SOCIAL MEDIA

28 March 2018

Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream | Beauty



Today I thought I would have a little chat about the Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream which I picked up as a free gift several weeks ago. Now, I love a bit of highlight in fact there is rarely a day go by that I don't  wear highlight on the ol' cheek bones and I have written about the NYX Cosmetics Strobe Of Genius palette which is just so beautiful so you know I like a powdered highlight. This Barry M product on the otherhand isn't powder it is obviously a cream highlight that I have never tried before so considering it was on offer in Superdrug I thought I would give it a go. 

I opted for the Ice Bronze colour which is less bronze and more iced because it's the kind of warm shimmer that I personally prefer. I have very pale skin and often don't want to wear make up that highlights my cool tone, so I like to bring warmth to my face with highlight and contour which is why I went for this one. When I first started using it I didn't really know how to apply it, in fact I found it really hard to get product from the stick to my face because it was very hard and found that if I applied it directly to my face it just drags my foundation so obviously that's not how you're supposed to apply this thing. After I tried rubbing my fingers over it to warm up the cream a little in the hope it would become easier to use, it did actually work a little. I then tapped it on the tops of my cheekbones and found that not a lot of product actually transferred to my face. Like guys, this is a lot of work for someone who needs to apply their make up fairly quickly in the morning. 

Don't get me wrong, once you get the damn thing on your face it does look nice, it's a very light sheen to the skin it probably looks a lot more natural than my powder highlights which definitely serves a purpose. It lasted quite well but again because it's so natural it just kind of worn off my face as the day went on. As you can see in the picture, it's not that pigmented at all, admittedly the picture colour is a bit crappy but you can see that my skin tone almost matches this product. 

I think that cream highlights just aren't for me, it is a gorgeous shade, it does work but it's hard work and I prefer the ease of dipping my brush into my palette and a couple of swipes and I'm done! 

Do you prefer cream or powder highlighters? 

25 March 2018

Tipsy Clothing Haul | Fashion


Yes you read that right, today I thought I would share with you my most recent purchases that I picked up when I went for a boozy afternoon tea with my friend Vernia! I know it doesn't look like a lot and the reality is I didn't go wild but also I got some bits from Primark which obviously doesn't have an online store so I couldn't easily grab pictures for the stuff I got there but I will mention what I got anyway. 

Honey Bee - Ok so I didn't even see this t-shirt until my pal found it in Miss Selfridge and I just had to have it! Obviously you guys know I love my little bee related things and I just love honey. I adore that this t-shirt actually has the bee embroidered, it's a little detail that is just so cute. It is slightly cropped but I will wear this with high waisted jeans and a black blazer over the top. 

Corduroy Shirt Dress - I know what you are thinking, corduroy...really? YES REALLY like oh my god, I know it's a little old fashioned but when I saw this shirt I actually gasped! The colour is gorgeous blush pink and the corduroy is very fine so it add a bi of texture without looking over the top corduroy if that makes sense? To be honest I didn't even realise that this was a dress I just thought it was an over sized shirt but I will definitely be wearing it over jeans with ankle boots. 

Sunglasses - I actually picked some up in primark not really because I needed them but mainly because I wanted some new ones. I have from D&G ones but I wanted some that I could just throw in my bag and not worry about and they were literally £3 you just can't go wrong. 

I also picked up some underwear, some black joggers and a plain black long sleeved t-shirt, ya know the basic essentials from Primark. The reason I wanted to share with you this little haul was because I ended up picking some things that I never would have picked before. I love the little Honey Bee t-shirt but I never would have though to buy the damn thing but in my head I was already styling what else to wear with it. Also, if you would have ever mentioned the words "pink corduroy shirt" to me I would have laughed but I just saw it and had to have it. 

