This weeks' purchases..

Just a quick post from me today, I thought I'd share with you a couple of things I've bought this week, mainly because I love reading other people's posts on what they've been buying!

First up are these brushes. Yes I know, I'm fully aware I swooned over pastel coloured brushes only three weeks ago. However ask yourself this question. What's better than pastel coloured brushes? Nothing, I hear you say. Wrong! Pastel coloured brushes ON SALE is the correct answer. I got 6 brushes for a total of £20 from Spectrum Collections. To me that is a complete bargain and I just love them! Some of them are so unique and fun to use.

Princess or Mermaid? Mac travel pigments..

Well I like to think of myself as both, however these pigments are making me choose! I picked these up in a Mac store in Paris, which at first I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything from. Yes, blatant lie, which became ever so obviously blatant to my boyfriend when he saw my eyes light up at the travel size stand. In the UK, or more specifically Manchester, finding a travel size stand in a Mac store is like trying to find Velvet Teddy last November. You feel my pain? Good. So anyway, I didn't really look at anything else in the shop I just headed over to this stand, and to my delight ended up picking these travel pigments up.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I've been meaning to write this post for so long now! Well since around May when I first invested in the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It is only now as I am almost finished my first bottle that I have actually remembered! Bad blogger I know.

I know this has been reviewed countless times and is probably old news, however I only review things that I am really loving, and this is definitely up there in my top 3 skin care products. When I first bought this it came in a cute little mint green bag to match the bottle, along with two muslin cloths. This apparently is the starter kit and cost me around £15.50. 100% worth every penny, it's amazing!

Better Than Sex?

 Well well well.. What an assumption that is! Better than sex? Wow. My mum reads these posts so it's probably best not to go in to that debate, BUT.. I can see where they're coming from. This mascara is amazing. I had heard a lot of good things about it, however the thick bristled brush did put me off ordering it for quite some time. When I was in Paris though, and the pretty pink metal packaging caught my eye, I caved. I'm a sucker for cute packaging and this was no exception. I was sceptical but at the same time I did want it to prove me wrong as I had just finished my Roller Lash from Benefit and was looking for a new one.

The thickness of my lashes after just one coat of this mascara was very impressive. They were so intense and dramatic, a look I haven't gone for in a while. My lashes immediately grew and filled out making me look much more awake than I actually was. When I know I look more awake, I feel more awake. As stupid as that sounds, I feel as though if I'm tricking the world into thinking I had 8 hours rather than 5, I can trick my body too.

My lashes are naturally quite long anyway, but this mascara extends them that much that after a couple of hours I started to get imprints below my eyebrows off the mascara where my lashes have been touching. This is the only flaw I can point out that it is transferable but I suppose really that's my own fault for having long lashes. I do have this problem with quite a few mascaras so I know it's not just this one.

I absolutely love this mascara and would recommend it to anyone looking for longer, fuller and thicker lashes. I'm not very good at applying false lashes but with this mascara on I didn't feel I needed them anyway.

Have you tried this mascara? What's your favourite Too Faced Product?

Thanks for reading x

A 50s dining experience..

We're not in Kansas anymore.. we're in Happy Days 50s Diner in Paris. To call it a magical would be an understatement. If you follow me on Instagram @whathayleythinks or Twitter @wathayleythinks, you will have seen me refer to this place as 'a bloggers dream'. With a turquoise decor, neon lights and a juke box singing away in the corner, I was in my absolute element.

The menu was, of course, burgers and fries. We were spoilt for choice but I went for the bacon cheeseburger and Connor had the Jack Daniels burger. I didn't get a picture of mine but this was Connor's. Delish!

The drinks menu was delightful, with milkshakes of all flavours topped with whipped cream and cherries. You could pick a shake off the menu or create your own deluxe taste, with every chocolate option you could imagine. Bueno, Nutella, M&Ms, you name it, they had it. I went for the Oreo shake which was out of this world, Connor had a double dose of peanut butter and banana. 

                                                

The overall atmosphere of the diner was so fun and positive, the staff were obviously French but happily spoke English to us. The service was super friendly and we both said the burgers were perfection. It's that kind of place that makes you feel very 'Sandy from Grease' and immediately made me feel like I had stepped back into the 50s. If only I was wearing a pastel coloured midi skirt and ribbon in my hair! 

I loved the fact that we were sat in a cosy little booth! It was only small downstairs but the distinct (and very chic) checkerboard floor made it feel much more spacious. As well as, or course, adding to the whole 50s theme. It was just perfect!

This is a shot from Instagram of the table we were sat opposite

I just wanted to share this part of my Paris trip with you because I've never been in such a retro, cool, pretty place before. If you know of any vibrant diners like this here in the UK I'd love to know about them!

