TINY TEA TEATOX.

I have promised myself that when I come back from my holiday, I'm going to start healthy eating and I'm also quite keen to start running aswell. I've been too many sweet and sugary things recently and even Costa and Starbucks coffees every day are not really helping! 

I've been following the Your Tea account on Instagram (@yourtea) for quite a while and I've recently decided that I want to give one of their teatoxes a go! Some of the before and after pictures that people are posting are incredible and it seems like such an easy way to increase your health too. 

After much deliberating, I've decided that I want to try the Tiny Tea teatox which is for weightloss and is a 28-day course. It costs £31.00 which is pretty pricey for some tea-bags (there are some discount codes that you can use!) but I'm happy to pay this if it really works! 

The Tiny Tea tea-bags are formulated with Chinese medicine herbs and are based on traditional Chinese medicinal properties. These tea-bags have an intricately balanced herbal blend to nourish and cleanse your digestive system, providing it with the support that it needs to replenish and restore it back to its natural state. This cleanse will assist with reducing weight, easing bloating, increasing digestion functionality, improving skin clarity, increasing energy levels and will help to alleviate issues associated with food intolerances. 

I absolutely love the really cute & natural packaging, and being a total girly-girl, I love the touches of bright pink! The branding of these products are just so sweet and it's one of the main reasons that I've decided to go with Your Tea, aswell as for all the healthy tips and hints that they provide you with on their website. There is also a book called 'The TinyTea Health Guide' which is available to order online for £3.00. 

Tiny Tea will nourish your blood and digestive system so that it is able to transport toxins and waste out of your body more efficiently. It will help to reduce bloating and clearing stagnant food. As your digestive system is nourished, you should notice an increase in energy as your body will be able to absorb nutrients more effectively. Further more, your digestive system makes blood and blood gives us energy. The herbs will also assist in clearing up skin blemishes, reducing sugar cravings and heightening your mood. 

It's really important to keep up eating healthily and also to do some regular exercise for this to work effectively and Your Tea have lots of eating plans and helpful suggestions on their website www.yourtea.com to get you started! 

Tiny Tea has been designed to drink 3 times a day, 30 minutes before or after meals. It's also okay to add a little squeeze of lemon or some honey if you don't like the taste! 

Have any of you used Tiny Tea before? I can't wait to get started and I hope I can see some changes! 

With love, 

Karen 

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REAL TECHNIQUES MAKEUP BRUSHES.

I am a big believer in that if you have the right makeup brushes and they are good quality, then it doesn't matter what sort of makeup you are using, it will always look good! I'd read alot of great reviews on beauty and makeup blogs about the Real Techniques makeup brushes and I've really been needing a new set of brushes for a little while. So, I was delighted to see that they were part of the airport duty-free shopping onboard our plane! 

While sitting enjoying a Starbucks coffee and a chocolate brownie on the plane, I decided to purchase the Real Techniques makeup brushes Core Collection which was £17.99 (normal retail price is £21.99!). 

Real Techniques brushes were created by two sisters, Sam and Nic Chapman, who are makeup artists, beauty bloggers and also have their own video makeup tutorials. They created these makeup brushes to bring women high-end tools that deliver high definition results. 

The Real Techniques brushes combine high-tech materials with innovative designs to create a pixel-perfect look which is now easier than ever. The bristles are made from a synthetic fibre, making them ultra plush, smoother and cruelty-free. 

The colour-coded system corresponds to the key steps of makeup application so that you can create a flawless base, enhanced eyes and the perfect finish. Each brush is hand-cut to the perfect shape, allowing for precise application from dense coverage to a soft & delicate finish. 

The collection is suitable for a wide range of products and for every makeup need from powders, creams and liquids to mineral makeup, highlighter and shimmer. I also like how the brushes have names on the handles which makes it really quick and easy to pick the right one! 

There is a huge range of makeup brushes on the Real Techniques website such as:

• Modern Natural makeup kit

• Night Owl makeup kit 

• Powder brush 

• Duo-Fibre collection 

• Foundation brush 

• Core collection 

• Starter set 

• Travel essentials 

I bought the Core Collection makeup brush set which is for creating a flawless base and it contains four brushes. I also really like how you can use the packaging as both a makeup bag and a stand! 

The four brushes are: 

• Detailer brush: precision-cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas or use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition 

• Pointed Foundation brush: use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage 

• Buffing brush: ideal for full-coverage application of powder and mineral foundation 

• Contour brush: delicately applies highlighter to contour or create a sheer, soft-focus finish 

I absolutely love these brushes and they are definately the best makeup brushes that I've ever used! I find them really easy to use to apply my makeup and they are a great quality. 

