My Top 5 : Must Have Base Products

Having flawless, perfect looking skin is a must for me when it comes to wearing make up, It is the most important part for me to get right. From finding the perfect foundation that matches my skin tone to that popping highlighter. In my opinion, if you have that flawless base then everything else will look in place.

My foundation/ base product draw is probably the fullest one of them all. I love trying out new foundations, concealers and highlighters. I am always tempted in by the new high end foundations, which I wish I was not as they do cost me a fortune! 

Don't get me wrong I am a sucker for the high end beauty products, but you can not go wrong with brands such as Bourjois and NYX. High Street make-up has moved up enormous amounts in the past few years, many products which rival high end brands.

Below is a mixture of high street and high end products which I personally love for that flawless looking base! 

L'oreal Lumi Magique Primer :

This primer is stunning if you want a dewy base. It has an iridescent sheen to and is pearl like in colour. Don't worry, it does not stay this shade once rubbed into the skin!

Benefit Porefessional :

Benefit are a great love of mine, and my first higher end (if they are really classed as high end) make up purchase. The Porefessional is great for blurring out imperfections, and filling in the pores in your skin - hence the name. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation:

The Bourjois foundation has to be the BEST high street foundation I have found. It gives you a lovely glow and has a buildable coverage, great for a look where you want good coverage with that dewy finish. I always reach to purchase this when I have ran out of my current foundations, and need a cheaper alternative!

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation or NARS Sheer Glow:

You have all heard about my love for the Too Faced foundation, which I have done a post dedicated to previously. Therefore,  won't talk about that one but I could not, not include it to my list! However, another love of mine is the NARS Sheer Glow foundation. Again, great for that medium-full coverage with small particles of shimmer running through it to give you that fresh dewy skin! Can you tell I love to have flawless looking skin...!

Urban Decay Naked Concealer or MAC Studio Fix:

Urban Decay are also a brand which were one of my first higher end purchases, which I still do this day reach for and they never fail to disappoint me! This concealer is great for weightless under eye coverage and blends out like a dream! Another concealer I reach for is my MAC studio fix in the shade SW15, I go lighter in concealers as I love a brightened under eye. This one is a little thicker in consistency but does not budge once set in place!

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer:

If you are part of the beauty world or watch/read beauty videos and posts, you will have seen this one before. This concealer is also lightweight and blends out smoothly and I find it has great brightening qualities. I don't go a lot on the sponge on the end, but this is easily removable and for the price you cannot go wrong! 

NARS:

 I have been using this powder for about a year now, and have repurchased! I only powder where I need it, as I am not a fan of the heavy powdery feeling on my face. This is great for brightening and blurring out imperfections. I use this on my under eye area, around my nose, chin and forehead and find that it helps keep my make up in place and looking smooth. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder:

Again, if you watch beauty videos or read blogs you will be very aware of this little gem! It is not a finely milled as the NARs one, but does the job you want it to do! It also has a great coverage if you like to use a coloured one. I always opt for the translucent shades, just because I find the coloured powders oxidise on my skin!

The Balm Marylou Maniser:

I only have one option for this category, and is sort of between high street and high end. This has such a lovely creamy texture - but is in powder form and has a lovely golden tone to it. I have tired the odd high street highlighter but cannot yet find one that I love. I like mine to pop and have that creamy texture to it. There are a few more high end I would like to purchase, such as Becca , Laura Geller and Kylie Jenner is bringing out her line of highlighters , which I would love to get my hands on!

Don't forget that having a great brush/ beauty blender to apply these products with makes all the difference. I am always reaching for my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to apply my foundation and concealer! I have still yet to try the original Beauty Blender, I can't quite bring myself to spend that amount on a sponge! 

Saving for a house and feeding my make up addiction however is very hard! I can't wait until we are in the house and have stopped saving for flooring and furniture (the boring adult things) , so I can buy all the things I have had my eye on for my new dressing/ make up room! 

I have a post planned for next month showing you my must have eye shadow pallets , so keep an eye out for that!!

Buying a New Build Home : Things to Consider

I don't think I have mentioned before on this blog, but me and my boyfriend are in the middle of buying our first home. Working at a firm of solicitors , for which I deal daily with house sales and purchases, I knew quite a bit about what goes on behind the scenes. However, buying a new build and obtaining a Help to Buy Mortgage was still very confusing and daunting for me. There are so many things to consider and allow for when buying a house, the costs for purchasing are more too. You have to factor in allowing for solicitors fees, Stamp Duty Land Tax, any document fees the list goes on!

