RIMMEL WAKE ME UP // A NARS SHEER GLOW DUPE?

In my younger, and perhaps less experienced days, I would have only chosen high end foundations, as I foolishly thought that the more money you pay, the better the product. Yes, it's nicer going into a fancy department store, being colour matched, and getting to take your makeup away in a fancy box, but is the product actually any better? There's no denying the wonder of the Georgio Armani, Chanel Vitalumiere and others, but highstreet brands are really starting to up their game and for a quick morning slap on, I find myself usually grabbing this product.

The Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation is £8.99, comes in a few shades and even has a concealer to match (which covers blemishes and dark circles surprisingly well). The foundation gives skin a gorgeous glow, and works wonders on dry skin. These qualities make it extremely similar to the Nars Sheer glow, which claims to have a natural radiant finish, build-able coverage and leave skin hydrated and luminous.  It is also triple the price. I first wanted to try out Rimmel Wake me up after I saw so many youttubers featuring it in their top foundations! Zoella absolutely loves this stuff. I use the shade 'ivory'.

The pros:

• Cheap- £8.99 instead of £31 (NARS) for the same amount. Can't really argue
• It comes with a pump, unlike the sheer glow
• It is extremely glowing and gives lasting radience
• It does what it says on the packaging and leaves you looking more awake and bright
• Smells good (?!)

The drawbacks: 

• Cannot be skin matched by a professional at a counter
• Less shades available 
• Doesn't last as long on the skin as sheer glow
• Has SPF in it which can give a ghost face effect when there's flashing photography around!

Would I recommend this product? Definitely. It is my favourite drugstore/highstreet foundation and I always find myself grabbing it when I want a super quick brightening fix. However, I probably wouldn't suggest it to people with really oily skin as it certainly isn't a matte product.  Although I have combination skin and I love it! Go and try this out. 

 Morgan Alice 

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ps. make sure you check out my instagram! @morganalicebeauty

SKINCARE SHOPPING IN PARIS // WHERE, WHAT & WHY

We all know that every blogger and their mum loves French pharmacy cosmetic brands, and will go to any lengths (including day trips to France) to get them! But why are they so popular? The French know how to do skincare. The products are organic, clean, have multiple benefits, target almost any skin problem and are also, extremely affordable. I could go on for a while, mulling over the various ingredients and their properties, but I wanted to keep this post primarily about what to buy and where from. Boots have started stocking La Roche Posay & Avene, Marks and Spencer offer NUXE and it is certainly easier to pop down to your local high street store and pick a few up, but they are almost double the cost.

Where: Don't buy from the first small pharmacy you see, they know the drill, and put up their costs. Find the nearest City Pharma (in Paris it's 26 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris), and if you can battle the crowds of tourists, you will find rows and rows of your favourite items for and shockingly good price. I got two huge bottles of Bioderma for €15 and minis for €2! It's basically like heaven for beauty lovers. If a trip to France isn't on the cards (it really should be), you can also find French like pharmacies right here in London. There are ones off Oxford street with competitive prices, 'Zest' in Soho and  'The Garden Pharmacy' on Mercer Street in Covent Garden.

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Bioderma & La Roche Posay 

What: Without question, the first products I ran towards and threw into my basket was Bioderma. I picked two of the biggest bottles, that are always on a duo offer, and 3 of the minis, as I always need these when going away. There are countless blog posts that explain why this watery clear solution is the perfect makeup remover, cleanser and toner, so I won't ramble on about that. But what I will say is, this stuff is addictive. Once you have experienced the effortless sweep away of makeup with Bioderma, you won't want to go back!

What: After loading my basket with Bioderma, I pushed past the crowds of excited beauty lovers to the La Roche Posay aisle. If you read my October favourites blog (link here), you will see that their 'Effaclar Duo anti blemish cream' has worked wonders on my skin. Recommended by Tanya Burr, I first purchased this off feelunique.com as I couldn't wait until my paris trip. From boots, this product is £15.50. In Paris however, I got this for €8! You can read up about this through online reviews, and I will simply say, if you have oily problem skin, this stuff is just what you need in your night time routine.

