Tart-ing It Up

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a food lover, I love trying new things and new places and although I don't think food has to look good to taste good, it doesn't hurt! Bearing that in mind, when I tried out a new place the other day and was presented with this I absolutely had to take some photos of it so I could remember it in future.

 Is there anyone who could actually say no to that? I doubt it but if so, more for me!

 

Gabrielle

Getting Out Of The Cold

It has been so cold and windy lately and sometimes in situations like this the only thing to do is to go into the nearest pub/ restaurant and order something hot and tasty (unfortunately Ryan Reynolds wasn't on the menu so I settled for a dessert in stead).

I absolutely love food in all it's forms and it's so much fun trying out new places and new things without having to deal with the elements outside, and if I'm being honest my hair doesn't do well in this weather, the first drop of moisture and it's all hands on deck!

 

Gabrielle

Country Cafés

I've been to a lot of independent cafés in my time, there are so many villages and places in the countryside that you might never hear about if you didn't stumble across them and I think they're so charming and the people running them are (usually) lovely too! This particular place was covered in original beams and thanks to my Aunt, who practically dedicates her life to history, I really appreciate historic touches.

 

Places like this are much more interesting to me than a soulless chain of clone establishments, after all, what good Novel starts with "their eyes wondered the crowded room and fell upon each other, the yellow light from the McDonalds 'M' shone brightly on their faces", just doesn't do it for me!

 

Gabrielle

An Estée Lauder Birthday Present

Ok so Monday was my birthday (yes, I share a birthday with Harry Styles) and I want to talk about this particular present that I received, an Estée Lauder goodie box. I was given this by my Grandmother which was very surprising because we all know grandparents can be hit and miss when it comes to gift giving but this time I'm very impressed! I love the colour and texture of the box, I almost didn't want to get rid of it but I persevered, and then inside the box is a red case. The case itself will probably come in handy for toiletry storage and travel, economising and all, and it has lots of goodies inside.

Cosmetics wise, there are two palettes, one eye shadow and blush and the other bronzer, as well as a mascara, two lip-glosses, three lipsticks and a mascara. The lip products are mostly on the pink to neutral scale and they can also be worn more naturally with a lighter hand, the formula of the lipsticks is very long lasting and it didn't make my lips dry out. I've only tried the mascara once and I only applied one layer and it seemed to work quite nicely but I'll have to try it again before I know if I like it or not, I'm quite picky when it comes to my lashes. There was also a perfume and a bottle of eye makeup remover but I haven't tried those out yet so I can't judge them. I haven't tried the eye shadows but I did try the bronzer and it would be good for going out in the evening or something more formal because it's quite intense and has a sheen to it. There were also two skincare products, a night repair serum and a revitalizing supreme anti aging cream and I used them both last night and they felt very firming and hydrating on the skin so I'll keep using them until I get a feel for what they're like after a few weeks. I have to say, I wasn't expecting this and I'm pretty impressed with it, well done Nan!

 

Gabrielle

The Best Affordable Highlighter

I haven't been into highlighting for very long and I had only used powders before but a few days ago I bought this 'Speedy Highlighter' from Collection. It's in the form of a stick and it sweeps onto the skin really smoothly like a cream, you really don't need a lot and it leaves you looking so ethereal, I'm definitely a highlight convert! I got this for £3.99 so it's perfect for every budget and it's not glittery, it just looks like a really intense dewiness on the skin. I'm definitely going to be getting a lot of use out of this product and if you're looking for an affordable highlighter, try this out!

Look at that glow, I feel like a disco ball and I'm loving every second of it.

 

Gabrielle