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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Mexican Adventures: Dolphins, Mayan Ruins and Nachos

The last of my holiday posts today and this one is all about the day trips we went on. As we stayed at the Hard Rock, included in our package was credits to put towards trips so we got them at a really good discount.

First up is the Mayan Ruins. This place was incredible I found this place so interesting, basically the 'pyramid is one big calendar and clock. Whoever designed this was so intelligent it's a shame we don't build things like this now! 

Making friends with the locals! I was so burnt this day from the pool day we had the day before hence the t-shirt.

You kind of got used to the lizards walking around!

On the way back we travelled through some little villages

There were so many little stalls full of hand crafted bits!

This cart was waiting out side a church fro a couple who had just got married!

The next day we went on a boat trip to Isla Mujeres which had all iclusive food and drink included...go on then!

Apparently this is Ricky Martins House...

The harbour was only a 20 minute walk from our hotel so a couple of times we decided to have a walk up and do some shopping. we found the cutest little bar called the Taco and Tequila which did the most incredible nachos!

Oh and the Cookie Monster was there too

Last but not least was swimming with the dolphins, a life long dream of mine and you can pretty much see from the photos how happy I was!

So that's my Mexican dream over, hands down the best holiday I have ever had, I'm not sure anywhere will beat it but we will sure has hell have fun trying!

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Mexican Adventures: Xcaret

When I think of paradise I picture white sand clear waters and a gorgeous blue sky. Well if you have the same image as me then Xcaret is the place for you! Xcaret is a natural Sanctuary and this was one of the excursions on our recent Mexico holiday that I was most looking forward to and it really didn't disappoint.

We started off snorkelling through  the underground rivers, the water was so clear and it was so peaceful swimming amongst the fishes.

The Tortoise were huge!! we were lucky we got to touch these while taking part on the under water sea trek, I had no idea they could be so big!

There were so many animals and it was nice to see them in open natural surroundings.

The bit we were most excited about was swimming with sharks! My boyfriend is a big fan of the film Jaws and I think that it made him quite nervous. I never imagined this would be something I would do but it was an amazing experience, they are such powerful creatures so I'm glad I lived to tell the tale!

Obviously I had to include some lunch pictures. There were a few restaurants to choose from but our coach driver recommended the Mexican restaurant so we took his advice and it was delicious!

They also did super sized bottles of Corona for $8 which made dean rather happy. If only it were that cheap in England!

We were so exhausted by the end of the day but it was totally worth it, I've never seen anywhere as beautiful and it will definitely take some beating. Take me back!!

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These Boots Are Made For Walking

Dress: Primark Bag: New Look Shoes: Duo Boots*

I feel Like since coming back from my holiday I have been a bit more confident getting my legs out, you may be looking at these photos thinking I'm still a relative of Caspar the Friendly ghost but believe me this is me with some colour! Anyway being in England you have to make the most of these sunny days when you can and today is the perfect day for a sun dress.

Wearing a pretty dress in the day makes me feel super girly so whenever I can I like to try and add in an item which gives my look of edge and I think these gorgeous ankle boots from Duo Boots do just that.

Being quite tall I don't really wear heels as much as I would like, or as much as my boyfriend would like me to but these mid chunky heels are a nice compromise and they don't have me moaning every five minutes that my feet hurt! They also make me feel a bit western and who secretly doesn't want to be a cowgirl?

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