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Channel: Katie Snooks
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FASHION: Couple's Winter Lookbook!

February 4, 2015, 10:00 pm
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A couple of week's ago the Snooks family made our way to Centreparcs (Elvedon Forest) for a long weekend away to celebrate my sister's 24th birthday!  I took my camera and tripod away for the weekend so that Andrew and I could film our annual couples lookbook.

It's my absolute pleasure to show it to you today!










As usual, we had so much fun filming this video.  It's one of my favourite types to film as it means we can get really creative with shots, locations and editing.  We took a bunch of clothing with us and spent some time organising the outfits to compliment what each other was wearing.  Choosing the songs for lookbooks is always incredibly difficult but we settled on a remix of Take Shelter by Years & Years.  They were my band of 2014 (saw them lots of times live) and this version of the song had the right tone and pace for the video.

I should also mention that we experimented shooting in slow motion for this video which I'd never done before but I think it adds a lovely soft feel.  The look we were going for was Twilight-esque (we recently watched all the films) so let me know what you think!

What I wore:

LOOK 1:
Crop Top - Boohoo http://fave.co/15bs0YF
Culottes Shorts - ASOS http://fave.co/15bqSnY
Boots - Boohoo http://fave.co/15borSs
Tartan Shirt - Charity Shop
Coat: Charity Shop

LOOK 2 
Wet Look Jeans - Boohoo http://fave.co/15boGwR
Buckle Boots - Boohoo http://fave.co/1IURPJ1
White Top - Boohoo http://fave.co/15bp2U0
Furry Coat - Next http://fave.co/1IUT9vq

LOOK 3:
Beanie: Primark
Fluffy Cardigan: Primark
LeighJeans: Topshop http://fave.co/15bqeGY
Long Sleeve Crop Top: Boohoo http://fave.co/15bpSAj

LOOK 4:
Sun & Moon Top: ASOS http://fave.co/1IUSQAL
Fluffy Cardigan: Primark
Jeans: Boohoo http://fave.co/1IURYfy

If you like this video then please do subscribe to my channel, lots more where this came from, coming up!

xxx
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LIFESTYLE: Afternoon Tea at Lady Dinah's Cat Cafe!

February 9, 2015, 9:30 am
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So as you know Andrew and I recently moved to Bethnal Green in East London.  We absolutely love it here, it pretty much has everything we need on the high street which is at the top of our road.  On my walk to work one day I realized that we actually live 5 minutes from London’s one and only Cat Café and instantly booked a table for afternoon tea!

I’m very much a cat person and dream of the day I can have my own (this flat doesn’t allow pets) and so the thought of sipping tea, eating cake and petting kitties is perfect!


After arriving at the café you enter a room in which you wash your hands & are told the café rules such as don’t feed the cats your cake, don’t lift them up (but you can pet & stroke them) and don’t wake any cats that are sleeping.

Once we were seated at our table we ordered cream tea & scones and a delicious salted caramel brownie to chomp on whilst coo-ing over the cats.  Quite a few of them were napping when we got there (after 4pm) but woke up half way through.  There are 3 new kittens in the cafe who are ADORABLE and we had so much fun playing with the newest kitten Alice.  

On every table in the cafe are little toys that you can use to play with the cats which was a nice touch.  I also fell in love with a cat called Petra; super fluffy and adventurous!  All of the cats have names and their own little personalities which you can read about on their website here, before you visit!

We had a lovely afternoon in the cafe and I really want to visit again soon!  

Have you ever been to a cat cafe?

xx
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REVIEW: Real Technique's Bold Metal's Collection!

February 15, 2015, 9:12 am
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There's no doubt about the fact that Real Techniques are one of the best brush brands out there who consistently produce incredible quality and also one of a kind, unique brushes for specific aspects of makeup application.  I for one have never seen a 3d-triangle shaped foundation brush before!

I always look forward to their new releases and the Bold Metals collection had me drooling from the get go!


