Holiday: South of France

If you follow me on twitter or instagram (links are over there if you dont <<<), you may have noticed that I spent the last week in the sunny south of France with my parents, my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend.  We stayed in a gorgeous villa in Le Muy which meant we had loads of space, access to our own private pool, a TV for the boys to catch up with the world cup on and WiFi.  We spent a few nights drinking wine and eating rubbish on the balcony, and visited some of the surrounding towns in our rented car on the other evenings.

Oily Skin Saviours

As you might know, I'm currently on holiday in the south of France.  If you've read Lillies and Lipbalm for a while, you'll know how oily my skin is, and how much I hate it in the British climate - you can only imagine what it's like while I'm abroad! I'd love to be able to wear dewy foundations and skip primer but it just isn't an option for me.  I haven't quite mastered banishing shine completely, but I've found a little line up of products which are really helping me prolong a matte finish.

Holiday Make-up

As this post publishes I'm on a plane jetting off to the South of France for a week of sun with my family and boyfriend.  We have visited this part of the world quite a few times now, and we absolutely love it! No matter how many times I've packed and unpacked my make-up after three years at uni, I never get any better at streamlining it - a girl has to have options!  Here's what made the cut this year.

High Street Heroes: Barry M Gelly Polishes

Another product from the high street that I can't get enough of is the Barry M nail polishes in the Gelly formula.  Barry M have been a brand I've probably always kept an eye on, even when I first started becoming interested in beauty, I'd have a mini collection of their nail and lip paints in my pink sparkley make-up bag.  Admittedly in the last few years I use products from the brand less and less, but since the release of their Gelly nail varnishes, I always head straight to their stand in Boots.

Urban Decay Lipstick - Streak

Say hello to my new favourite thing ever. This has been my lipstick of choice every single day regardless of where I'm going or what I'm doing; I just can't get enough of it.  I was convinced that I would always be a MAC girl, but this little Urban Decay beauty has completely changed my opinion.

Summery Shades

British summer is apparently just around the corner, the perfect time for a injection of summery beauty.  When the sun's shining, I can't get enough of bright shades.  Lips, cheeks and tips are my favourite places for a pop of colour, but I'm not really a green eye shadow or yellow eye liner kind of girl (I wish I was that cool!).  I tend to stick to oranges and pinks on cheeks and lips, but I mix it up a bit on my nails.

MAC Giddy

I'm completely powerless as soon as I step through the doors of a Cosmetic Company Outlet. Something about the discounted beauty products has my money flying out of my purse.  Last time I popped in to grab a lipstick as a present for my best friend, I couldn't stop myself grabbing a treat at the same time!

May Favourites

I am absolutely rubbish at keeping up with monthly favourites posts, I'm sure I've missed loads of months but this time here's a few beauty bits and pieces I've been loving using in May. 

Longer Lasting Lipstick

Over the last few years I've fallen in love with bold lips, but no one likes a faded lipstick leaving a weird-looking ring around your lip line.  To avoid having to top up my lipstick every hour or so, I've picked up a few top tips to make my lipstick last.