Review: Antipodes Vanilla pod day cream

Ok, So I am fully aware that I should not dedicate an entire blog post to a product because of a smell, but I feel obliged to inform you of my latest discovery. The Antipodes day cream doesn't smell like that artificial stuff that most brands seem to be lining up in their hundreds, no. Holy cow, this cream smells like the real stuff! The stuff that you eat on a hot summers day paired with fruit salad and meringues! Ok, I may be getting carried away there, but I don't think I can truly explain to you guys how incredible this stuff smells!

This product doesn't only have a nice smell, but it also delivers! the Day cream is light enough so it sinks into my skin with absolutely no fuss, but also heavy enough that I feel like it is actually doing something.

Whenever I use Antipodes products, I can actually feel them working throughout the day. I absolutely love putting this on as the smell is so uplifting! It moisturises, makes my skin feel (and smell) fabulous, I honestly don't think there is a moisturiser that I prefer!

Antipodes, I will be trying out more of your products!

My rating out of 5? 5.

Thank you my lovely readers for reading my posts. I love you all!
Emma

The beauty tag

Hello Everybody,]

Today I would like to share the beauty tag with you guys. Here goes

SKINCARE
-How many times do you wash your face daily? twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo) normal to combination-What is your current facial wash?Ole Henrikson cleansing balm-Do you exfoliate? Yes-What brand do you use? Supercalifacialist-What moisturizer do you use? Antipodes Vanilla pod day cream (blog post to come)-Do you have freckles? no-Do you use eye cream? no-Do you or did you have acne prone skin? no-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? no
MAKE-UP-What foundation do you use? Tarte amazonian clay powder foundation-How about concealer? The laura mercier one (I forgot the name)
-Do you know your undertone colour? Yellow
-What do you think of fake eyelashes? I hate them on myself (mostly because I cannot apply them), but personally I think that mascara can achieve the same look.
-Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months? Yes. Do I do that? No.-What brand of mascara do you use? Loreal at the moment-Sephora or MAC? Mac, There is no sephora in the UK *tear*-Do you have a MAC Pro-card? yep-What makeup tools do you use in make up application? A healthy mix between real techniques and mac makeup brushes 
-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? No, but I need to get a primer-For the face? Nope, I'm too lazy to use one-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)? Anything that is champagne in colour. At the moment I am loving the Loreal 204!-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner? Liquid all the way! The effect is so much nicer-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? When I used a pencil eyeliner, nearly everyday!-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows? Far too messy. I like the Loreal colour infallible as they are like a pigment, but without the mess.-Do you use mineral makeup? Yep, my foundation :)-What is your favourite lip pencil? has to be my charlotte Tilbury lip liner in pillow talk
-How about lipgloss? Chantecaille brilliant gloss in Lucky-What is your favorite blush to use? I never use blush-Do you buy your makeup on ebay? Never, I would never risk the chance of buying fake make up, and then putting chemically damaged things on my face.
-Do you like drugstore makeup? I love drugstore makeup-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)? I didn't know they existed! I would definitely go though!
-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? I took a mac makeup lesson once, then I bought one for my mother. I definitely recommend going as it is only £50, plus you get all that money back in products anyway. Basically a free service with purchase.
-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? No, I used to be, but I am an eyeliner obsessive-Name a makeup crime that you hate? When people wear bright red lipstick with a coloured eyeshadow. One of my friends once wore blue eyeliner with bright red lips. It didn't look good!
-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones? I'm definitely a neutral girl
-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use? Hmmm, Eyeliner I think-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on? I have on numerous occasions. Mainly when I am too lazy to put it on in the morning
-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line? Mac, Definitely.

My Skincare routine

Wow! I have been missing in action for the last couple of months. Although this is inexcusable and I apologise for not even updating I hope that todays blog post will brighten the spirit!































I'm not sure about you, but when the winter months arrive, my skin seems to lack any sort of lustre and it seems dry, dull and boring. After gaining more than 30 spots a day, I took the decision to bin my simple wipes in order to use something that actually made my skin look like I wasn't a snowman. I headed down to selfridges and after being convinced by the mac girl that I needed 3 dark berry lipsticks, I made my way down to the skincare section.

After careful consideration (and a counter girl telling me to buy it) I finally picked out the ole henrikson cleansing gel and heck am I glad that I did! The texture is unlike anything that I have ever felt- it seems soft and gel like, but glides onto your face so smoothly that you forget that it is a gel. Once it mixes with the water it magically transformed into a cleansing milk, how amazing is that?! It removes eye makeup, and also face makeup near perfectly without even making my skin dry out, it is truly wonderful stuff. I suffer from incredibly red cheeks,  and I felt that this product really did well at removing the redness for a glowy and radiant skin. I can not recommend this product enough, but unfortunately great products also come with a great price tag. the price wasn't eye watering expensive, as it was only £24, but for a student with limited cash I did let out a little yelp when the cashier told me the price.