There are 7 new brushes in this range, 3 for eyes, 2 for base & 2 for cheeks, all of which are stunning with long beveled metallic brush ends designed with a weighty feel for smooth and easy makeup application!

300 Tapered Blush Brush - such a unique design which applies blusher like a dream!  The shape is just perfect to apply & blend colour to the apples of my cheeks.  I've also used it for contouring and it's just as great.

201 Pointed Crease Brush - a super soft rounded dome brush which makes applying and blending shadow into the crease of the eye so easy.

These are a little more expensive that the core collection Real Techniques brushes but worth it for their design and unique shape which makes putting on makeup a really lovely experience!

Will you be picking up these in store?

xxx
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STORAGE: How I Store My Makeup Brushes!

February 18, 2015, 9:25 am
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I'm a complete sucker for makeup storage and spying on how other girls like to display their products, and since setting up my very own makeup desk I thought I'd start sharing how I store mine!

I'm going to be filming a complete makeup storage video for my YouTube channel, but before that I thought I'd give you a quick sneak peek on how I store my brushes!



First up are the white Ikea Skurar Plant Pots (link) which are just the perfect size for storing large brushes!  I think I have 4 of these at home and none of them are used to store an actual plant, ha!  I use two of these to store my foundation, base, blush & powder brushes, of which I know I have too many but I love them too much to get rid of!  I've sorted them into one containing my favourite most used, and the other contains base products I like but don't reach for as much.

Next up is my Camera Lens Cup (link) which was a gift to me from my parents a couple of years ago.  I had one cup of tea in it, decided tea tastes better in an actual mug rather than plastic and have been using it as a brush holder ever since!  I use this to store all of my favourite eyeshadow fluffy blending brushes as I am always using these to blend and need them to be easily accessible.

I use an empty Space NK Candle Jar to store all of my other miscellaneous brushes; flat eyeshadow brushes, liner, brow, lip brushes etc!  I love using old candle jars to store brushes as they are the perfect shape (height and width) so don't throw them out girls!

Finally I picked up this Marble Mug (link) from H&M Home last month which I adore!!  I have a full blog post coming up on what else I picked up from H&M Home but until then, I like to use this to store my favourite small face brushes which I use to blend concealer and lightly apply powder.

So there we have it!  Stay tuned for full makeup storage pictures & video soon.

How do you store your makeup brushes?

xxx

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REVIEW: Chanel Coromandel Fragrance

February 25, 2015, 5:54 am
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When my office was based in Covent Garden I used to occasionally pop into the Chanel store just to swatch the gorgeous makeup and bask in the luxurious atmosphere.
On one visit, my workmate Lucy & I ended up spritzing lots of their fragrances from the Les Exclusifs range and I ended up spraying Coromandel onto a fragrance paper and keeping it in my coat pocket.  For days and weeks after, every time I popped my hand into that pocket, I had a sniff of the card and ended up falling in love with this fragrance.

Now this baby is quite expensive and for years I succumbed to the fact that I'd never be able to own or afford it myself, that was until I hinted at Andrew that I just love the smell and he bought me it for Christmas!




Coromandel is described as a rich woody, oriental fragrance which on first spritz smells quite citrus-y and powdery, however this shortly disappears making way to a divine vanilla, amber musk & patchouli.  Finally it changes once more to a deep musky scent with hints of pepper, chocolate and frankincense, which lasts all day on my skin.

To me this fragrance is timeless and an absolute classic, but not in the Chanel No5 way (that is way too musky and mature for me, gives me a headache).  It makes me feel powerful and confident.  It's also been said to have the best longevity out of all the 6 fragrances in the Chanel Les Exclusifs range which is perfect as a little goes a very long way.  I've worn this around 30 times since receiving it and it's hardly made a dent in the bottle (fab because of the cost).

