Beauty

My Go To Makeup: Brown Smokey Eye..

11:10

Every girl has a go to makeup look; It's that combination of eyeshadows paired with that certain lipstick, that she just knows works and takes no longer than 5 minutes to do. 
Mine is a subtly brown smokey eye, its probably the only look I wear on a night out because it works with pretty much every outfit. I do chop and change, but when in doubt this is what I go for. 


 This look is so easy and can be recreated using pretty much any eyeshadow palette as it only requires two matte brown shades and a highlight colour for your brow bone. This time round I used the Limited Edition Bobbi Brown Rich Chocolate palette which I have been absolutely loving at the moment. For liner I used the the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner,  which is a great product for those of you who aren't completely comfortable with liquid liner yet, as the felt-tip end is really sturdy giving you slightly more control. 

 The trick to a good smokey eye is to keep everything else really simple. Your base should be flawless without being cakey and your blush or bronzer should be subtle, but still giving your face that lift and glow. Stick to a lip balm with a hint of colour and you're golden! 

 Lara x 

Acne

Acne: Story So Far..

08:23

Having suffered with acne for about three years now, my skin is never something I like talking about, let alone writing about it on the internet and including a picture of myself with no makeup on, but like they say there's a first time for everything. 

Before I hit the age of sixteen I had lovely clear skin, not a blackhead, scar or spot in site. However that summer my skin had a bit of a meltdown and decided now was the time for me to get acne (couldn't think of a worse time in my life if I tried). For a while I didn't really treat my acne, all I did was buy every face wash and scrub available on the high street that was geared towards spot prone skin, but none of those were helping, if anything they made matters worse. 

I then went to my local GP and got put on antibiotics, which I took for about a year and a half I think, but those didn't really do the trick either; it wasn't getting any better, and by this point my acne had spread to my cheek and chin area, were as before it was just confined to my T-Zone. 

Unfortunately I don't have any bare faced pictures of myself from when my acne was at its worst because as you can imagine, makeup was my best friend and the camera... was not! What I can offer you however is a picture of myself now. 

                                                                        An unedited, bare-faced, HD picture of myself taken straight after my workout! 


After having taken Trimethoprim (Click here to read my in depth blog post all about it) for 10 months, this is how my skin looks now. 

While on Trimethoprim my skin was beautiful, it was spot and blackhead free; my facialist was extremely impressed! But I couldn't be on medication for the rest of my life, so in June, my dermatologist and I decided that it was time for me to come off it. My skin stayed clear for a few weeks once I had finished my course, but while in Mallorca I noticed I was starting to get a few spots here and there, it was a bit disheartening, but I knew this would happen anyway. 

As you can see from the picture above I don't have any big red nasty spots on my face; the only red spots that you can see are actually scars, and I get those whether I pop a spot or not. Besides the scars all I have are a few little bumps on my forehead and on the side of my nose, and considering I haven't been on medication for three months now, thats actually pretty good going.

I would highly recommend Trimethoprim to anyone with acne who is a bit afraid to try Accutane. You may still get a few spots when you come off it, but the same can be said for Accutane, and the possible side effects of Accutane just did not seem worth the risk to me. 

Now I'm on the hunt for really good skin care that will keep my skin in the condition it's in now or better yet, clear it up even more. It's going to take time and a lot of trial and error, but its important to me that I only use whats best for my skin. 

To any of you suffering with acne all I'll say is, keep your head up and don't let it knock your confidence too much. The people that mean the most to you and are true friends, really won't care that you have a few spots on your face, and those who do aren't worth your time. Have patience, do your research and enjoy your life! 

Lara x 

And Other Stories

Girls Day in London Town

08:43

Last week I went into London to see one of my friends from Madrid who was in the country for a week or so; and of course we had a proper girls day out, I'm talking, brunch, shoe shopping, makeup shopping, more food, finished off by sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine catching up on just about everything! 

I thought it would be a nice idea to share with you some pictures of the places we went so you yourself could check them out the next time you're in Londres. 



