Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Summer
My Summer So Far
0
4 years
Evening everyone, I hope you’ve all been enjoying the Great British summer so far. I’m not usually a sun worshipper, but I’ve actually been really enjoying the hot weather this year… Probably because it’s been so long since we last had a bit of sun! Get ready for some good ol’ summer storms though (my favourite!), they’re on their way.
On a different note, I can’t quite believe it’s been more than a month since I last posted on here. I guess that just shows how busy I’ve been though, as I’m not usually one for abandoning my little blog. I’ve missed it, and I’ve missed you too! Lately my weekdays have been filled with the monotony of writing my postgraduate dissertation, which is twice as long as the undergraduate one I did two years ago. So as I’m sure you can understand, when considering the planning, supervisor meetings, intensive research and 20,000 word limit I have to reach by September, I’m left with very little free time for other forms of writing. I’m getting through it though, so hopefully I’ll be around a bit more in the near future, and things will definitely be back to normal in less than two months time.
It’s not all been hard work though, I’ve also been having a lot of weekend fun, some of which I’ll tell you about now…
30th June – Race for Life
At the end of June I ran the Race for Life in memory of my Grandad, with my sister, her best friend, and her best friend’s cousin. It was a fairly hot day and we were all expecting to walk most of it, but we surprised ourselves and ran around 4 kilometres, on and off, of the 5 kilometre distance, speed walking the rest. We all had a lot of fun and the atmosphere on the day was really lively and exciting. I managed to raise over £110 in total for Cancer Research UK, so a big thank you goes out to everyone who sponsored me.
13th July – Friend’s Wedding
Last weekend my partner and I went to our friend’s wedding reception, and it was lovely and quirky, and all outside. There was a vintage tea party in the afternoon, a curry buffet at night, pick n mix sweets to help yourself to, great music, sunny weather, huge garden games (I particularly enjoyed the big buzzer game) and brilliant company.
I didn’t get any good pictures of my outfit, but this is what I wore…
Cat Dress – H&M – £14.99
Clutch – Irregular Choice – £7.00 (from TK Maxx)
Black Suedette Shoe Boots – New Look – £15.99
20th July – Tramlines Festival
Yesterday, my dad, my partner and I headed up to Sheffield for the Tramlines Festival. The festival happens every year and is usually free, but it cost £6 this year which is still amazingly cheap. We went specifically to see two of our favourite bands – Amplifier and 65daysofstatic – but we also saw a few other bands which we enjoyed. The highlight of the day for me was 65daysofstatic’s Sleepwalk City installation at the Millennium Gallery, which involved a half hour live set accompanied by projected videos and surround sound. According to the Tramlines website, the installation explored ‘submersion, noise, and the collapse of everything’, and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE. Such an awe-inspiring experience that I’d love to repeat. Amplifier were as excellent as ever too, and they sang one of my favourite songs which is always a bonus.
Here are a couple of photos from the day that my dad took on his iPhone…
So that’s me! Busy, busy, but I have a backlog of products to review, a few Thrifty Finds to share with you and potentially a VIP event to attend, so keep an eye out for lots of exciting posts coming to Bewitchery soon.
What have you been doing with your summer so far?
Naomi x
TanOrganic TryMe Set GIVEAWAY! – CLOSED
35To celebrate their launch in the UK, the lovely folks at TanOrganic have sent me not one, not two, but THREE TryMe Sets to give away to three lucky winners. Each set contains a 30ml bottle of TanOrganic Sunless Tan, a 30ml bottle of OilArganic multi-use body oil and a Self Tanning Mitt, and is worth almost €22 (£18/$29) in total. TanOrganic is BUAV approved and the only Eco certified, aloe vera based sunless tan in the whole world, and OilArganic is made from 100% natural, organic ingredients. I have tried and tested both products myself in the past (click the links above to see my reviews), and they are both top notch, so this is a really great prize and one not to be missed!
