The Roxy Ball Room Nottingham

Last week I was invited along to the Roxy Ball Room Nottingham opening event, Roxy Ball Room is located above MOJO in Hockley and is really easy to find.

Upon arriving at Roxy, I was pleasantly surprised with the interior designing, it had an upbeat and retro vibe to the place – whilst still feeling laid back, somewhere that you could have a good time with friends.

Around the room were games tables of all different varieties – from ping pong to beer pong!  There were also booths to sit down and have a drink and chat with your friends.  This gets me onto the music – THE MUSIC! From Blink-182 to Eminem, the sound track to the evening was perfect and filled with such nostalgia from an amazing time of my life – think coloured skinny jeans and studded belts era!

We had the opportunity to sample the menus, there were several different cocktails available – my favourite being the Ballzee Move which was their take on the strawberry daiquiri which was perfect alongside their wonderful food, from deliciously gooey pizza to excellently seasoned chicken burgers they had something to suit everyone – those garlic dough balls were on a totally different level of awesome.

My favourite part of the evening, however, was the photobooth which really made me laugh! After a few drinks (Oops!) we clambered into the TINY photobooth and took some very squashed – but fully photos!

I’d recommend going to the Roxy Ball Room to any of my friends and would love to even go back with my work colleagues for a team night out!

Love

Rhia xo

Illamasqua Gel Sculpt Review

I picked up this product in a recent Beauty Bay sale where it was reduced down to £20 (compared to the £25 retail price), I’ve had my eye on this product ever since my friend’s wedding where the makeup artist used it on her and it looked amazing!

The gel itself comes in three shades, two blush shades (Charm and Fluster) and one contour shade called Silhouette.  I was sceptical about buying a contour shade that appeared so dark in the tube as I’m extremely fair skinned, however the reviews on the website were very encouraging explaining that it was a very buildable product and suitable for even the most pale of people.
The product itself is a gel like (hence the name I’m sure!) cream consistency and it comes as a stick, this makes it very user-friendly.  Once applied to the skin it doesn’t feel heavy and it blends out like a dream!  I use this product either on its own without any foundation or on the top of a foundation and both finishes are fantastic.  The one thing that I would say is that I would always apply it before applying any powder products as it won’t blend out and create a “cake” face if applied after powder.

I started off quite hesitant with applying and applied a small amount to where my contour would usually sit (in the hollows of my cheeks) and blended it out, after my initial trial, I realised that I could indeed use more product for a more effective contour without it looking too dark or muddy on my complexion.

After using this a few times I have extended my application to include around my forehead and when going “full-glam” contouring my jawline and nose.

A picture of me and my sister at a family party the other day

I would say that this is an extremely versatile product and well worth the money I spent on it.

Love

Rhia xo

Lancome Teint Idole Foundation Review

Having previously raved about this foundation in my House of Fraser event post, I thought I’d write a post dedicated to this fantastic foundation!

Having been an Estee Lauder Double Wear fanatic since I can remember, it was a shock to me to find a foundation that I actually prefer.  Lancome has recently extended the shade range of the Teint Idole Foundation so I was able to get a match.

The Lancome Teint Idole Foundation retails at around £30 depending on the shop which I’d say is averagely priced for a high-end product.  It contains an SPF of 15 which isn’t an issue for me as I wear an SPF under my foundation whenever I wear it anyway, this may be a problem if you’re into flash photography as it may cause some flashback, especially if used in combination with a talc based setting powder.

It has a light floral fragrance which I find nice and it isn’t chemically smelling – which is one of the very few downsides to the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation.  For the application, I use a flat-topped kabuki brush for buffing in and then using a beauty blender to bounce the rest of the product in (I usually spray this with setting spray for longevity).

The finish is a very natural but medium to full coverage buildable look which stays put all day.  I’ve tested this out at work (as a veterinary nurse) and it stayed in place ALL DAY, through a trip to the gym, all the way to bedtime where it removed nicely with my Garnier Micellar Water.

To conclude I think this foundation is an excellent product and I can certainly see why it is being raved about by all the current beauty gurus!

