6 Summer Essentials: Fashion

The next part of my summer essentials is back, but this time focusing on fashion. There have been so many trends this summer, including fedora hats, coloured sunglasses and patterned shorts and I have tried to condense it down to six for you.

These are my 6 fashion summer essentials...

         

1. Pink Floral Print Frill Bandeau Bikini Top - River Island - £16

    Pink Floral Tie Side Bikini Bottoms - River Island - £12

2. Hayden Coin Trim Tie Dye Playsuit - Boohoo.com - £15

3. HAVAY Flat Sandals - Topshop - £24

4. Petite Red Tile Print Pom Pom Trim Shorts - New Look - £14.99

5. Silver Round Dip Pilot Sunglasses - New Look - £5.99

6. Blanket Woven Backpack - Accessorize - £37

A definite summer essential is a good bikini. This is every woman's essential for the summer time. It is time to get rid of the layers and start to show more skin in order to get that gorgeous summer glow. I love wearing bikinis during the summer time, especially patterned bikinis. So, when I found this bikini from River Island, I instantly fell in love. However, you don't have to wear a bikini for summer, swimsuits have made a massive revival this S/S15 as well as high-waisted bikinis. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, then go out and rock it!

My next essential is a playsuit. Again, the one I picked is patterned as I am instantly attracted to anything with colour. I loved this tie-dye playsuit with the coins dangling from the top half. This screams out festival fashion to me. However, for a safer option, a plain white playsuit can look great with a tan, or a simple black playsuit can be layered up with accessories and a statement bag. I think the great thing about playsuits is they are an outfit on their own, without any hassle. The only problem is when you need to go to the toilet, that's when they become a pain!

A pair of simple black sandals are a must this season. They go with any outfit and look effortlessly chic. 

A pair of statement shorts will spice up any outfit. Pair them with a plain top for a simple, yet stylish outfit. I actually own these shorts are they are super comfortable as they are made of a jersey material so they feel like you are walking around in your PJ's, which is amazing. They are also a lightweight material so don't make you feel hot. 

A pair of sunglasses to complete any outfit, as well as keeping your eyes protected from the sun.

Why not change your regular handbag for a backpack this summer? They are comfortable, practical and stylish at the same time. Perfect for festivals or for hand luggage on holiday. 

Hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know your fashion essentials in the comments below. 

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First Impressions #3: Barry M Quick Dry Nail Polish

Another first impression post. Sorry about the lack of post on Monday, but I went out to meet with a friend at short notice and forgot to edit this blog post, but the schedule for blog posts still remains the same. Anyway, I popped into Boots on Saturday to pick up some essentials that I needed to get and some new items I wanted to try out. 

I had heard a lot about these new Quick Dry Nail Polishes from Barry M and knew I needed to try one of them out. I absolutely love painting my nails and buying new polishes to try out, so when I heard about a Quick Dry range, I knew I needed to put it to the test. As most of my nail polish collection is Barry M, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by the formula and application and I, sure enough, wasn't. 

Sorry about my chipped nails in the picture above!

Barry M Nail Polish in Pit Stop 512 - £3.99
This colour looks grey in the bottle but when applied is more of a grey-lilac colour. 

Packaging: First of all, the packaging of the product is the same as all Barry M nail polishes are, except for the black and white checkered lid. I love the packaging as it is simple, classy and good quality. The black and white lid allows the polish to stand out in my collection, so I am aware that it is a 'special' nail polish.

Description: There isn't really a description at the back of the product. However, on the front of the nail polish it says 'Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint'. I have to agree with this description as this nail polish does dry very quickly. Once you have completed applying one coat onto your nails, the first nail that you first applied onto will be dry. Obviously it won't be completely bone-dry but it isn't wet either. Once both applications have been applied, after about 5-10 mins your hands should be okay to move around without the risk of smudging. However, just check your nails before doing this.

