B. Eyeshadow Quad - Glisten

I bought this from Superdrug during their 50th anniversary celebrations when B. cosmetics were being sold for half price (I managed to pick up 3 of these quad palettes).

I have to admit this is my mostly used one (you've probably already guessed the reason because it has brown shades). I will admit that the light shade when applied will need to be patted in if you want the colour to show up on the lid, but if using as a highlighter you should be fine. These colours can be worn separately or mixed with other colours in your eyeshadow stash, all the shades blend well.

I admit I do like these colours, and the quad is compact so it will fit into a makeup bag when travelling, the packaging is simplistic in design which I am liking at the moment when it comes to my eyeshadow quads.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Avon Eyeshadow Duo - Warm Cashmere

Who doesn't love Avon, fair enough some of their products can be a bit outdated but then you come across some gems, and this is one of them.

The eyeshadow duo in warm cashmere, as you know I love my browns, and I love a natural look (especially when I am work, which is for 37.5 hours a week) and this little duo is great for creating a smokey eye for during the day, it contains two shimmers the lighter for a base colour and the darker for in the crease. The duo is also small in size so it can be taken in a makeup bag without taking up too much room.

The eyeshadows blend together really easily and don't take too long to blend out and they are perfectly suited to each other to create a natural look for the eyes.

The packaging for me is also a selling point, it's strong so it's not going to crack easily and it looks quite sleek as well and looks quite nice in a makeup bag, and it doesn't take up much room in there either.

Overall a great little eyeshadow duo for the makeup bag.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Barry M Matte Flawless Finish Foundation -

This one of the most recent launches from Barry M, the Flawless Matte Finish Foundation, one of Barry M's first foundations. I picked this up at my local Boots in the colour Ivory, the foundation comes in a range of 5 colours, and retails for £5.99.

The description of this foundation is that it is an oil free formula with skin moisturisers that have healing properties.

I noticed when applying that this foundation has a light coverage, and can look like it hasn't been applied at all (this can be a good thing sometimes but when you have red patches you really want them covered). I found the foundation to be quite hard to build up just to give a medium coverage, as the product seemed to soak up into the skin more then actually covering it.

I wasn't overly impressed with the foundation and ended up mixing this with the Hawaiian Tropics Face Suncream, to see if that would help with coverage. If you are looking for a foundation with a light coverage this one might be for you but for me it was a complete waste of time.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Face Cream

This was a last minute purchase before I went to Skegness last May, I was reading a blog post by Serena over at Pretty Wild Things (her Summer Beauty Essentials - Boots), when I read up about this little beauty.

The premise of this sun lotion is that it has been designed to work under makeup (for all those beauty mavens out there this is a godsend), as soon as I knew this little titbit about it that was it I was sold and on my trip to boots it ended up in my basket.

The product looks very eye catching with the coloured swirls in the bottle and the bottle comes with a pump (making this easy for application onto the face)and once the cream is pumped out it comes out in a flat ribbon, and gives off a scent of coconut.

I did find this to be a bit sticky and greasy once applied to the skin (this is not a good sign for anyone with oily skin, so I was wary about using this). I also found that once I had applied a setting powder over my makeup it did take some of the greasiness away.

I wasn't that sold on this sun cream as it did feel quite greasy and felt like my makeup was just going to slide off once heat was added to the mix. I did mix this in with a foundation that did not have an SPF to see if the foundation would counteract the greasiness of the suncream, and it did help quite a bit and once powder was added it did calm it down.

I wouldn't buy this again due to the amount of steps you have to go through just to get to the point where I feel my makeup is going to stay on. The theory behind the cream is sound and if it worked for me it would have been amazing, but it didn't.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Avon Setting Spray

I love a setting spray, especially if it will keep my makeup on my face for longer especially when working long hours. All the setting sprays that I have come across have been small in size and have cost £5 - £8 so when I came across this latest release from Avon with a staggering 125ml of setting spray, I was sold, and when I saw the introductory price of £3 (normal price is £6, which still isn't bad) that was it 2 bottles were ordered.

The setting spray has a non sticky formula and contains vitamins A,C, and E and once sprayed onto the face dries quickly to set your face makeup.

