You'll be glad to hear that I am in an extremely good mood today because the sun is shining (and has been for the last couple of days), I only have 3 more days to wait until Chris gets back from offshore and I am just feeling good about life in general.
This week has been one of guilty pleasures, namely The Only Way Is Essex, Real Housewives Of Orange County and Double Deckers. I hate the fact that I love TOWIE but it's just so damn tacky and addictive! All the orange tans, massive false eyelashes and (blatantly staged) drama just draws me in every time. I know these shows are the televisual equivalent to junk food but I like to think of it as no-brainer TV, when I can just switch off mentally and watch. I have been working so hard recently that sometimes it's nice not to have to think about what I'm watching. Don't get me wrong, I can geek it up with the best of them and also like to watch a lot of documentaries and mind bending shows like Wonders Of The Universe with Brian Cox. You just have to be in the right frame of mind to absorb all the information though!
And as for Double Deckers...well I don't have to explain this to anyone in the UK but if you aren't from the UK and you're planning to visit...I suggest you pick up a few of these chocolate bars! Yum!
I took a trip to Matalan with my mum a couple of days ago and although it's not somewhere I normally go to (it's a bit out of the way), I did see a lot of great clothes and accessories there for the summer. Obviously the quality isn't amazing because it's a budget store but it's great for summer trends. The first thing I picked up was these floaty floral shorts. They did come with a grey belt but I didn't like it so I took it off. I have never worn shorts like this before and wasn't sure if they would fit me but when I tried them on, they were actually really flattering. They will be a great alternative to skirts when the summer months arrive and they were bargainous at just £12!
I picked up this tan school-satchel style bag for only £10. I have wanted a bag like this for a long time and it will come in really handy for summer and all the tan accessories I have. It's a great size as well, not too big and not too small. The thing I was impressed by was that the bag is very well structured so it won't sag and lose shape over time.
Next up, a couple more products from the Accessorize makeup line. This is the Accessorize With Love Bronzing Block in Shade 1 which in my mind works better as just a plain blush rather than an all over bronzer. I love the packaging...it's bright, girly and a good size for travelling. I know some people hate cardboard packaging for makeup but it's not something that bothers me.
I don't think the quality of this is comparable to Benefit because the pigmentation is not quite as good. But it does deposit enough colour to give a nice flush of colour to the cheeks. I wouldn't say it's a product suited to very pale skin as the colour is reasonably dark. I think it would really work best on medium skins. Although this product doesn't match up to Benefit blushes, it's a great cheaper alternative at only £7. It comes with an application brush but I prefer to use my Space NK blush brush for a more even result. You can also build the colour if you want a more intense look.
I'm always excited about trying new highlighters because they really are my 'thing'. I like to use them as an all over base for makeup and/or as a way to contour cheekbones. However, the With Love Highlighter from Accessorize (priced at £7) was a bit of a disappointment for me. I love the pale gold colour and the pretty butterfly on the packaging. I also love that it's a squeezy tube to allow every last bit of product to be used. I just felt like this highlighter was a bit too thick and also, quite hard to blend into the skin. It felt like I was blending it in for ages and even then, it didn't look even. I like liquid highlighters to be very light in texture...I mean they have to be when you're applying them on top of foundation and powder. Otherwise, you will just end up rubbing off half your makeup and it will just sit on the skin in an unflattering way.
So this particular product was a bit of a miss for me unfortunately.
Have you tried any of the Accessorize cosmetic line? What were your thoughts?
And as for what has been on replay on my iPod? Well, it has to be this song!
And just a quick note for any other bloggers who are getting nasty comments...stay happy and stay positive guys!