I wear a liquid foundation (L'Oreal True Match in Ivory) and the foundation brush is perfect for applying this with. It just glides over my skin, leaves a lovely flawless finish on your skin and stops any excess oil getting onto my face from my fingers! I then apply bronzer over my forehead, nose and a little on my chin & cheeks with the buffing brush and it gives such an even coverage. I use the Bobbi Brown Matte bronzing powder and it doesn't get stuck to the bristles of these brushes. I then finish off by using the contour brush to add a little bit of highlighter (my favourite at the moment is Benefit's High Beam!) and its lovely and delicate for just applying a small amount and helps to blend it in so easily. I just use the definition brush if I'm applying concealer and it's perfect for helping you to smooth out any problem areas! 

I can't recommend these brushes enough and it's definately worth paying that little bit extra for them! Next on my wishlist is their eye makeup brushes and I can't wait to try them out! 

Have you tried any of the Real Techniques makeup brushes? 

With love, 

Karen 

x

LAGOS MARKET AND HOLIDAY PURCHASES.

My boyfriend and I visited a lovely little market in Lagos and I had promised to do a blogpost about some of my purchases there! I was totally in heaven at the market as there was endless stalls all filled with pretty jewellery pieces, handbags, purses and scarves. 

I found it really difficult to choose what pieces of jewellery to pick! There were so many beautiful colours, textures and styles and all of the jewellery was so cheap too! Everything was on 2 for €5 and lots of the pieces looked very similar to Topshop and Accessorize ones that you would pay a lot more for back in the UK! 

The market also had some gorgeous handbags and I know that it's a bit frowned upon to buy fake designer handbags, but I really couldn't resist buying this camel-coloured Michael Kors bag for €25. It is such a lovely colour and will go nicely with dark jeans, chunky knit jumpers and is the perfect size for popping my iPad and notebooks in for starting uni! I also really love the gold accents on it too and until I can afford a real Michael Kors one, then this is the perfect alternative. 

I also picked up this lovely dusky pink fake Chanel purse with little gold bits on it aswell. I adore Chanel handbags and purses and I really hope that one day I will be able to afford to buy a real one! This purse is perfect for keeping my cards in (I have way too many cards for all different stores and coffee shops!) and this is ideal for sorting them out into. 

It took me ages to decide on a necklace but I eventually opted for this pink and gold chunky statement necklace. I also picked up a couple of lovely bracelets in baby pink and bright turquoise. 

I'm really sad to be going home today as me and my boyfriend have had such a perfect holiday together and I really don't want to leave Portugal and go home to rainy Glasgow. 

I'm writing this post just as we're waiting on our plane to take off! Getting through the airport today was a little bit stressful as we had to get through three sets of security and there was really big queues so sadly I didn't really have any time to do some airport shopping in Faro. 

I picked up a Costa caramel latte and had a very quick little look in Accessorize where I came away with this gorgeous elephant necklace. It was €13 (it's sold for £10 in Accessorize back home) and I just thought it was so cute. The elephant has little studded crystals and it comes in gold and silver (I chose the silver one!). I also really like how it's quite a dangly necklace and it will look really nice to dress up a plain top! 

(not my photo). 

I hope you've all enjoyed reading about my holiday in Portugal and when I get back to the UK, I plan on getting started with some autumn inspiration posts! 

With love, 

Karen 

x

PRETTY LITTLE ANKLETS.

I decided to a do a little blogpost about anklets while lying next to the pool and sunbathing. I think they're so pretty and go beautifully with bikinis, jeans and even some dresses! 

I particularly love the thin little silver anklets with infinity symbols and cute elephants. This is just a quick little blogpost to show you some of my Tumblr inspirations of anklets: 

What are your favourites? 

With love, 

Karen 

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LUXURY DINNER, BUBBLE BATH, ROSÉ AND CANDLES.

To celebrate one of our last nights on holiday, my boyfriend and I decided to go for dinner at the hotel's fancy a la carte restaurant called Browns. I'm so glad that we decided to give this one a try, as every other night we ate in the hotel's main buffet restaurant. 

Before dinner, I decided to have a lovely bath with lots of bubbles, French vanilla candles and a glass of rosé wine. It was the perfect way to chill out and totally relax before dinner! 

Here's a few little Tumblr images of luxury bath ideas that I would definately love to try out! 

We had an absolutely delicious dinner! Browns restaurant is beautifully furnished inside with lots of dark wood, candles and wine bottles in glass cabinets. My boyfriend and I sat outside on the terrace to have our dinner and watch the sunset which was lovely. When it got darker aswell, we had little lamps on our tables.

For dinner, I had a lovely tomato and cream soup followed by tortellini pasta with spinach and a creamy saffron sauce which was so yummy but I definately couldn't manage to finish it! Afterwards, I had a delicious and very naughty chocolate pudding. 

We had such a lovely and special dinner and if you're ever staying at the Yellow Lagos Hotel, then I'd totally recommend going to the Browns restaurant. 