What: Another La Roche Posay product that has been raved about online is their 'Serozinc'' (review linked here). I had never heard of this, but as my online-skin-guru Caroline Hirons recommended it, I knew it must be good. It's basically a zinc sulphate solution that aims to cleanse and sooth the skin. You can spray it directly on your face (my preferred method) or use a cotton pad and wipe it on. This really helps tackle problem oily skin. 

If you want to look into other products, I would look at NUXE lip balm, AVENE thermal water spray and BIODERMA wipes! Have a look at this site for other french pharmacy skincare products (link here). 

Morgan Alice

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OCTOBER FAVOURITES // BEAUTY, MAKEUP AND MORE!

Hello everyone, I haven't done a favourites blog for a while as the summer was so busy...but it's coming into my favourite time of year (autumn and winter), so what is better than a favourites blog for my favourite time of year! I have broken it into a few sections: beauty, makeup and others. Enjoy!

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Beauty

Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm: If you are looking for a cleanser that moisturises, removes the day's dirt and leaves you feeling revitalised and fresh faced- this is the perfect product for you. I have seen so many bloggers and youtubers talk about this cleanser and so it is surrounded by quite a lot of hype. I embraced the hype, ordered it from feel unique, and am now compltetely addicted. This stuff is like a pot of oily gold for your face! It melts in your hands and turns into a super-soft oil which glides across your face. The ingredients are all natural so it smells absolutely wonderful.  I use it to take my makeup off, cleanse before bed and in the morning.  I massage it into the face (which is heaven already) and then use a soap and glory face mitt to massage it in. The cleansing balm comes with its own Emma Hardie cleansing cloth (which if I were you I would buy at least 4 of), called the 'amazing face dual action professional cleansing cloth'. This is the best muslin cloth ever, as it has a soft polisher on one side, and an exfoliating muslin cloth on the other. Do shop around for the best deal! Feel unique had it for £28.

La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo- Anti Blemish Cream: If you are suffering from facial acne, or are just sick of having sporadic outbreaks, this is the product for you! Since august, I was suffering from jawline outbreaks. It was probably down to hormones or stress, but I still invested in this to just help settle them down. However, I used it everyday throughout October and it completely cleared my face! This. Stuff. Works. Wonders! The French pharmacists certainly do know their stuff! It isn't just for acne, it also targets oily blemishes and marks, and aims to even skin tone. Again, do shop around for these products. Boots do this product but I found it on feelunque at a discounted rate.

The Wet Brush: Ok so I'm not really sure if this fits into the beauty category, but as I use it in my beauty regime, it can go here. I have extremely tangled and dry hair. Immediately after washing my hair and smothering it with conditioner, it is in knots. I don't wash my hair everyday, and brush it only when it is damp. The tangle teezer just doesn't work for my hair, especially when damp. I don't know how this brush does it but it literally glides through my mane and leaves it smooth! If you have tangled hair, this is perfect for you!

Snow Fairy: Don't really need to say much about this little bottle of heaven from Lush...Their christmas range has come out, which means I can finally have my favourite scent again! I wait all year for this little baby, and actually get exited to shower! Love it, and love all the other snow fairy scent treats.

Lee Stafford Argan Oil From Morocco Haircare: As mentioned above, my hair is majorly dry and the ends are constantly breaking off. So, after a looong trip to boots looking through various hair masks, these beauties were on 3 for £20! Considering one is £14.99...that's a pretty good deal. The argan oil hair mask (left) has worked wonders on my hair! It's a deep nourishing treatment and has certainly helped with the broken ends. I use this once a week or every other week if i'm lazy, put it on damp hair for about 10 minutes and then wash it out. It leaves my hair so soft! The miracle oil I apply after the shower onto damp hair and leave in which sorts my hair out until the next wash! If you're looking for treatment for dry and damaged hair, I recommend these! 

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Makeup

Elizabeth Arden 'Red Door Red' Lipstick: I saw this product a while ago in one of Tanya Burr's 'Christmas Party Get Ready With Me' videos, and thought it was the perfect party red lipstick- not too dark or orange toned. As it's coming up to glitzy party season, I eventually got round to buying it and trying it out for a few occasions. I absolutely love it! I've been searching for the perfect red for months, and MAC's Ruby Woo and Russian Red just didn't have the wow factor for me. This lipstick has a gorgeous creamy and super pigmented formula that lasts all night. I would pair with a lip liner and make sure your lips are moisturised and prepped first though.