Love

Rhia xo

The Ordinary Review – Revolutionary Skincare

This post is going to be an update on the skincare routine that I posted last year.  I’ve been researching into skincare and what could make my skin “better”.  What I mean is that I wanted to solve all the problems that my skin had rather than just mask them (isn’t that we all want after all).
I stumbled upon the brand The Ordinary after browsing through the internet looking at copious different bloggers and websites trying to decipher the different products and claims.  They have a simple answer to skincare which is highly customisable and, to my liking – affordable.  The products generally range from £3 to around £9 – all of which are amazing value.

The skincare range is made up of various different products, all of which are products stripped down to the basics.  I dove in at the deep end and filled my basket with different scientific looking vials all of which had highly frightening names!

The products I picked out were:

• Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA – AM and PM USE
• Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% – PM USE
• 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil – PM USE
• Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% – AM and PM USE
• Salicylic Acid 2% Solution – PM USE

Bare in mind my skin is OILY and NOT SENSITIVE, so what works for my skin won’t necessarily work for yours.  I used the guide which is available here and made my own routine up.

I wanted to give my skin a few month of adjusting to make sure that any change would be 100% certain that it was the products.  I’ve noticed a MASSIVE difference in my skin, the oiliness has calmed right down with the use of a facial oil at night – only at night though as it will pill.

At the end of the day I will use my usual makeup remover/cleanser to remove any makeup – my current favourite is the Garnier Micellar Water and then use my routine (not all of these products are used both morning and night but it depends on your personalised routine).  I then slather my face in the rose hip oil with a patting motion and then allow that to soak in for a few hours – if I’m pressed for time I’ll pat my face with a clean flannel to remove the excess oil and then sleep.

I’m still using the LUSH lip scrubs, followed by Vaseline or the Pawpaw lip balm in the evening to take care of my lips, and for my body I use the Vaseline spray moisturiser.

I hope this post has been informative for you and I would urge everyone to at least read into the Ordinary products and see the difference it makes in your skin.

Love

Rhia

May Favourites 2017

I haven’t done a favourites post in a long time and thought it was about time that I did one.  There has been a lot of products that I have switched around in the past few months – my skin care routine being the main one (a whole post coming soon on this!)

First is the Vaseline intensive care spray moisturiser – this suits my lifestyle perfectly, I didn’t use to moisturise my body until I found this as I hate the greasy feeling after.  I take this everywhere with me, especially to the gym where I want to get changed quite rapidly after showering.  Literally just spray it on, rub it in quickly and it’s done!

Next is the Wet Brush, I know they’ve been around for a long time now, however, I wasn’t ready to give up my tangle teaser (it was leopard print), however, when I found this marble pink version at a local shop, I HAD to have it!  Having naturally curly/wavy hair this brush is perfect as it doesn’t pull and detangles effortlessly.

Another moisturising product is this papaya gold paw paw balm, this is a MASSIVE product and is amazing for moisturising sore and chapped lips.  It’s far superior to any other product like vaseline as it can be used on other dry patches (it’s not sticky or slimy like vaseline) such as sore hands (other nurses you know what I mean).

This is one of the new products that I’ve been using on my face recently that has completely changed my skin routine and has been the reason I’ve stopped wearing foundation completely!  I won’t say too much about it apart from that they’re easy on the wallet and amazing quality.

Two beauty products are the NYX Ultimate vivid brights palette – the most pigmented and vibrant drugstore palette I’ve EVER come across, I’ve been hooked on using it ever since I got it.  Secondly is a gloss from Colourpop in the shade Finders Keepers – a lovely pinky nude which is not too opaque but not too sheer.  It’s a gorgeous finish and looks great with numerous eye looks.

Another NYX product (or two) are these two illuminating powders, they’re truly stunning as they both reflect different colours. I’ve been using these solely as highlighters for the past month (totally neglecting my other highlighters) and I am going to be picking up the other colours.

My final favourite for the month is this candle from Charismatic Cat Candles.  I was sent this candle to test out and I LOVE it.  The scent is wonderful and fills the whole house, it burns very evenly and has lasted the whole month.

What are your favourite products for the month?

Love

Rhia xo

 

P.S Pro Makeup Haul

Last Wednesday I had the day off work so we decided to head into Nottingham to do a little shopping.  I’ve heard lots of rumours about the infamous unicorn brushes coming to Primark soon so I had to check it out to see if they had them in the store – I was not disappointed!  I found myself surrounded by dupes for all cult and highly sought after products, here are a few that I picked up!

