A Fresh Faced April | Elizabeth Arden

Hello everyone! So, I thought I'd up my skincare game because because my skin has absolutely hated me these past months, I've never had to worry about spots, dry skin, oily skin and redness but recently I've had all of those problems so thank you skin, thank you very much! Therefore I thought I'd take extra good care of my skin so I delved into the world of Elizabeth Arden and I'm in so deep I don't think I'll be coming back any time soon.

Skin Balancing Toner 

If you have combination skin like I do it's really important to use a toner which is alcohol free because the alcohol can really dry out your skin and prevents the balancing factors that your skin needs. I feel this toner really gives my skin the right amount that it needs. This toner works over time to really help with oily skin problems, the result is clean skin that feels soft, soothed and refreshed, I use this toner after I have cleansed with my Elizabeth Arden cleanser and it's important to use this daily as part of your regime to notice a difference in your skin. I do feel a very light stinging every time I use this but I take that as it's working because it's reduced the redness which I especially had on my cheeks so much.

Optimising skin serum 

This product is used to improve skins clarity and tone, I like to apply this before my lotion and I feel that it really absorbs into the skin because it's very light and a little really goes a long way. This product uses a retinyl complex which gently helps to retexturise the skin which I feel has drastically helped in making my skin look a lot more healthy and glowing. After using these products for almost 2 months my skin feels a lot softer and the dry patches and redness I found that my skin was very blotchy and red and since using these that has calmed down drastically.

Skin Balancing Lotion

Firstly I love how light this lotion is, it's very easy to absorb into the skin and a little goes a long way. The scent is cucumber which makes it really refreshing on the face. Because this lotion is oil free it's great for my combination skin. It contains botanical extracts which really help to keep the skin hydrated which is something my skin seriously lacked, also because it's very hydrated I feel it's really reversed the dryness of my skin and it's a lot more smooth and soft than before I was using this product which is a plus. This is definitely a winner in my eyes.

Skin Balancing Exfoliating Cleanser 

My favourite product has to be this skin balancing exfoliating cleaner by far! This has to be the best exfoliater I have ever used, there are bead in the product and I love products with beads in however sometimes I find them too harsh or scratchy but with this product they're very gentle and smooth on the skin when rubbing it in. I found after using it my skin felt revitalised and healthy throughout the day. I feel the micro beads also help to really remove the dead skin and all the dirt that has built up on my face. 

 Elizabeth Arden now has to be by far my favourite skin care range and after using these products for around 2 and a half months now the appearance of my skin has improved so much so I really recommend these products. Firstly I'll use the toner, then the exfoliating cleanser, then the optimising skin serum and lastly the skin balancing lotion and I do this regime morning and night as I feel that's the best for me and so far it's really improved my skin. What Elizabeth Arden products would you recommend? 

Izzy 

♥

Places To Eat | The Cheesecake Factory

Hey guys, I actually I enjoy writing lifestyle themed blog posts a lot more than beauty or fashion based ones, so here's a lifestyle one I guess? 

By far one of the best places I visited food wise when I was in Florida had to be The Cheesecake Factory, I wanted to visit there purely because of the Big Bang Theory but also because WHO DOESN'T LIKE CHEESECAKE. 

The Cheesecake Factory is located in The Mall at Millenia, it was everything I could have dreamed of and more, it was so good we went twice in the two weeks that we were there! You can have everything from cheesecake to crispy crab bites, the choices are endless so if you're not a fan of cheesecake which if you're not...WHAT THE HELL! There's still a lot for you! 

As soon as I walked in the cheesecake that stood out most to me was the Oreo one named 'Oreo Dream Extreme' cheesecake, my mouth is watering just thinking about it, Oreo and cheesecake is definitely an extreme dream!  

 As I said, they don't be fooled by the name they don't just do cheesecake. I also had for my main, this absolutely tasty spicy crispy chicken sandwich with melted cheese all over it and the choice between spicy buffalo sauce or chipolte mayo, of course I went for the spicy buffalo sauce because I love spicy food!  It comes in a brioche bun with either a choice of fries or salad, I haven't got time for salad so obviously I went for the fries, I finished ever little bit of this it was absolutely delicious! 

 My family also went for some absolutely delicious cheesecakes too, my sister went for the red velvet cheesecake which if I ever go again I will definitely be trying because it looks absolutely amazing! It was called 'The Ultimate Red Velvet' cheesecake, I wish I tried it when I was there now. 

