Turkey Haul!

I really, seriously love the things I picked up from Turkey. I do feel a little guilty about some of the fake things I bought, as I normally hate fake goods but I gave in to temptation as pretty much every other shop has "genuine fakes" as they call them, haha. I also adopted a "someone like me will never be able to afford a real one" attitude, oops! Oh well. When in Turkey!

My favourite things out of everything are the patterned shorts and the Golden Rose makeup!

Ellie x

Hello: Marmaris, Turkey

So, I'm finally back. Having nearly 3 weeks off work has definitely been what I've needed, and I've even made some rather large life decisions. The time off to clear my head has been really good to me, and has made me realise what I want to do with my life. Yay!

Anyway, back to the post!

Turkey has never been a place I've thought of travelling to. I've known  many people go, many people love it, and many people return again. I've always been a bit nervous about it, as it's neighbouring some pretty dangerous countries, but once you get there, all nerves just vanish.

We saw absolutely no hints of trouble anywhere in Marmaris, Icmeler, Dalyan or Dalaman. However, during the last few days of our holiday, Istanbul saw a fair bit of trouble.

Marmaris is one of the main beach tourist areas, with many of the hotels situated either on the beach or around 100-200m away! All hotels own their own part of beach, which are chock-a-blocked with beds. The best way to experience the beach is by going on a tour to one of the many less-touristy beaches!

We had an absolutely fantastic time. The resort is beautiful, in a bay with tree-covered hills lining both sides. You wouldn't believe how green and floral it was, especially with the heat. It was around 40'C each day, so very hot! However it was surprisingly comfortable, not too humid and it's so easy to cool down - just jump in the pool! 

I feel like we were very lucky with our hotel as well. We stayed in the gorgeous Blue Bay Platinum, which has been newly refurbished and modern. The outer building is white, with lots of glass panels and silver detailing. It's then lit-up blue at night, which really makes it stand out. Such a gorgeous hotel! The staff are all fabulous as well.

Shopping in Turkey is how you'd expect. Every other shop is filled to the brim with fake designer goods for insanely good prices. Some stores have incredible fakes. Although I don't usually condone fake goods, I couldn't resist in the end and picked up a couple of items, oops!

Some store owners are pushy, they are very good salesmen and will just keep talking. Some do feel quite aggressive, but it's easy to avoid those situations by just walking away if they pressure you before you even get inside! 

Marmaris has a mall called Blue Port which I can recommend, they have an amazing makeup brand called Golden Rose which I'll post a haul on soon. The makeup is so cheap, but incredible quality!

It's really such a beautiful place, I had some moments where I was wondering how much an apartment would cost! If you haven't been to Turkey, I really recommend Marmaris. Make sure you do some trips too!

Ellie x

Inside My Holiday Makeup Bag

Just before I set off for my hols I posted a sort-of guide on packing your makeup bag, so I decided whilst packing mine I would share it!

The brushes [left to right] - Nanshy sponge, unknown short kabuki, Real Techniques base shadow brush, Spectrum brow brush, Spectrum angled brush, Real Techniques buffing brush, Spectrum blush brush, Real Techniques contour brush

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent

Benefit Lemonaid

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

ELF Brow Kit

Makeup Revolution I ♥ Makeup Brow Gel

Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof

Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar

I also have taken 4 lipsticks, an orange, a pink, a nude and a red! When I was writing this I still hadn't made my mind up on which ones to take... oops!

Ellie x

*I'm currently away in Turkey! Back soon! :)

Beauty Packing 101: Your Makeup Bag

I've noticed a lot of people really struggling to pack their makeup bag for holiday. If it's one thing I'm good at packing-wise, then it's definitely my makeup bag. Fashion packing on the other hand is a totally different story!

I try to keep to 2 rules when packing. Keep it simple, and be realistic. Are you really going to need 4 eyeshadow palettes? Or 10 different lipsticks? Chances are, you'll stick to one, maybe two, shades the whole holiday. As for all those travel minis, is a mini shampoo and conditioner going to be enough for your 2-week beach holiday? Definitely not.

Although I'm still taking a fair amount of makeup, it's nowhere near the scale of my normal arsenal.

For me, it's mainly basics and about not wanting to ruin any of my favourite cream products. Getting a highlight/contour palette like the Golden Sugar palette from Makeup Revolution is fab, as not only does it have your face covered, it also passes as an eyeshadow palette! 4 lipsticks so you have a range of things to choose from, without going overboard. Four is enough for me; red, orange, pink and nude.

Brushes are another hard one, but just take your favourites that you know do the job.

For the evenings, I'll have primer, BB cream, brows, mascara, highlight/light contour and a lipstick. For day, all I'll need is powder, brows and mascara! Planning out what you want is one of the best ways to do your makeup packing, as you will be able to condense what you take and able to decide on some multi-tasking products!

I hope this post helps with your holiday packing!

Ellie x

Deepening & Prolonging the Life of Natural Tan

As summer seems to be officially here, I thought I would do a post on natural tanning. I'm definitely a fake-tan-free kind of girl, although I have been thinking about it more recently, but I still haven't caved. As I have olive skin, I tan very easily, so my main challenge is prolonging the colour. I haven't really been out in the sun properly for years (due to health reasons) so this year and on my holiday I'm making the most of the sunshine, especially as I look super ill with pale skin!

PROTECT YOUR SKIN

It is so important to protect your skin from the sun, even if you don't burn. The sun can really damage your skin, cause ageing and even skin cancer so I think it's really important that you use the correct SPF for your skintone and where you are in the world, also check out the star rating on the back of your sun cream bottle to check out the protection it gives you from other rays.

For the UK, I use a Factor 20 spray and that is enough protection for my skin tone. For my holiday in August, I have bought Factor 30. My BF however, is very white and needs more protection.

When your skin burns, it really damages the skin and doesn't leave you with a darker tan. It may be darker for a few days, but will quickly fade. You also really don't want that irreversible damage.

EXFOLIATE!

To deepen your tan, all you need to do is exfoliate. By constantly removing that dead layer of skin, you tan has a chance to deepen and darken without being "shaved off". If the dead skin cells aren't removed, they will come off when you shave, which will slightly remove your tan.

For everyday, I use a gentle everyday exfoliator from Sanctuary Spa. For a couple of times a week, I use a very scrubby scrub from Superdrug. It's probably one of my favourite things I've bought recently, as it leaves skin incredibly smooth and soft thanks to the added oils.

AFTER CARE
For my time in the sun in the UK, I only use after sun if I've been in the sun all day at work. Otherwise, I just mosturise as normal. But for my holiday, I will be using after sun everyday, and everyday once I'm back home. After sun helps sooth and repair your skin from being in the sun, whilst helping the colour last that bit longer.

MY TOP TIPS FOR NATURAL TANNING

- Always use an SPF that matches your skin tone, Boots have a good quiz on what sun cream you need depending on where you are and your skin tone. My general rule is the paler you are, the higher SPF and the hotter it is, the higher the SPF.

- Exfoliate for a deeper and longer-lasting tan

- After sun and moisturiser to help look after your skin, soothe and repair it

I hope these tips help!

Ellie x