Friday 30 September 2016

Kylie Cosmetics KyShadow & Cream Shadow Review



When Kylie Jenner announced that she would be releasing more into her line of cosmetics other than just the beloved Kylie Lip Kits, I knew that sooner or later, I would have to have them. I managed to resist a couple of sales, however when I happened to just be browsing on the website one day and realised there were products still in stock, a couple may have accidentally fallen into my basket and been purchased. Oopsies?! This time around, I may have made a pretty hefty order and it may or may not have cost me so much more than I thought it would have in customs, but hey, we live and learn, right girls?! So, to save the mahoosive post that was inevitably to follow, I've decided to split it into three with the first being my new Kyshadow Palette and Birthday Edition Copper Cream Shadow reviews.  

For a couple of weeks leading up to me finally getting my hands on the Kyshadow palette and the Copper cream shadow I have to admit that I did do quite a lot of research. Yes, I am a huge fan of Kylie's lip kits, but eye shadows can be really hit or miss and for how pricey they are, I wanted to make sure that what I was getting for my money was going to be worth it. I watched a couple of videos and a couple of reviews on Youtube and the majority of what I had heard was positive and so I was excited to finally receive my palette in the post. At the same time as buying the palette though, I noticed that the cream shadows from the Birthday Edition re-release were still available and having caught the buzz of the excitement from being on the Kylie Cosmetics website it all got a little too much and I decided to also get the copper shadow. I'd also seen a couple of review videos on these and after much deliberation I decided to go for the copper shade over the rose gold as I knew it would be one that I would get far more use out of. 

The Kyshadow palette is honestly now a new favourite of mine. I know I say that a lot when I'm testing out new eyeshadows, but these really are great shadows in my opinion. I wouldn't quite say they're worth the hefty $42 for the non-makeup obsessive as they are pretty basic shades, however for the likes of me who regularly splashes out £38 on the likes of an Urban Decay Palette, these are pretty good quality for the cash. My initial impression was that the Bronze palette is perfect for me. I'm a massive fan of bronze shades and especially matte ones for creating a smokey look and this palette really does have you covered on that front. I also really love how pigmented these shades are; a lot of the reviews that I watched were mixed on the opinions of how pigmented certain shadows were, but I think I must have had one from a good batch because I have to say that all of the 9 shadows in my palette are really well pigmented. They're so creamy and so easy to blend and build up and I honestly really do love this palette. It's become an every day go-to for me and the shades are so easy to wear that I really do not regret splashing the cash on this one one bit! 

The Birthday Edition Cream Kyshadow is something that, as I mentioned above, was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase and it's one that I am so glad I bought! I'm not usually one for cream shadows, but this copper colour looked too good to resist and I thought it could make a really great base. The colour is absolutely gorgeous and so pigmented and a little goes a really long way with this thing. I chose the copper over the rose gold because of how much I thought I would realistically wear it and I'm so glad that I made that choice. I've been using this underneath my Kyshadow's as a base / primer and it's been working really well so far for me. Cream shadows in the past have always failed in the reality of being creamy to me and so when I swatched this one and felt how super creamy it was I literally felt like I'd died and gone to cream shadow heaven, if there ever was such a place! End of the story is, this cream shadow is lovely and the colour is just spot on for a copper base!

Let me know what your thoughts of the Kylie Jenner range - it would be interesting to know if your shadows are just as pigmented as mine! 




BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post may contain products sent for PR purposes*)

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Monday 26 September 2016

A Spontaneous Day in London


On Wednesday myself and a friend (aka the new guy I'm seeing) headed into London for a day out together. It was rather spontaneous as it was only decided that we would go a few days before and so besides buying our train tickets, we hadn't really thought about much else that we had wanted to do. We just knew we wanted to go in, walk around and have a really nice day spending time together. I am such a massive fan of London and absolutely love exploring new places within the city and it was such a nice day out to go and wander around. The weather was definitely on our side too and it was the perfect day to go for a stroll and to sit along the Thames with a glass of wine. 