Food


A girls day out isn't complete without a nice meal or two. The first place we went to was Balthazar in Covent Garden for some brunch. This place is notoriously hard to get a table during lunch and dinner time, but you'll be fine if you're just going to brunch like we did. I could not recommend it enough, the food is amazing and the atmosphere and decor isn't something you find everyday; Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures while I was there, the pancakes had all my attention! 



For lunch, my lovely friend took me to one of her favourite places to go in London. Caffé Concerto has restaurants scattered all over London; we went to the one in Knightsbridge. The decor and atmosphere was all very 'up market Paris' and the food also has the same feel to it. We had the warm duck and pear salad topped off with a glass of prosecco and my God was it amazing. I managed to take a few pictures while we were there. 
                  
                                                                         Me and Ksenia at Caffé Concerto (Isn't she pretty?!) 

                                        
                                                                      Red lips + prosecco + my new ring
Shopping


I personally didn't do a lot of shopping, all I brought was a ring (Shown in the picture above) but I did have my first trip to & Other Stories located on Regents street which is where I brought my beautiful new ring, and we also popped into Space NK. 



The morning we went into London I had seen a tweet by a blogger (I can't tell you which one, my memory is awful, apologies) mentioning this store called '& Other Stories' and made a mental note to visit it if we had enough time, and funny enough we stumbled across it when walking down Regent Street; in typical Lara style I kind of fan girled and jumped up and down saying how much I wanted to go in, and I was not disappointed. It's a bit of a miss + match store selling pretty much everything, from gorgeous shoes to cotton buds. The layout of the store can only be described using two words, clean and chic, making it a shoppers heaven. So whether your in London or any other city where this store is located I highly suggest you go in and look around, there are so many beautiful things in there; you could either come out with some beautiful new clothes or some new body products.



We then moved onto Space. NK and I think I deserve a round of applause for not buying anything; However we were in there for about 25 minutes. Ksenia was introduced to the magic of Nars and I was educated in the Goldfaden MD products, the gentleman that served us was amazing and I wish I had found out his name. As with everyone that works in Space NK he was really informative and knew what he was talking about and really made you interested in the products. I was given a sample of the Goldfaden MD 'Doctors Scrub' and 'Vital Boost' Moisturiser so I'll be giving those a test run in the next few days to see if they would be a good investment and I will let you know. 


                      

A few snaps of the & Other Stories store on Regents Street. 




Ksenia getting her makeup done in Space NK - she finally got introduced to Nars!



I hope you liked this post, it's slightly different than what I usually put up but I thought it would be interesting for you guys. 

Lara x

Avene

Lip Recovery Programme: Lush + Avené

09:03

Being such a lover of lip balms, dry lips have never really been a problem for me, however this summer was an entirely different story. Not only were my lips severely chapped and sore, but the skin surrounding my lips was equally as bad; so I went on a hunt for the products that would be most affective and the products I purchased and have now come to love are the Lush Lip Scrub in Bubblegum and the Avené Cold Cream Lip Cream. 





Lush Lip Scrub in 'Bubblegum'


The first step I took in combatting my dry lips was to gently remove the dead skin that was just sitting there, to make sure that the lip cream would be able to do its job properly. A friend of mine recommended the Lush lip scrub, so while in Mallorca I popped into the shop and picked up a pot. 
There is a reason so many people have this product, it is simply amazing and its something I actually enjoy doing as part of my weekly routine. Its made from all natural ingredients meaning that when its time to remove the product you just lick it off, which for someone like me who is easily amused by stuff like that I found it pretty cool. The grains are really tiny meaning you get a nice gentle scrub, which wont irritate your skin. Priced at £5.50 you can't really go wrong, a little goes a long way with this product!


Avené Cold Cream Lip Cream



The second step in my little routine was the Avené's Lip Cream. I didn't have my Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream with me and my Nuxe Reve de Miel wasn't doing much for me, so i went to the pharmacy in Mallorca and they advised me to get this product. Priced at nearly 9€ I was praying that this stuff would work, and I'm happy to report that it did the trick and then some. It comes out as a white cream, but once applied it gives your lips a lovely clear sheen with a velvet feel, keeping your lips feeling hydrated for a good few hours. 



