Best Beauty Products for Summer!

Hey Bloggers,

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful summer so far? For those who have been lucky enough to head out on vacation, summer is of course the best time to indulge in some quality holiday time. For those who haven't had a holiday, (including myself) well, there's always the winter break. ;) It is my birthday tomorrow though so I can pretend for one day I guess, haha!

Thinking about summer essentials then, what do you like to include in your daily beauty regime? Do you have one or two items that you simply can't leave the house without? When it comes to choosing the best beauty products for my own skin type, my skin is extremely fair so I have to be extra careful in the blazing heat.

I love nothing more than to allow my skin to breathe and although this can prove to be difficult when temperatures are unbearable, one of the most effective ways I do this is to NOT wear any foundation as foundation can sometimes feel a little clammy. Instead, I go for subtle beauty enhancements that are ideal for summer weather. 

Here's what beauty products I'm loving at the moment...

For Lips and Eyes

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Sometimes, lipstick can feel too heavy during summer months so I like to still have a bright pop of colour on my lips, but the added gloss also works very well and catches in the light. :) These Maybelline glosses glide on beautifully and are incredibly addictive to buy in every colour!

For Coverage and Highlighting

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YSL always package their beauty products in luxury packaging, so naturally the gold box was enough to sell 'Touche Eclat' to me, haha! ;) I've also used a Dior radiance booster product in the past, but after my sister recommended using YSL, I've never looked back! I'd say this concealer works better as a highlighter and I tend to combine both this and my Benefit concealer together for optimum coverage.

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This Benefit concealer, although yes it's on the expensive side, it does deliver fantastic results. If you're looking for great quality coverage on dark circles and blemishes, this concealer has industrial strength meaning it is slightly stronger than regular concealers. Whenever my skin is looking red, I like to dab some of this product on and it gives my skin a boost straight away!

For Blush

I originally bought this product as an 'impulse buy' but it hasn't let me down since! You only need the tiniest amount and you can use this lightweight cream on cheeks, or wherever you need some instant radiance. I find it blends really well over the top of my Bourjois blush and gives me a dewy, rosy glow.

For Sun Protection

This sun cream is so convenient to just pop into your handbag, it absorbs really quickly AND it's the least greasy sun cream I've ever bought! Overall, definitely worth £5.50 in price. :)

Note: All images marked with * taken by Myself (Dawn)

Ear Candy!

Patriotic Novelty Earring assortment

Nude and Gold Rose Earrings with Diamontes

Stencil-effect Silver Heart Earrings

Genuine Sterling Silver Heart Earring set

Note: All images taken by Myself (Dawn)

Latest Fashion Buys!

Hey Bloggers!

I hope you've all had a great week and that you celebrated the first day of Summer (yesterday) in style. There's definitely hints to it being Summer what with the constant humid weather, coffee shops bringing out iced drinks and retailers stocking lots of different brightly coloured beachwear items! For me Summer is not my favourite season but it does have its advantages, such as; being able to get away with wearing less make-up, leaving the house without a jacket and generally feeling happier with the smile-inducing weather :) So whether you're off on your jollies soon or like me, looking to start a new career path, Summer is all about general merriment and enjoying all of those little pleasures in life.

Speaking of little pleasures, I had a little nose around a foreign food market that Preston had on earlier today which was nice as they don't come here very often. I sampled some of Italy's finest delicacies and they were out of this world! I also had a browse around Topshop where I spotted lots of yummy looking jewellery items in the sale - here's what I bought...

A Taste of Italian Culture - An Assortment of Cakes, Croissants and Biscuits that were rich in flavour and worth every penny ;)

...With a side of Caramel Costa Light ;)

Sales Finds: White Leather Bow Hair Accessory, Lime Fragrance Travel Wipes and Lilac-Glittery Ankle Socks.

Sale Finds: Floral Fabric Charm Bracelets, Metallic Skull Nail Ring, Metallic Studded Bangle and Gold Costume Cross Earrings.

Sale Finds: Earring and Ear Cuff Assortment, lots of cute little Mustache Earrings and 'D' Initial Earrings :)

Sale Find: Large Gold Cross Necklace.

My Favourite Purchase of today!

