This last month has been a manic one and I feel like it's flown by! I've titled this post my July Beauty Favourites because I think I'm going to try spreading my other 'Favourites' out (like clothes, movies, music) throughout the month rather than all in one post because, you know, I'm always discovering new things and want to share them with you as soon as I've figured out I like them!

Anyway, that's enough rambling for me, let's get down to my July Beauty Faves.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo and Conditioner: The Marvellous Transformer with Argan & Camellia Oils 



The name is a bit of a mouthful but these two products have really helped in getting my hair back to a much better condition after it was lightened earlier this year. I've been trying for the last few months to not bleach or use as much as heat on my hair and so far so good. However, a little extra help never hurt anybody so during a recent Morisson's shopping trip I noticed these two products on offer and grabbed them!

There are a few different varieties of shampoos and conditioners in this range but this pair is designed for dry and dull hair and contains two types of nourishing oils; argan and carmellia. Since using them I've found my hair is a lot silkier and softer after washing and I like to alternate these throughout the week with the Lee Stafford Bleach Blonde shampoo and conditioner that I mentioned in my Julianne Hough hair tutorial.

Garnier Ambre Solaire Self-Tanning Dry Body Mist



Here's a funny story; last weekend I was feeling super pale, the weather was beautiful and I was going for lunch SO I grabbed a St Moriz instant tan out of my drawer and proceeded to slather it all over my body after a shower. Little did I know that particular bottle of tan was about 18 months out of date.

The tan turned an instant greyish-green colour and I freaked out and washed it off entirely. I then went back upstairs again to root through my drawer of self-tans (yes, that is a thing I'm afraid) and found this one which fortunately was in date and also worked a bloomin' treat!

I love, love, love tanning mists. They're the second easiest way of self-tanning after the super-easy in-shower tan, like the one I wrote about last month. I sprayed this instant Garnier mist all over and by the time I was ready to head out the door a couple of hours later, it had already developed into a beautiful, natural golden tan. Due to the nature of this product I found that it didn't leave nasty streaks or uneven patches. I also have the face version of this tan so I might give that a go in August and update you!

Hair Burst 



I'm going to write a full blog post on this soon, I know I've missed my 30 days milestone now but I've been super busy so please forgive me, it is coming!) So far, I really, really like the Hair Burst vitamins! I've noticed changes in my hair length, hair condition and also, more excitingly for me, the condition of my skin since I started taking them, you can read my original post on these all-natural pills here.

During certain times of the month I suffer from breakouts, usually it's inevitable and I just roll with it because it never lasts more than a week, but since taking Hair Burst it's safe to say I haven't suffered from any at all *touch wood, as I don't want to jinx it!*

Ultimately, Hair Burst contains a lot of the same ingredients as your average hair, skin and nails vitamins and I've definitely noticed vast improvements in all of those areas so I'm really chuffed. I will of course be updating more thoroughly for the next couple of months and there will be a big post at the end of my three-month trial to let you know how I got on and whether I will be continuing to take the vitamins.

Brandy Melville Haul

Last weekend I went for dinner on the Kings Road in Chelsea with a couple of friends and on the way home, after we said our goodbyes, I couldn't resist popping into Brandy Melville for a little browse and I didn't leave empty handed!

I'm all about Brandy-esque styles right now, I love loose, oversized tees and tanks that are super simple, plain and comfy and if there's one thing Brandy does well, it's comfort! I love that their tees are so, so soft and the John Galt graphic tees are always to die for. This is what I picked up.

I spotted this tank top on Kendall Jenner and she'd teamed it with light blue jeans and white sneakers and I just loved how laid-back and relaxed the whole outfit looked. This tank wont look as good on me as it does on Kendall of course but what would?! Kaya Tank, £12



As if I don't already own enough navy and white striped tees I thought I'd go and add yet another to my collection. I don't know what my obsession is with tees like this but I just love wearing them with jeans and converse or with dark jeans and ankle boots for work - like I did today! This tee along with a few others sold at Brandy is designed by John Galt, a concession within the Brandy stores. Nadine Top, £15



Brandy Melville are renowned for this graphic moon-phase print and it first appeared on a crop top ages ago, now it's back on this awesome vintage-inspired charcoal tee so I had to have it. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this tee on the website but I think it cost me approx.£17, definitely no more than £20.