After using these products for a week, my lips were back to their normal self just slightly more sensitive. If you are going through the same sort of thing i would highly recommend that you look into purchasing these products and in the mean time you could do a homemade honey and sugar lip scrub followed by your favourite lip balm. 

Lara x 

Burt's Bees

Top Picks: Feelunique Summer Sale

08:34

If you're a beauty lover like myself then you will be fully aware of the Feelunique summer sale; so i thought it would be a nice idea to share a few of my favourite sale items, just so you can get some ideas and maybe even discover a few new products! 

Face: 

Caudalie Beauty Elixir 100ml - Was £32 ➝ Now £27.20
Decléor Purifying Night Balm - Was £55 ➝ Now £44



Body:


Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel - Was £7 ➝ Now £6.30 

Burt's Bees Honey and Shea Suger Scrub - Was £12.99 ➝ Now £10.39




Hair: 

Pureology Purify Shampoo - Was £14.15 ➝ Now £11.32 


L'Oréal Solar Sublime After-Sun Nourishing Balm - Was £13.25 ➝ Now £9.94


TIGI Catwalk Session Series Salt Spray - Was £14.95 ➝ Now £11.21



Makeup:

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation - Was £29 ➝ Now £23.20

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Flush - Was £14.50 ➝ Now £12.33





Lara x 
All photos taken from www.feelunique.com






Beauty

The Liebster Award

08:42

Hello my beauties, sorry I've been a bit MIA recently, I've had a friend come visit me on holiday and hadn't had time to blog, but fear not, I'm back and have a lot of blog post ideas for you. Today's post is slightly different to what you would normally find on my blog, but i hope you like it. 




A few days ago i was contacted by the lovely Em from MascaraWarrior (Click Here to go to her blog) to see if i wanted to take part in The Liebster Award, and after doing a bit more research i came to realise that it's more of tag rather than an actual award for bloggers with less than 200 followers. I think this is an excellent way to find new blogs, give your own blog a bit more traffic and to find out a bit more about the person that tagged you etc. 

The rules that Em stated were: 
  1. Link back to the person who nominated you.
  2. Answer the eleven questions from the person who nominated you. 
  3. Write down eleven more questions.
  4. Nominate eleven more bloggers that have less than 200 followers.
  5. Let the bloggers you've chosen know about it!
So without further or do, these are my answers to all the brilliant questions I was asked! 



If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Australia or Cape Town, South Africa. I went to Australia when i was about 12 years old with my family, but i was too young to appreciate how beautiful it was, and Cape Town because i've only ever heard amazing things about it.



Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
First impression of me, and if you see me with a massive group of people you would probably think I'm an introvert, but once you get to know me, I'm a bit mental.


What are some interests of yours besides beauty and makeup?

Music, Drama and traveling... I don't travel to new places that much, but i have a serious case of wonderlust.



You woke up late and have five minutes to do your makeup! What do you reach for?
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, and Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara.


What's your favourite type of clothing or accessory?
Maxi dresses. I could live in those things for the rest of my life.




What's the last thing that you genuinely laughed at?
Probably something my younger brother said, not a day goes by that he doesn't make me cry with laughter.


What's your favourite book, movie, song, or television show?
Favourite movie = A Walk To Remember. Favourite Book = Anything by Sophie Kinsella (I love her!) Favourite Song = Just about anything, I'm not fussy when it comes to music. 


What skill do you wish you had, or one you wish you could do better?
I wish I could dance. I'm so bad it's scary! 


If you could speak any language fluently, what would it be and why?
Italian


Name something off of the top of your bucket list.
Road trip around America. 




What do you usually do when you want to have fun? 
Probably go to my best friends house. She lives 2 minutes away from me and even if we end up staying at home, we always end up having a good time!

