Converting to Flickr

I say converting, there was really no such thing, but I've used Flickr for the first time to store some blog pictures, and you know what, I really like it. It never really occurred to me to host my pictures on a site, but when I read about Brittany from life, set sail saying that's where she stored her's, then it kinda stuck in my mind. It's where some bloggers that I really admire store there's before transferring them onto their blog, so I thought, why not? New things, whilst very exciting, can be very overwhelming, so I casually looked into Flickr before running scared, but now, I joined and uploaded. Gasp. It was actually really simple, so I feel like a slight idiot for shying away from it for a good while, but oh well, I've seen the light. 

I used to just upload my pictures from my laptop onto Blogger, and that was that. Job done, nothing else to concern myself about, but now. Things seem brighter and sharper, which is always an awesome thing, right? Flickr has had its first outing in this post, so I thought I'd introduce it, kinda like it's a casual friend, not a boyfriend or anything. Cough. Awkward. Anyway, I'm quite enjoying Flickr, as well as the fact that you can choose the width of the pictures on your post, it's just a quick rehash of the html code, and boom, it's all sorted. I do quite adore this size, although I foresee larger pictures when I get my blog design done once again, as although this one has served me very well (thanks to the amazing and gorgeous Amy from srslylou for that) I feel like a change is in order. Nothing too serious, just some widening of the blog posts so it can accommodate some laaaarge pictures, because I do love a good bit of detail in my pictures, and I just like to snoop on others. Hehe.

So, this is Flickr meeting my blog. What do we think? Thumbs up? Down? Sideways? Let's give it some time, and see what happens. Do you use Flickr, or isn't it your thing? 

Remembering Rimmel's Jazz Funk

This was my Summer colour last year, but this year, it's been pushed aside for some rather fierce coral's and blues, and hasn't made it out of the drawer; until now. Dun dun duuuuuun. I wonder how  could ever have forgotten about such a colour, as... it's a bit wow, being bright fuchsia pink and all that. I'd forgotten how much I loooooved the formulation of Rimmel's Salon Pro polishes, which are opaque after the second coat and chip resistant with a good top coat for the best part of a week. A week, I tell you. There's something so wonderful about wearing this colour on my fingertips - I think it just reminds me of long lazy summer days, where the nights were warm and spent with friends; it's kinda the same now, but where's the warmth? It's pretty much rain central, here in West Wales. Cheers for that, August. 

This polish first came to my attention in Boots, but I passed it off as not my kinda colour, but when Estée from EssieButton wore it in one of her video's, I was sold! I think there's something about seeing it on someone that changes your mind about a polish, and I'm certainly very glad that I did. The formulation is amazing, it's one of those 'One coat is a bit wishy washy, but two coats and I'm sold! I'll have one in every colour' kinda polishes, which are my favourite - the second coat is always the moment where I end up going 'oooooh' or 'oh, that's rubbish'. The second coat is make or break, but this polish passes with flying colours. They retail at £4.49 (here) which I think is amazing considering the colour payoff, as well as the amount of wear you can get from the polish. This colour was adored last summer, and ever since I applied it a few days ago, I've fallen in love with it yet again - short nails, long nails, everything looks wonderful dressed in Fuchsia, and boy does this formula shine on the nails. A top coat is essential, but by itself, it still gets a good few days wear without any noticeable wear on the tips. 

This is one of my numerous selection from the Kate Moss collection of Salon Pro polishes and I'm so glad I managed to dig it out, and step away from my beloved Essie, which I've been wearing a great deal too much... although, can you ever really wear Essie too much? Nope, I didn't think so either. Is this a colour that speaks to you? Do you remember the obsession with Hip Hop and Soul Session from last year?

