Eau Thermale Avènue Thermal Spring Water

This is water in a can. Posh water in a can but water in a can nonetheless. Is it worth the £3.15 I spent on it? Heck yes. 

This was a little life saver in the 35 degree heat of Rome. It's refreshing but doesn't make any makeup run down your face which I was worried it would, in fact it does the complete opposite and helps to set your face for the day with a dewy look. 

The product claims to heal things such as razor burns, facial redness and sunburn. I think the product will help reduce the pain of these things but is a temporary fix so don't leave your sunburn unattended!

I think this will be a great thing to bring to V Festival with me as I will feel absolutely disgusting by the end of day 1 and will refresh me in times of dire need!

Soap & Glory Supercat Liquid Black Eyeliner

Howa doin'?

How have I not shared this product?! I have used it religiously since I bought it and somehow it slipped my mind that I haven't blogged about it!

Soap & Glory is my number one stop in Boots but I've never touched onto their make up apart from some Sexy Mother Puckers. I wanted a felt tip pen liner and after reading a few 5* reviews on the above eyeliner I went for it.

S & G's Supercat Eyeliner is intensely black but leaves a glossy finish so it's not too cakey. The thin tip allows for precision while the thicker edges allows you to add some drama. Being a felt tip type eyeliner it means the perfect amount of product is dispensed and it's not gloopy at all which I hate in dip pot (is that the right word) liners. 

I would go as far as to say this eyeliner has over taken my Maybelline gel liner which goes so hard if not used for more than a week! Pick it up from Boots here.

KIKO Ultra Glossy Stylo in 814

Ahh yes, onto the better one of the two Ultra Glossy lipsticks I picked up from KIKO when I was in Rome. 814 (descriptive, non?) was picked up for one reason, I found it to be a pretty good dupe for MAC's Rebel. 

A lovely purple pink - Magenta! That's the word. Yes that is the colour and it's so beautiful. Along with the glossy formula it is a perfect night out colour!

KIKO Eyebrow Expert Styling Kit

I love my HD Brow palette to death. It is the best thing I ever received in my Glossybox and I get my HD Brows Treatment done religiously now. My brows are a complete mess without a strict regime and sometimes I need something for on the go. The HD brows palette has one flaw; it's quite big and I only really use one colour. 

The KIKO Eyebrow Expert Styling Kit caught my eye as it including teeny tiny tweezers (which are actually decent), a comb and a brush as well as a wax and two powders. The brush isn't the best for applying the wax but I've managed to find another little brush which suits me just fine.

 I was worried once I swatched it that it would be too grey but the ashy tones to the powders once applying the wax actually make it quite a natural finish. 

Will it replace my HD Brows? Not yet but I'll let you know how I feel about it after a few weeks of constant use!

KIKO Kiss Balm in Blackberry

KIKO Makeup Milano is an Italian brand that I discovered in Rome. Actually that is a lie. I saw a shop in Westfields but it was so busy I didn't bother going in. Boy was that a mistake! I have tried to find out some information about the brand but I have found zilch really. I do know it was founded in 1997 and that it says this on it's website.

"A variety of colors, effects and feeling that are unique on the market, to be chosen according to one’s style, complexion, skin type and specific needs, in each phase of one’s life."

Onto the goods...

My first purchase was this Kiss Balm Lip Balm in Blackberry. This is a beautiful balm with a hint of blackberry flavour & scent. The colour you may expect to be purple-ish and it is a lovely shiny pink colour but in most lights there is a darker pink-purple tint to it which I love. 

It goes on so easily, you don't need a mirror and it also has SPF 15 in so great for on the go.

 I was sceptical of  the colour pay off as there were no testers so only stuck to one. Of course being a balm it is a super sheer but shiny finish and the colour pay off is exactly what you would expect!

 I wish I got the whole bloody lot. It's one of the best lip products I've ever used and I will 100% be buying more online. 

The Constant Battle.

We've all been there. You say you want to lose weight/ eat more healthily/ tone up, set up a whole regime and get really into it for about 3 weeks. Then after a heavy weekend of Pimms, Cider and BBQ food you fall off the wagon and never get back on. 

At the beginning of this year I did exactly this but managed to last until March. My fitness levels went up in a very short amount of time and I dropped a dress size without really noticing.  Slowly but surely I've lost my will power and have noticed that (especially after my decadent holiday) things are starting to go the other way. So what better motivation than writing about this journey on here? Now I'm not going to change into a fitness freak but I would like to share any significant progress I've made or particularly good recipes, workouts and motivational pictures/quotes I find along the way!

I'm thinking I will do a weekly post rather then just write it down when it pops into my head but we shall see how it goes!

