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Hello,
I know its been a while since I last posted. Sorry for that, I've been naughty and let life get in the way.
Basically I've been pretty ill yet again with my tonsils and just haven't had the energy or motivation to do anything much justice so thought it would be best to just put things on hold for a few weeks but now I'm better I'm back :)
I have a couple of projects ready to get started on that I'm excited about including #theSOproject which is the brain child of Steph from Steph's Inside Voice. The first installment of that was really meant to have been posted on 27th but I was still away with the fairies then so I'm going to be joining for the second post which will go live 6pm on Tuesday. The series is designed to help those just getting into beauty and makeup and share advice and experiences.
The other project I'm getting involved with is #blogyoursocksoffseptember which is a challenge to post a little something every day during September to kick start the lead up into autumn and winter where cosy evenings reading and writing are king.
I also have several product reviews photographed and ready to go and an exciting week coming up I'll want to tell you all about.

I'm really looking forward to getting properly connected again and refreshing Three Little Buhos. It might be time for a new design and layout too, who knows. For now I'm going to enjoy being back.

Also, I have to share my new Trussardi sunglasses, I am totally in love with them! Aren't they pretty?

What have you been up to whilst I've been gone? Any new beauty finds that you're excited about?
Annie xx

Ultimate Summer Driving Playlist

A couple of weeks ago I was approached to take part in a competition with the money supermarket to share my ultimate summer driving playlist. Due to my little blog break (totally unplanned but life kind of got in the way) my post is a little later in coming than planned but here we are!
My summer playlist usually consists of a wild mash up of all the music that makes me feel good, no matter what the genre. Think David Bowie meets Amanda Palmer meets Tenacious D meets Adam Ant meets System of a Down and you're getting there :)

1. Number one this year has to be Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. Many hours have been spent so far this summer skanking to this in the car.

2. Number two has to be a bit of Hugh Laurie with Tipatina. Volume up, on a sunny day this cannot be beaten.

3. Numero tres takes a much calmer, sensual turn in the form of Quizas Quizas Quizas by Gaby Moreno. Such a calm and beautiful voice.

4. Number four is THE song of the summer for me. Every year there is that one song that sums up summer for you, Avicii I Could Be the One does that for me this year.

5. Number five is a song that I've loved for a long time now. It has such a feel of freedom and movement I think which is perfect for summer. It has to be Wake Up by The Arcade Fire. It must be good, David Bowie has sung a version of it with them live several times ;)

6. Sing- The Dresden Dolls (my favourite song of all time)
7. Heroes- David Bowie
8. The Love Cats- The Cure
9. Peephole- System of a Down
10. Levels- Avicii

Like I say, I like to listen to a mix of everything in the summer, the only thing in common being that every single song makes me feel amazing :)

What sort of music do you find yourself listening to? Any stand out songs for you?
Annie xx

Childs Farm Top-to-Toe Kit Review

The summer holidays are well and truly here and over the next few weeks many of you will no doubt be jetting off to lovely sunny places for a week of relaxation. This post is one for the mummies among you who have little ones going with you.
Childs Farm is a brand specializing in organic products that are as natural as can be and is the only childrens brand to use argan oil in their products.

The Top-to-Toe Kit (*) is a very sweet little set that contains the signature products from the brand including the shampoo for luscious locks, conditioner for unruly hair and bubble bath for sweet dreams all of which are in lovely bright packaging that kids will love but is also conveniently 100ml's so suitable to take as hand luggage on a plane. The clear zip lock bag also means you can just throw it into a suitcase as it is with no worry about transferring into a different bag!

The bottles have well designed, easy to dispense caps that are easy for both grown up and little hands to open and close and the design means that they won't flip open in a suitcase and make everything else in the luggage all soapy. The only thing that surprised me slightly with the design of the kit is that the bubble bath has the same design which means its not the quickest way to get lots of bubbles quickly!

As you'd expect from Childs Farm, all of the ingredients are soft and gentle on all skin types. The formula is also paraben, SLS and mineral oil free and uses no artificial colouring. One thing that does bug me is that despite all of these great claims, the products cannot be classed as vegetarian due to the addition of glycerin which readers of my blog will know is a real niggle of mine (why would a company not make such a simple change in order to open their product up to so many more people?!) especially with companies who go out of their way to make sure their ingredients are high quality, and in this case, organic. They also support the RDA which is a charity helping disabled children learn how to ride and look after horses.

