All the fun of the fair....

All the fun of the fair.... by rayray180496 featuring rose gold jewelry

I styled these two outfits with summer county fairs in mind. Both outfits I think look cute enough to wear out and about but are also comfy and practical for a day out as well! All the items can be mixed and matched to create different outfits that all look great and make it easy to be out and about without worrying about your outfit getting ruined. 

When I'm out I tend to go for shorts which is why both outfits have shorts but both could just as easily be pared with a nice skirt and still look really polished and up to date. I went with fairly neutral, earthy tones for the first outfit and a pop of colour in the second as I think these two tones of colour look great by themselves and also mixed together in spring/summer time.

Travel Makeup....

Recently I've been travelling a lot so I thought it might be fun to show you guys what was in my carry on make up and skin care wise...

This was my clear zip lock bag (as you can see it was pretty crammed!)

Neal's Yard Remedies Power Berry Facial Mask....

This is great for just calming down skin and doubles as a great exfoliator when washed off the skin.

Benefit creaseless cream shadow in r.s.v.p.....

Maybelline one by one volume express, Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss in 330 Snog, No7 Liplicious in sweet peaches....

The mascara was a little too clumpy but it did hold a curl pretty well and it was fairly inexpensive and did its job so I guess I can't really complain!

Rimmel London Stronger base coat....

I picked this up at the airport and was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked as a base coat and again pretty inexpensive...bonus!

4head, Arm and Hammer advance white toothpaste....

I get horrible headaches so that's the first one and the second, easily my favourite toothpaste ever!

Liz Earle Super Skin Concentrate, Liz Earle Spot On Roll On (discontinued)....

I applied the super skin concentrate to my skin before take off and ended up with no dry patches on landing 

L'Occitane Hand Cream in Hibiscus Flower...

Best hand cream on the market right now. Hands down!

Alien Aqua Chic perfume...

My mum gave this to me on the way to the airport as a belated birthday gift and I love it! The scent just sticks to you which is great for travelling because it means you don't end up smelling like the inside of a  plane when you land!

Rimmel London Kate lipstick in 08....

A nice drugstore fleshy pink that can easily make your lips look finished and goes with pretty much anything...(smells good too!)

Dior skin perfecting hydrating concealer, Dior Airflash Foundation....

These two products are just an easy way to a finished face in the morning and last pretty much all day 

How to style....neon jeans

So, the way that I have been styling my neon pink jeans is by teaming them with a great contrasting top. Most of the time this ends up being green of some sort or black/ white tops that I have if I want a more toned down outfit. I've tried to do this more often than not to avoid going overboard with the whole neon trend and keep it to a fairly easy to dress up and down. In the line of accessories I have stuck to my usual set of bracelets that are on my arm plus a few neon wrap bracelets, just to keep the pop of colour running through the outfit. I have also been using my neon accessories to brighten up more neutral outfits and just make them look a little bit more, fun! In the line of bags I think it really depends how adventurous you are! For me I'm happy with a nude or toned down tribal print bag, (as above) but I think if you pair a neon bag that goes with the outfit well they can often really make the outfit pop!

So that's how I'm styling neons this season, I hope you enjoyed this!

Gluten and Dairy free diets.....Do they work?

So, recently there has been a lot of hype about the amazing advantages of cutting out dairy and gluten from your everyday diet so naturally I thought I'd give it a try. Although I didn't drink dairy milk before I did really enjoy cheese and yoghurt so initially this was a little hard to do but I must say after two months the results are certainly worth it!

Although I was initially sceptical about how making such a drastic change in your diet could possibly have a good effect on you, but also during this time I discovered I was gluten intolerant so was advised to remove this from my diet as well. I did give it a go and I have found that the improvement in my skin was worth the sacrifice. Not only have my breakouts reduced significantly, they have also got smaller being more like one small spot rather than a whole breakout. And although I have seen an improvement in my skin I have not seen any weight loss so I would suggest not doing this for purely weight loss purposes.

My opinion on the diet is still somewhat mixed though as although I have seen an improvement in my skin I'm not entirely sure whether that is from cutting out gluten as well, which I feel would probably a little too far for many people out there, but either way I personally have seen an improvement which was worth the sacrifice, to the point where I am continuing a mainly dairy free diet (apart from the occasional low fat yoghurt!). I would say that if you are going to do this then ease yourself into it and don't just cut it all out in one day. By doing things slowly you will reduce cravings for your favourite dairy products as you replace them and also will find it less of a shock when you do complete the switch to a completely dairy free diet.

So, there you have it that's my view on the dairy and gluten free diets. I hope you find this useful,

take care.