Tanya Burr 'Picnic in the Park' Lipgloss: For everyday work days, I found myself chucking this on and wearing only this. Her lipglosses have a gorgeous sweet, fruity scent and are super pigmented. This makes them the perfect lipgloss to use for easy, natural makeup looks where lips aren't the focus. I absolutely love this shade, and have also been loving the 'Aurora' shade.  Despite having a lovely, sparkling finish to them, the shimmer is subtle and so the application and wear on the lips feels smooth. And the formula is not too sticky - yay!! They are all the perfect handbag essential.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear cream shadow stick in 'Golden Pink': I've been hearing so much about eyeshadow pens, and after being unable to find the ByTerry sticks, I stumbled across this in John Lewis. These sticks really do live up to their name as they are super creamy and highly pigmented. They are great to use as a base across your lid, as they stay all day and makes sure the eye shadow on top doesn't crease. I like to use this as a base, and then pack on a shimmer shadow over the top. This makes your eyes look super bright and makes it last all day. You just don't get the same effect using just a shadow. I have found myself annoyingly obsessed with this product, especially in the week, as I am always using it in a rush...but it still looks so pretty!! Even if I just smear it on and blend the edges, it looks wonderful! Such a good product for those who are in a rush or don't like spending hours perfecting the eyes.

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Other

'Paper Towns' by John Green: I read his famous book 'the fault in our stars' on honeymoon, and could not put it down! I cried and smiled in all the right places and loved his writing style. I bought this book because I saw a blogger post it on instagram, and I judged a book by its cover....in a good way! The cover looks soooo wintery and cosy- just what I could picture myself reading in a candlelit bath after a freezing day! The book itself is wonderful too. Romantic and funny. This book was definitely an October favourite!

My autumnal beverage: Ok so it's cold and rainy outside, you're ready in your pjs and graving a hot drink don't want caffeine to keep you awake. What do you make? My bedtime Nutella luxury drink! Initially seen in one of Lily Pebbles videos (link here), I have tweaked this to make it perfect. If you like hot chocolate, you will love this. Thank me later!

1. Choose your favourite cup (mine is my Emma Bridgewater mug-obsessed)
2. Fill the cup with cold milk (use whole milk for the best taste, or almond milk if you are healthy).
3. Pour the cup of milk into a pan- preferably a milk pan as it has a lip for pouring. Have it on a low heat and do not bring to the boil.
4. Add a - rather generous- spoonful of Nutella to the pan, and let it melt so the water turns chocolatey and smooth.
5. When the milk is hot and the Nutella is all melted, pour back into your cup.
6. Add a dollop of squirty cream to the top, or mini marshmallows! Perfect!

Hope you enjoyed my October favourites,

Morgan Alice

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SOAPARAMA PRODUCTS // MY LUXURY PAMPER EVENING

I'm always up for discovering new independent beauty brands. Don't get me wrong, I still love the big selling brands like Lush, Soap and Glory and Sanctuary, but they don't give me that buzz of discovery. I found SOAPARAMA on instagram, and they sent me some of their homemade products which are to die for. I had an evening in, ran a bath, lit some candles, and tested them all for you. Not only are they full of natural goodness, they are also homemade and extremely affordable.

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I don't know about you but I love a good pamper evening. They are essential for downtime from work, relaxation and just having a bit of 'you'. I try to have at least one a week. Makeup off, hair up, a cold glass of white wine and some candles- my idea of a perfect evening in! I used the lavender  & rosemary aromatherapy candle with essential oils, as this is better to inhale than a cheap candle. The smell of lavender makes me so relaxed! I absolutely love candles, but burning cheap ones all the time is bad for you as you inhale toxins and impurities. These candles have all natural ingredients, and are only £2.99!

I always take my makeup off, cleanse with the Emma Hardie cleansing balm, and then put on a face mask. At the moment I am loving the Sanctuary deep thermal for pamper evenings. I use two bath fizzes and a bath softner, which makes it absolutely perfect! The SOAPARAMA English Garden Rose Fizzes are full of ingredients which won't damage your skin, and make the water extra bubbly and frothy. If rose isn't for you, SOAPARAMA also do the bath fizzes in lavender! The lovely thing about their bath fizzes is they have pieces of dried rose and lavender in them which float in the bath!