Almond Breeze Mocha Iced Coffee

I know that I don't really do posts related to food, or drink, but this stuff is so good, and it's been sitting in my fridge, goading me into writing a post about it. So here I go. This stuff, is awesome. Dairy free has always bee a big draw for me, especially as I'm a huuuuge fan of Almond Milk, so much so, I've cut out regular milk altogether, and this has become my staple with cereal and just generally when I fancy a glass of milk. I know the whole idea of cutting out dairy is quite a scary prospect, which is why I haven't cut it out altogether, because, let's face it, cheese is too good and should always be consumed. Damn you cheese for being so amazing and tasty. 

Anyway, back to this. I tend to switch between Almond, Hazelnut and Coconut Milk generally, but with coffee, it's usually Soy milk, as yes, it's the only one they have in Starbucks (don't get me started on the lack of Almond Milk in coffee shops) and I never drink coffee at home - but this little beauty, is totally changing the game. Iced Coffee has always held a big sway over me, so when I saw this in Tesco I bought one almost immediately. The next day, I bought four more and haven't looked back since. They're a little pick-me-up when I need it, and the lack of dairy is just a winner for me. As well as not having any dairy, it has no Gluten, Peanuts or MSG, which I'm not intolerant to, but hey, it makes it healthier for you, so what's not to like about that?

It has that instant coffee kick, but it's not bitter at all, which is the main thing about coffee that I'm not a big fan of - it's quite creamy and easy to drink, so much so that I can drink it in a minute or so, and just have that gentle buzz for the rest of the day. Or I can drink half and put it back in the fridge to drink later, but my favourite way to drink it, is on a hot day over ice; which makes it a bit more fancy in my opinion, and has me feeling quite sophisticated, despite the fact I may still be wearing my pyjamas and sitting in my conservatory. I posted a snap of it on Instagram, and it got a lot of attention, so I thought why not write a post on it? It's obviously something that interests the general public who like Dairy free things, so I decided to spread the word and recommend it to those who fancy something easy to drink without the Dairy/Gluten worries. I'm going to go and drink the rest of mine, and I hope that if you ever come across it, it might strike your interest (: This is the Mocha version, but there is also a Cappuccino drink that I have yet to try. Undoubtedly, when I do buy it, it'll be on my Instagram (@ohkalukalay).

The Life Update, Birthday Month.

Ahhhh, July. It's been good, but now, as we move into August, it's time to reflect back. July, has been pretty good, surprisingly enough, and I know birthdays are meant to be all fancy, with bells and whistles on them, but that's never been my style; low key birthdays are my kinda thing, so I never really get too excited about them. But what has been making me happy this month, is first of all, paying off my student overdraft, which I've been doing slowly over the past year, so yay for that. I know it's really lame to get excited about that, but hey, that's me, lame. I did have some pretty good cake on my birthday, Lemon Drizzle (oh yeah) and it was just lovely, low key and food with my family - kinda just what I wanted.

But you know what else is making me happy, and I'm going to be really cliched and say it's a guy. A guy is making me happy, and nope, it's not Captain America, although he does make me pretty happy (FREEDOM and all that jazz), but it's an actual guy. I know I haven't spoken about anyone on this blog, because if you've been reading me for a while, then you know how hard last year was for me, with the death of my Grandparents, and then the breakup from 'he who must not be named'. But yeah, I don't want to say too much, as we've only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but he really makes me happy, and that's the most important thing, right? I think I spent so long not really realising how unhappy I was (it's ironic that I actually thought I was happy) but apparently, you can hear the difference in my voice - and it may work out, it may not, I'm just going to focus on being as happy as possible. He's pretty darn lovely, and we just get along so well, he really does make me happy.

And what's a post on this blog without a little recount of what products have been making me happy this month? Caudalie's Beauty Elixir, Vaseline's Spray Moisturiser, Nuxe's Reve de Miel lip balm, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Red Pepper and Bourjois' Magic Nail Polish Remover. All of these products have just been really wonderful, and although I do have a few more to include in my monthly favourites, these are the ones that have really stood out for me.

I just wanted to include a little update, just to let you guys know what's going on with me and I'll be getting back to my blogging soon. Much love xx

My Little Essential Travel Items.