Consistency: The consistency of the product is very good, just like all Barry M nail polishes are to be expected. Although the first coat of nail polish does appear stringy and patchy and doesn't appear to be very good, however after the second coat, it is perfect. Very opaque, smooth and no patches. Also, the brush on the nail polish is very different from the normal Barry M polishes. The brush is much more spread out, making it easier to apply and coats the nail in one swift movement. This will make it so much easier for those of you who find it hard to apply nail polish anyway. 

Price (reasonable or overpriced): £3.99.  This is a great price for this product. Great quality, application, colour range and the fact it drys quickly, makes it such a reasonable product and is so hassle-free.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Definitely, I have already recommended it to my friend that I met recently and I would recommend it to anyone.

Would I repurchase it?: Definitely, next time I make a trip to a Boots I am picking up another colour.

Verdict: 5/5

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Do you like the Barry M 'Quick Dry' Nail Polishes and if so what is your favourite colour?

*All opinions are my own and all photos were taken by me.  

My Pamper Routine (The Products I Like To Use)

Sometimes I like to give my skin a good-old pampering, especially if I am having a stressful day and my skin has suddenly erupted in spots. Although this thankfully has not happened for a long time (quickly goes to touch some wood nearest to me) I really needed to give my face, hair and legs some TLC.

So, I thought I would share with you some of the products I like to use when I decide to have one of these rare pamper days. I tend to pick and choose the products depending on the state of my skin and hair. But, on this particular day, I needed to shave my legs, wash my hair and scrub my face squeaky clean.

(Starting from left to right)
1. Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner - £3.39
2. Burts Bees Milk and Honey Body Lotion - £9.99
3. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Cleanser - £14
4. Tangle Teezer - £10.99
5. Soap And Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - £8
6. Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm - £3.69
7. Spotless Nose Pore Strips
8. Cotton Pad
9. Clean & Clear Foaming Wash - £4.99
10. Super Facialist Salicylic Acid Anti Blemish Clay Mask - £6.66
11. Aussie Leave In Conditioner - £4.69

To start off my pamper routine, I use the Liz Earle cleanser with a hot muslin cloth (which comes with the cleanser) to remove all of the make-up and dirt that has been on my face during the day. Although this cleanser is expensive at £14, I think it is well worth the money. I read so many reviews on this product before purchasing it myself and I did not read one bad review on this product. It removes make-up so easily, no hassle needed. It smells incredible as well, so fresh and soothing. Plus, your skin already feels so clean after using this product. 

Once all make-up has been removed, I pop in the shower and wash my hair with only shampoo. I only put shampoo in my hair once and rinse it out, as I am going to be giving my hair some treatment. I get out of the shower and brush out all of my hair with my Tangle Teezer. I suffer from very dry and knotty hair, which is a right pain to brush when it is wet, let alone without any conditioner in it. However, the Tangle Teezer is such a lifesaver when it does come to brushing my hair, it is super easy and does such an amazing job as well. I don't think I could ever go back to using a normal hairbrush after experiencing this product. I would recommend it to anybody as it is so good and so worth the money as well. 

Once all of the knots are out of my hair, I put some leave in conditioner (not the spray shown above). I use a Tresemme one which comes in a massive pot. I have had this product for months and it looks like it hasn't been used at all. It is so amazing for my hair. I coat my entire head in this conditioner and clip my hair up. I leave it like this in order to give my hair a good-old drink for about 30 mins.

While my leave-in conditioner is doing its job, I return to my skin and put a nose strip over my nose. I do this once I have come out of the shower as my pores are open and this is the perfect time to get those black heads. I put this over my nose and leave it on for about 5-10 mins.

Next up is my legs, which were in a desperate need of shaving. While I was in the shower, I exfoliated my legs with a body scrub (shown above) to remove any dead skin. Then, I cover my legs in shaving foam and start to shave my legs with a razor. Once I have done both legs I moisturise them with my Burts Bees Body Cream. This is my favourite body cream I have ever owned. This is my second bottle and it has recently ran out. I definitely need to buy another one soon. It is super moisturising, smells incredible (very strong scent, quite fruity) and is made from natural ingredients.

