LauraHadley.co.uk: valentines day

Charlotte Tilbury Lipsticks For Valentine's Day

With less than a week to go, Valentine's Day is going to be my best one yet. I'm engaged, I'm far more confident than I was a year ago and I've been stepping my makeup game up a notch. Why bother showcasing a ton of lipsticks to wear that I probably won't pick out on the day, when I can show you some of the highest quality ones? I tend to go for either of two lip colours on days like Valentine's; a simple nude in case I smudge my lippy all over my face, or a bold red whilst remembering that I need to consume all drinks with a straw. Either way, here are a few shades I'd personally recommend from Charlotte Tilbury.

The two red shades I love are both from the Matte Revolution range; Love Liberty and Red Carpet Red. Love Liberty is described as a 'berry pink matte lipstick' but definitely comes off more red-pink on my lips. It has rosy undertones which make it quite different from the classic bold red shade if that's what you prefer. Red Carpet Red is a 'true ruby red matte lipstick' and screams glamour from the old Hollywood days. The main reason I love the Matte Revolution lipsticks is that it softens and protects the lips to hydrate them, so you have a matte finish without completely drying them out like a lot of other matte lippies. They're long-lasting thanks to the oils, waxes and triglycerides and you can precise application from the angled tip so even when the lipstick wears down you'll still have that square tip. I tend to use a Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat liner underneath and the colours stay bold and bright. Other great reds from Charlotte Tilbury are So Marilyn (a bombshell red), Shanghai Nights (a deep rich sultry red), Dangerous Liaison (a warm rusty rose) and Legendary Queen (a soft neutral wine).

If you're more of a nude-coloured gal, shades like Bitch Perfect from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range are perfect. Bitch Perfect is a peach-toned nude and really brings out my blue eyes and pale skin. I think nudes really differ depending on your skin colour but then again, you should wear whatever shade you want. The K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipsticks have light-diffusing pigments to give your lips a multi-dimensional finish to capture the light and reflect it back for a full-bodied effect. The 'Lipstick Tree extracts' nourish the lips to protect them from UV damage and keeps them lovely and smooth. They also contain a special blend of waxes to make the lipstick glide over the lips to maintain the rich colour without bleeding outside of the lip line. For further prevention of bleeding you can use a Lip Cheat in the corresponding colour. More nudes to choose from are Pillow Talk (a dreamy nude pink), American Sweetheart (a naturally tawny pink), Best Actress (a creamy brown nude), and Kidman's Kiss (a rose petal-pink). Rachel from Beauty And The Bird has reviewed Bond Girl which is another stunning shade.

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Valentine's Day Scents with Fragrance Direct | Paco Rabanne Aqua 2018

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I bet a lot of couples have forgotten to buy their other half a gift. Fragrance Direct are offering some great scents at a good price and I thought I'd mention the new Paco Rabanne Aqua fragrances. The Aqua creations are 'refreshing like the deep sea' with delicacy from the new designs and a touch of sensuality. I hadn't tried any Paco Rabanne perfumes before, so I was intrigued to see whether these fragrances met the high expectations the others around me had set.

The Paco Rabanne Olympéa Aqua EDP is a fresh scent with Calabrian Bergamot, Petitgrain and aquatic accords, that leads to the heart of the Ginger Flower. It's reflected in the base of Salty Vanilla, Cashmere Wood and Ambergris. The idea behind Olympéa Aqua is to tame the desire to conquer everything from Invictus, as Olympéa is for a woman with delicate power. When Invictus and Olympéa are as one, they silence all voices and capture all eyes. I love the bottle, with the colour reflecting the ingredients of Ginger Flower and Cashmere Wood. The almost rose-gold finish is appealing to the eye and goes well with the rest of my perfume collection.

Paco Rabanne Invictus Aqua EDP is a fresh scent blended with the 'energetic combination' of Grapefruit, Pink Pepper and Yuzu, with marine notes in the heart wrapped in a 'Herbal Violet Leaf accord. The intense scent of Guaiac Wood is paired with Ambergris and Woody Amber in the base. The fragrance is created upon the image of a man who has an athletic body, with every moment showing precision and power. The bottle definitely reflects what Paco Rabanne are doing when describing the scent, with the ombré blue an nice added touch to mimic the picture around 'Aqua'.

Fragrance Direct are offering up to 65% off for Valentine's Day, including up to £11 off the new Paco Rabanne Olympéa Aqua and Invictus Aqua fragrances. #BuyFragranceNot Flowers

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Top Five Dating Tips for a La Tasca Valentine's Day

Hi Guys!

Here is another segment of my Valentine's Series, and today's post is all about dating tips. My ideal date is sitting down, getting to know the person and having some quality food. You can't forget drinks though, you never know where a Woo Woo or Sex on the Beach may lead you to...

