ECCLESTON SQUARE HOTEL / LONDON STAY

So last weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with my cousin at the Eccleston Square Hotel in London, Belgravia SW1.

She won a free nights stay after entering the L'Occitane online competition. Im pretty sure it was super easy and all she had to do was answer one question! All I can say is thank god she's single and I she invited me because what a lovely weekend we had! 

We were given a few different dates to chose from so I travelled down to London last Sunday. Apart from the fact that I actually like trains, I'd always pick this over driving as its so easy. I got into London Euston where I took the tube to Victoria Station where I met my cousin Hannah and we got a taxi to our hotel. We didn't find out just how lazy that really was until we walked round later as the hotel is a 5 minute walk from Victoria. From the moment we arrived the service was fantastic and I just have to mention how good this hotel smells! The fact that everywhere (including your room) smells so lovely I just had to mention it. We were shown around two rooms and from there we were allowed to choose our favourite. We chose the bigger of the two as the other had a balcony which would have been beautiful in the sun but it was raining when we arrived. 

10 minutes in, we had a knock on the door where we greeted with a tray of yummy treats and a box full of L'Occitane goodies! Now I'm pretty sure this was a Superior double room which Included ;

• Easy to use touch sensitive keypads which control everything from the music to the lighting
• 46 inch HD 3D Neo plasma Panasonic TVs with surround sound and SKY 
• Personal in-room iPad 2 which acts as a digital concierge and allows guests to order room service, arrange a beauty appointment, browse the internet and much more
• SmartGlass shower walls that turn from clear to frosted at the touch of a button
• Flat screen TVs concealed in the bathroom mirror
• Smart phone docking station menu

The features were amazing and we felt truly spoilt. Watching Impractical Jokers in the shower was definitely a highlight of mine. In the afternoon the sun came out so we strolled round the gardens which were beautiful and then walked round to find a place for dinner. Later on, we ordered AVATAR in 3D on Sunday night so we stayed in, turned  on our beds massage feature, ate Häagen-Dazs and drank Prosecco. Perfect. 

Monday we got up, ate a very yummy breakfast and set out to London Bridge. My cousin works there so we dumped our bags, had a walk round Borough Market, ate incredible cakes and headed off to Camden. Definitely one of my favourite places in London and if you haven't been, go! 

Instagram - @oharaellie

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MAC / ZOEVA HAUL

Here I am, all shopped out... again.

This months big splurge was on MAC and Zoeva so I thought id share. 

Whenever I do these posts, I feel like I should just say that In no way am I trying to show off,  just showing you what I bought and giving a little run down.

 Personally, I love seeing what people are trying recently and think its great to hear everyones opinions on new or old products. 

This haul consists of lots of goodies Ive been pining for. Some I always felt were almost to boring to buy (e.g, Eyeliner), but the other day I decided it was time to treat myself to some items Ive been wanting for months.

 I have to say, since trying them all I've realised why they're such cult beauty favourites and I hope this is helpful to anyone still pondering wether to buy these or not!

MAC Soar & Stripdown Lipliner -  £12.50

Yes, I finally bought the infamous 'Soar' lip liner pencil and yes, I was inspired by Kylie J.

Soar is medium Plum colour, not to dark but still quite dramatic. This definitely won't be a every day colour for me but still beautiful for when I fancy something bit bolder!

'Stripdown' is a dark brown colour similar to 'Spice' but more of a Cool-toned Brown. 

I paired it today with Mac's Blankety Lipstick & it looked beautiful. I would definitely wear this as an every day lip. I find this tone of brown suits my skin tone really well so I can get away with it being a little darker. I wouldn't really recommend this for you English Rose's out there as I think you'd find this a little to harsh!

MAC Amber Times Nine Palette - £30

Uhhhh. This palette is just beautiful.

The pans are smaller than their usual shadows so I will assume these are Limited Edition but if you can get your hands on this, get it.

What really stood out for me about this was what a great size it is. Fitting 9 shadows in to a smaller compact is great for a makeup artists kit and so handy when travelling. I think they have 4 or 5 of these with different shades. Good for my kit - bad for my bank balance.