I have to admit I do love this setting spray, my makeup does last longer with this and the amount of product that you get is also a winner for me. I have been using this for the last couple of weeks and I haven't even made a dent in the bottle yet.

I will be buying this product again when my two bottles run out as it is such great value for money and it really does work well.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Travel Makeup Bag - London Edition

As you know if you follow me on Instagram I went to London on Tuesday and just came back yesterday (that's why the blog was a bit quiet, if you were wondering). Being the beauty blogger that I am (it still feels weird calling myself a beauty blogger), I took some makeup.

On with the makeup bag, the theme for this bag is minimal (this is a dirty word in my vocab when packing), as we are only taking 2 small suitcases (1 for clothes and the other for shopping).

The makeup bag I am using is from Primark, I think it was either £1.50 or £2.00, it's quite spacious, you can fit quite a bit in there.

I do love how roomy the bag is so if you were going away for longer you could really fit a lot in before it starts to pull at the stitching.

As you can see I did fit a lot into the bag, I mostly chose things that were waterproof (due to the hot weather, it hit 27 degrees yesterday) and that were quick to apply.

I chose to use MUA Matte Perfect primer to prime my face ready for my base, I've been playing around with this and it seems pretty good, and doesn't feel to slick on the skin. For my base I chose the Avon Ideal Flawless CC Cream with an SPF of 50 as it was hot down there and I wanted something light on the skin so it wouldn't be too cakey on the skin. Concealer was easy I had Soap & Glory's Kick Ass Concealer, the main reason as it covers both under eye and any blemishes on the face.
To set my makeup I packed the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in Vanilla, the powder smells really fruity (this is because it has fruit therapy in the product), it applies really well onto the face.
I also took some bronzer and I also grabbed another Bourjois product which was their Chocolate Bronzer in Medium, this was quite pigmented and you only need a small amount of this. I also took a blisher in the shape of Natural Collection Blusher in Pink Cloud.

For the eyes I packed the sample of Urban Decay Anti-Ageing Primer Potion that I received with my Naked palettes (I received 3, 1 with each palette so I put it all into one small pot). I am loving this primer, and I wanted to buy it while I was in Selfridges but couldn't see an Urban Decay counter.
I also packed 2 Rimmel ScandalEyes Shadow Sticks in Trespassing Taupe and Bluffing , there was also the Avon ColorTrend Colour Elements Eye Duo Stick in Fire. These were packed as they were quick to apply and they were light (didn't want dark colours as it is Summer, let's get some brighter colours in there). I also packed Rimmel ScandalEyes Kohl Eyeliner in Nude, we were walking so much this was good just to take some redness out my eyes so I still looked bright and bushy tailed.
As the weather was roasting I thought it best to take a waterproof mascara so I chose the Bourjois 1 Seconde Volume Waterproof Mascara in Black. This is a lovely mascara that applies well and stayed on all day, really impressed with this.

For lips I packed the Hawaiian Tropic Lipgloss in Island Berry, this has an SPPF of 25 so was protecting my lips from the sun while also adding a wash of colour as well. I also packed 2 lipsticks, Soap & Glory's Super Color Fabu-Lipstick in The Missing Pink, which is one of my all time favourite nude pinks, and Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Rose Tweed, which is another nude pink but a tiny bit brighter.

 I took some retractable brushes with me as well so I could apply the powders as well as the CC Cream (a full summary of these brushes can be found here).

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Retractable Brushes

Brushes, who does not love a good makeup brush, what I don't love is travelling with makeup brushes. The bristles get bent, some can fall out, and then once used they make a mess of your makeup bag.

So here comes the retractable brushes, not a lot is said or written about these little wonders so I thought it was time something was. When travelling and your trying to keep things to a minimum having a brush roll with you full of makeup brushes is just going to take up room so that is where these little beauties come in.

Trying to find these brushes can be a pain, I needed brushes for foundation, blusher, bronzer, and setting powder. I managed to find a retractable foundation brush from ecotools as well as a kabuki brush which is great for powder..

Superdrug Blusher Brush - I bought this to use with bronzer, this should be good to apply and buff it into the skin.