Despite my little ingredients issue, this is a really sweet kit that smells beautifully of fresh fruity goodness. Retailing at just £9.35 on the Childs Farm website it also makes a lovely gift for childrens parties, or if you have a niece or nephew with a birthday coming up over the summer or going on their first holiday. Lots of prospects :)

Annie xx

(*) This post contains a PR sample however that does not affect my opinions and I will always be totally honest

July's Pay Day Treats!

Another payday passing means another little shopping trip for Annie! Shopping is definitely more fun if you've been waiting all month before treating yourself to a mini splurge.
This month I've been fairly well behaved and not bought too much (being strict with myself may be starting to pay off?!?) but I do love the things I have bought.

My first stop off was to a gorgeous little boutique that I've actually not been into before called Traffic People where I picked up the earrings in the photo above and the necklace in the photo below. My friend and I actually stumbled upon the store on our way to get sushi but I'm so glad we did, it's a little gem full of pretty things (@Trafficppl on twitter if you want to find them and say hi!) As well as selling pretty, unique styles of jewellery they also sell pretty dresses and accessories. New favourite shop for sure!

I paid £10 each for the earrings and necklace which I'm happy with. I liked the earrings so much that I actually wore them straight away and the necklace has been worn today so I'm thinking cost per wear is going to make both items pretty fab value for money.

Next we called into Lush where I picked up a couple of bits that I was running out of. I also finally grabbed a small bottle of Flowers Barrow which is from the Gorilla Perfume range and is a quintessentially English scent built up of rose, geranium, blackcurrant, chamomile as well as a blend of herbs. What I love about Lush perfume is that the high concentration of essential oils in the blend mean that the perfume sits uniquely on each persons skin and smells different to on everyone else so its like wearing my own special scent. The size I bought retails for £14.

On down to Accessorize where I picked up these two sweet little rings in the sale for just £3 for the two. It was the peace ring that drew me in because although it doesn't show from the photo, the stones are actually a pretty milky white and glow almost like opals do. Pretty!

Our final stop was Urban Outfitters. I have wanted this cat cup for months now and just couldn't justify it for anything but when I saw that it was in the sale for £4 I had to bring it home. I'm actually using it to store my shorter makeup brushes because the large Cath Kidston vase I bought last month in the sale is fairly tall and some of the brushes had been lost in the depths. £4 well spent I feel!

So that is this months little haul. I think I was fairly restrained to be honest. I did also spend £6 on a pair of shoes from Asda but I forgot to take a photo of those, oops!
What have you been buying with this months wages? Anything fun?
Tomorrows post is one for my mummy followers, the perfect little holiday kit for young ones so be sure to take a look!
Annie xx

Reaching for Recently

Oh my goodness it's been hot here! Living in the south west we've been getting the hottest of hot weather and boy it makes makeup choices tricky. I'm really not used to having my makeup slide off my face in the UK but some products just haven't been able to hack it!
With a little experimentation though I've found these products to all be fab, even in the heat and beating sun.

Ginvera Green Tea BB Cream- Foundation has been the biggest problem in the heat because most have just made my skin feel clogged or have just slid off but the Ginvera BB cream has held its own. I've been using it because of the good coverage, SPF 30 (definitely essential right now) and because, being from Singapore, the formula is able to stand up to heat and humidity.
MAC Coppertone Blusher- I use this as a bronzer rather than a blush and just use  little to contour cheeks and add definition but the colour is gorgeous in the sun and I find MAC powders are the best for being long lasting but weightless on the skin.
MAC Lightscapade Skin Finish- This is a product that I've loved since purchasing but as someone whos a little hooked on highlighters, it can tend to be a little neglected. In the same way as Coppertone, the powder feels weightless on the skin but sits beautifully and lasts for hours. I use this around the outer corners of my eyes, along cheek bones and down the centre of my nose to highlight...and it also helps keep my foundation on!
MAC Painterly Paint Pot- Always a staple product for me. I've found that more than ever I've been needing something to keep eyeshadow sat in place and MAC paint pots are simply unbeatable, especially Painterly as it also evens out colour and conceals dark circles.
Lush Strong Lipstick- The whole Lush Emotional Brilliance range has been really good through the heat actually. I find the colours stay in place, don't dry out and also don't spread half way across my face if I get sweaty. I've been wearing Strong a lot because the warm toned red is really pretty and on trend. The long lasting formula also really helps when you need to constantly be drinking water but don't have time to re-apply constantly :p
Lush Sophisticated Eyeshadow- Another Emotional Brilliance colour! Sophisticated is a soft, shimmery colour that is really easy to wear and I've been loving it just with a little mascara for a quick and effortless look that stays in place.
17 Lip Liner- One final staple has been a clear, slightly illuminating lip liner that stops lipstick from feathering across my face from excess heat. This one was really cheap but works just as well as others I've tried and for me, that makes it a winner!