I should also say that probably not everyone will love Coromandel.  My sister commented once that I smelt like an old lady when I was wearing this, as is it quite heavy on the incense and patchouli, but I just think it's a masterpiece and love the fact that it's like no fragrance I've ever smelt before (I also know that wearing this, I won't smell like a thousand other woman out on the street!).

The Chanel Les Exclusifs range is available only in the Covent Garden Boutique and in Selfridges London!  Have a sniff if you can!

What's your favourite Chanel fragrance?

xxx

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NEW HAIR!

March 1, 2015, 6:05 am
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I recently decided that I wanted to lighten up the ends of my hair to a white shade to spruce up my locks which were looking dull and lank and also to make experimenting with colours easier.

After a little failed mission of bleaching my ends at home that left my hair ginger, I booked myself straight into Taylor Taylor, Notting Hill to give my hair a new lease of life!






I booked my appointment with Samantha Cusick who is Tanya Burr's hair stylist - she's a babe and an absolute balayage genius!  She used the technique to really help lighten my ends but to also blend the highlights into my natural hair colour so my roots look naturally sunkissed & will grow out easily.

After bleaching and highlighting she used a toner to pull out some really gorgeous pearly tones in my hair and then used a Brazilian Blowout product to really help smooth the cuticles of my ends and leave me with glossy, soft hair.

I'm absolutely over the moon with my new locks.  Hair salons for me are normally catastrophic and always end in tears but I literally couldn't be happier with the whole experience and the end result. The salon itself are lovely, the staff were so accommodating and friendly and the cocktails served were the cherry on top!

Big thanks to Sam & Taylor Taylor for my new hair!

Have you ever visited Taylor Taylor?

xxx
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Map Laptop & Phone Cases!

March 5, 2015, 2:38 am
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I have a very big obsession with maps.  I find them SO aesthetically pleasing and so since moving into my new flat I seem to have acquired a very big collection of 'map items'.  Two of my most recent and favourites are my laptop and phone cases!


I bought these from Case App and designed them myself using a map picture I found online!

The laptop skin cost £22 and is a thick sticker which you can stick directly on to your laptop.  They cater for a full range of laptop designs and sizes, as well as ipads and full range of phones.  For my phone I opted for a case (rather than a skin as I wanted some added protection for my phone).  It cost £19 to design my iPhone 5C.

I've had these for around 3 months now and neither my laptop or phone cases are dented in any way (despite dropping my phone a handful of times)!

I really recommend Case App if you do want to design your own cases - they also have a full range of pre-made designs that you can choose from too!  Let me know if you get some!

Where do you buy your phone cases from?

xxx
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MUST HAVE: Nail Care Essentials!

March 14, 2015, 4:00 am
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I've been really into nail care recently and trying to really look after my hands in general (they are one of the first ways to tell someone's age after all).  I've grouped together a selection of 'must have' beauty products to make your nails look healthy, feel strong and perfect in no time!



Dr Lewinn's Renunail Nail Strengthener:  
I started using this when my nails were seriously damaged and they worked wonders to get them looking healthy and strong again.  You apply a coat of this daily for a week, remove it, then re-start the process for another week, by which time you're nails should be really strong.  I tend to use this as a base coat whenever my nails are feeling weak and it really makes a difference - a must have if you're trying to ween yourself off gel or fake nails!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri:
A busy girl with a hectic lifestyle, simply doesn't have time for waiting for nail polish to dry!  I got this on eBay for a couple of pounds and you simply pop a few drops onto freshly painted nails and it helps to seal in the colour and dry them a little quicker.

Nails Inc Base Coat/Top Coat: 
I've come to realise that base & top coats are super important when it comes to making nails look healthy; to stop polishes staining and to keep polish on for longer.  There are loads of these available on the highstreet but I've been using the Nails Inc brand recently!

Bourjois Magic 1 Second Nail Polish Remover:
You can read my full review of this wonder product here.  This is my second bottle and I can't rave about it enough.  It removes nail polish so quickly and leaves your digits smelling sweet too!

