My First Youtube Video | The Christmas Tag

After following a whole host of Youtubers for more than three years, I finally decided to bite the bullet and create a video myself. I had been feeling really inspired for quite a few months and so I thought the Christmas Tag would be a great place to start! Please have a little watch and feel free to leave me any advice in the comments of the video! 

Paige x

Everyday Makeup | Summer Edition

After a lot of trial and error testing out products to achieve the perfect, dewy, glowing and long lasting summer makeup I thought I would share with you which products have made the final cut. 

I start by applying my everyday moisturiser (which happens to be the Aloe Soothing Day Cream from The Body Shop).

To follow I apply the No' 7 Youthful CC cream in shade medium - this is the perfect base for the summer months, it really is your skin but better. It adds a gorgeous, fresh glow with just enough coverage and staying power. 

To add some extra bronzey glow I use a dabbing of the Bourjois Bronzing Primer on my cheeks, across my hairline and on my temples. This is great by itself to add a really natural warmth to the face, whilst it also works fantastically underneath a powder bronzer to add some extra staying power. 

I have been loving the L'Oreal Perfection True Match blush in shade peach (160). It adds a really pretty warmth to the face which is perfect for this time of year. It is also super flattering on both bronzed and pale skin tones. 

Finally to set my base I have found Maybelline's Matte Maker pressed powder to be the only thing up to the job. Things can get a bit slippy down the t-zone region at this time of year and so for me a setting powder is crucial. I wanted something that kept any shine at bay and my makeup in place, without completely dulling down my complexion and this does exactly that. 

Urban Decay's original Naked palette comes into play when I shape my eyebrows. I have found Buck to be the perfect shade for me and it applies beautifully to achieve a natural looking brow. 

To brighten my eyes and achieve a more awake appearance I have been using the DIorshow Iconic Overcurl mascara. This is hands down my number one mascara of all time. I was unfortunately not blessed with naturally curled eyelashes and this is the only mascara I have come across that really does add some curl to my ever straight lashes. It opens up the eyes and adds a volumised flirty flick. 

To finish the look off and add a little shine to my lips I have been loving the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. This is perfect if you want a low maintenance product that still adds a little something. It adds a warm shine to the lips which really brings a summer bronzed look together. 

If you want a full review of any of the products featured in this post please comment below 

Paige x 

Budget Cleanser | The Body Shop Sumptuous Camomile Cleansing Balm

The budget friendly cleanser has become somewhat of a necessity for me this year. After deciding to go back and study at college I had to have a skincare overhaul and began introducing some more bank balance pleasing products. Cleansing is one of, if not the, most important step in any skincare routine and so it seemed like a no brainer to start my new affordable skincare collection off with a cleanser that wasn't going break the bank. 

Like when I buy any new skincare item, I always, always have a scour through Caroline Hiron's blog. It does not matter how many positive reviews a product has, if Caroline hasn't given it her seal of approval it isn't coming home with me. On her blog I stumbled across this post on The Body Shop Sumptuous Camomile Cleansing Balm. Caroline's opinion and background knowledge were enough to convince me this bargain cleanser was worth a try. 

My thoughts.. 

Out of all the cleansers I have tried and tested, including this products two higher-end rivals Clinique TTDO and Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm, it has by far the best packaging. The tin it comes in is compact and flat making it perfect for travelling. It has also proved surprisingly hard-wearing as it hasn't dented or scratched at all like I had expected it to. The scent is another pleasing feature. Although not that important in terms of how effective it is at doing it's job, it does make the cleansing experience a little more enjoyable. Like the name clearly states this product is Camomile based and that is exactly the fresh, floral scent it gives off. In terms of use, it definitely does the job. Like other balm cleansers as soon as the product is worked into the skin, it literally melts make up off. To achieve a fully make up free face I felt like I needed slightly more product than has been necessary when using other similar cleansers, however this is my only slight niggle with it and otherwise it has been an absolute dream to use. Unlike with any other cleanser I have used, it leaves a really fresh, evened out look to my skin too, which I adore. 

Pick up The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleanser for £13.00  

Travel Journal | The French Adventure

Last week myself and some of my family made the fourteen hour car trip down to South West France. This has become something of a tradition and most summers we embark on the same kind of adventure, just slightly varying up the area that we stay. 

We rented out the most spectacular home to stay in during our time there. It sat alone at the top of a hill, providing us with 360" views of the most beautiful scenery. It was by far one of the best places we have rented when travelling down to France. 

The home itself is owned by a famous pianist, Louis Van Dijk, and throughout the entire place beautiful art and inspiration fill the rooms. It really is a wonderful place and I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to stay somewhere so beautiful. 

Enough of my ramblings, let me show you what we got up to.. 

The 360" views from the top of the hill enabled us to watch both the sun rise and the sun set. This is the one of the many stunning sunsets we watched from the front terrace. Of course accompanied by a bottle of the local rose´. 

Watching the evening sun wasn't the only natural beauty we were blessed with. For the first couple of days we watched numerous storms roll in from behind the hills of the valley. 

The grounds of the villa were filled with spectacular flower displays. Another joy of visiting European countries is the wide array of flowers & the predominant scent that accompanies them. 

