Packing for LA: Suitcase

As you may know I'm off to Los Angeles in two weeks and I thought that I'll be writing a packing list regardless, so why not put it on here to help other travellers too? I'm doing this post for the things I'll be taking in my main suitcase as I will be doing a 'What's in my hand luggage' as another post. I'll be trying to cover the main things that I'm going to take with me to give you an idea of what you would need on a similar trip. 
Clothes Tops, t-shirts, cami tops, blouses and shirts to be worn openly. High waisted jeans, leggings, maybe a few skirts. Thin dresses - it's going to be quite warm!
Shoes Adidas Los Angeles trainers that were kindly sent by Soletrader. Cute flats to go with jeans and dresses as I want to save the luggage allowance for makeup! Comfortable Skechers Memory Foam shoes for when I'm doing a lot of walking.
Makeup Makeup brushes, tools and other accessories. False lashes for when mine are looking a bit rubbish. Minimal makeup as I plan on buying a fair amount when I'm over there.
Toiletries All my mini products including shower gels and washes and hair products. I'm going to limit myself to just one perfume as I've got a feeling I'll buy at least a rollerball when I'm away.
Are there any other essentials I should add to my list?

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Makeup Brush Comparison: So Eco vs Real Techniques

I was sent some brushes by MakeupBrushes.co.uk to review and compare to some of the other brushes out there to see how they stand up. They were kind enough to send me the So Eco Eye Brush Kit* (£12.50) and a Real Techniques Bold Metals Angled Liner brush* (£9.00).

The So Eco Angled Eye Liner Brush (£5.00) is designed to give a defined look. This brush came as part of the Eye Brush Kit and I wanted to compare this to some of the Real Techniques brushes. The brush is made with a tapered handle to make applying your eyeliner even easier. So Eco brushes are made with the environment in mind, as they are 100% eco-friendly which come from ethically sourced and sustainable materials.

I chose the Bold Metals brush because I own a few others and was intrigued to see how it would perform as a small detailed brush as most of my other ones by them are face brushes. I'm personally not a fan of the handle of the Real Techniques one. Although its weighted to try and make it easier to apply, I find the extra weight does the opposite and especially when applying eyeliner is so precise, it makes me want to put it down and use another one. I much prefer the So Eco's design: it's simple, light and easy to use as you don't need to complicate something when a lot of people struggle with eyeliner.

The good thing about the Bold Metals brush is how narrow the brush head is which makes it easy to create a defined look. It's very easy to handle which is what you'd want when doing a detailed part of your makeup. The So Eco one has a slightly larger brush head, so if you aren't used to doing eyeliner, it would make it much easier to get the winged look with just one brush stroke. This would be ideal for a beginner doing eyeliner, which is also reflected in the price, being only £5 it's quite affordable.

I've included my other Real Techniques angled liner brush in this photo (please excuse the dent, it didn't take too kindly to being thrown around by the baggage handlers at the airport). As you can see it's a mix of the other two brushes, so it's like the design of the So Eco brush but a bit smaller. It just shows that liner brushes come in a variety of different sizes. I use the bottom brush in the picture above for powdering my eyebrows as it's the perfect size for filling them in. For eyeliner, I tend to mix up which brushes I use depending on the look I'm going for. Either of the brushes I reviewed today would work really well with gel eyeliner.

This is the complete So Eco Eye Brush Kit and I wanted to talk about how useful it will be. The set comes with a concealer brush, eye shading brush, angled eye liner, lash & brow comb and a spoolie. As you can see, they all come in a nice little travel wrap with their own little slot so they will stay safe when going away with you. It means you could have all of the brushes you need in one place. 