Finally, these sunnies were an impulse buy which I picked up at the till whilst I was paying. They were the last pair in the store and as I managed to drop and break my Topshop sunnies at the gym, I needed a new pair so nabbed these for £16. They also came with this cool faux-leather case which I thought I'd end up getting charged extra for but nope, included in the price, thank you very much Brandy Melville!

Just a quick note, I know Brandy gets a lot of criticism for it's 'one size fits most' sizing and I have to admit, I would never pick up jeans or shorts in that store for that reason but as someone who is somewhere between a UK size 10/12 I find plenty in store that fits me well, and a lot of oversized tees/cardigans/sweaters that would comfortably fit up to a size 14/16. The staff are always so sweet and helpful so if you're thinking about paying Brandy a visit (there's also a store in Carnarby St now, hello) then I'd say go and do it, you're bound to find something you love, don't let the sizing structure put you off.

A Week In Photos

1. This is the last post I uploaded before this one, it's an overview of all the things I am loving and pinning on Pinterest right now.

2. Now, I know some people aren't into taking photos of what they're eating but I've never eaten hummous before and I had some on a picnic with a friend the other evening and oh my goodness I love it! So this was yesterday's lunch (also had this today too) and it was scrummy!

3. I saw this on Instagram and absolutely loved it so re-posted it to my feed, credit to whoever came up with this though, it's hilarious.

4. Sigh, this is me reminiscing on my Florida vacation last October. I'm going back again next year and it's like a second home to me now, I was thinking about doing a Florida-related blog post with all my tips and tricks so keep an eye out because that might be coming very soon.

5. Elle magazine was giving away some lovely-looking beauty products and with the issue only costing £4.00 I just had to buy it for the freebies.

6. I grabbed this recipe book at a charity shop last weekend because my mum and I have been doing so much home-cooking lately. We've discovered some really great healthy-eating recipes in mum's Slimming World magazine and online, so we wanted to write them all down and keep them in once place so they're easy to refer back to. If you'd like to see some of the awesome Slimming World/diet recipes we love then let me know!

7. This is a funny one, these are my lovely acrylic nails after getting them done last Saturday, six days later and I can't bear them and sat at home last night using Superdrug's Artificial Nail Remover to dissolve them. I love how they look but they're so impractical for me.

8. This is my lovely new car the first day I brought it home, the weather was gorgeous so I had to take a photo, you can read more about that here.

9. This is the mixture that creates my all-time favourite no sugar, no flour banana and greek yoghurt muffins. So, so good.

That's my week in photos, if you'd like to see more then follow me over on Instagram @laurenefell

Latest Pinterest Faves

I'm a Pinterest junkie and there's just something about the app that makes me feel so inspired, whether it's to workout, redecorate, cook or dye my hair there's no doubt that a quick swipe through the site will make me motivated as heck! (Even as I wrote this post I got distracted by the app so that just goes to show how sucked in I get!)

I've been pinning like mad over the last month or so and thought I'd share my favourite pins at the moment with your lovely selves. If you have Pinterest then I would love to follow you so share your username below because I'm always on the look out for exciting new things to pin!

Fun fact, my blog theme has a really cool built-in Pinning feature, so you can hover over any of the images I post and Pin them, how awesome is that?!

Food

Food, food and more food. I am such a foodie so Pinterest is the holy grail of delicious, scrummy -and mostly healthy - recipes and I have been working my way through them like it's nobody's business. I think at the moment all of my dinner ideas are coming from Pinterest because I've started to eat a lot more veg than I used to and Pinterest gives me so many fab ways to cook and incorporate veg into my meals.