Once the storms of the first days cleared, we travelled up to the small town of Duras where this breathtaking castle is situated. It's propped on the edge of the hill giving more breathtaking views. We payed to tour around the inside of the castle which was lovely. A lot of restoration has taken place to keep it in it's former glory. Some of our party took the scarily narrow, twisted, stone staircase up to the top of the tower where I took the above photo looking over the town of Duras. 

Hettie waiting outside the doors of the castle, ready to take the grand tour. 

As our time in France went on, the weather began to improve so we decided to take the drive across to Bordeaux and visit Dune Du Pilat. Europe's tallest sand dune. It wasn't the first time I had been to the Dune du Pilat as I had visited before on a residential trip when I was in school. It was still really exciting to go back and I felt a great sense of nostalgia. 

The dune itself is a hundred metres tall and the photos really don't do it any justice. It's phenomenally high. There are two routes up, the easier of the two being the wooden stairs directly up or if you're feeling more daring you can go freestyle and climb up the sandy side. Both times I've visited I've gone for the harder option and climbed up without the use of the stairs. Something I'm quite proud of as my fitness levels are really nothing to be proud of at all! 

The atmosphere once you've reached the top of the dune is incredible. There's a buzz from everyone and a great sense of achievement. Not forgetting the absolutely spectacular views. They really are breathtaking, from the front of the dune you look over miles and miles of forest and tree tops, as well as being able to look over fabulous blue ocean on the far side. 

We opted to continue right over the top of the dune and head down the other side where we reached a beautiful, quaint beach. We set up for a few hours of relaxation on the sand and made the most of the high temperatures. 

At the end of the day we opted out of hiking back up the sand dune and down the other side to the car, and took a locals advice on walking around the side of it back towards the car park. Although a lot less strenuous, it took a lot longer. We actually ended up getting lost and walked four miles out of our way by accident. Although not so fun at the time when we were trekking along with all our beach gear in 35 degree heat, we all laugh looking back now.  

Of course, the whole holiday wasn't spent out and about visiting various tourist attractions. We spent a considerable amount of time just enjoying each others company, the beautiful surroundings and the pool (of course). 

Paige x 

The Products | Nars Sheer Glow

After reading uncountable reviews and seeing this product crop up almost weekly on one blog or another, I had a good idea of what to expect from it - a best of both worlds kind of foundation, having the coverage of something like Armani Luminous silk, with the dewy, natural look of Chanel Vitalumier Aqua. Ticking every box when it comes to foundation must have qualities! I had my heart set on it and so when I got to the point last month when 

I felt almost 'stuck in a rut' with my current foundation routine, I decided that enough was enough. I took the plunge and splurged a mighty £31.00 on a pumpless bottle of the stuff! 

I do think the price is slightly cheeky considering the lack of pump. 

I don't feel like I've given it a thorough testing as of yet so I'm going to hold off on a full review until it's played a roll in my makeup bag for a good month, so watch this space for my thoughts on sheer glow and some more pictures of it in use! 

If you've read enough, and can't wait to give it ago pick it up from Space NK here!

A Personal Post | I Want To Be Friends

When creating my blog I had to decide whether I wanted to incorporate it within my already existing social life or whether I felt better keeping it private. I opted for the latter and set up a new twitter account which I linked to my blog/bloglovin etc. 

I know a lot of people will think that it was a really ridiculous idea and possibly accuse me of being fake because my 'blog' life is totally separated from my 'usual/old' life. However this really isn't the case. My blog and my new twitter account completely reflect my true personality and character and the real reason I decided to keep my blog separate was because I was worried about how people I know from school etc. may actually judge or criticise my blog. Again I'm sure people will take this the wrong way and say that I should be proud of my blog and not take any notice of those that want to judge or criticise and that is completely right. I am so proud of my blog and I grow to love blogging more and more every time I publish a new post, however the very sad truth is that I just didn't have the courage to overcome my insecurities and publish my blog all over my personal twitter account. 

Anyway, sob story over, I just wanted to say to all of you that I do have a twitter account and I'd be so grateful if you could head on over to it and give it a follow. I feel like twitter is by far the easiest way to keep in touch with fellow bloggers and followers and hardly any of my lovely blog followers actually follow me on twitter which makes it really hard to communicate with you guys! 

I don't want my blog to just be something other people can browse around and read, I want it to become a very social aspect of my life and would love nothing more than to be able to become closer with my followers and readers from the blogging world! Eventually I hope to actually shut down my personal twitter and incorporate it all onto this account, which is the one linked to my blog, however that's for the future! 

Thanks so much everyone! 

Paige x 

Follow me here!

The Review | Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

I'm slightly late jumping on the bandwagon with this one. Most of you will know Hourglass released their Ambient Lighting Powders last year and it turned out to be one of the biggest beauty launches of 2013.. however it has taken till now for me to revvy up a full review. 

The concept of these powders is amazing, with nothing else like them on the market. The idea is that once applied, they reflect light off of the skin in a much more flattering way. There are six shades within the collection and each one is designed to reflect light in a way that would naturally occur in certain situation. I have Diffused Light, a soft yellow shade, designed to imitate the way natural morning sunlight would reflect off of the skin. It's a very flattering shade which manages to highlight the face with no sign of shimmer, as well as reduce the appearance of redness. 

I purchased mine whey back in January and I haven't stopped using it since. It's perfect for setting any daytime make up, as well as for applying over the top of evening makeup to create a super glowy, fresh look. 

Pick it up at Space NK for £38.00