Thanks for reading x

Paris Makeup Haul - Sephora and Mac

Yes I was excited about seeing the Eiffel Tower, and yes I was excited for croissants and cheese, but nothing gives you that flutter in your stomach like going outside of the UK and seeing a Sephora! (unless of course you're not from the UK, in which case chances are you live not far from a Sephora.. and in which case I am extremely envious!).

 It's quite funny because my boyfriend knows I get excited when I see a Sephora whilst on holiday, yet every time I try to play it cool and act like I don't care to go in. 'We can just go later if you like, babe?' I will say. In my head I'm like oh dear God I hope they have a Tarte counter haha. To which he responds, 'Come on, we're going in.' He knows how this unspoken game goes. So seeing as I've gabbed on about Sephora, this is where I will start with the haul. Once I have tried all of these products, I will review my favourites in more detail. Here goes..

So the first thing I picked up (actually Connor spotted this) is this clear travel case/ make up storage box. I love it! Sorry if it is hard to see on this picture but the case opens up in the middle and has two pull out storage trays which can open up to display everything to you when you're doing your make up. I was actually pleasantly surprised at just how much I can store in this, and I think I'll be using it more than just when travelling. I think this was around 25 Euros.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing gel

Too Faced - Better Than Sex Mascara

Beauty Blender

Smash Box oil free primer

Sephora liner sharpener

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream

Sephora Berry lipbalm

Repetto Eau Florale (free sample) 

I'm so excited to try all of these products, especially the creams because they are smaller sizes of the ones we get here in the UK so I can decide whether to repurchase instead of buying the full bottle here first. The only thing I can moan about is that the Champs-Elysee's store didn't have a Tarte or Anastasia Beverley Hills counter. I think I did quite well though?!

Now in all honesty, I never get quite as excited about Mac when I'm away, purely because we have them here in the UK. However, in the Mac counters closest to me (the Trafford Centre or Liverpool) they don't seem to do travel sizes. So you can imagine my excitement when I walk into Mac, having just spent 100 Euros in Sephora, to see a Pick n Mix travel size stand with everything being 7 Euros. I didn't want to go too mental, but I'll show you the bits I picked up..

Pigments in Kitschmas and BlueBrown

Blending Sponge (the shape got me more excited than a sponge should)

Studio Moisture Cream

So this was everything, I hope you liked this post just a quick show and tell. If you'd like to know more about my trip to Paris this week let me know in the comments and I'll write a post on it.

Thanks for reading x

My Travel Essentials..

So if you follow me on twitter you'll probably have heard me mention IM GOING TO PARIS TOMORROW! And I'm mega excited! I've never been but always wanted to, and my boyfriend has booked us a 3 night stay in a gorgeous little boutique style hotel just down the road from the Eiffel Tower. As it's obviously a short flight from Manchester to Paris I thought I'd just share a quick post on what I'll be taking in my bag with me just so that I'll be fully equipped and refreshed when leaving the plane. 

My Tangle Teezer is an obvious one really. As I've mentioned in a previous post, my tangle Teezer is perfect for getting out any knots without splitting the hair when you brush. It's small enough to fit in my handbag and will be slipped out quickly just before we land when I'm having a quick freshen up. My hair always goes knotty as well when I'm flying so I feel better if I give it a quick brush before landing. 

All week I've been checking the weather in Paris and it seems as though it's going to be a gorgeous few days whilst we are there. Yep, you guessed it. I'm going to be one of those annoying tourists that gets off the plane with their sunglasses already on their head hahaha. But these are so cute though so it's okay. Powder blue sunny's from Topshop (I think around £10). If Cinderella wore shades she would definitely wear these!

Next up is my trusty EOS lip balm. I bought this in New York last year (making myself sound like a right little jet setter in this post!) and I was made up with it! My lips had been really dry from the long haul flight and this sorted them straight away. Plus they smell amazing and come in cute pastel packaging. You can get them in topshop now for around £6 but I think they're cheaper in America.

 like to take with me some form of eye brightener because I'm really conscious of my dark circles. Seeing as my flight to Paris is at 6.45am I've got a feeling I'll definitely be needing some. My usual go-to would be Mac Prep and Prime in Light Boost but I've ran out so have been using the YSL Touché Éclat. This is a pink toned highlighter in a twist up applicator that is perfect for drawing a triangle shape under your eyes and blending in with a beauty blender. On the flight though I'll probably just use my fingers to pat it in. When needs must and all that.