If you're jetting off somewhere lovely, I am inherently jealous, because I'm not going anywhere, but that doesn't stop a girl from dreaming, right? I want to jet off to a city somewhere like Barcelona or Vienna... but sigh, I won't be, so let me give you a little travel essential post if I were to be jetting off somewhere. I had a good long think about this, because you don't necessarily need a great deal of items with you, but you've gotta have ones that do multiple things, so let's get chatting about these beauties.

                

Let's start off with an all rounder. Nuxe's Huile Prodigieuse oil (£28, here), which I purchased from Paris, and it's awesome at everything. I use it on my hair, my dry elbows, my dry cuticles, dry patches on my skin... basically if I have a dry spot, this oil goes on it, and makes everything all glowy and lovely again. Because of its all natural goodness, I don't feel hesitant at all to put this on my skin, so it's basically the best multi-purpose oil for travelling, and a complete essential for me. Plus, I really like the packaging, and the way it looks in my hand when I hold it, is that weird?

Continuing on the skincare route, we have Una Brennan's Vitamin C Brightening Eye Cream (On offer for £8.66, here) which is a gorgeous moisturising cream, and I love slathering it on before going to sleep. Whether it brightens or not is still to be seen, but it leaves my under eyes looking moisturised and feeling good. I have horrifically bad dark circles under my eyes (damn you hereditary genes! *shakes fist*) and this makes them look nice when combined with about three different concealers. Yes, I use three different ones, but if I'm having a good day, then it's just one (: I love days like that.

Last but not least for skincare, is Caudalie's Beauty Elixir (On offer for £30.40, here) which is pretty one of my favourite ever products, as it's just so glorious, you know? It's so refreshing and it makes me feel revived, whether after waking up, or after a long day. This stuff is the business, and I can't imagine my skincare routine without it. There was a sad few weeks between the end of my small bottle and the purchase of this large one, and they were very sad, and my skin suffered for it. I think my skin just looks brighter, and I love that: dull looking skin is always a bad thing in my book, so getting my glow on is why I covet this stuff. 

Makeup wise, there are two little products that have been setting my heart aflutter over the past few weeks, and you've probably read all about them in the blogging world, but they are the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Red Pepper(£8.99, here) and Clinique's Cheek Pop Blush in Peach Pop(£16.50, here). These are just two products that have been doing their job so well, I pretty much throw them in my travel makeup bag when I'm going out for the day, they don't let me down. Their staying power, as well as colour payoff is wonderful - I'm seriously considering another blush and I own four of the Bourjois Velvet Lipsticks, they're just so really wonderful, I can't help but sing their praises whenever I use them, or someone asks me about them. Except no one has to really ask me about them... I'll just say 'Have you seen those Bourjois lipsticks/Clinique blushes?'. Yeah, the girls in work know to ask me about makeup or skincare. They're fully aware of my addiction. 

Now, you can't forget the nails on a trip, so what better than two amazing products to guarantee the perfect manicure, or the easiest way ever to take it off when you're bored of it? Enter Seche Vite Fast Dry top coat (£9, here) and Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover (£4.99, here) for doing the really essential tasks that we kinda take for granted. Want nail polish that won't chip for days on end? Look no further than Seche Vite. Want the quickest and cleanest way to remove nail polish? It's gotta be this Bourjois pot of wonder. They're both so very easy to use, which is exactly what you want for low maintenance nails when you're travelling. What are your travelling essentials?

My City Pharma, Paris Purchases

Ahhh Paris. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about, right? Just say it with me, ahhhh Paris. And if you haven't been there, believe me, you will at some point say, ahhh Paris. It's just a magical place full of magical things like Sephora and the humble Pharmacie, but what we're going to be talking about, it the mother of all Parisian Pharmacie's, and it's called City Pharma. 26 Rue de Four in Saint Germain, it is wall to wall full of wonderful products. Caudalie, Nuxe, Bioderma, Embryolisse, La Roche Posay, Eucerin and Vichy are all up for grabs in the almost claustrophobic aisles, and if you can get near the shelves, have a browse. That brings me to a very important point. It's busy there. Maddeningly busy. Get there early, keep your personal belongings close and use one of the bags they provide. Don't be afraid to say 'excuse me' a lot, and smile, it will diffuse a lot of overheated situations. At the tills, there is no orderly form of a queue, so jump right in, and wait in a straight line behind your chosen till. Your time will come. 