Next on my agenda is my serum. I use the kiehls midnight recovery concentrate which I have fallen in love with. I will be honest, I never tried a serum on my face before this product entered my life on a whim. However, Living without my new found glory is amazing. I used to suffer from extreme redness on my face, and I can honestly say this item has saved my skin from disaster!

When my eye make up is incredibly hard to get off, I reach for my body shop camomile gentle eye make up remover. It used to be my go to item for removing my eye makeup, but recently I find that it is a little drying on my eyes, so I prefer to use my Ole Henrikson these days. I would recommend this though, as it is very cheap and it works well. It smells weird though.
 

And lastly, My night moisturiser is the origins High Potency Night-A-Mins. This moisturiser is not as  amazing as my other night routine items, but it smells amazing and sinks into my skin quickly. I do like this moisturiser, but I have definitely found alternatives which I prefer (the antipodes kiwi pear night moisturiser). However, I will definitely use this product until it is finished.

If you have combination or normal skin, this skincare routine is perfect for you! I can thoroughly recommend that you check out all of these products, especially the cleanser! All these items can be found at the Selfridges beauty counters.

Anyway, Goodbye for now and I will be back next week with another post.

Emma

The good life eatery + my absence

I am fully aware that I have not been posting recently- but I have had a difficult few weeks and have needed to get a few things sorted out. 

I have got some interesting posts lined up- including a birthday haul (my birthday was on the seventh -.-) August favourites, and some more outfits of the days. 

Now into my short (but snappy) post. 

As Part of my birthday week, I went to the good life eatery with my best friend. At £12.50 for a salad, and a further £6.75 for the smoothie, this meal was definitely a luxury. It was healthy, yummy, and surprisingly filling. Both myself and my friend went for the goodness bowl.

That's all for today, but as I said I will definitely post more this month.

Thank you all so much for your kind emails and comments. I love reading what you guys think of my blog

Emma 

She made me buy it!

We all have those friends that persuade you to buy something you seriously do not need, and in my case, all your friends manage to persuade me to buy things that I don't need!

I'm starting a monthly series of things that my friends have made me buy in that particular month. Obviously some months will have more purchases than others, but this week we have a whole bunch of things! 

I was out shopping with my friend Lana when I said that I was on the hunt for a good bronzer for contouring. After paying for a top in Topshop, she immediately dragged me halfway down oxford street to boots where she shoved the hoola bronzer in my face. I had heard of the hoola bronzer before, but never really had it at the top of my wish list as I didn't like the idea of the boxed powders. However, Lana convinced me that I needed it, so I bought it. But after I took the bronzer home, I felt that I had a hard time getting it to show up on my medium/olive skin tone, so maybe this contour shade wasn't right for me.This was a little bit of a disappointing buy :( still looking for my perfect contouring shade... 

The next thing that I was suckered into were the Charles Worthington salon at home volume and bounce spray, and the leave in conditioner. Everyone and their dogs have heard about the Oribe texturising spray, but that is £40! Beauty blogger Amelia Liana posted that the Charles Worthington texturising spray was an almost perfect dupe for the Oribe- so I bought it. So far, I really like it. It holds so much volume into the hair, but doesn't make it frizzy, which is something that I suffer hugely from.  The leave in conditioner however, was down to my friend Lucy raving about it. Lucy's hair always looks fantastic, and every time I ask her what she uses, this is always in her stash. When I saw that this was on offer for £3.00 in boots, I had to try it for myself. The first thing that I noticed was the smell. I'm hopeless at describing smells but it smells really good, almost like a perfume. I haven't tried this yet, but trust me, I will be trying it soon and letting you know what I think of it! I love the Charles Worthington range so I am hoping it'll be good!

And Last but certainly not least is the maybelline superstar gel colours. This purchase was my friend Sashas fault! We were in boots the other day, and she was saying that her nail varnish lasts such a long time, they don't chip, the colours are all really pretty, and they are super glossy. I bought the shades (L-R) base transparent, hot salsa and uptown blue. I am wearing hot salsa at the moment, and can't stop looking at my nails! it is literally the most amazing colour and there is no signs of it shipping. I have had this colour on for 4 days so far which is an accomplishment. I am wearing it with the topcoat and it is shiny and lovely. I have received many compliments about this wonderful shade! It is pictured on my nails below. (excuse the awful paint job)

Thats it for today, but check back next month to see what I will have been suckered into buying!

see you soon

Emma

The British tag

So I have seen this tag go around on multiple blogs and videos and because I am a very proud brit, I thought that it would be a good idea to attempt it. The tag states that you need to have a cup of tea at hand so, in honour of the tag (despite the weather being 28 degrees) I have made myself a cup of tea and it is currently sitting next to me as I type this.  Oh the things I will do for this blog...

anyway, the questions!