EcoTools Kabuki Brush - This I have been using for setting powder, and it is brilliant for applying powder to the skin as the bristles are so soft, because the head is quite large it also allows for a small amount of powder to be placed over a large area.

Boots Blusher Brush - This is will be used for blusher as the head is quite small so it won't deposit a large amount of blusher onto the face.

EcoTools Foundation Brush - This has to be the only retractable foundation brush that I have seen in a store anywhere (if you have seen others comment below). It's got a thin head so it is good for getting into to all the crooks and crannies on my face.

Some of these brushes I have used and some I am going to be trying out and see how they go. Have you used any good retractable brushes recently.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Look Beauty Triple Hit Eyeshadow Trio - Luxe

I haven't tried much from Look Beauty, but I kept noticing the stand in Superdrug, so when their products were on offer I thought I would pick up a couple and give them a whirl.

Look Beauty is a brand from Look magazine, the brand launched in 2012, and is being sold in Superdrug stores.

What I have for you today is their Triple Hit Eyeshadow Trio in Luxe, it comes in 4 other colours (Cool Glam, Sexy Smoke, Party Fever, and Sunset). I chose Luxe as I thought it would look good as part of a natural look during the day, and because the eyeshadow has a shimmer, it would also double up for a night look as well.

I admit, I do like the colours, the champagne, and brown colour are fantastic for during the day, but as soon as you add the gold shade it turns the look ready for a night out. In the swatch above that was just one swipe on the back of my hand with my finger so the shadows are very pigmented.

I'm not a fan of the packaging, I think it is too bulky, I know the shadow is domed shape but the plastic lid could be shrunk a bit to fit over so it's not as big.

I do like the eyeshadows and I would look at the others in the triple hit range, but the packaging needs a massive overhaul.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Hawaiian Tropics Lip Gloss - Island Berry

I was in Boots when they had an offer on their sunscreen (buy one get one free), I ended up buying the Hawaiian Tropic Face Suncream and getting this as a freebie.

I don't wear lipgloss that much but when I was on holiday, I popped this into my makeup bag (it's coming with me to London in my makeup bag).

This is a really lovely lip gloss, it applies to the lips really easy, and the applicator is quite hygenic (being plastic). The colour in the tube can be quite scary but it applies to the lips sheer with a hint of colour.

This lip gloss smells fantastic really fruity and reminds me of Summer, it also contains an SPF, which is fantastic as it adds extra protection to your lips with SPF25. The formula isn't sticky on the lips and with this a lot does go a long way.

Overall a great lipgloss, and one I can't wait to get back using when I am in London.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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N.Y.C. Big Bold Bronzer - ManhatTan

When it comes to bronzer I will admit I am a newbie, I've never really dabbled and when I started to become more adventorus I wanted to dip my toe into the bronzer waters (so to speak).

I didn't want to spend a huge amount on bronzer if it all ended going a bit tits up (which in my case is more then likely to happen). I was browsing the Superdrug website at their selection of bronzers when I came across this for £3.99. I ended up going in my local Superdrug and picked it up, if it went wrong it didn't end up costing me the earth.

The bronzer is a light brown colour with a red undertone and a hint of shimmer running through it, the bronzer applies well to the face and blends really well to add some colour to the face when needed (this has become a part of my normal makeup routine).

I love the colour of the bronzer, it's not too dark for my skin tone and does add a nice bit of colour to my complexion (I'm pale so it makes me look like I have actually been outside during summer).

Overall a really great bronzer, and one I was glad I picked up.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Alton Towers Vlog

You have read my blog post about Alton Towers now come see the vlog (My first, I feel so proud)

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma

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Rimmel ScandalEyes: Rockin Curves Mascara

With this mascara I will forewarn you it's love, I bought this when it was released and have just gotten around to testing it out.

The wand is a fibre wand and in a broken heart shape style, this allows for the wand to reach the hard to reach places on the eye.

I love this mascara the brush is just so different and it adds volume to the lashes, I will admit that the brush does have some excess product on when you pull the wand out (which as you know is a pet peeve of mine), it's not too much so it's not enough to put me off of it.

