Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red

Whilst in Paris I took a sneaky trip into Sephora to check out the Lip Stain's. I couldn't decide between the red and the orange, however settled for 01 Always Red, as I figured I would wear it much more often. 
It is incredibly similar to my Sleek Matte Me in Rioja Red, however it is slightly more comfortable on the lips. I do find that the Sephora ones wear a little worse, and tend to smudge a little bit when eating and drinking, however for the price they are still pretty good. 

I am dying to head over to the U.S and pick up some more colours as they have a much wider variety of shades compared to Europe. For €10.95 I really think they are worth it compared to other matte lip creams out there on the market at the moment.

Have you guys tried any of the Sephora Cream Lip Stains? Which is your favourite?

Missguided Sale Picks

Clearly I am having a bit of a thing for pink clothes at the moment, but here are my top 5 picks from the Missguided sale!

1) Lace Bodycon Mini Skirt Blush Two Piece - £25.00 How gorgeous is this?! I have my eye on this two piece for my Birthday outfit.
2) Satin Feel Culottes Black - £15.00 Culottes are incredibly hard to pull off and I already own a cream pair that I never wear but these look like they will be very flattering.
3) Sleeveless Wool Coat With Faux Fur - £25.00 To me, this coat looks very expensive, and definitely worth more than £25. When the weather warms up a little I think this would be perfect with a cream high-neck jumper on underneath. 
4) Pom Pom Lace Up Heeled Sandals - £20.00 I'm not really one for heels, but it's nice to own a couple of nice pairs just for when the occasion arises and you need nice footwear. I love how girly these are and the pom pom's add a little bit of "Chanel" (Scream Queens reference!). 
5) Ladder Detail A-Line Skirt - £10.00 You can never have enough A-Line skirts, and I think this one would be perfect for a night out. I am always cautious about wearing white on a night out as I am an incredibly messy drinker, but this is gorgeous.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this palette?

I had been a bit stuck in a rut of using the same old eyeshadow palettes everyday, and then this baby popped into my life. It is by far my new favourite palette, as it has almost everything I could ever want in a palette; a creamy highlight, an inner corner shimmer, a beautiful berry for the winter, a chocolate sparkle for all year round, a dark smokey brown/black, an all over the lid sparkle, a transition colour, a crease colour, a sparkly smokey eye colour, and then the most gorgeous frosty-lilac shade which I have no immediate use for but is incredibly gorgeous. 

Considering I hadn't heard much about Zoeva Makeup (besides their brushes), I didn't have ridiculously high hopes for this palette, yet my mind has been blown. Each shadow is incredibly buttery and blends beautifully. Some of the shadows are more pigmented than others which is to be expected with all shadows. For example the shade Warm Notes is not intensely pigmented when applied with a brush, however when you use your finger it seems to work a bit better. 

From L to R starting on the top row.

This is one of my favourite looks to create with the palette for a more natural daytime look. I use Warm Notes all over the lid with Freshly Toasted through the crease and on the lower lash line, blended with a bite of  Beans are White.

It's very rare to find a palette where every single colour will be used, but I believe I have definitely found one with this gem. At only £15.50 I cannot fault it.

Planning a European City Break

Having just come back from one of my favourite European Cities for New Years, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post sharing my top tips for planning a city break. I find that planning City Breaks is fairly stressful, as unlike a beach holiday you sort of need to plan stuff to do whilst you are there. 

