Makeup on the Go

I'm a bit of a control freak. I always have to do lots of planning and I tend to do a lot of thinking ahead so of course I have a little makeup kit in my handbag at all times, ready for lipstick re-application and powder emergencies :)
So what do I carry?

I got this Weird Fish tin in a goody bag from the designer fashion show during Bath Fashion Week and thought it was a pretty weird gift and couldn't for the life of me think of a use for it until I happened to clear all the lipsticks out of the bottom of my handbag and shove them in there for safe keeping temporarily. Temporarily kind of became permanently and other bits and pieces have been added to make a little emergency kit :)

Of course I have my holy grail tin of Lanolips Golden Ointment* (reviewed here) in there, ready to soften my skin if its ever feeling a bit sore and dry and a back up lip balm for if I can't find my faithful Lush Honey Trap one for whatever reason.
I also keep a small pot of Bare Minerals mineral finishing powder in there along with a mini kabuki to rid my face of any shine that may creep up during the day.
My lovely MAC Fast Fleet blusher has also made its home in my makeup tin because I've found its a great blusher for adding a little extra definition and colour to cheeks for an evening look so I use the Benefit brush that I've popped in there to do a spot of contouring after work so I can head straight out.
Finally, I always seem to have two or three lipsticks in the tin, usually one red and one bright pink because those are my two go to colours. In the photo above the lipsticks are MAC Girl About Town and Lush Power. Girl About Town lives perminantly in my handbag because I am so so in love with it, it's definitely my go to lipstick!

Occasionally if I'm feeling a bit bored I'll swap things around a bit and add an eyeshadow or if I know I'll be out over night I grab a mascara to go in the tin too, I also have wet wipes in my handbag constantly to battle panda eyes in the morning, but in general, this is my handbag makeup collection :)

Do you carry a makeup tin/bag around in your handbag? What do you keep in yours?
Annie xx

Golden Ointment from Lanolips Reviewed

Dry skin can be really damaging to self esteem. For years I've had incredibly dry, sore elbows that just wouldn't go away no matter what I tried using on them. Because of this, when I was given the chance to try out the new festival sized mini's of both the 101 Ointment* (review to come) and Golden Ointment* I was particularly interested to test them out on my poor old elbows.

The Golden Ointment* comes in a very cute vintage inspired tin that is no bigger than a tub of lip balm and contains 12.5g of product, perfect for dropping into your handbag or stowing in your travel kit for festivals or summer holidays. I am not personally a fan of using lanolin on my lips for personal belief reasons but this ointment is the first thing that I have used on my elbows that has actually worked in softening and hydrating the sore skin and making the pain go away. I have also used it, to amazing effect, on my legs and feet when I get eczema flair up and found it to help so much with speeding up the healing process and lessening the urge to scratch it and make the area worse.

Lanolin is an amazing ingredient, extracted from the wool sheered from sheep, it is the yellow waxy substance that provides a protective barrier in the wool and stops sheep who stand in the cold and rain for hours getting cold and soaked through. In cosmetic use it is amazing for locking moisture into skin and hair, providing a protective layer on the skin for people who work in harsher conditions and is also classed as a vegetarian ingredient so extra yay!

The Lanolips Golden Ointment* harnesses the brilliance of lanolin as an ingredient and enhances it with the addition of very moisturising yet anti-bacterial Manuka honey, castor oil and apricot oil so that the product is the very best it can be for giving you an indulgent and deeply nourishing effect.
My one problem with this product is the use of glycerin in the ingredients. Glycerin is derived from animal sources and is not vegetarian, by using glycerine instead which is made using non-animal derivatives the product could have been kept vegetarian and been made suitable for so many more people.

Over all I have been incredibly impressed with this product, and the mini pot makes it perfect for carrying around and applying whenever needed on the run. I now never leave the house without this little tin and will definitely be re-purchasing for years to come. The amount of relief I've been given from using on my elbows and eczema has been huge and after years of being self-conscious about my elbows I finally feel more confident in showing them. I cannot recommend it enough.