How to Enter
To be in with a chance of winning one of THREE TanOrganic TryMe Sets, you must be following this blog via WordPress or email (I will check) and you must leave a comment below! This will earn you one entry. You can also earn an extra entry for each of the following…
- Follow Bewitchery on Twitter.
- Follow TanOrganic on Twitter.
- Like Bewitchery on Facebook.
- Like TanOrganic on Facebook.
- Tweet about the giveaway saying ‘For a chance to win a @TanOrganic TryMe set, enter ’s giveaway’, with a link to this post.
And you can earn four extra entries if you reblog this post! That’s a possible ten entries in total 
The giveaway is open internationally, to anyone aged 18 or over, and will run for three weeks, ending at midnight (GMT) on the 8th of February. Winners will be chosen at random and notified via email on the 9th of February, and will be expected to provide their postal address within 24 hours. If no contact is received within this time, I reserve the right to choose another winner.
Good Luck!
Naomi x
My Perfect Summer Lipstick: L’Oreal Caresse in ‘202 Impulsive Fuchsia’
5
5 years
by Naomi in Lips
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win Thoughts In Little Boxes‘ 100k Giveaway. The prize was a lovely box of beauty goodies, and within the box was this lipstick… A shade called ‘202 Impulsive Fuchsia’ from L’Oreal’s Caresse range. There are ten pretty shades in the range, and out of all of them I probably would have chosen this one myself, so thanks Carly for sending this colour!
On first impressions, L’Oreal Caresse lipstick looks great. The unusual square, clear packaging and silver inner make it look very classy, and I like the addition of the coloured end on the lid. The lid has a gap which clicks over the ‘L’Oreal Paris’ logo, which is a very good design as it will never fall off in your make up bag and mess up the product! I also think the lipstick itself benefits from being flat and round in shape, as it allows for easy application.
The product description on L’Oreal’s website says that this lipstick offers ‘A flutter of kissably soft light-weight feeling colour’, and it definitely delivers. The lipstick itself looks and feels very much like a lip balm. It smoothes on effortlessly, leaving behind an even layer of beautiful colour, and has the texture of a creamy lip balm. Because of its balm-like consistency, it doesn’t feel heavy and drying like some lipsticks, and is instead extremely moisturising.
I’ve been very impressed with the lipstick’s staying power too – one application in the morning lasts pretty much all day. The colour fades slightly over the hours, but it fades evenly so still looks pretty and fresh. At most, I’ve had to reapply this once per day which is good going, and because it’s like a lip balm you don’t necessarily need to use a mirror to ensure neat application!
‘Impulsive Fuchsia’ is a very bright pink shade, with an undertone of bluish shimmer which gives it fantastic, lasting shine. It’s a colour that, I would say, is complimentary of most skin tones. I am quite pale and I have been told it really suits me, but I think it would also look stunning against darker skin. I love how girly and vivid this colour is, and I’m quite amazed by how intense and highly pigmented it is, as you wouldn’t expect it from such a light formula.
So why is this my perfect summer lipstick? Because the ‘light-weight feeling’ makes it ideal for a delicate, summery look, the moisturising element stops your lips drying in the sun and the pop of girly colour makes you feel as bright as summer itself. I genuinely feel confident and happy whilst wearing this lipstick and I firmly believe that more lipsticks should be like this!
What’s your perfect summer lipstick?
Naomi x
I’m Back, but am I Burnt? Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration
2Hello everyone!
After four days of camping near the beautiful moors of Dartmoor I am finally back in the shire. I had a great time on my little trip with my dad and sister – I’ve been camping every year since I was born and I really love being close to nature and away from all the stresses of the city. We spent a good portion of the holiday hiking on the moors. We found a couple of stone circles and saw lots of wild horses, and of course some stunning views…
We also spent a day in the beautiful little Cornish town of Boscastle, browsing the shops and sitting on the cliffs overlooking the sea (which was very, very blue). And, as you do, we ate a lot of decadent meals – not good for the diet but great for the soul
Whilst I was camping it was really hot and sunny – quite unexpected after two months of rain! I’ll admit, I hadn’t really thought about buying sun lotion this year because of all the rubbish weather, but I recently received a free sample bottle of Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration lotion in the post. So, before I set off, I chucked it in my suitcase to use if it was sunny… and as I said, it was.
