Valentines Day Beauty Essentials

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! Are you ready? Whatever you might be doing this Valentines... Going on a hot date? Having a meal with your girlie friends? Having a night in with your husband? Its always nice to make a bit of an effort on Valentines day. I love getting all dressed up and heading out for a nice meal with my boyfriend. So heres a few beauty essentials for either your clutch bag or just to help you along with getting ready!

Giorgio Armani Si 

OH MY, this smells insane! I love this scent, I discovered it in the summer last year. Since then it really has just been one of my absolute faves. Mr Armani certainly knows how to knock a few ingredients together. So the main reason why I have chosen this scent for Valentines day, is not just because it smells incredible. BUT, Si actually means 'Yes' in Italian, AND Valentines day is the day where you celebrate the love for you and your partner or the love of you and your friends. So, you say 'Si' to love, and IF your partner may propose to you... you are actually already wearing 'Si'. PLUS, just to top it off even more, theres a gold ring on the top of the bottle, which is representing a wedding ring. OOOO

Perfume Pod

I have included this because its great for your clutch bag. Its easy to transport your favourite fragrance in, it's not going to leak or crack. It's not huge, you aren't carrying a 50ml bottle around with you, just your cute perfume pod.

Wet Brush

Oh everyone needs a hair brush to get ready with. The wet brush is my favourite brush, it gets through any nots I may have, it never pulls at my hair either, its very gentle. I have never tried the Tangle Teezer, but the Wet brush appealed to me more, because its in the shape of a typical brush. 

MAC Ruby Woo 

I crack this out every year. Its just the lipstick which screams Valentines to me. Its red, its matte its fabulous. Some people hate it because it dries their lips out. For me, I find if I put some vaseline on before hand, its perfect. It will last you all night, even if you get a cheeky kiss!

Charlotte Tilbury Golden Godess Palette

Another gorgeous product. From the packaging to the pigmentation. It's just beautiful. I feel with this palette you can create something quite natural, by just putting the champagne pale shade all over the lid, with a little bit of definition of the darker shades. OR, you can do the whole hog, and use the back for the instructions and go full on smoooooky.

Soap And Glory Glow Lotion 

I am really sorry for including this, because I'm not 100% sure that they still make this, or if it was limited edition. But there may be something similar to this product. I believe Estee Lauder do, so check out their counter. But the glow lotion is basically what it says on the tin. It's a body lotion, with a glow, a shimmer. Its not sticky, it just makes your body glow. I apply it mainly to my arms and décolletage.

I hope you have a fabulous Valentines, whatever your plans.

 Share the love! 

♥

Some Special Days Away

Me and my boyfriend, have been together 3 years on the 29th of May, so we decided to take the week off work and go somewhere and spend some quality time together. Obviously in this day and age it is hard to find time to spend together. So every month we do go for a meal or the cinema or do something special, even if its pizza takeout and netflix, it's our time together. So we decided to book a few days away, in a city near where we live.

Whilst we were away, we did a lot of shopping and ate a lot of food. We went to places such as; Bills for breakfast, Yo Sushi, Nandos, Wagamamas, ordered a Papa Johns and Krispy Kreme! I am now sat on my bed, not wanting to eat a single thing!

my snapchat; masseyhelen5

On the morning of our anniversary Kirk got flowers delivered to the room, which really did surprise me! I wasn't expecting it at all. I love receiving flowers, I think they are super pretty and so thoughtful.

We also went to the beach, on the day of the 3 years. We visited Barry Island, which is where the TV show, Gavin & Stacey is filmed. I love Barry Island, so much to do and we were blessed with gorgeous weather! Fish and chips went down nicely on the beach!

We were a little bit naughty too, we went to a bar one night too, ordered some cocktails and got a little bit merry. Who says you can't have a little bit of fun whilst you are away?

I don't often do posts like this, but I needed to share this because it was the most amazing weekend. The 29th of May this year was the best day I've had so far this year! (Bold claim, but it's so true). Amazing weather, company, food and just a fabulous time!

♥

Summer Staples

I thought I would share with you some of the products which shout out 'SUMMER' to me. Products which I use more in the months when its hotter and products which are basically more suited to summer, wether it be because of the colour, consistency or just the type of product.

Summer basically shouts out to me, bright colours, light wear foundations, dewy/glowy/bronzed skin, bright nails and a lovely plump lip. So all of these products to me I just absolutely love and I believe are just perfect for the warmer months. 

No7 Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Facial Tan

MaxFactor GlossFinity Nail Varnish - 119 Forever Glam

Barry M Gelly - Huckleberry

Rimmel 60 Seconds - Coralicious 

Barry M Coconut Infusion - Aloha

Revlon - 715 Privleged

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour - Cheeky Chops

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry - Pole Position 

Sleek Highlighting Palette 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

MAC Impassioned 

Soap & Glory Matte Lip - Pretty Muted

Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm - 210 Unapologetic 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Ibiza

Clinique Moisture Surge Gel

The Body Shop Indian Night Jasmine Body Butter

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Dove Derma Spa Summer Revived Body Lotion 

Estee Lauder BB Cream

NYX Dewy Finish Spray 

All of the products that I've mentioned are just my summer staples, some are new products I have loved and others are ones I crack out each year. If you want me to go in depth about a product, maybe a review or just a quick explanation of why I love it so much, drop me a comment and for sure I will get back to you! Thank you so much.

