Dalliance in Duty Free

When we were off on our holiday to Turkey, upon arrival at the airport we were told that our flight was delayed for around 2 hours. I of course therefore spent the majority of that time having a look round duty free. I only got a few bits and bobs which were Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer, Erase Paste by Benefit, 17 Miracle Matte pressed powder and Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara. All the products I bought needed to be replenished as they had been used up and they were also all different brands to the ones I was using before, mainly due to hearing good reviews.

Benefit Erase Paste: This product was a bit of a risk as it normally retails for £19.50 and even though I got it for around £15, I still think it is a lot to pay for a concealer, especially as it is a tiny pot. I had previously been using Rimmel's Hide the Blemish in Sand, but it was pretty rubbish especially under my eyes where it would wear off really quickly so I bought Erase Paste as an alternative due to it's claim of being a 'brightening' concealer and because of the thicker, creamy formula. It came with a little spatula and instructions of how to use it which I thought was great and is always an added bonus with Benefit products, however I never really used the spatula after a few tries as I think it is more of a marketing way to use more product than you actually need. Another plus was the cute pink packaging, which I am a sucker for anyway as I think the presentation of Benefit products is great. There are 3 choices of colour and I went with no. 1 fair which was the right choice for me. Overall, I enjoy using this product as it gives good coverage and will last a long time, although I'm not sure of it's claim to 'brighten' and I would recommend using this with foundation when you are looking for more coverage rather than with a BB cream or tinted moisturiser. I will have to use it over a longer period of time to determine whether the quality deserves the price tag. 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer: After hearing loads of good reviews for this from my favourite bloggers and youtubers I thought I would give it a go, especially when it is the bargain price of £4.19. I have the shade 1 Fair and am pleased to say that I really like it too :)! Yay! The shade matches my skin tone and although it is a liquid formula, which I was a bit wary about, it gives really good coverage on blemishes and under-eye circles without being too heavy, and enables you to layer it if needs be without being obvious. I have been using it with my BB cream as for the moment I haven't been using foundation at all, so it will be interesting to see how I think it fairs with my regular foundation (Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse). I would definitely repurchase this and recommend it to others.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara in Black: I am a massive fan of Max Factor mascaras as I think they are really good quality for the price. The one I normally buy is Xperience as I recieved it for my birthday and loved it ever since, although it is meant to be volumising I think they are better for definition and length. I decided on the Masterpiece Max mainly just because it was a pound cheaper at £9.99 and I used to use it a while back. Since using it, I don't know why I ever stopped because I love it and is my new go to mascara. The Xperience is great for a more day time look, however I think the Masterpiece Max is great for day but can also be layered effectively for evening looks too without the aid of another mascara, therefore putting it above the Xperience for me. I would be interested if you have used any other Max Factor mascaras/products and what you think of them :)

17 Miracle Matt Pressed Powder in Ivory Porcelain: Previous to purchasing this I had been using MAC's Blot Powder in Medium and to be honest I was really underwhelmed :( It was my first MAC purchase in a while and I so wanted it to be better than the drugstore brands and worth the higher price, however I can't really tell the difference between the two powders (which is a good thing for 17!) This powder was £3.99 and for the quality and the packaging I thought it was a great price. It includes a compact mirror and a little sponge too which I thought were lovely added extras. One of the main features I like is that it is oil free, and as I have oily/combination skin this really appealed to me. The only downside is that it says up to 16 hours shine control but I don't think it comes near to this. I have been using it with a BB cream though which make me more oily anyway, so hopefully once I have tested it with foundation it will give me better results. Overall, I think for a drugstore powder it is great quality for the price and it does the job.

If any of you have some advice/recommendation on powders I would love to hear them! xxx

Holiday Heroes

Summer is upon us...or maybe not if British weather is anything to go by! Therefore, many of us seem to be jetting away to exotic far away places in order to enjoy some hot weather and a bit of sun. As you will all know from previous posts, I have just had a wonderful week away in Turkey and thought I would share some of heroic products I took on holiday that saved and protected my skin and hair. I am quite fair and have highlighted hair, so products that really help maintain the condition of both my skin and hair as well as protect it are really important to me.

