Fortnight in Photos #16 | Trip to Los Angeles

 I've been a bit quiet on here and that's because I've been in the lovely state of California for two weeks. Well, more specifically Los Angeles. But I quickly learnt that a lot of the places I visited, like Santa Monica, are in fact separate to LA and are not part of the city. Fun fact for you there!

I went by myself which was pretty scary at first. But I soon started to enjoy my own company and met new people and friends of friends. It's such a different world there to what I'm used to and there just happened to be a crazy heat wave, which lasted the whole of the two weeks. I found my accommodation through Airbnb, which I would highly recommend! I stayed in a house in Hollywood looking after three cats and it was so affordable...you can find some great places on there.

I had a great time and wanted to share some photos with you from the trip because they pretty much sum up the weather and the fun things that I got up to. Have you been to LA before? What did you think? 

Santa Monica beach, sitting on the Friends couch at the Warner Brothers studio lot, Hollywood High School, Disneyland, one of the cats hiding under the couch, Venice Beach.

Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach- dipping my feet in the sea, GIANT pancakes at The Griddle in Hollywood, Manhattan beach again, walking through a fridge door to get to a bar, a beautiful roof terrace at The Redbury in Hollywood. 

USA Beauty Goodies | Part 2: Mary Kay

Today I'm going to share some more lovely beauty products from my trip to the States back in May. My cousin Jessica kindly gave me some Mary Kay cosmetics, which I have since discovered are also available in the UK- yay! 

Have you ever heard of a Lip Mask? I hadn't until she showed me the Satin Lips set. All you do is apply the mask to your lips and leave for just one minute, then once it's washed off your lips are left looking and feeling silky smooth. The great thing about this mask is that it buffs off all of the dry skin and when you follow it up with the lip balm your lips will be smooth ALL DAY. I always find balms more drying, but you only need to apply the Satin Lips balm once and you're good to go. 

It's always handy to have a face cream with a high spf. I applied this Time Wise lotion yesterday before going to the Air Show in Bournemouth. I was not prepared for the weather at all...it actually turned out to be incredibly sunny! So I was relieved to at least have protection on my face. The one thing I don't really like about this cream is the consistency because it's quite runny, making it difficult to rub into your skin. But then I guess this could be because it has the formula of a sun cream instead of a face cream?

The last product is the Oil-Free Eye Make Up Remover. This is good for taking off mascara, however I do find it takes a while to remove it. But I think that's because I'm so used to using micellar water which removes make up instantly. This will be perfect for taking away on holiday! 

Have you used any Mary Kay products? Which is your favourite? 

Orelia | Delicate Jewellery & Giveaway

The Orelia jewellerry stand always catches my eye when I'm in Topshop because their designs are so pretty and delicate. I think sometimes it's more fun to try out more subtle jewellery, so I wanted to share a couple of my favourite items.

Rose Gold Triple Triangle Necklace *

I love this necklace. The chain is quite short but this makes it look really pretty when you wear it with a top that has a lower neck. The three triangles are so simple and tiny and I think that this design would be great for layering with longer necklaces. I don't know whether it's because everyone has been going crazy for rose gold jewellery for the past year or so, but there really is something about the colour that makes it appeal more to me than gold or silver. You can buy this necklace in gold or silver or with just one triangle pendant, but my personal favourite is this design. 

V Swing Earrings *

I usually stick with studs because I'm never sure whether dangly/drop earrings suit me. But recently i've been trying to make them work. So when I saw these I thought they were perfect because they aren't too over the top. This simplicity means that you can pair them with a gold necklace or possibly even a bolder item of jewellery. I would definitely recommend them if you are looking for some elegant but eye catching earrings. A quick tip is to keep those tiny bits of plastic that slide onto the backs of the earrings. I always throw them away but when I didn't use them with these earrings they did fall out of my ears a couple of times and I was terrified of losing them. 

If you'd like to order anything from their website then you can use the code 'Blog20' to get 20% off. They have a lovely range of gorgeous accessories from leather bags to embroidered scarves as well as jewellery. 

I'm going to be giving away this beautiful necklace below with semi precious beads on a (very) long chain. So please log into the rafflecopter below if you would like to be in with a chance of winning. The giveaway is open to UK residents only and will close on Saturday 30th, so get entering while you can!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Striped Shorts

Shorts- New Look

The sun has actually come out in the UK this summer and stayed out. I am happy about this...honestly! So please ignore the very serious look on my face.

I was delighted when I spotted these black and white shorts in New Look a few weeks ago. They are the perfect length and the horizontal stripes means that they are pretty flattering. I thought they were really unique, compared to every other bright floral pair of shorts in the shops at the moment. The best thing is that they are extremely affordable at £14.99! 

I hope you've been enjoying the lovely weather. Have you found a pair of perfect shorts?