What things have your bought whilst a little but tipsy that you haven't actually regretted? 
21 March 2018

Barry M Crushed Jewel Cream Eyeshadow | Beauty

Barry M Crushed Jewel  Cream Eyeshadow

I'm one of those people who actually really likes wearing eyeshadow but kind of struggles to find time to apply it, so when I spy a product that looks like it can give me a gorgeous shimmery eye with ease then you know I'm gonna try it out! I spotted the Barry M Crushed Jewel eyeshadows in vlog I think, I can't remember which vlog but it must have been a PO Box Haul kinda thang and thought I should check them out instore. 

I found the Crushed Jewel Cream Eyeshadows in my local Superdrug as Boots didn't have them and they were actually running an offer of "buy two products and receive a FREE Illuminating Strobe Stick" so I went with the intention of only buying one and ended up with two. These cream eyeshadows actually remind me of the Rimmel Scandaleyes cream eye shadow sticks which I actually really loved back in the day. I was torn between the shade range because there were so many gorgeous ones to pick from but in the end I opted for Blissful and Pillow Talk . At first glance look really similar but you'll see in the swatch below that Blissful is far more pink than Pillow Talk. 




Barry M Crushed Jewel

The cream eyeshadows have a doe foot applicator which makes it really easy to place on the lid but you're gonna need a brush to help put it in place and blend out. When I applied Pillow Talk I only applied a small amount and then left the house however  noticed that this creased really bad into my eyes, like you're gonna need a primer if you have slightly oily eye lids. I was a little underwhelmed when I first tried it because it just didn't seem to have impact I was hoping for. However, I wore it again but this time I applied a first layer, let it dry and then packed on again a little more and it lasted a lot longer and looked exactly how I wanted it to. 

These sell for £4.99 which I think is a fantastic price for what they are, plus they are small and easy to pop into your make up bag. If you like a shimmery look then this is a really easy way to create that look, it won't last for a crazy amount of hours but it will last an look good if you take your time with it. 

Have you tried any of the Crushed Jewel eyeshdows? 


18 March 2018

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land | Book

Good me Bad Me - Ali Land

Good Me Bad Me - Ali Land


In keeping with my new year goal I am going to write a post on each book I read just so I can keep a record really but also because someone else might like to read it. February's book was Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land. Which is a fictional story about the daughter of a child serial killer who actually told the police about horrors that she experienced. Milly (Annie) is taken in by a foster family to prepare her for the trial of her mother as she has to testify against her.

Good Me, Bad Me takes you through the journey of Milly as she tries to come to terms with her new identity, her new school, her new life and her new temporary family. The story is told from Milly's perspective but there is an inner monologue which tells the reader there is something more to the story. Part of the blurb reads "Because Milly's mum is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water..." so we are quite clear in the assumption that some one will die but who? I definitely like the way "nature over nurture" is woven into the novel, the reader knows that Milly has experienced some horrors at the hand of her own mother so you feel sorry for her and the character is developed in a really detailed way. 

However I just feel like the characters aren't really that likeable, you have Mike the Foster dad who you think is a nice guy but he is only really helping Milly for his own gain, Saskia the drunk cheating foster mother who is so oblivious, Phoebe the cruel foster sister who hates Milly so much and then Milly who has killer traits and uses other people's weaknesses against them. Admittedly Milly has a terrible up bringing but I couldn't actually feel that sorry towards the end. The only character I really warmed to was Morgan who you just end up feeling sorry for.

There is a twist in the book and whilst it was developed well I wasn't stunned by it, I just kind of expected it so to me it wasn't much of a twist. I would say that there are a lot of unanswered questions about Milly's past which could easily be moved to another novel or a series but I think it's because you never really knew exactly what happened to her growing up so I found it hard to connect with her.

It was a good book, it was well written but I just really couldn't connect to any of the characters.

Have you read this book?
14 March 2018

The Ordinary Serum Foundation | Beauty

The Ordinary Serum Foundation


Ok guys, I feel like I have failed you all because I simply cannot stand this foundation! You may have read my Coverage Foundation review which I couldn't get on with but I put it down to never really wearing full coverage foundations anyway so I thought that would be it! The Ordinary have so many bloggers raving about the Serum Foundation that I thought I should give that a go as it's a lighter weight foundation which I am more used to. 