We managed to get some last minute tickets to see the Lion King on the day by going to a Ticket booth in Piccadilly, which we were both so happy about as we love Disney and decided to go for lunch at Bella Italia in Covent Garden before heading off to the 2.30pm showing. After the show had finished however, we then realised that we didn't actually have much time to do the other things we had wanted to as it was around 5pm. In the end we ended up going for a walk along Tower Bridge as the sun was setting and headed off to a bar that he had been to last year for a glass of wine above the river, over-looking the London skyline. It was really nice to just sit for an hour or so and get to know each other more with such an incredible view. We then went for dinner and drinks in Soho (Byron Burgers are the best by the way) before catching the last train home from Paddington at half 11. It was so nice to have such a spontaneous and relaxing day out together and it's just made me fall even more in love with London. 

One thing we should have planned properly for before we had gone though was timing our day so we could have gotten more done. A couple of things we had wanted to do whilst we were there was to head off to some more of the touristy places in London as although I get to head in to the city quite a lot with my blog, I don't really ever get to just be a tourist for the day. We had a really lovely day together, but didn't quite get to do all that we wanted to so I hope we'll be going back over the next couple of months to do them.  The Science Museum was one quite high up on our list to visit, however due to picking a matinee performance of The Lion King, we couldn't get across town to it with enough time to enjoy looking around before it closed. I wouldn't say either of us are the geeky types to be overly fussed about going to look around Museums for the day, but for as long as I can remember the Science Museum in London has been one of my favourites and I thought it would be nice to take a look around together. Another thing we really wanted to do was to go to Madame Tussauds; we found a site where you can get cheaper London attraction tickets at Discount London and they have some really great discounts for the wax work museum, so again, it was a shame that we didn't have time in the end to go there. When I was younger they were both places that I'd loved going with my dad, so it would be nice to go back there again. Saying all of that though, I'm glad that our first London trip together went as it did. It was lovely just getting to know each other more without our friends around us and to just have a day that was about us. London is definitely the perfect place for a day trip out and I had the best time (insert monkey hiding face emoji here)

Let me know what your London recommendations are in the comments, it would be good to know where else is good to go for a day out in the city! 




BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post was in collaboration with Discount London*)





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Saturday 24 September 2016

Becoming part of the Urban Hike with Regatta


One thing I have learnt from living in the countryside and then moving to the city, is that everything is completely different. Don't get me wrong, I knew there would be some big changes in my life when I made the move, but I don't quite think I fully understood how different my life would be. Manchester is a city that I really did quite like and even though I've now moved back to my favourite country place, it's somewhere I actually miss more now that I'm away. However, I think there are a lot of things that I wish I had known when I was living there to make my life a little less chaotic and to make the transition easier for me. One thing that I love most about living in the country is being able to just leave my house and go on a walk with my best friend. To us, when we think 'let's go for a catch up' we usually mean, lets go for a nice 2 hour walk around the fields and talk where nobody can overhear or judge us. Living in the city is so different in that respect. To get any kind of peace and quite you've definitely got to know where you're going and it'll usually take you at least an hour to get anywhere near somewhere like that too. 


Recently I've teamed up with the people at Regatta to tell you about the Urban Hike. For those city folks who can't get out to the country for a ramble, the Urban Hike is a series of Maps around the city centre, enabling you to get out and walk around, regardless of where you are. The Urban Hike Manchester has been designed after the success of last year's Urban Hike for London and is a way of getting you out and about around the city and seeing it in a new way. With interesting facts and new sights you may have never seen before or would usually miss on your commute, it's a way to get you out and keep you healthy without having to go hiking up mountains and getting stuck in the muddy English countryside.

As I haven't been in Manchester since this launched I haven't actually had a chance to explore the Urban Hike map myself, but instead in the spirit of this blog post, I took my niece out for a walk around by my house; as I said, it's not really the same as I do live surrounded by Countryside, but it's still always nice to get out and get some fresh air. We were kindly both gifted these gorgeous coats from Regatta to go walking in and they were most definitely needed on the day we went out as it was quite chilly! I love spending time with my niece as she's at such a good age now for going at and doing activities with. She's such an outdoorsy kinda kid and it's great to go for walks or adventures with her and my sister (and of course the dog) when we can! We have some lovely places near where I live for long walks and it's lovely to get out together. I'm actually also really looking forward to getting back to Manchester soon and hopefully completing the Urban Hike myself, as when I lived there I never really explored the city much, which is something that I hugely regret and I think that this will be the perfect opportunity to learn a bit more about the city! 

You can find both the Manchester and London Urban Hike maps from Regatta here! Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in!




BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)
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Friday 23 September 2016

Why Being Happy is the Most Important thing.


