Skincare: Liz Earle

Liz Earle is a brand which I have been using for the past year and it is a brand which often receives high praise - and quite rightly so. The products are so gentle yet effective. I've been following the 'cleanse, tone & moisturise' regime and I wouldn't change it for anything. When I first tried the infamous cleanse and polish I found it really weird to put a cleanser on to dry skin as before I would wet my face, however this way is a lot more fuss free than getting water everywhere. The cleanser really does disintegrate any makeup on my face and leaves my skin feeling very revitalised amd refreshed. I love the feeling of a hot muslin cloth/flannel on my face - so soothing!

The toner and moisturiser are equally as loved by me. The toner works really well in getting any remaining grime off my face and the cooling properties leave my face very refreshed and helps to combat any puffiness. The moisturiser is one of the best moisturisers I have ever used. A little goes a long way and really hydrates my face. It is quite a light consistency which is Percy for the daytime when I don't want my face feeling heavy. My skin absorbs it so fast and never goes tight after using it: I love it when I can feel a cream hydrating my face. It's such a good moisturiser and I will always continue to repurchase it.

The exfoliatior is amazing. It has tiny tiny beads in which really work at removing any dead cells in a very gentle way. It's not at all abrasive and doesn't leave my skin red or irritated. It exfoliates and buffs the skin so well and leaves my face glowing and very soft. I use it 2-3 times per week depending on the condition of my skin at that time and it never dries out my skin! I love it.

Liz Earle is definitely one of my favourite skincare brands and you can see why it has won so many awards!

Have you any tried Liz Earle products? What did you think?

I hope you've enjoyed reading,

Holly x

Insanity

Today I thought I would do another fitness related post. A few weeks before Christmas, my mum, my sister and myself decided to take part in an insanity class. It was so hard, but we persevered through it and came out feeling very impressed with ourselves that we actually managed to survive the hour long class. The following morning I was extremely stiff and sore which was quite a surprise for me as I am usually very resilient.

The class comprimises of 4 rounds (excluding warm up and cool down) of 4 exercises repeated 3 times for 30 seconds each with a 30 sec break in bewteen every 4 exercises. It is a classic example of HIIT training. It pushes you to the max and the last round is always 10 minutes focusing solely on abs - it's a killer.

We've been going at least once a week and we've all noticed a huge improvement in our fitness and stamina levels and it really is quite exhilarating to do. I love going and it's not something I can see us stopping anytime in the near future. I really want to try the DVD now.

Have you tried an insanity workout? What did you think?

                                                            I hope you've enjoyed reading,

Holly x

My Wishlist

My wishlist is forever growing and at the moment, I have quite an extensive one so I thought I would share a couple of the items that I would love to get my hands on.

Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette
I already have the naked 3 palette and I absolutely love it however I really want the original. I have heard so many people saying they prefer the original and being someone who prefers warmer tones, this palette will be right up my street. The colours are beautiful and I can imagine the formula being amazing too. This will hopefully be the palette I use when doing my prom makeup!

BECCA - Under Eye Brightening Corrector
I have really dark circles under my eyes and so anything that claims to cover them I am all for. From testing it in store, it is a fairly thick consistency however that doesn't bother me at all. It is very full coverage yet still claims to be brightening so is certain to make even my tired eyes look more awake!

Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder Brush
I've had my eye on this brush for a while now and I'm desperate to get my hands on it. It is a staple in many people's collections and the reviews say this is a great brush. Bobbi Brown brushes are amazing quality and this brush is known for picking up just the right amount of product. Also I expect this is a great multi-task brush for powder, highlighter or blusher so would be perfect for me.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder
Again, this is a powder that is raved about amongst many bloggers. It is said to give a 'candlelight glow' and anything that gives a dewy sheen to the skin - I'm all for. Again, this is something I have swatched in store and the texture and colours are dreamy! I have my eye on Dim Light - it looks incredible. Think I need to start saving my pennies!

They are just a few out of the mammoth bunch of products I have on my wishlist. What's on your wishlist?

I hope you've enjoyed reading, 

Holly x

Beauty: Natalie

At Christmas, I was a very lucky girl to be treated to one of the Nars Audacious Lipsticks from my bestfriend Chloe. I chose the shade Anita at first however after realising it was very similar to a mac lipstick I own, I swapped it for Natalie.

Nars describe Natalie as a a flamingo pink and it certainly looks it in the bullet. I find if you dab the colour on, you get a lovely wash of colour which just emphasises your natural lip colour - almost a my lips but better shade. However straight from the bullet it is a lovely bright coral which brightens up my face and makes my eyes pop. It is a shade that will be a staple in the spring and summer seasons.

In terms of formula, it is very creamy yet still looks matte. It is not at all drying although you need to be careful if your lips are already dry as it can emphasise cracks in the lips. I find putting on a lip balm before applying the lipstick prevents this from happening. Once it is on and has settled,it doesn't go anywhere. I find that if I only have a very sheer layer on, it needs topping up every 3-4 hours, but if I wear it normally, it lasts longer.

I think it is an absolutely amazing lipstick and I really want to try some others from the collection!

What are your opinions on the Nars Audacious Lipsticks? What's your favourite colour?

Thanks for reading, 

Holly x

Bardonecchia, Italy. February 2015

Sunbathing before afternoon lessons.

Made some friends on the slopes.

The entire group.

Torch Light Descent.

Gorgeous view from our room!

As you may remember from my Travel Essentials post, last week I was in Italy skiing so I thought I would dedicate a blog post to the holiday and share some of my favourite photos.

We began our travelling around midday on valentines day and arrived at our hotel around 11pm. The following morning we were greated by the most incredible view from our balcony. The morning consisted of ski fit followed by lessons. We had 4 hours of lessons per day. Ski fit was interesting to say the least - in a very tight space, with lots of people, carrying very heavy equipment. We all came to the conclusion that the boots were heavy and uncomfortable and the skis were extremely difficult to carry.

Our first lesson was all of us stepping up the slopes sideways - more difficult than it sounds.

For the first 2 and a half days, my group stayed on the baby slopes as none of us could go for more than 5 minutes without falling over. We even fell over on the lift going up the slopes.

Once we went up the chairlifts on to the blue, red and even black slopes, all of our confidence grew massively and our skills deve

loped so much. We were the most improved group *pats self on back*.

Our instructor Umberto was amazing. Our 6 days skiing were filled with 'MAMMA MIA' and 'THAT'S AMORE' as we zoomed down the slopes.

Each night before sleep, Chloe and Maria had all of us in our room in fits of laughter up until the point where I nearly wet myself. We had some very interesting moments in which privacy was never thought about. Being the tidiest room, we had all 21 of us in each night we did a quiz and needless to say our room won the pizza! Of course you have to have pizza in Italy! There were plenty of raves on the baclonies with other rooms and other schools. Plenty of snowball fights and plenty of sunbathing! I never would have thought the sun would be that hot in such a cold place. Most of the days we were skiing with one layer and a coat as were getting that hot. It certainly beats England's weather! One of the highlights is definitely bumboarding and watching everyone come down in one big line and falling over. Oh and my leg landing on top of Kaitlyn and us hurtling towards the bottom!

It has been such a good trip despite the tiredness and the achy legs. I've learnt that I can stay in a room for 7 nights with 4 other girls and cope. Also that I can put up with my sister and bestfriend throughout anything. I have made so many friends that I will always talk to around school now. Definitely a trip to remember! Bring on next time.