This foundation is a low viscosity formula which means it's definitely runnier than the Coverage foundation and other ones I use but I expected it to be. I tried applying this with my RT buffing brush and my beauty blender and it just doesn't work with my skin, the coverage isn't great which is to be expected but again it blends out in a really odd way. I don't know why but it clings to odd places on my face that other foundations simply don't and throughout the day it just doesn't wear well and I was wearing a setting spay with it. I have tried different tools, different primers, different creams and nothing works for me and this range of foundations. 

I think the shade range of the foundations are phenominal, I love that The Ordinary not only caters of other skintones but also different undertones. The foundation just don't work for me, but their skincare is something I can get excited about. It's a short and sweet review because I just didn't like it and I left a more in depth review about the Coverage Foundation which I treated in the same way. 

What foundations do you recommend?

11 March 2018

Afternoon Tea at Boulevard Brasserie, London | Lifestyle

Afternoon Tea at Boulevard Brasserie

It's been a while since we had something a little fancy on Honeypot Blogs hasn't it? Today I thought I would share with you my utterly delightful experience I had at Boulevard Brasserie for Afternoon Tea! My dear Vernia really fancied having scones and jam and she suggested that we go for afternoon tea somewhere in London and she found this great deal which was about £27 per person and it includes a variety of different sandwiches and sweet treats but also bottomless tea and bottomless prosecco for an hour and a half. 

Boulevard Brasserie was just off of Covent Garden and I frickin' love that Covent Garden area, so much there is always something fun to do or see and this restaurant/cafe wasn't a place I had ever been before so I was excited to try it out.  

Afternoon Tea at Boulevard Brasserie

Afternoon Tea at Boulevard Brasserie

As soon as we walked in we were welcomed so warmly, everyone was so polite and smiley, they really seemed happy that you were there which I adored. The cafe itself is really cute with classical French design and there are 3 floors and we were seated on the middle level.
When we got to our table the lady described perfectly what we were to expect, so explained that we had an hour and a half at the table and the variety of foods we will be served. She also left a little menu which also explained the details. 

Afternoon Tea at Boulevard Brasserie

I have been to other bottomless prosecco brunches before and know that sometimes they can be a bit tight with the bubbles but I have to say this place definitely wasn't, they topped you up in perfect timing always and only when you really needed it which I loved. The food was divine, I went straight in for the sandwiches first and had to have the little salmon bagel because I don't know why but all of a sudden I have become obsessed with smoked salmon, I just can't get enough! Then I tried out the salt beef and gherkin sandwich which was served on rye bread, again I really liked this but the flavours were quite strong so I think its not one everyone would love. Then I moved on to the little foccacia number which had mozzarella and pesto in it, I mean I was in heaven by this point! The last sandwich was cucumber and cream cheese and honestly, I don't like cucumber at all so I skipped that one. 

We then moved onto the scones which were so damn good, the had two fruit ones and two plain ones so me and Vernia just had one of each one which meant we still had two scones each which I thought was actually really generous. I think they would have offered us more clotted cream because the serving for 4 scones was quite small but we were fine in all honesty. 


Afternoon Tea at Boulevard Brasserie

Then I dived straight into the dessert plate where I pretty much face planted this chocolate square, this little thing was so rich, it was like a thick ganache which a biscuit base, it was delicious, Vernia couldn't quite manage to eat it all but I inhaled mine. Then I had the tiny little macaron which was raspberry so it balanced the richness of the chocolate cake. 

My afternoon at Boulevard Brasserie was actually perfect, the service was incredible the food was delicious, the atmosphere was lively yet intimate and the company was the best ever!  

