Avene Thermale Spring Water Spray

Oh, hot weather! We all want it to come and then when it does there's nothing but complaining. I love it when the sun is out, but there are two things I struggle with: over heating and make-up slipping.

I bought this small 50ml size of Avene Thermale Spring Water Spray on Escentuals for just £2.80. I got it mainly to use as a setting agent for make-up, something I've never used before. It is great for fixing my powder based foundation, but I forgot the first time to let my mascara dry before spraying it, giving myself pretty impressive panda eyes! 

I took this on holiday to Spain with me and kept it in my beach bag throughout our time there. It was the most cooling and refreshing thing to use when even a parasol gave no respite for the heat. Just a light most of it over my face was enough. 

The best thing I've used this product for though is sunburn. I've never had sunburn before and my god I hope I never get it again. I never knew that showering could hurt! When I was lying in bed, the thin sheet I slept under was enough to irritate the sunburn. In desperation I tried the spray and it was a revelation! I cannot recommend it enough for irritated and sore skin and it's definitely going to be a must-have beauty product to take on any holiday from now on. 

Make-up Bag Musts

 I don't know that much about beauty products. I do love reading beauty blogs to get tips and tricks, but getting to 24 means I do have some essential products of my own that I can't go a day without. My make-up bag is guilty of having some inevitable crap in it, but this post will highlight the ones that are always sat at the top.

MAC Studio Fix foundation

I have scars from adult acne and a touch of rosacea and was struggling to find a foundation that wasn't too heavy. Having combination skin, I need something that doesn't make my skin look flaky, but also doesn't slide off my oily face either. I swear, I almost kissed the woman in MAC when she put this on me. I've never had a foundation give me such even coverage, and if there was one piece of make-up I wouldn't be without, it's this.

Body Shop Tea Tree Concealer Shade 02

This is in the skincare section of the store, not the make-up counter. It does what tea tree oil is famous for: it soothes my red flared spots and helps reduce them over time. It's really soft and blends in really well, even though it only comes in two shades. It also lasts forever!

Benefit They're Real Mascara

The newest addition to my make-up bag, this has taken over from Benefit's Bad Gal (which I still love in Plum) to be the best mascara I've ever tried. This has actually made people comment on how good my lashes look, which isn't the most obvious of compliments people tend to pay! Two coats of this and I feel like I've got fake lashes, without the hassle of glue or ruining my real eyelashes. Seriously impressed.

Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Another favourite from The Body Shop. My eyes are really sensitive so this is perfect. It has the best nib on a liquid eyeliner that I've ever used, it's perfectly pointy but doesn't feather so I can get the cleanest, finest line without going all Amy Winehouse.

What are the products in your make-up bag that you can't live without?

& Other Stories

From the parent company of H&M and Cos comes the new Regent St flagship branch of & Other Stories. Following on from the recent influx of Swedish fashion brands taking over central London (Monki and Cheap Monday being only a year old or so on Carnaby Street), & Other Stories doesn't focus on what is 'in fashion' right now, but rather on textures, shapes and colours.

Some of the clothes are designed by ex-creatives of Acne and other high end brands, bringing a hint of luxury to those who can't afford it otherwise. People like me! The layout and merchandising of the store is inspired. Clothes in cages, pictures on the wall showing designers' inspiration, suggestions of shoes and accessories dotted around encouraging you to pick them up and contemplate what they could go with.

I loved the design of their 'The Balm' cosmetics range too, and their make-up is clean, shiny and quirky. I got a free lipstick for queueing for so long, it's a really strong shade of red so I'm sure you'll see it on Shopped & Dropped soon!

& Other Stories is open now at 256 - 258 Regent Street, but you can also shop online at www.stories.com

Fashion: My 1st London Fashion Week Experience

As much as I love reading the glossies and perusing fashion blogs, I never imagined that I'd get to experience a real catwalk show. Thanks to the miracles of Twitter I somehow won a competition to see a show at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout event. So Saturday evening, myself and Ms O went to the Covent Garden venue and thanks to Vita Coco and the fabulous website What I Wore Today, we were sat on the front row!


The designer we were there to see was Carlotta Actis Barone. The collection was a beautiful mix of silk coats, dresses with amazing petticoats and gravity defying hairstyles. The colour palette was deep purples, ice blues, blacks and nude pieces with the words 'Work Liberates' on them. Here are some pics I managed to snap (the misty quality is down to the smoke machine):

The atmosphere of the dramatic music, the flashbulbs going and the models staring dead ahead gave me goosebumps. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I'm even more jealous of the celebs that get to go to all the massive shows every Fashion Week!


And because we were FROWers for the evening, that meant we also got a fab goody bag each, the contents of which included a scarf by the designer and a great haul of make-up from The Body Shop (including a bronzer to replace the one I ran out of today - perfect!)

And of course, as I won the tickets through the website What I Wore Today, here is the obligatory 'what I wore' pic. 

For details of what is from where, have a look at my WIWT profile here.