London & IMATS Makeup Haul Plus a little Giveaway (Closed)!

I promise this will be the last London related post on here. I know I've been harping on about it since I came back but I seriously had so much stuff to write about. This post is going to be a Beauty Haul showing you guys what I picked up whilst I was in London. Looking at my purchases now I did buy quite a bit but I know that I'll actually use the stuff I bought which I know can't be said for some past purchases.

First off I'll show you what I got at IMATS! To be fair I didn't buy too much. I bought a couple of bits from Crown Brush, I seen so many good reviews on their brushes I knew I wanted to check them out. I bought two palettes, their 28 Nude Eyeshadow palette (which you can win, details below) and their 10 pan blush palette. I also picked up five of their brushes on the day, I'm not too sure what type of brush they are as they have no names. It's kind of annoying but who knows they could be amazing makeup brushes and redeem themselves. The total for these purchases came to £78 which I wasn't expecting. I think it's kinda pricey for what I got to be honest but other than that I'm happy with my purchases. My only other purchase at IMATS was Make Up Forever's HD Foundation, again a product I've heard tonnes about.  I made such a good saving on this product, at IMATS it was £20 but in Dublin it retails for in and around €38. I got it in the shade 117 which is the perfect match for me and so far I'm really happy with it. I don't think it would be a foundation I'd use on a day to day basis but definitely for special occasions. I haven't really tried too much from Make Up Forever as I feel its a bit on the pricier side of things over here. Who knows after trying this I may pick up some more bits from them really soon! 

When I seen Benefit's Matthew Williamson The Rich is Back palette online I knew I had to have it. We do have a huge Debenhams in town but with saving for London I decided to save my money and buy it when I got there. I do have a few Benefit palettes in my collection which are all fab but this one just caught my eye, I'm in love with the retro packaging. All the shadows in the palette are very wearable, I could even see myself using the turquoise shade over the Summer months too, I just hope we start getting the nice weather soon. This palette was £26.50 which I guess is a bit on the pricey side of things but I know I'll get so much use out of it. It's also Limited Edtion so I doubt it will stick around for long. When I was in Debenhams on Oxford Street they literally had three left in stock. I came upon the store Liberty by a complete accident when we got off the Tube. Of course I snuck in with Paddy for a few minutes to have a look around their Beauty Hall which is heaven! I bought two miniature Bumble and Bumble products, their Prep and Thickening Hairspray. I've never seen the mini products in Dublin so I decided to give them a go. I always find it better to go for the miniatures instead of the full size products as if I don't like something I know I won't have wasted a lot of money. Both of these products came to €12.50 which I thought was rather good! I haven't tried too much from the brand but so far I'm really impressed with these two products. I signed up for a store card while I was in the store, I have no idea why considering I'll never use it as I live in Dublin. Another brand we can't get our hands on in Dublin is KIKO Cosmetics. I popped into their store in Westfield Stratford and it was so busy as they had their Sale on. I haven't heard too much about this brand so I was looking forward to trying some bits. I bought two products that were in the Sale, the Sun Bronzing Blush and Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow. I wasn't planning on buying the latter but the lovely Sales Assistant sold it too me at the til. They literally don't budge, I went for shade 28 which is a flesh toned. I think it will be great under a neutral eye. I also picked up KIKO's Night Balm which is a nourishing treatment for the lips. Mine have been extremely dry lately so I'm hoping it works magic! All three products came to £16.20 which didn't break the bank. If I end up liking these goodies I'll definitely pick up some more bits the next time I'm in London.

The only other shop I went to in Westfield Stratford was of course, Victoria's Secret! Here in Ireland we always seem to be the last to get big name stores opened on our shores so I couldn't wait to pop in and have a shop around. I ended up buying just beauty products, their beauty section is huge! There was so much choose from, I literally loved nearly every scent I tried. I finally decided on their Lemon Escape Gift Set and Love Spell Fragrance Mist. All of these products smell amazing! The minute I sprayed Lemon Escape Paddy insisted that I bought the fragrance. I think it was probably his favourite scent in the whole shop. I decided to go for the set as you get the body spray, body lotion and shower gel housed in a gorgeous makeup bag. Lets be honest here I did fall in love with the makeup bag just a little so that probably played a big part in my final decision. I was also drawn towards their Love Spell Fragrance Mist, it has a gorgeous peachy scent! Plus it comes in purple packaging which is indeed my favourite. For daytime I do love fragrance mists as opposed to perfumes over the Summer as they are much lighter on the skin. Lastly in Stansted Airport I picked up the Rockin' Body Perfecting Cream. This was one of those "Getting Rid of my Sterling need to buy Stuff" purchases. Lets be honest we all have them when we go on holidays. I was really surprised that the Victoria's Secret in the Airport stocked so much considering it was the size of a shoe. This came to £10.83, not a 100% sure how much it actually is in stores. Again this smells really nice , it's basically a body illuminator which I think will look rather nice over tan.