I do like that the pointed end does allow for you to get into the corners of the eye while the thicker section coats the lashes really well. I've also noticed that there is no fallout with the mascara (I don't end up with panda eyes by the end of the day)

Overall a good mascara with a good formula for volumising lashes.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Deeply in Love - Nicole by O.P.I

I bought this last year for my works Christmas party (you will have noticed it in a favourites post), this is such a lovely deep red shade perfect for any time of the year.

The polish applies to the nail really easily and the colour shows up well on the nail, I think if you added a white coat underneath it, this would really bring out the colour more, but it still works OK on its own.

The formula of this polish is pretty good it last 4 days with just tip wear and not any major chipping that couldn't be fixed with a little touch up.

Overall a really good polish for any time of the year.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Alton Towers and the Bigger Girl

Hello, my name is Gemma and I am a big girl, there I said it, I've admitted it.

I haven't been to a theme park for 5 years due to a bad experience on a ride at Scarborough where I had to change seats due to my thighs being too big. This just really put me off and gave me a phobia of theme parks, what if I get on the ride and the harness doesn't fit? The walk of shame would be mortifying and embarrassing to say the least.

When my friend got free tickets with The Sun newspaper due to their yearly promotion she asked me to go, I will admit I procrastinated for months. While we were on a night out she asked me again and on the spur of the moment I said yes.

That left 3 months of freaking out, trawling the website to see what the restrictions were. When I found out about the girth restrictions of 52" on the rides and then 54" on Oblivion and Nemesis I freaked out. I worried myself ill that I would not fit onto the rides, I measured myself so much that it became obsessive. I now know extensively that my chest is 47" and my stomach is 54", I'm also pear shaped I carry a lot of weight in the stomach then I do up top.

I went to Alton Towers on Thursday with my friend and I was nervous, in every queue I had my fingers crossed that I would fit, if I didn't I would take it and I would come back and beat it. What surprised me is that I fitted into all of the thrill rides, the only one that I did have a problem with was Air, the over the shoulder harness just would not lock. I then had to do a walk of shame, and to be honest it was not as shameful as I thought it would be, I wasn't upset by it but it did give me some dread when it came to Nemesis and Nemesis Sub-Terra (I did get on these by the way). I think if I hadn't be able to get on a load of the other thrill rides I think it would have been a larger blow then it was. I walked out of the ride station for Air with my head held high and said to myself that I would loose some weight and next time I would be on there.

I wanted to write this as I thought it might give a tiny shred of hope to any larger sized women that are starting to worry about a trip to Alton Towers. I will admit that after yesterday it gave me a goal to reach for me to actually make myself lose some weight and start being more active rather then procrastinating about it.

After all the worrying I had a great time with my friend and when I did get on the rides it made it that more special.

Alton Towers Ride Photo - Oblivion

I hope this does help larger women like me who are worrying over a trip to Alton Towers or to any theme park, it is not the end of the world if you aren't able to fit onto the rides, enjoy the time with the person that you are spending it with, that is more important.

I also realised what a really good friend I do have, her words to me were that it didn't seem right on Air without me there, and if I hadn't have gotten on The Smiler, she would have got off as well.

As I said the worrying has made me realise if I want to stop the worrying then I do need to lose some weight, and now I have a reason. I just have to push myself to do this. From August I am joining the gym to become more active, and I am cutting down on what I eat and replacing it with healthier options (that means chocolate NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO).

I may start to document my story on the blog so you can see how I go and if I can make myself stick to this (I have my fingers crossed for myself).

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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June Empties

Welcome to my June empties, it still surprises me how many products I get through in a month.

On with the show:

Cotton Wool and wipes is the category that seems to make up a large percentage of my empties.

Boots Double Sided Round Cotton Wool Pads
I love these cotton pads for my face as they are so soft and not abrasive on my face, I already have another packet on the go

Superdrug Cotton Wool Buds
These are great for cleaning up nail polish mistakes, already have another pot on the go.

Cotton Buds
I have had these for ages and have just used them up, they were ok and did exactly what they say on the package.

My Baby Wipes
I use these just to clean my hands while I'm putting my makeup on in the bedroom, these were OK, I have another packet on the go as they were on offer but I wouldn't buy these again.