 Now that you've had a chance to find out a little bit more about me,  its my turn to ask a few questions to these lovely ladies: 

 Lottie Pearce | Love Beauty and Spa
Ash | Beauty With Ash
Melissa Bubbles | Bubbles on Beauty, Fashion and Life!
Liz Outh | My Pretty Obsessions
Sophie Rose | Miss Sophie Rose
Stef | Scottish Stef's Nails
Lisa Carrieanne | Beauties Unlocked
Jenny | Lifestyle, Love and Fashion
Annie | AnnieLeaf
Sam | Rosey Cheeks Fashion and Beauty 
My Fair Style
  1. What top 5 beauty products (Skincare, Haircare, Makeup etc) can you not live without?
  2. Your house is on fire, and you can only save one thing. What is it?
  3. Boy + Girl Celebrity Crush?
  4. Who are you most inspired by and why? 
  5. Fave beauty guru on YouTube or here in the blogging community? 
  6. What's the first thing on your bucket list? 
  7. If you could have any special power, what would it be? 
  8. Beach babe hair or groomed glossy locks? 
  9. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why? 
  10. What is your dream job? 
  11. Five things that you like about yourself? (Not really a question, but let's just go with it) 

Thanks again to the lovely Em for tagging me, and if you're reading this and i haven't tagged you feel free to have a go at it as well, and then let me know!! 

Lara x 

Beauty

Summer Review: L'Oréal Professional Solar Sublime Protection Spray

08:33

For me summer has finally started, I'm currently blogging from the beautiful island of Mallorca, and I'll be here until September (Lucky me!!). With the summer comes all the lovely products that are catered to protecting and caring for your skin, hair etc from that gorgeous yet harmful (if your not careful) sun. 
Before leaving to come to Mallorca i did a cheeky Feelunique order, and the L'Oréal Professional Solar Sublime Advanced Protection spray was the product i was most excited to try out. 

I've had a chance to try this product out in both the sea and the pool, and I also let my sister use it to get a second opinion, and we both love it. Priced at £11.25 you can't really go wrong. It has UV protection that creates a light film around the hair to protect it from any sun exposure; and it doesn't leave your hair greasy or sticky, in fact mine and my sister's hair felt softer once it had dried. The smell is another plus, it just oozes summer with it's tropical scent, which lingers in the hair even after its dried. 


I could not recommend this product enough! There are far more expensive ones on the market that do the same thing, but I just can't justify spending all that much money when, in my opinion this one is just as good. You get 125ml in the bottle, and only need a few light sprays to cover your whole head, so it will last you ages. 
However if you have coloured hair, i'm not sure if this would work for you, and just to be safe I would purchase something that specifically protects colour treated hair. 


Lara x 

Beauty

Review: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

08:05

I've been having a bit of a love affair with Nars recently; Its gone from me not even knowing where to purchase their products in the UK, to me using something of theirs on a daily basis, and even giving the Sheer Glow Foundation holy grail status (Read my review on that here) and i have a feeling that the Radiant Creamy Concealer could fast become the proud owner of a holy grail title also.



I was on the hunt for a new all round concealer and had heard good things about this new Nars product, so when i stumbled across a Nars counter on a shopping trip with mother dear, i just couldn't resist trying it out. 

It was like love at first sight, I swatched a random colour on my hand to get a feel of the texture, and, as it says in the name it certainly is thick and creamy, but despite that its a real joy to blend into the skin. 

There are 8 shades (In the UK, in America there is a choice of 10) in total, and normally I would hold no hope in finding a colour to match my skin with such little choice, however I was matched to 'Med/Dark 2 Caramel' and it is honestly the perfect shade for me, and blends seamlessly into my natural skin tone.


In terms of how it sits, feels and blends into your skin... its a dream! I have been using this on a daily basis, so I can sit here and safely tell you that if, like me, you aren't the biggest fan of wearing foundation during the day then this product is perfect!

I would say it has a medium coverage but can very easily be built up into a much fuller coverage without looking cakey on the skin, which is just what I want from a concealer. 
Its creamy hydrating texture means that it can be used all over the face, whether you want to conceal that annoying spot or hide those 'I stayed up all night watching One Tree Hill' eyes. It doesn't crease anywhere on the skin and in terms of staying power i can't tell you how it fairs on its own as i do always powder my T-Zone as I hate the thought of being shiny, although I have never felt the need to top up during the day.

It is slightly pricey being £21 for 15ml, but I can honestly say that this is my favourite concealer of the moment, if not all time! It is something I am constantly reaching for, and will probably always have in my makeup collection and thats always a good sign! 

Click Here to see me using it in my 'Everyday Makeup Routine' video. 

