Musicals, glitter and a day at Ascot | June Favourites

Well wasn't June a great month! I don't know about anyone else but I seemed to have a lot of exciting things going on and with this nice weather we've been having it's just been a lovely few weeks. With that being said I've been a bit selective with my favourites this month and although there isn't much to mention, the things that are in this post I am 100% obsessed with.

I think I've mentioned the Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eye Shadow before, and for good reason. It's literally like magic in a bottle and it's perfect for when you have a special occasion that could do with a bit of extra sparkle. I have Gold Goddess, a twinkly bright gold that is seriously versatile. I've used this with my Naked Heat palette, Naked 3 and a standard brown smokey eye - it's worked for all of them. No mess as it's in a liquid form and really easy to build up for a super sparkly lid. Such a great product I could recommend this endlessly.

This month I've fallen back in love with the Revlon Colorstay Foundation, specifically in the shade Sand Beige. I've been fake tanning a fair bit over the past few weeks so I've needed a darker foundation shade so my face matches the my body. This formula is amazing for me. Semi matte so it stays put throughout the day but doesn't dry your skin out. Lots of coverage but it can be blended out to something a little lighter if you want. Just an all round good egg that I need to not neglect in the future.

Now, over the past month I have become obsessed with musicals, like seriously obsessed. I've always been a fan of some but it's started taking over my actual life. I listen to soundtracks all the time (we'll get onto those in a minute) and can't stop watching musical YouTubers. Amy Lovatt and Katherine Steele have been playing on repeat for the last month. They both do videos on musicals, songs, actual shows, etc and I cannot get enough. If you want something easy watching then their videos will be just the thing to pass four hours of your life (I've been on some serious video binges recently). It's through these two that I've discovered my new music obsessions - Mean Girls the Musical and Dear Evan Hanson. Yes you saw right, Mean Girls the Musical is an actual thing and the soundtrack is amazing. I think if you're a fan of the movie then you will love this! I love all the songs but my favourites are Revenge Party, Someone Gets Hurt and Sexy. Easy listening and great to sing-a-long to in the car. Dear Evan Hanson has an equally sing-a-long-ish soundtrack. I'm not 100% sure what the plot is but that doesn't matter when listening to the soundtrack. Again, easy listening, some songs more jolly than others but they all make you fell good. Anybody have a map and Good for you are my top picks.

A shout out has to go to the events I've had on this month. A weekend trip for my friend's birthday followed by the best day ever at Royal Ascot! It seems to be becoming an annual thing and I'm so there for it - what's better than a picnic, prosecco and betting with friends? Nothing, that's what.

Are they worth the hype?

When products are hyped up I go one of two ways. Either I'm really not interested and actively don't search them out to not be the same as everyone else, or, I totally can't wait and have to have it RIGHT THIS SECOND. These three products definitely fall in the latter category and once I'd heard the hype, I caved and needed them in my life. But are they worth it?

I've mentioned Isle of Paradise in the last few blog posts so you can probably tell already that I've well and truly fallen for the hype, but there is good reason. Not only do the products look so instagramable you could cry but the one I've tried is pretty damn cracking. I have the Self Tanning Drops which I've used mixed in with my moisturiser to make my face a little more sun kissed. As terrifying as it I thought it would be it's actually really easy to use and looks great when it's on. Blends in with the colour I am when I fake tan and gives me that glow I have been craving during the warmer months. Totally worth the hype - I can't comment on the brand as a whole but this product is definitely a cracker.

I've wanted to try out the Dior Lip Glows for AGES. A lip balm that gives your perfect colour with a bit of a plump thrown in? Sign me up! I think it's not a bad price (£24) and the packaging is gorgeous. But is it worth the hype? A bit. I know I know! I do love this product, a lot, but I thought it was going to be better. Don't get me wrong, I really love this product and it works really well on me - like the perfect barely there lip product - but I think I wanted it to be a bit more glossy than it is. It you're wanting a lip product that needs next to no effort and feels nice on this lips then this is the one for you - but don't be expecting any miracles.

The Stila Glitter and Glows. Worth the hype? 100 per cent without a doubt. A liquid glitter that stays on your lids all day without budging, sign me up! There's a reason there's so much hype around this product because they're blumming amazing! I can't comment on the different shades but Gold Goddess could not be any more glittery and shimmery. If you're going to some sort of event then you need these in your life!

Have you tried any of these products? Thoughts?

All that glitters | The best sparkle for your eyes

I love glitter. To the point where I'd happily shower in the stuff. I love a bit of sparkle on my eyes, I just think it looks great packed onto the lid with winged liner - dreams! Here are my favourites to get that shimmer on my eyes and staying on through a night in the club, day trip out or slowing round the house (just sometimes like to bring a bit of glamour to life).

First up is the Pop shade from the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Palette, my first dip in the 'sophisticated glitter' pool. This pressed pigment sort of powder transforms any eye look from standard to something a bit more smokey. It's a dirty gold shade with lots of glittery flecks in it so  when swiped across the lid it's subtle but pretty. I like to apply using my finger just before I use mascara and really build it up so it's super sparkly.

