My Pamper Routine

   Anyone who knows me knows I love a good pamper session, whether it's in the evening post work, or spending a lazy Sunday morning giving myself some TLC and looking after number one. I think it's really important to spend sometime on yourself, use that face mask, do a deep conditioning treatment on your locks or even give yourself a mani-pedi. Because I don't know about you, but I feel an extra zap of confidence when I feel my most pampered and put together! Whether you don't know where to start with a pamper routine, or, like, me you have at least one a week, this post is calling all my fellow pamper product lovers!

BUBBLES GALORE

• This is the perfect beginning to a pamper session for me- a bubble bath. Don't skimp on the bubbles, I love Imperial Leather Secret Garden Bath Soak   it creates the most fabulous bubbles and makes me feel as if I'm relaxing in a luxurious spa. 
• Add in the book I'm currently reading on my Kindle, a generous glass of Prosecco or wine, and I'm in heaven. Sink back in your tub, chill out and relax. Sometimes I love to listen to a podcast like Vicky Pattisons The Secret To or Giovanna Fletcher's Happy Mum, Happy Baby. The laughs and honesty these ladies and their guests bring are a breath of fresh air. 
• My favourite body wash is The Ritual of Sakura Foaming Shower Gel  the foamy goodness makes my skin feel like silk and washes the stress of the day away. I then like to go in with a good old body scrub like The Ritual of Sakura Body Scrub  which gently exfoliates dead skin cells to reveal smooth luscious skin. 

BODY CREAM OF DREAMS

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion, £9.99 Feel Unique

• THIS. This body lotion is the best ever. I love my little selection of fancy body creams and butters and they are my definite splurge and treat to myself, but this one is the best. It's a complete bargain, and I have to admit, I'm already on my third bottle this year! I slather this all over my body and instantly I feel moisturised and hydrated. It's got a gorgeous non-greasy formula that sinks into the skin instantly, perfect for keeping your clothes lotion-free. 

PUT YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD 

L'Oréal Paris Pure Clay Purity and Blemish Rescue Masks, 

£6.35 Feel Unique

• A face mask is a ritual of any of my pamper sessions, and I have a library load for the occasion depending on what I'm lacking or wanting for my skin. I have ones for hydration, like the Garnier Skin Active Moisture Bomb Pomegranate Hydrating Tissue Mask  are great for giving that extra boost to tired and dehydrated skin. And then there are ones like my L'Oréal Paris faves above that are great for a purify to rid my skin of any excess makeup that's built up and leave it super squeaky clean. 
• Don't forget to add moisturiser as the next step in your routine to keep your face topped up with hydration if using a detoxing or purifying mask, particularly those of the clay variety.  

NAILED IT

• With a selection of colours to rival a  nail salon, I love to sit down and give myself a manicure as the final step of my pamper routine. I use the Mylee PRO Salon Series LED 15-Second Cure Nail Drying Lamp for amazingly quick but good curing. Just a few minutes spent curing your gel nail polish and you'll have salon-worthy talons you'll want to post all over the 'gram. 
• My personal colour favourites right now include metallic metal shades, particularly silver and bronze for a change from gold, and a gorgeous new bright pink shade I've recently picked up from the same brand as the curing lamp. It's perfect for adding a pop of colour to your outfit and mood in these strange times we find ourselves in. 

What are the top elements of your pamper routine?

My Top 5: Eyeshadow Palettes

   I have always adored wearing eyeshadow, from the subtle nude shades I pick for the daytime when I'm at work, to the smoky, dark or sometimes bright shades I dare to brave for a special occasion, I love them all! As with the rest of my makeup collection, there are certain brands and palettes I come back to time and time again, and will forerver be in my holy grail of eye makeup. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this behind the scenes peek at my eye makeup top 5!

1) HUDA BEAUTY NEW NUDES EYESHADOW PALETTE

£56, Feelunique.com

• I LOVE this palette. It has been my go to for both day and night time ever since I opened it on Christmas day last year. The shade range is so diverse that there truly is something for everyone, from matte shades in both nude and purply shades, to the ultimate gorgeous glitters, its here. 
• Application is a breeze with the creamy formula of these beauties, all you need is a small brush or a clean fingertip and the eyeshadow just glides across your eyelids for perfect application. I find it doesn't budge at all across my eyelids, even in hot weather when it feels like my makeup is sliding across my face, these bad boys don't budge from my eyelids. 

2) HOURGLASS SCATTERED LIGHT GLITTER EYESHADOW IN FOIL 

£25.20, Feelunique.com 

• This is the perfect eyeshadow for evenings out with the girls or a family dinner to your favourite restaurant. It's glitter pigments instantly gives eyes a sparkle and makes them truly pop from any angle and under any light. 
• Its creamy consistency means they are easily buildable, whether you want a hint of shimmer over a matte shade- one of my personal favourite ways to wear this, or you want to make your eyes the main focus of your makeup look, this is perfect whatever end of the spectrum you are at. 

3) CHARLOTTE TILBURY COLOUR CHAMELEON IN CHAMPAGNE DIAMONDS

£19, Cultbeauty.co.uk

• Eyeshadow crayons are a fab way of wearing eyeshadow, just swipe across the lash line and blend upwards and outwards across the socket and you're good to go. They are also incredibly versatile, blend out with your finger to create a subtly smoky eye, or use a eyeshadow brush to blend precisely across your eyelid, it's up to you entirely. You could even use them as a softer substitute for eyeliner and smudge it out a little. 
• The only thing I would say is you need to work fast, the eyeshadow will set after only 30 seconds and then stay in place all day, so there is no room for error with these! Though if you need to make any slight touch ups, use a cotton pad dipped in micellar water and gently dab where needed. 