I also like so make the water milky with a bath softner. I use LUSH Dreamtime bath melt- these make the water silky smooth and the ingredients soften the skin. Once the bath is run, I turn my phone off, grab an indulgent book and soak for an excessive 2 hours! I also sometimes prop an iPad up on the toilet and watch a few episodes of Gossip Girl! Love it.

 Always treat yourself to a luxury pamper evening!

Love,

Morgan Alice 

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MY MAKEUP ORGANISATION

After a busy summer of weddings, a honeymoon and moving into a brand new house...I have FINALLY completed my beauty area and makeup organisation. The space we had to work with wasn't huge, and we didn't have much inspiration. BUT, nothing a trip to IKEA couldn't solve. I know it's mass produced and not individual, but IKEA has genius ideas for space saving and at such affordable prices. You can't really argue. The dressing table was actually a kids desk, which comes in a variety of colours, but fitted into the space perfectly...and was only £39! The mirror was also from ikea, and i think was £15 from their STAVE rage. And finally, the lights. The gorgeous hollywood lights! The beauty space doesn't have great lighting, so I needed some really powerful professional makeup lights to brighten the area. Although at £42, they were more than the table, my were they worth it!! (link for lights here). We only got one set, but for extra effect they can be put all around the mirror. 

// MUJI drawer organisers //

Jo Malone, Chloe and Flowerbomb perfume // Vintage Roberts Radio // Ikea Brush Holders

Morgan Alice 

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OUR WEDDING // THE BRIDESMAIDS, GROOMSMEN & GIFTS

Welcome to the last post in my 'our wedding' series. I hope they have given you some ideas, tips and overall inspiration if you, or someone you know, are having a wedding soon. We put so much planning and care into our big day, and it is lovely to share that with so many of you. I hope that the hours I spent hunched over my laptop on pinterest made our day have a special unique touch!

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The Bridesmaids: The first image I had in my head for my beautiful bridesmaids was short dresses, pink hues, floral crowns and soft makeup. As it was a laid back, outside country wedding, I was certain I did not want them in long flowing ball gowns. I also wanted them to feel comfortable and love what they wore, so they would enjoy every part of the day as much as me. That meant that they could not all wear the same short dress, as they were different shapes and sizes! My three blonde bridesmaids wore a short, soft pink one shoulder dress from H&M. They all agreed and chose the dress together, and it was perfect because it was a blank canvas to accessorize. This made them look simple and elegant. Their shoes were also from H&M, which had to be wedges because it was an outside wedding!

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The Bridesmaid Gifts: This was another thing I always wanted to do! It's kind of like a stocking, but a bridesmaid bag filled with wedding treats. This way I could buy them gifts that they could use on the day. I filled them with Cath Kidston toiletries, Accessorize earrings and bracelets, Primark Belts and other treats! I got these gorgeous bags from Liberty in Love, which were an additional gift, and made a lovely photo on the day!

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The Groomsmen: Jason wanted to go for something a bit different (not a basic black or navy tux) but also wanted to make sure it wasn't too out there (full tweed suits with corduroy waistcoats). The perfect balance? A herringbone jacket with trouser separates. Everyone thought the boys looked so sharp without looking pretentious. They weren't outfits that you would look back on later on in life and think, 'what on earth were we thinking?!'. Jason, his best man and one of the ushers found their suits at Debenhams for a really good price, but unfortunately they didn't fit everyone. The slightly darker suits were from Next, and look almost identical! They paired them with crisp white shirts, dark grey trousers, and leather brogues.

// Bow ties from MyTuxedo.co.uk //

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OUR WEDDING // THE DRINK, THE FOOD AND OUR RUSTIC WEDDING CAKE

Hello again! For all those asking, the lovely lady who photographed our wedding day was Rebecca. She managed to capture every special moment and detail, and we are so happy with the beautiful relaxed photos. Check out her blog to see the blog post on our engagement shoot!

This post is going to be all about the yummy-ness we devoured on the big day. From the rustic wedding cake, pulled pork to pink lemonade! One of the main reasons I loved the venue was because it allowed to bring in whatever we wanted- whether that be a using a caterer, making it ourselves or even bringing in our own alcohol. This made is a lot easier for us because we are fussy and wanted to tailor it exactly to what we wanted! We ended up having a caterer for the food and services, bringing in our own alcohol and soft drink, and making our own deserts.