Burt's Bee's Almond Milk Hand Cream:
Finally, once your fingers and nails are looking perfect, last step is to smother on hand cream.  I have so many favourites but chose this one by Burt's Bees as it's thick, luxurious, smells lovely and leaves my hands feeling really soft.  Not the best one for moisturising hands on the go but perfect for a pamper night!

Now after all this chatting, I'm off to go and pamper myself!

What're your must-have nail care products?

xx


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REVIEW: Soigne Nail Polish

March 18, 2015, 10:30 am
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First up, how bloody gorgeous are these pastel polishes!  I could literally stare at them all day!

Soigne are a new nail polish brand to hit UK beauty blogs after launching their online store last year. I couldn't resist jumping in on the hype and picked out some polishes perfect for this spring/summer!

Soigne is French for 'take care of' and it's something the company lives by as their products contain no nasties or chemicals and are made from up to 85% plant-sourced natural ingredients.  They are also vegan friendly and don't test on animals so your nails can look perfect with a healthy conscience.

The brand has an incredible shade range available from nudes to a deep wine reds but I went for three pastel shades - Ube which is a lavender/violet purple, Galcage Bleu which is a dusty powder blue and Menthe which is a stunning mint green and coincidentally one of my favourite shades for spring summer.

They're a little pricey at £11 each but lots of them are on sale for £5.99 on their website now, including Ube and Glacage Bleu so check them out here.

What are your favourite nail polish shades for spring?

xxx

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REVIEW: Nivea Daily Essentials Sensitive 3 in 1 Micellar Water!

March 19, 2015, 2:30 am
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Any product which halves my evening skincare regime but leaves my skin still feeling refreshed, clean and soft is a big hit in my books, which is why I wanted to introduce you to this product! Ladies & gents, I introduce my new skincare saviour, the Nivea Daily Essentials Sensitive 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water.


Don't get me wrong, I love having a pamper night every now and then when I really over indulge in using as many skincare products my skin can handle, but let's face it, most of us are so busy we hardly have time!  When I come home from work, exhausted, my main priorities are food & bed which often makes removing makeup feel like a chore but since this bottle of magic has come into my life it's actually something I really look forward to!

I think this is the ultimate busy girl beauty product as it makes cleansing and removing so quick, easy and convinent.  I just soak a cotton pad with this and swipe over my skin which makes taking makeup off really easy.  You know I wear heavy eye makeup daily, and this also does a great job of leaving my eyes makeup free.  I also love this as you don't need to rinse it off, again cutting down on time leaving more time for bed in the evening!

This Micellar water is part of the Daily Essentials Sensitive range and also helps to reduce redness, tightness and dryness so if you do find you suffer with any of thost symptoms after cleansing then I highly recommend giving this a try!
NIVEA Sensitive 3in1 Micellar Cleansing Water. Put it to the test. #NIVEAMagicWater

Have you ever tried using a micellar water to remove your makeup?

Katie xx

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nivea via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nivea.
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INTERIOR: H&M Home

March 22, 2015, 3:30 am
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H&M is one of my favourite stores on the highstreet - their clothes are affordable and there's always something I've got my eye on, so when they launched their Homeware range I knew it would be dangerous!

It took me a while to actually place an order on their website but I found some absolute gems which I wanted to show you today.




Firstly I picked up a glass vase (you can never have too many vases, right)?  I adore it as it reminds me of a science lab with it's shape & the text on the front.  Unfortunately it doesn't hold many flowers as the neck is so thin but I've been using it to dry out some beautiful roses & gypsophila.

I also picked up a little tea light holder in the same glass style with the scientific text on it.  When I was little instead of being a ballerina or a pop star, my dream was to be either a detective or a scientist making potions so these additions on my desk make my inner child very happy.
(FYI, now I'm older I've come to realise that one of my dream jobs would to be a cosmetics scientist, creating perfumes to be specific.  I can't imagine anything more incredible than being a perfumer and the 'nose' for fragrances).

