INNOCENT SMOOTHIE || POMEGRANATES, BLUEBERRIES & ACAI

Afternoon! 

On my lunch hour today I decided to opt for a Boots 'Meal Deal' which boringly I will tell you is great value by the way! So as my drink of choice I picked up this little Innocent Smoothie because the gold sparkly packaging caught my eye! 

I think I subconsciously chose it as I seen the advert on last night during TOWIE & it says that every drink bought donates 10% to charity which I think is pretty lovely! 

It contains :-

23. Pressed red & white grapes 

3/4 mashed banana 

1/3 pressed pomegranate 

1/3 squeezed orange 

26 crushed blueberries 

A squeeze of lemon 

7 peeled acai berries 

All in one little 250ml bottle - how amazing! & at only 43cals per 100ml, how could I refuse! 

My first taste was beautiful, I can't quite figure out which flavour is most prominent but all I'll say is it is delightful. Never normally one for a smoothie, I think an innocent drink may turn into a regular lunch time occurrence! 

What do you think of innocent smoothies? Have you got a favourite I should try?    

REVIEW || MAC STUDIO SCULPT FOUNDATION

As some of you may know I'm a complete M.A.C addict! I have religiously purchased Studio Fix Fluid (£21.50) for the past 7 years. I was attracted to the buildable coverage since I've struggled with skin imperfections for such a long time, it's the go to product! I know what people say:-

'that's the worst thing you can do, don't wear heavy make-up, let your skin breathe..' 

blah, blah, blah.. and as much as I know that everyone's heart's are in the right place, it's easier said than done. I always end up stuck in the middle fighting a vicious circle of breakouts & more coverage. It used to really bother me but now as I'm getting a bit older & beginning to care less of what people think I'm confronting my skin issues head on & now that I've got an awesome skin routine courtesy of LUSH I thought that a make-up base change was totally necessary... something less clogging for my pores but I can still get a little more coverage from for a special occasion. 

I'm not normally one for taking the MUA's recommendations in MAC - not because I don't trust their opinion, it's just the place is always packed & I often feel like I'm on an invisible conveyor belt from product to till point, however, on this occasion it was strangely quiet & i actually got the chance to have a good discussion about my make-up needs.

After explaining how heavy my skin feels when I wear Studio Fix Fluid, I tried out some Studio Sculpt Foundation  which felt like a dream. It's a gel based formula with the long-lasting effects I desire. A little luminosity was something I liked the idea of since I'd gone through so many years of using quite a mattifying base & to achieve a dewy look I'd have to recruit another product, most likely a little bit of my gold-dust (well actually white/silver) product Miss Popularity by Benefit which frightening was discontinued, Luckily I've found a few online retailers who still stock it but once it's gone - it's gone! 

I couldn't wait to try this out properly when I got home, although it was a majorly brave move as I started my new job the next day & really could NOT be doing with a make-up disaster on day 1. By lunch I couldn't believe that I didn't need to reapply my make-up! It's an amazing product for its longevity, this teamed with the fact it's a larger product at 40 ml makes it fantastic value for money too!

♡

which MAC foundation do you love most ? 

    

LUNCH TIME LUSTING ♡

Afternoon! 

So basically all I've done this lunch hour is drool, not at my choice of snack.. At this little beauty! The Mulberry Del Ray in gorgeous & practical Mole Grey. I could certainly did a place at home for such a beauuuutiful handbag! But at a staggering £1,100 I think it's an investment very far in the future! 

Let's just admire, shall we?

♡

Do you have a Mulberry? What do you think?  

HELP: I'M A LUSH ADDICT!

Hello dolls! 

So... as you can probably tell if you follow me on Twitter (i'm here!) I've been super busy recently! I started a new job & just can't seem to adjust to this 9 to 5 routine *subconsciously sings Dolly Parton* it almost seems impossible for me to do nothing else other than plonk myself in front of the TV for an hour and then start thinking about bed time - aaaanyway, this would explain why I've kind of neglected my little blog this week but since I've basically chilled out all weekend (& with a little help from some Pro-plus I purchased tonight) I have a feeling that won't be happening again! 