1) Find your best accommodation options When planning Paris, initially I was hit with the dreaded thought of having to find a cheap hotel which was still pleasant enough for sleeping in, and within a good location (trust me, after much searching, no such thing really exists in Paris!). With City Breaks I personally believe that AirBnB is the best way to go. It's a website where people put their apartments or spare rooms etc up for rent. This is what we used when in Paris, and it honestly worked out better. We had a fully equipped studio with free wifi and a kitchen to cook, which meant we saved a heck of a lot on food! If you are on a budget then I highly recommend using AirBnB, it also makes you feel much more like a local when you arrive in the city! 2) Write a list of places you want to visit No one wants a rigid itinerary written precisely down to the hour, however knowing where you want to go each day can be really helpful. I bought a cheap notebook and wrote down all the places in Paris which we wanted to visit. That way we could research exactly which Metro was nearest the attraction, and could also find out the quietest times to visit. It also meant we didn't wake up in the morning stuck on what to do that day. 3) Check out nearby supermarkets etc If you are planning to stay in a hotel then this doesn't really apply, however if you are staying in rented accommodation such as an AirBnB it is a good idea to research where the nearest supermarket is. Some supermarkets are much better priced than others for example in Paris, however we didn't find this out until we were there ourselves, and I sort of wish we had researched this beforehand. If you are in a hotel then it is also a good idea to research nearby restaurants, this way you can read reviews and hit up TripAdvisor before paying out for a meal that really wasn't worth it. 

4) Get to grips with the transport system Getting a taxi everywhere is not an economically friendly decision, and transport systems in other European countries seem to be far cheaper than England. The Metro for example in Paris was super cheap, with a one way ticket to anywhere costing €1.80, and a bundle of 10 tickets costing around €14. Being able to understand the transport system will save a lot of confusion when you are trying to get somewhere. 
5) Book tickets in advance for attractions This is yet another mistake we made when going to Paris, we did not book any tickets in advance, luckily in our case it did not set us back by much, but some attractions charge a lot more on the day. Not only the cost, but booking attractions in advance will save you queueing for ages at ticket kiosks too. Be aware that the most popular attractions do require you to book around a month in advance.

I hope my tips have been helpful, let me know where you are off to this year!

Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in 13

On my New Years trip to Paris I took my first visit to Sephora, and I was amazed, seriously don't understand why we don't have Sephora over here. There wasn't much on my list of things I wanted, however the Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in 13 was. I think I heard VelvetGhost talking about it a while ago, and I have been after it since.

It is a multi-purpose product which can be used on the eyes, lips and cheeks. I for one will definitely not be using this shade on my lips, but it works well as a highlight. Predominantly I have been using it as a cream eyeshadow all over the lid, and it works wonderfully. It has a very creamy consistency making it easy to blend, however this does make it slightly prone to creasing on oily lids. 

The colour reminds me of a paler MAC All That Glitters which is my favourite shadow of all time! Due to the natural colour, it sort of looks like my natural lid colour with a slight sheen to it which helps to brighten up the eyes. The formula is very similar to that of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's and therefore I am not sure if it was quite worth the €23, but nonetheless I am glad I picked it up, and cannot wait to get my hands on more Makeup Forever items.

Have you tried any Makeup Forever bits?

Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Brush Set

I have been lusting after these brushes for god knows how long, and finally they are in my hands thanks to Christmas! Typically I resisted using them before I had taken my photos for my blog, aesthetics first and all. 

The brushes came in a beautiful brown pouch with rose gold hardware, and it perfectly fits the majority of my most used brushes in, making it great for travelling. 

Every brush in this set is so ridiculously smooth its unbelievable, and of course they are very pleasing on the eye. 

After trialling all the brushes I can tell you that my favourites are the Silk Finish Brush which leaves the most flawless base when used to buff in foundation, and also the Petit Crease Brush which is amazing for getting right in the crease of the eye for a defined look. Although these will be my most used brushes they are all fabulous, and are very multipurpose. 

For the price point I really cannot complain about these brushes, and I will definitely be saving up for some more Zoeva bits as I have been very impressed with the products I have tried from them recently. 

They are now available on BeautyBay for £56.95!

What I Wore: New Years Eve at The Arc De Triomphe

  

 

Top - Topshop (Sold out but similar option linked)

Dungarees - New Look

Boots - Peacocks

Coat - Dorothy Perkins

Bag - H&M
I am in love with these dungarees! I have been after the topshop ones for a year now, but I couldn't part with the £50, and luckily I saw these ones in New Look last week and snapped them up! Paired with this bright blue crop top I think I can just about get away with them without looking like an overgrown toddler.
Happy New Year from Paris!