Beauty, fashion, lifestyle & food.

Sarah. 25. Southampton.


Friday, 24 April 2015

Coco White

As you may have seen recently all over Instagram, everybody seems to be raving about Coco White. It is a product for teeth whitening using only natural ingredients. 

I have always wanted to have my teeth whitened but have never been able to justify the price! Once I had heard how amazing Coco White is supposed to be, I quickly ordered some!

There are a variety of flavours, from their best seller minty fresh to vanilla swirl. I opted for the best seller, minty fresh. It only cost about £20 and you get 24 sachets. The aim is to use one sachet a day. 

They arrive super quickly and I couldn't wait to try it! The instructions weren't very descriptive at all. They just say to snip the top off and squeeze the coconut oil into your mouth and swirl around for 5-15 minutes.what they don't tell you is that you need to warm the sachet in your heads for a little while so that it turns to a liquid quite quick! Otherwise it comes out like a disgusting paste and I have to say it's extremely unpleasant! Now I have had some advice to warm the sachet I am getting along with it a lot better. However I do still find the sensation unpleasant. The flavour isn't quite as strong as I would like. 

I have been using it for about a week now and I have noticed a difference so I'm going to keep at it!

I'll keep you updated with the progress!



xxx

Monday, 11 August 2014

Button Craft...again!

Ok so it may seem like I am slightly obsessed with creating pretty things with buttons, but I just can't resist!!


On the 2nd August my Brother got married. He married the gorgeous Steph who has her own lovely blog which you can find here... http://bellsbowsandbella.wordpress.com/




I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid for them which was such an honour. It was an incredible day and very emotional! Every detail really showed both of their personalities and everybody loved the day.




I decided to make something for Steph to give her in the morning. I chose this as I wanted to give her something personal.




I had recently bought some hessian for my coasters so I knew I had plenty to make what I wanted. So I popped to hobbycraft for my materials and this was the outcome...


"Stephen and Stephanie Saturday 2nd August 2014"

I chose the blue colour so that it could be a little "something blue" for her to keep hold of forever!

What do you think?

xxx







Wednesday, 30 July 2014

Current Craft Project

I still absolutely love hessian and I am not bored at all with craft projects using it! It is so unbelievably cheap and looks so chic.

Recently I took a trip to my local fabric shop and purchased a few metres of hessian and some ivory lace trim. I want to make a few coasters as I do have a bit of a shabby chic theme going in my flat.

As I don't have a seeing machine, it is quite fiddly! But I have finished... ONE! So far!

Here's a picture...


What do you think?

xxx

Monday, 28 July 2014

Soap & Glory - Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks

For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive a pack of Soap & Glory Gloss Sticks.

The pack contained three shades. Nudist, Fuchsia-Ristic and Plum Jam.

Top to bottom:

Nudist, Fuchsia-Ristic and Plum Jam

I love the design of this product, the crayon like nib I really like. I think it's great that these aren't your typical lip gloss. I.E liquid in a tube with a brush!

I don't think the colours come out how they look. For example, Fuchsia-Ristic looks bright orange to me...but the name implies it is bright pink!

Nudist is probably my favourite. It's more the shade I would usually go for.


Fuchsia-Ristic would be my next favourite


It is quite pinky but not as pink as I would have liked. And it definitely doesn't look the colour of the stick.


On appearance, Plum Jam would be my least favourite, it seemed too dark for me. But once applied, it didn't look too dissimilar to Fucshia-Ristic.

I really like how glossy these are and they are so easy to apply. 

xxx



Boots Purchases - Essentials July 28th 2014

So today I popped to boots which, as normal, turned into leaving using one of their biggest bags that they provide!


I seem to have run out of my essentials all in one go this week so I went in to pick up my essentials.

Simple Oil Balancing Face Wipes

I always use the Simple brand. I use it for exfoliatition products and I have used these oil balancing facewipes for as long as I can remember. I did hear that these aren't particularly great for your akin but I am pretty lazy when it comes to skin care so I will be sticking with these! They always remove all my make up and are very gentle on my skin. Currently they have a deal in boots for 3 packs for £5. Obviously I bought 3 packs!

