NOTD Essie ~ Chubby Cheeks

I haven't bought an Essie polish for ages but if you follow me on Instagram, you'll have noticed that one 'fell' into my basket in Boots the other day *ahem*!!  This is 'Chubby Cheeks', a beautiful soft yet bright coral & I love it!  (It's currently on 3 for 2 so is the perfect time to try them!)

Admittedly, the finished photo is dreadful - I'm not quite sure what happened there - but I've remembered why I used to love Essie polishes so much.  The brush is a great fit on the nail making application simple & very quick & the finish is great.

I used my usual Strong Adhesion base coat by China Glaze & Seche Vite top coat & I'm currently 5 days in & just starting to get tip wear.

Do you like Essie polishes?  What's your favourite shade?

Marrakech 2015

Apologies for the delay in getting round to writing this post, life & a knackered pc got in the way!!  Anyway, Marrakech was absolutely fantastic - utterly mental - but fantastic!  We left a grey, rainy, freezing cold Glasgow & landed in bright sunshine & 26 degrees heat, fabulous.  The riad had sent a driver to pick us up at the airport so in we jumped & experienced the madness that is driving in Marrakech!  I think know we all had our eyes shut for much of the journey!

The drive only took about 15 minutes & we were dropped off at a taxi rank where a couple of staff from the riad were waiting for us to take our luggage.  From here it was only a 2 minute walk to the beautiful, calm haven of Riad Houma.  As we checked in, we were brought mint tea & Moroccan pastries & then talked through a map & shown the easiest way to walk to the main square, the Place Jemaa el Fna.

However, as the sun was still shining brightly and well, you know, we live in Scotland, we all dumped the bags & headed for the roof terrace to catch a couple of hours rays before heading out for our first exploration of the medina.

Wow, we knew it was going to be busy but Oh. My. God!!  We were prepared for the hustle & bustle of many people & stall holders trying to entice you into their shops in the tiny narrow alleyways but we were not expecting to dodge mopeds bombing down there too, it was mental! We were all walking about with huge grins on our faces at just the whole experience, the sights, the sounds, the smells (which alternated between the sweet smell of orange blossom, the earthy scent of spices, the delicious waft of bbq & the sudden onset of erm, sewerage!)

We headed off into the souks & got totally lost for the next couple of hours so by the time we ended back at the riad, it was gone 8pm & we were all starving.  We'd arranged to eat there on the first night & sat down to a delicious 3 course meal, discussed what to do the next day & then headed off for an early night.

The next morning we ate breakfast on the terrace in the already very warm sunshine & then again headed off towards the main square where we hopped on the open top bus to take us on a tour.  This was a really great way to see everything & note down where we wanted to do.  It headed through Guéliz, a newer part where you found shopping & familiar sights (Maccy D's , Pizza Hut or Starbucks anyone?!) then on to Palmeraie where there are huge golfing resorts & I spotted a Nikki Beach.  From there it stopped at Le Jardin Majorelle, which is where we jumped off.  After a quick bite to eat, we enjoyed a peaceful hour wandering round the gardens before jumping back on the bus & heading back for some sunbathing.

That night we ate at Kosybar, which Nikki at Midlife Chic had recommended. It was fabulous & we had a great table that overlooked the Koutoubia Mosque & the storks nesting on the walls of the  Palace.  We finished the night with wine on the terrace of riad & thanks to wifi & Spotify, a hilarious 80s pop quiz!

The next day was spent generally mooching around exploring & then more sunbathing in the afternoon.  We ate that night at Le Salama where we all shared a huge tasting menu with many, many dishes - Morrocan tapas if you like!  Just as we were leaving, the gorgeous belly dancers arrived, much to the pleasure of all the remaining diners.  Again, we finished the night with drinks & pop quizzes on the roof terrace but man, it was cold that night!