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Degustabox March Box Review

I was kindly send this Degustabox* March box to review and was intrigued as soon to see what kind of food I would receive. When the box arrived I was part way through my Dechox to raise money for British Heart Foundation so I had to wait until the start of April to enjoy the chocolate products. 
Included in the pack were a few different breakfast bits. These included an 8 pack of Brioche Pasquier (£1.40) which suited me well as I love pain au chocolat so this was perfect. You can warm them in the oven but also work in the microwave as this is easier and quicker. Second were two different Weetabix On The Go Breakfast Drink (2 x £1.50) that contain an extra 20g of protein to deliver a good breakfast in one handy little drink. They were nice and fruity, and with the extra protein I think they are quite good value. The last breakfast item was something I haven't seen before, which was a 1 litre carton of a2 Milk (£1.39). This is pure cows' milk that only contains the A2 protein and the milk is available in most supermarkets. I think this would be a popular choice for people who normally struggle with dairy products. You can enjoy this in coffee, cereal, smoothies and more, so it could replace your normal milk.

I was very excited to receive the Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn (£1.50) in the flavour cinema sweet. I do love popcorn (but only the sweet one) so to find one that has 67% less sugar and only 93 calories per serving is great so you can enjoy it knowing its not too bad. Something a little different was the Kent's Kitchen Stuffing (£1.85) in the Apricot, Apple & Ginger flavour. This is a nice addition to a roast dinner and we enjoyed it with ours on Easter Sunday. The next item is something that brought back memories of my school days. These were the 4 pack of Chewits (£4 x 35p) that had two packs of strawberry and two of blackcurrant and I'd forgotten how much I like them.

Another sweet treat was the Parle Hide & Seek (59p) chocolate chip biscuits which were really nice, and I would definitely buy. The chocolate tasted like Dairy Milk so I was shocked that they only cost 59p. They also came with the Parle Monaco (39p) biscuits, which are a savoury snack which are perfect when you are a bit peckish and sort of remind me of Ritz biscuits and I'd be keen to buy these again. When I noticed the pack of cheddar & onion Pipers Crisps (£2.00) I couldn't wait to try them. They were really nice and was left craving them afterwards so will be looking out for them. Moving from savoury to sweet, the Lindt White Chocolate Gold Bunny (£2.99) was always going to be a welcome addition. Lindt is a firm fave of mine when it comes to chocolate but hadn't tried the white bunny before. I can safely say it was just as nice as all their other white chocolate. 
Something a little bit different for a snack were the Kallo Quinoa & Seeds Multigrain Cakes (£1.89). They can also be enjoyed as a nice lunch and I found they paired well with some houmous. Also included were the Kallo Milk Chocolate Rice Cake Rounds (£1.00). I found this good as a low calorie snack when I fancied something sweet, and seen as they are only 78 calories per cake I couldn't complain. The last item was the Karyatis Meze To Go (£1.99) which included a sweet & smokey roasted red pepper and tangy feta dip, paired with crunchy rosemary crackers, which both come in a neat box. I love items like that that give you something a little different to snack on.
I was really impressed by this March Degustabox as there was so much great food and drink packed in. Considering how much the box would cost, you get a fair amount of saving on the products compared to buying them all individually. It's great to try out new products and it's definitely opened my eyes to look out for new products when doing my next food shop. They also provided me with a discount code which offers a £6.00 discount! Just enter BLDEG15 when ordering. The total of all the items would cost £21.39 however this Degustabox was only £12.99. If you used the discount code you would get nearly £22.00 worth of products for only £6.99 which is a huge saving.

* Contains PR samples unless otherwise stated.

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Swarovski Pieces From Joshua James Jewellery

I've always been quite a big fan of jewellery and I'm know for wearing a ton of rings. After Joshua James Jewellery offered some Swarovski pieces to review I had a browse of the website and decided that earrings and bracelet would be a welcome change to what I normally wear.  

These Cupid Rose Gold Crystal Heart Stud Earrings would be a great birthday or anniversary gift if you wanted that special something. You might know by now that I love rose gold things, so I love the finish of these with the small crystals completing the look. My ears are pierced three times in each ear lobe, but these are small enough to wear and still fit my other two sets of earrings in. Being blonde, I find it hard to wear to gold, so silver used to be the only option for earrings. Since rose gold has become more fashionable, it adds a touch of colour which can be worn with anything.