Despite my sleepy head all week, 5 o'clock struck & I literally couldn't wait to attend my very first bloggers event (eeeeeek!) with LUSH in Braehead! I like to be honest in my posts & I'll admit, i was pretty skeptical of the products offered by LUSH. I was always of the opinion that LUSH was well branded and marketed to have that rustic, eco-friendly look & that their products offered smelled amazing but maybe didn't have any real effects. Well, let's just say I was ill-educated on the power of this company. THEY'RE AMAZING. You would only have to base this on the enthusiasm the staff have for the organisation, the products & their morals. The knowledge these girls have of the products for sale is utterly astounding! This all stems for their own personal love❤ for it all. 

We were greeted with gorgeous cupcakes (always a plus! ❤) &  some little flutes of juice - very cute! Then we split into  teams where I was with my besty Eilidh (Maisy Meow) & Naomi (Fabugloss) who I'd just met for the first time, she was lovely! We got to sample lots of products from face masks, moisturiser, bubble bars, make-up - everything! 

We had the pleasure of previewing all of the brand new Spring products for Mother's Day & Easter! They have an abundance of ideas for even the most picky mamas, or what's probably the biggest obstacle for my family.. we all have showers - no baths! So unfortunately we can't take a gorgeous bath bomb & chill out (not unless we want to have a 'sit down shower' lol!) But there's sooooo many other items I could use in my shower! 

One of the cutest gift ideas I've ever seen was this little flower bubble bar. Not only did it smell delicious but the leaf tag attached to it has seeds inside, so if you plant it & look after it it will bloom some wee petal friends for you two - it's like a double gift! 

For me, the total eye opener was that when I read the label on the products I pretty much knew what most things were, unlike my usual skincare where the only recognisable ingredient is 'AQUA'!    

After our amazing little tour & introduction to the new products we were all gifted with a gorgeous goody bag bursting with products! Thank you so much girls!!! I honestly never knew were to start, so I thought I'd give my face mask a try. Since i'm majorly prone to spots & break outs I thought my skin could use with a little TLC ❤ 

The mask I had in my goody bag was my favourite from the tour (sooo lucky!) Brazened Honey. Below, find a typical 'here's me with a face mask on' kind of picture.. which by the way I had waaaaay too much fun with snapchatting!

Since I have problematic skin I didn't hold out much hope for completely astonishing results from a first time use which made my results even more amazing when I rinsed this off & seen my face in the mirror.

I'm filled with so much confidence to say that's me with no filter, no make-up, nothing. This was a brave step for me to take since I've always been so shy & embarrassed about my natural skin. It's by no means perfect but it has certainly made radical changes to my skin and my confidence, I'm still amazed that I'm actually publishing my wee bare face to the whole wide world - CRAZY! 

Since I've got so much to say about all of the products I'll have to spread it across a few posts! Also taking into account the fact I revisited today & bought more - ahhhh! The obsession has started!! 

What do you think of LUSH & what products would you recommend? ❤

PASSION FOR PASTEL.

Hello! 

I've been lusting all day over the vast amounts of pastels that are now available everywhere! Since the weather is so blah I thought it would cheer me up to have a little look around at all of my potential spring buys! This urge was brought about after my morning tea & browse through vogue where I found myself deeply saddened by the fact I will never own one of one of Burberry's beautiful pastel coats (if any kind soul wants to buy me one, the pink is my favourite!)

So having looked around online I felt I should dedicate this post to Boohoo.com & their amaaaaaazing choices of pastel items across all clothing footwear & accessories - well done boohoo, mega impressed!

Pastel Tartan Crop Top £12 | Ciara Metallic Envelope Clutch £14 | Deanna Patent Cut Out Tassel Brogues£30 | Isobel Bee Necklace £8 | Crochet Trim Boxy Shirt £18 | Gemma Rose Necklace £10 | Lucy Batwing Cardigan £12 | Pastel Short £15 | White Collar Dress £15 | Jess Cut Out Multi-Strap Boots £35 | Lilly Acid Wash High Waist Disco Jeans £25 | Polish - 'Bikini So Teeny'- Essie

❤

I absolutely LOVE  the nude coloured patent brogues from this pull. They're so versatile for any spring look plus the tassel detailing makes them look really expensive! I'll definitely be investing in a pair soon but it might seem more sensible to take advantage of one of boohoo.com's discount codes as they seem to be emailing them quite often now so I'll keep an eye out! 

