summer

Boomtown Festival – Faves & Fails

beauty, essentials, festival, hair, makeup

Time for the usual excuses, life got busy and the blog took a backseat for a while, but I’m back in the real world and ready to tell you all about my trip to Boomtown.

Last week I went to Boomtown festival in Winchester with my friends from uni, its a 4 day festival and it’s insaneeee. I’ve been before so thought my packing game would be on point…it wasn’t!

The Fails –

  • There were two nights when I would have sold my soul for a warm jumper, I was colder than Queen Elsa herself!!
  • Lipbalm, something that I carry in every bag and pocket in my daily life. This was by far my biggest fail, lipstick did me no favours, in the end my lips were so dry and sore I had to leave them alone completely. Big mistake, will NEVER happen again!!!
  • I think I packed a little too minimally when it came to makeup, I could have really done with a dark brown eyeshadow or crease colour just to add a little dimension. I ended up keeping it pretty boring and that wasn’t the intention.
  • A festival essential is glitter, I had bought a couple of pots from eBay with this in mind but couldn’t find them anywhere when it came time to pack. As a result I had to rely on others, luckily the girls didn’t let me down and there was plenty to choose from but it’s always nice to have your own.

The Favourites –

  • I absolutely loved using my Maybelline Master Drama Khol Liner in Purple Light, it’s a beautiful vibrant, slightly metallic bright purple colour that applies evenly and gently on the waterline. I loved this buttery eyeliner and can’t wait to get more use out of it!
  • I took a travel size Batiste Clean and Classic Dry Shampoo with me and it was a total life saver! After a couple of rainy days my hair was looking less than fresh and ended up in a ponytail but this was perfect for refreshing the roots and fringe. A must have at any festival!
  • Travel size packs of wipes are everything when the toilet roll is gone. Festival toilets are notoriously vile so the quicker you can get in and out the better. Having a small pack of wipes in your bag is a real comfort.
  • Hand sanitizer needs no explanation. I took the Soap & Glory Hand Maid Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel which has a lovely strong scent and leaves your hands feeling clean without the sting you can get from other brands.

What are your festival fails and must haves? What do I need to make sure I have with me next time? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @sophieaiken

Sophie xoxo

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Metallic Lips

beauty, lipstick, makeup

It’s been a bit lipstick heavy on the blog recently, I promise this will be the last post for a while but this one really deserved a mention!

Topshop makeup is great, but sometimes I think it’s slightly overpriced in comparison to drugstore brands. I found this metallic lipstick on sale for £4 and had to have it! The lipstick is called Mescaline and it’s essentially just bronzey-gold wonderfulness in a tube! With the perfect amount of shimmer and a warm undertone this is the ideal lipstick for a summer tan. I also like the idea of applying this in the centre of the lips over a matte nude lipstick to add a subtle shimmer that will give a slight plumping effect. The bad news is that I couldn’t find this on the website but you never know there may still be some around in stores.

And that’s it really I just had to share this little treasure with you!

Sophie xoxo

The Single Stila Shadow

beauty, eyeshadow, makeup

Another day, another TK Maxx find! This time it’s a Stila product, which is a brand I haven’t really bought from before. I was drawn in by the pretty cardboard packaging and beautifully untouched shadow inside.

This particular eyeshadow is extremely similar to MAC Cranberry with deep pink/red tones and a gentle shimmer running through. It would be unfair to call it a dupe as at normal price it isn’t exactly drugstore value. However, with the fabulousness of TK Maxx discount if you are lucky enough to find it in a store near you, then you’re on to a winner. This eyeshadow has a lovely pigmentation and can be used a number of ways. Personally I would wear this all over the lid and bottom lash line with mascara and a black liner on the waterline to achieve a Olsen twin-esque, grungey eye. A safer option would be to blend it into the crease with a more neutral colour on the lid or you could even add it to a traditional smokey eye to give it a bit of an edge.

I feel like this is one of those products that I didn’t need but am glad I got. But I definitely wouldn’t have paid full price for it simply because I already own MAC Cranberry. But if you were on a quest for a burgundy shadow, this is so worth a search!

Sophie xoxo