Hair

After chopping my hair into a bob (which has now grown out into a longer bob already, thanks to Hair Burst, update on that coming soon) there's not an awful lot I can do style-wise, read: I freaking miss messy buns and ponytails :'(

So, if I can't change the style of it very often, I can change the colour. I'm really loving balayage at the moment, with a really nice deep brown at the roots and pretty blond highlights and ombre towards the ends.

Style

I'm such a chameleon when it comes to style and I love exploring and experimenting with fashion to see what I can, and can't, pull off. I use Pinterest to pull together boards featuring all different kinds of styles and right now I'm loving the basic white tee, loose jeans, converse kind of look with a little bit of boho thrown in in the form of a floppy hat, round sunnies and suede ankle boots. I also love using Pinterest when I've bought say, a new pair of Birkenstocks but don't know what to wear them with, I'll search 'Birkenstock outfit' and voila, pages of ideas and inspo!

Home/Blogging

I've combined these two boards because originally I just had a 'Home' board which featured lovely interiors and décor ideas, then when I started blogging a lot more I combined this with my Blogging board because I associate my bedroom décor/desk space with blogging now so it made sense.

I've just redecorated my bedroom and got almost all of my inspiration and ideas from Pinterest, especially as far as my office-corner/desk space is concerned. I love the minimalist, clean, white décor with an accent of colour or a pop of gold or copper here and there.

Follow me on Pinterest by clicking here and don't forget to share your username below so I can follow you too.

Citroen DS3 Love

After years of lusting over this car, my hard work has finally paid off and on Saturday I picked up this beauty and brought her home!

This is my new Citroen DS3 in Polar White with Pink detailing and I am in love! I've never been a huge car person, I had my first car - a little silver Fiat Punto - for six years until last summer when my parents got a new car and let me use their previous one, a Renault Megane. I loved that car but it was huge, super wide and I just felt tiny driving it around.

So, after working my butt off and finally being happy and secure in my job I decided to splash out and finally get the car I'd always wanted! Well, actually, I set out to get a little blue Citroen C1 but after seeing this one in the forecourt I knew it was fate and I just had to have it. It's probably one of my favourite purchases ever!

Whats your dream car?

My Current Bases

Two things that I'm always experimenting with and changing are foundations and moisturisers. I've got quite a collection of both and I often switch them up, depending on what my skin is doing at the time.

I've got quite dry skin so an intense moisturiser is a must and right now I'm loving this particular moisturising lotion from Aveeno. The Daily Moisturising Lotion contains Colloidal Oatmeal, which to you or I means a product which is made of very finely ground oats. This mixture is perfect for itchy and dry skin and products containing Colloidal Oatmeal can be very good to treat rashes, irritations, bug bits and other skin conditions. In my case, just super dry skin!

I find that this particular moisturiser stays put all day and keeps my skin hydrated for hours and hours, whilst in the past I've discovered most moisturisers still leave my make-up looking cakey by the end of the day. I apply this moisturiser once in the morning before I put my foundation on and then once again once all my make-up is off before I go to bed.

Speaking of foundations, as the weather gets warmer I like to ditch my maximum coverage MAC foundations and switch it up to something a little lighter. Right now, my foundation of choice is Bourjois Paris' Happy Light Foundation. I love how lightweight this foundation feels and in my opinion it's the next best thing to a CC-cream. It also contains translucent pigments which claim to give you a luminous and flawless complexion in any light - now that's a big claim! I'm not sure I'd go as far to say it does that, but it definitely gives me a dewy look with plenty of coverage and I love to team this foundation with my favourite Hoola bronzer from Benefit and MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter for that sunkissed, summer glow.

You can buy the Bourjois Paris Happy Light Foundation, £11.99 and Aveeno's Daily Moisturising Lotion, £5.45 from Boots.

