Fleur De Force Launch Party & Makeup Collection

Last Thursday afternoon, Em and I jumped on a train to London to head to the Fleur De Force beauty launch party. I was really excited for the event as I've been a huge fan of Fleur's for years now - she was actually one of the first beauty vloggers I ever watched on Youtube and I still enjoying sitting down to watch her videos to this day. I also feel like I don't make enough effort to attend events I'm invited to and that's something I want to change - because I'm based in the North and most events are down South, the travelling often puts me off going but I'm going to make a conscious effort to not let this stop me as I'm sure I'm missing out!!

Em and I arrived in London at 5:30 ready for the event to begin at 6 which was being held at The Haymarket Hotel. When we arrived we were told to head down to the basement where the event was being held and when I saw the room, I was totally blown away. Beautiful is an understatement - I mean, there was even a swimming pool. The decor was stunning - there was pretty flowers, floating candles in that amazing pool (which I really wanted to take a dip in) and cute little extras like a candy floss stand and photo booth to keep us all entertained. Not to mention the most amazing canapés and cocktails - the mini burgers were a personal fave, yum!

I spotted lots of familiar faces in the crowd which was lovely - it's so nice to be surrounded by people who have the same interests and passions that I do.  I spent most of the night chatting to fellow bloggers, taking photos of the beautiful venue and most importantly, looking through Fleur's beautiful collection of products. I also got the chance to chat with Fleur about the collection and she was saying how a years work has gone into making these products and that she's had a say on every aspect of it to make sure they're exactly how she wants them to be. I thought that was really lovely and important for me to share as I know some people might just presume Youtube stars simply put their name to something without having any input. 

Fleur's line of products now includes her 'Glam Guide' book, false eyelashes, two eyeshadow palettes, six lip glosses, a cosmetic bag and a compact mirror. Thursday was the celebrate the launch of the new additions to the range - the quad eyeshadow palettes and the lip glosses and I can confirm that they're really great products. I'll be sure to review them in full when I've given them more of a try. I also love the lashes which launched a couple of weeks ago and I was actually wearing the 'Fleur and Fabulous' set to the event. You can get all of the products online now from Feel Unique and they're all really purse friendly.

I left the event with a lovely goodie bag which included some of the new products and I then headed back to Euston to get my train back to Manchester. All in all it was a lovely evening and I'm so happy to see a vlogger doing such exciting things! I wish Fleur all the best and can't wait to see what she does next.

Will you be giving Fleur's new products a try?!

New H&M Jeans - 3 Styles, 3 Different Looks

When it comes to day to day outfits, I'm definitely a jeans girl. Don't get me wrong, I love getting dressed up for an evening out but for a casual look, in my opinion, you just can't beat a good old pair of jeans. I tend to stick to my skinny jeans as they're what I know and love but I do want to start branching out into new styles so when H&M gave me the opportunity to try three of their six new A/W denim styles, I couldn't wait to style them up and try out some new looks. I really love H&M, it's my favourite high street store for affordable fashion so I had high hopes for their new jeans. With this being said, here's a little look at the three pairs I chose and how I styled them up ...

The Boyfriend

Boyfriend jeans aren't something I've ever owned or worn until now but I've been seriously missing out as I absolutely love them! As someone with hips and a booty, this style of jean is really flattering on my figure and they're sooo comfy. Despite my love for jeans, one thing I don't love about them is that they can be quite uncomfortable to wear but these ones are super comfy and I could quite easily wear them all day and night without feeling restricted.

As you can see, I decided to team them with a little lace up crop top, a leather jacket and my new favourite lace up shoes. I wouldn't typically have this much of my stomach exposed but because the jeans are loose and very laid back, I think I can get away with wearing something a little more risqué on my top half.

Another thing I love about these jeans is the distressed effect. I'm a big fan of this look when it comes to denim as it's a bit cooler, more grungy and makes an outfit look that little bit more effortless. Overall, I'm a huge fan of Boyfriend jeans and I'll be getting a lot of wear out of these ones!!

The High-Waisted

Anything high waisted is a winner for me so these jeans get my seal of approval. As I mentioned above, I've got fairly big hips and a big booty so I try and wear a lot of high waisted items that emphasise my waist rather than drawing attention to my bigger areas. These jeans do a great job at sucking me in and the denim is really soft and comfortable. I like that I can wear these as I have in these photos with a little crop top or I could took a top into them or wear one hanging loose. There's loads of different ways to style high waisted jeans and versatile pieces of clothing are a big selling point for me!