Firstly I managed to snag a pack of the “Unicorn” makeup brushes, they’re right on trend at the moment! They feature a unicorn horn handle and pastel bristles which make them look totally adorable.  I’ll be honest, I only picked these up so they could look pretty on my vanity table, however, they really surprised me with the quality and blendability (not too sure if that’s a word if I’m honest!).  At only £9 I think these are an excellent introduction to makeup brushes and even some pretty ones for the seasoned makeup collectors!

Next, I picked up the “Halographic” highlighter stick for £4 which seems to be a dupe for the Milk Holographic stick (retailing at $28).  The stick initially seemed quite dry but upon wiping the top layer off with kitchen roll, it became an exact copy for the Milk Holographic stick.  The highlight is an iridescent purple with a blue shift, it’s very hard to describe as it throws so many different colours in different lights.  I wouldn’t advise applying it straight from the stick as it can remove other makeup beneath, I used a damp beauty sponge and bounced it across my cheekbones for the best results.  This has become a firm favourite highlighter these past few days and I think it’s going to be a summer staple for me!

Finally is the Pixie Kisses lipstick for £1, this is a dupe for the Too Faced Unicorn Tears lipstick which is a highly sought after cult product (retailing for £20 – if you can find it in stock!)  This immediately drew my attention due to it’s shiny packaging (yes, I’m like a magpie) and for only £1 I couldn’t resist!  It applies nicely to the lips and shade adjusts to the pH of your skin (hence it’ll look different on everyone).  I LOVE the way this lipstick looks on me and again, will be another summer staple.

I hope you all enjoyed this post, I really enjoyed testing out these products!  Have you picked any good products up from Primark recently? If so let me know in the comments down below.

Love

Rhia xo

The PS… Pro Foundation Review

This post is on the Primark pro foundation which I’ve been testing out since last Saturday.  I wanted to give it a good test with lots of experiences (work, climbing, gym, and relaxing!) to ensure I really gave it a run for its money.

The foundation comes in a variety of shades starting at 00 porcelain – idea for a fair person like myself!

It contains a SPF of 15 which is not enough for summer in the UK for me however I routinely use SPF 50 skin cream from Mac underneath all my foundations.

The formula is very thick and reminds me of the Urban Decay All Nighter foundation.  It goes on a little streaky with my beauty blender but I found that it applied lovely with a flat topped kabuki brush (I used the real techniques one).

Coming in at a tiny £5, I found that this foundation went above and beyond all my expectations.  It stayed on all day however it did need to be set with powder as I’m oily.  It’s full coverage similar to the Estee lauder double wear foundation and really kept up with my busy lifestyle!

I even wore it to clip and clip activity centre!

I’m excited to try more Primark beauty products and I hope they’re as good as this one!

Love

Rhia xo

Gray and Bull Blogging Event // March 2017

On Thursday, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to an event held by Gray & Bull Opticians.  When I received the invite to the event, I was very excited as I had always admired the Tiffany glasses in the window when passing.

Gray and Bull Opticians is based on Pelham Street in Nottingham and is at the entrance to the fashionable quarter of the town.

I had never been inside before and was pleasantly surprised by the interior.  We were greeted by the staff members of the practice and heard some history about the place.  Gray & Bull was originally established in 1806 and was situated further up the road, they moved to the current address in 1939 and have remained there ever since.  This makes them the oldest independent opticians in Nottingham.  They spoke about the practice and how they strive for the most personal and thorough service involving tailor-making each pair of glasses to include even the most minute detail.

We had the opportunity to have a talk to the Barton Perreira representative who was very lovely and even gave us the chance to try on some of the new range before they were stocked!  We spoke about the extensive and laborious process of making the glasses, and about the different types of acetate (plastic).  Barton Perreira makes all of their frames in Japan using a Japanese Acetate called Zyl, this is slow cured to increase the strength of the material.  Even as someone novice in this area, I could tell the difference between the two and feel the quality of the Zyl.

Some gorgeous sunglasses!

