Rimmel Wing The Look

I received my first ever VoxBox from Influenster in collaboration with Rimmel to celebrate the launch of the new Wing the Look collection. I received the new Wonder Wing Eyeliner, Wonder'Fully Real Mascara and the Magnif'Eyes Eye Contouring Palette.



I've been trying out these products over the last week since I received them and here is my verdict!



The Wonder Wing Eyeliner* is hands down the best liner I have ever used! I personally suck at eyeliner, and I was sceptical but as soon as I used it the first time I was amazed. Its hard to capture my photographing the product but it has a stamping edge to create the perfect wing so you just have to line it up where you want it and press it gently to apply your wing and then finish lining the rest of your eye. Using this takes me about 30 seconds to wing and line my eye and  it looks neater than I could ever by hand. I'm officially a liner convert! It also lasts really well for a budget brand and doesn't transfer or crack on my lids.



The Wonder'Fully Real Mascara* is a mascara with nylon fibres to add length and volume. This is the first time I've used a Rimmel mascara and for the price its a good mascara but for me personally I do find it a bit clumpy on my lashes but it could suit someone else really well. I also find the wand a bit stiff and hard to apply without accidentally marking my eye area. Again this is just my personal preference to mascaras but for someone that prefers slightly thicker formula you may get on better than me.




The picture doesn't really capture how metallic some of the shades here are but the Magnif'Eye Eye Contouring Palette* is very pretty. This is a perfect palette to take you from day to night. For a budget friendly palette they were surprisingly pigmented and blended really nicely. This would be a good palette if your going away and don't want to carry a big one but need flexibility of colours. I wore these to work along with the eyeliner and it still looked near enough as fresh as it did when I had first applied my makeup. They can also be used wet to intensify the colour to deepen your lash line.

 These pictures are just some really quick eye looks I created to give you an idea what the products look like when I've used all three of them.



Overall I think I will definitely continue to use the eyeliner and eye shadows but maybe not so much the mascara. For a budget friendly makeup options I would definitely look at some of Rimmel London's other products in the future!

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes
**Marked links are Affiliate links

Eating My Way Round The North

Over the last month or so I have been travelling around different places in the north of England and or course this led to trying some new restaurants out. I thought they were worth a notable mention for anyone who is going near any of these locations.

The first I tried out was Gusto in York when I made my visit to the new Origins store which was right around the corner from it, so perfect for what I was doing on my visit. It serves Italian food and let me tell you now it’s the best Italian food I've ever had in the UK and even compared to some restaurants in Italy, this tops it. I had a starter size of the spaghetti carbonara and fried courgettes. The York restaurant is so beautiful with industrial chic décor and lots of fairy lights branching from the olive tree inside; a perfect place for any blogger to visit! After visiting the York Gusto I then made it my mission to try the one in Newcastle which was just and tasty, it also had a 200 year old olive tree which was pretty impressive.



When I was in Newcastle I also went to Georges Great British Kitchen for dinner with my family. Their food aims to celebrate British classics but in their own unique way. I had a Fab ice lolly inspired cocktail which was so close to just drinking a melted Fab I couldn't believe it.



I went all out and had three courses; Pigs under Duvets, Cod Dog and Warm Cadbury Fudge Finger Rolls. Who would have thought that you could have cod like a hot dog or fried fingers of fudge but it all works so well! If you’re wanting to try twists on traditional British food, I would definitely check out one of their restaurants.



I was exploring the market on the quayside in Newcastle and came across a cute little converted horse box owned by The Doughnut Guy and knew I had to try their miniature artisan doughnuts. With a choice of different toppings you could change up your doughnuts. I went for cinnamon sugar, chocolate sauce and marshmallows.

Boden and Brora come to Cambridge!

John Lewis Cambridge this week has just launched two new brands to its store; Boden and Brora. Boden designs bright, patterned clothes as well as casual basics. The brand is opening concessions in five John Lewis stores this autumn and their range is also available on the John Lewis website.

My favourite pieces from Boden were definitely the knitwear and trousers due to the quality of the fabric and finish. Its nice to see colour coming through their brand in Autumn/Winter rather than an abundance of dark colours.

Brora is a luxury Scottish Cashmere brand using all British workmanship and materials. I love that it is made in our country and hand finished by person not machine and they take great care in getting the highest quality cashmere for their products. My personally favourites from Brora were the bed socks and bobble hats. They are a more investment piece due to the price but for the quality of the garments and how warm and cosy they are they're worth it.

If your in Cambridge make sure to come into John Lewis in the Grand Arcade to come check out the new brands to the branch!

My Favourite Fragrances

I've decided this week I would cover something different I haven't talked about before. I thought I would mention my favourite fragrances because I personally really like these scents and I don't see them mentioned much.



