Percy & Reed Hair Royal Highness - £24*

I just couldn't resist adding a bit of Jubilee-ness to the blog, sorry! I'm actually quite into the whole Jubilee thing.. I've painted my nails with little Union Jacks and I'm spending Sunday watching the parade on a rooftop by the Thames. 

I've enjoyed seeing all the different brands jump on the bandwagon and release limited edition products and this Percy & Reed set is one of my favourites. I always love Percy & Reed's cute illustrated packaging and it looks even cuter on their mini products! The 'Hair Royal Highness' collection has all the hair products you could possibly need to make yourself look and feel like a princess. 

Included in the set is a travel sized Shampoo, Conditioner, Oil, Mousse, Dry Conditioner and Hairspray. This is perfect for travelling and so the timing couldn't be better as so many people (including myself) are taking advantage of the 4 day weekend! 

I'm particularly interested in the Dry Conditioner.... I'll let you know how i get on with it! 

What do you think of this set? Have you got in the Jubilee spirit?

Lily xx

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Drum roll please...... I've done a makeup routine video. This is pretty scary stuff, but after many attempts I've listened to your requests and finally done it. I really hope you enjoy it!

Lily xx

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Origins 'Never a Dull Moment' - £24.00*

More Origins... can you guess what my favourite skincare brand is at the moment? I really wanted to try an exfoliator and hadn't really heard much about the 'Never a Dull Moment' so I was intrigued. It comes in an orange tube and the product itself is orange too... I'm not sure how I feel about orange, but I still went ahead and gave it a go! 

As this exfoliator has bits in it, I was expecting it to be gritty and quite harsh, but it's in fact a lot more gel like than I thought. It smoothes over the skin very easily and doesn't really feel like an exfoliator at all. You can hardly feel the bits in it, so I was a bit sceptical whether it would work. Origins say "Nature's potent enzyme from crushed Papaya, helps to dissolve lacklustre cells and gobbles them up with no irritating friction". It really does work! Once i washed off the orange goo from my face, my skin was left incredibly soft and smooth. Like most Origins products, it smells gorgeous too. 

Have you tried this exfoliator? Do you prefer harsh exfoliators or more gentle exfoliators? 

Lily xx

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My last 'haul' video went down quite well, so I thought I'd do another one! The weather has changed and it's made me want to hide away my jumpers and buy some Summer clothes. Here's just a few bits and bobs that I've purchased over the past few weeks... Enjoy! 

Please click on the arrows (top right) for 'more info' and to subscribe! Thanks. 

Lily xx

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Patriotic nail  |  Sunday outfit  |  Summer shoes

Essentials  |  Splash of Grenadine  |  Park for lunch

Saturday's face  |  Hibiscus water  |  Clashing blues

Saturday lunch  |  Interesting drink name  |  Sunbathing in the garden

Bunny print skirt  |  Forever 21 press day  |  Paul & Joe press event

Rich looking cool  |  Outfit  |  Forever 21 press day

Fish tacos  |  After work shopping  |  Bath time

Pork burrito  |  Sandals  |  Denim shirt outfit

Follow me on Instagram: @lilypebbles

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Top: Romwe*

Disco Pants: American Apparel

Shoes: Topshop

Nails: Nails INC 'Notting Hill Gate'*

Lips: Kate Moss for Rimmel in '02'

I finally plucked up the courage to wear my disco pants with my top tucked in. I wore this outfit on Saturday night with my Zara jacket and my Topshop ambush boots. You can see the full outfit at the bottom of this post. I absolutely love this top, it's really comfy and so 80s! 

The sun has finally made an appearance and the panic has set in. So I am starting to use a gradual tan in preparation for the Summer. I am using Garnier on my body and am hoping to pick up a Clarins tanner for my face. I am beginning to look a bit translucent! What gradual tanning products do you recommend? 

Lily xx

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Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation in B10 Beige*

20 years after the launch of the famous Touche Éclat highlighting concealer, YSL have created the Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation. It's probably one of the most exciting launches of 2012 and I know it's going to be talked about A LOT. The Touche Éclat is pretty much a cult product although I'm actually not a fan (shock, horror!). I've always found it too sheer and I don't love the scent. So I was really interested to try the foundation and I was sent a couple of samples to try. 

Lets start with the main points on this foundation. It's going to be launched on 28th June exclusively to Selfridges and Brown Thomas and then nationwide from 9th July. It's £28 and is available in 22 shades which are split into three groups; rose, beige and gold. 

The most exciting thing about this foundation is that for the first time YSL are using a soft focus gel in the foundation rather than an opaque powder. Opaque powders are often used in foundations, but tend to mask the skin and cause discolouration, especially on darker skin tones. The gel is supposed to form a translucent film on the skin to smooth out any imperfections without masking the skin.  The aim was to create a foundation that had the same brightening and illuminating qualities of the Touche Éclat. 