♥

Gingerbread Muffins

****Be warned, eat something before reading this!****

Baking is my hobby, it relaxes me and you get something yummy out of it in the end. I have been exploring some more interesting recipes than just plain cup cakes. So I found some inspiration online, and had ago at these amazing gingerbread muffins! They are so yummy, and quite easy to make really... So I had to share them with you! 

Ingredients

125g Softened Butter (I use Stork) 

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon of Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon of Ginger

Pinch Of Salt

1/4 Cup of Milk (Semi Skimmed)

1 Cup of Self Raising Flour

Method

- Preheat Oven to 200 degreees and line 6 hole muffin cases in a large muffin tin with some paper cases. I used cute muffin cases that I found in B&M for like £1 for a pack.

- Place butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a large bowl. Beat them until light and fluffy, should go a light brown colour.

- Add eggs, ginger and cinnamon (I wasn't too careful with the spices, but go on what you like. I quite like a strong flavour, so I added quite a bit). Then beat for about a minute.

- Then add your flour and milk and beat until all the ingredients are combined and it looks like a lovely mixture. I found it looked like my mixture didn't need milk when I did my muffins, however I added a little bit of milk in at a time and it turned out that the milk helped a lot.

- Spoon the mixture into the cases, make sure they are about 2/3 rd's full. Sprinkle some extra cinnamon and ginger on top, if you would like. (I did - haha)

- Bake in the Oven for 15 minutes until they are cooked through, risen and golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool in cases on a wire rack.

I honestly am so impressed by the way these muffins came out, I really really am!! I hope you try this recipe out. Also, my family are impressed too. YUMMY! 

♥

3 Perfect Female Fragrances for Valentines Gifts

Personally for me, I am not a huge fan of Valentines day this is because I think that everyday you should show that you love someone not just one day of the year. This doesn't mean I expect a bunch of flowers every single day, even though that does sound nice.

Anyway, if you are a guy reading this then *high five* to you for reading a girls blog... But seriously, heres three fragrances which I love and would be perfect for Valentines day. I think fragrance is such a lovely gift, because it's a personal option for the recipient. I know that it's hard for someone to pick some fragrances for the opposite sex, you don't know where to start, you don't know if they will like it and you just don't want to waste your money on something. (Tip - if you do buy someone a fragrance and you really aren't sure if they will like it, don't let them open the packaging, just go into a shop with them and test it with the tester - on the skin. Then if they don't like it, you can return it).

Chanel Coco Mademosielle EDP

This fragrance is just my favourite smell in the entire world, I don't know anyone that doesn't like the smell of this, it's just gorgeous. Chanel is such a luxury brand, and you know when you buy Chanel you are getting quality and your loved one will love you for it!

It comes in three different sizes:

30ml - £49
50ml - £68
100ml - £96

Top Notes: Orange, Mandarin Orange, Orange Blosson and Beragmot
Middle Notes: Mimosa, Jasmine, Turkish Rose and Ylang-Ylang
Base Notes: Tonka Bean, Patchouli, Opoponax, Vanilla, Vetiver and White Musk

Marc Jacobs Decadence EDP

This is a new fragrance, I think that its very different to Marc Jacobs normal floral fragrances such as daisy. This is a bit more woody to me, and I prefer it a lot. Marc Jacobs is known for his fine fragrances, they are very popular and very beautiful.

It comes in three different sizes:

30ml - £48.50
50ml - £59
100ml - £86

Notes: Italian Plum, Saffron and Iris, Bulgarian Rose, Sambac jasmine and Orris Root

The bottle design is inspired by one of Marc Jacobs iconic bags.

Paco Rabanne Olympia EDP

This was launched in August 2015. It represents the female version of Paco Rabanne Invictus for men. This perfume just reminds me of an angel or something gorgeous like that, jus the bottle and the packaging of the box. I believe you can't go wrong with this fragrances.

It comes in three different sizes:

30ml - £40
50ml - £54
80ml - £59.50

Top Notes: Sparkling Green Mandarin, Aquatic Notes of Water Jasmine and Fiery Ginger Lily
Middle Notes: Salted Vanilla
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Cashmere and Ambergris


I hope this helped you, or you found it interesting to find out what is actually in these fragrances with all the different notes. Hope you have a lovely Valentines day, even if you are happy and single on the sofa with a fat takeaway - enjoy! Lots & lots of love ♥♥♥♥♥

♥

My Autumnal shade: Rimmel 107

Now autumn is upon us, I have been wearing more autumnal shades in general. The lipstick I have been reaching for a lot is Rimmel London - 107. I would be lying if I said I didn't wear this all year around, but I do wear it more often in the colder months.

I love the deep berry red tones in this lipstick, it gives such an autumnal feel. This lipstick is a matte finish, I love matte finishes, especially in the autumn months. 

The staying power of this lipstick is incredible, it lasts me all day. ALL DAY. 

Rimmel London Kate Moss - 107 is available in drugstore/highstreet stores aka; boots, superdrug... basically anywhere that sells Rimmel. 

It is my favourite all time autumn lipstick. What's your favourite? 

♥