My Summer Holiday - Rhodes, Greece

Whilst I'm having a lazy Sunday I thought I would share with you some of my holiday snaps and also tell you that I'm back! I arrived home in the very early hours of Thursday morning and still don't seem to have caught up on the sleep I lost. But I had the most incredible holiday and already have holiday blues, wanting to book the next one now! I went to Rhodes in Greece, specifically a place called Kolimbia which was pretty small and quiet which was nice as it was a relaxing holiday me and my mum were after (and that's exactly what we got). The hotel was amazing as was the food, beaches, weather and everything else. I don't think I could have faulted the holiday in anyway really. If you're wondering we stayed in a 5 star hotel called Holiday Village Rhodes which offered everything any type of group needed. I would definitely recommend the island of Rhodes and it definitely makes me want to visit more Greek Islands in the future. Whilst on holiday we visited Kolimbia beach, Tsambika beach, Rhodes Old and New town and the hotels many swimming pools each day. We also went parasailing which was absolutely fantastic! I'd 100% recommend doing that although unfortunately we didn't get any snaps of us doing it :-( So I shall leave you with a few of the snaps I took whilst away and maybe I'll get looking into my next summer holiday, any recommendations then please leave them below :-)

Dr Nick Lowe Sebum Control Cleanser Anti Blemish

Oh yes another skin care product from me that include the words 'anti blemish', hooray! I actually purchased this a while back from a store where I live called The Factory Shop which really isn't that amazing but occasionally do stock some great beauty bits. So I found this little beauty and prior to seeing it there I had actually been looking at it on Feel Unique where it RRP's for £12. Well in this shop it was only around £6 I believe so was a bargain I had to grab it.

It claims:
'A one-step, alcohol free anti-bacterial cleanser to refine, purify and deeply cleanse pores without stripping skin of vital moisture. Regular use of Dr. Nick Lowe Anti Blemish Sebum Control Cleanser will help reduce the triggers for spots and breakouts to leave skin thoroughly cleansed and revitalised.'

This is a lovely cleanser and really does leave your skin feeling fresh and clean whether it's day or night. I have been using this both in the mornings and the evenings and most of the time it tends to find something on my face that shouldn't be there and removes it. It definitely doesn't strip your skin, it feels smooth and also removes all the oil from my oily t-zone.

This cleanser claims to helps reduce the triggers for spots which I do agree with to some extent. It doesn't seem to help with existing spots which for an anti blemish product for me is a slight downer as I mainly purchase to get rid of the ones I'm currently suffering with as they're the present and not the future. But going to the future for a second here I believe this product only seems to occasionally work for reducing future spots. Now yes the claim does say help reduce not completely stop so in a way it really does work. And yes I do not use this cleanser every single day twice (most but not all) so not sure if that could be a factor. But obviously I can't single handedly hold this product responsible for my spot prone skin. Yes it does work but yes I do also still get pesky spots (what is doing it to me!)

Overall it's a lovely fresh cleanser suitable for day and night which does fight some of those pesky blemishes we have to suffer from! You can buy it here from Feel Unique for £12. And on a slightly different note I am jetting away on holiday as of Wednesday this week so there might be a lack of posts over the next 10 days whilst I soak up the sun in Greece! But don't worry I'll soon be back to blogging once I've had my belated summer holiday :-)

Pinterest-aholic

I've actually had Pinterest for quite some time now but only relatively recently have I actually go into the whole 'pinning' thing. I still don't think I have understood the whole concept but the largest part I have. Basically this is a Pinterest dedication post cause it's bloody brilliant. It's great for so many different things from fashion ideas to Olaf the snowman in Disney princess outfits and cookie dough balls to Lauren Conrad. It has absolutely everything you need and is actually really inspiring.

I could honestly search Pinterest for hours if I had the time too as there's so many different things to search you can never get bored! It's a great way to get inspired about new style ideas, baking recipes and even helping me with my child care degree. If you haven't tried Pinterest before then I definitely encourage you too :-)

If you would like to follow me my username is: natalieellis23. Leave me yours in the comments!