I used the shade B10 (the lightest from the beige group), which was slightly too light for me but still works once it's blended in. It's a different texture to any of my other foundations, but I really like it. I tried applying it with my hands and with a brush and preferred using a brush. I found that it really sunk into my skin as soon as I applied it, so I had to use more product than I usually do. It appears to be quite sheer but once it's applied all over it gives a flawless finish. It's extremely light-weight and feels lovely on the skin. I was very happy to notice that it has a much nicer scent than the Touche Éclat too. It definitely gave a luminous effect to the skin and really brightened up my whole complexion. 

From what I've seen in photos the bottle is very elegant with a gold lid. They've also created a £26 foundation brush specifically to use with this foundation. 

It normally takes a few weeks for me to decide if I love a foundation or not but I wanted to tell you my initial thoughts. So far I really like it!

Are you excited for the launch of this foundation? Are you a fan of the Touche Éclat? 

Lily xx

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I love watching these kind of videos because I'm so nosey, so I thought I'd film one myself. It didn't come out exactly how I wanted it to but I thought I'd put it up anyway because I didn't have time to re-film it and I thought you'd all want to see it. 

So here you go... welcome to my bathroom! 

Lily xx

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Origins 'A Perfect World' moisturiser*, Origins BB cream*, Caudalie Beauty Elixer, 

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide cream blush in Nectar, Make Up Forever Smoky Lash mascara, Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, Carmex moisture plus*

I woke up on Sunday morning thinking I was going to die and I'm sure most of you have been there before. It was my best friend's birthday, I had an amazing night but the day after was extremely painful. Usually in this case I would just sleep until I am forced to get out of bed, but in this case I'd made plans to meet some friends for breakfast at 11am! This is where the hangover makeup routine comes in...

When you're hungover you're very dehydrated (hence why drinking water at the end of the night helps with the hangover) and the same applies to your skin. What I need from my makeup routine in this situation is something very quick and easy. I start by spraying on a little of the Caudalie Beauty Elixer as it helps to wake me up and refresh my skin. I then use the thickest moisturiser I own, the Origins 'A Perfect World'. This really helps to put the moisture back into my skin; I literally layer it on. I personally avoid any foundation as I haven't got the energy to use a brush to buff it in and also my skin is never in the right condition to be pilling on heavy makeup. The Origins BB cream is perfect as it's super moisturising and easy to apply with your hands. It gives a nice amount of coverage and leaves my skin looking healthy and glowing. I use a little bit of the Collection concealer, using the easy applicator to apply it under my eyes, around my nose and on my chin. I usually need a bit of colour (to hide the green) and always opt for a cream blusher. The Elizabeth Arden one is really nice, easy to blend with your fingers and contains vitamins A,C and E. I don't get busy with eye shadow or eye liner, I just simply apply a nice mascara like the Make Up Forever Smoky Lash. My lips are usually quite dry so a lip balm is a must! The Carmex moisture plus is really nice as it also has a little bit of a natural pink tint. 

So that's it... my hangover makeup routine. I'd love to say this routine hides my hangover, but I think sitting at breakfast with my head in my hands gave it away! 

Lily xx

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Top: Romwe*

Leggings: American Apparel

Shoes: Monki

Rings: Forever 21* and Topshop
Nails: Essie Tarte Deco
Lips: MAC 'Syrup'

I have been loving my disco pants recently but sometimes I find them a bit too thick and they get a bit uncomfortable when you're sitting at a desk for 10 hours. I bought these leggings and they are perfect. I also really love this top from Romwe, the galaxy print is really nice and not something I've seen on the UK high street. 

I'm getting a bit frustrated at the moment; I really want to put more time into this blog but I just don't have it. Working full time and getting home at 7.30 (earliest) every night makes it all a bit overwhelming. I am having some time off in June and taking a short trip to Berlin, so hopefully then I can catch up on everything and have some time to create some interesting posts for you all to read. Sorry for all the product reviews, I hope they're not boring! 

Hope you had a great weekend! See what I got up to last week here. 

Lily xx

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Muji pens for my desk  |  Salmon and noodles  |  NOTD

Outfit |  Organised desk essentials  |  Elderflower cordial

New Jo Malone Blackberry & Bat fragrance  |  Jo Malone picnic baskets  |  Watching Fleur

Watching Lisa Eldridge  |  Outfit  |  Whoopsie! 