I also picked up a printed marble mug and ceramic chopping board.  These were with the intention of holding makeup brushes & displaying jewellery/makeup rather than being used in the kitchen and i love them both!

As I said, I purchased these online, but I also visited the store in Westfield and want to say I really wasn't terribly impressed.  Apart from metal wire baskets I wanted, there wasn't anything that particularly stood out to me and Andrew was huffing and puffing at everything I picked up (shopping with boys, eh)!  Hopefully I'll have a better in store experience next time!

Have you ever picked up anything from H&M?  What's your fav highstreet home store?

xxx
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SKINCARE: My Favourite Facial Oils!

March 24, 2015, 2:30 am
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Facial Oils are something I've only recently started properly incorporating into my daily skincare regime and I honestly don't quite know how I managed without them!  A while ago now I forwarded skincare goddess Caroline Hirons some pictures of my bare skin (which were quite honestly horrendous) and she gave me some directions on products I should be using and oils were one of them.

I wanted to share the three I've been using in my regime with you guys as I adore and fully recommend all of them!

Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil:
This is the newest addition to my regime (and the most expensive at £95 a bottle) but one I have been seeing great benefits with!  Artemis is aimed at confused combination skin (EXACTLY my face); oily, prone to blemishes, inflamed and dull, but this is anti-inflammatory which means it doesn't break me out at all, in fact, when I apply it before bed my skin looks glowing and plump the next morning!
The only downside to this product in my opinion (apart from the large price tag) is the smell.  It's supposed to smell like lemons (which I love) but to me and Andrew it isn't - he says it smells like men's urinals!

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate:
I absolutely adore this bottle of goodness and it's the one I use the most often!  My skin somehow always looks a lot clearer the morning after using this.  It smells great and you only need the tiniest bit to really make a difference.

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil:
For those who are after a more affordable version of Artemis then have a look into this.  It's for oily/combination skin and made from 100% plant extracts.

How I use facial oils:
Just to let you know, I use facial oils around 4 times a week before bed after taking my makeup off!  I pop a few drops on the palms of my hands, rub them together and then pat onto my face leaving me feeling really refreshed and hydrated before bed!

Do you use facial oils?  What's your favourite?

xxx


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Makeup Storage: Black Eyeliner Obsession!

March 26, 2015, 2:30 am
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Re-arranging my makeup is one of my favourite ways of chilling out, sad I know, but I find it really theraputic!  I recently decided that the way I was storing my eye pencils wasn't satisfying me enough (ha) and so I decided to have a little bit of a re-organise and it was only during that I really I have an unhealthy amount of my black pencil liners in my possession!
So I used to store them in old candle jars mixed in with other shades, but I decided it'd be much better if I stored them all in one drawer which is easily accessible and allows me to see them fully (rather than just the tips sticking out of a pot).

I've kept all of my coloured eye pencils in the pots, but now separated into lip pencils, bright pencils and darker pencils.  All of my blacks are now stored in a drawer of my clear acrylic Muji unit which I massively recommend to anyone who is looking for new ways to store their makeup.

I honestly don't know quite how I managed to collect so damn many black kohls but as I wear them daily it's not surprising.  I have a blog post to follow showing you my top 3 favourite black pencil liners EVER so stay tuned for that ;)

How do you store your pencil liners?

xxx
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BAKING: Easter Nest Cake!

April 3, 2015, 3:30 am
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Since moving to my own place one thing I've really enjoyed doing in my spare time is baking.  I've never baked much before as I'm notorious for being a messy pup and didn't want to stress my parents out too much by leaving a trail of sugar and icing around whilst experimenting at their home, but now I have my own home to look after (and a hungry boyfriend to feed) I'm unstoppable in the kitchen!