Where are your favourite places for Afternoon Tea? 
7 March 2018

The Body Shop Roots of Strength Serum | Beauty

The Body Shop Roots of Strength Serum

So I have this thing with The Body Shop, I mean I can't seem to control myself lately every time I go in I end up buying too much and this time I walked away with The Roots Of Strength Firming Shaping Serum which at £32 is very much a "considered purchase". To be honest, I'm 30 next year and I feel this blind panic to really try and do something with my skin and whilst I have always had a little dabble I really want to find some hero products this year. I was reading Hayley Hall's blog and she mentioned this serum in her Four Fab Skincare Gems she was honest but saying she hadn't noticed a huge difference but it does leave her skin feeling good and it is a product that she likes using so I thought, "that's good enough for me" 

Roots of Strength range is inspired by traditional Chinese medicine and infused with 3 root extracts which are ginger, ginseng and rucus root so these products pack a mighty scent so if you don't like strong gingery scents this probably isn't for you my dear. I went for the serum over the face cream simply because I already have a face cream that I am loving right now which is TBS Drops of Youth facial cream so I thought I would use something a little richer and targeted beforehand. I have been using this product for about 7/8 weeks now and I have to be honest that whilst I haven't noticed my skin that much firmer, I have noticed that it looks fresher. I actually started using this product at the same time I started using The Ordinary Peeling Solution so it's hard to pinpoint what it making my skin fee so good right now but I do believe this had contributed to some of it. 

When I first started using it, I was using it every day and I must admit I don't think my skin liked it too much, my skin is a bit fussy and it doesn't really like to have multiple different products on it. I noticed that my skin felt a little clogged after a couple of weeks so I dropped down to using it every other day and that works a lot better for me. 

Roots of Strength Firming Shaping Serum is a really nice product, it's great to apply and melts into the skin beautifully, I'm still not sure whether it's something I would buy all the time but we'll see how I feel when I run out. 

What facial serums do you love right now? 


4 March 2018

5 Things That Annoy Me On My Commute | Lifestyle

Commute


This is a post that bangs on about things that REALLY grind my gears, everyday there are several things that people do on my commute that just make me think..."but why?" and a lot of it boil down to people being stuck in their own world which is fine but jeez please try and be aware of the hazard you are making yourself. Anyway, enough rambling and let's get started...

People walking down the platform on their phone - I know, you may think oh that's innocent enough, maybe they are texting a loved one or merely skipping to the next song in the play list but it become a problem when they are so engrossed in their phone that they forget the world around them and the fact they are walking down a busy platform not making room for other people. I have lost count of the amount of time I have nearly been knocked on the tracks by people simply not looking up from their phone! It's common sense guys! 

People forcing the tube doors open - This happens all the time on the tube and it infuriates me, let's break it down into it's simplest form...if you force the doors open you run the risk of actually damaging the door mechanism which can slow things down all the more which could lead to the train being terminated and taken off the route to have the doors checked. Also there is LITERALLY another train a minute after, there is actually no need to get on that exact tube train. It's ridiculous. 

Public displays of affection - I mean, I'm not bitter but I just don't like couples getting all smoochy in public anyway, but if that's what you wanna then fine crack on but at least have the decency to not do it when it's rush hour and your are also pressed up against many other people. I really don't want to be the third person in the relationship, I don't need to hear those sloppy kissing noises, keep it to yourselves. 

People who keep their rucksacks on their back - Oh this one fills me with a blind rage it's almost hard to write about it. So rush hour hits and you have to get on a packed train, everyone want to get home and then some matey comes on with a full rucksack and decided "nah, I'll keep it on my back" which means everyone else has to deal with it. The reality is if you take the rucksack off and hold it at your legs there is FAR much more room than if you keep it on your back, surely it's common commuter etiquette? 

People who push to get to the train first - This one is a little more targeted towards a specific person but there is this chap who gets on my overground train who times walking up the platform at the same time the train comes in which means he stops at whichever door suits him meaning that he pushes in front of everyone, but why do you have to be so rude. My first train in the morning (I get two) always has lots of seats so there literally isn't any need, again it just boils down to being aware of who is around you and being considerate of others! 

Phew!!! Now I have that off my chest I feel a lot better! 

Tell me the things that annoy you on your commute!