Paddy bought me some bits and bobs while we were in London. He picked me up this gorgeous Beatles Abbey Road teddy which is so cute. I have a couple of teddys from when I was younger with badges/pins from different countries my family and I have visited. Whenever people go away they always bring me back a couple. As you can see I've already stuck a couple of London badges on there. I'm actually scared to count the amount of badges/pins I have as there are so many. Paddy also got me two books, The Devil Wears Prada and the new sequel, Revenge Wears Prada. I've heard so much about the original book so I can't wait to give these two books a read very soon.

Now for the giveaway, I was quite lucky to have been able to buy quite a bit whilst I was in London last weekend. Thank god I checked in a bag or I wouldn't have been able to bring any of it home. Saying that my suitcase was nearly over the 15KG limit which I was indeed stressing out about all morning! I've decided to give away the lovely Crown Brush 28 Neutral Colour palette which you can see in the first picture on this post. Of course I opened it to show you guys what its like in person but I haven't touched any of the shadows! If like me you love neutral shadows this will definitely be up your street. I do love it myself but I do have quite a few neutral palettes already and I thought it would be nice to give it away to one of my lovely readers!!

Entering this giveway is simple as I don't want to go down the route of a million rules and such.

Here's what you have to do!

Follow All-Made-Up on Bloglovin' which you can do here , let me know in the comments if you have done so.

For an extra entry you can tweet - I've just entered @AllMadeUp21 International Giveway for a Crown Brush 28 Neutral Eyeshadow palette #bbloggers

Lastly comment on this post telling me what your favourite beauty products are for the Summer months.

Closing Date - Sunday 7th July @ Midnight. Winner will be notified on Twitter

Worldwide Giveaway (wherever I can send post too!)

UPDATE - The winner of the Crown Brush 28 Nude Palette is Chloe ! Congrats!

That's all you have to do guys easy peasy! I really hope you enjoyed my London/IMATS Haul, if you where at IMATS too I'd love to see what lovely beauty products you picked up.

Laura<3

IMATS London 2013

 It's hard to believe that this time last week I was in London! Time seriously goes way too fast when your on holidays, I had such an amazing trip whilst I was there which you can read all about here. Three days definitely didn't give me enough time to explore this lively city so I'm hoping to pop back towards the end of the year. The main reason behind my trip to London last week was to attend the much talked about IMATS. Having never been before I didn't know what to expect. I was lucky enough to have a Press Pass for Saturday and Sunday, in the end I decided to go on Saturday as I was going to be visiting Paddy's Sister on Sunday.

As I was staying in the Holiday Inn Express in Stratford, East London, it was nowhere near Kensington where IMATS was taking place. I should really look up Google Maps in the future before I book hotel! The location of our hotel didn't really bother us at all, I found that we saw more of London this way. We had an early start on Saturday morning as I wanted to get to IMATS early before the crowds. I was so glad Paddy was there to keep me company as I didn't realise how packed the tubes get, I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed. Two long train rides later we were in Kensington, we did get off the wrong stop and ended up walking 40 mins to the venue. I seriously don't know how we got it so wrong but we did find our way in the end.

After collecting my Press Pass at the door, I headed inside to check out all the exhibitors. I had a couple of places e.g Crown Brush & Make Up Forever etc. that I wanted to go to first. Even though I didn't want to splurge on the day I did end up spending more money than I expected. I shouldn't of been too surprised as this seems to always be the case lately. The queues for some exhibitors e.g NYX, MAC Pro, Nars etc. were unreal. Instead of wasting my time queuing up for an age, I decided to have a wander around the venue itself. The special effects makeup on show was amazing! I did get quite a fright when I saw a huge monster on stilts started running towards me and started touching my hair with giant claws. Doubt I'm going to forget that anytime soon! I caught a bit of Bobbie Weiner's demonstration on how to create zombie skin. She was such a great speaker and the two looks she created were super spooky and would be perfect for Halloween. Of course she made it look so easy, I doubt I'd be able to recreate it myself. If you haven't heard of Bobbie Weiner before, her work has appeared in a number of Broadway shows and blockbuster movies such as Titanic, Shooter, Wicked and Behind Enemy Lines to name but a few. I seriously enjoyed her talk, it was so interesting and I took a lot away from it. On the day I met up with two lovely bloggers Jade from The Beauty Butterfly and Joanna from Minty Essence, it was so nice to finally meet them after reading both of their blogs for so long. Jade also helped me pick out the perfect shade of Make Up Forever's HD Foundation which ended up being the perfect match for my skintone. I've been using it a lot since I bought it!

