the beauty post | escada taj sunset perfume

escada taj sunset 100ml - £49 approx. (duty free)

a few weeks ago i decided i really needed some new perfume - i'm really picky with my perfumes and the only bottle of my favourite of all time perfume (vera wang princess) was fast running out so i needed something to replace it. a couple of years ago my mum got me escada's moonsparkle perfume as a gift and ever since the bottle ran out i've always kept an eye out for it but have never found it since - weep!

i decided to go check the escada shelf anyway to see what else they had to offer instead and fell in love instantly with taj sunset. it was in exactly the same shaped bottle as moonsparkle and i think it has a lot in common with it regarding the smell.

the packaging itself is a yellow bottle which dip-dyes into a dark orange at the bottom. it also had a pretty blossom pattern embossed on the back of the bottle that you can see through the perfume.

the official taj sunset webpage describes the scent as "a sweet and smooth women's perfume with a tropical mango fruit note and velvety coconut cream twist" with top notes of Alphonso mango and blood orange, a middle accord of watery blossom and sweet pomarose which create a raspberry smell, and base notes of coconut cream, sandalwood and musk.

 i'm not actually too pulled up on the whole 'notes' of a perfume but i can say that this fragrance is bob-on for me, it is the perfect summer scent in my eyes and totally worth the price tag. at the duty free shop it was only 12 euros more for the 100ml compared to the 50ml so i decided to treat myself as i hadn't bought much else on the holiday.

i personally love how the fragrance changes over time, as you really get a full smell of all the different notes that are in the bottle. if you are on the lookout for a summery perfume, or just a new one in general, i recommend this one without a second's doubt. it really is the perfect replacement for escada's moonsparkle in my eyes.

the style post | summer skirt

crop - new look | skirt - love label | bag - miss selfridge

I wore this outfit on Saturday when I needed to nip into town for some new makeup. It was weird weather as it was sunny but also a bit cold so I decided to wear a crop top and floral skirt with some tights and boots. It was nice and relaxed it also kept my legs a bit warmer.

I really love this skirt that I got from love label a couple of years ago. I think having the zip at the front makes it really different and edgy bit I do get a LOT of people asking if my skirt is on back to front which is a bit embarrassing! 

I also really love this crop - I also have it in black and a tribal print as I think they are so easy to wear but still more stylish than a standard t-shirt or vest. My brown bag finished it off nicely as its really slouchy as easy to throw on and it's huge so can carry all of my stuff around! 

Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday! 

Laura xxx

the lifestyle post | instagram catch up

portuguese bracelets - post HERE | fisherman's beach:the algarve - post HERE
desperados | duty free treat - post coming soon!

fishtail headband - post coming soon! | pudding is my favourite meal | holey tights | OREOS=my life

feels like months and years (bit dramatic) since i last did a catch up post, but i think that's because i have been up to quite a bit over the last few weeks and haven't had time to update my blog with it all!

eg, i went on holiday to algarve (which i have genuinely banged on about for the last few posts and i swear it will stop now! even i'm getting bored of it!) and wrote a whole post of it so if you're interested the link is up there ^^ somewhere! i also got some new perfume from duty free - escada's taj sunset which was a travel exclusive, which i will be writing about sometime next week. 

since i came home i've been pretty darn boring - spending most of my time washing and ironing my holiday clothes - ahh the life of a twenty year old! so in between all of the washing i got pretty bored and decided to try a new hairstyle - which i took a picture of, but the picture isn't too detailed so i think i might take a few photos during and make a tutorial post at some point hopefully! 

in other news i'm going on holiday again this saturday to anglesey so hopefully i will get some snaps to share with you all - although it is a walking holiday so i can't say it will be too glamourous!

hope you have all had a lovely week!

the beauty post | MUA pro-base eye primer

MUA pro-base eye primer - £2.50 - superdrug

for years i never really bothered much with primer on the eyes. i had a sample-size UD primer potion that came with an eyeshadow palette but i always forgot to use it until after i had done my make-up which isn't exactly handy! however, i started remembering to use it a year or so ago and saw such a difference straight away in longevity, colour pay-off and the amount of shadow i used and found myself using it every time i wore shadow, day or night. 