Sunny walk home  |  LOOK what I'm wearing  |  New shower oil to try

Tarte Deco  |  My hand every day  |  3 for 2 at Superdrug

More shopping  |  Monki's free magazine  |  Chloe Green shoes in Topshop

Testing the new Touche Éclat foundation  |  So disappointed with this  |  Nude lip choices

Saturday night  |  Debs' outfit  |  My outfit

Follow me on Instagram: @lilypebbles

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Origins 'A Perfect World' body cream* £27 & Origins 'Ginger Souffle' whipped body cream £22

I bought my first Origins body cream last Christmas in Miami and went straight for the Ginger Souffle after hearing Tanya rave about it. If you don't like ginger don't be put off by the name, I don't think it really smells like ginger. It's just a really lovely, fresh scent. I was also recently given the 'A Perfect World' body cream and the scent is very similar to the mask I went crazy over in this video. It's not exactly the same though, the body creme is slightly sweeter. 

The 200ml tubs are massive and will literally last ages! I don't moisturise after every shower purely because of lack of time, but if I could I would. They leave my skin feeling so incredibly soft and moisturised. 

Are you a body moisturiser kinda person? Have you tried any from Origins? 

Lily xx

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Diego dalla Palma 'Snow White and the Huntsman' palette - £25*

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Universal Films, Diego dalla Palma has created this palette inspired by 'Snow White and the Huntsman'. Diego dalla Palma has recently been launched in some of the Tesco branches and this palette will be available there. 

In the palette is 3 shimmer eyeshadows (Snow, Shield and Mirror Mirror) and three matte eyeshadows (Fairest, Destiny and Battleground). The shadows are very pigmented and buttery and I was definitely impressed with the quality. Inside the palette you also get the perfect bright red lipstick in 'The Wicked Queen' as well as the blackest of black eyeliners in 'Dark Night'. 

I think it's a nice palette as it has a really good selection of eyeshadows, a red lipstick for those who dare and a black eyeliner... who doesn't like to use a black eyeliner?! The price is ok, maybe a little expensive, but saying that the shadows are really good quality. 

The only negative I have with this is that the palette itself is quite bulky. I find big square palettes like this hard to store and once I've taken out the liner and lipstick, I find it far too big for the small shadows inside. I think it would make a great present though! 

What do you think of this palette? Have you tried anything from Diego dalla Palma for Tesco? 

Lily xx

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Jo Malone 'Oud & Bergamot' Cologne Intense*

You all know me by now and you know I'm not a 'department store perfume' kinda girl. Nothing against them and I do have some that I like, but I usually opt for the fresh ingredient perfumes like Diptyque, Fresh and The Organic Pharmacy. Like Mother like daughter... literally, we wear the same perfumes! 

Jo Malone has always been on my list of favourites and although I've never got round to buying my own scent (because it was too hard to choose one) I have always knicked a spritz from my Mum's collection. She has Wild Fig & Cassis, White Jasmine & Mint and Amber & Lavender. I recently went to the new Jo Malone section in John Lewis Oxford Street and after spending hours with the lovely ladies working there, was given a very cute sample of the Nectarine Blossom & Honey. I love this scent and think I will definitely be investing in the travel sized to last me through the Summer. 

Right, onto the main attraction... the Oud & Bergamot cologne intense. The cologne intense range offers 5 intense fragrances, heavily inspired by the Middle East. These fragrances are more expensive than others from Jo Malone at £90 and are only available in the larger 100ml size. The reason they are more expensive is because of the incredibly rich and harder to find ingredients that are used in them. The fragrances are all very sensuous and are focused more on the base notes, making the fragrance last longer and develop more on your skin. Some of the fragrances are quite masculine and are definitely unisex.

I was looking for a grown up, long-lasting scent as most of the perfumes I have are very light and summery. The Oud is a smokey, woody scent that is very common in Middle Eastern fragrances and Bergamot is an orange so it brings a nice citrus smell to balance it out. Jo Malone describes this fragrance as 'hypnotic and alluring' and I completely agree. When you spray it on it starts off smelling quite citrus-y and fresh and as the hours pass it becomes more woody, yet quite sweet at the same time. 

I love the bottle... who wouldn't?! It's luxurious and looks beautiful on my dressing table. I think the travel sized 30ml bottles for £36 are a great idea and are perfect for trailing a scent and for keeping in your handbag. 

Yesterday I attended the Jo Malone press day to preview the new fragrance Blackberry & Bay which is set to be released in September. I can tell you now that it is absolutely gorgeous! I'll review the perfume in full soon but for now I'll leave you with this beautiful description from Jo Malone... 

"Childhood memories of blackberry picking... stained lips, sticky palms. A burst of deep, tart blackberry juice and sparkling grapefruit, blending with the freshness of just-gathered bay. Softened with delicate flowers. Resting on a brambly base of vetiver and cedarwood. Vibrant and verdant. "

Are you a Jo Malone fan? What's your favourite Jo Malone scent? 

Lily xx

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