We left just before 2pm as I was shopped out plus I was way too warm. Paddy and I headed for a bite to eat in Pizza Express, lots of IMATS attendees must of had the same idea as it was so busy!! All in all three hours gave me enough time to see all I wanted to see at IMATS. I picked up a good few bargains which you'll see in my London Beauty Haul post which is coming soon! The only thing I'd probably do differently next year is book a Central hotel. Not that I minded too much this time around but it definitely would have made things easier. If your planning on visiting IMATS yourself in the future, I'd recommend going early on Saturday to beat the crowds. It starts getting really busy after the 12 o'clock mark. I'd also write down a list of what exhibitors you want to check out on the day, also don't forget to pick up a floor plan map at the door as you want to know where the booths are that you want to check out. Lastly THINK before you BUY! I know there are fabulous discounts at IMATS and I usually go wild myself in this sort of situation. However I did find myself stepping back and thinking before I bought certain products while I was there. I'm pretty happy with the majority of the purchases I made on the day, one or two things were products that I may not of needed seeing as I have plenty of eyeshadows at home.

I hope you enjoyed this insight into my time at IMATS! I'm pretty sure I took enough pictures so you guys could join in on the experience. I'd love to know if you have been to IMATS before and what you enjoyed.

Laura<3

My London Adventure!

I'm back from London!!

I arrived home yesterday after an amazing weekend in this lovely city. I seriously can't believe it took me so long to visit and I won't leave it too long until I fly back over again. I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in Stratford which is in East London. It was a bit out of the way but once Paddy and I got our heads around the Tube Map, it wasn't a problem to travel around. I've never been on anything like the London Underground, the Luas over here does not compare in the slightest. It gets so unbelievably busy lets just say I'm glad I'm not claustrophobic! The Olympic Stadium was right beside our hotel plus Westfield Stratford which is huge, we didn't even get to see all the shops in there. I doubt that centre is ever quiet, we went by the place at 11pm on the night we arrived and it was still buzzing with people.

On Saturday we went to IMATS which was a bit of a trek away from Strafford . We did a hell of a lot of walking on this trip! IMATS was really good and I was delighted I took the time to go over to London for the weekend to attend. I'm going to pop up a overview of the day on here soon. Later on in the day we took another train to Green Park to check out Buckingham Palace. After walking through a bit of Hyde Park, I wasn't expecting it to come out of nowhere like it did. The weather wasn't the nicest on the day so we didn't stick around for too long before stopping by Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

A trip to Hampton Court was on the cards on Sunday where we visited Paddy's Sister. The weather was gorgeous which was a definite plus. We spent the day at Hampton Court Palace which I absolutely loved. There's so much history there and I found the place really interesting. We didn't get to do the whole tour, the place is huge and you'd have to take a full day to do it! The palace gardens are beautiful, seeing as it's June all the flowers were out in full bloom. They even have concerts there, Cliff Richard was playing that evening after we left. If only it was a singer we were remotely interested in. I know my Nanna would of loved him!

Before our flight home on Monday we woke up bright and early. First off we headed to Oxford Street where I stumbled upon Liberty unexpectedly and of course popped in for a bit. I didn't spend too much time on Oxford just because I wanted to fit as much into my last day as possible. Our second port of call was the British Museum, definitely a place that I'd recommend visiting if your ever in London. It's free in and there's so much too see, it's more impressive than some of the museums we have over here. Paddy is big into Ancient Egypt so we spent most of the time looking at that exhibit.

Of course the trip wouldn't have been complete without doing some shopping and I did a lot. I'll put up a haul post in the coming days. All in all I really enjoyed London and I'm already hoping to go back later this year. You definitely need more than three days to see everything. There's so much more I want to see like the Tower of London and Madame Tussauds. We tried to visit the latter on Monday but the queue was enormous and we were a bit pushed for time with our flight leaving that evening. I spotted the Sherlock Holmes statue when we were walking to the Tube though so of course I had to get a picture with that.

Are you guys heading off anywhere nice over the Summer?

Laura<3

London Calling!

Tomorrow I'm heading to London for the weekend for IMATS. The time has seriously flown by, I remember mentioning it on my blog a while back and I can't believe it's here already. I've never been to London before, it will only be my fourth time visiting the UK. I've been to Manchester three times to visit the Paddy's family, for concerts and of course shopping! It's one of my favourite cities, the people are lovely and there is so much to do. I'm definitely going to take a trip back there during the Summer and maybe take in a United game which I know will make the boyfriend happy indeed.

I'm flying over to London tomorrow evening with Paddy. He won't be coming along to IMATS with me but if you see him in Kensington on Saturday definitely say Hi. I was going to fly over on just for the day with the sole purpose of attending IMATS and go home that night. After checking out the flights Paddy and I decided to make a weekend out of it so we're having a little holiday too. I'm just taking a break from packing my bags and its a definite fail so far. I got this lovely Benefit Cosmetics Passport cover in Brown Thomas. The lovely sales assistant gave it to me when I bought one of their amazing Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows. I love the new packaging in their new colour range, it's so pretty! I know I'm only going for a weekend  but I also seem to overpack. This always seems to be the case for every holiday I go on. Does this happen to anyone else?