Homesense Haul

How have I never been to Homesense before?! This is what I asked myself again and again as I lugged a wheely-basket around the Farnborough branch today. After visiting - and falling in love with -  Ikea for the first time last weekend to kit my room out with new furniture, I now needed somewhere a little closer to home to pick up a few accessories and finishing touches. So, here's my Homesense haul!











The first piece I fell in love with is the framed pin-board. I have been thinking so long and hard about which inspiring quotes I want to feature on my bedroom wall and 'she believed she could, so she did' is one of my all time favourites. When I noticed this quote was featured on this adorable, gold-framed board I just had to have it.

Next up is the white, vintage-looking 'L'. If you ever watched MTV's The Hills all those years ago then you might remember how Lauren Conrad had an 'L' and an 'A' up on her wall in her apartment and ever since then I've wanted one. This one was a bargain at £9.99.

Since buying a new, bigger make-up/work space for my bedroom I needed something to organise everything. I think I actually may have squealed with excitement when I saw the section in Homesense which housed a whole wall of these cosmetic trays/drawers so I went ahead and nabbed three - picking one up in the sale. They ranged from £9.99 up to £14.99 and came in all shapes and sizes.

Finally, I picked up this adorable weekly planner. I work a full time job along with blogging in the evenings and at weekends, so it's really important for me to be organised all of the time as I rarely have any time to plan and shoot last-minute blog posts. This weekly planner comes with little sections Monday-Sunday, post-it notes in various sizes and an envelope section where I can store any little notes that I might make throughout the day. The weekly planner cost £4.99.

Bookshelf: The Never List by Koethi Zan

Wow. This exciting, terrifying thriller written by Koethi Zan had me hooked from the very first pag and although I'm never one to spoil a good story, let me set the scene for this incredible book that gives Gone Girl a run for it's money.

In The Never List, two young women - who have been overly safety-conscious and wary since they were children - are kidnapped and thrown into a cellar where they are kept for years by a sadistic psychopath who uses them - and other girls - for his experiments. With four girls inside the cellar, only three manage to escape. The story follows survivor Sarah and her quest to find out what really happened in that cellar to the friend she never saw again.



I absolutely loved Gone Girl and I will gladly hold up my hands and say I enjoyed this book even more. The story is gripping to say the least and if you love a book that will push you to your limits then this is the one. The story is dark and grim but I don't know a great thriller that isn't.

The author Koethi Zan has a way of writing the gruesome and grizzly parts of this story in a way that makes you go back and read what you've just read a few times over, just in case you thought 'no, surely he didn't do that..'.

If you've read The Never List then I would love to hear your thoughts. Tweet me about it @laurenfell!

 

I found a box of memories!

I'm not a hugely sentimental person, I'm lucky to have enough amazing memories to last me a lifetime but every now and again I come across something that reminds me of a great time that I just can't throw away.

Last weekend as I cleared my room out in preparation for my new furniture's arrival I stumbled across this little box of memories that was hidden under my bed. Here's what I found:





This was my first ever week-long school trip during secondary school and it was a PGL holiday to the south of France. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a trip away nearly as much as I enjoyed that one! These photos are from an album I kept from that trip and setting my blue-Powerade-tongue and dodgy truckers hat/Clash tee aside, here are a few photos of some of the amazing people I met on that holiday!



This is a little snapshot of my primary school leavers book. I didn't get a yearbook in secondary school but I absolutely adored my primary school so I'm glad that I kept this one! The craziest thing as I'm reading this now is that I still live just around the corner from my primary school and still see a lot of these people around our town - and on Facebook of course!



Finally, this little gem was a birthday card made my best friend. It was for my 22nd birthday a couple of years ago and is probably one of my favourite gifts ever, true to form the two of us are going to see Magic Mike this weekend so very little has changed in the last two years!

Sydney Sierota Bronzed Smoky Eye Makeup Tutorial

Echosmith singer Sydney Sierota absolutely nails the bronze smoky eye and she's even said herself that it's her favourite look to wear both on and off stage, so recreating it using Sydney's favourite products was a no-brainer.

