This is the makeup brush set I received as a gift this Christmas. The set is made by Secret Diva and includes 12 makeup brushes. The makeup brushes also arrived in their very own bag which is included when you purchase the set off Secret Diva's website, an added bonus so you've got somewhere safe to keep them protected. This set also comes in rose gold and black which look beaut.
All the brushes are synthetic and apply powders, cream and liquids and I feel this is just a really great, affordable kit with pretty much every makeup brush you're going to need to complete a nice makeup look! Since receiving these brushes I have used them pretty much every day to apply my own makeup.

The 12 piece set includes (from right to left):

1. Flat foundation brush - perfect for foundation application, especially if you like a fuller coverage!
2. Powder brush - great for setting your makeup with a powder so it doesn't budge all day.
3. Angled contour brush - I really like this one to contour with or to apply my highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones.
4. Buffer - blends in your foundation into your skin. I also use this to apply my cream bronzer and it blends it in beautifully.
5. Fluffy tapered brush - again I use this one for powder highlighting my face, on tops of my cheek bones, brow bone, nose and cupids bow.
6. Concealer blending brush - to blend in concealer.
7. Crease brush - great for a more defined look. Blend products into your crease and sweeping through.
8. Small detailed eyeshadow brush - I like to use this one for adding highlight to the inner corner of my eyes.
9. Angled shade brush - use for brow highlighting or to blend powder into the crease.
10. Lip brush - to apply lipstick to the lips.
11. Bullet crease brush - great for adding fine detail or adding shadow beneath the eyes.
12. Liner brush - ideal for the perfect eyeliner of for doing your brows.

What makes these brushes even more fantastic is the fact that the whole set is super affordable. For 12 brushes they currently cost £20! They are on offer for a limited time as the usual price is £35. I'll link their website down below if anybody is interested in checking them out! I think if you are just starting out with makeup or if like me you can never have enough makeup brushes, these are a perfect little set. The brushes are super soft and apply products just fine!

I would love to know what other makeup brushes people find just as great, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading! B x

Brushes available from: http://secretdiva.co.uk/12-piece-make-up-brushes--bag-set-rose-goldblack-114-p.asp

Today I thought I would share with you all parts of my hair care routine and what I use on my hair to keep it in good condition and ready for styling.
I've always been lucky with my hair as my Mum is a hairdresser, therefore I can upkeep my trims every 8 weeks or so, although more recently I have been having it trimmed less as I've moved out and I've been trying desperately to grow it. Also from my mother I was blessed with incredibly thick hair (I say blessed, I don't actually know if this is good or not). Anybody with super thick hair will know that it takes ages to dry and ages to style. It's so thick that people have even asked me if I'm wearing a wig! 
Throughout the week, I tend to wash my hair about 2-3 times. I like to go at least three days after washing my hair before washing it again. If you wash your hair too much, you can strip it of its natural oils and then your scalp will try desperately to keep replacing them, (therefore making it greasy). I shampoo my hair twice as well when washing, my mum always said the first wash it to clean it and the second is to make your hair shine. Once shampooed, I go on to a really good conditioner and just apply it to the ends of my hair and swill.

Anyway without further ado...Below are a few things I am really loving at the moment when it comes to my Hair Care routine and what I apply to my hair once it has been washed.

Okay, so it's been quite a while since I last went to Thailand, 2014 was my last time to be exact but I really wanted to do this post as it's one of the best places I have ever travelled to.
In the summer of 2014, my boyfriend and I set off from London Heathrow to Bangkok for three weeks. We had three weeks in Thailand and had only booked a hotel for the first two nights in Bangkok for when we arrived, which was rather scary at the time, having zero experience travelling!
Bangkok is crazy and there's nowhere quite like it. From scorpion street food, to the late night massage parlours, Tuk Tuks and a lack of highway code. It's crazy but awesome! During our stay, we took advantage of a leg massage, visited the Grand Palace, took a few rides in the Tuk Tuk's and visited the famous Khao San Road.
After our two night stay in Bangkok, we booked an all night sleeper train to Surat Thani which meant from there we could get a connecting ferry to the island of Koh Samui. Samui does have an airport which meant we could've flown from Bangkok but getting the train meant it would save on money and also the train would be an experience! For anybody thinking of getting the overnight train, I would highly recommend buying second class tickets, if not first class (but these sell out quickly) as third class does not have air conditioning which means it gets super hot!
Koh Samui seemed to be a very popular island, it was much busier as well as pricer compared to some other places in Thailand. However, we still enjoyed some time relaxing, mostly on the beach everyday drinking Watermelon smoothies, mmm.
From Samui, we went on to the island of Koh Phangan, again travelling by ferry. Koh Phangan is super famous for it's wild Full Moon Parties. However, I would also recommend the Half Moon Party that is held in the jungle...Same sort of thing but not as crowded and still really great. During our stay in Koh Phangan, we stayed at the Sun Cliff Resort in Haad Rin, I would really recommend staying here, the rooms are so good, taking into account how affordable they are and it's in a really good location! Far enough from the beach so you don't get woken up by all the beach parties held every night but also close enough to walk to the beach if you feel like joining in!
A trip I would also really recommend visiting when travelling Thailand is going to Ang Thong National Marine Park. We booked this as a day trip which also included snorkelling and kayaking! It had fantastic views which the photos do not do justice. The emerald lake was beautifully stunning.