Being my first time at IMATS I don't know what to expect. I got a Press pass for the weekend so you'll definitely see some coverage on here in the coming weeks as well as posts on what I go up to in London. I'm sure I'll be taking a lot of picture whilst I'm there! Have any of you been to IMATS before? I'd love to hear what you thought of it. I'm really looking forward to checking out all the exhibitor stands, I know I'll definitely pick up some products from NYX and Make Up Forever. I love NYX blushes and lipglosses so I want to pick up a few more shades. I also want to listen to some of the Keynote speakers on the day, I always find these sort of talks really interesting and informative. The talk being given by Ruth Crilly and Caroline Hirons on The Power of Social Media sounds really great so I'll be sticking around for that. I'm looking forward to meeting some of you beauty bloggers too, if you see me on the day come say Hi. I'm meeting up with Jade from Beauty Butterfly on the day. I love her blog so if you haven't checked it out already go do it!

There's so many places I want to visit whilst I'm in London, I've gotten so many great suggestions from you guys already. I'm going to have fun trying to fit everything into four days. Considering that my flight departs Dublin Airport on Friday evening it really only leaves me with three days but I'm not going to think about that. On Sunday I'm going on a boat trip along the River Thames with my boyfriend and his Sister which I'm really exciting. I'm hoping that the weather forecast is good for over the weekend. I better get back to packing or I don't think I'm ever going to get it done. I literally dug out my suitcase yesterday and clearly no one has used it since I went to Manchester last year, it's seriously dusty!

What are your favourite spots to visit in London? I'd love to hear them!

Laura<3

Slimming World Update #12

 As you can see I haven't done a Slimming World update in quite a while. Over the past month or so I didn't get around to going to as many weigh ins as I would of liken to. I wanted to wait til I managed to attend a couple of meetings before I posted another update on my progress so far. Seeing as I haven't done a weight loss post in a while, I've decided to do a five week update instead of my usual monthly offering. I've still been sticking to the program itself even though I haven't made it to class. I myself don't find it hard to stick to it as I've been a member of Slimming World for over a year now. If you want to read over my weight loss journey to date you can check out my other posts here.

A lot has happened since my last update, I finished my college exams (and passed) plus I also took part in the Flora Women's Mini Marathon. The latter is something that I couldn't have imagined taken part in this time last year. It's such a huge achievement for me, I've done a full post on my Mini Marathon experience. I've definitely been keeping busy over the past month which I think helped my weight loss somewhat. Since my last update in April I've lost a further 9lbs which brings my total weight loss up to 6st 12.5lbs which is a pound and a half of 7st. Some days I still can't believe it myself it's unreal! My life has totally changed since starting Slimming World, I feel much more confident now plus I have a brand new wardrobe of clothes which I love. I feel like I have much more choice in what I get to wear nowadays too. I did find it hard to reach the 6 and a half stone mark but since I reached that I've started to get back into the swing of things again. Always remember that these things do take time, before I started Slimming World I used to think changes happened over night but I learned fairly quickly that they don't. If you really set your mind to something though you can achieve it. As long as you believe in yourself you can do anything!

I'm heading to London (post coming soon) on Friday which I'm so excited about. I'm definitely going to treat myself over there to something nice, I have my eye on some bits from the Burberry makeup line. Before I go I just want to thank you guys for the lovely supportive tweets you've been sending me in regards to my Slimming World Journey. You've all been with me from Day 1 and I really appreciate all your support thus far. You guys are seriously amazing!

Until my next update,

Laura<3

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Duo

Yesterday I spilled water all over my laptop which was certainly not on the agenda. I've only had my Sony VAIO for a little under two years but it has definitely seen better days. My laptop is working at the moment but the keyboard itself is on the blink, I don't see it lasting that much longer. From now on I'll be mainly blogging on my Dad's computer, I can't imagine myself using the On-Screen Keyboard on my VAIO it would take me months! So if my posts are far and between you'll know why, my Dad's computer is a dinosaur, it takes forever to load up. After giving you that heads up on the old blogging front let's get back to the beauty post!

When I was shopping with my Mum on Friday these two gorgeous products made there way into our shopping trolley. Being on special for less than €10 each I couldn't say no, considering they were almost €20 a pop in Boots. Hawaiian Tropic's Silk Hydration Sun Lotion and After Sun are definitely not what I needed with the current weather we're having in Ireland. Let's just say I have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to have a scorcher this Summer, I hope. As I bought these two products with my Mum I got the Silk Hydration SPF 30. I do use SPF 50 on my face daily but I know my Mum is a little different and likes getting a bit of colour so I went for this one even though it does indeed come in SPF 50. First off both of these products definitely live up to their name "Silk Hydration", the sun screen is a gorgeous rich lotion that contain hydrating ribbons that leave my skin feeling so soft.  Even though the sun hasn't made an appearance yet, I've still been using the sun lotion regularly. It smells amazing just like coconuts which reminds me of holidays! It's making me want to start planning a sun holiday as soon as I'm back from London. On the other hand I haven't been using the Silk Hydration After Sun Gel at all as I've had no need to. Off the bat though like the sun lotion it smells amazing, just a little bit fruitier than the sun lotion. It also has an instant soothing effect on the skin as it contains Aloe gel. Both products also look so pretty in the packaging like ice cream swirls.