 My dad had the 'Fresh Banana Cream' Cheesecake, I'm not a fan of banana flavoured things which is why I didn't like the sound of this one however it looks amazing still, the portion sizes on all the cheesecakes are absolutely massive, when the waitress brought them over I literally couldn't believe the size. If you're a banana love I can see this one being delicious too! Hey dad in the corner! 

My Step Mum decided to go for this gorgeous cheesecake called 'Cherry Cheesecake' the cheesecakes are presented so beautifully too, just look at that cream! 

  The second time I went I didn't have any cheesecake at all, I was probably still stuffed from all the cheesecake I ate when I was there a couple of days before! I went for this chicken salad, I can't quite remember what was in it but it was absolutely delicious and really filled me up which salads don't tend to do, but I mean check out the size of this salad! 

 So basically the point of this post is, if you're ever in Florida go check out this cheesecake factory because you won't be disappointed I promise you'll walk in licking your lips and come out feeling well and truly stuffed! 

Hope you liked this post, 

Izzy 

♥

Motivational Monday | Things I Want To Do This Summer

I finish college soon which is both scary and very
exciting, I'm going to have so much time on my hands I'm not going to know what to do however, I want to use this time effectively bedside I'm starting university in September so I want to achieve a lot of things so I've comprised a list of things that I want to do this summer, so here goes! 

Read a book a month. I absolutely love reading however where work and college take up most of my time currently it takes me a while to read one book, in the summer I am aiming to read a book a month because reading is up there with one of my favourite things to do and I'll have the time to do it. 

Get fit. jogging is something that instantly makes me feel better so in the summer I want to be able to go jogging on a schedule a few times a week because it's a gentle work out and it'll be absolutely gorgeous to go jogging on those beautiful summer evenings don't you think?

Go blonder. something I have wanted to do for a very long time is go a lot blonder than I am, however I want to wait until the summer to see how lighter the sun will naturally turn my hair and if it's not as light as I like I want to book an appointment to go even lighter because I love being a blondie more than anything so why not go even blonder! 

 Do more. by this I mean I want to be out pretty much everyday, even if it's just chilling at the beach, or having a bbq I just want to have plans every day, I don't want to waste a single moment of the summer! Bbq's are my absolute favourite too so even just a simple bbq whilst chilling with a cider will suffice! 

Document everything. I love pictures and taking pictures so I want to take as many pictures as possible of this summer and print them all out at the end to take to uni with me. I want to document all the memories so I can look back at hopefully the best summer I have ever had. 

What plans do you guys have this summer? 

Izzy 

♥

Body Mists | Victoria's Secret

Fragrances are my absolute favourite thing in the whole world, there's nothing better than someone saying "you smell really good" and at the moment I have been really digging fragrance mists because they're so easy to just throw in your bag and be able to spritz over you during the day. In particular I have been in love with these Victoria's Secret body mists. I saw people hyping about them on YouTube but never got round to purchasing them because there isn't a Victoria's secret near me and I didn't just want to judge the scent online and then order them in case I didn't like the scent. I was in Birmingham and at the Bullring shopping centre they have a humongous Victoria's Secret so I went straight in and over to the body sprays and I picked these three out. 

 I chose Coconut Passion, Pure Seduction and Vanilla Lace. What I love about these too is they're are a great size so I think they'll last for a very long time also the scents really stay on the skin for a very long time almost as long as a perfume would be so I'm very very impressed with them.

 Coconut Passion is a mixture of coconut and vanilla which are my two favourite scents combined so I knew I would love this scent and I do, a lot, it also has notes of aloe vera and chamomile so it's a very warm scent. It's my second favourite of the three.

 We then have Vanilla Lace which is my least favourite of the three, I still adore the scent to pieces however if we were ranking them Vanilla Lace would come last, sorry Vanilla Lace. It's a mixture of vanilla and musk, I'm not a fan of musk so I think that's why I don't like this one as much as the other two because I can smell the musk quite strongly, once again it also has aloe vera and chamomile in it. I love the packaging of these too, they look so pretty on my dressing table. 

