion Review

I couldn't be more excited to write this post! The products I am about to review made a massive difference to my skin and I have never experienced such a dramatic change! I am sure that you are familiar with some exfoliating toners, especially the "hard to get" Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 or Pixi Glow Tonic. I wish I could purchase them easily, but to be honest... I am not so determined to get my hands on them anymore and I am happy with my current toner routine. My skin has been transformed, thanks to REN Clarifying Toning Lotion and Clarins Gentle Exfoliator.

Elegant summer outfit - designer edition

I love a mixture of white and yellow in an outfit, so I decided to put together something extremely elegant and summer appropriate, based around the gorgeous Alexander Lewis Cut Out Dress.

Bonbi Forest Antlers Necklace

Bonbi Forest Gold Antlers Necklace* (£19.75) 

You might have seen this beautiful necklace on my instagram, but I really wanted to share more photos of it on the blog. I actually took some outfit photos, but they came out blurry :( I wish I had time to retake them, but with a hyper toddler glued to me all day, it isn't as easy as it sounds :)

I was kindly sent this gorgeous necklace from Bonbi Forest and I absolutely love it! It features two gold plated deer antler shapes, with a dark semi precious Amethyst gemstone in the middle. The chain and lobster clasp are gold plated and there is a cute little Bonbi Forest tag and a gold star attached to the extender chain. So pretty!

Macadamia Haircare Maintenance Set

Macadamia Canteen Gift Box* £49.99

I adore Macadamia's Deep Repair Masque, so I was very excited to try more products from their haircare range. I was kindly sent this beautiful Haircare Maintenance Set* in May, but when I was moving house, I placed it in one my storage boxes and totally forgot about it. I finally got a chance to try out all the products last week and I am in love! 

Ted Baker Pretties: Bow Wash Bag and Flip Flops

I was recently offered a chance to pick a couple of items from Surfdome to feature on the blog and as soon as I noticed that they stock Ted Baker accessories, I knew exactly what I was going to choose :) I was planning to purchase the wash bag and flip flops anyway (for my holidays), so it seemed like a perfect opportunity.

My neon wishlist

I adore the look of neons and brights for summer and I am slowly injecting more colour into my wardrobe. Most of the clothes I wear are black and grey, but I like to buy colourful pieces too. As long as the shape of a dress, jacket or top is right for me, I am happy to wear yellow, pink or bright green.