Radox Shower Cream

I'm not too picky on shower gel products. As long as it smells good, I'm sold! I love Radox products and I have been using the chamomile and jojoba oil shower cream for quite some time now. At 99p I really can't complain. The handy hook is always a bonus too.

Dove Deoderant 

My friend introduced me to the boots maximum protection deodorant cream about two years ago and I haven't looked back. It is a little pricey at just over £5.00 but it lasts all day and is so moisturising. Once I have let it dry, I never have a problem with marks. I have tried another fragrance of this product but I wasn't too keen, I will be sticking with 'original clean'. I like my under arms to smell like soap rather than some funky fruit! The box states 48 hour antiperspirant which I do usually find, but currently with these heat we have been having in the UK, I have been applying a miniature spray deodorant I have later in the afternoon, still by dove of course! It does say that it can last even after a shower...I wouldn't be so convinced about that!

St Tropez Gradual Tanner

I have a huge addiction to self tanning. I just cannot resist and can't stand being pale! I used to use the regular st tropez self tanner, but I used to find that it was too harsh on my skin in the sense that it was too obvious. It wasn't blending particularly well so I switched to the gradual tan which is seeming to work a lot better on my skin tone. It builds so much more natural which I love. I apply it nearly every day in the evening and keep well moisturised. I do still struggle...even after all of these years...to get it right around my feet! So if anyone has any tips for tanning around your feet and ankles...please let me know!

Hair Grips and Hair Bands

I am forever purchasing hair grips. I do have a little pot that they live in but they still manage to go missing every day! It's the same with hair bands! These hair bands are great, they never stretch too much and the elastic doesn't come out like some. These are also metal free which is great as I heard metal in hair bands is bad for your hair!

All in all, a great few essentials from boots!

xxx


Tuesday, 15 July 2014

British Beach Polo Championships 2014

A few weeks back I wrote about the press launch of the British Beach Polo Championships. Last weekend it was THE weekend!

I had stepped off a flight from the states at 7:30am and headed straight down to Sandbanks beach in Poole. Feeling a bit groggy I was a little worried about how long I would be able to last before I felt I needed to go to bed!

I managed to last until 2am!

The weather was incredible which was a bonus! We were in the hospitality tent which was great, there was champagne on arrival, a raffle and charity auctions. Lunch was served and it was a vast selection of seafood with plenty of wine followed by Eton Mess.

Once everybody had finished eating, the polo began! It was great to watch and exciting as the England team were playing! Unfortunately we didn't win...but it was still exciting! The polo was followed by England vs Australia volleyball! Which was also great fun to watch.

A fashion show took place and then it was time to party! There were two great acts, Gorgon City and Shiftk3y. We moved on to the VIP tent and I can honestly say...I don't remember too much after that! I did wake up with a rather sore head!

We will definitely be attending next year and I just hope the weather is just as great!

I wore a navy striped swing dress from Asos with a statement necklace from accessorize which I managed to get in the sale a few days before! I wore some trusty brown wedges which I've had for years from river island. I opted for the swing dress because I knew it would be comfortable and light and floaty. I don't have a full length picture of me in the dress so here's the model wearing it from Asos!

And some more pictures of the day...


xxx

Sunday, 22 June 2014

Southampton Vintage Festival...

This afternoon Paul and I went to the Southampton Vintage Festival. This was to celebrate Southampton being an official city for 50 years.

We had a great time! The weather was glorious and the atmosphere was great.

There were various stalls selling all sorts of goodies, homemade bits and pieces, jewellery, vintage homeware, vintage clothes, cupcakes, ice cream...all sorts! There was even a stall offering vintage make overs!

We decided to head the pop up Orange Rooms bar and have an alcoholic beverage! I went for a coke float which was amazing. I think the alcohol involved was rum! Paul went for homemade lemonade...which we believe came with vodka! We sipped our drinks in the sunshine and watched the vintage dancers do their thing!

We decided to grab a burger from one of the stalls, the queue was humongous so we figured they were probably the best ones! 



Here's a picture of us enjoying our yummy drinks!


xxx

British Beach Polo 2014 Launch...

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the press launch of the British Beach Polo.

The event is held in Sandbanks, Poole every year on the 11th and 12th July.