Our last morning we went exploring again round the Kasbah, which was a fabulous area that I wish we'd found sooner.  After a visit to the Saadian Tombs to see where all the past royalty are buried, we found a fabulous café (where we realised that we'd been paying way over the odds for food & drinks in the main square!) & then did some last minute shopping of argan oil & orange blossom goodies.  Shockingly though, this was the only shopping I did - I KNOW!!  I had planned to do a last minute whizz round the medina to buy bags & babouches (leather slippers) but the sodding cash machine was broken & the next one was too far away to go as we were running out of time :(

So there we have Marrakech in 3 days - not nearly enough time so we'd like to go back next year but stay for a week.  We wouldn't hesitate to return to Riad Houma, the staff were amazing, so polite & attentive (if a little too relaxed at times!!), it was beautiful inside & in comparison to a lot of riads, was really easy to find.  I'll now stop blethering on & start preparing for our trip to New York in 3 weeks, eeeek!!
 

Marrakech packing ~ makeup & skincare

I've had the morning to myself today as Hubble has taken Alfie out to a rugby tournament so I thought I'd get a head start on my pre-holiday beauty prep!  So far I've tinted my eyelashes (not the easiest thing to do yourself!), waxed my 'tache(ahem!), applied lashings of gradual tan lotion, coloured my roots & given myself a pedicure.  My hair is getting cut & blow dried on Tuesday morning so I can get up & go on Wednesday - one less thing for me to do!  I'm doing my friends' nails for them on Tuesday so I won't do my own nails until Tuesday night after I've packed the last couple of bits & bobs so I don't ruin them.

I've also sorted out & packed my makeup & skincare to take with me as I won't need these before we go - another tick off my packing list!  Seeing as we booked cases on in the end, I'm taking more than is probably necessary but a couple of bits I'll finish off whilst I'm there so they won't be coming home with me.  So here's what I'm taking -

My makeup bag from Muji is fantastic.  It's double sided with plenty of pockets & spaces to keep things neat & tidy!  They don't have this exact model anymore but they have this one which is very similar.  There's tons of room left in it so I might just put all my skincare in there too, one bag less to take!

Makeup wise, I'm going to decant into the teeny tiny posts my Boujois Bronzing BB & Revlon Photoready BB & that's my face sorted - nothing heavy & definitely no powder.  I will, however, take this dinky tube of Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer to cover up my persistant scars on my face.  To add a healthy flush in the evenings I'm taking my Bourjois Cream Blush & a tiny pot of mineral powder bronzer by Bare Minerals that I picked up in TK Maxx.   

For my eyes, I just have 2 eyeshadow pencils in charcoal & bronze by Barry M & a mini Lancôme Hypnôse Star mascara that was part of a special offer gift set (reviewed here.)

And the last of the makeup are 3 of my favourite lip colours, Bourjois Peach Club  (review here), Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple (review here) & No 7 BB Lips in Blush Pink.

Now moving on to the skincare.  I bought this Rosehip trial size gift set by Trilogy a couple of weeks ago so this is the base of my skincare.  It contains a cream cleanser, hydrating mist toner, facial oil & day cream.  Next, I've got a miniature of Bi-facil eye makeup remover by Lancôme, a mini micellar water by B Pure, mini Hydraluron that came in a gift set & my Botanics All Bright eye roll-on to help tired eyes.

So although there looks like quite a lot, because they're all minis they take up no room at all!

I need to take a quick trip to town in the morning to get the last couple of bits that I need & then I'll get my case packed.  3 days to go....!!!

Marrakech ~ travel outift

I find choosing outfits to travel in so difficult when you're going from the cold to the (hopefully!) heat.  I'm getting picked up by my friend at 7.15am & judging by the current temperatures, it's going to be baltic again so I've got to be warm this end but not so much that I'm going to swelter within 3 minutes of getting off the plane because let's face it, with 25°c plus temperatures & menopausal hot flushes, this is very possible!

So I had a trial run & this is what I decided on in the end.  The jeans are the relaxed skinny by Next which I love the look of but I'm having a wee problem with them.  When I tried them on instore, they fitted perfectly so I bought them & put them on the next day.  By the end of the day though they had really stretched & I mean really - I could pull them down without having to undo the zip or button, surely not right after one wear?!!  So I'll have to pop back to town & either get a smaller size or swap for a different style.

The navy longline tee shirt was bought in Gap last year but this is similar & let's face it, anything that covers the arse is a good thing in my book!  The open jacket I bought in Next a few weeks back but I can't find it online so it must be last season stock - this is a great alternative.

You may have seen my coral Freckle Ice shoes from Clarks on Instagram the other day.  This is my fourth pair of these now, they're so comfortable - please don't ever discontinue them Clarks!!  And the saddle bag is also from Clarks but is now sold out - this one is similar.

