Zoeva Classic Brush Set

It wasn't long ago that I wrote about my favourite Real Techniques brushes and while I still love them, my sister bought me this gorgeous set of brushes from Zoeva for my birthday and I have to say it was love at first use.

The Zoeva Classic Brush Set contains 8 brushes for your face and eyes and comes in this rather sophisticated leather look clutch bag. It even has it's own dust bag that's how posh it is!

I think the brushes look super sophisticated with their black handles and I like that each brush says on it exactly what its for. The set contains the following: Luxe Highlighter Brush 105, Stippling Brush 125, Cream Cheek Brush 128, Soft Definer Brush 227, Concealer Buffer Brush 142, Crease Brush 228, Pencil Brush 230, and the Wing Liner Brush 317

I am impressed all round with these brushes but I have to say there are a few that stand out above the rest. First of all the stippling brush is amazing for applying foundation, I love the light and flawless finish it gives. the concealer buffer brush is absolutely perfect for getting concealer in every nook and cranny, its great for the around the nose area.I am also really enjoying the Lux Highlighter brush, this works perfectly with my Mac Soft and Gentle highlighter to give my cheeks the right amount of glow.

The Classic Brush set retails for £52.95 and while that does sound quite pricey it actually works out at just over £6 a brush which is a complete bargain. Zoeva also do a Rose Gold Collection and although I don't 'need' them they are beautiful and owning the classic set has just made me want them even more as I'm sure the quality is just as good.

What do you think? have you tried any brushes from Zoeva?

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Longleat Safari park

Although it’s now pretty much turned to winter here in England (yes it’s still August) we did manage to squeeze in a few day trips and enjoy the sun while it lasted. A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to Longleat Safari and Adventure Park and to be honest I didn't expect it to be half as good as it was. Obviously the sun helped but the whole place was just stunning and peaceful.

I love animals so you can imagine my excitement every time I saw something that moved. I will warn you now there are a lot of animal pictures here but it’s nothing compared to the amount that I actually took!

Look how cute the lemurs are! I was kind of expecting them to be dancing around like in Madagascar but we rocked up at nap time, I just wanted to cuddle them all!

Next up were the monkeys, talk about cheeky. If there was something on your car that they could grab they would.

Yep this little guy is holding the valve where water comes out for your back windscreen!

I Absolutely loved the deer and I couldn't believe we got the change to feed them.

As you can see they were not shy, they were practically in the car waiting to eat.

Deer Selfie!

This elephant looked so sad, it was so hot he was throwing mud over himself to keep cool.

The big cats always look so majestic.

But I definitely wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them, check out those teeth.

We got slightly nervous when about 15 of these guys walked passed the car. an inch closer and their horn would have been through the window!

Standard ice cream break.

This is a red panda, I'd never even heard of these before but they are so cute! Kind of a mix between a bear and a fox.

I was quite proud of this butterfly shot.

next up was a boat ride to feed the sea lions

and we finished with a walk with the penguins.

Phew. It was such a fantastic day and I cannot recommend this place enough. Have you been to Longleat?

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A Healthy Balanced Lifestyle

First of all apologies for the lack of posts recently, life has once again taken over but it’s all good.

Today I wanted to talk about a healthy lifestyle. I am always trying to be healthy and make sensible choices when it comes to food and the majority of times I am successful. However there are obviously times when things slip, I’m only human after all and for me usually the slip happens at a weekend. Whether it’s going out for a few drinks with the girls, date night with my boyfriend or just general laziness, my hard work for the week has usually been undone by Sunday night when I’m feeling horribly sluggish and stupidly sorry for myself. Then the whole cycle re starts Monday morning. I’m hoping some of you can relate to this.

Anyway to help keep me on track I have decided to create a health Instagram account to try and keep me motivated throughout the weekend and not ruin everything by eating a bag of chips that I don’t event really want. Of course I’m not going to give up all treats or stop socialising but I just want to try and make as many heathy choices as possible meaning that if I do go out for a curry Saturday night I won’t have that horrible feeling of guilt after.

The above picture is some of the yummy creations that I have been posted on my Instagram, you can find me over at Charliesprogress if you fancy a peak. I have found since starting this account that not only  has kept me more motivated but also a made bit more adventurous with what I eat so I’m not just posting the same old salad every day. I like to make my food as colourful as possible so that means as much veggies as I can pack in.

I’ve also started experimenting more with breakfasts at the weekend, hello flourless pancakes! I also have been posting my cheat meals so you can see the pizza I ate when we went for an Italian and the incredible steak from last Fridays date night.

I’m not sure if this post has been of any interest to anyone but it’s something that I have been enjoying doing lately and hopefully it might inspire some people to be a bit more creative with cooking.

Do you try to stay healthy? Is there any Instagram accounts you would recommend for motivation?

