My Week In Pictures - July 22nd-28th

Hey lovelies,
Hope you've all had a fab week! My week has been pretty much spent unpacking, doing endless amounts of laundry and ironing, a bit of shopping, some adventures with Bradley and lots of relaxing - all the lovely things I love doing whilst off work. ;)

The day before we all waited in awe of the new arrival to the Royal family, my very own Princess arrived in the form of my niece. So it's been a pretty exciting week. I picked up a few bits for her whilst out shopping. Have you read my blog post about my shopping haul that day?

#PrincessShopping

I also ordered and received a new Cut & Sew top this week. I adore their stuff and I just love the idea behind it! Cut & Sew are a new British clothing label that design and manufacture exclusive clothing in limited quantities. There are only 10 of each item made and all are numbered 'I am ? of 10'. I love the individuality and exclusivity of the clothing. This is my second purchase from Cut & Sew and I'm looking forward to their new ranges. I shall do an outfit post soon to show you my purchases. If you haven't already, have a nose at their website at Cut & Sew Clothing.

#FourOfTen

This week it was my best friend, Donna's birthday, so we spent a leisurely afternoon in a bar working our way through the cocktail menu and putting the worlds to right - what we do best! ;)

#CocktailAnyone?

Whilst walking past The Body Shop, I remembered their body butters were all half price at the moment,  as a mark of celebration for 21 years of body butter. Happy Birthday body butter!! I'm a huge fan of them and have probably been through the majority of their range! At £13 they can be a bit pricey so I nipped in to pick some up whilst half price. They've re-released their Vineyard Peach range; 'sunkissed peach from Europe and South Africa' and it smells amazing. If you've followed my blog you'll know that I'm a fan of fruity fragrances, especially around summertime. And if you've read recent posts you will also know of my 'Cannot purchase just ONE thing disorder', so of course I went looking for something else and was drawn to this Chocomania Shower Cream. Oh yes I did. Chocolate. Shower cream. Chocolate shower cream!! Shower cream that smells of chocolate. Now to some, this will probably sound disgusting but I think it sounds rather amazing, and I cannot wait to use it!! I had to renew my loyalty card whilst in there so I bagged a free hand wash too. Good times.

#PeachyKeen

I also got my 'hair did' this week too.. love a good blow dry. I debated whether to get my highlights re-done or not, but have decided to let them grow out a little, at least for now..

#Selfie

I love getting my nails done, but I get bored easily, and like changing my nail colour regularly, so I do them myself a lot. I loved the look of these nail wraps from Avon, they're very cute. I tried them out yesterday. They're a bit messy, but thats down to my application. I've only worn wraps a few times so hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon! I don't think they look too bad, from afar they look great, ha! I'll blog about them later this week and let you know how I got on with them..

#PrettyNails

Yesterday I waved bye to my little man. He's off to Tunisia for the week with his Dad. It's the first time he's been away from me for more than 2-3 days and I'm already missing him. I did manage to make it to the top of the stairs before bursting into tears!! :( I know he'll have a fantastic time, he's a very lucky boy. But it'll be very strange, and quiet, without him! My boyfriend has the week off so it'll be nice for us to spend some couple time together. I'll just have to keep busy this week so I don't miss him too much!! :)

#MyLittlePrince

Outfit: Hat-Next Top-Primark

Last night I went out for a few drinks with the girls to celebrate Donna's birthday. A few hours before I left, the heavens opened and we had a crazy monsoon like storm. Was it crazy where you were too?? The roads were awful round here, cars were getting stuck in the floods, and worst of all, my taxi driver refused to drop me off directly outside the bar for fear of getting stuck and made me walk, through the storm of all storms. By the time I walked in, I was drenched and my freshly blow dried bouncy curls were a big thick mess. Devastated. So please forgive my hair in the bottom picture. A mixture of monsoon and hot sweaty bars.. Yuck. Not a great look! 

#GirlsNight

Outfit: Dress-All Saints

Hope you all have an amazing upcoming week!!

Let me know what you've been upto!

