Friday 16 March 2018

Give The Gift Of Timeless Beauty, Whatever The Occasion

Timeless Beauty 1 - Yardley

Life doesn't always run according to plan. When a very nice PR lady offered to send me some gift sets of classic Yardley and Woods Of Windsor beauty products a little while back, the timing was set to be perfect for a pre-Mother's Day gift ideas post. Unfortunately, something went wrong somewhere along the line and the original package never reached me. By the time I finally had the gift sets in my hands, Mother's Day was less than 24 hours away. Not to be deterred, I uploaded my first impressions on my Instagram Stories straight away (you can still catch them on my Beauty Highlights on Instagram if you're interested), but of course the actual blog post - this one - comes too late for Mother's Day.

But it's not the end of the world. These brands are timeless, beautifully packaged, affordable and lovely quality, which to my mind makes them ideal gifts for any beauty lover in your life, no matter what the occasion.

Yardley English Lavender Eau De Toilette*



Timeless Beauty 2 - Yardley

Housed in an elegant bottle that would look at home among the most expensive perfumes in any department store, Yardley English Lavender Eau de Toilette is a very affordable £9.99 for 50 ml. Lavender is a favourite fragrance of mine, so I was excited to receive this. On first spritz, it's a very clean, almost soapy scent, but as it dries down, the soapiness fades and you get a little more lavender. It's only subtle lavender though, which I think would suit those who like the scent but find it overpowering in larger doses. The final product is light, fresh and sophisticated - perfect for a daytime fragrance.

Yardley English Freesia Moisturising Fragrance Body Mist*



Timeless Beauty 3 - Yardley

This is delicate, but still gives a decent amount of scent pay-off, which I don't always find is the case with body mists. The English Freesia fragrance is really beautiful, very feminine and floral with a hint of sweetness. At £6 for 200 ml you can drench yourself in this on the daily without worrying about the cost, and if you like floral scents, believe me, you will want to.

Woods Of Windsor Lily Of The Valley Bath & Body Collection*



Timeless Beauty 4 - Woods Of Windsor

Prettily packaged body products always make a lovely gift, and at just £10, this Lily of the Valley duo is perfect for those occasions when you feel like treating someone "just because". Again, they smell wonderful - delicate floral fragrances are always a winner in my book - and they're also versatile products that are perfect for traveling. There's a bath and shower gel, which foams up nicely in the bath, and a lovely creamy moisturiser. You can use this for its intended purpose as a body lotion, but its also an ideal size to keep as a hand cream in your bag.

Woods Of Windsor True Rose Bath &Body Collection*



Timeless Beauty 5 - Woods Of Windsor

Timeless Beauty 6 - Woods Of Windsor

Another lovely gift set, and my personal favourite simply because it smells of roses! The True Rose Collection is £14 and contains a bath and shower gel, moisturiser and exfoliator, as well as a cute little purse to keep them in. Each is 100 ml, as opposed to the Lily of the Valley set where the products are 50 ml each. For me, the Rose set is perfect to have in your stash for weekends away or overnight stays. It's easy to grab and go and you'll smell divine for the whole trip!

Woods Of Windsor Mixed Bath & Shower Gel Collection*

 


Timeless Beauty 7 - Woods Of Windsor

You can never have too many bath and shower gels, and this mixed set from Woods of Windsor is perfect if you're looking for a gift for someone who likes to chop and change the fragrances they go for. I also think it's a great one for a guest bathroom. The three products look lovely grouped together on a shelf and it means that your visitors can pick and choose which one they use. The fragrances included are True Rose, Blue Orchid & Water Lily and Pomegranate & Hibiscus. All three smell gorgeous and the set is a great buy at £10.

So, if you're in the market for a cute but affordable beauty gift, you really can't go wrong with any of these offerings from these classic British brands. Have you tried any of these products before?

Kate x

*Gifted item. Some links may be affiliate links. This poses no extra cost to you, the customer. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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Tuesday 13 March 2018

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 1

When the sun starts to shine and the temperatures pick up a little, I don't know about you, but I start getting pretty impatient to change up my look. Daffodils are starting to bloom, and I'm craving lighter colours and delicate fabrics... basically, and I think I may have said this last spring, I'm itching to run barefoot through a meadow in a floral sundress. Problem is, it's still only around 10 degrees Celsius on a good day. So how to inject a little spring into our wardrobes without freezing to death? It's time to embrace the art of transitional dressing, and because this is a subject that's been on my mind recently, here is my round-up of the best transitional jackets to wear this spring.

The Classic (Or Not So Classic) Trench


The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 2


Trench coats will always be fashionable, and the classic beige trench is perfect for these awkward weeks that seem to fall in between seasons. Mid-weight and generally light in colour, the traditional trench always looks fresh after the thick wool and layers we've been used to throughout the winter. Trenches are particularly big news for spring 2018, and I've spotted a few variations on the traditional style dotted across the high street in recent weeks. Rainbow colours, checked prints, unusual fabrics and unexpected lengths, it's always interesting to see a new take on an old classic. 

