What's New At Primark

 (Side note, not easy to carry around in the pouring rain! Nearly suffered an excess moisture fiasco)

When I was younger, my friends and I would spend hours in town walking around pretending we were adults, and they always seemed to gravitate towards Primark. I never really saw the attraction, it wasn't pricey but I never found anything that was good quality and my mother always told me if you spend a decent amount on something it's much more likely to last! Recently, however, Primark seems to have reinvented itself, it's branched out to the US and I'd seen a few things on the website so I thought I'd go in and see what they had to offer!

Mini L'Oreal Haul

 

I was walking around Boots today with no intention of purchasing anything (honestly) when I saw the 3 for 2 offer at the L'Oreal stand, what's a girl to do?! I've been interested in this foundation for a while after seeing a YouTube video of someone using it so I thought I'd pick it up, it's the Infallible 24 Hour Matte foundation in the shade 'Vanilla' and I have high hopes of this actually staying matte! Obviously I don't want it to look too matte and drying but just matte enough to keep the oils from coming through too much!

The Power Of A Storm

 

How amazing is the effect a storm can have on you, the atmosphere feels heavy and it's dark and you appreciate being sheltered and safe more than ever. I don't really have anything else to say but I think times like these are when our souls seem to show themselves the most, don't you?

 

Gabrielle

Simple Things That Make A Home

 

Sometimes it's the simplest things that make a home, I for one can't get enough of candles, there are several more dotted around the house and I love the atmosphere a burning candle creates, especially a we're getting into Autumn now. I've also always loved books and I don't think a home is complete without them, they create whole worlds inside your mind that belong only to you and I don't think there's anything more magical than that. Home is also a place where you get to treat yourself so you should always have a few things stashed away for when you're feeling cosy. I like how simple things can be special in their own right and it's nice to appreciate them once in a while.

 

Gabrielle 



A Vintage Adventure

 

Sometimes it's good to do things you don't necessarily think you'll like or you'll be into, I'm sure most people wouldn't think that young people enjoy antiques shops that are in the middle of nowhere but exploring places like this is something I've always been into doing with my family. I think there's something exciting and almost surreal to be able to see and touch things that people bought and loved potentially hundreds of years ago.

How I Keep My Oily Skin At Bay

 

I've made no secret of the fact that I have oily skin but I feel the need to let everyone know about the breakthrough I've recently made in the fight against oiliness! I've only just started to use a primer because I wasn't sure what they were meant to be used for but I heard good things about the Max Factor Facefinity Primer and decided to pick it up, I think a primer is a must for combatting oiliness because it's the first step of prevention and this particular one seems to work well for me.

Bourjois Bronzing Primer - First Impression

 

 I was reading some reviews on this product online and I wasn't sure whether to try it or not, I'd seen people using the Chanel cream bronzer on YouTube and I liked the subtle effect a cream product gave but I wasn't sure how it would work on my skin and when I saw this I decided that I'd see how it worked (and if it worked) as a bronzer instead of a primer. It's called the Bourjois Bronzing Primer and it only comes in this universal shade so obviously it wouldn't work on darker skin tones as a bronzer but it would probably be good as a smoothing primer. The colour does look a bit scary but once I buffed it in with the Real Techniques expert face brush it turned into a lovely warm shade that I actually really like, and I think any skin tone up to dark would probably be able to benefit from, but make sure to test in on your arm before you buy it.

Anticipating The Future And Appreciating The Past

 

It's easy to get caught up in the rush of everyday life, and weeks can go by before you realise that you haven't taken a moment to appreciate how nature can make you feel balanced and grounded when you let yourself relax. When I was a child I spent more time outside than I did in, I was brought up by a hard working mother so I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, and my grandfather would take me to the most beautiful parks and beaches and we'd spend hours walking around and exploring. I found as I grew up I started to take these places for granted and your focus shifts onto new things which suddenly seem so important but what's really important is to take some time for yourself and realise that you don't have to fly to different countries or go to cafe's and take perfect Instagram-ready shots to relax and balance yourself.

Two Soap and Glory Products You Need To Own

    

 

I've been into Soap and Glory body products for a couple of years now but I had never tried their cosmetics until recently and I was so impressed by them that I knew I had to write this post to let everyone know about this fabulous collection! I was looking around the Boots website when I saw that Soap and Glory was buy one get one half price across their cosmetics so I decided that the next time I was in a Boots shop I'd check out what they had to offer. The first thing that I picked up was the Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil in 'Hot Chocolate' and I can't get enough of it! My hair is quite a light brown and this colour works perfectly for me but I also think it would work well if you have dark hair, I know you're probably wondering what could be so great about a brow product but this is exceptional! The pencil end gives such natural, light strokes of colour and the built in brush softens out the edges leaving the brows looking completely natural and not like they've been drawn on which I hope everyone else appreciates as much as I do! This is the first brow product I've tried that gives me the exact result that I want and I absolutely know I'll be buying this again and again.