Comment, or tweet me your comments @Lianne84

Avon Naturals : Strawberry & Guava Body Lotion

I bought this lil beauty as part of a 'Strawberry' set from an Avon brochure a few campaigns ago. It included Avon Naturals Strawberry shower gel and body lotion, a strawberry sorbet bubble bath (which smells amaze!) plus a cute fuchsia pink nail polish, all for about £5. Bargain! I snapped it up as summer was looming and products with a fruity scent always make me feel summery!

#FruityFresh - AvonNaturalsBodyLotion

As a, dare I say, 'cheap' body lotion, I didn't expect a lot from it.. but as it happened, I tended to reach for my bottle after every bath time! I was pleasantly surprised how much I actually liked it. I'm used to spending a little bit more on my creams and body butters, so was kind of expecting it to be like your average 'gift set' body lotion, you know what I'm getting at, right?! I was wrong. (And its not often I admit that ;) ) It was actually a really nice product to use, as an every day body lotion.

Credit: Image from Avonshop.co.uk

Avon Say...
'Provides 24-hour moisturisation to leave skin feeling soft, supple and delicately scented.'

TheBrunetteSays...
I applied the Avon Naturals Strawberry & Guava Body Lotion daily, after every bath. The lotions consistency was creamy, not at all greasy and applies really well onto my skin. It does seem to take a while to absorb fully into my skin, but that isn't too much of a problem. It does the job as an all over body moisturiser, leaving my skin feeling soft, refreshed and moisturised. I can really tell the difference when I haven't used, or forgot to apply a moisturiser after a bath; my skin can feel quite dry, and cheap, standard body lotions don't seem to moisturise my skin the way I want it to. But I was pretty happy with how this lotion made my skin feel. Avon promises '24-hour moisturisation..' which I beg to differ. Yes, it moisturised my skin for a couple of hours, but I'm not so sure it felt as soft and hydrated for much longer than that. That said, my skin didn't feel overly dry in-between uses. I adored the fruity smell of Strawberries. Avon say it's '..delicately scented' but I actually think it's a pretty intense fragrance. I love bathing before bed, lying on my bed smelling all fruity. The scent lasts a good couple of hours too. I adore the smell, it makes me feel all summery and fresh. The packaging is cute, for an Avon product! ;) I haven't yet used the shower gel that accompanies it, as I prefer using creamier body washes, but I imagine that both used together smells lush!!

Would I recommend it?
Yes, give it a try. For a cheap body lotion, it does a pretty good job and the smell is devine!!

Would I re-purchase?
Yes I think I would. I'm not sure I'd rush to buy a bottle straight away, but if it's ever on offer (which is is quite often), I may snap another one up for my collection.

Avon Naturals Strawberry & Guava Body Lotion is available to purchase from your local Avon representative or online at Avonshop.co.uk. £3 (200ml) - Currently on offer at £1.50 - snap it up now ladies!! 

Have you used this, or any other fruity products you think I'd like??

Leave me a comment, or tweet me at @Lianne84

My Lil Paradise Island | My Week In Pictures - July 15th-20th

I'd been counting down for this week for a long, long time..

#SeafrontLunch - Sandown,IOW

#BeachPose - Sandown Beach,IOW

#Relaxing - WhitecliffBayHolidayPark,IOW

(Outfits: Bradley - Top:RiverIsland Shorts:Primark | Me - Dress:Boohoo)

#HappyDays - SandownPier,IOW

(Outfits: Me - Top:Boohoo Maxiskirt:Boohoo | Bradley - Top:ZaraKids)

The first week of the summer holidays, and a few days on my lil paradise island - the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight is a pretty special place for me. My family & I holidayed at a cute little holiday park there called Whitecliff Bay every year, sometimes twice, since I was born. And when I was 15, my parents bought a holiday home down there which meant we spent even more time down there, sometimes I spent the whole summer there. You can imagine the memories made! When my parents divorced when I was 18, the holiday home was sold, and that was the last time I went.