My Mum, Dad and brother are heading off on holidays to Spain in September for a couple of days, not going to lie I'm pretty jealous. When we bought both these products my Mum and I had a deal that she couple bring them with her on their trip but I do have a feeling they could be gone by then. There's both so nice! I'd definitely recommend picking these up in Tesco while they're still on special as you'll be saving about €16 compared to Boots prices.

What do you think of these products? Will you be trying the Hawaiian Silk Hydration range over the Summer?

Laura<3

My Mini Marathon Experience!!

On Monday 3rd june I took part in the Flora's Womens Mini Marathon. I couldn't have even imagined walking it last year let alone jog it. When I started jogging with my work buddy Alison at the end of April, she brought up the Mini Marathon and how it was 40 days away. Not going to lie I was a bit apprehensive about doing it, I'm by no means a jogger but I accepted her offer. I took it as a challenge, another goal for me to achieve! We started training hard, everyday after work we'd go jogging and not going to lie I was pretty tired after every session. College exams did get in the way a bit and I found myself in the 2 weeks prior to the Marathon not doing as much jogging as I would of liked. Everyone told me that you're suppose to have all your training done by the week before the Marathon, I didn't really pay attention to this at all. I'm pretty sure that's the week that I pushed myself a little harder. Two pieces of advice, drink as much water as possible and buy proper jogging gear well in advance of the Marathon. I bought the latter the weekend of the Mini Marathon and I was in a panic trying to get stuff sorted. Penneys/Primark have a great range of running/gym gear so I'd definitely recommend hitting them up. I picked up a pair of capri leggings from them for €11 which were perfect. They also had a handy pocket in the back that fit my phone, Ipod and leap card, just what I needed!

The day before the Mini Marathon Alison, her Mum and I collected our numbers at the Woman's World Show in the RDS. I personally didn't think was all that and didn't buy anything at it. I called in to see my Aunty in hospital afterwards and gave her some of the treats that were in my goody bag. She was particularly fond of the new Special K Chocolate Biscuit Moments. We had a good chat about everything from College to Marathon. Ever since we were younger she always told us to just do are best and thats what she told me whilst I was there. Little things like that mean so much to me, when my Nanna told her on Tuesday that I finished the Marathon she was beyond proud. My Nanna is seriously the best she called up to me on the morning of the Mini Marathon to wish me the best of luck, she's always been my biggest supporter and believed that I could do anything I put my mind to.

The day of the Mini Marathon was a complete scorcher, I wasn't expecting it at all. I was telling customers in work I was really looking forward to jogging it but only if it didn't rain and if it wasn't ridiculously warm. Of course it had to be ridiculously warm! Having never participated in previous years I wasn't the expecting the big crowds when I turned up. Getting the Luas with Alison and her Mum was crazy, we were so squished! Once the race started and I set my pace, it was all plain sailing. That is until I lost Alison after 3KM, I turned around and she was gone. I kept going alone left's just day I'm so glad I brought my Ipod with me. I waited for a bit to see could I spot her but I was talking to so many people afterwards and they were saying how you always end up losing people. 80,000 people take part in the Mini Marathon so the likeliness is that you'll never find who you're looking for. If like me you like to listen to music while you run, I'd definitely recommend buying one of those straps for your arm. I seen so many people with these and I felt envious, I had to carry my Ipod for the whole duration of the Marathon. Buying one of those holders would of certainly made things easier. Paddy made me a Mix CD of songs to listen to during the Mini Marthon which included a remix of Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams "Get Lucky". One of my favourite songs of the minute, not really feeling  Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines I just don't get why everyone likes it! On the day I told Paddy to meet me at 4pm at Stephen's Green so imagine his suprise when I rang him at 3.13 saying I finished the Mini Marathon. Man I still can't believe myself that I finished it in that time like 1hr 13mins, it's such an amazing feeling. For me the last 1 km was the hardest just because I was genuinely exhausted. Once I stopped jogging to walk for a bit the heat definitely gets to you. The support from onlookers along the way is insane, it's true what they say the crowd really does keep you going. In the last km I heard someone mention the finish line was just around the corner and it gave me the push I needed to keep jogging. A lady from St Luke's Hospital was at the finish line and she asked could she take my picture. I didn't see the picture she took but I'm guessing it will feature in one of the charity's upcoming newsletters. Once I finished the Marathon I was handed this medal which I'm definitely going to be keeping up, for me this was one of my biggest achievement this year after losing all the weight. I really do believe that it's super important to keep setting yourself personal goals that lead to one big goal at the end. After the Marathon Paddy and I headed to get some food, we went to Yum Thai Noodle Bar which is seriously delicious. I love their pad thai noodles which were a great post jogging treat.