once my UD primer potion had reached it's untimely end i decided to go and have a look at what the high street was offering in terms of eye primers and was pleased when i saw that MUA had brought one out. i have tried quite a few of MUA's products and have been pleasantly pleased with all of them and found them worth the money so bought this primer without a second thought.

the primer itself is a skin-coloured creamy consistency that goes on quite tacky but blends in quickly and easily to leave the skin ready for shadow. i use the doe-foot applicator to dab a small amount onto each lid and then blend it in with my fingers before the next step. i also sometimes smooth some through my eyebrows as i use powder to fill them in and the primer makes it last longer and look sharper.

i find that this primer really intensifies the colour of all of my eyeshadows, making them much sharper and vibrant, which means that i find myself using a lot less product than i would without the primer underneath. 

now onto the most important factor of all in my opinion - longevity and creasing. i was so surprised and pleased to see that the eyeshadow i had applied in the morning was still on my eyes and in the right place 12 hours later - it had definitely lost some of the intensity in the colour and the creases had become quite obvious on the lids but not enough to realise without really trying. plus, i can sometimes suffer from quite oily lids over the day so any make up that makes eyeshadow stay put is in the good books with me!

overall i think this product is well worth the money in every way - although it definitely doesn't live up to more expensive brands such as UD, i think MUA have really created quite a winner with this one. i would definitely recommend you to go try this if you are on the lookout for a new eyeshadow primer, and for only £2.50 it's not a huge loss if the product doesn't work for you!

have you tried this primer? what were your thoughts?

the style post | portuguese bracelets

hamsa and infinity bracelets - similar HERE

so when i went to the algarve last week (how has 5 days gone by since i came home?! time flies!) i didn't really buy much as i'm not really a 'shopper' when i go on holiday - apart from food i can buy food all day all night on holiday! i mainly spent my money on day trips out, such as to see some dolphins and a day at a waterpark. 

however, me and my sister spotted a little stall in a shopping centre called 'sultana' (how cute) that had loads of jewellery, scarves and bags which were all so pretty and i literally wanted to buy everything there! however i finally settled on these two really pretty bracelets, as i personally love the hamsa hand and have always really loved the infinity symbol. if i was ever going to get a tattoo (which will most probably be never!) i'd without a doubt get the infinity symbol as it's really simple and pretty and can mean so many things.

anyway - back to the topic of the actual post! so the hamsa hand was the more expensive of the two, as it has so much detail jam-packed onto it, from the delicately placed jewels to the tiny eye in the middle. i'm not to savvy in the way of what the hamsa symbol means, but i think the general gist is a sign of protection, which i think is really sweet and always a good charm.

the infinity bracelet was a few euros cheaper but is my personal favourite of the two, just because of my inclination to the symbol!

even though mine were from portugal, i had a fish around and found some on ebay, as well as a whole host of others so if you want to get the look, click on the link above!

do you like bracelets like this?

will you be buying any?

the beauty post | herbal essences bee strong strengthening cream

£4.39 - tesco

i went away to the algarve last week [holiday post here if you're interested] and took this herbal essences cream with me to keep my hair in tip-top condition. i used it in conjunction with the shampoo and conditioner from the same brand/range but this review will be coming up later! 

the formula is really creamy, and promises to help detangle hair to make it easier to comb, as well as make the hair stronger and silkier.

so basically with this spray you use it after the shower once your hair has been washed and spray the product through damp hair and disperse it through evenly. i always put a little extra through my ends because is generally where my hair is driest and needs more help and nourishment.

i think my hair is quite a normal length, around the boob area, possibly a little longer, and was surprised how much of this product i actually used. i think i used about a third of the bottle in just a week, which is surprising and i thought it would go a lot further than that. however, i was in a hot country and was going in the pool and sea quite often so i hope i just used more because of this and i will use it much more sparingly now that i'm back in britain.