Worn together, I think these items work really well and create a soft, fresh faced look thats easy to maintain in the heat.
One thing that I've really noticed though is that MAC seems to be an unbeatable brand in this weather, which only makes me love it more :)
Have you found your makeup routine has suffered in the sun? What products have you been reaching for most? Or have you been braving a bare faced look like I wish I was brave enough to?
Annie xx

Paco Robanne 1 Million Perfume Review

Perfume is a real passion of mine, I find it magical how a certain smell can transport you to a different time or place and bring back memories that you didn't even know you still had. Fragrance is the one thing that bypasses the rational part of your brain and trick you into the emotional response that you associate with getting a waft of a familiar smell. Clever eh? Fragrance training at work has also heightened my love for perfumes and their makeup and its definitely something that fascinates me.

My beloved perfume collection is pretty extensive and when I was approached by new website Essential Fragrances I jumped at the chance to try out a fragrance that I've heard lots about but never experienced before. Step forward Paco Robanne 1 Million(*)!

1 Million is marketed as a fresh spicy leather fragrance and I would stand by this. It has top notes of fresh fruits and blood mandarin which quickly melt on the skin into warm heart notes of musk and rose. These lovely warm smells are then held to the skin using base notes of warm leather and amber and settle together into a warm but fairly sweet oriental group scent ( my favourite!). One of the things that I've loved the most about this fragrance is just how long lasting the scent is. It settles quickly and becomes a signature smell almost instantly and stays smelling the same day long and well into the evening.
Whilst marketed as a male fragrance and I definitely wouldn't complain if I had a boyfriend who smelt as lovely as 1 Million, I think that the sweet tones to the fragrance make it a very wearable as a female scent too, especially if you aren't into the typical floral scents that are marketed for women.

The packaging itself is fairly masculine; a gold ingot shape with a thick glass back to it and its definitely very striking. The one thing I have noticed though is that the bottle is fairly heavy which I think is from the bulkiness of it but when a fragrance is sat on a dressing table this isn't a problem.
Paco Robanne 1 Million retails at £39.50 for a 50ml bottle and is available *here*

Have you ever had a sniff of 1 Million? What do you think? What sort of smells do you usually go for?
Annie xx

Summer Time with Firmoo- Free for New Customers

It's summertime, which definitely means its sunglasses season! Nobody wants their eyes watering up, brightness causing headaches, or the sun's glare blinding them. Picking up a pair of prescription sunglasses at Firmoo.com is a great way to get a sweet summer look without having to forgo perfect vision. Although supposed new versions of frames and lenses come out in sunglasses every year, tinted prescription sunglasses are really becoming a trend as people realise they can look just as stylish. Moreover, you can find new arrivals in July and excitingly get your First pair for free here as well.

The styles on offer are inspired by top fashion designers but for bargain shoppers like me they're perfect as they don't come with the high price tag. They also carry fashion colors for summer, pinks, greens, yellows and oranges, to name a few. In the summer, your sunglasses are an accessory that everyone notices so it's great to be able to stay on top of style trends and the cat-eye style definitely nails that :)

No idea how to style your pairs? Check out a few ladies modeling their favorite Firmoo eyewear... I have my eye on the second pair down ;)

(The above model photos are all derived from Firmoo+.)

New Customers, check more products for your first free pair at Firmoo! You just need to pay shipping which is a great deal in my mind. Totally a savvy way to look good for less this summer.

So what do you think of the look of Firmoo eyewear? Will you be checking out the gorgeous summer collections? Have you ordered with Firmoo before?

Annie xx

(*) This is a sponsored post however I will only post about brands that I genuinely like and think you guys should know about.