I have picked up a few tips along the way so wanted to share some that I hope will help anyone else in the same position we were in at the beginning of last year!

We put down our interest on a three bed property back in March 2016 (at this time there were no house types of this size, nor that we could afford), therefore we would be the first people to be called once the house type we wanted was due to be released for sale. It's not as easy as walking into a sales office and expecting a house you want to be available to reserve, so I would bear this in mind. We had to then wait 5 months to receive the call that it was available for release and only then were we told the exact price of the property - luckily for us it was in our price range!

At the point of release we were asked to go into the sales office and sign the reservation form and put down a reservation fee of £500 (this will vary depending on the company). This reservation fee also gets put towards your deposit!

Getting onto the property ladder is very difficult nowadays, so we opted to go for a Help to Buy Mortgage which meant that we could put a 5% deposit down. You can put more down if you wish! Help to Buy is effectively another mortgage that the government loan to you for 5 years, in which after the 5 years you must start paying it back on top of your normal mortgage.

The mortgage process was the most daunting for me. I never really understood it all until now! We were offered the use of their in house mortgage adviser, which we of course did, and I am glad we did. They practically did the whole process for us. They were able to tell us what mortgage we could afford and what monthly payments we could manage. The only thing we had to do was supply them with evidence of our identity, proof of our deposit and 3 months worth of pay slips - this is so that they can show the mortgage company that you can afford to pay the monthly installment they have offered. You have a time frame in which you need to secure a mortgage offer, else they will put the house back up for sale!

Once you have reserved the plot you want, applied for a mortgage (via the mortgage adviser), then contracts are sent over to your solicitor. Exchange of Contracts (this means that your 5% deposit, minus the reservation fee, is sent to the development company and held by them - meaning the purchase is secure) will take place 6 months before the estimated timescale for which your plot will be built by. This is to ensure that your Mortgage Offer and Help to Buy don't expire before that time (every mortgage offer has an expiry date, usually 6 months).

You will be given 10 days' notice for when you can move into the property. At this point your solicitor will ask for payment of the Stamp Duty Land Tax, their fees, document fees, any extras you have purchased through the development company etc.

Having dealt with development companies I know that if they are wanting a quick sale, they will more than likely throw in extras as part of the purchase. Don't settle for what they are selling the property for. You can try negotiating on the price, ask them to pay for your solicitors fees, pay for your Stamp Duty, carpets or even ask for money towards extras. If you don't ask you won't get!

I hoped this helped to briefly clarify the process of purchasing a new build property! I could go into more detail, but then this post would be very long and I feel it is long enough already!!

We haven't been to visit our home since September 2016 now, but have been receiving updates weekly and the roof should be on by the end of this week! Above is a picture of the last time we saw it. I can't wait to see what it looks like with walls, roof, window and doors! It will then look like a proper home. I will update you when I next get to visit!

Slimming World Recipe : Fajita Plate

One of my favorite things to eat is Mexican food. I love all the cheese, meat, sour cream and rainbow vegetables. I therefore love a mid week Mexican treat sometimes - (Slimming World friendly of course), Mexican food doesn't have to be calorific!

This week I decided to try a combination of recipes I have seen that Slimming World offer to create my very own fajita bowl! I loved it so much that I thought I would share it with all of you too! To make this beaut you will need (this serves 2) :

• Chicken Breasts (diced or sliced, its all about preference) 
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• 2 Onions (white or red, again preference) 
• Either :- Old El Paso Fajita Mix (5 syns for the whole packet, or 2.5 syns per portion) or make your own so it's free using smoked paprika, cumin and chilli!
• Boiled Rice
• Salad Leaves or Lettuce 
• Fat Free Fromage Frais 
• Cheese (40g of lighter cheddar per person as HEXA or 6 syns)  

And here's how I made it:

1. Start by putting your rice and water in a pan to cook.
*tip : I add spices to my rice to make it more interesting! I added turmeric in mine!

2. Once that has started bubbling away, put your diced/sliced chicken into a pan and brown for 3-5 minuets. Then add in your sliced/diced peppers and onion, pan fry this for a further 5 minuets (until chicken is nearly cooked).

3. Sprinkle on your choice of fajita mix (Old El Paso or homemade) and pan fry for a further 2-3 minuets.

4. Plate up your choice of salad leaves or lettuce , 40g of cheddar, cooked rice , chicken fajita mix and et voila! You have a Slimming World friendly Mexican feast.

This recipe is so versatile you could swap the rice for Slimming World friendly wedges (as picture above) , use some low fat sour cream for a few syns or why not add a wholemeal wrap as part of your HEXB!