Tag // I Heart Summer

Ooh, I do love a good tag post! I've seen this 'I Heart Summer' tag flying around on a few blogs and youtube channels lately so I thought I'd give it a whirl myself. We're coming to the end of Summer now here in the UK (boo!) so I wanted to squeeze this post in before it gets too late. It was really fun to write and I've enjoyed reading other peoples over the past few weeks so I hope you enjoy...

1. Favourite bronzer for Summer?

Ooh this is an easy one for me - it HAS to be my NARS Laguna, no questions about it. I'm sure you've all heart me raving about this bronzer before as its one of my all time favourite beauty products. Its the perfect shade for contouring with as it doesn't have a lot of shimmer but the slight sheen it does have adds a lovely glow to my skin. I love that it isn't orange or dirty looking and instead gives me a natural sunkissed look. If you haven't tried it, you must!

2. Favourite summer lip product?

This would have to be my Revlon Lip Butters, without a doubt. They're great for Summer as they're super moisturising and glossy which is perfect for a warm sunny day when I don't want to wear a heavy lipstick. 

3. Pool or beach?

When I go on holiday, I'm definitely more of a pool girl and spend the majority of my days laying on a sun lounger or splashing around in the pool. The reason I prefer the pool to the beach is the sand. Oh my gosh, I hate the stuff. It gets into every single nuck and cranny and is generally a big fat pain in the butt! I do think beaches are pretty though and I like to visit them when I go away but for sunbathing and general relaxation, the pool wins for me!

4. Must have styling product?

If this means must-have hair product, other than my Moroccan Oil which I use all year round, it would have to be my Toni & Guy sea salt spray. I recently mentioned it in my monthly favourites and its been a staple for me this Summer, especially on holiday. It helps me achieve natural beach waves with loads of volume and texture, I love it!

5. Sun bathing or fake tan?

I'm going to have to go for fake tan, purely because its the safest option. I'm very wary about exposing my skin to the sun too much and I often wear factor 50 sunscreen while I'm on holiday as my skin is SO sensitive. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love lounging around in the sun and if I could have a natural tan all year round without damaging my skin I certainly would.

6. Favourite summer drink?

Ooh this is a tough one as there's so many lovely Summer beverages! I am very partial to an Elderflower & Lime Kopperberg or a white wine spritzer in the warmer weather though - so yummy and refreshing.

7. Favourite summer nail polish?

The nail polish I've been loving for the past two summers is 'Hedonist' from Models Own. Its a super bright neon orange and as soon as I put it on my fingers or toes, I instantly feel happy and summery. Its definitely the perfect Summer shade and brightens up any outfit.

8. Any summer traditions?

Other than going away on holiday every year and the obligatory Summer BBQ's and beer gardens the only thing my family, friends and I do EVERY single Summer is go to a carnival in my home town. It involves lots of beer gardens, lots of drinking and a lot of giggles. It always falls on my birthday weekend too which makes it even better!

9. Favourite summer scent?

This would have to be my MAC Turquatic perfume purely because it smells like Summer in a bottle. I'm useless at explaining fragrances so I'll just say its very fresh, light and summery.

10. Favourite BBQ food?

I absoloutely LOVE BBQ's in general so I'm not overly fussy when it comes to the food, as long as there's plenty of choice. I'm one of those people that loves picking at different food so at BBQ's or buffets I'm like a kid in a candy shop. Isn't it much more exciting than a bog standard meal? If I had to choose my ultimate BBQ food though it would be a sausage (very well cooked) in a finger bun with onions and tomato sauce. Mmmmm!

11. Favourite summer-proof product?

It would have to be my Rimmel Stay Matte powder as its great for keeping any shine at bay during the hot weather. I have combination skin so my t-zone is prone to oil but with the help of this powder, my face doesn't end up looking like a huge grease ball. Yay!

12. Any summer plans?

I'm a bit late on the bandwagon with this tag so a lot of my Summer plans are already over and done with such as my holiday so Marbella and my weekend at T in the Park. However, I'm going to Portugal with my Nanna and sister tomorrow (I'm so excited!) so that will be a lovely way to round up my Summer. Its been a good en'!

Have you done this tag? I'd love to read your answers!

Lots of Love,

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My New Favourite Dress - Republic Aztec Maxi

Hey Lovelies. While I was at home last week, I was trawling through every clothing website going in the hope of finding some lovely new summer items to spice up my drab winter wardrobe. As you all probably know by now, I go to Australia next month so this has made me want to buy summery clothes even more than I already did. Whilst looking on the Republic website, this Crafted Mullet Maxi Dress really caught my eye. It is short and the front and gradually gets longer at the back. It has cute rope straps that cross over at the back, with a matching rope belt around the waist. I have seen a lot of dresses/skirts in this style at the moment and I think it is such a pretty trend. I am also a huge fan of Aztec/Tribal print so throw the two together and it's a must-have in my Summer wardrobe.

Anyway, I hesitated for a while as I am massively skint but as soon as I clicked off the website, I couldn't stop thinking about it and kept toying with the idea of buying it. I always try and justify my spends so I kept telling myself 'just get it, it will look perfect in Oz'. I dithered around for a few more days and when I returned to Newcastle I showed my boyfriend it to get his opinion. Straight away, he said he loved it and that he'd buy me it. I was over the moon as it was a very unexpected treat. Obviously, I jumped at the chance and popped the dress into my online shopping bag with no hesitation. To be honest, I know I would of bought it no matter what, but not having to spend my own money on it was a brucey bonus.