The blue rose necklace is also a fav! Soooo cute plus it's nice & chunky to add a statement to simpler outfits I have lying around in my wardrobe. The adjustable length means it can be worn with a collar too & i think it would be a lovely pop of colour to add to my recent 'white-on-white' post! ❤

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what do you think about the re-emergence of pastel this Spring?

new domain

Hello!

I've changed my domain on Bloglovin' to www.fairyfatale.com

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How to || contouring

Hello! I thought I'd do a little post tonight on how I contour. Recently I've been asked how I have more defined cheekbones & a more plump looking pout.. No I didn't have any crazy fillers or lose weight, it's all just a trick of using shadow & light to our advantage when we apply our make-up.

I don't claim to be a complete expert in this department, nor am I a make-up artist (so I might be wrong!) but these are the steps I take in creating that mass desired chiseled look. It's pretty simple, just basically draw in the lines (and look like you're starring in an episode of nip/tuck) & then blend, blend, blend! 

#1 Defining Shadows

Using my MAC 275 angled shading brush I pick up the cappuccino colour of my bargain product Sleek Contour Kit (which is only £6.49!)  & apply in a line to the part that hollows across my cheek when I pout. Apply to the temples too as I have in the pictures.


TOP TIP:- stroke a little underneath your lips to give extra shadow, this creates depth & the illusion of a plumper lip. Only a small amount otherwise you'll look like your spouting a goatee! 

Taking my  MAC 214 short smudge brush, I take the same colour from my sleek kit & draw down both sides of the bridge of my nose & across the tip at the bottom. Join this line into the crease of the eye at the top to ensure continuity. 

#2 Blend

I use my MAC 168 large contour brush to blend in all the lines I've made so far, you might want to use a smaller brush such as the angled shading brush I used earlier to blend in the lines on the nose.

#3 Highlight

To highlight the areas I've demonstrated in the picture above I use Erase Paste from Benefit in 'Fair' very lightly with my fingertips (probably the best & cheapest make-up tools you'll ever own). This is actually a concealer but I love how much coverage it has & that's why I think it's perfect plus it blends really well! It's slightly luminous too which is ideal for this look!

#4 Blend! 

I then blend in the highlights using the MAC 187 - which admittedly needs a wash! 

#5 Final Highlights 

Using the other side of the Sleek duo kit, finally brush the highlighting powder down the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, chin & forehead. This will seal in all of your highlights from using the erase paste - or equivalent. 

Et voila! 

What do you think of my contouring? Do you have any tips or think I've missed a vital part if this look? Let me know xo 

all white everything || the look for less than £100

Hello! So recently I have been the Queen of 'matchy-matchy' & I'm in LOVE ❤ with the white on white combinations I've been seeing everywhere! It's so clean, sharp & sophisticated but definitely not for the faint hearted (or the clumsy.. 'lunch on white on white' is totally not the look we're going for here!) 

My favourite things about this look:-

❤ it suits everyone! It can be worked to all shapes & personal styles.

❤ most of us already have a little white shirt or blouse tucked away in the wardrobe.

❤ the pieces you purchase will last a lifetime if you choose them carefully!

❤ it looks so well thought out! 

Kim Kardashian is the ultimate in this look - she has perfected it! A mix between soft cuts and sharp tailoring is essential. She looks completely flawless. *stares in complete awe*

I set myself a challenge to find a gorgeous little white-on-white combo for less than £100. Yes, that's head to toe including accessories. Mission accepted! (this was majorly ambitious)

My Look For Less ❤

Jasmine structured shift dress in white - Boohoo.com £20   

❤

White collarless blazer - New Look £29.99

❤

Honorina snakeskin sandals in white - Missguided £39.99 

❤

Envelope clutch with gold fastening & chain - Bag'Mama @ eBay £4.99

❤

Gold ID curb chain - Bag'Mama @ eBay £4.49

Result! A complete outfit for a grand total of £99.46!!

I've completely fallen in love with this collarless blazer from New Look. This is a total must-have investment for any wardrobe & it's a steal at that price! It's new so I'd grab it before it goes... this is why I adore having a student card.