A selection of film-star worth sunglasses

As well as stocking Barton Perreria, Gray and Bulls stock a massive range of niche and specialist eyewear including all of the favourites: Tom Ford, Moscot, Face a Face, Ray Bans, and Oliver Peoples are some of the more commonly known.  As an independent optician, they have the ability to fine pick their stock to their target audiences.

They have a wide variety of lenses and coatings which are all chosen in a consultation with the optometrist, from standard lenses to the highest quality of Nikon lenses, there is something for everyone.

I tried on lots of pairs of glasses and in the end, these are my two favourite pairs!

The final experience was to try out virtual reality of difference lenses, this isn’t something I have come across before but it showed me that there was a massive difference between standard and specialist lenses.

Thank you to Gray and Bulls Opticians for having me at the event, I’m definitely going to be cashing in the free eye test voucher and I am excited to hear the suggestions towards my current eye care.  It was lovely meeting you all and especially thank you to Amy for setting up this event.

I would also like to say a MASSIVE thank you to all the companies that helped out with the event: Ugly Bread Bakery, Six Barrels, Alcon, Nkd, 200 degrees, Zeiss, Cheese Shop Nottingham, Thea Pharmaceutical, Hoya, Nikon, and all their contributions towards the very generous goody bags!

Two final pictures of me feeling like a movie star in lovely but expensive sunglasses!

Love

Rhia xo

 

New Product // February 2017

These are just a few products that I have gotten recently and have been loving through the whole of the month (well since I got them!)

The first item/s are the Clinique Crayola Chubby Lip Crayons, I got the whole set of these whilst at the Intu Victoria Centre Galentines event and have been in love with them ever since.  They vary in colours, most of which are of a pink undertone, and they also vary in opacity.  There eight shades all together, three of which are classed as being “intense”, these shades are much stronger in pigment and make wonderful going out lipstick.

They have a lovely feel to them and are super moisturising (excellent for the winter months.)  I’ve tried to swatch them as best as I can, however as my camera is for a right handed person (as they all are) I had to swatch with my non-dominant hand which.. is a little messy!  

The shades are in order from left to right (top to bottom) and I have to say I love them all!  I’m so glad I managed to snag one of these boxes as they retail for only £35 which is a massive saving on the whole price.

The next two products are by Urban Decay (which has to be my favourite brand).  I got one of their liquid moondust eyeshadows and one of their heavy metal eyeliners, I adore both of the products as they’re totally individual.

The heavy metal eyeliners have been around for many years (I remember my mum having one or two when I was at school) and have recently come back into fashion.  I got the shade Distortion which is a white glitter base with reflects of gold, green, and maybe a hint of pink.  It’s really difficult to explain the colour but the quality of the liner is excellent, it stays on ALL DAY, and really brightens up a look.

The liquid moondust eyeshadows, I could rave about this all day every day.  It has an amazing formula which is not too wet or sticky (something which put me off some of the nyx liquid eyeshadows)  I have the shade recharged which is a great colour and can be blended out with other eyeshadows (I usually use the urban decay naked 3 palette) to make it into a fantastic look.

Overall my month of February was an amazing month for blogging, I got invited to some fantastic events with some amazing people.

Hope you have all had a great weekend and I’ll see you soon!

Rhia xo

Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation // Review

This post is going to be a review of the new Urban Decay All Nighter foundation.  As most of you know, I’m ghostly pale which means finding foundations that go pale enough for me is a mission in itself.  I wanted to try this foundation ever since it came out and finally got around to trying a sample (and then purchasing it for myself).  For reference, I’m shade Shell in Estee Lauder Double Wear and I wear 0.5 in UD.

The foundation itself is FULL coverage and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone wanting a natural finish to their look.  It reminds me of the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation without the cakey-ness and flash back that comes with it (as UD All Nighter contains no SPF).

I found the best way to apply the foundation was with a flat topped kabuki brush to apply most of the product and then perfect the look with a damp beauty blender.  I love the finish of this foundation and I find that it sits really nicely on my skin.  Due to it being full coverage I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who is suffering from dry skin – especially if it’s odd patches as it will cling to it without perfect moisturisation.

To conclude I have fallen in love with this foundation and it is my new go to!  What foundations have you tried recently (especially if you’re pale like me!)

Here’s my face in its full HD glory to show how perfect this foundation sits on my skin!

Lots of love

Rhia xo