The dress arrived today, three days after ordering, which was pretty quick. When I opened the parcel it was love at first sight and before I even tried it on, I knew it was going to fit and look absolutely lovely. I am so glad I ordered this dress, it is gorgeous. I'm a huge fan of maxi dresses as they are easy to throw on and create the perfect summer look. I believe you can look effortlessly stylish in a maxi dress. Plus, they can be dressed up or down which is an added bonus. I love items that are versatile and maxi dresses are definitely one of them items. In the pictures above, I quickly threw on my New Look tan wedges which I think work well for a casual look. I would pair it with sandals and some chunky wooden bangles for day wear. For an evening look, I would swap the black rope belt for a thin tan waist belt and my super high tan Kurt Geiger heels. Jewellery wise, I would probably go for gold bangles and a chunky ring. I can think of so many ways I would wear this and I'm sure it will feature in plenty of OOTD and OOTN posts while I'm in Australia.

This dress cost £36.00 which I think is very reasonable for a dress I know I will get a lot of wear out of. It is still available of the Republic website here if any of you love it as much as I do and would like to snap it up. I would love to get another dress and a skirt in this style before I go away. I have my eye on a few from River Island and Missguided and It is definitely a trend I can see myself wearing a lot in the summer months.

Do you like this new take on a maxi dress? Do you have your eye on anything similair?

Also, I have just put a few things on my Ebay page so if any of you are interested, feel free to have a look here.

I hope everyone is having a lovely Thursday. I've come down with a horrible cold so Im going to snuggle on the sofa watching Mary's Bottom Line and Celebrity Juice with a cup of tea. On a brighter note, I won a Missguided dress on Twitter today. I never win anything so it was a lovely surprise when they tweeted me saying I'd won their style comp. 

Lots of Love,

Matalan Haul

Hey Lovelies. Now your probably thinking 'Matalan Haul'? Why Matalan of all places? If you follow me on Twitter here, you may of seen that I recently tweeted about my splurge in Matalan and how they had some amazing on-trend Spring/Summer pieces. To be honest, I've always loved Matalan. A lot of people wouldn't think to go shopping there but every time I go they have some amazing items for seriously cheap prices. Some of the prices are comparable to Primark and I personally think the quality is of a much higher standard. My mum actually works there too so I get 20% discount off everything. This obviously helps when I want to have a bit of a splurge. Anyway, let me show you the things I got.

Sandals - £12.00

Snakeskin Blouse - £16.00, White Blouse - £12.00, Dusky Pink Cardigan - £22.00

Blue Chino Shorts -  £6.00, Pale Blue Chinos - £12.00

Black Bag - £5.00, Tan/Black Bag - £10.00, Coral Clutch - £8.00

Jewellery - Unsure on exact prices but I got these on a 3 for 2 offer so I think I paid about £13.00 for all three.

So there we have it. I'm personally very chuffed with everything I got and they will all be great additions to my Spring/Summer wardrobe. If you read my blog regularly, you will know I am going to Australia next month, three weeks tomorrow to be precise, eek. I think all of these items will be lovely when I am over there. I especially love all the bags. Bargains or what? I also think the sandals look a lot more expensive than £12.00. Buying these kind of items definitely gets me in the mood for going to Oz. I'm thinking my next shopping spree will have to include bikinis, sunglasses, maxi skirts and dresses. I have a list as long as my arm of items I want. All the pretty pastels are enticing me far too much.

Do any of you shop in Matalan? Do you like the things I picked up?

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Lots of Love,

Kayleigh..

xXx.

Barry M Spring/Summer Shades

L-R Blueberry I/C, Peach Melba, Bright Pink, Yellow & Berry I/C.

Today I would like to share my love for Barry M nail polishes. I haven't mentioned them much on my blog so I believe they deserve a dedicated blog post. Firstly, I have LOADS of these nail polishes as I think they are amazing quality for such an affordable price. I think I own around 13 at the moment which isn't a lot compared to some of you Barry M maniacs, but it's a fairly large amount none the less. 

For £2.99 a pop, you really can't complain. They apply opaquely, quite often only needing one coat and they remain chip-free for days. To be honest, I don't really own many 'high-end' nail polishes as I just don't see the point when you can find the same quality on the high-street. Topshop nail polish is also a high-street fave of mine and I'm yet to try Models Own.

I just wanted to share with you a collection of Spring/Summer shades I own from Barry M as I'm feeling in quite a 'summery' mood. The weather is finally getting nicer and the thought of going to the Australian sun in 4 weeks is getting me all excited. Spring/Summer is such a nice time of year and I love all the bright colours that come along with it.

I actually spent a good 20 minutes this morning painting these individual false nails so you could see the colours. (Dedication or sadness? you decide). I was like a big child sat on my bedroom floor surrounded by nail polish and false nails. My boyfriend said I'm the weirdest person he knows for doing random things like this on a regular basis, thanks Matt. Safe to say, it was quite a messy process but I hope the results were worth the faffing around and you can see how each of these lovely colours look on the nail. My faves of the bunch are Peach Melba and Berry I/C. I love pastel colours and I think these two are perfect for the spring. The only thing I would say is, I am quite un-impressed with some of Barry M's name choices. I love a good product name, it gives it that interesting edge and a more personal touch. Is that just me? So for Barry M to name some of these 'Bright Pink' and 'Yellow' is stating the obvious and a little dull. However, for £2.99, who am I to complain? I think I can ignore the lack of imaginative names and love them for what they are, a great bloomin nail polish!

Does anyone else love Barry M nail polishes? What's your favourite shade?

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. My family are visiting me and my boyfriend in Newcastle so I am looking forward to an evening of good food, good company, lots of alcohol and lots of laughs! 

Lots of Love,

Kayleigh..

xXx.