On first impressions I love the look of this lotion. The flower design on the bottle is pretty and the lotion itself looks different to the boring white stuff you usually see on shelves. If you look closely, you can see that the lotion in the bottle is white, swirled with orange. These orange swirls are the ‘hydrating ribbons’ that the packaging boasts, which are supposed to provide twelve-hour moisturisation. When you squeeze the bottle the lotion comes out easily and the colours mix into a paler orange shade, as you can see below.
So… does this lotion protect AND moisturise? In a word, yes! The lotion is a wonderful consistency – not too runny and not too thick, so it rubs in with ease. I noticed that it was absorbed very quickly so it didn’t leave any streaky white marks and didn’t rub off on my clothing. The lotion has an SPF of 15, so I applied this several times a day to ensure that I was protected at all times. I usually use SPF 25 or 30, so this did need more regular application, but it’s so lovely to apply it didn’t matter too much. As you would expect, I didn’t burn whilst using this, not one little bit. I did get a slight tan on my arms and chest though, but I’m not complaining. But now for the real test, the hydration factor! I didn’t use any other moisturiser whilst I was camping, which for me is unusual as I suffer from fairly dry skin. However, the Silk Hydration did just the job My skin felt so soft all day and night, even after a shower, and I didn’t suffer with any dryness. I really wish you could buy the moisturising aspect of this on its own to use all year round because it really is impressive.
The absolute best thing about this lotion though is its scent. It smells so light and fresh… Slightly fruity but also floral, with a strong creamy overtone of sweet coconut. The scent lingered on my skin all day, and I couldn’t stop sniffing my arm! Haha.
I would highly recommend this lotion to anybody, especially if you suffer from dry skin and want something hydrating as well as protecting. I’ve seen it around in lots of shops, including ASDA and Boots so it’s very easy to find, and it has an RRP of £14.99 for 180ml, meaning this 59ml sample bottle is worth about £4.99. It may be slightly more pricey than other high street sun lotions, but I think the quality of the product reflects the price. I for one would definitely invest in a bigger bottle.
Have you tried Hawaiian Tropic’s Silk Hydration sun lotion?
Naomi x
*I won this product in a 10,000 bottle giveaway and this is an honest review. I am in no way affiliated with Hawaiian Tropic or any other companies mentioned*
Summer Dress Bargains!
3
5 years
by Naomi in Fashion
This past week I’ve treated myself to a few pretty dresses ready for late Spring/Summer, and all of them have been fantastic bargains!
The first dress I bought was a mustard and black belted skater style dress from Chiara Fashion. It cost £4.95 (plus p+p) in the sale.
I don’t usually wear yellow but this is a really lovely shade and, as an added bonus, I even have a nail varnish which is a perfect match!
This second dress was from Primark and cost just £3 in the sale! I swear Primark put some of their stock straight into the sale without trying to sell it full price first as I’d never seen this before, but hey, I’m not complaining! I think the button detail is really cute and the colours really stand out. The dress is even shaped at the breast and slightly fitted at the waist for a flattering fit.
My last purchase is my absolute favourite and the most expensive at £10 from Asda. I adore purple and bright colours and this dress was just made for me – it’s just so pretty! It is a similar cut to the Primark dress above and is made of light cotton, which is perfect for warm days. I may dress this with leggings and a shrug tomorrow though as I can’t wait to wear it.
And of course, here’s an obligatory changing room shot…
Which dress do you like best? Have you started your summer dress shopping yet?
Naomi x