#SandTimes - SandownBeach,IOW

#PosingInMySpecialPlace - WhitecliffBayBeach,IOW

#9amInMySpecialPlace - WhitecliffBayBeach,IOW

#FamilyFun - TheNeedlesPleasurePark,IOW

(Outfits: Me - Top:Boohoo Maxiskirt:Boohoo Sunglasses:RiverIsland | Bradley: Top:George Shorts:Riverisland)

So, 11 years on, I took my other half James, and my little man Bradley down to my little paradise island. I was very excited.

From the moment I arrived I had a huge smile on my face, I had forgot how beautiful it was, and how much I'd missed it.

#MyView - SandownBeach,IOW

#BreakfastByTheBeach - SandownBeach,IOW

(Outfits: James - Top:Forever21 Shorts:George | Bradley: Shirt:Primark Shorts:RiverIsland)

#FavouriteView - WhitecliffBay,IOW

#Love - WhitecliffBay,IOW

(Outfits: Me - Dress:Missguided | James - Top:Burtons)

It hadn't changed that much, to the point that some places looked exactly the same as they did 20 years ago. It was upsetting to see that a lot of places were looking tired, old, run down, many once bustling attractions had now closed down, and many places needed a good lift! I guess the recession, and the fact that we've been having such bad summers had meant lack of money. But the true natural beauty of the island was still there. It still took my breath away, driving around a corner and seeing an amazing view. The island really is a beauty!

#LifesLittleGems - TheNeedles,IOW

#SeafrontPose - SandownBeach,IOW

(Outfits: Me - Maxidress:Bank Jacket:RiverIsland | James - Top:Forever21)

#Maze - BlackgangChine,IOW

(Outfit: Top:RiverIsland Shorts:RiverIsland)

The holiday park had changed a lot, it had since been taken over by a resort company who had made some big changes, but it was still so lovely to reminisce and show my boys where I spent a lot of my childhood. Seeing Bradley running around the clubhouse, swimming in the pool I learnt to swim in, and splash around on my favourite beach bought a huge smile to my face, it felt surreal. 
The staff were all really helpful, the park clean and our accommodation, a superior lodge, was lovely and spacious! 
I woke at 7.30am almost every morning, but I couldn't wait to get up. I'd sit on the balcony in the sunshine, with my book and have some me time before the boys got up. Bliss!

#Cheeeese - SandownBeach,IOW

#Selfie - WhitecliffBayHolidayPark,IOW

#8amMeTime - WhitecliffBayHolidayPark,IOW

#Me&MyBoy - WhitecliffBayHolidayPark,IOW

(Outfits: Bradley - Top:RiverIsland | Me - Dress:Missguided)

The weather was amazing, it honestly felt like we were abroad and every day got hotter.

As we were only down there for 5 days, I had to try and squeeze in all the places I wanted to show them, so we were very busy.. we were all exhausted by the end of each day.

I loved reminiscing, and making new memories with my new little family! I've already made plans for when we win the lottery, to buy a cute little holiday home, and do up a seafront hotel.. It's nice to dream, hey?! :)

#ManTime - SandownBeach,IOW

#InMyHappyPlace - WhitecliffBayHolidayPark,IOW

(Outfit: Dress:Missguided)

If you haven't already, I definitely recommend taking a visit to Isle of Wight, and seeing all the little gems it has to offer. For a family-orientated holiday park, check out Whitecliff Bay - a cute little holiday park with lots to offer, with a few memories thrown in! :) Its a great little park to use as a base to explore the island, as well as lots to keep the little ones busy on site. One little tip tho - stay clear of the basic chalet accommodation, choose a caravan or lodge!! 

We had such a lovely time, Bradley loved it, which made my week! I've well and truly got the post holiday blues now.. Can we go back already?!

Have you been down to the Isle of Wight? Do you have a special place you'd love to revisit?