My latest creation was this Easter Nest cake and it came out so well I wanted to show it off!  It's a double layer Victoria sponge (but with chocolate buttercream in the middle instead of jam) covered in chocolate melted shredded wheat, topped with mini eggs and little fluffy chicks!

So I originally first heard about this recipe on the Mum's Eye View YouTube channel where Anna SaconneJoly baked it with her adorable daughter Emelia so I followed the recipe she used on the Betty Crocker website to recreate it myself at home.

This was ridiculously easy to do as the recipe suggests using cake mix and pre-made icing to do all the work for you, my only problem is that I only had one cake tin and so I had to bake one layer after another and wait until both had cooled before joining together with the Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Icing.  The best part was mixing together mushed up shredded wheat with melted chocolate and patting it all over the cake to create the nest effect - it was a little fiddly but a lot of fun (and the leftovers were delicious).

You can see the full recipe here and be sure to check out Anna's video too because it's adorable!

I hope you all have a lovely Easter this sunday with your family!

What's your favourite thing to bake at home?

xxx
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FASHION: Resting Up.

April 16, 2015, 9:07 am
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Sorry for the absence on the blog over the past week or so, things have been very up and down!  I'll explain more after these wonderful outfit pictures taken by my partner in crime Andrew.

So if you follow me over on Twitter you will have seen that last week I had pre-cancerous cells removed from my cervix after having multiple abnormal smear and biopsy results - a nasty ordeal which ended in myself AND Andrew fainting!  Luckily I also had my amazing mum there to hold my hand (I decided to have local anaesthetic instead of general which I now regret, which meant I was awake for the experience).  I'm thinking of filming a video all about my experience as I would have LOVED to have heard someone else talk about it openly whilst I was researching pre-treatment.

Anyway,  I've been resting up since and having to deal with the aftermath which is cramps and lots of bleeding (sorry for the TMI) and even worse is I can't have a bath, go swimming or get intimate for 4-6 weeks until it's all healed.  I should get results back in the next month to see if the treatment worked - please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I've had no excuse (other than that) for not blogging, I've just been preferring to wallow in self pity whilst eating chocolate and watching crappy films instead, but I'm back now with lots of time to write content.

I guess I should talk about the outfit in this post too, huh?  I've been loving monochrome at the moment, I just feel really effortlessly cool in black & white and have been trying to stop the urge to chuck out all colour from my wardrobe!  The T-shirt (link) is from H&M - I love deep v-necks on men so I wanted one for my cleavage and I.  The ripped jeans (link) are from New Look and I adore them - they fit my petite frame perfectly!  My jacket is from NEXT, shoes also from New Look but both last season and finally my brand new bag (link) which I'm obsessed with!  It was in the Debenhams sale and I couldn't resist - I do love a bag with lots of compartments.  I'll feature it properly in a video soon!

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Easter and I'll be back soon!

Katie xxx
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Summer Festival Skincare Must Haves!

April 21, 2015, 12:45 pm
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Easter is over, blossom is falling and the weather is heating up which means one thing - festival season is well under way!  My parents have been taking me to festivals from a tiny age (I went to Reading when I was like 8!) and so sitting in the sun, listening to good music with great company is always a summer highlight of mine!

I'm hoping to head to LoveBox again this year after attending with Andrew in 2013 - it was our second date and where our romance really blossomed so we want to re-enact the date (with pizza, rose, dancing and swooning galore) to mark our 2 year anniversary!

Anyway, beauty at festivals can be difficult, especially if you're camping - loo's are a nightmare (take spare tissues), your only hope for good hair is dry shampoo and removing makeup is a chore and so I wanted to put together some beauty tips for those of you who are heading to one this summer!
My top summer festival beauty tips are:

1) SPF SPF SPF!
I swear by SPF all year round, and get even more obsessed during the summer months, and wear nothing lower than SPF 50 on my face (paranoid about wrinkles).  Being out in the sun all day is so damaging so please take some sun protection.

