Dior Make-Up Masterclass // Back To Basics

Last week I was invited by the ladies at my local Dior counter in John Lewis to attend an event hosted by their beauty consultants. It was all about going Back to Basics with some of the staple Dior skincare and cosmetics products. 

There were 10 of us in total and we were all greeted with Bucks Fizz and beautifully presented beauty spaces complete with flowers, chocolates and ribbon wrapped boxes filled with cosmetic care items. We all also received a Dior bag with selected samples to try at home, each bag named and tailored to what we would need as Dior clients.

 The items on the tables and in the bags had been picked to suit individual attendees' beauty and skincare needs. I absolutely loved this touch as it really showed that the Dior girls had thought about what we as clients would need to make the most of this class. We also left with a "menu" of all the basic Dior beauty items to enhance one's make-up collection.

My "workspace" was adorned with Hydra Life Pro-Youth Sorbet Creme, Lip Glow, Lip Maximiser and their newest mascara offering; It Lash. 

We were talked through what each product did, why some of us would need one type of skincare and some may benefit more from another, how to effectively apply concealer and foundation and of course how to add the finishing touches to cheeks and eyes. I was loving life giving all of the bits and pieces a test and swatch on my hand and then applying all the luxurious products to my skin.

Both of the beauty consultants were friendly and welcoming and I didn't feel like I had been invited because I didn't know what I was doing, but because there's always lessons to learn when it comes to beauty and individual brands offerings.

The ladies really showed that they knew their stuff when as one was presenting, the other consultant was colour matching foundations and providing the products to be used. I was even given the BB Creme rather than the Nude foundation as that's my preferred base; it's the little things that make you feel valued as a client and that has certainly contributed to how positively I feel about Dior as a brand.

Overall, I loved this little treat. We all have our own techniques when it comes to applying make-up but classes like this really remind me that sometimes less is more, sometimes more is more but ultimately it's all down to finding a brand and product line that works for you. Maybe, juuust maybe Dior might be mine.....

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Out with the old.....and then back in again with some of it.

After moving back home from university in May my bedroom has pretty much been a dumping ground for everything I have ever owned. I'm a self-confessed hoarder and that has always been my biggest issue when it comes to having a neat and organised bedroom. It doesn't help that our house is on the market so it seems silly to re-vamp my room when we'll be moving to a new house (hopefully soon!!). After having a mini-meltdown on Boxing Day ("I JUST HAVE SO MUCH STUFF MUM I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT ANYMORE I DON'T WANT TO DROWN IN DIOR LIPGLOSS OR EMPTY GLOSSYBOXES ANYMORE!") with my mum we decided it was time to throw caution to the wind and finally buy some furniture for my bedroom.

Here's a little snoop into my room and how I have finally sorted through all my shit and made it look acceptable! I've added clickable links to individual pieces in the babble below if you'd rather just do some click-throughs to see where things were bought from, I don't mind ;)

On Friday my new Marks and Spencer Hastings bedroom furniture arrived! It took two days to do a bedroom clear out but 48 hours and 6 bin bags later it was finally finished. I am absolutely in love with this 10 drawer unit. It's ivory and measures about 159 x 94 x 44 (click here to view on the M&S website). My next project is to buy some mismatched vintage looking handles for the drawers so it matches with the rest of my room a bit more. Click here to see my post about the cute Disney print on the top.

I really like that there's a gap between the bottom of the chest and my floor - it means I can store my weights, shoes, gel nail kit and spare Glossyboxes without having to find somewhere else for them to go!

Similar to Carrie Bradshaw I like to have my money where I can see it, not quite in my closet but in skincare, haircare and beauty products. I have finally managed to get them organised into categories and displayed along the top of the cabinet. To avoid staining the surface I've used the lids to my Glossyboxes to keep things together and off the crisp, ivory top.

The drawers are filled with skincare and beauty products...and there might be two entire drawers dedicated to my colour coordinated nail polish collection!

The biggest piece of furniture in my room is my bed - I always like to have my bed made and organised, even if I'll be getting back in pretty soon after! I love everything about my little nest - the bedding and big cushion found their way into my bag in BHS one afternoon (click here for bedding & here for a similar cushion). The bow pillow and bunny pyjama case are both from Next...and possibly from the kids' section (click here for the bunny). Finally my hot water bottle which is the snuggliest, fluffiest thing in the world! It was a present from Santa but I think it's from John Lewis but it's not online anymore.

 Finally is the little bunny retreat I've set up near my bed. I love love love these bunny rabbit lights - not only are they adorable but they are a nice addition to add some light in my room in the evenings. The tall rabbit and the bunny with pink ears both can be found on dotcomgiftshop here (click!) and here (click!) and the two white baby bunnies are from Next here (click!). The little grey rabbit in the back is a iPhone case by Moschino which can be found here (click!). It's quite bulky but it's so soft! I don't use it all the time purely because I don't want to damage it but it is a nice little addition, don't you think?

So, there's a little nosey into my newly immaculate bedroom! It's probably too cluttered for most people's taste but I've always liked to have things out on display....it's just nice for them to not be all over the floor anymore!
Let me know what you think - I'm always open to suggestions about how to keep things neat and tidy as well as adding some personal things to my bedroom :)

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Christmas List #1

1 Ikea Smycka faux flowers here // 2 Beauty and the Beast figurine here // John Lewis faux fur bean bag here // 4 Yankee Candle large jar in Merry Marshmallow here // 5 Fairy lights PJ top here & bottoms here  // 6 Moschino iPhone case here // 7 John Lewis Vero cutlery here // 8 Disney personalised Belle decoration here 

I'm hoping to put a few of these together on the run up to Christmas, there might even be one for the boys too!

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