i definitely found this product helped with detangling my hair - i actually never brush my hair and usually just use my fingers to comb it through with conditioner in the shower (is that bad?!) but i found myself having literally no knots at all everytime i went to wash my hair - so it was amazing on that part. i also saw it made my hair really silky and lovely to feel, but i can't really say it helped my ends be any less dry as i always felt a difference between the mid-lengths and ends. i also don't know how much the spray lived up to making my hair stronger - i always found my hair to be in pretty good condition anyway so can't really comment on whether or not this range helps with that aspect.

now my favourite thing about this product: the smell. oh my good lord, does this stuff smell like heaven in a bottle. due to being honey and apricot-scented this stuff smells good enough to eat. i'd say the apricot scent is much more prominent than the honey and i'm actually sat here typing this up smelling the bottle and getting dizzy i'm breathing it in that much! if you're ever walking down the hair care aisles in any shops and spot this spray, i advise you to smell it as it is so good i can't even put it into words!

overall i do quite like this product - it definitely does most of what it says on the tin, and the smell is a personal highlight and favourite for me, but i can't see myself buying this again in the future. i have never found anything that works as well as my hair oil and although these products do work well enough, they will never overtake the oil in my opinion! i will however be purchasing the hair mask from the 'bee strong' range as i really do like this range, but maybe not this spray as much

have you tried this spray or any others from this range?

will you be trying it?

the style post | clothing-weather problems

sheer cut-middle top - topshop | vest underneath - topshop | shorts - asos

mac - fearne cotton at very (now on sale)

i never know what to wear when the weather is like this - warm with no sun but rain instead. it feels quite muggy and like we should all be wearing summer dresses and be sat outside but the drizzle makes me know that neither of these options are really going to work - boo! as soon as i woke up this morning i felt how humid and warm the air is and i'm beyond upset that the sun hasn't been able to poke through the clouds!

i decided that i needed to wear as little layers and breathable fabric as i could today - one pair of tights, lightweight shorts and a sheer airy top with a thin vest underneath. i can say that i am only a little warm and it isn't TOO bad although of course i would prefer no tights and a lovely little dress but you can't have everything can you!

i also decided to photograph this lovely little mac by fearne cotton for very. i got this in the autumn/early winter of 2012 and wasn't really able to wear it often because of the truly freezing winter we had - but i think it's so perfect for this weather we've got now - light enough to keep cool enough but offering protection from the rain - sadly i won't be leaving the house today as i have all my holiday clothes to wash and iron - interesting life, right?!

i also tried a new hairstyle today - a pony with wraparound fishtail plaits that make a kind-of headband. these pictures don't really show the detail of it so i think i will almost do a tutorial soon to show it off properly!

hope everyone is having a lovely tuesday! 

the algarve: albufeira 2013

can anyone see the form of a shark in this rock?

i have just come home from a week away in the south of portugal, in the algarve, in a little town/city called albufeira. i went with my dad and sister and in some ways i feel like i was away for a month but in others i feel like i was only gone for a second!

we stayed in a picturesque little villa called 'vila maria' right on the outskirts of albufeira, and were so close to both the sea and the bustling busy town. we did so many things in the week, like go to a nearby waterpark, but my definite highlight of the trip was definitely when we went on a speedboat into the middle of sea and went searching for wild dolphins - we saw so many and they were literally close enough to touch! we also went looking at all of the really old cave formations around the coast and spent a lot of time in the 'old town' which was full of lovely little shops that were packed full of little trinkets and lovely bits and pieces. there was even a sand sculptor working on the street who had made all of the disney characters out of sand - my favourite was pluto! we also headed to two of the many beaches around the coast, one which was called 'fisherman's beach' which was covered in shells and bright orange sand. 

there was so much to see and do that i know there was so much we didn't even come close to seeing, and the algarve - albufeira in particular - was so beautiful and both exciting and relaxing that i really want to go there again. i had seriously one of the best holidays of my life and wish i wasn't home typing this up but was round the pool or on the beach or being a tourist again!

i hope you enjoy looking over my pictures and if you ever fancy or get the chance to go to the algarve, i would recommend it over and over as it was so so beautiful! phew - gush over!

(some of these photos belong to both my sister and father)