Accessories wise, there's no point wearing loads of things that'll have to be removed at security so I'm just sticking to my gorgeous burnt orange leopard scarf from Alice's Wonders, handy for chilly mornings & planes, and my turquoise stretchy bead bracelets from Accessorize.  I can't find these online but layer up a few of these & you get the idea!

This is a close-up of the jacket, which I'm really pleased with.  I can wear it over any of my holiday outfits, it's especially handy for night time & I'll also be taking it to New York next month.

So there we have it, nothing exceptional or fancy but it's comfortable & practical - oh god, I sound like my mum.....!!! ;)

What's your favourite thing to wear when travelling?

Eternal Collection ~ Athena necklace

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Eternal Collection, an exclusive costume jewellery company based locally in Pitlochry, to see if I would like to choose a piece from their collection.  The company were already on my radar having seen some of their items being worn by some of my favourite bloggers, Jane at My Midlife Fashion, Nikki at Midlife Chic & Lizzy at What Lizzy Loves so I was very excited to have been asked!

Eternal Collection has been established since 2007 & is owned & run by a husband & wife team, Paul & Pauline Buttress.  I love that the majority of their collection is handmade, and that pieces not handmade by themselves are carefully sourced from around the world. 

I spent a couple of happy hours browsing their website & to be honest, it was really difficult to choose just one item because there were several pieces that caught my eye!  However, turquoise & silver is my favourite jewellery combination so I finally decided on the Athena disc necklace.

A couple of days later my parcel arrived, beautifully & securely packaged along with a hand written note from Heather..  (I wish more companies would take as much care with their packaging - it really does matter!)

I absolutely love this necklace, it's totally 'me'!!  Although the size & style of this would suggest that it's quite weighty, it's surprisingly lightweight making it very comfortable to wear.  I had wanted to save it until my holiday (after all, what's more Moroccan than silver & turquoise?!) but I couldn't resist wearing it the other day & it received many compliments at the school gates!

This is such a versatile necklace, I have so many ideas what to wear it with, I can't wait to show you! The Athena disc necklace is currently on offer for only £25.00.

What do you think?  Have you shopped with Eternal Collection before?  I think this one will be my next purchase!

Marrakech packing ~ toiletries

The days are finally into single figures before we leave for Marrakech & today, as I look outside my window at the snow falling, I could not be more excited to be heading for the sun & warmth!!

My many, many lists are now coming into their own as I know exactly what to pack, what to wear & what's left to buy & the case is out of the cupboard waiting to be filled!

I picked up the last of my toiletries last week so I though I'd share what I'll be taking.  Warning - there may be a few of these 'packing' posts coming up in the next few days - sorry!! ;) 

I'm not overly fond of sun creams as I always find them a bit too gunky, I prefer sprays & have used the Ambre Solaire spray for a few years now.  I picked this up in Asda at the start of the year for about £3 when they were having a clearance, it's currently £12.99 in Superdrug but there's a BOGOF deal.

I bought an SPF30 Solait face cream (£3.99) which I haven't used before but it says it's non-greasy so here's hoping it'll be fine & doesn't break me out!  As it was BOGOF, I also picked up the Solait aftersun (£4.99) with tan prolonger, which sounds like it works in the same way as a gradual tanning cream.  I'll take the whole bottle as the 4 of us can all share this.

My other toiletries are mini versions, which I don't usually buy as I have empty bottles which I decant products into but a lot of these were bought at Christmas when they were on clearance shelves!  The only product I'll decant into a pot is my Curl Cream by Trevor Sorbie but the mini bottle of Frizz Ease I picked up for 99p is ideal! 

In the end I decided to get new contact lenses rather than take prescription sunglasses so I don't have to carry my normal glasses around with me all day to use when we're inside.  I can just stick on a pair of sunnies & be done with it!  These lenses (in the black box, top right) are the new Vitrea range by Specsavers & offer a slow-release moisturiser so are very comfortable to wear & I'd imagine will be much better in the heat.  I'll just need to take 4 or 5 pairs with me rather than the whole box.

So these are my toiletries sorted, I now have to whittle down my makeup & choose my nail colours!