So goals wise? I never weigh myself as I would rather concentrate on how my clothes fit. Muscle weighs more than fat so if I get toned I would weigh more if anything. I would like to be another dress size smaller by Christmas but more importantly just want to feel the best I've ever felt!

Rome - Day Five.

On our final day we headed to a park called Villa Borghese. It was a lovely and very hot day where we had a picnic of baguettes, fresh cherry tomatoes and peaches whilst we listened to music on Dad's speakers. I finished reading some magazines and we explored the little lake which was home to hundreds of turtles! We headed to the Borghese Gallery where again I wasn't allowed to take any pictures. There were hundreds of pieces of art displayed with my favourites being Bernini's sculptures. There was also works by Rafael & Caravaggio. I was told by the people who ran the Segway company it's the most beautiful museum in Rome and I agree (although I inly went to two altogether)!

We cooled off in a fountain afterwards watching the little white train, people on carts, segways and all other types of fun transport go past. 

As it was my last evening I headed to the Sephora at the train station and decided not to take a nap! I was very disappointed but did find a lovely brand! I will show you all my purchases next week!

For our last supper we headed back to Strega the same place we went on my Mum's birthday as the food and service was amazing! I opted for gnocchi as I was determined to try lots of Italian food. Dad on the other hand went for this steak; just look at it! 

The next morning we got up early and headed home. Boo.

I really loved Rome it is such an amazing city and I would definitely go back but maybe when it's a little cooler! I was very happy that I got to see everything I wanted to see and that my parents allowed me to choose what we did and didn't complain about the amount of stuff I tried to pack into the trip! Now I need to think of where to go for my next city break - I'm thinking Dublin (I recently discovered a fondness for Guinness). 

Rome - Day Four.

After another huge soy latte we headed to the place I was most excited about visiting; Vatican City. I can't tell you why this was top of my list, it just was.

We had pre-booked tickets. Make 100% sure you do the same. The queue for the museums must have been easily 2 hours long and we just whizzed through in less than 10 minutes. 

Before we set off on our tour we had a photo op which we took advantage off, naturally.

The tour was great, we got to hear the guide easily through a headset so even if we fell behind (and there was so much to see that was very easy) we could hear. If you spent 30 seconds looking at every artefact in the Vatican Museums, the second largest museum in the world, you would spend 7 and a half years there. Therefore the guide showed us the main art works & gave us some very interesting facts behind them. 

Now of course the main attraction is the Sistine Chapel which is very strict about photo taking and I agree with their rules. It's so beautiful that photo's won't do it any justice so there's no point in taking them! Of course in holiday season it was busy but they didn't rush us out, it was just so unbelievable that Michelangelo managed to paint that. Our tour guide told us that he went blind 3 times painting the fresco as he was on his back and the paint materials would drip and damage his eyes! 

After the museums we took a walk around St. Peters Basilica which was HUGE. It rivalled (and beat) the impact the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona made on me and I could tell my Dad really loved it from all the pictures he took!

We went for a lovely dinner & the best spaghetti bolognese I've ever had then took a wander to see some of the sights at night. Rome lights up anything that is old - ruins that are being excavated, pillars, everything so every corner you turn there's something new to see you may not have seen in the day. We finished with ice creams from the nicest family run gelato shop - hazelnut & banana. YUM.

Rome - Day Three

The night before we did a bit of manic googling and tweeting to try and get us on a Segway tour of Rome. We succeeded! We were up earlier than usual, grabbed a breakfast of rolls, cheeses and hams and caught a taxi to a tiny little piazza where the Segway office was based.

Now this day was actually Mum's birthday so naturally we made her wear a banner and badge all. As you can see she was thrilled. We managed to catch onto how to ride the Segway's quicker than expected. We headed out on our tour to see all the sights Rome has to offer and luckily there was only us 4 and the guide so it was totally private!

First off was the Pantheon. A place that really just doesn't look like it belongs there! It's a lot bigger than I thought and is just so ancient. We popped inside for a little while and saw the famous occulus and Rafael's tomb. It really is an outstanding building.

Next stop was the Trevi which was again packed as you can see but we made it to the front to toss a coin in to ensure we will return to Rome!

Cheesy Grins at The Roman Forum. 

The tour was brilliant which an audio guide at each stop and our guide was really friendly, it was 3 hours long which in the heat did start to get to me a bit. Plenty of water is key.

We sat for a few drinks (Fanta Orange is my holiday drink of choice) and headed to the Roman Forum. It started to thunder again so we sported the most amazing ponchos but we still had a great wander around! I think if I go back I'll definitely get a tour around the place. 

After a huge leisurely dinner of wine, anitpasti, the freshest pizza I've ever had and a small tiramisu we headed back to the hotel as it was a really long, but super fun day!