4) CHARLOTTE TILBURY BIGGER, BRIGHTER EYES- EXAGEREYES 

£40, Cultbeauty.co.uk 

• Another one of my favourites from Charlotte Tilbury, this gorgeous little palette is perfect to pop into your handbag or clutch for any touch ups needed throughout the day. The shimmery champagne shade is great over bare eyes to give a subtle wash of colour and perk up the eyes a little without being over the top. 
• What I also love is that the shades also work perfectly together to create a gorgeous pink smoky eye for night time. Just dab the matte shade across the eyelid, mix a little of the two over the top and blend out slightly using an angled brush and then put a delicate amount of the top left shade into the corner of your eyes to make them pop. 

5) SLEEK MAKEUP i-DIVINE EYESHADOW PALETTE TRIPPIN' 

£8.99, Feelunique.com 

• This eyeshadow palette is a complete bargain at only £8.99, but the quality of the eyeshadows could've had me fooled it was a lot more expensive. They have great pigmentation and the colours are super fun and make me want to try something completely different for my next night out. 
• The light blue shade has to be my favourite for sunny Summer days, just a light wash of this shade across the eyelids is perfect to brighten up any outfit and put a spring in my step. 

What are your favourite eyeshadows?

 

   

My Rainy Day Playlist

   There's nothing better than a good playlist to soundtrack your day. Whether it's a garden party with your nearest and dearest, or you want some tunes to get you through your working day, there's a playlist for everything. I particularly love a playlist for a rainy day, those days when you're stuck inside and the sky looks like a big black hole. So, here is my playlist for a rainy day to hopefully help you create your own sunshine!

MY RAINY DAY PLAYLIST

1) Keep Your Head Up- Ben Howard 

2) Paradise- Coldplay

3) Whatever it Takes- Imagine Dragons 

4) In my Blood- Shawn Mendess 

5) Chocolate- The 1975 

6) Barcelona- George Ezra 

7) Don't Look Back In Anger- Oasis

8) When the Party's Over- Billie Eilish 

9) Work Song- Hozier 

10) Another Love- Tom Odell 

What are your perfect rainy day playlist songs?

What I'm Reading- May

   Reading is one of my favourite pastimes and has been ever since I was a child. Whenever I get the opportunity, I love to settle down on the sofa with a drink and a good book and get lost in a different world for a while. Each month, I'll be taking you through the books I've been loving and hopefully providing you with some much needed reading inspo for your own bookshelves.  So, settle in my fellow book lovers, and let the book club session, BEGIN.

THE COTTAGE OF NEW BEGINNINGS BY SUZANNE SNOW

• This is the perfect cosy read- gentle, light and heart warming. Annie inherits her godmothers cottage in the charming village of Thorndale, and soon comes across the handsome estate owner Jon, whom despite having a rather frosty first encounter with him, it soon becomes clear that the village may be conspiring to bring them together. 
• I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and thanks to the beautiful descriptions from the author, it almost felt like I was there. The sense of community described by the author was something akin to a small village, and something not often seen in books nowadays. For a curl up on the sofa and a guaranteed happy ever after, this is perfect. 

THE CORNISH CONFETTI AGENCY

• I love this first novel in 'The Cornish Confetti Agency' series, its witty, charming and come on, who doesn't want to be whisked away to the Cornish seaside for a few hours of escapism? 
• Everyone who knows me knows I love Cornish set romance novels, and this didn't disappoint. Lexi is facing heartbreak and being fired almost instantaneously following the disastrous ending of her catwalk show, so flees to her childhood town of St Ives to look after her pals wedding agency. Cue drama, strange goings on and tantrums to rival the fashion industry. It had me on a rollercoaster of emotions, from laughing out loud to wanting to hug the main characters, and that to me, is all you need for a good book. 

THE ROAD TRIP

• If you're looking for a book to make you laugh out loud from the offset, then this is for you. Being trapped in a rather small car with her overprotective sister, ex-boyfriend and his best mate for a 300 mile journey to their friends wedding is not how Addie thought she would be making her way to see her friend get wed- at all. This forces the two to confront their painful breakup and decide whether it really is the end of the road for them. 
• I wasn't sure if I would enojy this book, but I found it very funny and actually sped through it so I could find out what happened. I loved the dynamic between Addie and Debs, and even though Marcus- Dylan's best friend was not a character I was particularly fond of, I thought the ending was perfect. 

MY KIND OF HAPPY BY CATHY BRAMLEY

• I thought this book was fabulous, it captured me from the first page so much so that I didn't want to put it down! Fearne is trying to process the loss of her brother the year before the story begins, and while watching other people moving on with their lives, she realises her own life isn't making her quite as happy as she could be.
• Once she realises she wants to make her love of flowers a more central part of her life, she begins to discover what her kind of happy really is and this totally transforms her life. I loved how Cathy Bramley was able to create some really multi dimensional characters, even peppering in characters from previous novels to create a great sense of community. 

                                                 

              

    What's been on your bookshelf this month?