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Canapés: We got our caterers to serve canapés immediately after the ceremony. Guests will be hungry so make sure you get these straight out! We also served champagne that my parents got from France (a little cheaper), and Fentimans soft drinks with straws. Always have a soft drink alternative so your guests don't get too squiffy too quickly!

Fentimans: Pink Lemonade// Cloudy Lemonade// Coca Cola// Vintage Straws

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The Wedding Breakfast: We were certain from day 1 that we didn't want a set meal (you can never please everybody). But we were also sure we didn't want a buffet (people getting up and down which creates a chaotic atmosphere. So...we did the best of both worlds! Each table had their own buffet of 5 side dishes on the table, then a platter of BBQ meat was brought over. This meant guests didn't have to get out their seats, AND they could choose their meals. We chose to have a BBQ of steaks, chicken, sausages and fish, and side dishes of coleslaw, breads, salad, rice and a pasta salad. Everyone loved it! Each table had a bottle of French red and white wine, a jug of water and a bottle of rose (which I got on a bulk buy deal from sainsburys, and combined it with a first order of over £60 and got £15 off). We also had a drink dispenser filled with a soft cocktail, and a barrel of Adnams ale.

Tip: If you want to save money but don't want to make all the food yourselves, have a desert table and ask your friends and family to help out! For a wedding of 100 at £6 per desert, it saves £600!

 Eton Mess/ Mini Victoria Sponge/ Trifle/ Strawberry Cheesecake/ Jelly/ Red Velvet Cake/ Shortbread hearts/ Cheese and biscuits

I asked a few friends and family to make one of these each so again, people could choose.

We avoided anything dark coloured (chocolate cake, brownies etc), as it made it look far more pretty!

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The pic'n'mix favour table: I think out of everything this got the most attention! Everyone absolutely loved the idea of a pic'n'mix sweet table. I knew I didn't want to have made favours on the table as a lot get left behind and like the idea with the set meal- you can never please everyone! Then, whilst going through pinterest, I saw these amazing sweet tables that were so rustic and fitted perfectly with our theme. I didn't want to have it as a side thought, with a few half filled jars, I wanted to go all out! Like with the sweet table, I asked different people to get different sweets. This massively cut costs for us and also reduced the stress! Originally we wanted all pink, white, cream and red sweets...but it got a bit out of hand! We made it a focal point with homemade bunting, little sweet servers, vintage sweet bags and kilner jars. Every single sweet went! 

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The Wedding Cake: Whilst visiting wedding shows and looking through pinterest, we both loved the idea of a naked wedding cake: i.e. a cake without all the fancy icing, and instead exposed sponge and fruit. However, after reading into this I gathered that naked cakes dry out fairly quickly, and nobody likes a dry sponge! Following the rustic theme, (which meant nothing too neat) we found and loved this layered cake look. We used my friend's cake business, sweet obsessions, and she created the exact replica of the one we found online, which was perfectly moist and flavoursome. Our cake is the first picture on the wedding cakes page! You can see it there, with pink roses pinned into it, and standing on a wooden slab to match the table decorations shown in my previous post.

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Evening guests:  We both felt it was important to not leave the evening guests out. We wanted them to feel included and treated well. We held off the first dance and cake cutting for after they arrived, but also served them a welcome drink, a hog roast, a sweet table and the wedding cake! I think this is a really important thing to do for your evening guests. The hog roast went down a treat. Pulled pork, stuffing, crackling, apple sauce and rolls! Although sadly Jason and I were too busy to have any of the evening food. The caterers we used was run by a man called Stephen Bunting (bunting caterers)- he was the best supplier to work with on a wedding ever!

Tip: Get a few bottles of prosecco or cava to serve to your evening guests as a welcome drink. We got magnum prosecco bottles for £13 each (two bottles of standard sizes). It's important they don't feel left out!

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Serving your food is so important! You want it to be exciting, memorable and in-keeping with your theme. We used wooden crates from bootsales, vintage cake stands and plates, homemade bunting signs, colourful straws and that amazing John Lewis drinks dispenser!  

See you next week for my last  wedding  post! The bridesmaid, groomsmen and  gifts!
Morgan Alice x