I also love that these jeans can be dressed up or down. I could easily wear these with a pair of heels and cropped top for dinner and drinks due to the skinny fit or I could wear them with a simple t-shirt for an every day look.

The Ripped Knee

As I mentioned, I'm a tad obsessed with distressed denim and that means ripped knees are my favourite kind of jeans to wear. I was so happy when this trend became big last year and I'm hoping it continues throughout this A/W. For me, ripped denim is just so much cooler and more interesting looking than your bog standard pair of jeans. They look chic and stylish without needing to make any effort and just like the high waisted pair, they can be dressed up or down really easily.

I've gone for a casual look here with a striped tee, ankle boots and a fedora but you could easily dress these jeans up with a cami vest, blazer and some stroppy sandals for dinner or drinks. I know I'll be getting a lot of wear out of them both day and night.

They do come up a little long on me but I didn't mind that as I just rolled them up which I quite like to do with my jeans anyway. Also, just in case you were wondering - I got all of these jeans in a size 28 which is a UK size 10 I believe. I was worried H&M's fittings would be teeny tiny and not made for people with curves but they're completely true to size which is great.

Which style is your fave? Make sure you share them with #HMDenim and #HMBloggers - I'd love to see how you style your favourite pair.

Introducing the 6 new denim styles for the new season from H&M. From ankle grazer to boyfriend fit, there is a denim fit and style to suit you this AW15. Shop the new collection now: http://www.hm.com/gb/products/ladies/jeans

Compensation was provided by H&M via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions positions of H&M.

Things to Know About Being A Blogger

You might be interested in starting a blog or you may be a blogger already but I thought it'd be fun to share a few things about being a blogger as the longer I do it, the more I notice the funny things I do or the misconceptions bloggers face. I hope you enjoy and do let me know if I've missed anything ...

- It will take a lot of your free time, hard work and dedication.

- It's a 24/7 thing - bloggers don't get the weekends off.

- You might get criticised - don't let it get you down, you can't please everyone. 
- You'll never go into a shop and come out with a clean hand/arm again - swatches are a must.
- Everywhere you go, you'll be looking for photo opportunities. In a restaurant - make sure you snap that food before you tuck in!
- Words like haul, pigmented and swatch will become part of your daily vocabulary.
- Your room will look like a beauty store - be prepared to buy extra storage.
- Things like camera lenses, tripods or lighting will be on your Christmas / birthday lists, despite everyone else thinking they're as dull as dishwater.
- Your phone will be glued to your hand and your family/friends/boyfriend will wonder why you're on it so much.
- You'll realise just how precious natural daylight is.
- Weekends aren't time for lazing around anymore. Its the perfect time to get your blog on - photography sessions usually take place on the weekends too.
- People will ask a lot of questions about what a blog is and you'll get bored of repeating yourself.
- Your postman will think you're a crazy shopping addict due to all the packages you receive.
- Oh and those 'sorry we missed you' post office slips will become the bain of your life.
- If you're moving flat / house, a room with 'good natural lighting' or enough space for your beauty stash/overflowing wardrobe becomes a top selling point.
- You'll start to call people you speak to online 'friends' despite never meeting them in real life.
- You'll have a mini celebration every time you reach a new milestone on bloglovin. Heck, you might even get the champagne out.
- You'll find it hard to switch off, even when you're on holiday.
- When meeting someone new, you'll have to explain blogging / being a blogger as they probably won't get it.
- You'll never have any memory on your phone thanks to all those attempts to take the perfect Instagram shot.
- Muji acrylic storage is likely to be purchased multiple times.
- Oh and don't forget the classic Ikea furniture - Malm for the win.
- You will buy things for the sole purpose of blogging - flowers / candles / flooring an d wallpaper samples all become essential 'blogging props'.
- You may even buy a new mirror just for those outfit selfies (guilty!).
- You will rope any of your nearest and dearest into taking outfit photos and will get funny looks when posing in the middle of the street.

- Eventually you'll stop caring though 

- You'll use the old "I can feature it on the blog" excuse for all unnecessary purchases.

- You prefer to go to bars / restaurants and hotels that are 'instagrammable'.

- Yes, 'Instagrammable' will become a word you most likely say on a daily basis.

