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April Update & Northampton Bloggers Meet-up!

april update northampton bloggers meetup

Hello everybody! I haven’t blogged for what feels like weeks and weeks! This week in particular has been horrendous, with Uni kindly giving me three exams in three days! I do still have one left next week, but after a little refreshing nap I decided I need to type up a little post, which is almost two weeks overdue. It has been far too long blogging world!

A wonderful wedding

April was the busiest month yet, starting off with my uncle’s wedding (which was actually the very end of March but we shall roll with this) and it was probably the most anticipated event of the year for our family ^_^ And masha’Allah what an amazing wedding it was! I ended up taking around 400 photos! Practise makes perfect as they say – so here are a few to share with you all. I didn’t want to post anyone’s faces, privacy and all that but I hope you enjoy this small selection!

Wedding Car The Blushing Giraffe Photography The Blushing Giraffe Photography

These were my auntie's sleeve’s – how gorgeous!!

cupcakes  The Blushing Giraffe Photographycake cake cake

The most delicious cupcakes ever! And the wedding cake with a poke in it haha

going insidemy outfittable decorations

The decorations right at the end. Most of the photos were of the family,  but I’m pretty happy with how these little details turned out.

 

Burgers and the best company

At the start of April, my best friend Ana came home from Uni, and we went to try the newish burger place in town^_^ It was pretty cute, with an American diner sort of feel, and Ana told me she had first saw this place on Sammie’s blog!

burgersveggie burgermmmmmmm

The food was really delicious,  though I had to pick the veg option but it was just so nice to take a step back from the business of studying and working and just have a good ol’ catch-up!

 

Northampton Blogger’s Meet-up

Around the end of April I was lucky enough to attend my first ever blogger meet up! It was organised by the lovely Mia and Amber who did an AMAZING JOB, and it was located in Northampton. I don’t actually live there, but I’m in and out of Northamptonshire all the time and as I’ve not heard of any bloggers from my hometown, I figured this would be the closest meetup possible! I was pretty apprehensive about the whole thing, although I love writing comments and replying to people, tweeting etc.; in real life I always worry that I’ll come across as quite anti-social or boring – especially as I wasn’t REALLY familiar with any of the bloggers attending! But honestly it was such a fabulous day out! I meet some lovely girls, who also happen to be very talented bloggers ;D

mocktailactually called a nohijo haha

The day started off with some drinks (mine were of course non-alcoholic as were the lovely Shanaz and Kamarle who are a sister blogging duo – do check out their fantastic blog here!). This was my first experience of a mock tail and in all honesty I thought there would be more of the drink and less of the ice! But a nice refreshing start nonetheless :P

and we were then introduced to a lovely lady called Becky who makes and sells soaps and shower gels in her kitchen! Her company is called Harlequin Cosmetics. I think its really impressive to start up your own business literally from your kitchen, and I admired her business flair!  She also kindly gave us samples of two of the soaps.

homemade soap

There was a raffle held which some amaaaazing prizes, and I was lucky enough to win this Mandara Spa soap and hand cream duo :D I NEVER win ANYTHING so this was super exciting!

I won something woho

And they look perfect in our family bathroom ^_^

pizza express nom nom

After the intro, we went on to Pizza express, and waiting for us was a long table filled with goody bags! It was ever so exciting ^_^ We had all pre-ordered in advanced, and the dough balls were delicious, as was the pizza. We tucked into our huge and generous goodybags after lunch too, and took a sneak peak at some of the things we got. It was so overwhelming to come home and tip them all over the bed! Once again a massive thank you to Mia and Amber!

lots of lovely goodies

H&M

In-between the meal and the next treat…we had an hour to spare, so we all went our separate ways shopping. I went with Shanaz and       to H&M and ended up spending more than I had planned on clothes – but I did restrain myself when it came to Primark so *pats self on the back* not too bad after all ;D Here’s a random snap from the jewellery stand! And on a side note I have been LOVING H&M jewellery recently! So simple, chic and on point with the best prices too! We were laden down with the goodybags, shopping bags, cameras, handbags -  I can imagine we look like a bunch of crazy ladies laughing down the street!