Unfortunately I didn't go last year but from all of the stories that I have heard...it sounds like it's going to be brilliant!

So, onto the launch...

The day started with meeting at the Thistle hotel down in Poole quay. This gave everybody a chance to meet and get to know each other. There were models, volley ball players, polo players, DJs and other sponsors like myself.

We then headed down to the quay and had various photos taken with the Polo horses and players. After that, we went on board a beautiful 40ft Sunseeker yacht. I was in heaven! The yacht was stunning and had a whopping three floors...and a hot tub! Luckily the day couldn't have been more perfect weather wise! Whilst the models had their photos taken, we were able to relax in the sunshine on the top deck. No complaints here!

Once we had finished up on the Sunseeker, we headed down to Koh Thai in Bournemouth. I have been to the Koh Thai in Boscombe and it the food was so delicious, I was really excited to try out the Bournemouth version! They bought out some delicious Tapas and we continued to mingle.

All in all a great day!

Here's some pictures...

Apologies for the not so great pictures but I had my hands full!

Outfit:
Top: Topshop
Belt: Topshop
Skirt: H&M
Shoes: River Island
Bag: Vintage

xxx

Monday, 2 June 2014

Emma Stone never gets it wrong...

I have always loved Emma Stone but Pinterest has seriously made me love her even more!

After searching her name and finding all her incredible outfits, I just think, can you get any more amazing!?

She always looks so stunning and I love her simple, natural looking make up that always looks so beautiful.

I have seen that she has tried many different hair styles in the past and there are not many people in the world who can pull them all off. From blonde to red head, she always makes it work. And as a fellow pale skin girl, I love how she embraces it.

 
 
 
 
 
I wouldn't have thought pairing two shades of pink with red hair would have worked but this is actually one of my favourite outfits of hers. With her barely there silver shoes and small clutch it's just so sophisticated and stylish. It's official, there is nothing bad about this outfit!
 
She is just brilliant. Not to mention the clip of her totally overwhelmed by The Spice Girls Mel B.
 
Emma, you can do no wrong!
 
xxx

Maleficent Review...

Last Sunday Paul and I went to the cinema to see the new Disney movie, Maleficent.

I thought it was absolutely amazing! Maleficent, for me, was always the scariest villain of them all and Angelina Jolie portrayed my memory of her perfectly.

 

I have to admit I am not a huge fan of Angelina but this film may have swayed me.

The special effects are absolutely brilliant and the hair and make up is incredibly beautiful.

I've never really seen Elle Fanning in anything before but she is absolutely adorable and makes a brilliant 'Sleeping Beauty.'

 
 
My only disappointment were the faries. I remember them being so cute and hilarious in the cartoon but they aren't in the film too much. (I mean the cake making scene in the cartoon is a classic!)

 
 
I thought it was going to be pretty much a remake of the original cartoon but, without giving too much away... It was the same but different!

It's dark, sweet, funny and gripping all in one.

All in all, once again, Disney did not disappoint and this really is a must see film!

xxx

Bridesmaid hair...

This August I have the privaledge of being a bridesmaid at my brothers wedding. He is marrying the lovely Steph who has a great blog which you can find here

I have been thinking of some hair styles for the occasion and have once again been looking on Pinterest for some great inspiration!

I am loving the idea of having my hair down and having a plait as a crown.

What do you think?


 
xxx

Sunday, 9 February 2014

Button up...

My latest little craft project was to brighten up my living room with something quirky and colourful.

I decided to purchase three identical frames from Ikea, which only cost £4 each and some mixed bags of buttons from EBay which only cost a few pounds for each bag.

I had some 'super strong glue' but NOT super glue! As this is quite fiddly and involves using your fingers a lot, you want to avoid using superglue as you will get seriously stuck together!

I arranged the buttons down free hand, you may want to use some kind of stencil if you want to do something a lot more detailed. 

Once I was happy with the arrangement, I got glueing!

The finished product is 'S & P' which is mine and my boyfriends initials...which I have also been told looks like 'salt & pepper' but I still love it.

I think it's a great way to brighten up a room for a great price and it's also something fun to do!