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Our Little Trip to the Cotswolds

You know when people post pictures on Instagram of picturesque villages, beautiful flowers and little shops filled with cute little trinkets?  Well I absolutely felt like I had stepped in to one of those photographs when we visited Bourton on the water in the Cotswolds.

My boyfriend planned this trip as a surprise for my birthday and I had honestly never heard of this place before and I couldn't believe how perfect it was when we pulled up.

The stream runs all the way through the village and you can go in for a paddle, I will warn you though the water was freezing! More fool me for thinking it would be warmer because the sun was out.

It's also the home to the motor museum which we didn't go in but I thought this car bush was pretty cool.

This little shop was so lovely, I was drawn to it because of the name and wicker baskets outside. 

Obviously no day is complete without lunch so the inner child in me came out and I opted for a fish finger sandwich - you're never to old for a fish finger sandwich!

So I am now pretty sure that I am ready to retire and move here but apparently I have a fair few more years to go until that can happen. At least now I know this little gem is here and I will definitely be visiting again.

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Orla Kiely Washbag

I've only recently posted about my travel make up bag but thanks to the power of twitter I won this gorgeous wash bag from Orla Kiely and just had to share it with you. My boyfriend has also arranged a suprised few days away for my birthday tomorrow so it's the perfect time to use it.

The pattern is gorgeous, it almost has a 70's vibe to it. It's also really spacious the main compartment is huge with 3 smaller zipped sections. The best bit is that it has a hook in built making it perfect to hang on a bathroom door, or draw keeping everything in reach and still organised.

Looking into Orla Kiely a bit more they do some seriously gorgeous house hold things. I fell in love with one of the bed spreads but unfortunately they are a bit out of my price range. A girl can dream though!

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Sunshine and Lollipops

When It's sunny in England you have to make the most of it, it's been a long time coming but we finally got round to having our first barbecue of the year. To be honest we weren't that prepared as it was a bit of an impulse decision so a quick dash to the shops was needed...obviously everyone else had the same idea but we still managed to get some yummy bits.

Adding fruit to your water is a great way of keeping hydrated in the heat but also tastes delicious.

BBQ's are all about the meat and I'm a complete sucker for a burger. you just can't beat the charcoaled goodness haha. we also used some Nandos hot sauce to give our wings a kick!

Our little adopted cat spent the day chilling in the shade while still giving the 'Please give me some food' eyes.

The main event was worth waiting for, bit of salad and some cheese and I was one happy lady.

No summer afternoon is complete with out and ice cream, even though I was ridiculously full there is always room for a mini magnum. It's my birthday on Monday so I'm really hoping the sun sticks around for it!

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Pretending to be Posh

It's not often I get to dress up all smart but I don't half get excited when I do! I went along to a charity ball in my town which was all about raising money and picking a carnival queen in the process. This was the perfect excuse for me to treat myself to a new posh dress.

Dress: AX Paris Bag: New Look Shoes: Primark

I usually find AX Paris are good for dresses for this type of occasion and they didn't let me down. Sometimes tight dresses can easily show curves in all the wrong places however the fit, length and material of this dress is all spot on.

The evening was so much fun, filled with competitions a lot of prosecco and a fashion show showcasing the most beautiful wedding dresses. To top it off I even ended up winning £1000 for the charity of my choice! I was pretty blown away as I never win anything, and after much deliberation with myself I decided to donate it to Mind so I feel pretty good right now.

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My Most Used Real Techniques Brushes

Since starting my blog I have pretty much transformed the way that I apply my make up. To think I just used to apply my foundation with my fingers and eye shadows with those little spongy applicators is a bit horrifying, anyway let’s not think about those dark days and focus on what I use today.

Make up brushes can be expensive. I for one was shocked when I found that one single brush can cost at least £20 so when the Real Techniques Brushes came on the scene with great review after great review I knew these were the ones for me.  

First of all I love that they are colour coded, Yellow for complexion, Pink for finish, purple for eyes and White are the duo fibre range. They also state on them what they are for so no faffing around looking for your 578754 brush, maybe it’s just me but I just find numbers a bit off putting.

So here are my top picks:

Duo Fibre Face Brush: this feels so soft! I use this to apply my powder and set my foundation and concealer. I don’t like a heavy, cakey look so using this gives me the light coverage I require to matte my oily areas and still leaving a natural finish.

Buffing Brush: this is the most amazing brush to apply your foundation with. It effortlessly buffs your foundation evenly into the skin leaving no streaks. You are guaranteed a flawless finish with this.

Blush Brush: I've never had a brush that is shaped like this before and it seriously feels like it was made for my cheeks. I'm sure it does this for most people haha, but the angle is perfect for adding that rosy glow and is so easy to blend, it never seems to grab too much product.

Brow Brush: I used this as you would expect, to define my brows. I like how easy this brush makes it to get the desired precision looking brows.

I use these brushes on a daily basis and haven’t yet found the need to purchase higher end set.

Are you a fan of Real Techniques? What brushes do you to apply your make up?

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