You can pick up the travel tin of Lanolips Golden Ointment for £7.99 from most larger pharmacies, Boots and Superdrug stores. Well worth the money in my opinion.

Annie xx

A Little Self Revelation- Weekend Trip Cosmetics

This weekend I'm off to Canterbury for a long weekend so all my essentials have been packed up ready to go.
As I was laying them out I noticed a rather strong trend so I thought I'd take a snap and show you guys what I cannot live without.
It's no secret that I work at Lush and am a big supporter of almost all the products that we sell, but despite using my skin care products twice a day I had never really noticed that I use nothing other than Lush bits and pieces.
When it comes to makeup Lush has also crept in to my routine, especially the Emotional Brilliance range, however, MAC is my true love, always has been and always will be. There are only 5 makeup products that I'm taking away that aren't either MAC or Lush. Yet, again, I hadn't noticed. Weird.

So what are my essentials?

Skin care:

• Lush 9 to 5 cleanser
• Lush tea tree toning water
• Lush enchanted eye cream
• Lush grease lightening spot treatment
• Lush Imperialis facial moisturiser
• Lush bubblegum lip scrub
• Lush dream cream moisturiser
• Lush soft coeur massage bar
• Lush sea spray texturising hair spray

My skin tends to be combination and slightly spot prone so I pile on the simple, light facial products. If anyone would be interested in me giving a more in depth skin care post then do let me know, I just don't want to go too in depth now and sound like a walking, talking Lush advert.

Makeup:

• MAC studio fix foundation in NC15
• Natural Collection sheer loose powder
• MAC blush in Fleet Fast
• MAC blush in Peachykeen
• Lush feeling younger skin tint
• Bobbi Brown pastel palette
• MAC painterly paint pot
• Catrice Powerstay eyeshadow
• MAC royal hue shadestick
• MAC so there Jade powerpoint eye pencil
• MAC venomous villains my dark magic mineralised shadow
• Eyeko skinny liner
• Max Factor false lash effect mascara
• MAC red racer lipstick
• MAC girl about town lipstick
• (not pictured as its in my handbag already haha) MAC moxie lipstick

Phew, so yeah, a lot of MAC and Lush in my essentials stash at the moment. The amount of MAC that I use at the moment is perhaps what surprised me the most as I've always been the sort of person who experiments a lot with different brands and colours but recently I've found that I always come back to MAC because the quality is just so amazing. I just cannot fault it. And as for Lush, its no exaggeration when I say that I've honestly never had more faith in a brand. The reason that I fought so hard to get a job there and that I have a tendency to go on and on about the products is because they totally work and thats an impressive claim to be able to make. If anyone does want to find out more about the skin care then let me know because I'd love to be able to go into a bit more detail about how they work and why :)

Annie x

ps, if you could all do me a huge favour and like *this* photo of me then I would love you forever xxx

The Beauty Junkie's "Light" Travel Makeup Kit

So we all struggle to pack light when it comes to taking makeup on holiday, however, I actually found myself  lying awake at night worrying about what I should take with me, the result? Below is my "light" kit of essentials that I couldn't bear to live without for three weeks.

At the end of the day I decided to just bite the bullet and take all of my favourites and give in to the fact I can't travel light. To make myself feel a little better I tested some of the products on how well they coped in the heat, I also tested how well the waterproof version of my very favourite mascara held up in comparison to its non-waterproof brother so I have a couple of posts lined up to tell you all about my findings :)
What I have learnt from taking so many products with me is that in the heat, I personally tended to keep the base as simple as possible, usually opting for a light application of Garnier BB cream (which I actually hate using in the UK), that a dusting of setting powder is a must, and that lip products tend to get neglected as they can make lips feel a little smothered; instead, the way to boost colour is by using a bright eyeshadow or liner as these feel light enough to be comfortable.
And finally, I was also cool enough to sit with a pad of paper and work out how much my light kit was worth and came to the shocking realisation that I had lugged £315 worth of makeup across to Mallorca with me! I doubt if I'd lost it all, my insurance company would have been too keen on paying that lot back haha.