Last but not least, our last destination was Phi Phi, probably my favourite part of our trip. I loved how small the island was and that there wasn't a car in sight. It took quite a while to travel to from Koh Phangan, about 12 hours to precise via coaches and ferries and a very early morning wake up call but it was so worth it! It was crazy to think how the Tsunami of 2004 had effected the island so drastically and yet it has been restored back to how it is today. A trip I would also recommend whilst staying here is a boat trip to visit Koh Phi Phi Le and seeing Maya Beach (where the film The Beach was filmed). We booked this as a day trip too which also included, cliff jumping and visiting the monkeys at Monkey Beach!
Finally, we headed from Phi Phi on the ferry back to the mainland, where we caught a flight from Krabi back to Bangkok ready for our flight back to the UK. I really want to go back to Thailand one day and explore some more places that I didn't venture to. It's such an amazing place, with picturesque views, awesome people and it's one of the cheapest places I have ever visited.

Hello again everyone! Today, I thought I would share with you all my skincare routine which is perfect if you are on a smaller budget as many of the products are much more affordable compared with some other brands. I have combination skin, where I tend to get oily on my t-zone and dry on my cheeks. The past few years, I have also suffered time from time from a condition diagnosed as 'perioral dermatitis', (if anybody else suffers from this and would like me to do a blog post on how I treated it/kept it away let me know). Perioral dermatitis mainly affects my chin area now and again and can make it super itchy and cause it to break out in red papsules/spots, EURGH! Before being diagnosed with this, it resulted in me in trying countless skincare routines to find products that suited my skin. Below are the products I use now that I find really work well with my sensitive skin and keep it looking fresh and healthy! As always, I've included the prices and a list of where these products are available online are also listed at the end. Thank you, B! x




 1) The Body Shop Camomile Sumptous Cleansing butter £10.00. 
Being an ultimate makeup lover, I need an awesome cleanser that removes everything I've slapped on my face during the day. This is exactly what it says on the tin, 'sumptuous'. I look forward to removing my makeup with this product every evening. I take a small amount and rub it into my face. The product is a buttery consistency and as you rub it into your skin, it melts and removes EVERYTHING! Stubborn eyeliner/mascara? This product gets it all off and that's one of the main reasons I love it. Once, all my makeup has 'melted' away, I either swill my face with warm water or use a muslim cloth to wipe it away. It leaves my skin feeling clean and soft.




 2) Visibly Clear Pink Grapeful Facial Wash £4.79
Visibly Clear Pink Grapeful Daily Scrub £4.79 Next up, I often use these two face washes within my routine which I decided to purchase when I found out that grapefruit can have lots of benefits to the skin. I usually use the facial wash after my Sumptuous Cleansing Butter if I feel like I need a deeper clean after wearing quite a lot of makeup. You rub it onto a wet face and it foams up and I simply just swill it off. It's so refreshing because it smells AMAZING and it just makes my skin feel that bit cleaner. On the other hand, I keep the daily scrub in my shower and use it on days where I feel my skin needs a bit of exfoliation as it has very fine beads in it to exfoliate your skin. You could choose to use this alone instead of the facial wash but I find using it everyday too drying.






3) The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner £7.00. On to my favourite toner, this is from The Body Shop Vitamin E range, which also smells pretty awesome! To use, I simply squirt a little onto an oval cotton pad and place on my face in an upward motion (avoiding ageing at all costs!). I really like this as it removes any remaining bits of cleanser and most importantly it is a hydrating toner, therefore my skin doesn't get too dry.



4) The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate £26.00. Ok, so this is the priciest out of all of my skincare but I've been using this for a while and I do notice a difference in my skin when I use it continuously. It says it's created for the first signs of ageing which I need as I'm creeping up to the tender age of 25 this year! It's a gel like consistency and I rub it onto my face after I've cleansed and toned, it makes my skin feel firmer and extra moisturised.





















6) The Body Shop Day Cream £13.00 
The Body Shop Night Cream £13.00 
My two favourite moisturisers, particularly for this time of year (it's the winter in Britain and gets very cold and dreary here). I find that the day cream sits perfectly underneath makeup and keeps my skin feeling soft all day. The night cream is extra rich and thick and keeps my skin moisturised over night so I wake up with it already feeling soft and ready for the day. Both moisturisers also have the added benefit of containing aloe vera which has lots of benefits to the skin and offers a soothing effect. I do sometimes change up my moisturisers during the Summer as I find I don't need a moisturiser as rich as my skin is not as dry compared to when in the harsh winter.