2) Remove your makeup properly!
Yes, wipes are convenient and great for freshening up, but they should not be used to remove makeup, no matter how tired & tipsy you are!  If you're camping, keep a bottle of water & flannel with you for lathering up some face wash for a really quick but thorough clean!

3) Keep refreshed.  
We all know how dehydration plays havoc with our skin so keep hydrated and drink lots of water.  Your skin will thank you for it!

4) Have fun!  
If you can't wear neon body paint and glitter at festivals, when can you?  Just remember to remove it all properly afterwards ;)

Luckily for us beauty obsessives, Kiehls teamed up with DJ Zara Martin to put together a festival Survival Kit which includes all the must haves to keep your skin healthy throughout the summer party months - from festivals, to beaching it up, to exploring new cities, this pack has everything your skin needs!

It includes:
Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector - Minimal makeup is perfect for festivals to save you touching up throughout the day, but this product is fantastic with or without makeup.  It acts as a primer underneath your foundation to make it last longer, but also looks beautiful on bare skin,  blurring it for a smooth, airbrushed look.
Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 - This is my second tube of this now - I adore it and used it religiously last summer.  It's a beautiful moisturiser with an incredible high factor spf so you can party all day and not worry about burning up.
Kiehl's Skin Rescuer - If your skin is suffering this is for you - a stress-minimizing moisturiser which combats the appearance of the visible signs of stress on the skin such as fatigued, dull-looking skin and uneven skin tone.  A travel must have!
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser - A fantastic face wash for a really thorough cleanse!
Kiehl's Creme De Corps - My go-to body lotion of choice in the perfect size for nights away.
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate - My skin LOVES this stuff and just the tiniest drop really moisturizes and does the world of good.  Rub in a few drops before bedtime and say hello to glowing skin the next morning.

I will be taking this little kit with me on holiday this year too!  All of the bottles are under 100ml which also makes it perfect for travelling.  The kit retails for £95 - pricey but at least you know your skin is in good hands!  Link here!

Are you going to any festivals this summer?  What are your beauty tips?

xx

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REVIEW: Every Hotels Picadilly London!

April 27, 2015, 8:25 am
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Finding a good quality hotel in a good location in London that isn't ridiculously overpriced and full of unnecessary charges is HARD, trust me, I'm talking from hours of experience trawling the internet for decent deals.  There have been many instances over the last couple of years where I've needed to book a hotel in central, for either work, romantic get aways or the need to have somewhere near by to stay after a tipsy night out.

Anyway, I think I now may have found my go-to - Every Hotels.  I was recently invited to stay shortly after they opened their doors and wanted to share my thoughts on it!

The first thing I want to mention is the location - it could not be more perfect for those wanting to explore the city more.  It's located right on the corner of Leicester Square and a 2 min walk from Piccadilly station.  My room overlooked on to M&M world and Trocadero but was still really quiet from our 5th floor room.

Secondly - free wifi and FREE MINI BAR!!  This was what I was most excited about to be honest - I love hotel mini-bars but always steer clear because they charge you a bomb, but the contents of these are completely free.  For those that prefer their caffeine in hot form, there is also a Nepresso machine with complimentary coffee pods which Andrew (who joined me on the visit) took full advantage of.

Thirdly - the bed. Oh my, the bed.  It was the biggest bed I have ever slept in in my life.  If Andrew and I laid out on opposite sides of the bed, we could reach out and not even touch each other which meant I could starfish happily all night (see proof here!).

Other perks: The hotel also has a small gym (with complimentary branded earphones and water), a bar and restaurant which serves pizza, burgers and the like (which was okay - not incredible, I'd prefer to pop out to one of the restaurants in Soho) but the hot buffet breakfast on the other hand was delicious and I had seconds of sausages, hash browns, eggs and beans!