Now that my legs are done, I return to my skin and remove my nose strip. Then, I coat my cotton pad with my Simple Toner (which has nearly ran out) and I cover my entire face with the cotton pad. This toner is super refreshing and makes your skin feel more awake and alive. I really need to buy another one of these soon. After toning my skin, I apply some lip balm in order to moisturise my lips. I use my Burts Bees Lip Balm which is made from Beeswax. This may sound disgusting but is smells super minty and leaves your lips feeling very refreshed and tingly. The final part of my skincare is to moisturise my face.

With skincare completed, I finally need to finish off my hair. I rinse out all the conditioner, dry my hair with a towel and then brush through once more. Then, I leave it to air dry.

And we have finished. As you can see, I haven't used all the products listed above. I do a face mask when I have had a massive break-out which helps remove all the impurities and oil from my skin. I also use a spray in leave-in conditioner when I wash my hair normally.

As I have said before, I only do this when my skin needs refreshing and I do a treatment to my hair once every month, purely due to the nature of my hair.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know your go-to products for a pamper day and I will see you for another post on Monday.

6 Summer Essentials: Beauty

        

1. Essie Nail Lacquer 99 Mint Candy Apple - £7.99

2. Rimmel BB Cream - £6.99

3. L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Primer - £9.99

4. Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer - £11

5. Maybelline Super Stay 14 Hour Lipstick - £6.99

6. Maybelline Colossal Black Waterproof Mascara - £7.19

As summer has finally arrived (although the weather in the UK begs to differ) I thought I would share my 6 Summer Beauty Essentials with you. During the summer, no one likes to apply heaps and heaps of make-up onto their faces due to the hot weather and it can start to feel cakey on the face. However, most people don't like to leave the house without any make-up whatsoever. Therefore, by using simple and key products, you can create a natural and summer ready look. 

Above, I have picked out my key beauty items from the drugstore, but you can easily switch and choose your 6 beauty products that suits you. 

Personally, a nail polish is key as this is my favourite beauty item. I love experimenting with my nails and I love picking more pastel shades for the spring/summer time. I think a mint green is perfect for the summer as it is simple, cute and adds a splash of colour to any outfit. 

Instead of a heavy-duty foundation, I prefer to use a BB cream in the summer time. It isn't as cakey and heavy on the skin, like a foundation can be, but it also covers and gives the skin a summer glow. 

A primer is also very important for the summer-time. No one wants their make-up falling down their faces by the end of the day due to the hot, humid weather. 

If you are not going away on holiday this year, you may not be getting a serious tan, so by adding a little bit of bronzer and highlighter to the skin can really lift your face and add some colour onto those cheekbones, giving the illusion of a sun-kissed tan. 

Add a pop of colour onto the lips with a summery coral or pink!

Finally, swapping your normal, everyday mascara for a waterproof. This means your lashes can still look defined and long without transfer or the risk of your mascara sweating off. 

So, these are some of my summer beauty essentials. Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know your summer beauty essentials in the comments as well. 

I will be doing a summer hair and fashion essentials soon, so keep your eyes peeled for those coming soon! 

New(ish) KIKO Purchases and Review

So, I am finally back. After a long and stressful couple of weeks, crammed with revision, cups of tea and lack of sleep, I have finally finished my A Level exams! I am so happy that I have finally finished as I was starting to go a little bit crazy sitting at my desk and revising the same topic day and night. As exams are out of the way, I can now focus on my blog and writing content for you guys to enjoy!

I will admit, I did finish my exams about a week ago now (17th June), but I thought my brain deserved a bit of a break from formulating sentences and words and also it gave me a opportunity to think of some new blog ideas and topics to write about.

This blog post is particularly late as I haven't had time to take the pictures etc, but before exams started I went on a little shopping trip and popped into a KIKO store they had there. I don't have a KIKO store near where I live, so I get very excited when I find one. It has such affordable make-up and the quality is amazing.

While, I was there I picked up two make-up items.