After dinner, our Thomson's holiday rep suggested that we went to the beach at night to watch the shooting stars. It was so nice walking along the cool sand and watching the moon glisten over the waves. The images below aren't my photos as sadly my pictures were all too dark!

Have you ever been to the beach at night time? What did you think? 

With love, 

Karen 

x

HAIR CHALK IT UP.

I have never tried hair chalk before, but I have had my hair dip dyed a light baby pink which looked really nice again my blonde, although the colour faded quite quickly. The idea of hair chalk really appeals to me as you can use different colours to experiment with looks and then you can easily wash them out! 

I personally think that the pastel colours look nice on most hair colours and especially blonde hair. Baby pinks, blues, turquoise and lilacs are the most common colours that people are chalking their hair and it's a great way to experiment with bold and unique styles without actually having to dye your hair! You can create lovely cotton candy pink shades or luscious lilacs without having to bleach & strip your hair just by colouring it in with some chalk! 

Here's a few little tips for using hair chalk: 

• If you have blonde hair, DON't add any water to the chalk as it will cause the pigment to create a real dye. 

• Twist your hair as you chalk it as the texture will make the hair chalk release more pigment. 

• Always brush the excess powder out after chalking each piece. 

• If you have darker hair than blonde, you will need to use water to create a pigment (but don't worry, it won't dye your hair!) 

• Make sure only to use specially formulated hair chalks and not oil pastels etc

• The chalk will get on your clothes during the day and make sure you wear a dressing gown or old t-shirt when you're applying it. 

• Brush your hair before you wash it and make sure to use a good conditioner to replace any lost moisture. 

Here's a few Tumblr images to give you some inspiration: 

Have you ever tried hair chalks and what did you think of them? 

With love, 

Karen 

x

LAUREN CONRAD BOOKS - LA CANDY SERIES.

I downloaded the Lauren Conrad 'LA Candy' series of books onto my iPad before I left to come on holiday and I have been reading them throughout the week. I first discovered them on We Heart It as they were featured in lots of fashion & beauty bloggers photos and posts, so I decided to buy them to see what all the fuss was about. I'm so glad that I did as they are brilliant and I just can't put them down! 

There are three books in the series and they also cost approximately £3.99 each to download onto my iBooks library (they might be slightly pricier to buy in paper form but try Amazon!). The book covers have a lovely chic and girly design and are all sweet themed, such as with lovehearts and lollipops. 

Instead of me trying to explain what the books are about, (and possibly giving away the plots by mistake!), I thought I'd just post the synopsis on the back of the books for you. 

Book 1 - L.A. Candy. 

Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer...everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in LA for an internship but Jane plans to play as hard as she works and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun. When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, 'a reality version of Sex and the City', they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes please! Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara - free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres - and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her ecletic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight. In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her and nothing is what it seems to be. 

Book 2 - Sweet Little Lies.

Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own reality show, LA Candy. Now the girls have an all-access pass to Hollywood's hottest everything. But there's more to life on camera than just parties and shopping... When racy photos of Jane are leaked to the press, she finds herself at the centre of a tabloid scandal. She turns to her co-star Madison Parker for help, unaware that Madison is scheming behind the scenes. She might be Jane's shoulder to cry on, but does Madison really have Jane's back? Scarlett's working on a scandal of her own. She's fallen for someone who's strictly off-limits - which means Scarlett has a big secret to keep..from the LA Candy cameras, the paparazzi stalking her apartment, even from her best friend. Of course, nothing stays secret for long for the stars of the newest hit TV series and all of this drama couldn't be better for ratings. But can Jane survive another season in the spotlight? 

Book 3 - Sugar and Spice. 

Fresh from being betrayed by one of her closest friends, new reality-television celebrity Jane Roberts has learned a few lessons. Most important: know who to trust. And in Hollywood, that list is short. Although the press is intent on creating a tabloid war between her and ex-friend/co-star Madison Parker, Jane just wants to take control of her life. She's started by swearing off guys and the drama that comes with them. But when her high school sweetheart Caleb and her unrequited LA crush Braden show up, both acting sweeter than ever, Jane has a hard time remembering her no-boys rule... Her best friend, Scarlett, has only one guy on her mind: her new boyfriend, Liam. The girl who once thought love was a four-letter word is now head over heels. The problem is, being on a hit reality show means hanging out with other guys on-camera and Liam isn't too happy with pretending to play a bit part in her love life. Just when everything feels out of control, Jane makes a shocking discovery - one that changes everyone's definition of 'reality' forever. 

Here is some pretty Tumblr inspiration: 

I am hoping to purchase her newer series of books soon! (in the photo below). 

I really recommend these books and just couldn't put them down! Have any of you read them? 

With love, 

Karen 

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