 In Amber Times Nine you get ;

Cozy Grey - Kitties - Georgia Peach

Ricepaper - Creative Copper - Cork

Don't Tell - Aromatic - Pepper Please

Ive done posts about MAC shadows before so I won't go into great detail. I've always wanted to add 'Cork' & 'Ricepaper' to my collection so great, now I have.  MAC shadows are one of my favourite to work with. Creamy, super pigmented, blend-able and for 30 quid, I'd also say quite affordable. 

Mac 'Velvet Teddy' & 'Vegas Volt' Lipstick - £15.50

Its mine! Velvet Teddy is mine!

So, Ive wanted Velvet Teddy for a while. Can you tell?

I have a serious love for Matte Lipsticks. I hate how boring out country is for lip products while America has brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Dose Of Colours & Jeffrey Star bringing out these amazing liquid lipsticks. Yes, you can buy them from over seas, but then you have to pay shipping and 9 times out of 10, customs charges.

Anyway, rant over, 'Velvet Teddy' is a Matte nude lipstick and it is beautiful.

'Vegas Volt' however has kind of taken the lime light for me. It is literally the prettiest hot orange/coral colour which is just perfect for summer and this unexpected heat the UK has been experiencing the last few weeks! 

Love.

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot - £15.50 & Fluidline Eye-Liner - £15.50

These 2 are bit boring really. 

Mac Fluidline in 'Blacktrack' is definitely not for people just starting out using liquid eyeliner. I suggest eyeliner pens from any drugstore which are a lot easier and don't require a brush. However, for you girls down for spending a little longer and getting your liner on point, this is a great product.

This is my second pot of this and it can dry up sometimes. When it does, I just spray my brush with a little Mac fix + and your good to go again.

I bought the Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot in 'Soft Ochre' as I already have 'Painterly'. Annoyingly, its a very warm skin toned colour where as Soft Ochre being more of a yellow tone which suits me better. For anyone wondering what the paint pots are, they're basically cream colour bases which have multiple uses but for me, I use them as an eyelid primer. They make your shadows last longer, and also act as a blank canvas to make your looks more vibrant. 

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC25 - £17

I already have this in NC15 which I now wonder what I was thinking as its far to light for my skin.

I ended up putting it aside and never used it but as so many people have told me how fab it is, I decided to get it in my actual colour and I stand corrected.

Its lovely, Its creamy, Its full coverage, Its super blend-able.

Mac, You did good... and Im sorry. 

ZOEVA Rose Gold Eye Brush Set - £56.95

These brushes could be a pile of shit but I'd still be like, Pretty though aren't they?

Luckily, they're not a pile of shit. They're fab and actually super affordable.

Pricing at around £5 a brush, these are probably one of the best sets you can buy. 

12 brushes at MAC would cost you around £200 at least so with this set only costing £56...

you can't really go wrong.

They're really soft, beautifully made, and you get zero moulting.

 Ive never really cut corners with brushes. I always say to my clients, If you gave me rubbish makeup with my tools, I could still make you look nice. If you gave me my makeup with rubbish brushes, I'd really struggle. These are definitely some of the best brushes on the market, not just for the price. So if your currently looking for some nice brushes without the hefty price tag, try these out!

If you are interested in any of these products, I have linked them all within the description.

Ellie x

MAY FAVOURITES

Im a little late but hey, thats life.

Here are my May Favourites, I tried to keep them in some kind of order.

Hair products, Makeup, Body and then just some random bits and bobs!

Moroccan Oil 

This is really more of a life favourite than just May. I used this years ago but recently fallen back in love with it. My boyfriend bought it me after one of our holidays and Ive used it since. If any of you have watched friends, my hair resembles Monica's in humidity. However I get the pleasure of that frizz all year round. Whatever I do to my hair it seems to become damaged very easily but this really has been a life saver! Its a super thick consistency but smooths through the hair when wet really well. I find it doesn't weigh my hair down like some oils do. Just helps to fight my frizz plus it smells yummy to. 

Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Volume Range

I heard about this Shampoo from Imogen from foxy locks extensions youtube channel.

I bought this Shampoo & Conditioner after she spoke about it and it really appealed to me. They claim to be totally natural and clear of any Silicones, Parabens or Colourants.