Robberto Cavalli *has been my go-to/everyday scent for the last couple of years. It's a fairly strong fragrance which stand out as it develops over the day. Described as a floral and oriental perfume, it opens with top notes of pink pepper, fusing with a heart of African orange flower, all of which is rounded off with a smooth base of benzoin, Tonka bean and vanilla. 

My Burberry Blush is a new addition to my fragrance collection that I picked up the other day. I receiving a sample of it in the post and I had to pick it up! It's a really feminine floral and fruity scent. I'll probably save this one for special occasions but it's really gorgeous. The packaging is also beautiful on my vanity table. My Burberry Blush, is a fruity floral Eau de Parfum with a sparkling twist. Created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and Christopher Bailey, the fragrance opens with glazed pomegranate and vibrant lemon. Delicate rose petal notes and lifted with crisp Apple, which a base of jasmine and wisteria round off the scent for a feminine touch. The bottle's signature design details are a horn-look lid, inspired by the buttons of the Burberry trench coat, and a hand-tied gabardine knot around the neck of the bottle.

Chloè Love Story* is also a very feminine scent that I picked up at FeelUnique when it was on offer. I find this fragrance lasts really well over the day and in fact improves with time on your skin. Chloé Love Story is described as an unforgettable essence of seduction. The freshness of neroli illuminates her. The sensuality of orange blossom attracts him, powerfully. The stirring femininity of jasmine stephanotis, the flower of happiness, makes her more irresistable than ever. On her skin, cedar vibrates with flair. A floral love story, fresh and sexy.

*Affiliate Links

New Origins York Store!

As you may have guessed I'm a little Origins obsessed, so when I heard they were opening a second flagship store I had to go take a visit! Just a couple of seconds away from the minster is the new store and its in a grade II listed building which really adds character to the store.



The store is in two sections with a retail space on the ground floor and a Hygge sanctuary on the first floor. Decked out with furnishings from Oliver Bonas and Liberty print chairs its dream décor, the pictures don't really give it justice!




The sofa space is somewhere you can just go to relax, read a book or wait for a fabulous facial in the peacock print chairs. The old beams really add to the feel of the store and makes it feel very cosy.  I was pampered by the lovely Hannah with a fabulous facial and mini head massage.



The retail space downstairs is also beautifully designed to go and browse all the products. In my facial I tried out some of the new products including Modern Friction Cleansing Oil and Modern Friction Cleansing Stick. Having one the mini-facials is the perfect way to try out new products and give your skin a treat.                  



Make sure if your in the area to pop by and say hello to the wonderful team that work there and maybe treat yourself to a mini-facial. Its situated at 25 Stonegate, York, YO1 8AW.

Tiffany Does Lashes

This is one of the most exciting launches for me personally this year. My wonderful friend Tiffany who is a makeup artist has just launched her own line of lashes! They're human hair lashes and completely cruelty free, vegan and designed by her own fair hand!

 

There are eight different designs; So Fetch, You Can't Sit With Us, So Obsessed With Me, You're Like Really Pretty, You Go Glen Coco, Full Of Secrets and I'm A Mouse, Duh!


(You Can't Sit With Us)

(You Go Glen Coco!)

(I'm A Mouse, Duh!)

(So Fetch)

(So Obsessed With Me)

(You're, Like, Really Pretty)

(Full Of Secrets)

(On Wednesday's We Wear Pink)

I'm so proud of Tiff for creating these lashes, there are so many to choose from and can be reused if you look after them. For such easy to apply quality lashes they are priced very well. I'm also obsessed with the marble and copper packaging!You can pick them up over here: http://www.tiffanydoesmakeup.co.uk/shop/ you can also see pictures of Holly with the lashes on over on the website to get a better look at them!

Bannatyne Spa Day

For my birthday I went for a spa day with my mum at the flagship Bannantyne Spa in Clarice House in Bury St Edmunds. We had the Summer's Coming Spa Day package. I had a Bannatyne Facial, mini Swedish back and scalp massage. My mum had a Swedish back massage, leg massage and a Welcome Touch facial.



We were shown round the facilities and then shown where to get into our robes and slippers ready for our treatments. You wait in Reception for your therapist and was then led to my treatment room which was lit in purple and felt very relaxing for a coloured room! My skin felt so much better after my facial which was using mainly Elemis products -it was nice to try a new brand! I was very impressed with the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel, my skin felt so smooth after using it.



After my treatments I waited for my mum in the relaxation room, which had premium heated beds to lounge on and I now want one at home! The Spa also had a heated swimming pools, hot tub, detoxifying steam room and a sauna. You could also use the gym there.



We had lunch in the restaurant where I had a sirloin steak with vine tomatoes and chips and my mum had prawn sandwiches. The food was really nice but the chairs really could do with a revamp. It was odd having a lunch with everyone sat in robes but it was also relaxing.

Overall I had a wonderful experience and felt very pampered. I would certainly go back for treatments again. Which Spas have you been to? Let me know if there are any others you'd recommend.