Lancaster Mini Giveaway Winner & Small Catch Up

Evening Lovelies...

So first off I'd like to announce the winner of my itsy bitsy giveaway from the Lancaster haul post which ended on Saturday.. 

I got 30 comments on the post in question and I used Random.org to input the numbers...

The winner, as selected from the website is Number 9.. The lovely Laura from The Beauty Spark if you don't already follow her fabulous blog, then hop on over and take a peek as it's well worth a read!

Secondly...

Just a couple of lines to catch up with you all.. If you follow me on Twitter, then you'll already know, but my poor Mummy had an accident on Sunday night and since then we've found out she's actually torn ligaments in her ankle.. This basically means she can't walk or really do anything for herself as she tries to get it to mend as quickly as possible! So in between looking after her, our two horses morning & night and then going to work it's been a pretty stressful couple of days.. So I just wanted to apologise for the lack of posts, comments or Tweets.. I am still here and trying to keep as up to date as possible! 

Hope you're all well :) 

Love Laura xx

Love for TK Maxx - Part 1 - Lancaster Sunlight Makeup & Mini Giveaway!

Howdy my little cherubs, I hope you're all fabulous :) 

I've decided to start a series of posts dedicated to fabulous finds from the ever bargainous TK Maxx. I realise that not everyone has the time, or patience to deal with stores such as the aforementioned, but me personally, I love them! I always seem to find something, whether it be clothing, shoes or beauty related. 

All of these items I'm about to mention were purchased from the nearest TK Maxx store to me (Gateshead - Team Valley) and were all bought with my own pennies. 

While I was perusing the shelves of the beauty and cosmetics area I got pretty excited when I came across some clear plastic boxes filled with a "pic'n'mix" of products from the Lancaster Sunlight Makeup range. I decided to pick up a couple of these boxes and paid in total around £45 for everything you see below...

As you can see there's quite a lot of products there and in total I think the overall RRP comes to something like £200! 

I'm not going to bore you with individual pics of every single item I picked up, but I will share with you some of my favourites :)

Sunlight Palette Natural

This little gem is beautifully luminising on the skin and swirled together gives you a gorgeous overall glow which isn't over the top. Although I don't have one, it really reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks. The powder is very finely milled and doesn't have any of the 'flecks' of glitter which can be apparent in the MAC msf's. 

Pink & Bronze Blush Powder Duo

How gorgeous does this look please?! It's just a really pretty product which is ideal for popping in your bag for topups throughout the day. The blush gives a nice subtle colour which isn't 'too pink' and the bronze is ideal for contouring. Again, with this product I've been lightly swirling it together and using all over my face/neck/chest area for a light bronzey glow. 

Blush Variations - Sunny

This as you can see is a mix of 5 different blush tones which can be used alone, halved or more easily all together to create what ever look you desire. The lighter tones obviously just as blushes, but the bronze is great as a contour colour. 

I was obviously able to pick up some really amazing products for a fraction of the price and it really goes to show what can be found in these discount superstores. The quality of these products is really great and the packaging is sleek and very handbag worthy :) 

A few of the other products I managed to get my hands on include:

- Illuminating Concealer

- Face Luminizer Gel SPF 15

-Easy Manicure Paintbrush (Nail Polish in Pen format)

Last but not least, I also picked up this little beaut...

Infinity Bronze Lip Variations

This is such a cute little pot and the colours look super pretty, but I've decided to give this away to one of you lovely ladies :) 

This will be open to all of my followers (I will check that you do actually follow, as if not this wouldn't be fair).. Just leave a little comment below if you'd like to enter with your e-mail address so I can contact you should you win, I'll use random.org or something similar to find out who is to receive a little parcel in the post hehe. I'll keep the giveaway open till 9pm on the 28th of August - Next Saturday...

How about you lovely ladies... Have you found any fabulous bargains recently?

Much loveeee Xx

The Working Girls Makeup of the Week..

This summer I've gone from being in University full time.. (Well I say full time, what I really mean is a measly 3 days..) to now working full time. To be honest it's really starting to take it's toll on me and with another 41 hour week to look forward to ahead of me, I hope you can forgive me for the serious lack of 'entertaining' posts. 

With me being up early and in work for 8.30am I needed a look which was easy to achieve, but still fairly polished. I work in a Designer Menswear Boutique in my home town called Northern Threads, click here if you fancy taking a peek at some things for your other half!

I thought I'd post a few pics showing how my makeup has been for the past week or so; simple, easy and most importantly quick to do! 

I decided to keep my eye makeup fairly neutral, you know me, not particularly adventurous when it comes to colour! By keeping it neutral it means I can wear anything I like and not have to worry about whether it'll look OK, or whether it will clash. 

I recently purchased the MAC Prep+Prime Skin Base (Primer) and have been using it every day. I've found it's given my skin a really nice glow underneath my foundation and really keeps my makeup in place all day without the need for touch ups. For instance, I've been at work 11-4 today, makeup was applied at 9am and these photos were taken at roughly 5.30pm with no touch ups in between - Not bad going really! 

Products used to get this look:

MAC Prep+Prime Base

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 & NC20

MAC Espresso to fill in brows

Benefit IT Stick to conceal

MAC Soft Ochre paint pot

Stila Lemon & Pointille shadows

MAC Espresso in crease

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara

MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty

Lancaster Sunlight Palette in Natural for an all over glow

Lipsticks used this week have included MAC's Snob, Hue & Pretty Please

So there we have it.. 

Do you ladies end up doing the same?.. Choosing & wearing the same makeup for a week at a time for ease? 

Hope you're all well! 

Oh and a massive thank you to you all for reading and following, I hit the 300+ mark last night and it just made my week, it really means a lot ♥

Lots of love Xxx

Practically Fashionable...

So as you may have seen in my last post, I'm currently loving this summers recycled trend: the crop top! 

The crop top is a trend which first took a stronghold in the 1980's, and was originally inspired by American Footballers tops, which were cut short in order for the players to be kept cool whilst playing in the heat. It seems like everyone wanted a piece of the look as they were popular for both men and women alike :) - Can you picture your other half sporting one?.. I'm not so sure!

Now, in 2010 they're back with a vengeance and boy am I pleased. As much as I'd like to sit here and lie to you all and tell you that 'I too wear my crop top to keep me cool while playing sport', we both know this isn't in fact true hehe.. I do however work in a rather stuffy environment which is by far lacking in the air-con department! 

This look was put together with comfort, practicality and aesthetics in mind...

Crop Top *River Island Sale*

Jeans *Jamie Ultimate Skinny - Topshop*

Sandal Boots * Zara*

Besides being an ideal choice for me to wear to work, this was a perfect choice for my day off, which I spent mooching round the sales at the Metro Centre and in our rather large TK Maxx store (..They've started selling Calvin Klein & Lancaster Makeup!?)

I do realise this is my second OOTD post in a row, it's just I'm again super busy this week and when I decided to wear this I thought it was possibly worthy of a post :)

P:S...Don't forget, I now have a Formspring so get asking away...

Xxx