My week in pictures - July 8th-14th

Well, it's been a crazy busy week!! 
The last week of term at work. You'd think this would mean starting to wind down.. think again. It's one of the busiest weeks of the whole year. Getting all the paperwork finished and ready to send the little people off to big school - and anyone working in the Early Years sector will know how much paperwork I mean! :) Planning all the exciting final week events, parties and graduations.. I was totally exhausted every night. We finished with a big beach party, in the glorious sunshine. It was lovely. But a little sad saying bye to the little munchkins!! All the little cards and presents make it all worth while.. :) 

Once the working week was over, it was time to get ready for my week away down south. Starting with a little relaxation and pampering, as I blogged about here.

I received my monthly Glossybox this weekend too. I still haven't got over the novelty of the beauty box hype, even after all this time. The excitement of a new Glossybox arriving at my door is still as high as it was back when they first started.. :) I'm loving the fact that they listened to us when we told them we were getting a little tired of too many sample sizes and sachets, and the last few boxes have been full of full size products. This months box is bright turquoise, 'seaside splash' they call it.. very quirky, and contained some fab little beauties inside. 

Coola Mineral Face Sunscreen - an organic sunscreen that promises to sooth, tone and minimise pores, balance moisture and deliver powerful anti-ageing benefits, all whilst providing complete UVA/UVB protection. 

Alterna Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist - a weightless mist to help add texture, volume and shine in a loose, 'just back from the beach' wavy style. I've used a few of these products before and can never get it quite right, but I've packed it to take away with me, I shall let you know how I get on :)

Pukka Ayurveda Radiance Serum - a 'wonder serum' which they say will leave your skin feeling fresh, bright and brighten your complexion. Looking forward to trying this out!

Ciate London Paint Pot - a totally super cute HUGE pot of coral (my bestie will love it!) nail varnish tied with a little black bow. Witwoo.

Anatomicals Spray Facial Mist - an ultra-hydrating facial mist. Now usually I'm a huge fan of these and carry them around with me on holiday and on warm summer days, to cool down and keep my skin hydrated, but on trying this.. the lavender smell just reminded me of grandparents houses.. not that my grandparents houses smelt anything other than lovely of course, but just the strong smell of lavender just made me think 'soap' and 'old people'.. nothing disrespectful meant by this, obviously ;) I've still packed it in my cosmetics case to take away with me, so I'll let you know if it grows on me.. :)

To finish, they threw in a cute little piece of Green & Blacks organic dark chocolate. Thanks Glossybox!

The rest of my weekend has been spent packing, or rather OVER-PACKING as my other half keeps telling me, for my break away. Men will NEVER understand that we just have to make sure we've got enough clothes for all occasions, all weathers, all events.. and just because we want to take half our wardrobes with us, just 'CAUSE! ;)

So, I'm off to spend a few days down south with my boys, so I won't be blogging during the week. Check out my Twitter until then.. Have a fab week guys, hope the sunshine stays out wherever you are!! 

What have you guys been upto this week??

Holiday Make-up

I've just spent the best part of an hour trying to decide what make up to pack to take on holiday with me.. Baring in mind I'm only going away, down south, to my favourite island, the place I spent the majority of my childhood; the Isle of Wight, for 5 days. BUT, I'm sure you'll all agree with me how hard it is to decide which pieces to take, when you have such a big collection. You take it for granted when you're at home and have everything to hand. I have 2 big storage containers full of make up, and 2 make up bags full of brushes. Choosing which to take away with me was tougher than I thought. You want to make sure you've got products for all weather possibilities.. this is England after all! And a variety of colours is a must! Girl problems!! 


I had to fit them into these 2 make up bags..

Firstly, and probably most importantly, my base. 

I have to have my Olay Regenerist CC Cream (£24.99), with anti-ageing serum and SPF moisturiser mixed with a sheer foundation, it works as the perfect primer for my base and I can also, when I'm feeling brave, wear this alone without foundation.

My 2 favourite foundations (which I often mix.. don't ask!) MAC Studio Fix (£21.50) & Chanel Lift Lumiere (£38.00), are a MUST!

And I cannot go anywhere without my faithful MAC Studio Tech (£25.00). Read my rave review about this product here. 

Next up, bronzers and cheek colour.

It was tricky choosing from my collection of bronzers and blushers.. did I want powders or creams? How many should I take? 