These beaaautiful platforms from Missguided are absolutely genuis, you can't tell from the picture but they have a gorgeous perspex toe detail - very Gianvito Rossi without the bank breaking (more like heart breaking) price tag!

I've become a major fan of a shift dress recently, especially since like most of us i'm still trying to beat the January muffin top! (okay I know it's February now...) I couldn't believe when I found this little gem on boohoo for 20 quid! They always pleasantly surprise me when I checkout! 

My chosen accessories are from a little eBay store set in the UK called Bag'Mama which I happened to stumble across one day when searching for little haberdashery bits & bobs. It's a fantastic discovery!! They offer free delivery & their products are super cheap - big thumbs up!

❤

What do you think about white-on-white?

bliss...

Fishbowl vase - Dunelm-Mill £4.99

Artificial Roses - Home Bargains UK (similar here £2.99)

Tealight holders - gift.

Large Candle Trinket Box - Housewarming gift.

Yankee Medium Jar in 'Vanilla Frosting' - ASDA £8



My Friday Night In ❤

Since I'm enjoying a cosy night in tonight I thought I'd share my new favourites for making my livingroom homely - which to be fair at the moment is challenging to say the least since Fraser & I have just moved house where we're currently adopting a 'Feng Shui' approach to our seating arrangements with a variety of cushions scattered on the floor..it's becoming more & more uncomfortable everyday! *sob*

Nevertheless, I always think that firing on a few candles makes a huge difference at home, especially at nighttime. I must admit I used to be extremely skeptical of the troops of Yankee Candle loyalists who would hyperventilate at the thought of a new season scent, quite honestly I thought the were all mad! That was until I was gifted my very first Yankee almost 2 years ago, the day I was completely converted. It was a classic 'clean cotton' jar that seemed to last forever (i'm convinced it used to refill on it's own) & it wasn't for the want of using it, from that point I was hooked. 

So when I was in Asda I seen this jar of Vanilla Frosting from the Yankee Home collection at a total bargain price of £8 compared to a medium jar of Vanilla Cupcake quite similar in scent at over double the price at £16.49! Total no brainer here - naturally I bought two!

❤

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hello weekend!

It's Friday! I'm welcoming this weekend with open arms after such a hectic past few days! 

Needless to say I'm totally devastated that I have no plans but then again I could probably use a couple of days relaxing & lusting over things I want but can't afford in my recent Vogue delivery.

Swapping my all too frequently occurring glass of wine these days for a beverage of the tea variety may not be a bad idea either. 

So this is my 'it's Friday, I have no plans but I can't wear my onesie all day because that's Sundays attire' look. 

Shirt : Cameo Rose @ New Look - SOLD OUT. 

Batwing Cardigan : Urban Outfitters.

Pull-on Jeans : Matalan.

Watch : Michael Kors.

Pumps : Primark £10.

Sooner or later I'm going to have to rehome these little lifesavers to the back of the wardrobe as my love for pastel pops back into play this Spring. I'm getting ahead of myself, I know but with the sneak peeks I've managed to get a hold of through WGSN I think I'll resemble my little pony fairly shortly! 

This little shirt is a total wardrobe staple for me. I can take it from day to night by whacking on a big statement necklace & teaming it with a sharp blazer. It's my go-to item when I'm unsure of the dress code plus I think the ditsy print is so cute for this coming spring. It has taken me right through from Autumn '13 & at £17.99 (then minus a cheeky student discount of course) I've certainly had my money's worth! 

On that note, I can't help but notice that New Look has had a massive overhaul! Long gone are the days of boring vest tops & overpriced jewellery. The emergence of new concessions in their bigger stores means that I never walk out empty handed. 

And so the battle between my wardrobes capacity & my bank balance continues... 

 Tonight's drink of choice... 

Your Tea : Tiny Teatox £20 (14 days)

www.yourtea.com 

(here)

Hello!❤

I'm Ashleigh, welcome to my first blog! (eeek!)

I've been thinking about blogging for soooo long now but with a little encouragement (more like the art of persuasion) from my friend I thought why not?! It's all just a bit of fun. Plus I'm fanatical about fashion, a beauty addict & currently hobby-less so here I am, ta-da! 

Oh, also, I'm a complete chatterbox so feel free to comment on my posts & I'll reply.

❤