L'Oreal expert Soar Sublime UV Protect Spray: I am in loooove with this product! I am so glad I invested in this as bleaching my hair means I have to take so much care to keep the shine and colour vibrant as well as maintain the softness and condition of my hair. Luckily, this product seems to do all of these jobs at once! It coats the hair in a 'light protective film' and left my hair feeling so soft and shiny, while still feeling like I hadn't got any product in at all. I used it on dry hair before I went out in the sun and then every time I came out the pool or felt I needed to use some more. It also has a beautiful summer scent of peaches - all around this is a must have if you have coloured hair and are going somewhere sunny! 

Sudocrem: This may seem a bit of a weird one and not essentially a 'beauty' item, however I think it is a bit of an unsung hero! It really helped with some sunburn by moisturising it effectively and healing it much quicker than with just a bit of aftersun. It is also good for if you get a few pesky blemishes that you want to banish!

Clinique Moisture Surge: I really love Clinique skin care but naturally have quite oily skin, so when I received this as part of a gift I didn't think I would get much use out of it apart from maybe winter when skin can get a bit dry. However, this was really great on  holiday when I got a bit sunburnt on my nose and forehead and this helped to stop it feeling tight and sore, as well as stave off the flakyness!

Aussie Miracle Colour Insurance Leave in Conditioner: Again, i loooove this product!! I normally use this in my standard hair routine on towel dried hair after washing, mainly because of the gorgeous scent of peaches (again! You can tell the scent of a product is a big deal to me!) However, I noticed it made a real difference on holiday because I was spritzing it on when I was in the sun on my wet hair every time after the pool. I think because I was using it a lot more than I normally would, my hair has become noticeably softer. To be honest my hair is in pretty good condition anyway considering I bleach it, but normally after shampooing I can feel it needs the conditioner. However, after using this every day it has left my hair feeling really nourished even after shampooing and so I think it is making a real difference to the quality of my hair. Overall, I think its just a really good product and will continue to use this every day to see if it lives up to what I've claimed!

L'Oreal expert Solar Sublime Aftersun Shampoo: This shampoo was amazing and I am so pleased I bought it! Again it had the peachy holiday smell (can you see a theme?!) and it made my hair soft and nourished. This product had it all really, the scent, the UV protection and I loved the fact it was formulated to get out salt and chlorine completely while still nourishing my hair so I felt like it was really clean without it being stripped. A definite must for holiday, especially because it was in a smaller bottle for travelling too.

Garnier Intensive 7 days Replenishing Lotion: This product was actually used after my holiday as I took a travel sized moisturiser with me to Turkey. I really love this for summer as it is light weight but really moisturising at the same time, so I didn't need a heavy body butter like I do in the winter as I get dry skin, especially on my legs. I also really like the scent, but I would like to try the one for very dry skin to see if it is an even better match for me.

L'Oreal Elvive Colour Protect Caring Conditioner: Another product from L'Oreal! This is my normal conditioner I use the majority of time I wash my hair and I really like it in conjunction with the shampoo to prolong my colour and I love the added UVA/B filters. I won't go into too much detail as I have already reviewed the shampoo which you can read here.

Have you used any of these products and what do you think of them? Are there any others you would recommend? xxx

Luxury On A Budget: Turkey

As you can see from my previous blog post, I have just come back from an amazing holiday in Antalya, Turkey. It seems to be a really popular country this summer, I think mainly because it is a beautiful location but not too pricey. The location and the hotel (Flora Garden) was beautiful and I was really sad to come home after having a fantastic week there. It is safe to say I have really caught the travel bug now and can't wait to get away again! I went with my boyfriend, and we got an amazing deal from Thomson to go to a 4/5* couples hotel all inclusive package, which included the bus travel there and back from the airport and as we were 'priority' we were the first stop as well as a free a la carte meal :) I must say the value for money was so good, although it is a wise idea to bring some spending money with you as the a la carte restaurants are not free and neither are the various activities. To best review this I think I should probably split it into sections...