Last but not least we have Pure Seduction which is by far my favourite of the three, I wish laptops had smellovision because my god this smells good, if you're ever in a Victoria's Secret smell this, even if you can't by it just have a whiff and you'll fall in love. It's just sexy, it's sex in a smell. It's red plum and freesia and it's so fruity and sweet which are my favourite kind of scents. Once again it has chamomile and aloe vera, although I can't smell them at all. I absolutely love this scent and I want every product that smells like this, I always get complemented whenever I spray this, or any of these to be honest because they're so strong and beautiful.

I can't remember exactly how much these were I think it's arounf £11 each and then 3 for something like £25, correct me if I'm wrong but I totally think it's worth it because they're just as strong and long lasting as perfumes and for one perfume it can be double that price and they're so easy just to fling in you're bag! 

Let me know if you like any of the other scents of these sprays as I would love to build a collection of these because I've fallen in love. Thank you so much for reading my blog! 

Izzy 

♥

My favourite candle | Jo Malone

I absolutely love candles, I find them relaxing and I love to light them when I'm just chilling in bed after having a lovely bath. I have wanted to try a Jo Malone candle for so long but couldn't justify the £40 for the candle. 

As a gift my boyfriend bought me a Jo Malone candle in the fragrance 'lavender and lovage' at first I was sceptical because I'm not a fan of lavender however the lovage really helps to make it such a pleasant scent. It also has hints of Rosemary and thyme, this isn't a scent I'd usually go for as I'm much more of a vanilla or sweet scent type of person however I'm glad I was bought a scent that I wouldn't usually buy as it gives me a chance to try different scents than I'm use to. To me, it's got quite a manly scent it's not a feminine scent like I'm used to, I find it very relaxing and therapeutic and you can definitely smell that it's an expensive candle because the scent is so strong and travels round the whole house. I can burn the candle for around 20 minutes and the smell will linger for ages.

 Not only is the scent amazing but the packaging, it looks so classy and I love that, once I'm done with the candle I'm going to use the jar as a make up brush holder because it's a good use of recycling and I think it'll look pretty on my dressing table. Such a lovely spring candle.

What other Jo Malone scents would you recommend ?

Izzy

Hello to my blog...again | New Me

Hello, hi I'm izzy. If you already follow my blog you'll know that however I want to start a fresh, start from the bottom again because I'm in but of a rut. I was reading back through some of my old blog posts and I literally felt myself go read I was so embarrassed. I started a blog with the intention of writing about things I was passionate about and loved talking about, essentially I do do that I just feel I don't put a lot of passion into my posts that I intended too. 

Fashion was my main interest at first and I would say still is and I wanted y blog to be solely fashion based however over the year I got into beauty a lot more and lifestyle I love interiors and homeware and taking pictures of rooms in the house that just look real pretty and I want to blog about that because it's something that I'm passionate about I just feel my posts aren't 100% and don't show enough of me and that's what I want because I absolutely flipping love writing blog posts, who doesn't love a good natter about things they love so here I am introducing myself again and starting fresh on this blog with things I really want to talk about. 

I'm izzy, born Isabel but let's not call me that because I don't particularly like that. I'm 20 years of age and in September I am going to uni to study acting. I don't particularly like long walks on the beach because they make my little legs ache. 

I hope to write many more posts in the future. 

Izzy!

Blush Palette Review | Revolution

I was hearing a lot about the range of make up called 'Revolution' accept I couldn't find it anywhere, I'd heard their palettes were pretty good and decent dupes for more higher end palettes like the Naked palettes. Then the other day when I was browsing my local Super drug I came across the revolution stand and firstly I noticed how bloody cheap it was and how nice the palettes were!
I didn't really need any more palettes though as I've got a few that I already love to use, however blushes on the other hand are something I don't really have a lot of so I had a look at the blush palettes and I fell in love with this one called the 'Hot Spice' palette, I loved every single blush shade in there, especially the two blushes at the end which I knew just by looking at them I was going to use as highlights, they really reminded me of the Mac mineralise blushes.

 The first top left blush I have been using every day as my highlight and I absolutely love it, it gives a really shimmery highlight which is quite silvery and I think it looks beautiful on the skin, the pigmentation of these blushes is really good too, sometimes the colours, especially on the darker shades can come out too bright but once blended they look really natural and beautiful.

 Because of the darker shades in this palette it's perfect for contouring too and you have the beautiful highlighting shades, so not only is it a blush palette but also can be a contouring and highlighting palette too. The blushes are very long lasting too, I may have to pick up some more palettes from this range.

Let me know if you've used any other products in this range too!
Izzy
♥