Are you like me? Or are you harsh enough with yourself to actually manage to pack light? I just couldn't face not having any choice for so long. Does that sound familiar?
Annie x

Interrailing 2011- A Few Photos :)

Hello,
Yesterday for my Photo a Week Challenge I posted a lovely photo of Daniel that I took when we went interrailing around Mediterranean Europe and it made me want to look over all of the other photos from that trip in an over excited manner. Here are a few of my favourites to share with you :)

In the sea on a beach in Faro, Portugal

Looking a little skanky at the end of our three week journey

El Duomo in Florence, Italy

In a pretty garden in Seville, Spain

One of the best pieces of graffiti I saw on the trip. Faro, Portugal

View from our window over La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain

Group paella on the roof of our hostel in Seville, Spain

Getting stressed out (this is a great guide book by the way if you're in need of one)

TheSpanish Steps in Rome, Italy

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy

The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. Police blow a whistle at you if you put feet in or climb on it.

The turtle island in the middle of the train station in Madrid, Spain

Wowzers, they took a while to upload. I hope you enjoy looking at them even a fraction of the amount I do. That was a truly amazing trip and I would definitely advise people to go interrailing if they ever get the chance, the experience is incredible, the places you see are breath taking and the amount you learn about yourself is pretty amazing too.

Have you been interrailing? Where did you visit? Have you ever been to any of the places in these photos?

Adios!
Annie x

Photo a Week Challenge- Week Seven

Hello,
Friday has come round once again and its time for another photo for the weekly photo challenge. This week the topic was below. I've been naughty this week and I'm afraid I haven't taken a new photo so I've had to use a photo I shot last year when I went interrailing with Daniel.

I love this photo. I shot it when we were staying at a campsite in Barcelona. I like that where I've shot it from below Daniel looks like some sort of giant :P

Looking back over the photos of our amazing trip has made me yearn for summer and sangria in the Spanish sun. I might have to pop up a post with more of the photos from the trip.
How are you anyway? Have you taken any good photos this week? What are you looking forward to this weekend?
Annie x

From the Scrapbook #1

Hello!
 I's so excited to say that today is the first installment of "From the Scrapbook" a weekly feature dedicated to the wonder that is virtual scrapping :)

This weeks goodies are all about: Travel
Simply save them as a .PNG file on your computer and away you go.

First we have a lovely wide blog header that includes room to add your own photo to the polaroid frame and add your blog name to the floral postcard.

Next we have a cute post pretty where you can add your own holiday photo to the polaroid frame and then use the grid paper in the rounded frame to tell your blog readers all about what is in the photo.

And finally we have a sweet little gift tag, decorated with a hot air balloon and the phrase "last night I dreamt I was flying" which would be perfect for a going away present or for anyone with an interest in traveling.

I'm particularly keen on the gift tag myself. Which is your favourite? I would love to see if you use one of these freebies so it would be great if you'd send me a link :) Hope everyone has a lovely sunday, I'm off to make a chicken pie (yumyum!)
Annie x

Mexico!

¡Hola Amigos!

As you know, last summer I went on an amazing trip around Europe with my lovely fiancee. We explored so many amazing places and saw so many wonderful things and I loved every minute of it.
This morning I have been looking through the hundreds of photos that were taken on that trip and it has inspired me to get out there and book the trip to Mexico that I have wanted to book ever since getting home.
My question to you though is, how do I choose the right trip for me? I've been looking online this morning and found this one on the Trek America website and it sounds amazing but being the Cautious Carol that I am, I worry that it will all go horribly wrong for me and be a scam or something crazy. Has anybody else used Trek America before?
Any advice and personal experience is much welcome!
Annie x

Bag of Nerves!