Tag questions

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day and how many sugars?

Soo, I tend to drink more coffee than tea as I have a little coffee obsession (I am sure my family and friends can clarify this) and drink around 4 cups a day. However, my parents are avid tea drinkers, so recently I have tried to drink more tea. The main reason for this is less caffeine and therefore I will not be as delirious throughout the day :-) I won't normally have any sugars in my tea as I prefer the pure taste without a sweetener. 

2. Favourite part of your roast?

I feel this answer is obvious, the Yorkshire puddings! I have been known to steal my fathers ones when he is not looking, but hey... they are just so wonderful!


3. Favourite dunking biscuit?

Oohh, I really like shortbread. The taste is so different and I love how they just melt in your mouth. I still remember the taste of my first shortbread when I was around  years old. I was at my grandparents house and they had new biscuits in so I tried them and they were heaven! I have been a convert ever since, thanks Grandma!

4. Favourite quintessentially British pass time?

I have to go posh here and say afternoon tea and going to the theatre. My mother has taken me to the theatre since I was a young girl, so it is sort of tradition to see new productions with her! I have had three afternoon teas in my entire seventeen years and love it so much. I have been to the berkeley fashionista tea (that was incredible), the mad hatters tea party (so fun and quirky) and finally the grove (A posh hotel in Watford). I love food if you can't tell ahaha.

5. Favourite word?

Favourite british word? Hmmm... Well, I really like the word darling. especially when said in your typical chelsea accent. Its quite patronising, yet I strangely love it! I love to say it as well, I have gorton into the habit of calling everybody darling, but maybe I should stop. Some people may think that my favourite word is the equivalent word to a female dog, but they are wrong (okay, maybe they're not!) 

6. Cockney rhyming slang?

Apple and pears= stairs
bread and honey= money
raspberry rippe= nipple
they are the only ones that I have heard, sorry

7. Favourite sweet?

This is a hard one to choose, but I would have to say that rhubarb and custard boiled sweets are my favourite. They just taste so odd yet so right!

8. What would your pub be called?

The queens arm? That might be a name of a pub already i'm not too sure. it is a good pub name though! 

9. No.1 British person?

Kate Middleton I think

10. Favourite shop/restaurant?

I love Zara (but it is spanish), Topshop and selfridges. Selfridges being my favourite as you can get anything from primark to chanel in there. Plus, they have a macaron stand :P As for restaurants, I live for wasabi and wagamamas.

11. What British song pops into your head?
Bastille pompeii. I love how you can hear their british accents through their singing!12. Marmite 

Do not even get me started on marmite. It is my favourite spread in the world, I have it everywhere including my jacket potatoes and in my sandwiches. You have to get the portion size correct though, otherwise there is a risk there could be too much marmite and there will be a marmite overload. 


That is it for the tags folks! I really enjoyed doing it! Tell me what you think of it as I may try to make a tag post every week!

see you soon
Emma

It's finally summer!

Hello guys,

What wonderful weather we're having! It almost feels like I am not in London anymore, and instead in California!

Anyway, I am here with my first outfit post on my blog which is exciting. Today, I went into town with my friends, so I chose to wear a dress to make it easier to try on clothes. I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate it when I have to keep taking off my skinny jeans and then squeezing them back on again. I feel that a dress is perfect for shopping due to it being able to come off quickly and is also easy to put back on.

 Wearing a summer dress feels incredible! It is so airy and feels like I am on holiday! This dress was purchased last year from Topshop, but I am sure you will be able to find it on ebay fairly easily. If you can't find it, Topshop have a brilliant range of dresses in the same style with other cute designs and patterns.

My shoes were also a purchase from last summer. I bought these from Dune shoes. I find it so hard to find sandals that fit my feet properly as I have skinny and flat feet, so you can imagine my excitement when I managed to find these good looking shoes that fit me!

And my favourite part of my outfit are my sunglasses. I purchased them from urban outfitters last week for £40! I know this may seem expensive to some, but in my opinion these are really reasonable seeing as they are Vivienne Westwood, and have a £180 value. I would recommend checking them out before they are gone :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my posts, it really means a lot to me. Expect a haul blog post very soon, as this shopping trip was a very naughty one! :-)

Are you enjoying this weather?
Emma