You can check out the hotel's website for more details and booking here!  I really enjoyed my stay overall and would thoroughly recommend to those who are looking for an affordable hotel with benefits in central!

What's your go to London hotel?

xxx
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REVIEW: ILLAMASQUA PRECISION BROW GEL + Swatches

April 30, 2015, 8:01 am
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I have a new favourite staple in my every day makeup regime and I couldn't wait to tell y'all about it today!  I mentioned them in my March Favourites so you may have heard about my love for them already but I wanted to write a more detailed review on the blog!

They are the Illamasqua Precision Brow Gels...

I have two shades, Strike - my personal favourite which is a chocolate brown and Stare, a dark slate grey which is perfect for those with super dark brows.

I have been using these daily, not only for filling in my brows and giving them a more clean, defined shape, but also as eyeshadow smudged out underneath my eyes which really ties the whole look together in my opinion.  I actually like to do this a lot with my makeup - using the same product on both on cheeks and lips, or brows to my eyes which just adds a nice touch to the finished look.

These last all day on my eyes and are so pigmented and creamy you can really play around with them.  I like to use a slanted brush to gently fill in my brows for a natural, yet preened look, and I use a smudger brush to gently place some underneath my lower lash line (as you can see in the pictures above).

The colours available are also perfect - I have such dark brows and blonde hair which means finding a shade that matches without looking 'too much' is difficult, but Strike is perfect.  At £18.50, it's not the most affordable brow product but one I now could not live without!

What's your favourite Illamasqua product?

xx
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OUTFIT: Summer fling

May 4, 2015, 8:52 am
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Last weekend Andrew and I travelled up to Peterborough for some quality time with his family and to celebrate the engagement of an old friend of his.  Here is what I wore!


Jeans: http://fave.co/1D8zN2o
Top: http://fave.co/1cdyhGL
Shoes: http://fave.co/1bWP7cc

I've had the shoes from this outfit for what seems like ages now but have only just re-discovered that I owned them (they're still in stock FYI) and now can't get enough (this is what happens when you're a shoe-aholic).  They give me incredible height without being uncomfortable.  Paired with the crochet detailed top and ripped jeans, I think this is a really easy outfit to wear.
You can also see a sneak peak of my new foot tattoo in the pictures above too.  I got it two weeks ago on the annual Snooks family tattoo day (which I'll tell you all about in my tattoo's video which I'm planning to film this week).  It's been super itchy recently but I think it'll be fully healed soon.

I hope you've all had a lovely bank holiday weekend.  Andrew and I have been resting up in our little flat in the East End of Lannndan.  We went to Columbia Road yesterday to buy some flowers and ended the evening with Andrew playing piano whilst I sang along.  I really should vlog more often!

Let me know if there's any particular content you'd like to see from me in the future too, I'm still trying to get my blogging mojo back so knowing what you guys would like to read would definitely help!

xxxx
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Big Beauty GIVEAWAY!

May 6, 2015, 8:30 am
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If you follow me over on Twitter or Instagram (@katesnooks) you may have seen that at the weekend I hit 40,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel.  This absolutely made my week - I adore YouTube and creating content and to see people watching my videos honestly makes me so happy, so I decided to give a little something back!
I'm giving away this box of lovely goodies, all products chosen especially because I adore them myself!!

All you have to do to enter is subscribe to my channel (http://www.youtube.com/snooksy) and leave a comment!  Watch the video above for more options on how to enter and to find out why I chose the products!

Prize Includes:
Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette
Benefit Porefessional
Illamasqua Gleam in Supernatural
Revlon Matte Balms x 2
Rimmel Scandaleyes Cream x 2
Rimmel Eyeshadow Quad
Maybelline 24 hr Colour Tattoo
Maybelline Baby Lips
Illamasqua Nail Polish
Lipcote

Thanks for all sticking around and reading my blog too - it's been the only constant in my life for the past 5 years and I couldn't imagine what I'd do without it!!

Good luck!

xxx
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