Obligatory Manicure Shot ;) Barry M 'Peach Melba' Nail Paint with Barry M 'Lychee' Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint. Rimmel 'Rock Your Colour' Glitter Top Coat in 'Gold Disco' painted over fourth nail.

Neon and White Leopard Print Shoes I bought a few weeks ago in the H&M sales, worn with Jonathan Aston Lace Anklets.

Note: All images are taken by Myself (Dawn).

Bon Jovi Fever! - Etihad Stadium Gig, Manchester - June 2013

Saturday 8th June saw me and my twin sis, Faye heading to our 4th Bon Jovi gig, and it's safe to say that we were as giddy as school girls, haha! Ever since we became Bon Jovi's number one fans back in 2004, we have continued to follow their success and over the years, have laughed and cried to their many number one hits.

For us, going to a Bon Jovi gig is not just any ordinary gig... the emotional connection we have with the band members and the ability they have as performers to connect with their fans on a personal level is truly unique, and we will continue to follow the Jovi clan for as long as they are willing to make music :) We have a connection to this band that conjures many euphoric memories and allows us to celebrate our love for rock music.

So onto the day of the gig where we managed to buy tickets very last minute (only a few days before the gig as they were originally priced at £75 per ticket!) Faye being the bargain hunter she is, managed to track down a much cheaper deal on Groupon, and so made our entry into the Manchester gig possible! :)

The beauty this time around was that Faye lives very close to Etihad Stadium where the gig was held and this made the experience all the more enjoyable as it was much less stressful for travelling. In the spirit of getting merry before the gig started, we drank delicious cocktails that Saturday afternoon and blasted Bon Jovi's greatest hits DVD from Faye's Balcony, just to get us rockin' into the party mood of course ;)

After 2 hours of washing and styling hair coupled with glamorous make-up application, we were ready to see our guys perform a fantastic set list (the songs they performed are listed below). I particularly enjoyed their cover of 'Roadhouse Blues' - a 'Doors' classic! Despite being thoroughly disappointed that Richie was not on stage, he was there in spirit and in my opinion, this show was still their strongest yet! After performing a 3 HOUR long set, Jon, David and Tico proved that they are still every bit as full of energy as they were back in their humble beginnings :) 

Me and Faye both bought a concert programme each as we do at every Bon Jovi gig, to keep as a souvenir. 

I have no doubt that Richie will rejoin the band before the next tour and that they will all continue to make fantastic music together - BON JOVI FOREVER! \m/ xxx

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Note: All images with * caption were taken by Myself and My Sister, Faye. All other images are not my own.

Time for a Spring Update...

Hey Bloggers,

Today's post talks about some of the gorgeous items which have been firmly on my fashion radar for a while now. It's coming up to payday soon which will definitely be an excuse to invest in some key pieces to update my spring wardrobe. 

I don't know about you but as it's been so cold and rainy for months on end, I seem to have been living in cardi's and jumpers! Don't get me wrong I love a good slouchy jumper as there are so many versatile numbers out there on the retail market, but sometimes it's good to mix things up and change what you choose to wear.

Now that the weather is changing and we're due to have a heatwave sometime soon, it's got me thinking about tees and layering. Spring is a great season for fashion and beauty as you can really play around with pastel colours, layer up on your neon accessories and experiment with light and airy beauty products that don't suffocate the skin so much!

Here are a few of my favourite styling ideas for spring to inspire you...

Actual Pain Eye Of The Angel Photographic Vest - ASOS (Love the Beauty vs Horror print!)

Black Antique Cross Leggings - TOPSHOP (I have a very similar pair I bought from Primark a few months back, but these are definitely on my wish list!)

ALVI Flatform Ankle Boots - ASOS (The comfiest shoe type ever!)

Backpack Bag In Mono Stripe - ASOS (Beetlejuice stripes, leather buckles, what's not to love??)

Pink Snakeskin Metallic Stilettos - Jimmy Choo (A little pricey for my budget but hey, we can all dream...)

MATCH Leather Brogues - ASOS (Blue pastels compliment denim ensembles perfectly - These would go with the denim pencil skirt I bought for £2.80 from a charity chop in Lancaster!) 

Note: All pictures not taken by myself.