Lara x

1940s

The Blitz Party...

10:01

Last saturday I had the opportunity to go to The Blitz Party in Shoreditch, London. As you may (or may not) have guessed from the name of the event, it was 40s themed which therefore meant a whole lot of swing dancing, a big live band, and lets not forget all the glamorous hair and makeup. 

 The Village Underground had been transformed into a wartime air shelter, complete with sandbags and oil lamps; the drinks menu was made from ration cards and the drinks all had war time themed names. You really did feel like you had been transported back in time as soon as you stepped in, and once the live band started, the outside world no longer existed. 

 Its not everyday that us girls (and the guys for that matter) have the opportunity to get this glammed up, and it was great to see that everyone had put so much effort into their looks; the girls were sporting typical 40s hair, makeup and fashion, and the guys were all decked out in solider, pilot and sailer outfits. 
Now i'm not that great when it comes to styling my hair, so I kept that really simple and easy and just stuck it up in a slicked back bun, and my makeup was pretty simple also but with a bit of winged liner and red lipstick to add that 40s glamour. (Pictures Below) 





I could not recommend this event enough, its something fun, out of the ordinary and I think everyone should go at least once. Click Here to go to The Blitz Party website, for information on when the next event is. 

I will be filming a video on the makeup look that I did on the night, and putting it up on my YouTube channel in the next few days, so keep an eye out for a post about that. 

Lara x 


Acne Prone Skin

Out With The Old In With The New..

10:38

New blog layout and a new everyday makeup routine!

 I was looking at my blog today, and was just not loving the layout, so i decided to give it a little pick-me-up. I also, filmed, edited and uploaded a new video today which is about my everyday makeup routine (Click here to see my YouTube Channel and watch the new video)

 Hope you like the new layout and video!

 Lara x




Products I used:
- Murad Shine Control and Acne Prone Primer
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'Caramel' 
- Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara
- Nars eyeshadow in 'Bali' 

- Nars blush in 'Gilda' 


Blog

First YouTube Video - Makeup Collection ♡

10:11

Hey Girls, 

 I thought i would try something a little different and film a video for you, this one is just me showing you all the makeup that i own. Let me know your thoughts, and i will be putting some more videos up soon

 Enjoy! 

 Lara x 


Bronze Goddess

First Impression: Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Skinsent.

12:38

After watching Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup talk about the new Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess skinsent, i was keen to go out and buy it, but priced at £45 i was on the fence a bit. However i was out today in the beautiful sunshine and thought why not? 


The way i would describe the sent of this is a mix between sun cream and coconut, yes i realise that seems like a very odd combination, but trust me, one smell of this and you will be transported to a beach in barbados. You have to allow the sent to develop on your skin for a minute as the initial smell is nothing like the end result, but after that you will be smelling heavenly. 

 I highly recommend that you at least go and smell this and then join me in my new found love for this product. The name speaks for itself, one spray and you really will feel like a bronze goddess, its safe to say that i have found my new summer sent! 

 The Bronze Goddess collection is limited edition to the summer season every year. 

 Lara x 

Acne

My New Holy Grail?!

13:13

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4065911/?claim=krr48ddf822">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

 I finally did it, i finally brought the famous NARS Sheer Glow Foundation!











































After having been on holiday for just under a week my Bobbi Brown foundation had become way too light for me, so i decided i would take the opportunity and buy The NARS Sheer Glow foundation. Now unless you've been living under a rock you will know that this has been one of the most talked about products in the beauty world; because i had watched countless videos and read numerous blogs on it, i felt pretty confident in my purchase. 

The words 'sheer' and 'glow' are not words you want to be associated with a product your about to buy if you have acne/combination skin, however i was pleasantly surprised! I got matched to the colour 'Syracuse' and its perfect, it neutralises my overall skin tone and takes away any redness in my skin without making it look cakey. I would say it is a medium coverage and could very easily be built up to a fuller coverage for a night out etc. 

So far i have been using this product nearly every day and have pretty much fallen in love, and i now completely understand why it gets so much love and is considered by many to be a holy grail. 

















Me before (Top) and After (Below) applying the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Lara x