(source)

1. Make a mixtape of their favourite songs. My boyfriend would have plenty to choose from since I have all my faves on a Spotify playlist, although I very much doubt Foo Fighters and Taylor Swift are the most romantic artists. I do however have a few romantic faves including John Legend, Ed Sheeran and Jason Mraz though. Please don't make a real tape though, unless they are driving around in a car from the 90's she won't be able to play it. You could do the modern thing and tweet them the playlist...
2. Venue and Menu. I'm so specific about food and love being taken out for dinner, getting carried away with the cocktails and desserts. That's where the fun is at. I love that in a lot of restaurants you can share dishes, platters and tapas, especially for those who are foodies and love a lot of the menu options. When dating someone new it may help the conversation flow. I'd pre-book a meal out for 8ish, the setting is right and it's dark outside.
3. Don't buy her flowers, go for a meal and walk her home. If you're trying to wow a your date don't do what you see in the movies, as even that goes wrong half of the time. Why not pick a venue that is easy to get to and has some lovely scenery nearby. The main bulk of restaurants in Newcastle are either a few minutes walk away, or are on the Quayside. The dimly lit lights and the river make a cute atmosphere. This is where my boyfriend asked me to be his girlfriend, so I'm not biased, obviously... Why not surprise them with a cupcake instead of flowers, tickets for a concert instead of drinks at a bar?
4. Reasonably be prepared. Don't worry about the weather, but be prepared for it just in case. Make sure you take an umbrella if you'll be walking anywhere. Be spontaneous too, if the date is going well, why not go for a wander round to get to know each other more? If it starts snowing, you can always go and share a hot chocolate together.
5. Meal, Drinks, Fun If you want to dance but you're not into ballroom or a class, since Valentine's Day is this Saturday, you can always go out afterwards, share a few more drinks and dance together. The day is about spending time with someone you like, and dancing is a good way to loosen up and have a bit of fun. If you don't like dancing, do something else that's fun. Go see a film, go bowling, go back and watch Netflix. There are no limits to what you can do. Just don't watch The Notebook or you'll both be sharing tissues together to mop up the tears!

I hope you liked the video and dating tips! Andrew and myself are going to for a meal and drinks, then to see the Nutcracker ballet on Saturday night, then some drinks afterwards. No doubt we will spend the morning chilling out and spending some quality time together. We plan on having Friday evening as a film night and are going to put technology away for once and enjoy the time with each other.
When getting to know someone, focus on each other, ask questions and chill out. Have a cocktail or a glass of wine and make the most of having a tech-free day. Be spontaneous and romantic; just let things happen, you never know how that night could change your future.
FYI, Tapas and cocktails are gorgeous from La Tasca in my opinion. Can't go wrong with a mojito in hand. They have several menus on offer, so have a look on their website and you can book your Valentine's Day table today at La Tasca.

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A Sweet Gift for Valentine's Day

I know it's still two weeks (today) until Valentine's Day, but I wanted to show you this Yucoco chocolate bar. I personalised it online, and ordered it to my door. It arrived in 2 days in protective packaging to make sure it still in perfect condition when it got to my flat.

The inside of the box reads: To Andy Created by Laura This bar has been designed especially for Yu! Your bar is made of this delicious chocolate & toppings: Terrific Trio Chocolate Homemade Rocky Road Caramel Blossom Chocolate Fudge Homemade Cookie Crumbs Confetti Hearts
I absolutely love the idea of personalising your own bar, at an affordable price that tastes just as gorgeous as it sounds. The Yucoco bar* has four types of chocolate bar to choose from, with over 1 billion combinations. ONE BILLION. I would volunteer myself to try them all, of course. Firstly, I chose a mix of milk, white and dark chocolate. Andy is a huge chocolate lover and thought he would love the idea of having even more flavours on his bar. I then went for things he eats when he is being naughty, rocky road, chocolate fudge and cookies! I thought the caramel blossom and confetti hearts gave it the whole Valentine's look about it. Yes, I'm soppy.
The bars start off from £4.00 for a plain slab which is pretty standard for this sized chocolate bar. Toppings are between 40p and £1.50. I chose 5 toppings which brought the total to £7.50 for the personalised bar. I could have gone ridiculously soppy and included purely 'love-ly' toppings, such as the 'I love yu' plaque, love hearts, I love you chocolate and chocolate lips, but since Andy is a huge love of more handmade chocolate, I chose his favourite.
If I was making a bar for myself, I would pick the trio of chocolate, salted caramel, milk chocolate drizzle, rocky road, caramel blossom and chocolate flakes! This would be £7.80. I wish I had put chocolate drizzle on Andy's, it looks amazing. I was pleasantly surprise to see you could fruit, nuts (which I also love) and mad things like wasabi peas. The addition of glitter is another great feature, but I didn't think Andy would forgive me for substituting chocolate for some sparkles.
Once ordering, it will be delivered within 3-5 days, although mine arrived in 2 days which was great, meaning if you forget (how could you?) about Valentine's Day, you can save yourself with ordering a bar a few days before. If you don't have the willpower to look through all the toppings, you buy a pre-made bar too. If you're really forgetful, you can pay £1.75 to have a handwritten gift card posted to you. As much as I'd love to spend my time rifling through cards to pick out the perfect one, wandering in to chocolate shops to taste samples and choose from them, in modern day life, we don't tend to have such a luxury as often.
The bars are 140 grams in weight, which you couldn't eat in one sitting, well I couldn't but I'm sure Andy would have given it a good go. He chose to share his, and was sitting looking at it for days before I gave in and let him eat it more than two weeks before V-Day. Who am I to deprive him of chocolate?
You can make your own bar at Yucoco.com and they also have instagram, twitter and facebook!