I hit the sections that I knew I wanted items from, because browsing was a bad idea, because I couldn't get near the shelves. From Nuxe it had to be their Huile Prodigieuse oil (£28, here), which is a multipurpose dry oil, that can be used on hair, skin and face alike. It immediately went into my basket as soon as I saw it, and moments later, all of the remaining ones were taken by a wonderfully stylish elderly French lady, who had an appropriate amount of Bioderma and Eucerin in her basket (yes, I looked. sorrynotsorry). This oil is something that is a definite travel companion, as dryness is something I suffer from, so why not just pop on a bit of this and carry on? Dry patches of skin can be more irritating that anything else, so this is a wonderful bottle of golden goodness. Another two products from the brand are their, ugh, amazing Reve de Miel lip balms, one in pot form (£9.50, here), the other in a stick (£5.50, here)- both of which are glorious and should be worn by everyone who has ever moaned about dry lips.

La Roche-Posay's Serozinc (£5.06, here) is something I'm sure you're familiar with on this blog, because I looooove it a ridiculous amount, because it soothes my reddened skin and helps to deal with the oiliness of it as well, total win-win. I actually bought four bottles of this stuff... and at €4 each,  they were worth lugging around Paris. I wrote about this last year and I'm still in love with is, so much so, I wouldn't double tone with anything else. It's so cooling and refreshing, so much so, I spritzed my dad's face with it when we were driving through France, and he did say that it was nice and light on the skin, non drying and 'good' (which means a lot coming from him).

Ah, Caudalie. Where would I be without you? My first bottle of this perfection, was small and used up within a month, but this, this is the big bottle and something I adore so much, it's almost painful. I don't even really know what it smells like, but it reminds me of fresh citrus and a crisp breeze on a warm day. I know that sounds a bit silly, but you have to try it to know what I mean. I use this after my oil/serum but before my moisturiser, to give a little boost before locking in all the goodness before I go to sleep. My bedtime routine suffers without it, so this is an absolute repurchase. The fact that it costs £30 for 100ml makes me wince, but some things are worth it, right?

Now, I was used to seeing Bioderma in those pretty pink tipped bottles, but the green tipped ones are for oily skin, and meant to not irritate the skin or upset its balance, thereby causing the production of more sebium. This 250ml bottle retails at £9.99 and the pack I purchased contained two, so if you're going to Paris, it's definitely worth purchasing the two pack, as not only does it save you money, but you get double the amount of product. This will be having its own little review up on the blog soon, so watch out for it.

Last, but not least, is Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre, a favourite of Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo, and even though we have different skin types, I was determined to pick up a little tube of this to try, so I popped it into my bag as soon as I saw it. It's a thick, creamy moisturiser that sits well and sinks into the skin - I don't want to give too much away, as I'm still in the process of reviewing it, but I like it so far. It's a shame I don't know where it can be purchased in this country, so if anyone has any links, I'd love to include them in this post. I know French Skincare is quite dreamy and something not a lot of people, outside of blogger are familiar with, in this country, so I would definitely recommend Escentual for your perusal, as not only does it have reviews of each product, but numerous bloggers purchase products from there, including myself, so I trust it as a website. What French Pharmacy goodies are garnering your interest?

June Favourites 2014

June favourites, huh? Yes, it's July and... bloody pouring it down, but everyone likes a good favourites post, right? This is a little mixture of skincare and makeup, as well as a few jewellery pieces thrown in for a little bit of decoration. I do love a bit of decoration. But first, let's talk skincare.