Eyeshadow Stick - £6.90
Lip Pencil - £1.70

I picked up the Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 07 (Golden Beige) which is a really gorgeous champagne colour. It is super pigmented and as the name suggests is super 'long lasting'. This shadow is great for all over the lid and blends really nicely as well. Personally, I hate doing eyeshadow. I find it is the most boring part of doing make-up, purely because I can't do a 'smokey' eye to save my life. However, these shadow sticks are so easy to use and make doing your shadow hassle-free. This shade is perfect for the summer season and is adaptable for all other seasons as well.

My other purchase was a SMART Lip Pencil in 702 (Coral). Again, this lip liner is super pigmented and lasts for a long, long time. This shade is a pinky/coral colour and is beautiful for the summer time. You can apply it with a gentle hand for a more subtle pink to the lips or you can press harder for a more bolder and brighter lip colour. As well as being amazing quality, all KIKO's lip pencils are super affordable at only £1.70!!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and let me know what your favourite make-up item from KIKO is and if there are any recommendations I should try out. 

Also, there are going to be new blog posts every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, so please keep an eye out for those and follow me on BlogLovin' to keep up to date with when I upload new posts. 

LIFE UPDATE!

So, I haven't written a blog post in a while, and for that I apologise! I am going to be frank. I don't think I will be writing any blog posts for a while. Don't panic though, I am not quitting my blog at all. The main reason for not writing any posts for a while is because my A2 exams are coming up in a matter of weeks and I need to prepare and revise for these exams so much, and that means no blog posts. These exams are important as they determine whether I get into my first choice university and what direction my life takes (slight exaggeration!), so I don't really want to mess them up!

Source: authorlindsaypaige.blogspot.com

I will be resuming my blog after exams though and as I won't have anything else to do, this will be my main priority, so hopefully, I will have many more posts to write and will have much longer to take pictures, come up with new, fresh ideas and take my time writing them as well. My last exam is on the 17th June, so expect to see many more posts being uploaded then.

Apart from exams, I have lots of other bits planned for the summer so far, so I thought I would share them with you. Next week is my official last week of secondary school and I go on study leave. It is super scary to think that I will be leaving mainstream education after nearly my entire life has been the same routine of going to school. I will be leaving behind my school of 7 years, where I have had the most memories, met amazing friends (who hopefully will stay with me for a very long time!) but also has been very stressful at times as well. So, next week we get to dress up for two days with a dedicated theme. On Monday, the theme is 90s rave, but I am so undecided about what to wear, so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments, and on Friday, the theme is cops and robbers. I still have to attend revision classes that may be put on and obviously my exams, but after that I am free.

I haven't mentioned this on my blog, but I have decided to take a gap year between A-Levels and University. This was an easy decision for me and I have made this choice for a very long time. Both of my elder brothers took gap years, one of them went travelling and the other worked, and so I wanted to do the same. I will most likely work during my gap year as university is so expensive and so I want to save as much money as possible, for rent, food, social life etc. This will also give me plenty of time to get myself together in terms of provisions for uni as well. I also wanted to take a gap year to give myself a breather from education for a year. I have been constantly going to school all my life virtually and this is the first time I get to relax and not have to study or write essays.

I have made a few plans for over the summer though which are making me very excited and makes me want exams to be over soon. This weekend is one of my friend's 18th so I am going to her house for a BBQ which will be really nice. Next Friday, it is also my best friend's joint 18th birthday party which is going to be so much fun and I am super excited for this. I haven't got anything planned for half term yet, which will probably be spent revising for these exams, which is so depressing, especially if it is nice weather in the UK.

Other plans consist of a wedding in July, more gatherings with friends over the summer for birthdays, a 5 day trip to Devon with my friends, my 18th birthday which will be spent on a plane flying to Turkey which will be a 11 day holiday with my family at the end of August. Finally, saying goodbye to some of my clostest friends who are going to uni and probably many visits throughout this year and next year visiting them.

So, lots to look forward to after exams. I hope you enjoyed a more relaxed post from me. I just thought I would fill you in on what is happening in my life and to warn you that there won't be anymore blog posts until after the 17th June.

So, farewell until June.

x