Lush

After a lovely bit of shopping, we were able to move onto one of the best part of the day – our exclusive Lush party! It started at 5:30 when the whole centre had closed, and we were lucky enough to get a tour and talk through about everything to do with lush! I have SOO many photos from this part of the day, and as I haven’t cropped them all and sorted them out, I think I’ll dedicate a whole post to this very soon so keep an eye out for that if you’re interested ^_^

Mia and Amber you both organised a brilliant event! Thank you SO much for all your hard work, it lead to a wonderful day and I’m excited for the next one now :P

Phew! So quite the busy April I had! Our house has finally come together too and it was lovely having all the family over to see it, and I have done quite a bit of hauling over the past 3 weeks too…would anyone like to see a collective beauty haul? I’m really excited to get back into the swing of blogging soon, and catch up on my endless bloglovin list! I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the beautiful May weather – goodluck to those of you fellow students, I feel ya pain ._. hang in there, we can do it!!!

 

Thanks for reading!

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April Update & Northampton Bloggers Meet-up!

april update northampton bloggers meetup

Hello everybody! I haven’t blogged for what feels like weeks and weeks! This week in particular has been horrendous, with Uni kindly giving me three exams in three days! I do still have one left next week, but after a little refreshing nap I decided I need to type up a little post, which is almost two weeks overdue. It has been far too long blogging world!

Spring Picks | Cheeks

the blushing giraffe's spring picks cheeks blushers
Hello! Another post in my little spring picks series, this time focusing on the cheeks! Now you may know that I have a rather large collection of check products (not quite catching up to the wonderful Vanessa, but i’m getting there!) and so I thought I’d share the ones that I’ll be reaching for most during the spring season!

For me spring makeup is all about keeping it fresh, light and as natural as possible. There are not many rules in make, so of course wear whatever shade you like whenever you like! But if you’re on the hunt for a pretty blush that has more of a spring time vibe, keep on reading..

sleek blush by 3 pink lemonade
Sleek Blush-by-3 in Pink Lemonade | £9.99

A rather recent purchase, this little blush palette has completely taken me by surprise. When I first saw the shades I was sure they would be too light for my NC30 skin tone, but I have once again judged a blush by its pan shade and been mistake, tsk. Containing two powder blushers and one cream, Pink Lemonade is your perfect spring time companion. The lightest pink shade is quite shimmery so I do skip the highlight. It is probably my least worn shade from the trio so far, but surprising I have enjoyed popping this onto the cheeks as the warmer months have approached. The silver shimmer could be a bit intense, so a light hand is best.

The darker powder colour is the most stunning cross between a hot pink and a peachy pink, with a little golden shimmer running through it as well, but more subtle than the lighter shade. I also quite like the cream blush, which is just as pigmented as it’s powdered neighbours and transfers onto the skin as a true medium pink. I know my descriptions aren’t fantastic but google is your best friend when it comes to swatches, so go search what I mean ^_^

nars blush in deep throat
NARS Deep Throat | £21.50

My first ever NARS blush, and what a beauty it is! In my humble opinion D.T should have got the fame and love that the famous Orgasm blusher received, because this is the most stunning pink shade I have ever come across. It is a lighter shade of pink, with the tiniest amount of peach mixed in, so looks gorgeous on us olive skinned ladies! Although it does have a slight shimmer running through it, it’s nothing over the top or chunky. In fact it is just enough to give you that glowing and healthy appearance, and for spring time this is a no brainer! Another thing that I love about this, is how it’s pigmentation is spot on. It’s one of those fool proof options which you can pop onto your cheeks, without worrying about being light handed and know it’ll look good, which is ALWAYS a good thing!

rimmel blush in pink rose
Rimmel Pink Rose | £3.99

Another favourite of mine, this was actually one of the first blushers I purchased some 4/5 years ago when the interest in makeup first began! Pink Rose is quite a cool toned pink, which is quite rare in my collection. The reason why I love it so much is actually because of how subtle it is. Yes we all love a good pigmented blush but sometimes those can be tough to work with! That’s why when I’m in a rush and want a nice subtle glow pink rose is the shade I reach for. No highlighter required again. This is probably the sheerest of the bunch with a strong shimmer when swatched with your hand, but on my that shimmer translates as more of a healthy sheen.

illamasqua blush in lover peach matte
Illamasqua blush in Lover | £21.50

Again another shade which I was less that impressed with upon first glace, but it took me by complete surprise when I first tried. If you’re looking for a gorgeous matte peach blusher, lover is the one for you! I love wearing this most when I am having a fairly neutral day in terms of makeup, as it adds a little bit of life but looks so subtle and elegant. It is quite a muted shade. Another plus point is you can highlight to your hearts content, due to this being matte.  A under-rated beauty in my eyes! Oh and just in case you didn’t know, Illamasqua blushers are the softest around - j’adore!