The most important thing for me was raising money for my charity, St Luke's Hospital. In total I raised €230.50, €92.50 of which came from all the lovely bloggers that attended the What Bloggers Did Next meetup. When Katie handed me back the sponsorship form I was in serious shock! You guys are such an amazing generous bunch, you definitely made me emotional on the day with all your wonderful words of support. I also have to thank the wonderful Katie Healy who organised the meetup, it really was fabulous and there was such an amazing turn out on the day too. There's talk that a Halloween Meetup is in the works so definitely head over to Katie's Twitter page if you want to be kept up to date on all proceedings.

Having finished the Mini Marathon and College I don't really know what to be doing with myself now. You'd think that a nice relaxing break was in order but to be honest I get bored so easily. I'm already looking into taking part in the 5km Rainbow Run in Dun Laoighre, it sounds like so much fun and I'm so excited for it. The tickets are €25 with a portion going to LARCC Cancer Support Centre which again is such an amazing cause. You can check out the official website here and hopefully I'll see some of you bloggers there on the day. I think I'm a bit far off taking part in a full Marathon, 26 miles seems like a hell of alot to me! Who knows maybe in a year I'll do it, one things for sure I'll start training early.

I hope you enjoyed this post on my Mini Marathon experience, I did a couple of update post leading up to it which you can check out here. You can see what where my beauty essentials on the day and just updates on what I generally got up to! Hope these posts helped if you're taking part in a Mini Marathon or considering taking part next year.

Laura<3

Caseable Kindle Cover Review

As you probably all already know I'm big into reading. I like nothing more than sitting down with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. How original I know but so true, I'd pick it over going out on a night out anyday. I got a Kindle for my birthday present last year from my parents, I must admit don't use it all the time. I still prefer reading a physical book, I don't think any electronical device will tear me away from buying one. I do love the Kindle for travelling and of course for throwing in my bag on a daily basis instead of carrying around a big heavy book with me. Like everyone I think it's amazing how you can order a book from Amazon straight to your device with a click of a mouse.

When Caseables contacted me to ask would I like to review one of their covers I wasn't too sure. after reading up on the company and checking out their website I took them up on their offer. Having the biggest selection of sleeves for electronic devices e.g Iphones, Ipads, that I've ever seen, I didn't know what to choose at first. I don't have a tablet or smart phone I decided to go for a Kindle case  All their products are handcrafted and are made using recycled material. The sleeves are also made to order so when you buy your selected cover it is immediately put in production which means it won't be sitting around a warehouse gathering dust

A Caseable Kindle cover would make a really nice gift, I know when I first got my Kindle my Mum and Dad had already bought me one. I guess they already know how clumsy I am but in seriousness I wouldn't bring my Kindle out without one. When I throw it into my bag I want to know that its safe and not going to be scratched when I use it. For me €39.90 is expensive for a Kindle cover but I do like how you can personalise your own customised cover with a nice inscription which is a nice touch, especially if your planning on giving one to a special friend or family member. I went for one of the designs from their artist collections, I was studying for my exams when they contacted me so I didn't have enough time on my hands to customise my own. The design I chose is It Is In The Water by Bianca Green, I love the cover I chose as it's eye-catching and certainly stands out. The only thing I'm worried about is that the cover itself will get dirty as the fabric is quite soft so I'm doubtful you'll be able to wipe it clean. There's alot of amazing art work to choose from on their website so it's definitely worth checking out.

I'll be bringing my Kindle with me to London next week, instead of lugging aload of books along with me. Would love to hear your favourite holiday reads? I'll be ordering some books from Amazon during the week so I'd love to hear your recommendations. I also like how there is a pocket in the cover which will be perfect for my travel cards and important bits and pieces.

What do you think of Caseable covers? Do you think it's a good idea?

Laura<3

Crabtree & Evelyn Tarocco Orange Launch

Last week I went along to the launch of CrabTree & Evelyn's new range Tarocco Orange in the Closer2Fabulous Make Studio. Not being a brand that I was too familiar with before, I was really looking forward to the event. After checking out all their products on the evening I have to say I'm in love.

 From the packaging to the scents of the products I'll definitely be picking up some bits from their range. The Tarocco Orange Hand Therapy is certainly as new favourite of mine, it reminds me of Molton Brown's Naran Ji Hand Wash which I loved when I worked there last year. This stuff is amazing, it's a nice thick cream that sinks into the skin instantly without leaving your hands feeling greasy. I know I hate that feeling and it can turn me off certain hand creams right away, unless I use them at night. The handcream comes in a huge tube which I know will last me an age. Have to say for €16 you're getting bang for your buck with this one. Crabtree & Evelyn products would make amazing gifts as they come packaged so beautifully in gorgeous boxes. If your travelling fret not, as I was told that the majority of products from the range are available in travel sizes. This makes me happy as I love bringing nice minis away with me. The vintage style packaging is so nice that I almost don't want to put it in my bag for fear that I will ruin it. There's also a shower gel, body lotion, body souffle, body mist and body scrub available in the range so they definitely cover all areas. Price wise I don't think the brand is overly expensive, the priciest products e.g EDTs and body mists are €30 so I believe there is a product to suit anyones budget.Whilst I was there, Leanne mentioned how gorgeous the Pomegranate Hand Therapy was and after giving it a sniff I definitely agree, I've already added it to my wish list. Hilary from Make-Up Anonymous and I have already decided to take a trip down to Kildare Village to visit their store, I can see my card being used alot so I have got to start saving. In the mean time I'm going to check out their range over on the DolledUp.ie website.