I hope you try this too :)



xxx

Monday, 13 January 2014

Weekly savings plan...

Whilst at work this week, we were all discussing how much we all need to save! Somebody said they had spotted a weekly savings plan online so I got cracking!

With a trip to New York and Vegas to pay for, I figured this would be pretty handy!

So the idea is as follows...

Week 1 - £1
Week 2 - £2
Week 3 - £3

Every week through the year continue doing this, so by week 52, you will be putting away £52.

If you keep this up every week for a whole year, you will make a grand total of...

£1,378.00. Who couldn't use that kind of money!

I am currently on week 11! Bring on the £££££!

xxx

Busy bee...

Hello all!

Well haven't I just been awful at this recently! When I saw how long ago my last post was, I cringed!

I have been very busy catching up with friends and family, settling in with a new job since returning back home but I think it's safe to say....we are now settled! At last!

I have been up to lots since the move...including weddings, jay Z, Christmas, a Christmas cruise to Belgium, my boyfriends 30th birthday to name a few...

I can't wait to get 2014 going with so much more exciting activities coming up such as city and colour and London grammar...

Sorry I've been so quiet but I will be back!

I have a great craft project I want to get started on so watch this space!


xxx

Monday, 9 September 2013

Hanging around...


I absolutely love photos and I love having them all around the house. I've wanted to find a company that provides Instagram prints that look look like Polaroids for a long time so that I could create a washing line made up of my instagram prints and I found one! Woohoo!

I can't recommend firebox.com enough. The website was so fun and easy to browse and they delivered pretty quickly. I ordered 24 prints which cost me £14.99. I do think it is pretty pricey but I wanted them so much I couldn't resist! When they arrived they came with a mini red sharpie pen so I could write on them...perfect!

So we bought some white shelves from Ikea to go in with the theme in my bedroom, I ordered a bag of white mini pegs from amazon which only cost me a couple of pounds and I just clipped the photos onto some string and tied them around the shelves...voila!

I'm really happy with how they look and they've really added some more colour to my blue and white themed bedroom.

xxx

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

On the move...


Hello everyone...

I must apologise for my absence recently! I have just moved from a different side of the country, back to my home town of Southampton! Exciting times...

So I'll be a little quiet until I've finally sorted everything.

I'm loving putting my own touch on the place so I can't wait to share some photos of what I've been up to.

It was also my birthday at the end of July and I had a lovely time and got thoroughly spoilt! I went to afternoon tea with some friends at a place in the new forest called Rhinefield House Hotel. I really do recommend this place it's an absolutely gorgeous venue and the tea and cakes were absolutely delicious. I thoroughly over indulged! Now time to join a new gym I guess....groan...

My boyfriend treated me to a meal in the poshest restaurant in Royal Tunbridge Wells called Thackerays and it was just amazing. I felt very posh!

Be in touch soon!

xxx


Sunday, 7 July 2013

OOTD MOTD: Summer BBQ...

On Saturday Paul and I had a BBQ to go at our friends house and the weather couldn't have been more perfect! In fact it was actually a little too hot and really would have been great for being at the beach for the day in a bikini! Plus the hayfever was in full swing which was not ideal!

It was a really fun day and the spread was absolutely incredible!

I thought I'd share with you what I wore and my make up for the day.





I apologise it's not a great photo! This is the worst mirror ever and I can't wait until we move so I can put up my pretty new one!

I got this skirt back in January from ASOS. It's by Mango. I absolutely love the colour of this skirt as I wear a lot of tan and golds so it's pretty much right there in my comfort zone! It has a really comfy elastic waist band and two slits up each side which was great for yesterday adding some extra breeze! The bottom is see through so there's a little jersey mini skirt attached on the inside. I actually love this skirt so much I bought it in navy too! My top is from Topshop. I really love their loose camis as they are so easy to wear with so many different things and very comfortable. My necklace is also from Topshop, which I only bought the other day in the sale for £4.50. Amazing bargain considering most of their jewellery is over £10.00. I wore my hair in a top knot which I just gathered all up in a rough ponytail and then twisted and gripped around. I'm quite surprised my hair actually stayed like this all day as I washed it that morning and it would normally just fall right out! What I'm holding in my hand are my favourite ever summer item right now....my GUCCI sunglasses...ahhhhh I love them. I bought them at duty free on the way to Mexico which was back in January so I was so happy when the summer arrived and I could put them on again. They were pretty pricey but since owning a pair of DIOR sunglasses a few years ago I made a decision that I would forever have a pair of designer sunglasses in my life!