Next I'll be taking my favourite hand cream. Now this is in my bag on a daily basis anyway, but for some reason when flying I always feel like my skin is really dry and dehydrated. So I'll put some of this on as we take off and just as we land. This is the Moringa hand cream from The Body Shop. I actually picked this up in Amsterdam a few months ago and it's been my favourite ever since. Super moisturising without being too oily.

I will set the highlighter with my prolong wear powder from Mac which I use in Medium Dark and I use with this a Jessup's tapered face brush. This will mean I can start exploring Paris as soon as we get off the plane without worrying about looking tired. If you've never used Jessup's brushes you need to log in to eBay asap and order the 15 piece set which are usually around £11. Absolute bargain and amazing quality. 

So that's pretty much my essentials, usually on long haul flights I remove my make up and re do it because I like to moisturise, but short ones like this I think just call for a top up. What will you be taking with you on flights this year? Are you going anywhere nice? Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks for reading x

June Favourites..

Yep, Junes over. It's now July. Where is this year going?! June was a great month for me, I turned 24, I was offered a new job, I settled into my new house. So I thought id show you some of my favourite things that I've been loving this last month.. 

This leave in conditioner from Aussie hair is perfect for the summer months. I've recently been trying to grow my hair, and because it has been a lot warmer lately in the UK I have been avoiding my hair dryer as much as I can and letting my hair dry naturally. Although I look like Hagrid when I do this, it seems to be working for my hair. This teamed with the leave in conditioner just after I get out of the shower is leaving me with super shiny, healthy hair. My hair feels thicker and doesn't split as easy when I brush it. Winner! 

Ahhh Daisy Dream. Pretty much what it says on the tin with this perfume. The smell is so fresh and bright (can a smell be bright?!) it is just perfect for the spring and summer months. I had this perfume last summer and have rekindled my love for it again this year. I just feel really fresh and radiant when I wear it. And we all know everyone is a such for a Marc Jacobs perfume bottle!

These two mac products I have been loving this month! Prolong wear concealer is my secret to a flawless base because I am prone to spots around my mouth and covering them with this using a beauty blender is an absolute lifesaver. I wish I could say I'm one of these people who only need a BB cream and mascara in the summer but unfortunately I'm not haha. The lipstick is Angel, and as you probably know I've been loving a few lipsticks in the past month. Angel is a beautiful girly pink shade from the Cremesheen range and is perfect to brighten up any summer outfit. I feel as though it's a lipstick Reese Witherspoon would wear in Legally Blonde haha. It feels really moisturising and glides on the lips with ease. I usually use Soar lip liner from Mac underneath.

Now I won't go on too much about this brush because I've done a whole other post on the set here. But this is the powder brush from Spectrum Collections. I love all of these brushes but the powder brush is great for blending all the contour and bronzing into one once you're face is almost finished. The hairs in these brushes don't stray either which is amazing because that is my pet hate with brushes!

This is the Clinique All About Eyes eye cream from the Moisture Surge collection. I will be doing a full review on this collection but I had to mention this in my favourites because I love it. This eye cream is designed to be used either morning and/or night to brighten the eyes and add moisture to the fave. Well it does just that and it does it very well. I've been using this under my primer in the mornings and I really feel as though my eyes are brighter and my skin is more radiant than before. I was enjoying it so much that I decided to use it in the evenings as well and I feel as though it is giving my skin a boost overnight leaving me waking up fresh and with much less obvious dark circles. I will definitely be repurchasing this! 

What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments I always appreciate recommendations for new products! 

Thanks for reading x

Counting my blessings..

This post probably won't even make it onto my blog, I think it is just going to be more of a purging of thoughts than anything else. But I just can't help but feel somewhat guilty. Guilty for not being thankful for every day. Thankful for waking up healthy and happy and safe. You may have guessed that it is the recent tragic events in Tunisia that has sparked this post and in that you would be correct. I just feel as though no matter what we are going through, we really do need to live every day as if it were our last. It sounds so cliche to write but there's no other way to say it.

Those poor innocent people on that beach, probably some whom had saved up their hard earned money to go on that holiday, been excited for it for months, had pictures ready to post when they got back, suddenly gone. Taken away from us for no apparent reason. It just makes me so sad but also I feel as though I need to be thankful for my own life. Anything could happen to us today, tomorrow or next week. We don't know and chances are we will only find out when it is happening. So this post is probably more of a promise to myself, to be thankful and to be grateful for every day that I, my mum and the rest of my family wake up every day. We need to cherish our time with each other. Take photos, go for walks, pick up the phone and say I love you. We don't know what is around the corner so we need to live life to the fullest, go after what we want and most of all, be happy.

My thoughts are with the family of fellow bloggers Carly and Frances whom we have lost this past week, and the rest of the families whom are grieving from such tragic losses in Tunisia.

Thanks for reading x