Looking at the Angelic Rhodium Crystal Bracelet, it is a very pretty and elegant design. I think it sums up Swarovski very well and represents the brand beautifully. I'd definitely save this as a special occasion piece as it stands really well by itself and doesn't need other pieces to compliment it. With the simple design of the bracelet, it would suit anyone in my opinion. I think it adds that touch of glamour to your outfit and looks a lot more expensive than it actually is which is never a bad thing. 
Joshua James Jewellery also stock a number of well know brands, such as Thomas Sabo, Michael Kors, Nomination and more. I was really impressed by the range they offer and they delivered quickly. From the communication I had with them, they seem to take really good care of their customers. They are definitely going to be my first choice when buying jewellery in the future and I'm really pleased with the pieces and the brand. You couldn't ask for more.

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Personalised Cupcakes From Eat Your Photo

Having seen the type of cupcakes Eat Your Photo make, I was interested to try out some of what they offered. They were kind enough to send me these cupcakes, and gave me the option to add any photo to the top and choose the flavour.

I was wondering how the cupcakes would arrive, hoping they wouldn't be squashed or damaged. To my relief they arrived completely unscathed in a strong cardboard box clearly marked as fragile. There were wedged in place nicely in a plastic tray that could be easily lifted out. Very useful if you can't wait to enjoy your cakes! They were also sealed in a plastic wrapper to keep them fresh. As soon as I opened up the box, I was really impressed by the quality of the edible photo on the cakes. I chose to have my blog logo on them and loved how it came out. It seemed lovely being able to see my logo on a product.

Now onto the taste. You might think that cupcakes that you order online and get delivered wouldn't be very fresh and would probably be a bit dry. I opted for the vanilla flavour, and after taking a bite of the cupcake I was pleasantly surprised how moist and tasty they were. The cupcakes are made of sponge with a thin layer of buttercream, topped with fondant icing with your edible photo. The vanilla was quite true to taste, so it would interesting to see how the chocolate flavour stood up to the test.
On the topic of price, they are £20 for a set of 12, which is quite good value for money. Taking into account the personalised nature of these, I think buying some for an event such as birthdays or other celebrations would be worth the money. To buy these type of cupcakes you can get them on their website.
Overall I'd definitely take them into consideration for future events, as they add a nice touch in comparison to a plain vanilla cupcake. 

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Lancôme Juicy Shakers Review

I'm always that type of person to fall in love with fruity items aside from actual fruit and when Lancôme sent over two of their latest products, I fell for them instantly. Last month I made it my mission to introduce more oil based products into my routine as I'd heard that they are really beneficial to the skin and when these two came into my life I felt like my routine had been completed. The Juicy Shakers* are tinted lip glosses that feel more like oils (£18) that help your lips look naturally plumper with the added hint of colour. The two shades I'm reviewing are Apri-Cute and Freedom of Peach and they smell delicious as they contain almond oil, omega 3 and cranberry oil. To apply them to the lips, simply shake it up, twist the lid and use the sponge applicator that soaks up the product to perfect your look. They can be used on top of lipsticks for a glossy, yet non-sticky finish which is such a good idea.

As they're a tinted product, the pigmentation is sheer which is exactly what you'd want from this type of product as you can apply it without a mirror. I've alternated from using my standard lip balm to using these before lipstick and they work like a dream, helping even matte lipsticks glide on. In the UK there are 14 shades available including a limited edition mint one too. I'd be intrigued to see the colour pay off from the cherry shade as I imagine it's more of a my lips but better shade. For £18 I think they're worth the price and the cute cocktail packaging is simple but effective.

Have you tried the new Juicy Shakers yet?
* Contains PR samples unless otherwise stated.

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