- Most importantly, you'll meet lots of like-minded people with similar interests.

- You might even make some of your best friends for life!!

- Oh and not to forget something that you've created, worked hard on and are extremely proud of.

BLOGGING FOR THE WIN!!!

Can you think of any other funny things us bloggers do?!

Frank Body Skin Care Products

Frank Body is a brand you've probably heard off thanks to their huge following on Instagram. Their famous body scrub is a favourite with many bloggers and celebrities so when they recently contacted me to see if I'd like to try their new range of skincare products, I jumped at the chance. When I received them in the post, I was really impressed with the packaging - it's cute and quirky without looking tacky. The three products I received are from the 'Sweet Cheeks' bundle which includes the creamy face cleanser, creamy face scrub and everyday face moisturiser. I like that all of these products go together to make a routine and compliment each other nicely. I also love the box the products comes in which says 'Hey, babe. I'm about to get all up in your face.' It did make me chuckle and it's a great place to store the products too!

The creamy cleanser is very creamy as the name would suggest and contains some great ingredients including green coffee bean extract, Marshmallow root and Echinacea extract, charcoal and coconut, grape seed and sweet almond oils. All of these wonderful ingredients work together beautifully to target impurities, nourish the skin and replenish moisture levels. I was surprised when I first used the product as it's a charcoal grey cream which is quite unusual as most cleansers are a white or cream colour. I do like this though as it's a bit different and more fun to apply ;).

Moving on to the scrub and I really like this product. As I mentioned earlier, Frank are famed for their body scrub so it was only natural for them to add a face scrub to their skin care line. Again, like the cleanser, the scrub is a deep brown/grey colour with exfoliating coffee granules running through it. I know manual exfoliators like this can often get a bad rep for being abrasive on the skin but this one is great - it's very gentle but also very effective. I personally love exfoliators like this as I feel they provide more instant results that a chemical exfoliant but I guess it's all down to personal preference. Again, this product includes some fantastic ingredients and generally does exactly what you'd want and expect from a face scrub.

Finally, the everyday face moisturiser. Moisturiser is essential for me as my skin dries out very quickly if I don't use it so it's important I apply it every morning after my shower and before applying my makeup. This one is very lightweight which I wasn't sure about at first as it almost feels too thin and I'm used to fairly thick and heavy moisturisers. However, the more I've used it, the more I've grown to love it as it sinks into my skin super fast and is perfect to wear underneath makeup. I wouldn't use it at night time as it just isn't rich enough for my personal needs but for day to day wear, it's great. It contains cocoa and shea butter which are both known for their moisturising properties and  Vitamin E which protects and repairs your skin, targeting dryness, acne, fine lines and other skin conditions. As with the other products, it also contains green coffee extract and coconut, almond and grape seed oils.

Overall I'm really impressed with these products and will definitely continue to use them as I feel they're doing my skin some good. They aren't cheap to buy individually (£15.95/£17.95) but if you buy the bundle I have here, they work out fairly reasonably priced at just over £10 per product. You can order the bundle online here and find out more about the products too.

Do these products sound like something you'd like to try?!

I worked with Frank on this post - all opinions are my own*

Amazing Advertisers | August

Hi guys! Can you believe it's the 1st September? This year is flying by and it will be Christmas before we know it - madness! I can't say I'm too upset that Summer is almost over - here in the UK the weather has been shocking so I'm actually looking forward to wearing my A/W wardrobe. At the moment I've been wearing Summer clothes and freezing most days because of this awful weather - not ideal. Anyway, weather aside, here's my lovely August advertisers. Make sure you head over to their blogs to say hello :)

I am Angelika, born in Poland (do speak Polish fluently), grew up in London! Been living in UK since 2001 and I am so glad that I been living in a city full of amazing opportunities. I do work full time, blog is my hobby. I am a makeupholic, just love trying out new products. 

I am North London based blogger. I am a true Taurus (23.04), you can see that in my personality. I love meeting new people!

Ciao bellas! (Or to any amigos out there). I am Eltoria and as you can probably tell from the header, I am slightly obsessed with facemasks and all thinks beauty related over at www.eltoria.com. I also blog about fashion, lifestyle, fitness and prize giveaways, but I have more recently been doing some collaborations with some amazing YouTubers and I really hope that my little channel continues to grow throughout 2015. Please come and by, leave your details, and let’s get linked!

Make sure you check these lovely ladies out!!