Next up are the Collection Glam Crystals. I first heard about these on Lucy and Lydia's channel and haven't really looked back since. I mean these are £2.99 and they're pretty incredible. Basically a glitter eyeliner with flecks of different colours in it, it works great over other eyeshadows and lasts all day because of the wet formula that dries right down. When I use these I really layer them up, like eight coats, so there's so much glitter is blinding, but they don't feel sticky or thick on my eye lids. I have the shades Dancing Queen, a pink with silver flecks, and Funk, a bright gold. Love them both, they look so cool, I especially love them under the eye - although word of warning, they can sting a little when really close to the eyeball.

Now the last one is my favourite of all the glitters. I haven't had it for very long but it's so amazing that I have to share it. The NYX Glitter in Copper and the NYX Glitter Primer are a beautiful combination. Now, unlike the others, you should really put this on first before the rest of your makeup otherwise it will end up all down your face, but once it's on it's on. I put an eyeshadow down first, Sonic from the Urban Decay Vice 3 palette is good - a pinky red. Then I take a bit of the glitter primer and dab it on the top using my finger. After that I take a brush and pack on the glitter. Like the other two I pack a lot on but it looks great and is like a true glitter. Love it.

What are your favourite glitter products?

(Also can we just take a minute to appreciate this Primark cushion. I'm in love)

Left to right: NYX Copper | Collection Dancing Queen | Collection Funk | Charlotte Tilbury Pop

Bringing in the sparkle

I love a bit of glitter. Pretty much any chance there is I like to crack out the sparkle. With this hot weather that seems to be sticking around (and when I say hot I mean not raining) it makes me want to wear glitter even more. When I wore this look I was having such a good day, my hair perfectly went into french plaits, my foundation sat nicely and I had no eyeliner problems. This was great, but you know the saying 'all dressed up and nowhere to go'? This was the case. Me and my friends went to watch Trent university compete in the Rugby League varsity but other than that I was just sat in my room trying to take a profile picture worthy selfie (it didn't happen, I know sad times). If you fancy doing a bit of a daytime glitter look then these are the products I used.

I primed my eyes like always with the Mac Painterly Paint Pot and used the shade Truth (a cream shade) from the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette to set that and even out my eyelid. I then took the shade Undone (a light, cool toned matte brown) from the same palette in my crease. I kept applying and blending until I got a nicely defined crease. I also took that shade under my eye and blended it to smoke it out. Now it's time to crack out the liner! I did quite a large wing (at least it was big for me) and did a relatively thick line on the lid as well, making sure I reached right by the lashes so no skin peaked through. I used the L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim in Black to get this crisp line. Now for the fun part! I would recommend the Collection Glam Crystal Glitter Eyeliners to anyone who is going to use glitter at any point in their life because they are amazing. There's no need for a glitter primer and it goes on so easily. You can have just a little bit of glitter or keep on building it up for something really opaque and intense. I used Funk for this look, which is a gold and looks stunning and really great for Summer. I simply coloured in the wing with the glitter, I did two coats, and I love the little bit of shimmer it gave without being over the top. To the look I used my Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl Eyeliner in Black in my waterline and then put on lashings of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I went for something simple on the lips and used the Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Lunch Date which gave a nice shine to my lips.

I'm definitely going to be trying out more glitter looks in the future and I need to pick up more colours of these Collection glitters!

Glittery Nails

Ever year at christmas time I get my finger and toe nails done so that they're super sparkly and really festive. I have Minx on my toes and Shellac on my fingers. This year on my toes I had an aztec pattern which is more summery than wintery but they look really good. On my fingernails I had a light gold glitter which looks silver in some lights on all of my nails and then a sprinkling of brown on my ring fingers. They look really good and have got me into the festive spirit!

Christmas Party Face

Everybody needs a christmas party face, something a little bit more special so that when you look back on pictures you think "I was on top form that day". This year I don't have a christmas party so a normal Nottingham night out will just have to do. My definition of party eyes are sparkle, glitter, gold  or silver and something that you would never normally wear.

On my face I did my standard heavy duty combo, Rimmel stay matte primer to make sure I don't start to melt, Max Factor foundation and Mac pro longer concealer to cover up the entire of my face and make it look semi normal. I also use a powder, like Rimmel stay matte, to make sure I don't look shiny in the festive photos. I then use the Sleek eyebrow pencil to define my face, and I think it's ok to go a little darker than normal because, come on, it's christmas. On to the eyes. Priming the eyes is essential to make sure they stay in place so I used the L'oreal one. I then went in with the Barry M dazzle dust in gold to make everything sparkly and blended more gold shades, like honey pot from the Too Faced natural eyes palette. Finishing off with some long lasting gel eyeliner from L'oreal, Rimmel black eyeliner in the waterline and Clinique mascara, the eyes are done. To warm up the face I used a little bit of the Boujouis bronzer and then went in with my Soap and Glory peach party shimmer brick which makes your face shimmery without going full on disco ball. Ending it all with Mac shy girl lipstick you're all ready to party the night away christmas style.