Caudalie, Estee Lauder and Una Brennan. Three fabulous products that have been serving me well all month, especially with the changing weather. Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Serum and Una Brennan's Vitamin C Eye Cream were both packed away and taken to Paris with me, but this ugh, amazing bottle of Caudalie was purchase from City Pharma, which has to be the place of pilgrimage for Beauty bloggers and Beauty obsessives alike. I didn't know it existed until I read about it on a blog, and not only is it cheaper, but it has shelves stocked full of goodies. Getting near those shelves is the main issue, as well as paying. QUEUE? WHAT QUEUE? DO THE FRENCH KNOW HOW TO QUEUE? In essence, no they don't. I'm British, I will queue to get to a queue, but the French. No. That was the most stressful part of the shopping experience. But back to the goodies. 

Caudalie's Beauty Elixr is wonderful, and spritzed on after my serum and oil, but before my moisturiser - and it's refreshing, and lovely - basically, it's all the good words. Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Serum is something that most bloggers know of, but haven't necessarily tried, as it is quite expensive - however, it is lovely, calming, skin smoothing stuff, which my skin reacts to very well. Because my skin is quite oily, however, applying this every night is a bit much for me, so I stick to three times a week, or when my skin really needs it. If you have this, as well as dry skin, let me know what you think. It'd be fabulous to have another opinion on a different skin type. Una Brennan's Vitamin C Eye Cream is some seriously lovely stuff - moisturising but not too heavy or greasy, it sinks in and I don't know about brightening, because I have very bad dark circles anyway, but I really do like it, so I'd gladly recommend it to anyone. 

The makeup choices are very exciting, in my opinion, as not only can you create any eye look with Makeup Revolution's Redemption Palette Essential Mattes, I tend to go for something smoky and somewhat defined through the crease but the pigmentation allows you to build up intensity as well, so you can go subtle or all out glamorous. A brilliant product and an absolute steal at £4, which I picked up online from Superdrug (here). Seriously. £4 for all that amazingness! Ugh, go buy it. Buy all of it. I'm such an enabler, I know. 

Next up we have my go-to lipstick from Revlon, called Pink in the Afternoon (£7.49, here) and it's this delicate, soft pink that I would never usually go for, but it's so easy to wear. I just slick it on, and go. Simple as that. It doesn't require a great amount of effort, as a brighter colour would, so much so, I sometimes apply it without a mirror before doing a quick 'once over' with my fingertip. It's hassle free and the soft, almost rose pink would be complimentary to most skin tones, it something I would definitely recommend swatching. Maxfactor's Facefinity All day Primer (£10.99, here) has been my go to ever since I've bought it, and even though I do like to switch things up with my Revlon Photoready Primer, this has been a staple for me. It instantly smoothes as it goes on and provides a wonderful, matte base for my foundation, and as I have oily skin, it works wonders as giving my face products that extra staying power. 

Clinque Cheek Pop in Peach Pop is a gorgeous, gorgeous colour, and something I raved about in this review, and I just can't stop reaching for it every morning. I use it almost everyday, and the imprint of the lovely flower is still there, which appeases my aesthetic side who was very sad when I had to use it the first time. The colour is divine, and can be built up for a bigger 'pop' of colour, or worn as a sublet flush on the cheek. I think I run the risk of reviewing this all over again, so check out the link, and read my glowing review of it. You can purchase the blusher for £16.50 here and there are four wonderful colours to choose from, I think my next foray into Clinique will be the 'Ginger' or 'Berry' pop. 

Last, but not least, is Soap & Glory's 'Glow all Out' Luminizing Radiance face Powder (£11, here) and it's something I blogged about a while back, and I still love it, result? It just gives some much needed life and colour to my skin, which is always pale after my foundation and concealer. I think it just lifts my look, making me look alive and maybe even a bit flushed, based on how heavy handed I am when I apply it. It's a soft peachy, coral that looks gorgeous on the skin and it's another product I cannot help but recommend. What were your June favourites?