As we now get into the colder months and Autumn (finally) starts making an appearance I've found myself looking back over the year quite a lot. It felt like just seconds ago that I was heading back to Manchester after a break at Christmas to see my ex and celebrate New Years with him.. Now, it feels like I've blinked and all of a sudden, almost 10 months later (10?!?) I'm sat on my bed, living back in my family home in Wiltshire, sending out emails about my Christmas Gift Guides! In a way everything has gone so so quickly, but in others I'm kind of happy to see the end of this year as it's been a very long and tiring one for me. Emotionally, I've been through a lot this year. I've been unhappy in my job and in my relationship and I've been so unhappy being away from my family that I definitely feel as if I lost a lot of myself over the course of the first few months of 2016. With my 22nd birthday and Christmas drawing ever closer now, I can't help but think about how so many things have changed in the past two months since I've been home and how happy I am now.

As I sit and write this blog post I think I'm actually the happiest that I have been in years. Regardless of whether I lived here or in Manchester, I honestly think that right now I am at my happiest. I feel like I'm in such a positive place with my life at home, my job and even with a new relationship on the cards and everything just feels right. I don't know if this blog post is going to make much sense at all really or if it's just going to be me rambling again (apologies if it is) but I just had to write something down as everything seems to have just clicked into place recently. If there is one thing in life that my Mum and Dad have always drilled into me, it's that nothing really matters unless you're happy. I've always been taught that my happiness is the most important thing in life and I think until recently, I've taken that for granted. For the first time in my life, I am doing what I want to do. I am taking control of where I want to go and I'm not really letting anyone stop me on my way. After realising recently that I like to spend money (I have no idea why this is a new revelation to me), I've managed to get myself a part time job (as in like the least amount of hours you could imagine) at the Body Shop in my local town to just pay for my car every month and I'm actually spending as much time as I can on my blog. I am loving blogging 'full time' as much as I can and I'm actually excited to get up every day to start working on a new post or on getting out and taking some new photographs. Every day is different and I'm in charge of my timetable and nothing excites me more than that - I've definitely always been the one to hate to work under someone else's shadow and I'm so happy that for the majority of the time, I'm now my own boss!

As far as everything else in my life is concerned, it's also all going really well. I have the best friends around me imaginable, both here and in Manchester and I've completely rid myself of people who clearly don't care about me as much as I do them. I'm definitely one of those friends who can be either super needy or super distant and all of the people in my life right now get that and are either okay with it or are exactly the same. I feel like I have my core friends sorted and with people like that in my life, I really don't think I need much more. As far as this cheeky new relationship goes, it's all very new. It's not even technically a relationship as we're just 'seeing' each other (whatever the hell that really means)  but I am happy. For all of you nosey bitches out there, no, unless you're one of my go-to gals for screen-shotting texts and late night advice, you probably won't hear anything about him again after this post, but just know that I'm happy with how things are going. We've known each other for years so it's not a new-new thing that I'm rushing into by any means, but it's nice and I think that's all that matters. I've also got my family back around me and nothing makes me happier than my family. We may be a messed up bunch and I may actually barely ever speak to them when I'm living in the same house as them, but just knowing that I am around them makes me happy. My younger sister is off living in Birmingham now which is odd, but it's nice being around my older sister so much more. Even though there is a mighty age gap between us, we seem to always just understand each other and it's been so lovely just being able to go over to her house of an evening and chat for hours and hours like we used to. I'm at an age now where we can just talk about everything and it's really nice to have her so close to me again.

I guess the main point of this post was to tell you that I'm doing well. A lot of people I know from here and back in Manchester were worried about me when I first moved home and I just wanted to write this post to let you all know that I'm actually doing great. I think I also have needed to write this post to truly feel myself again. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but having the words spill out of me is really therapeutic and I know whole heartedly that I have made 100% the right decision to move back to Wiltshire and leave my life in Manchester behind. I mean, it's been two months and I'm already the happiest I've been in years!

Being happy in life is easily the most important thing ever.
I just wanted to remind you all of that.




BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)


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Wednesday 21 September 2016

Clarins Feed 10 Gift with Purpose; Responsible Beauty with Clarins!


