Smoothie Bowl | Dessert for Breakfast

I am the worst person for eating breakfast. My stomach just doesn't function that early in the morning. My day generally starts off with a multivitamin and a cup of coffee which keeps me going until about 10:30 or 11. Then I'll have a banana or some corn cakes and peanut butter to take me through til lunch.

It's not a great way to start the day - I know! It's something I'm working on. My research and mild fascination with the vegan lifestyle led me to discover the beauty that is the smoothie bowl. I didn't lie when I said it's like dessert for breakfast. Smoothie bowls taste just like sorbet - packed full of fruit and topped with whatever your heart desires. 

Along with being all kinds of delicious, they kick start your metobolism. Your body has to work quickly, burning excess calories because the cold smoothie is a shock to the system first thing in the morning. Those of you familiar with slimming world will know what I'm taking about when I say that smoothie bowls are known for their "speed" properties.

I've been sharing my smoothie bowl ventures on instagram over the past few days and I'm getting loads of questions about them so I thought I would give you a run down of the basic smoothie bowl recipe I use - the flavour combinations are endless. You can add extra banana if you want your smoothie bowl to be creamier. Don't be put off that it isn't as liquidy as a normal smoothie. It isn't supposed to be, it's designed to be eaten with a spoon. 

Paese | Colours of Summer

Days like today call for bright nails - Am I right? I thought I'd share some of my favourite summer brights from Paese considering the glorious summers day that's in it. I wore them to death on my toes last summer and they are getting even more use at the moment. 
I absolutely adore the consistency of these polishes - It's quite thick without being at all gloopy making them extremely easy to work with. I've had these polishes for close a year now and they are like new each time I apply them.
The colours in the collection are all really opaque so you could get away with a single coat but I always like to apply a second one for good measure.
The lasting power isn't bad, on their own I get between 2-3 days chip free which is all I need really because I like to change up my colour every couple of days. I do however apply a quick layer of Seche Vite over them to speed up drying time because I'm really impatient this also helps keep them chip free for 7 plus days. 
They hold their shine really well too as you can see from the swatches below you get a gel like shine without the need to apply any additional top coat.

ShadesL-R: Turquoise - 348, Orange - 344, Pink - 347

They are priced at a very reasonable €4.95 a piece and available from Cloud10Beauty here.

Insta-Update

Instagram is where it's at. I'm absolutely insta-obsessed and it's the social media site that I am undoubtedly most active on. So I've decided to add a new segment to the blog, a sort of monthly round up/lifestyle post. So you can get to know a little bit more about the girl behind the blog. 

Why not kick start this with a round up of the month of May shall we? 

I've become a bit of a high-end fiend again of late.. So in May I said goodbye to all of my money and hello to loads of new spendy bits that I've been trying out. My latest additions being the Smashbox step by step contour kit AND contour sticks (Expect chiseled cheekbones and a spending ban in the June catch-up - Just an FYI). 

May has also seen the return of my beloved fake tan - I'm totally besotted with the Karora express bronzing mousse in Medium/Dark. I get endless compliments when I wear it, I've even been using it to tan my face which is so unlike me.

I started watching Gossip Girl this month too, I've been binge watching it on Netflix and I'm over half way through season 4. Blair and Chuck are officially my OTP and I have my heart set on New York more than ever before. One of my besties celebrated her birthday this month and threw the most incredible Champagne fuelled brunch and I honestly did think I was Blair Waldorf for all of 5 minutes - Nothing starts the day quite like Mimosas!

And lastly, I've started taking Viviscal in a bid to speed up my hair growth and help improve my hairs health. Is this something anyone is interested in reading in? Should do a review/update post on my progress? 

Come say 'Hi' and stay up to date on instagram @give_a_posy

Charlotte Tilbury | The Dolce Vita

I have lusted over this palette for months.. I mean months and months. Regularly going onto the Brown Thomas website, adding it to my basket but inevitably closing down the tab without clicking on the 'checkout' button telling myself "Not today, you don't need it!" (I know I'm not the only person who does this - don't lie!)

Recently, having saved a few penny's, I bit the bullet and placed a well deserved order - also picking up the Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum foundation but we'll discuss that another day.

On it's arrival, I spent the majority of the day just staring at it, taking photo's of it in all it's unswatched glory. I didn't want to touch it, it was too beautiful.

I mean just look at it. Is it not the epitome of luxury? 

