Planning my holiday swimwear choices

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Last Summer I didn't really have to overthink my swimwear choices, as we were in a private villa, where no one could see me, but I still wanted to be comfortable, so I opted for a nice swimsuit and didn't care much about getting the right two piece option.

Health update

I thought I should update you all a bit after a long break... First of all...I can't believe it is now the end of January and I am still not back to my normal routine. I just need more motivation. I think I have to switch it up a bit. I apologise in advance,  if the post turns into a ramble :) Here's what I have been up to.

4 Rituals To Help You Unwind

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After a stressful day, bingeing on your favourite show or scrolling through your social media pages can seem like the ideal way to relax. However, engaging in a night-time ritual before retiring to bed can help you rest well. These sets of activities typically last from 30-60 minutes. They aid in adopting healthy sleep practices, reducing anxiety, and cultivating positive habits. Here are four simple rituals that will prepare you for bedtime.

L'Oreal #TXT Volume Supersizing Spray

My hair is naturally extremely flat and thin and I struggle to add volume to it. It recently became even more annoying and I have to use lots of different products immediately after washing and drying my hair (if I don't want to look like I haven't washed my hair for two weeks). That's why I am always on the lookout for volumising sprays and the L'Oreal #TXT Volume Supersizing Spray ended up in my basket as soon as I noticed it in Boots. I must admit... I am quite impressed!

MAC Humid and Lucky Green Eye Makeup Look

Another MAC makeup look :) My MAC palette is definitely getting a lot of love! This time I used a super bright green shade called Lucky Green and a dark/medium green called Humid. I also added a little bit of Nylon to blend out the edges. 

Magnitone Pulsar Brush Review

Magnitone Pulsar* (RRP £129.99)

I mentioned this brush in one of my Christmas Gift  Guides and my December Favourites post, but it is finally time to review it properly and tell you more about it. I was kindly sent the Magnitone Pulsar brush back in November and started using it immediately, but I had a bad reaction to a MAC foundation and got tons of breakouts, so had to stop using the brush and let my skin recover from the allergic reaction. Once my skin was back to normal, I started using it again and... I absolutely love it. 

NEW! Benefit Lollitint (review and swatches)

Benefit Lollitint* £24.50

Oh Benefit, I adore your lip & cheek stains and the new Lollitint simply stole my heart. I am not sure, if I mentioned it before, but my first ever Benefit product was their Benetint and I used to be addicted to it! I still love it and use it quite often on my 'no makeup days', but I have been dying to get my hands on a pink shade. Posietint was a bit too light, but  Lollitint is just perfect! 

Depotting some of my eyeshadow palettes

  

I was a little bit bored last night, so I started a big makeup clearout + prep for a blog sale. While deciding what palettes to keep, I thought I should depot some of the bulky ones (looking at you Sigma!) and put them in my lovely Z Palette (from www.beautychamber.co.uk). I used it for cheap blushers and eye shadows in the past (read my original post here), but they are now past their expiry date, so they went in the bin. I made exceptions for my most loved (and old) Urban Decay Singles though and kept them :)

Marie Reynolds Ti Amo Candle Duo

Created by a professional beauty therapist Marie Reynolds, the 'Ti Amo' candle duo would make a lovely gift for Valentine's Day. It consists of two massage candles: Indulge and Passion and comes in a lovely gift box. Each candle burns for approximately 10 hours and contains 5oz of wax.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushers

More stunning products for Spring 2014, this time from Hourglass. I am obsessed with their Ambient Lighting Powders, so the new blushers are definitely something I will be investing in. They will be available from the Hourglass website on the 24th of January for $35.00 and we should be able to get them in UK at the beginning of February. I am not sure about the UK price, but they are $10 cheaper than the Ambient Lighting Powders, so they might cost around £30.00 each. There will be 6 gorgeous shades to choose from.

My 2013 Makeup Favourites

It's time for my last instalment of 2013 favourites.The makeup category was the hardest one and it took me ages to decide what products were my definite favourites last year. If you are interested in my favourite makeup brushes and tools, I wrote a separate post about them here.

Beyonce 'Mine' inspired makeup look

Whenever I mention that I am not really a Beyonce (or Rihanna) fan, I actually get abuse on Twitter, which I find absolutely hilarious :) We all have different tastes and values, right? I respect someone's opinion, so they should respect mine. Anyway... When lovely Danielle mentioned a makeup look Beyonce wore in her 'Mine' video, I really liked the sound of it, so I watched the video and decided to give the eye makeup a try. It is not exactly the same and the shades used on her look totally different against my skin tone, but I used similar colours and I quite like how it turned out. The only palette I used for this eye makeup look is Urban Decay Vice 2, plus bright blue eye pencil, mascara, liner and falsies.