Handy Wipes
These are fantastic, they are multipurpose wipes so they are great for keeping in my bag (especially when thomas eats chocolate and gets it all over his face).

Morny Lily of the Valley Body Moisturiser
This was a lovely moisturiser, a really strong scent of LIly of the Valley and absorbed into the skin brilliantly. I would repurchase this again but I already have a couple to use so am on a body lotion/ butter ban.

I Love...Raspberry & Blackberry Body Polish
I loved the smell of this but it just didn't scrub the way I wanted it to, it just felt like it was tickling the skin then getting rid of any dead skin cells.

Dove Original Deodorant (Travel Size)
I put the large size in a favourites recently, and have just used up a travel size (I put this in my bag when I am on a night out)

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in1 Purifying Micellar Solution
I love this micellar water, I would repurchase but knowing that I can buy the Garnier one which is exactly the same but contains more, I won't be buying it again in the near future.

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter
This is gorgeous, it feels so buttery and applies really well. The scent is so strong it stays on the skin for ages. I already have another small pot on the go already.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - Porcelain
I wasn't that impressed with this foundation, this one was really too light for my skin (I ended up mixing it with the next shade in the range), and it just didn't seem to match my skin type.

Elegant Touch Rapid Dry for Nails
This is my holy grail when it comes to nail polish drying, it dries my nails so quickly and really does what it says on the tin, I already have another on the go.

2 True Pro Prime Perfect Primer
This was an ok primer, it worked OK, wouldn't repurchase this in the near future as I have a load of face primers to go through

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara
I liked this mascara especially the brush,the thin point really got into the inner and outer corners of the eyes and coated all the lashes. The only downside was the amount of product that got onto the brush and as you know that is one of my pet peeves..

Bourjois Fan-Tastic Volume Mascara
An OK mascara but again had a load of product on when the brush was pulled out of the packaging.

IKEA Sinnlig - Spa Day
This was a lovely candle and just for £1 I think they smell lovely. The candle burned for ages and really scented the bedroom. I would repurchase this again

IKEA Sinnlig - Clementine
This was so lovely and reminded me of summer so a great candle for the summertime. I would repurchase this again.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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June Favourites

I will admit I haven't got that many favourites this month so it might be a short post.

VO5 So Smooth Control Cream
This I used quite recently, but I have had it for ages (I think that is the old packaging), I applied this to damp hair before blow drying my hair, I then put the straighteners through my hair and it just made such short work of straightening my hair. This goes down as a repurchase when it runs out as it was that good.

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter
I bought the small version of this body butter as I wanted to try it out, and I completely fell in love with it, the moisturiser is just so buttery and just melts into the skin. The scent just lasts for hours and it's such a great moisturiser for summer.

Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette - Iconic 3
This I bought from the Superdrug website, I had read and heard great things about the Iconic palettes and that this one was a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3 for a fraction of the cost (I have the Urban Decay Palette on the way so can't wait). The shadows are just so pretty, and I will admit I am set in my ways when it comes to eyeshadow (browns are my thing), so this was just a break from the norm and added a bit of colour to my day.

MUA Blusher - Lolly
I have started to dip my toes into bronzer (that was a great experiment and went well), so I have started with blusher. I bought this one from MUA for £1 (inexpensive so if it went wrong it wouldn't break the bank. This applies well and blends well on the skin as well, this is quite a darkish pink and gives a great pop of colour to the cheeks.

The Body Shop Chocomania Lip Butter
I love the chocomania range (as you all well know), I have had this for a while and thought I would finally start to use it. The lip butter smells gorgeous and feels really buttery when applied to the lips. The staying power of the lip butter is good and fiind myself only applying every so often.

B. Nail Polish - Peach Melba
With summer somewhat here I thought it was time to apply a bright colour to coincide with the warm weather. This is a lovely orange coral shade that becomes opaque after 2 coats, the brush is absolutely huge and applies to the nail really well. I love the size of the brush, I've never seen a nail polish brush that size.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick - Rose Tweed
This is a lovely pink nude colour, this applies really well to the lips and just goes on in just one swipe. The colour is great for when you just want a natural lip colour.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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