When I finally did swatch it, I fell in love. These shadows are like nothing I have every experienced before. Incredibly buttery, they blend like a dream. They are beautifully pigmented, even down to the champagne "prime" shade. With all of the shades are slightly shimmery the fall out is surprising minimal and whats'more the little bit of fall out you do get is not from the incredible molten gold "pop" shade. 

There is no denying that at €50 it is on the pricier end of the spectrum for an eyeshadow quad but It was worth every cent. I'll definitely be picking up another quad in the future. What I will say is that if you are going to invest in a palette like that, don't go for something experimental. Stick to colours you know and ones you'll get use of.  It would make a wonderful gift, or a present to yourself of course!

Charlotte you and I are going to be great friends. 

The White Nail

 In case you haven't guessed it by now, a glossy white nail one of my all time favourites. It looks so chic and is easier to pull off than you'd think - even for us pale girls! It's hard to find a good one though as they can be quite sheer, meaning you have to apply several layers to get even close to the desired look. 

Don't get too disheartened though.. "White Hot Love" from Rimmel's  60 second super shine collection is the shiniest and most opaque white polish I have ever come across. Two thin coats of this polish and you are good to go, no top coat required! (I'm not wearing any in these photos and look at the gorgeous glossy finish).
As for longevity, I get a good 3-4 days chip free without the use of any top coat. With my beloved seche-vite, I get a weeks wear easily.

My dotted accent nail is made up of three shades from the Rimmel London x Rita Ora 60 second super shine collection using a dotter from Penneys.
Taupe - 'Rain Rain go away'
Peach - 'Peachella'
Red - 'Glaston Berry'

Priced at a mere €4.49 a piece I think it's safe to say I'll have the entire collection before long!

Venturing into the world of Nail Art | A Journey

  If you've been following the blog for a while you'll know that there is nothing I love more than a fresh manicure. I've been getting my nails done religiously for almost three years now and I've blogged about my experiences with gel polishes and brisa lite in the past. I was never any good at painting my own nails (my early instagram snaps are all the proof you need) so I just gave up trying, until recently that is. Wet polishes have really upped their game and I've always wanted to try my hand at nail art so that's exactly what I've been doing.. 

I've invested in dozens of polishes and tools and I'm excited to play with them and share my thoughts with you. 

I'm a complete amateur but my daisies are coming along nicely if I may say so myself. Over the next few weeks I'll be documenting my journey and reviewing different brands and polishes etc. 

So stay tuned! Stripes I'm coming for you next..

MaxFactor Creme Puff Blush | Review

 

Left to Right: 10 Nude Mauve, 30 Gorgeous Berries, 25 Alluring Rose

MaxFactor is not a brand that is widely talked about in the blogosphere - until recently that is. The brand blew up with the Creme Puff Blush Launch and rightly so. They are luminous, lightweight baked blushes, finely milled and buttery to the touch. They have been compared time and time again to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush range - I own one of these, mood exposure and it is beautiful if not a little bit expensive for what it is. I could sit here and do the same but in all honesty I don't think it would be fair to Hourglass. If I had my time over again, I'd skip the Hourglass blush and pick up the entire MaxFactor range instead.
They are complexion enhancing highlight-blush hybrids, adding a pop of colour and the most beautiful luminous glow to the cheeks. They are packed full of pigment (gorgeous berries especially) and blend like an absolute dream. 

Left to Right: 10 Nude Mauve, 30 Gorgeous Berries, 25 Alluring Rose

10 Nude Mauve - Of the three shades I currently own, this is my favourite. It's a gorgeous neutral slightly peachy shade. I know for a fact it's going to be my go-to shade for the summer as it won't take away from from a bright lip. It just adds a slight wash of colour to the cheeks and an almost air-brushed highlight - I looooove it!!

30 Gorgeous Berries - This is the deepest shade in the collection and best suited in my opinion for the autumn/winter months paired with an dark lip and a neutral eye. It is beautiful but uber pigmented so be careful not to over do it.

25 Alluring Rose - Another gorgeous summer shade, a peachy bronze that will add warmth to the complexion, I would go so far as to say you could use it as a contour colour for a sun-kissed glow!

It isn't often I that I find myself wanting to own all of the shades available in a collection. In fact it never happens, but there is a first time for everything.. At €11.49 a piece, the other 3 shades will be mine!