Products Available from:
Eye cream: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/my-skin-type/first-signs-of-ageing/nutriganics-smoothing-eye-cream/p/p000829
Drops of Youth Concentrate: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/range/drops-of-youth/drops-of-youth-concentrate/p/p000275
Soothing Day Cream: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/face/moisturisers/aloe-soothing-day-cream/p/p000225
Soothing Night Cream: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/face/moisturisers/aloe-soothing-night-cream/p/p000455
Facial Wash: http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Visibly-Clear-Pink-Grapefruit-Facial-Wash-200ml_1110491/
Daily Scrub: http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Visibly-Clear-Pink-Grapefruit-Daily-Scrub_1110483/
Cleansing Butter: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/range/view-all/camomile-sumptuous-cleansing-butter/p/p000186
Hydrating Toner: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/range/view-all/vitamin-e-hydrating-toner/p/p000148

 Hello everyone! For this next post, I thought I would share with you all my top 5 beauty products this December that I have been loving around the past month and some that have become big staples within my makeup routine. If you are interested in any of these products, I have included prices and will leave some links at the end of this post as to where you can purchase them from. Enjoy! B x
 1) First up, is Benefit's 'Precisely, My Brow Pencil £18.50. Back in the day, I used to use Benefits previous eyebrow pencil 'Instant Eyebrow Pencil' and loved the consistency of the pencil itself and loved how it was super quick and easy it was to use! However, I always found it needed sharpening often and wasn't fine enough.  Therefore, when Benefit brought this out along with their new range of eyebrow products, I gave this one a shot and I'm hooked! I like this as it's ultra fine, quick and convenient to use, which suits me when I'm up early getting ready for work. I can create a natural looking brow with it. I wear their darkest shade, number 6 as I'm dark haired. Shades start from number 1. I used this first and then brush through my brow hairs with Benefit's 3D Brow tones.
 2) Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer, £7.99. This has become my ultimate staple in my makeup routine to hide those dreaded dark circles, particularly for me, from lack of sleep! I love this concealer for underneath my eyes as it is super brightening and hydrating. I really like the formula as it is not to thick which means it doesn't sit in any fine lines underneath the eyes. It is also super easy to blend, I blend mine in using my beauty blender. I wear the shade light, which is the lightest shade.
 3) Kylie Jenner Burgendy Palette $42.00 USD. I feel I'm a little late to the craze with this one. I only just recently purchased this within the last month to give it a try and since I have, I am obsessed! I am green eyed and many of the eyeshadow colours in this palette really help to make my eyes pop and stand out. My favourite colour is LA, which is the cranberry shade. I wore this on New Years Eve and had many compliments. I do feel the shades are more Autumnal but that's not going to stop me wearing it!
 4) Mac Extra Dimension Skin finish in Double Gleam £24.00. This is a liquid-powder highlighter that I've really enjoyed using recently to give my cheek bones a real good glow! The product itself is very pigmented and a little bit goes a long way. I really enjoy using a little bit in the inner corner of my eyes too. It is beige/silver in colour and looks really pretty on the skin.
5) Last but not least, Benefit's Hoola Bronzer £23.50. I feel this is nothing new to rave about. I had just forgotten how much I love this bronzer! I really enjoy the fact its matte because sometimes you don't fancy putting glittery products all over your face. It's really helped to bronze up my pale skin this winter (living in the UK!). 


Available from: 
Mac Highlighter: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13849/21865/products/makeup/face/powder/extra-dimension-skinfinish#/shade/DoubleGleam
Bourjois Concealer:
http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Radiance-Reveal-concealer_1800915/
Precisely my Brow Pencil:
https://www.benefitcosmetics.com/uk/en-gb/product/precisely-my-brow
Kylie Jenner Burgundy Palette:
https://www.kyliecosmetics.com/products/the-burgundy-palette-kyshadow
Hoola Bronzer:
https://www.benefitcosmetics.com/uk/en-gb/product/hoola-matte-bronzer

Hello everyone.

It's me, Bryony. A 24 year old primary school teacher from the UK with a passion for blogging. Want some inspiration for all things beauty, fashion, lifestyle and places to travel? Then you have come to the right place.

At the beginning of 2017 I decided that this year was the year I wanted to make some changes and do some things differently. One of my aims was to do something for me and do something that I enjoy/take up a hobby to focus my energy elsewhere other than in work...This has lead to me to blogging. I'm fairly new at this so I hope you enjoy my posts. Make sure you stick around and follow if you want to see more!

Thank you, B. x