My Holy Grail Cleanser...

It has to be said I'm a little bit beauty obsessed and find myself trying new products all the time, but there is one cleanser that I have found myself going back to A LOT! It is the Lis Earle cleanse and polish range and for some of you it may be a name that is already well known but anyway I thought I'd give my thoughts on the range.

First of all the quality of the range is great, the packaging is clean cut and classy looking and instantly recognisable. The cleanser itself has a nice calming effect on the skin and leaves the skin feeling clean and moisturised after being used rather than tight and dry. I have very oily to combination skin and have found this to be a great way of calming my skin, although it did take time (around 2 months I think), the change in my skin was extremely noticeable. This cleanser does do an amazing job at clearing up acne and spot prone skin which is a real bonus!

The price is a little steep I guess (£13 for a starter package) but, you do get 2 muslin cloths included which is great. I personally have switched to using the cleanser with my clarisonic to get my skin smoother etc. for summer but the cloth does a good job of clearing out any blocked pores when you use it with hot water (all instructions are included though).

I also really enjoy using their moisturiser for oily/ combination skin which is in this range to finish up my daily routine. This is one of the only moisturisers that I have tried that i can use that doesn't break my out or make me oily and feels super light on the skin until it's soaked in. So as you can tell I have well and truly caught the Liz Earle bug and although this is sad I decided to show you just how badly I now have it!

Take care
xx

April Favourites

April Favourites by rayray180496 featuring skinny leg jeans

Although this favourites is a little late I can't see the harm in posting it...so here goes!

Tribal print vest top: 

I have been really enjoying this trend as I find it  great way to put a load of colour into your outfit without having to worry about it looking a little to wacky and out there. Also this top is so comfortable that I have worn it an awful lot from when i bought it! these tops are very easy to dress up by throwing on a blazer or smarter jacket or dressing them down with just jeans and a cardigan if it's a little cold!

Coral jeans:

Again these are a great way to brighten up your outfit without worrying about going overboard. I live in jeans and leggings around this time of year so finding something other than black or denim blue is a great way to mix up your wardrobe for spring and there are loads on the market in high street stores that are an absolute steal! 

Clutch bags: 

This clutch from all saints is one of my favourites but I have been loving clutch bags in general this month. I'm not  sure why but they have caught my eye a lot this month and I have used them as much as I can without going overboard. My other favourites include a nice nude, black and tan coloured clutch as they are the three colours that go with pretty much anything and that i would recommend getting a clutch bag in if you are looking to invest in one!

Nude wedges:

As the shortest one out of my friends I end up wearing heels a lot! But, when your out and about even the comfiest pairs end up hurting...(I have bad ankles after an accident last year). So, I invested in a pair of nude wedges from ALDO and I am now in love with them. They are nude so go with pretty much everything that I have been wearing lately but are very comfortable to walk in for long periods of time which is great. They again are great fro dressing up and down and are easy to work into most outfits. 

Dior Airflash Foundation:

This is a great lightweight foundation for spring and summer. Although it is a little bit expensive I do think it is worth the investment if you are willing to make it.

Dior Addict Lipstick:

Again a little bit pricey BUT this lipstick does have great pigmentation when its applied. I have been wearing this underneath a gloss just to give it a little but of a younger fresher look during the day or as a more matt lipstick rather than a standard application but it looks great when applied by itself without any alterations too! The staying power could be a bit better but the formation of the lipstick is great and feels lovely when applied. 

Chanel Mascara: 

This mascara gives great length and a little volume to lashes which I really love. It also hold a curl really well which is great when I'm out for dinner or something and would rather not have to re-do my lashes. Again a little bit of an investment but I really love this mascara and the classy look it give lashes when it's applied. 

Essie nail polish:

And finally, I currently have this colour on my toes and I love it! It's in the shade midnight cami by essie and has a lovely green/blue reflex in the light. It is just one of those colours that looks good paired with most things as it is just plain but with a little something to stop it feeling too wintery.

I have also liked stacking bangles and bracelets on my wrists/arms when I'm getting an outfit together because I think it really just completes the outfit.

And so there you have it my April favourites! I hope you enjoyed this post and please feel free to leave comments etc...

smj 

Just a little catch up...

So, first of all I want to apologise for the weeks hat have gone by without anything on this blog! I have been travelling visiting family in England lately with no wi-fi :( i wanted to say that I was truley touched by one lovely comment that came through as I landed which really inspired me to carry on blogging, but this does of course mean there are numerous posts that are on their way so please enjoy the next few days of blogging overload!

smj
x