What's In My Bag: Night Out

There is no doubt that I'm a curious person, I love Instagram for its insight in to peoples lives, I love what's in my bag posts, favourites videos, and just generally knowing what other people are up to, or what they're currently using. Having never done a 'What's in my bag' type post before I thought I'd just share with you what I tend to take with me on a night out. I was supposed to be heading out last night but instead ended up having a chill night in, stuffing my face with Drumstick Squishies (new love) and watching The Valleys. I know, I shouldn't love it but I do. Not to put my freshly packed bag to waste, these are the products I'd planned to take out with me for touch ups.   Obviously it's without saying that your phone, keys and purse are essentials - I like having all these items tucked securely in my bag as I'd be distraught if I lost my purse or phone and know lots of people that do this reguarly. My purse is from River Island, as you can see I'm loving studs lately. I don't like to carry too many cosmetics with me, purely because I don't want to lose or break them and if they're there I have the urge to apply more to my face the more I drink. Never ends well. In my bag you'll always find a lipstick, or two in this case. I usually opt for a red lip on a night out and my two favourites are Mac Russian Red and Diva. Mixed together they make the perfect colour. I also always carry a powder compact with me for touch ups as I hate to be shiny. I'm currently loving the Mac Studio Fix Powder and I'll usually have a pack of Kleenex Blot Papers with me also. If I've had time to do my make up carefully and properly prep and powder I wont take any other products, if I'm in a rush I tend to pop a concealer in my bag to fix any flawed areas. As for the hair, being from Essex means it's almost obligitory to attempt to make your hair as huge as possible for nights out. For quick fixes I always carry a comb with me for a little backcoming and then something like the Batiste Plumping Powder for a bit of added volume. Finally, to finish off the contents of my bag I like to take a spray or perfume along, nothing expensive or oversized. I like the Body Shop EDT's, they're small, smell deliciously fruity and fit nicely in your handbag and then I couldn't be without my compact Model Mirror. This has small LED lights in so you can check yourself out in low lighting.   That rounds up the contents of my bag. What do you normally carry with you on a night out?

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Clarins Splendours Limited Edition Summer 2013 Eyeshadow Palette

*Clarins Splendours Eyeshadow Palette, £31.   Usually the sound of the postman knocking on my front door is a noise I dread as it means waking up early on my day off to answer the door, usually to a package addressed to my parents. However a few days ago when the postman hammered on the door I skipped downstairs to greet him as I was expecting a beaut of a parcel. Inside said parcel was the recently released Clarins Splendours Eyeshadow Palette which is b-e-autiful.  The packaging alone is enough to stop you in your tracks for a second glance as the reflective outer casing reveals a beautifully detailed Aztec print when it catches the light. Inside you'll find four eyeshadows, all pigmented and creamy, as well as a cream eyeliner and two minature brushes for on the go application. Embossed in to the product itself is an Aztec design, which makes this palette even more lovely to look at and slightly difficult to bring yourself to use at first. All four shadows contain shimmer, not of the chunky, glitter variety but finely milled, pretty shimmer and the shades compliment each other well. There's a pale champagne, a burnt orange gold, a lavender pink and a deep, rich brown. The eyeliner, although it appears to be a classic black has a slight purple undertone. This collection was inspired by the ancient ruins of South America, a region driven by colour and print. The offerings of their Summer 2013 collection include products that will deliver glowing, bronzed skin with easy application lip products. Already on my list of products to go and look at is the Bronzing Compact and the Shimmering Body Oil. Priced at £31 this palette is on the more expensive end of the spectrum but every detail has been thought through and I can't fault this product at all. Limited Edition for Summer, this makes for a luxurious treat to add a bit of glamour to your make up bag.

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Sleek Lipstick Palettes - Ballet, Showgirl and Tease.

Having spotted the newly released Sleek Lipstick Palettes on popular beauty blogs, I knew I had to pick a few up and see for myself whether they would become a staple handbag product or just an idea that seems good in theory, but fails when it comes to practicality. On the Sleek website there are six palettes, all varying in themes and colours but my local Superdrug only had four available. I decided upon 'Ballet' - a sensual nude palette, 'Showgirl' - a vibrant selection of pinks and 'Tease' with seductive reds. These lipstick quads consist of four shades, obviously, with three finishes - matte, gloss and satin. Each palette contains a well sized mirror and a minature lip brush so, in theory, ideal for application when you're out and about. The packaging is as you'd imagine, compact, sleek and sturdy - there would be nothing worse than these coming open in your bag. Each palette has colour co-ordinated shades to go with the theme of the palette, which also reflects in the outer packaging.  I do plan on swatching all three palettes in a future blog post, with the shade name alongside (printed on the back of each palette) - if you're desperate for swatches there's a few photos floating around on other blogs, just have a little search on google images.  Although I've not given these a full trial, my initital thoughts are of disappointment. The glossy shades in each palette are very soft and slip around on the lips and the palette itself ends up a mess after a few applications especially if you don't wash the lip brush provided before using another colour. The brush works averagely, but application is slightly awkward and you'd be better off using your finger or investing in a quality lip brush. I found the matte shades more difficult to pick up product from, although all four colours are well pigmented. I like the idea and I'll no doubt find use for these when travelling, or for day to night transformations perhaps but I wouldn't rush out to re-purchase.   The Sleek Lipstick Palettes are available on the Sleek website or in Superdrug, priced at £8.99.
 