Maybelline SuperStay 24hour Foundation

Apology for the lack of posts over the last week or so, but I'm back with my (current) favourite drug store/high street foundation. Finding that holy grail base that just works for you and your skin is the most annoying mission ever. I still don't believe this is my holy grail, in fact I'm pretty sure I know it isn't, but nonetheless it's a great drugstore foundation and my current go to.

This is the Maybelline SuperStay 24HR foundation which claims:

"Stays comfortable and looks naturally flawless all day Micro-Flex formula provides 24-hour wear and no transfer Withstands heat, sweat and humidity Oil-free, dermatologist-tested, fragrance-free Suitable for all skin types"

First up the packaging, well I literally have no complaints whatsoever in this department. It's in a glass bottle and comes with a pump which I'm sure everyone wants in a foundation. This foundation has a rather thick consistency although it does apply rather light/medium. This foundation does build up but too built up and it does get cakey, warning. Although I find one layer on me and then a slight build up only on the areas that I feel I need more coverage with a good blend works well for me. I also mainly use my fingers to apply this foundation and then use a brush to give it a good blend into my skin which I feel is the best way to apply this foundation, for me.

I think the 24HR claim is rather ambitious from Maybelline, although the staying power is pretty good it's not outstanding and no where near the 24HR claim. I would say it lasts around 7/8 hours before I feel I need to touch up. I do have an oily t-zone and that's obviously where I find the foundation slides off my face quicker than the other areas of my face. Yes this is a downside to the claims of the foundation but I do find with a touch up on my t-zone, however annoying, it's ready to go again. I have this foundation in the shade Ivory but I do feel that it's slightly orange toned although I do have a different Maybelline foundation in the shade lighter to this, Light Beige, and I find that too light. I feel to get my perfect shade I would need to buy both shades and mix the two together. I do however make the shade Ivory work, with quite a bit of blending and working into my face I do find this shade does work.

Overall I am a lover of this foundation and until my holy grail is found, soon I hope, then this is definitely the one I will be reaching for! You can buy this from Boots here for £8.99, it does just seem to have a slightly different packaging to the one I have photographed. I'd definitely recommend this foundations and love to know your thoughts on this if you've tried it :-)

Also, just for you, vouchercloud have some great offers on for Boots at the moment so you can check them out here !

Sephora needs me

I always find myself browsing Sephora but have never taken the plunge into actually purchasing from their website. Now the hype has died down after Sephora now ships to the UK, with some exclusions, I now even more than before want to place this order. And with payday plus student loan coming up, who's stopping me? Only myself saying 'can you really justify that amount of money on more new make up?' well yes I probably can.

Sephora have the best 'value sets' as they're called which simply include many sample sizes from a range of different brands at a reduced price. The first one is called Give Me Some Lip including 6 different lip products and shades which just looks amazing. The second one I have my eye on is the Summer Crushes which now has even more money off including a load of mini summer essentials. Although I swear the summer now seems to have come to a sudden hault in the UK, were edging on Autumnal weather yet we're still in August, what's going on?!

Now for the longest time I have SO wanted to try make up from Tarte, yes we can now get it from QVC in the UK but not the entire range. The main thing I have always wanted is the Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation, I've heard too many people talking about this so I am in desperate need of it. Also The Sculptor which simply looks like a fool proof contour for idiots, I need this too.

Not only does everyone talk about the Tarte foundation they also rave about the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer, again something I am now desperate for. I'm hoping these two beauties will help sort my face out during my break out stages. Finally the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara duo, the main reason behind this want is Zoella. She featured it in a recent video and her eyelashes looked insane, so I need to try it out for myself.

Overall I am desperate to make this Sephora order but it's a toss up between whether my heart or head wins the bet.. Maybe after payday and when my student loan comes in we shall see (it hopefully in my arms mwahaha) Have you ever ordered from Sephora? What's on your wish list?