Hello,
This will be my last post for a while as I'm off on my backpacking trip later tonight and will be out of the country for three whole weeks! Eeep, thats a while!
I am a complete bundle of nerves about it, because, as a control freak, not knowing where I will be this time next week is uber scary to me! My addiction to lists and organisation will have to be put on hold for a while, I'm not even going to be taking note paper because it's too heavy :S
Don't get me wrong though, I am so crazily excited that I can't describe. It will be a great adventure for me and the lovely Mr, and I'm looking forward to seeing new places, trying new things and (hopefully!) getting a glowing tan :)

Also on the plus side, I have been calming myself down this afternoon by designing some new blog headers and accessories that you lovely people can use should you wish :)

The image above is the Garden Blog Header, it comes complete with a rounded picture frame area where you can add your own image and a note paper section where you can add your blog name and/ or message :) Click on the image to enlarge and save as a PNG file :) The image is already the right size to become a wide blog header.

This second image is a floral gift tag which you can click to enlarge, save and print to give your gifts that little extra something :)

And this third offering is a little virtual scrap that I have put together that can be added to a blog header, printed or used a a blog pretty to make announcements on your blog :)

Feel free to use any of these little freebies, and if you do, I'd love to see a link or photo of them in use! I'd also love to hear what you think of my creations :)

I'll see you again soon, have a great few weeks. Byeee!

Annie x

Interrail Checklist :O

Hello again,
As I have already mentioned (several times now), the OH an I are off on holiday Monday night for three weeks traveling around Southern Europe :) I'm so excited but there has been so much to plan and think about which has left me rather nervous in case I forget anything and because there is so much that is out of my control, which, being a control freak, is one of my worst nightmares.
For those of you who don't know, interrailing is a pretty funky way of traveling Europe. You buy a ticket on the interrail website which allows you unlimited travel in nearly all countries in Europe on the train lines. This allows you to go pretty much anywhere you want while your ticket is valid (ours is 22 days). For some trains you pay a small supplement but these can be avoided if you're on a small budget like us.

For our trip we have decided to fly out to Faro in Portugal, from here we will travel into Spain and explore lots of pretty places whilst eating far too much tapas! Then on through the south of France, enjoying cheap wine, pretty views and smelly cheese before finishing our trip in Italy where we will stare longingly at over priced clothes in Milan, be all romantic in Verona and then get even fatter by eating yummy pizza and ice cream in Rome. I. Cannot. Wait!

As I have said, there is an awful lot of planning involved in a trip like this and it takes a while to work out all the things you need to pack into your (uber large and heavy) backpack. So, because I'm a lovely, kind person, I have made a checklist below of what I have packed so that if you want to give interrailing a go, you have a list to help you on your way! (click for a bigger image- hopefully it will work)

Even after this scarily long list, I still found extra things to add such as a toilet roll for those awkward moments you just need to go, a compact sewing kit, a torch, tooth cleaning things (so glad we didn't leave without these) and various other bits so do be aware my list doesn't cover quite everything!

Phew, this is getting to be a long post now.

Just a quick add on to remind you that I have a promotion going on in my little shop where if you buy any item, you get a free gift sent with your order! Visit my shop here: Lampy's Place :)

I hope my list is helpful and at very least interesting for people to read! Tomorrow I will be uploading a tutorial for the infamous peanut butter cups for those who have been looking forward to some chocolaty goodness :)
Annie x

Holiday Time!

Hello peeps,
As you may know, on Monday evening I'm off trekking around South Europe for three weeks with the OH. Starting off by flying over to portugal then working our way through Spain, along the coast of the south of France and through to Italy.
This means that my shop will be closing for that time so if there is anything you want to pick up before I close up then pop on over soon so I can catch the Saturday post!
As a little extra incentive I will be offering a free gift with every purchase until then!

                                                           Click here to buy lovely things!

Annie x