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Treatment Wishlist

I'm pretty sure the majority of women have things about their body they'd like to change.

If not to improve their improve, then to speed up their daily routine, or improve their confidence.

Now, I'm not talking Plastic Surgery - that's a topic for another day. I mean Salons, Dentists or Skin Clinic treatments you can book and have done that don't involve any major pain or lengthy recoveries. So what would I have done if I could?

Laser Hair Removal - When I was younger and started shaving I didn't quite understand the full maintanence that this would entail for years to come. Obviously the frequency depends on how quickly your hairs grow back and for me that seems to be 2 days after shaving. I'm sure some women like the au natural, low maintenance look but for me, hair free is the only way. I dread to think of the amount of time I spend shaving my legs, armpits and 'delicate area' in a year so I'm definitely considering Laser Hair Removal. Smooth, hair free skin? Yes please! Sk:n Clinics offer safe laser hair removal treatments, prices depend on the area you want treatment but they have 30% off through May.

Thread Vein Removal - As unglamorous as this is to admit, I have a fair amount of thread veins on my legs which have appeared more so since starting my full time job two years ago. I'm on my feet constantly which I don't think helps, but I've had them since I was a teenager! They're mainly around my ankles and on my thighs and although most are unnoticable, they irritate me and if I can have a little injection or laser treatment to get rid, I will at some point! I also found this treatment on the Sk:n Clinics website.

 Teeth Whitening - I've had my teeth whitened before but just in a local Salon so the difference afterwards wasn't as dramatic as it could of been. I always notice and admire people with brighter teeth and they look clean and expensive, making your teeth instantly nicer! Local dentists nowadays offer teeth whitening, although it's normally a few hundred pounds, if you have cash to spare - why not?!

Invisalign - Although I did have braces in school, I feel like my dentist at the time didn't really care about the outcome of my teeth and I was left with an overbite, clicking jaw and as soon as my braces were removed my lower teeth went back to their original state. Invisible braces seem ideal as they're not as noticable and I'm definitely not ready to go back to a full metal set. The treatment is a gradual process but can be costly.

HydraFacial - These facials claim to remove dead skin cells and impurities, as well as deeply hydrate the skin to plump out any fine lines. That sounds good to me! Anything that claims to improve the skins appearance and gives you a chance to relax I'd be happy to try. I've only ever had 1 facial - which is madness, I need to let myself be pampered more often.

So here's my Treatment Wishlist, minor improvements that would ultimately improve my confidence!

What's on yours? Have you ever tried any of the companies or treatments mentioned?

*Sponsored Post

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Topshop Haul

Are you getting sick of hauls yet?   This time I've been to Topshop and picked up a few products I'd been eyeing up for a while now. I never expected Topshops cosmetic line to be such good quality but I've yet to be diasappointed and they're just as good as high end brands at a lower price. The packaging is on point, the range is big enough to offer variety and some unique colour options yet not vast enough to be overwhelmed by. Prices start at £4 and go up to £18.  If you pass through a store, it's definitely worth spending a few minutes having a quick swatch.
So what did I get?    I picked up their Eye Palette in 'Game On', a metallic, cream shadow quad. 'Cresent Moon' highlighter, a champagne, shimmery powder highlight. Lip Crayon in 'Arcade', a deep, maroon shade. Magic Liner in 'Engraved', a basic, deep black with a thin felt tip applicator. Lipsticks in 'Faint', a pale pink and 'Inhibition' a dark, purple shade similar to the lip crayon. Cream Highlighter in 'Polish', a champagne, pearlescent cream highlight with slight shimmer. Lip Pencil in 'Deception', a classic, deep red.  Peel Off Nail Varnish in 'On The Blink' a bright blue.   The only questionable product is the peel off nail varnish. Beautiful colour, bad, bad idea.

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Beautiful Goodies From Estee Lauder & Benefit

As promised, here's another show and tell of my recent pay day shopping spree.

Initially I only went in to town to pick up one product.

How does walking in to Debenhams for a re-purchase of Estee Lauder Double Wear result in multiple product purchases you may ask? The products are too beautiful and hard to resist once you start swatching. So what did I get?

 As mentioned, I re-purchased the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in the shade 'Tawny', this is my third bottle and I absolutely love this stuff. Not only does this foundation offer amazing, buildable coverage, it lasts all day, offers a great colour selection, has luxurious packaging and works well with my oily skin. Sure it has no pump, but who cares when a foundation is this good? I don't!

I also picked up the Double Wear Powder in the shade 'Sand', I was previously using the Maybelline Dream Matte powder which was brilliant until they discontinued it so now I'm on the hunt for a replacement! So far, the Double Wear and Mac Studio Fix Powder are strong contenders for the top spot.

Then whilst mid swatch-fest I happened to glance over at the lipsticks and began testing them on my hand, big mistake, not only due to the mess I made but also because I couldn't resist buying two. I decided on 'Vanilla Truffle' a pretty, pink toned nude and 'Pink Sand' a pale pink which reminded me of Mac's 'Hue'.

This is undoubtably where my spree should of ended but at the last minute I couldn't help but pick up a Pure Colour Stay On Shadow Paint in the shade 'Halo' a neutral beige with slight shimmer. And if that wasn't bad enough, at the last minute I ran over to the Benefit counter and requested a Fake Up concealer in the shade 'Medium' before finally realising the majority of my money had vanished and I needed to make a swift exit.

Help, I have a problem.

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