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 3

I'm loving this cropped trench from River Island. It's faux suede, although so soft and luxurious to the touch that you could easily mistake it for the real thing, and it combines some of the design details you'd expect from a classic trench with elements you might more easily associate with a biker jacket. The result is chic, interesting and a little bit different. It's available in several colours, but I decided to tick off another of this season's trends by going for this vibrant mustard shade - set to be huge over spring and summer. It gives me the extra layer of warmth I need over a jumper right now, but will also work beautifully over lighter blouses and dresses as the temperatures start to rise.

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 4

Shop My Outfit



The Light Wool Coat


Sometimes, especially around the beginning of March, it's grey, wet and windy and feeling almost as cool as it did in winter. On those days, we need a proper coat, but wrapping up in a full-on winter warmer just feels wrong somehow. That's when a little light wool number comes into its own. Often more streamlined that what you'd wear through the coldest months of the year, I've been craving one in a pastel shade, like this pink coat from Zara. Coats like this are also perfect for evenings out at this time of year - they'll keep you nice and warm and they look smart too.

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 5

The Military Jacket


I've been talking about light colours a lot so far, but I also love a navy or even black military style jacket in spring. There's something about the crisp cut of them, together with the eye-catching brass buttons that makes me excited about wearing one, even though they're a style that's been around forever. I currently have my eye on this Zara jacket. Military jackets also work beautifully after the summer is over and things are starting to cool down a little, so you get double the transitional usage out of these!

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 6

The Biker Jacket


Oversized, shearling lined, suede, cropped or classic, biker jackets come in all sorts of variations these days, all of them perfect for covering up in during the transitional weather. My classic black one gets worn to death, and I have a cropped, light blue version that I love wearing in the spring with jeans and a simple white shirt. I'm also a big fan of biker jackets over dresses - it's a look that always seems to work, and, for someone like me who feels the cold easily, it's a great way to get more wear out of those pretty pieces that don't always offer a lot of protection from the elements.

The Best Transitional Jackets To Wear This Spring - 7

The Boucle Jacket


I love a boucle jacket! Super elegant and with all the Chanel vibes, they're something that Zara (again!) do really well, but I've spotted some gorgeous ones at River Island this season, including this white double breasted number. Jackets like this instantly dress up a simple jeans and t-shirt combination, but for real wow-factor, look for one that comes with a matching skirt. After all, the suit is another look that's going nowhere this season!

Shop Transitional Jackets



Do you have many transitional jackets in your wardrobe?

Kate x

Some links may be affiliate links. This poses no extra cost to you, the customer. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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Tuesday 6 March 2018

Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review

Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 1

Although I don't own Maybelline Blushed Nudes Eyeshadow Palette, I'm aware of how popular it is, and I think that's the reason this burgundy version jumped out at me when I spotted it on the Boots website a little while back. I believe it was launched last Autumn, and given the blogosphere's love for all things burgundy at that time of year, I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen more of it on Instagram over the past few months - although, that said, who knows what treasures the algorithm is hiding from us these days! From the outset, this seemed to tick so many boxes - pretty as a picture, full of on trend, warm toned shadows and super affordable at just £11.99. I felt it was nothing less than my duty as a blogger to buy it and review it for you. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette. You can thank me later.

Packaging


Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 2

Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 3

While not as luxe as higher end offerings, the plastic packaging is lightweight and practical and still sturdy enough to hold everything together in transit, with a nice secure closure. It comes with a dual ended applicator which has a sponge on one end and a brush on the other. It's always handy to have these in an emergency, though I think that most people will probably prefer to use their own eyeshadow brushes. (I found that both ends of the applicator produced a bit of powdery fallout from the shadows, which wasn't the case when I used my own brushes.)

Shades


Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 4

The palette contains a beautiful combination of warm gold, copper and of course, burgundy shades. As I mentioned, a lot of people will probably love this in the Autumn, but I think these colours are very wearable all year round, and in fact I can imagine them looking really beautiful on a balmy summer evening (she says, as the snow falls steadily outside the window). The shades aren't named, but are carefully arranged so that each quad, trio and duo that sit next to each other will go together perfectly. All are shimmers, apart from the two browns at the far right hand side, which are mattes. The selection is actually quite versatile, enabling you to create everything from a simple nude look to a full on deep copper and red showstopper for a night out.

Formula


Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 5

Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 6

For a drugstore palette, I think the quality of the shadows is very impressive. All of them have that pleasant, buttery soft formula that makes them easy to blend and work with, and pigmentation is great across the entire colour spectrum - the swatches in my photo are without primer underneath, so that gives you a good indication of just how strongly pigmented they are.

Verdict


Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette Review - 7

In my opinion, this is an excellent budget buy. The quality is great, the shades are beautiful and the palette as a whole offers the potential to create many different looks. I have a lot of neutrals in my eyeshadow collection, so this was a great addition as it gives me something that little bit different while still being very wearable. If you're a fan of warm shadows then I think you would love this.

Do you have any favourite drugstore palettes in your collection?

Kate x

Some links may be affiliate links. This poses no extra cost to you, the customer. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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