I have serious wanderlust. Literally, I will travel almost anywhere. I love experiencing different cultures and doing lots of sightseeing. As the end of the traditional 'travelling' period over summer comes to a close, I am getting some serious wanderlust. This post will be the first of a three part Travel Bucket list, so sit back and have a read about the wonderful places I want to visit in Europe!



The pictures throughout this post are from my various European adventures as I don't have any  photos (yet!) of the places that I want to go!

On my recent trip to Barcelona, I went to the mothership... aka Sephora. I was so excited to go to Sephora, as the last time I went to one was when I lived in Shanghai. I decided because this opportunity doesn't come around very often- that I'd abuse my credit card and buy myself a number of products to try- which is exactly what I did!

i. Sephora Smoky Eye Brush Set

This brush set is one of my favourites. I can create the perfect smoky eye with these brushes and I'd recommend them for anyone looking for a cheaper alternative to some of the more expensive brushes. These were €19 for the set of four which was perfect.

ii. Sephora Colorful Eyeshadow

I firstly object to this, because of the spelling of colourful. However, the actual product is amazing... I wanted a light glittery shade that I could smudge in the corners of my eyes and under my lash line and it's the perfect shade. It's highly pigmented and blendable. There is some fall out when you use it but that's natural with any eyeshadow.

iii. Sephora Cuticle Oil

I have fairly long acrylics, and it's important for me to keep my cuticles detached from my acrylics. I rely on cuticle oil, and if I'm honest this is one of my favourite I've ever used. Admittedly, my favourite is from SkinFood (a Korean beauty brand) however this comes a close second.

iv. Huda Beauty Liquid Matte in Venus

I am obsessed. This is my favourite matte liquid lipstick so far. Undoubtedly. So many pretty colours to choose from and I had a tough time trying to find which one I liked the best- but I settled on Venus. It's now my go to lipstick and works perfectly with my new naked heat palette from Urban Decay. It tends to last most of the day despite eating and drinking and I don't find it dries out my lips which I've found other matte liquid lipsticks do. Another I would recommend- and best news is it's not just available at Sephora! You can also buy this online

v. Sephora Shea Butter Lip Mask

I suffer from really dry lips which is a slight issue for someone who has such a lip stick/ liner addiction... I do my best to keep them nourished and I've gone through sugar scrubs for lips (thanks Lush for creation of the beautiful popcorn flavoured one!) to rubbing my lips with a dry toothbrush- which by the way- does not work! Whilst browsing Sephora I came across their shea butter lip mask so I thought I'd give it a go- because you're supposed to try anything once right?!

So my experiment got off to a bad start. I forgot to take the protective peels off of the mask- so yes, I sat there for 15 minutes whilst the pack did absolutely nothing! Oops. So after I read the instructions, I removed the protective peels and applied the mask and waited the required 15 minutes.

Immediately after the pack, my lips felt drier- which was odd as the mask itself was quite moist. However, over the next few days my lips became so much softer and far less dry. I definitely would buy again- if I ever get the chance to go to Sephora again.

vi. Sephora Pomegranate Eye Mask

Much like the above, I tried the Pomegranate Eye Mask to dry and reduce my eye bags which are the bane of my life. After the protective peel saga with the lip mask, I managed to put it on correctly with no faux pas and I left it on for the required 15 minutes. I felt like the mask itself did brighten my under eye area but I think I'd need to use this frequently to make a real difference which lasts.

As part of my bucket list, (which I am still toying with on whether to post) I have always wanted to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant. My friend came to visit me over the bank holiday weekend, and we decided to try the Red Lion Freehouse in East Chisenbury, which has one Michelin star, among many other awards.

We went on a Saturday night and it started to get very busy, so I'd definitely recommend making a reservation. 

With our summer tans fading, many of us are looking for a way to stay bronzed... personally, I've never been much of a fake tan lover. I'm not going to lie. I have never liked the strong cookie dough smell of fake tan, my white sheets get ruined and I always come out orange and patchy. Even when I get it professionally applied.

Most of my friends are fake tan converts and I've always been the pale one. However, I read a fellow bloggers review on a fake tan called White to Brown (which you can read by clicking her name!). After reading it, I reached out to her on twitter to find out more because it definitely sounded up my street- no strong smell and no streaks! I decided to try it out for the August Bank Holiday weekend, so ordered myself the skin polish and the tanning mousse in medium. I've never got on with lotions and have always had better (albeit still pretty shit) results with mousse.

I'd firstly like to point out White to Brown have FANTASTIC customer service- I was still debating whether to order some at nearly 4pm on the Wednesday. They assured me on twitter I'd get it on the Thursday, and low and behold by 11am it had arrived!

At midday I was in the bath scrubbing my skin with the skin polish which smelt gorgeous and left it really smooth. I followed this by dousing my entire body in Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula. I then set to work applying the tan. It had a great guide colour against my skin as I'm quite pale and I managed to ensure I didn't miss any major bits.

I stood around for a bit whilst it dried and then hopped into bed. I decided to avoid the whole tanned sheets saga I'd invest in a sleeping bag liner to sleep in- which protected my sheets fully! I bought a cheap one from Argos.

I woke up the next morning quite a strong colour, hopped back into the bath and washed the guide off. I was a beautiful tanned colour- the colour I go when I actually get tanned and I wasn't orange at all! Best of all, there were no streaks whatsoever!

The only thing I would say is to be super careful with your hands and feet. I firstly missed inbetween my fingers like an idiot, and I did have rather dark palms- I think I should have scrubbed them with a baby wipe rather than simply wiping them. However, the tan was absolutely fantastic and I'd definitely repurchase.

You can purchase White to Brown's tan from their website by clicking here.