 I couldn't have chosen a better venue for this event. I've been to the Closer2Fabulous studio on a few occasions and I'm a big fan of the place. It's so homely, the perfect place for an intimate event. I've gotten my makeup done by the lovely Debs before and I was so impressed with the finished look which you can check out here. I'll definitely be popping back in soon when I have a couple of events coming up. I'll be reviewing some products from the Tarocco Orange range in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for that.

Have you tried Crabtree & Evelyn products? Let me know your favourites!

Laura<3

May Favourites

It's hard to believe that we're halfway through 2013 already, this year is flying by so fast. If the next six months are anything like the last six I'll be extremely happy. May has been a really hectic month for me I had my college exams and I was training lots for the Mini Marathon, I didn't really have a free minute to myself. All the training and studying paid off as I passed all my exams (1 Distinction & 3 Merits) and I jogged the Mini Marathon in a time of 1hr 13mins. I couldn't be happier with these achievements as they are both huge deal for me.  I have all the time in the world now to blog regularly  and enjoy my Summer. I'm going to London in less than two weeks which I'm super excited for. I've never been so this will be my first time going, I can't wait to see all the sights and of course do lots of shopping. Would love to hear about your favourite places to visit in London too! Back to my favourites for May, I have quite a few things to show you and the majority are new discoveries.

 Two lip products I've been loving over the past month are both from No7, they are their BB Lips Balm in the shade Ballerina  and High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink. I  actually got these using the No7 vouchers that come out regularly, otherwise I probably would have never discovered these lovely products. I've been using the lip crayon all over my lips with the BB lip balm over the top for a glossy finish. The latter is so moisturising and leaves my lips so soft. One thing that I don't understand about this product is naming it a BB lip balm, in my opinion its just a lovely tinted lip balm As you can see form the packaging of the lip crayon both of these products haven't left my bag. My other makeup favourite this month (not pictured) is Maybelline's Mega Plush mascara. I've always been a mascara girl even if I'm not wearing a full face of makeup I'll always brush on a coat to open up my eyes.  I've always really liked Maybelline mascaras (bar one or two) so I was looking forward to trying their latest offering. I wasn't left disappointed, one coat during the day leaves me with gorgeous fluttery lashes, while for nighttime, I use a couple of coats for added volume. I've seen quite mixed reviews on this mascara but I haven't found any faults with this product myself. I much prefer it to their Rocket Mascara. Again like other Maybelline mascaras I love the packaging like who doesn't like turquoise.

I've been trying to lay off the straighteners lately but when I'm heading out on a night-out they do make an appearance. Even though I do like my hair straight, it can look rather flat. To fix this problem I've been styling my hair in a birds nest and spraying it with Ojon's Revitalizing Flexible Hairspray. I was lucky enough to receive this in my #Bootsgiveitago goodie bag that I won via Twitter. This stuff brings my hair to life and is easily brushed out which makes it the perfect product for me as I do have fine hair. Anything that has a strong hold leaves my hair looking a mess after I try to brush it out. I've been super impressed by the Ojon products I've tried so far, I'm definitely going to pick up some more bits soon. A body product I've had for a while but rediscovered during the month of May is the Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter from Bliss. I must admit I'm not the biggest fan of the brand, I've tried a couple of their products over the past few years that I've been less than satisfied with. Their body butters are the stand out for me, they have a thick consistency whilst not leaving the skin greasy and they smell amazing. They have a good selection of scents available so I'm sure there'll be something to suit everyones tastes. I don't want to get too carried away with this product but I do think they're seriously great. I've been lucky enough to pick them up on Sale for more than half the price, they are pretty expensive otherwise. Blood Orange & White Pepper (a fruity/spicy affair) is by far my favourite scent. I know it won't be to everyones tastes but I'd definitely recommend giving it a whirl.

When I was jogging the Mini Maration getting a good sunscreen was top of my list. Vichy's Mattifying Face Fluid* has an SPF 50, plus it's perfect for underneath makeup aswell. This has been my go to product last week as we had a heat wave here, you wouldn't know it now looking at the weather outside. I just hope its not the last of the good weather. This is the perfect size for travelling too and it's not going to break the bank either. During the month I ran out of my No7 Cleansing Water,instead of rushing out to pick up a new one I rooted through my beauty stash. I came across the Loreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Oil. A mouthful of name I know but it is truly amazing. It gets rid of all my makeup in a jiffy so it's great if your in a rush or just tired after a long days work. I bought this in Boots on offer, I can't remember the exact amount I paid off the top of my head but it wasn't a hell of a lot. I literally only ever need three pumps at the most for my whole face so this bottle will definitely last a long time.