If you're a makeup and skincare fan, like me, you will probably be on the constant look out for a good 'free gift with purchase'. There is nothing better than rocking up to your favourite makeup counter and realising that they have an event on where if you buy so many products or spend so much money that they'll give you even more back for free. It's one of those moments where you feel like you're allowed to spend the money because you're getting more in return than you usually would! Anyway, the reason for the rambling excited start to this blog post is because this week Clarins have the mother of all gift with purchases!

Joing forces with FEED, a charity organisation fronted by Lauren Bush-Lauren (that's Ralph Lauren's daughter-in-law for any of you not in the know), Clarins have created the be-all-and-end-all of all gifts with purchase and have released a gift with purpose! For every two products that you purchase (at least one having to be skincare) you'll qualify for the Feed10 gift with purpose and 10 nourishing meals will be donated to school children within the UN World Food Program in developing countries. If that wasn't an excuse to go out and purchase your Clarins faves or to try something new, I don't know what is! In both 2014 and 2015, Clarins exceeded all expectations of how many meals they could provide and this year, they're looking to smash their target of 2 million yet again! 

I think this is such an amazing cause and such a great gift with 'purpose' and it's lovely seeing one of my favourite brands giving something back! Now, if all of the goodness above wasn't enough to get you splashing your cash, then let me give you a quick overview of what's inside the amazing gwp! Inside this really cute Feed10 cosmetic bag you get 5 'discoverable' sized iconic Clarins products. Starting off with an 100ml Moisture Rich Body Lotion, the bag also boasts a generous 100ml Relax Bath and Shower Concentrate (definitely one of my favourites), a 30ml Gentle Refiner and HydraQuench Mask and last but by no means least a 50ml tube of the iconic Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. It's such an amazing goody bag full of products that you could either keep for yourself or give away to a friend to introduce them to Clarins! It's a brand that really does have so many great causes in mind as well as their own and one that I will continue to support for a really long time. 

This Free Gift With Purchase is only available until the 1st October in store so make sure you go and make the most of it whilst you can! 




BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)
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Monday 19 September 2016

Cocoa Brown Golden Goddess Dry Shimmer Oil Review



This blog post has been a long time coming and I apologise millions to all of you asking where this one was! My love for the Cocoa Brown range has been a strong one now for quite some time. You may know that their Instant Bronzing Gels and 1 Hour Fake Tans are up there with my favourites and recently I've been branching out with trying some more of their products. Latest on my hit list was the Cocoa Brown Golden Goddess Dry Oil and my god, look at that beauty! It's the prettiest thing I've ever seen and something that honestly I was scared to use at first, but since I've been having a little play around I have become absolutely smitten with it.

A bit of a wondrous product with it's many talents, the Cocoa Brown Golden Goddess Dry Oil is a new favourite for using as an almighty highlight, or for spicing up my legs a bit on a night out! Before this, I hadn't tried any dry oils like this but I have to say I am definitely converted now. The shimmer on this product is just something else but when you blend it right, it can look absolutely amazing on my skin, even if I do say so myself. After hearing that this is worn by none other than Khloe Kardashian I knew it was going to become something I was obsessed with. With the Autumn now making an appearance, it won't be long until the party season is with us again and this dry shimmer oil from Cocoa Brown is definitely going to be among my go-to products for being party perfect.

For the best application, I've been using this oval head brush that I bought for something ridiculous like £1.99 off of eBay. It's really lovely and dense and blends in my Cocoa Brown Golden Goddess Dry Shimmer Oil extremely well. One pump of product is enough to go a long way with this and I love to blend it in circular motions along my shins and across my cheek and collar bones to really make a statement with my tanning. I was a little afraid this would look too fake with it being so shimmery, but honestly when blended correctly it looks absolutely stunning on the skin and is perfect for holiday or a night out. Like I said before, I can't wait for the party season to slather myself in this stuff!! Okay, well slather might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea!

Cocoa Brown have also recently released a Rose Gold edition of this product too and I can't wait to get my hands on that to see if it looks just as good on my skin as the original. You can pick up either of these products online, in Superdrug and even in Primark stores here in the UK!





BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)





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Friday 16 September 2016

Holy Grail Gym Products; 5 Things I Can't Go to the Gym Without


Over the past couple of years I have most definitely become a lover of the gym. When I'm not off galavanting around the country following McFly, like I have been doing this week (which was incredible just FYI) I can usually be found in my gym around four or five times a week and so recently I've been trying to think of a couple more ways to express my love and interests with you than just my Results with Lucy review posts (which you can read here). One post that I've been wanting to do for you for quite some time now is a 'What's in my Gym Bag' post, but as the bag I take to the gym is very much loved at the moment, I'm kind of waiting for the chance to get a new one before I do a post like that. However, I thought that following on from one of those kinds of posts that I could do a kind of 'Holy Grail' post for you and show you the top 5 things that I cannot leave the house without when I head off to the gym! 

First up is my Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Makeup Remover; this has always been a favourite of mine and I know it's been a popular one for many beauty bloggers in the past too. For me, this is a necessity for when I go to the gym. I'm usually not one for makeup if I know I'm heading to the gym,(especially since the guys that work there have most definitely seen me at my worst already) but there are occasionally those times when I've been out and about in the day and still have some makeup on when I get there. A little embarrassingly I actually use this normally when I'm finished in the gym or just out of the pool as that's when I see the remains of mascara running down my face and remember I should have taken it off, but either way this product is one that I'm always grateful I have in my bag. I have a couple of cotton pads in a small bag too that I have in my gym bag all of the time and it's perfect for just clearing up my makeup streaks after a tough session! 

Next up is a trusty can of Batiste, because let's face it, if there's going to be any time you need some dry shampoo its going to be when you're at the gym. I usually spray this into my roots before chucking my hair up into a high pony or bun before a workout or  swim (as I don't like getting my hair wet) or even after I've come out of a circuits class to keep me feeling a little fresh for the journey home before I shower. It's probably my most ride-or-die product that is constantly in my gym bag and one that I am always replacing - I could not deal with having to go into circuits without having spritzed my hair with this first! I'm not sure that it does work this way, but I always hope that it keeps my hair looking nicer for longer as I sweat away with the many burpees and press ups that they make us do! 

Another favourite that I like to keep in my gym bag is this tube of Biofreeze pain relieving gel. As I'm in the gym quite a lot, my body does sometimes take a bit of a beating and I absolutely love this for some quick relief when the pain just gets a little bit too much. I keep this in my gym bag so that I always know where it is and so that either myself or my dad can apply it when we need it. I've been using this for the last couple of weeks now and in my opinion it really does work miracles. I get quite a lot of pain my my right shoulder around the base of my neck and this stuff is just amazing for massaging in and giving me a little more movement back and relieving me of the pain. After this past week at McFly, it's definitely been a bit of a life saver! It comes in a gel formula and is easy to just massage on to the area needing a little help. I might sound a little weird saying this, but I actually love the way that it feels on my skin, it's so cooling and tingly and it really makes me think that something is working it's little magic. It also smells incredible; definitely not everyones taste as it is quite strong, but I love it!

My BKR is also a staple in my gym bag. This glass water bottle is the perfect thing to take with me whilst I'm in the gym and is super handy for when I'm in a circuits class. It's become my new go-to water bottle now as I find it's just so much nicer to drink from than plastic bottles. The small neck and screw-on top with handle just make it really easy to access and drink from and it's now always on me and full. To be honest, I use this around the house too to drink from most of the time as I just prefer it now! I love how the bkr's are coated in these silicone sleeves too as it just makes them so much more interesting and fashionable than a boring old bottle (or is it silly that I think that way about something I drink water from?!). I can really understand why these are loved by celebs world round and can't wait to get a couple more in different colours! 

Last but not least, my last holy grail gym product has to be my Mitchum deodorant. A little bit of a boring one, but I honestly could not live without this spray! As disgusting as it is, thanks to my daddy's side of the genes, I can be quite a sweaty person without the right products to put it right and this is the only one I've found that makes me feel set for the day. I always have a can of this on me when I head to the gym to give me a re-fresh after I've showered and haven't ever found one that I like more. I am a huge fan of the 'powder fresh' scent and it's one that I am constantly repurchasing.

So there we go! Those are my 5 holy grail products that I couldn't head to the gym without. I hope you've liked this post and it would be great to hear what other sorts of fitness posts you'd like to see. I've been thinking about doing a write up of some workouts I've been doing along with a couple of posts about what I eat before and after the gym, the supplements I use and how I keep motivated, so let me know if you'd like to see any of those or have any suggestions! My next fitness post should be my final update on my Results with Lucy journey, so make sure you're following to keep up to date! 




BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West.
(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)
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