The three MAC eyeshadows I used in this tutorial are the same three that Sydney uses to create her bronzed eye look but if you don't want to splash out then I would definitely use a Naked palette or any nudes/bronze palette to recreate this look. Let's get on with the tutorial.



Firstly, apply an eyeshadow primer all over your lids to ensure your shadow stays put all day - or night!



Next, I use a Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush to cover my eyelid with MAC Brule



I then used the same Real Techniques brush to sweep MAC Wedge over the outer 3/4 of my eyelid, leaving my inner corner light and bright to open up the eye.



Then, I used a Real Techniques Duo Fibre Eye Brush to darken the crease and very outer corners of my eye with MAC Antiqued. Using a fluffy brush by Smashbox I blended all three shades together to remove any harsh lines.



Finally, I lined my top and bottom lashes with Bourjois Paris' Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner in shade 57 Up and Brown. I then finished by applying Rimmel London's Wonder'Full Mascara to both my top and bottom lashes.

Let me know what you think of this look, is it something you'll be giving a go?

 

Rimmel 60 Second Super Shine by Rita Ora in Pastels

Summer is pretty much upon us now and when the weather gets bright, so do my nails. Despite having very small little nails - because I have a terrible habit of biting them when I'm anxious or nervous - I love to play around with fun nail polish colours and these beauties from Rita Ora's Rimmel London collection are no exception.

Rita's 60 Second Super Shine nail polish collection has now grown, with over 12 different shades, all in summery, bright shades with adorable themed names such as Glaston Berry, Peachella and Daisy Days. My personal favourites from this collection are three pastel shades, Bestival Blue, Rain Rain Go Away and Go Wild-Er-Ness.





What I love about these three polishes is not only their amazing colour which only needs one or two coats at a time, but also the 60-second drying time which is perfect if you don't have the time to sit around and fan your hands in order to air dry your polish! These polishes are a bargain too at only £2.99 a pop at Boots.

Healthy Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas

If there's one thing I struggle to go without even I'm eating healthily it's tortillas. I love fajitas, burritos and quesadillas so I was very excited when I threw together this healthy alternative and it came out tops! Here's the very simple recipe:
What you'll need:
1 x wholewheat tortilla wrap
Chicken
Vegetables of choice (I chose carrot and courgette because I had some left over)
50% Reduced Fat grated cheese
Fry-Lite cooking oil
Spicy/BBQ Seasoning

Method:
- Cook your chicken thoroughly in a frying pan and when cooked, add the vegetables and seasoning and mix well.
- Once all is cooked, place in a bowl and keep to the side while you prepare your tortillas.
- Coat another pan (or wash the last one well) with plenty of fry-lite before popping your tortilla in, while the bottom of the tortilla is toasting, add your chicken/veg mix to half of the tortilla (leaving the other half empty) and sprinkle some grated cheese on top.
- finally, flip the empty half of the tortilla over your mix and press down with a spatula. These get crispy really quick so keep an eye on both sides, flipping if you need to.

Slide onto a plate, slice into triangles and enjoy!

Are you going to try these quesadillas? Let me know below in the comments!

Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

I'm not one to dwell on the past but as I get older I experience certain things in life - mostly positive - that I wish I could reassure my younger self about if I had the chance, especially zits, boys and the ever-daunting 'life-plan'!

Don't try to remove your black hair dye with bleach. One of my favourite memories - because of it's hilariousness - starts when I'm 14-years-old. I was a huge Harry Potter fan and really, really wanted Emma Watson's light, golden-brown locks. Unfortunately, my hair was dyed black, super, super black. So, my best friend (who is still my best friend to this day despite the horror that ensues) bleached my entire head. Due to the fact she was also a fourteen-year-old girl with zero experience in hairdressing, she began at my roots, leaving me with white roots which then faded slowly into yellow and then orange. Not very Emma Watson at all.