Ive never really been that interested in hair care as I've never found a shampoo or conditioner to make that much of a difference but this actually dramatically improved my hair! They smell UH-mazing and they lather beautifully. Ive always found shampoos that claim 'volume' or 'moisturising' to just do nothing or turn my hair greasy. This however is true to its word and really does add loads of volume to your hair. I can totally feel the difference with no Silicones as my hair feels naturally healthy, not just coated. Its lightweight and lasts ages before getting greasy. This is a total triumph in my books and I don't think i'll try anything else for a very long time.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Dry Shampoo

Well, who doesn't love dry shampoo. It saves us girls when we can't be bothered to wash and blow-dry and it adds great volume so I pretty much love dry shampoo as a whole. However, the one thing I don't like is that white chalky residue you get (Im mainly talking about Batiste). I also know you can get ones for coloured hair but I found the brunette version used to stain my hands and I hated it.

I love this one because you simply don't get that. No residue, no horrible chalky feeling on your hands and it smells of Vanilla. 

Winner.

Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow 

I won't go to much into detail as I already posted about this but god I love it. Perfect for all skin types this just adds the most gorgeous glow. I used this at a wedding I did the other day and all the bridesmaids made a point of asking what was on their skin. 

Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown

I bought this after using HD's Brow Beater which is a clear formula. I fancied trying one with a tint and I fell in love with this. One of the best brow mascaras I've used. Dark Brown in a perfect colour for me and it keeps my hairs in place all day. I had so many compliments when I started using this and its now an essential part of my makeup routine.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm

I actually bought this last year and forgot about it. This is THE perfect pinky/nude lip and it drys completely matte. The staying power on this is ridiculous. Sometimes i've gone all day, including eating and drinking and this bad boys still going strong. 

Nars Albatross Highlighter

Theres not to much to say about this. We all know how a highlighter works but I just seem to always go for this one. I get the most compliments and always get asked whats on my cheekbones when I'm wearing this. I also find you can make this as subtle or dramatic as you like whereas with some highlighters, your either in it for the full drag look or you shouldn't have bothered.

Real Techniques Sculpting Set

Im such a fan of real techniques. I have all their brushes so naturally I had to pick this new set up and I love it just as much as the others. The sculpting brush really stands out to me as its so soft and I love it for foundation as well as for contour. Thats one of the main things I love about RT brushes and the Pixiwoo sisters. All their brushes are so versatile and theres no right or wrong way to use them.

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille Body Butter

UHH. God I love this scent sooo much. I cannot stop smelling myself and its so strong (in a good way) that even your bed sheets smell of it the next day. Its a super sweet vanilla scent and its such a thick, creamy consistency its a really brilliant moisturiser to. I tend to save this for occasions because you really don't need perfume when your wearing this. 

Calvin Klein Summer

This was a present brought back for me from Florence and it is the perfect Summer scent.

Such a zesty refreshing smell I just love it. Even the bottle makes me thing of summer.

Models Own HyperGel Polish in Cornflower Gleam

I can't tell you how long I searched for this exact colour in a nail polish. I found someones nails on Pinterest and that was it, I was on a mission. I probably tried 4 or 5 colours which were never right but I finally found the perfect colour in this polish. Its such a beautiful pastel chalky blue colour which looks amazing with a tan. It also lasts really well which is bonus because I wasn't even bothered about the staying power at first, I was just so pleased to finally find this colour!

 Zara Clutch

'Keep Your Life Simple' is the text. I just think this is really stylish and a girl can never have to much black. The leathers really soft and its nice and big so I can fit all my unnessecary girly rubbish in.

 Proper corn Sweet Coconut & Vanilla

Me and my boyfriend stumbled across this in a health food shop in London a few months and it is SO delicious! Randomly when I was filling my car up the other day, they had these on offer in the petrol station so naturally I stocked up. They are so delicious and at under 40 cals they're not even that naughty. I have never seen these in other shops (sweet coconut and vanilla anyway) so heres hoping they become a permanent fixture at the petrol station!

House Of Cards

Two Words. Frank Underwood.

The mans ruthless and I just love Kevin Spacey. Completely consumed political drama series about a man obsessed with the presidency and having his name go down in history.

Its gripping but this show really needs your full attention because sometimes I put this on while I'm doing my makeup and realise I've missed about 5 twists and turns. 

Watch it - You won't regret it. 

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