I'm not really too experimental with my make up and I tend to go for a more natural look...mainly because I have no idea how to use eyeshadow! Sad I know! So here's a list of the products I used...



  • Simple day cream - I really love this moisturiser. I have quite sensitive skin so I don't like paying too much money for fancy skin products if it's going to cause an issue with my skin! I had a reaction to the MAC primer and I was devastated! I stick to the simple brand because my skin is ... simple. That sounds ridiculous but you know what I mean!
  • Garnier 5 Second Perfect Blur - I've only been using this product for a few days. I bought it in boots as it was offer for £9.99 rather than £12.99 and I've heard great reviews and it was the last one left so I grabbed it! I wouldn't say it's a good as the picture shows on the advertisement....ie all the blemishes have magically vanished after using it but it certainly helps hide them. It's also really velvety which I love and gives my skin a really nice finish.
  • Chanel Vital Lumiere Aqua 20 - I've been using this foundation for many years now. I used to wear Pro Lumiere but as I got a bit older my skin changed and it was just too oily for me. Lucky for me I have a very close friend who works for Chanel so is always on hand to help! I love this foundation as, hence the name, it's water based so doesn't make my skin oily! The shade is probably a tad too warm for my skin tone but I do like a very slight warmth to my foundation. I find it lasts all day and blends really, really well. I've seen reviews of people saying it can seem to settle in dry patches, to be honest I do find this sometimes but I only ever get a dry patch between my eyebrows and it's only every now and again so it's not really an issue for me.
  • Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealor - I actually have no idea what shade this is because I throw it in my bag everyday so a lot of the label has worn off! I'm not really a huge fan of this...don't get me wrong, it doesn't cake or anything like that and the shade is perfectly fine, I just don't find it particularly gets rid of my dark circles hence throwing it in my bag everyday for re application! Not ideal.
  • Soleil Tan De Chanel - Another favourite! I bought this in October and it's pretty much all gone now but it has a firm spot in my daily make up routine.
  • Benefit High Beam - An absolute favourite of mine and forever a re purchase. Best highlighter I've tried in my opinion. It gives such a lovely pearly glow on my cheek bones, nose and brow bone.
  • Chanel Pudre Universelle Compacte 30 Naturel Translucent 2 - I've had this powder forever and it just doesn't seem to run out it's great! I just apply this with a powder brush after I've applied all my creamy products just to set everything and it's just right for me.
  • MAC Gel Liner Blacktrack - I've had this for a really long time and I really love it. Once it's on...it does not budge which is amazing for a hayfever sufferer! I apply this with one of MACs angled brushes on top and bottom. I didn't do a flick, I just wanted to add a bit more definition to my lash line.
  • Benefit They're Real Mascara - What can I say about this mascara!? It is just absolutely incredible! I recently did a post about this product so check it out!
  • MAC Well Dressed - The first blusher I ever purchased from a MAC and now forever a re purchase. I've said before how much I love pink blush and this product seems to last a really long time. It's the perfect pink and has a slight shimmer to it too.
  • Bobbi Brown Rose - To add even more of a highlight I apply this over the top of my blusher. Again, I previously did a post about this product. I love it!
  • Soap And Glory Arch De Triumph - I've only recently started filling in my eyebrows and I don't know why I didn't do it sooner! I think I was worried I'd end up with a scouse brow! This pencil is really great. Though I do find myself sharpening very regularly. It has a highlighter pencil at the other end but I don't tend to use it as I've already applied High Beam and the Arch De Triumph is less subtle and a bit more difficult to blend!
  • Chanel Rouge Co Co Shine 68 Candeur - Probably my favourite lipstick ever! A nudey light pink which lasts. It couldn't get better than that in my eyes! I was told this is a limited edition shade...OF COURSE! Sad times.


What did you get up to this weekend?

xxx