Eventually I decided on these 4 lil beauties.. Top left is a fantastic bronzer by MAC's limited edition Wonder Woman range (no longer available), it includes bronzer and my favourite shimmering Skinfinish's, so I didn't have to pack those separately. Top right is a gorgeous face powder by MAC's limited edition Archie's Girls range (no longer available). Bottom left is an amazing bronzer/blush called Africa by W7. I'd never heard of this brand before, it was a gift from a friend, from House of Fraser. The mix of pink and browns give a lovely highlighted finish as a blush, great for contouring, or an all over tanned look as a full face bronzer, perfect for day or night. It is still available to purchase from online retailers, have a google if you fancy getting your hands on one. Bottom right is MAC's Mineralize Blush, in Solar Ray, which i think may be unavailable in this shade now, but they still have a wide range of fab shades to choose from available at £20.00. So, whether I fancy highlighted, bronzed cheeks or a healthy all over glow.. I think I have it covered!

Next up, eyes.

Now I have a huge box full of every eyeshadow colour you could imagine. I was very tempted to go through my over-packed case to find outfits to match my eye colour with.. but luckily, for my own sanity, I decided against it. 

Urban Decay's Naked Palette 2 (£36.00) is a must, with its wide range of highly pigmented neutrals, they'll be something for all occasions. I also chose a white highlighting eyeshadow by MUA (£1.00) as it's a favourite for me, for an all over eye base colour, I reach for this a lot so it has to come with me.. 

I chose a couple of eyeshadow duos in pink and blue from Avon's ColorTrend range (£2.99) for a bit of colour. 

Another favourite I've been reaching for a lot this summer is a gorgeous pearlescent satin eye powder by Kyrolan, a professional make up company, in a lovely orange colour. It leaves a bright, shimmery finish on my eyes, I sometimes sweep a little over my cheeks too!

To finish off my must-have eyeshadows, I've thrown in a MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo (£17.00).. was a tough decision deciding which one, but I went with Joy & Laughter.

As well as my eyebrow make up, I've also got my MAC Prep & Prime Lash (£12.50), MAC Opulash Optimum Black (£14.00), MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliner (£17.00) and MAC Black Eye Kohl (£14.00) - my must-have, can't go anywhere without, eye products!!

Also you see in this pic, Benefit's High Beam (£19.50) - an amazing enhancer/highlighter I love to use on my brow bone and cheeks. 

Lips next..

I chose a few lipsticks, an array of my favourite lip glosses, some Nivea SOS Lip Relief (£3.36), a favourite for keeping my lips from drying out in this heat, and a couple of products from my new favourite lipcare company Figs & Rouge. They're super cute, moisture boosting and 100% natural . A quirky new brand with loads of multi purpose products. Here I have the 100% natural, Rambling Rose lip balm (£4.95) which you can also use on face and body. And the 100% natural Cherry Blossom tinted lip balm (£4.95). It looks and smells delish! 

Lipsticks - Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy (£24.00) - super sexy colour, glides on and lasts hours, a fave in my make up box. MAC lipsticks in Plink! & Creme d'Nude (£15.00) I have a huge amount of MAC lipsticks, they're long lasting, non drying, just downright perfect! I love their Cremesheen & Lustre ranges best! 

Lip glosses - MAC lip glasses in Culture Clash, Nice Buzz, (I'm not sure if these are still available, I can't seem to find them on their site), Underage & Viva Glam from their previous Gaga range. (£14.00). Urban Decay Lip Junkie lip gloss in Streak & Avon Plump Pout in Pink Pucker - fab for glossing over lipstick - you can actually feel the tingling of your lips plumping, a rarity for lip plumpers I have found..

I chose a few brushes from my collection for face, cheeks, eyes and brows..

And managed to squeeze it all in my make up bags all neat and snug..

After all that, I'm almost sure I'll have a few 'Oh I wish I'd have bought my..' moments!! :) 

But I have a few favourites in there, and I'm sure I'll be able to come up with some super cute looks from this little lot.. 

What are your holiday favourites??