Lastly I have a new fragrance favourite. I love The Body Shop's Mango Eau de Toilette*, it's a gorgeous fruity scent for the Summer. I've been using this lots lately and it's definitely a fragrance I'll be reaching for a lot over the coming months. I like how the packaging is quite simple as I'm not scared of it getting wrecked if I juck it in my bag like I would be with fancy bottles. This fragrance is making me want to pick up some more products from their Mango range, it smells amazing!

Have you tried any of these products? What made it into your May Favourites?

Laura<3

My Beauty Essential Picks for the Marathon/Update #3

The Mini Marathon is tomorrow and of course I'm starting to get really nervous which was to be expected. I hope all the hard work and determination in training has paid off. I know once I cross that finish line it will have been all worth it. I wanted to do a post sharing some products that I feel are essentials for the Mini Marathon. Besides beauty products of course water and good footwear are the two biggies. The joys with these products is that they will come in handy over the Summer too!

Suncare/Moisturiser

This is such a big one, even if the sun isn't shining on the day doesn't mean that it's non existence. La Roche Posay and Vichy have a brilliant range of suncare products to choose from. I'm not a million percent sure if I'm going to be wearing makeup on the day but if I was, Vichy's Mattifying Face Fluid* is exactly what I'd reach for. It does exactly what it says on the tin, it doesn't leave a greasy residue and would be perfect under makeup. Did I mention it also has SPF50? Another great sunscreen is La Roche Posay's Anthelios XL Extreme Fluid*, I've used this a couple of times on holidays but I don't know how well it would far under makeup. That's why Vichy's Mattifying Face Fluid is a winner for me and I reach for it all the time. Anthelios XL Invisible Nutritive Oil* is a new addition to La Roche Posay's suncare range and I love this product, it has a really nice light scent. I'll be using this on my arms and legs tomorrow for sure. Unlike most oils this won't leave your skin feeling oily. Again this offers high protection which I think is a must all year round especially in the Summer months. I hope they bring it out in a travel version too for holidays! The most important thing for me on Marathon Day is to keep my skin moisturised, hydrated and protected from the sun.

Lip Balm
Everyone I know that is doing the Marathon tomorrow is bringing along one of these, with the sun pumping down it's inevitable dry lips will occur. I'm big into my lip balm as I get dry lips a lot plus I don't want them to be sore on Tuesday from getting sunburned. The Body Shop's Vitamin D Lip Balm* is not only moisturising but it also contains an SPF15 and has a lovely light Vanilla scent. Another lip balm I love is Nivea's Vanilla & Macadamia lip butter, there's other scents to choose from in the range but this one is my favourite by far. This lip butter is super moisturing and smells amazing like Kinder Eggs. They ring in at under €3 too which is a steal! As you can see from my own looking a mess it's very loved indeed. As it comes in a tube I think The Body Shops offering is practical for the Marathon so I'll definitely have this on me tomorrow.

Facial Sprays
I can't put into words how much I love facial mists. Mini Marathon or not, I use these all year round. Vichy's Thermal Spa Water* is a soothing mist that also leaves my skin refreshed and especially hydrated. This bottle will last for ages, I use mine all the time and still have loads left. This also comes in a nifty little travel size which would be perfect for your handbag. Another facial spray I've been reaching for a lot after training is the Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz*. I haven't tried too much from The Body Shop's skincare line to day, you'll usually find me stocking up on their gorgeous body butters so I didn't know what to expect from this product. My verdict, I've really enjoyed using their Vitamin C Facial Spritz, it comes out as a light mist, rest assured this stuff won't drown your face plus it smells like oranges. I've been using this for a while now and I can't fault it, my skin literally drinks it up. It's jam packed with Amazonian Camu Camu and Community Trade Aloe Vera which leaves my skin looking brighter and refreshed. After trying this product I definitely want to pick up some more bits from the Vitamin C range in the future.

Post Marathon Pampering
Yay for a bit of pampering when you finish the Marathon. Of course Post Marathon I'm going to want nothing more than a relaxing shower. At this stage I'm seriously envious of people that have baths. After the marathon, everyone will want to chill out and unwind after a long day. You can't really go wrong with these two shower products from Soap & Glory and Radox. Both brands offer a huge variety of lovely shower and bath products, you'll certainly find something that will tickle your fancy. I'll be finishing everything off with Roger & Gallet's Fleur d'Osmanthus Beauty Oil*. This product can be used for the hair and body, I mostly use mine on the latter. I love Roger & Gallet products, it's a brand that I discovered when I first started blogging over two years ago. Fleur d'Osmanthus Beauty Oil contains a number of precious plant oils, perfect for relaxing. It sinks into the skin super quick too, leaving it nourished and soft. Safe to say I'll definitely be using this after I finish the Marathon.

Before I head off for some much needed sleep before the Marathon I just want to thank you guys for all your support in the lead up to the big day. I'm definitely going to tweet when I cross the finish line so keep an eye out for that. I'll have a post up on Tuesday/Wednesday giving you the lowdown on how I got on at the Marathon and my experience of the day.

Laura<3