illamasqua blush in lover peach matte and rimmel blush in coral
rimmel coral powder blush 111
Rimmel Coral Powder Blush (111) | £1.50 (Fragrance Direct)

I picked this up from Fragrance direct for a few pounds, its not currently in stock but keep an eye out! I wasn’t expecting much but wanted to try a different shade of blush. Side by side I thought this could be a dupe for lover, but actually this has a warmer undertone, and hints of pink with and slight shimmer within it. Not disco-ball shimmer but very flattering tiny specks that can barely be detected once on the skin. I wear this as more of a bronzer and blusher in one, as it does have that orange/warmth of a tone. I think this would look stunning on skin tones lighter than mine, and also darker, however it can like a little muddy when applied with a heavy hand (though when I swatch it, it looks so much prettier on my hand :c ) I still really like the shade, and will try it with a stippling brush in the future, but wanted to recommend this for anyone looking for a peachy/warmer brush with a decent price ^_^

illamasqua blush in tremble
Illamasqua blush in Tremble | £21.50

A cool toned baby doll pink, which makes the most refreshing change from my usual coral or darker pink tones. I love how this shade really freshens up the makeup look, with its cooler tones surprisingly flattering my skintone (as long as I haven’t bronzed too much). Tremble is beautiful, and my perfect spring time shade. It has it all - great pigmentation, a matte finish, and a fresh look. I can highlight as much as I want, but still have pretty pink cheeks and with this shade I favour a cooler, silver toned highlight too, rather than my typical champagne tone. Although this looks scary in the pan, it looks quite the contrary on the cheeks. I have to say, if this post has taught me one thing, it is that I have judged far too many blushers by how they appear in the pan, and been shocked by how beautiful they look on the skin!

sleek illamasqua rimmel nars

And that is all! Quite a long list right there, and I will be posting swatches on the face, on my instagram  so if you’re interested in how any of these look head on over to there! I hope you enjoyed reading about the shades that are in my blush drawer - what ones will you be using this season? ^_^

Thanks for reading!
 
Follow via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook
 

Spring Picks | Cheeks

the blushing giraffe's spring picks cheeks blushers
Hello! Another post in my little spring picks series, this time focusing on the cheeks! Now you may know that I have a rather large collection of check products (not quite catching up to the wonderful Vanessa, but i’m getting there!) and so I thought I’d share the ones that I’ll be reaching for most during the spring season!

For me spring makeup is all about keeping it fresh, light and as natural as possible. There are not many rules in make, so of course wear whatever shade you like whenever you like! But if you’re on the hunt for a pretty blush that has more of a spring time vibe, keep on reading..

New Nail Polish Storage!

nail polish storage
Hey ladies!
I have had a very busy week, and probably won’t have much time over the next few weeks to post :( however I will do what I can when I have a spare moment, and today I was excited to show you my new nail polish storage!
IMG_1055
If you follow me on instagram or have liked my page on facebook, you will know that I adore me some acrylic storage! I have been asked to do a makeup collection post, and that could be coming your way towards the end of May/June but for now meet my latest piece :)

This was bought from e-bay, for under a tenner and from a UK seller surprisingly! The reason why I was tempted to pick this up was because in the last two months my nail polish collection has grown drastically due to taking advantages of the Fragrance Direct Ciate gift set sales!

IMG_1057
As you can see there are LOADS of reds, pretty much every shade you can imagine, as well as lots of other pretty ones. I thought they would look so pretty on display, and you can fit two into one slot :) Unfortunately ALL my nail polishes don’t fit on here, I could have done with an extra rack or two, but it just means I have to rotate them every now and again.

You could easily fit Essie bottles and I will check later if O.P.I bottles fit too. I love how pretty my growing Barry M collection looks on the top row! The link to buy this is here and it costs £7.49 with free delivery :) I love how you can clearly see all the shades clearly and how organised it looks next to my Muji storage too.
I hope you’re all well, and hanging in there if you’re going through the wonderful things that are exams ._.
Until next time…Thank-You for reading!


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New Nail Polish Storage!

nail polish storage
Hey ladies!