Travel
There isn't a lot to say about this to be honest! We traveled with Thomson airlines (obviously) and found the service was lovely, although even though I am small, a bit more leg room would have been appreciated! There was a two hour delay to our flight though, which was out of Thomson's control but the duty free at the aiport more than made up for this :)! The transfer to the hotel was a bit annoying however as it was really late by this point (around 1am) and the bus driver was SO slow... obviously I didn't expect him to drive like a loon but it was such a snail pace I felt sorry for the people who were 2 or 3 hours away. They also played a really old cheesy video which I didn't find helpful as it had loads of information on other places on Turkey which we wouldn't have been going to on that trip and I just wanted to sleep! The reps were fab though, especially, on the way back as they were organised and ready to help.

Location
Where we were situated was GORGEOUS!! Literally sooo lovely, I would go back again just for that. We were right by the sea with a private beach for the hotel which had a lovely little pier and there were lots of garden spaces with hammocks too. Whether it was during the day or evening the view was spectacular from the restaurants and pool, with the loveliest sunsets right over the sea that I couldn't help taking lots of pictures of! I was worried that being right a dual carriage way would make it super noisy but to be honest I never heard anything but waves from the sea, plus you couldn't see the road either from the resort. Overall, it was fab!

 
 

 

 



Hotel/Room
Again, both our room and our hotel were absolutely wonderful. Everything was clean to a great standard and it was relatively modern and comfortable. Another cool extra in the room was that you could change the colour of the lighting!! You could choose purple, red or blue which we thought was pretty cool! The facilities included 5 a la carte restaurants, the main buffet restaurant, a spa, tennis courts, volleyball, hairdressers, paragliding and much more! They also had about 7 different bars and lots of different snack bars and even a pancake house, so there was loads of free food any time of the day! I also loved that on the grassy sunbathing area were sofa type loungers so you and your partner could sunbath lying together, which was cute cute and comfy :)!

Food
This was one of the things I was most worried about as it is always one of the main things that can really let a lovely hotel down, especially as it was all inclusive. However, I thought the food was really impressive due to the excellent quality and variety of food in the main buffet including soups, cold mezze starters, meats, stews, grills, veg, fresh fish, fruit and a large selections of puddings! And the menu changed every day too which was a lovely touch. We went to one a la carte restaurant during our stay as they were all booked up, and we chose the Anatolian which served traditional Turkish food. The food here was even better, although the Turkish champagne left a lot to be desired as it smelt and tasted of cheese! We also ordered room service for breakfast and one time for a snack and again, there was an excellent selection for a great price! Overall, I couldn't fault the food as there was something for everyone.

Lobby Bar

VIP Bar

Breakfast in bed :)

Real honey comb!

Starters at the Anatolian restaurant

 Service
Last but certainly not least important - the service. I wish I could say that this was fabulous just like everything else, but to be honest it was quite awful. I don't know if it was because it was all inclusive but many of the staff were incredibly rude and didn't actually listen to what you said - if you asked for a cocktail (many of which were free) they would give you whatever they fancied making rather than what you asked for and if you didn't want something you had to repeatedly say no, for example I got a drink repeatedly thrust in my face by the pool which I didn't want. They were also very eager for tips but went about it the wrong way - they expected a tip for doing their job which they are already paid for, for example carrying our bags which we would have done ourselves, from the lobby to the 'luggage room' which was literally less than a couple of metres and had to wait for hours for them to do anyway. One time at dinner they literally came round with a box shouting 'TIP TIME!!' and thrusting it in various customers faces while they were trying to eat, which many people were shocked at! Lastly, they had a culture night which was lovely with local stalls and camels, but one man repeatedly forced perfume on us we didn't want, refused to take it out of our hands in which he had placed it and when i had to show him the inside of my bag to prove we had no money on us he whispered to my boyfriend that "the women in Turkey don't speak" (!!!!) I literally could not believe how rude they were!!! To be fair, not every single person was like this and some were very attentive and did their job well especially the really friendly cleaners, however, I feel many let down the resort and hotel badly as apart from this the holiday was amazing and I would not suggest to anyone not to go just because of the service.

Conclusion
Overall, although the service let the hotel down, the location and everything else about this holiday was perfect and I would definitely recommend Turkey as a holiday destination and the Flora Garden as a perfect hotel to stay in.

What do you think of the resort? Have you been to Turkey or are thinking of going this summer? xxx