Now I do like to test products thoroughly before reviewing them on the blog, but this particular item has been part of my life for over a year now and has become such a staple in my daily routine, it's absolutely ridiculous that I haven't dedicated a post to it sooner!

I am, of course, talking about the Bobbi Brown Corrector, a teeny pot of magic that has transformed my life. I've always had dark circles, but they seemed to increase triple-fold after my treatment for Hodgkins when I was 18, and I've struggled with them ever since. I've tried every concealer out there - Touche Eclat, By Terry, MAC, a huge assortment of Boots concealers... all to no avail. Then, one late afternoon trip to Bluewater, I was wandering through John Lewis when my eye was drawn by the Bobbi Brown counter. Ten minutes and a test application later, the corrector was mine!

I've since repurchased as I honestly don't think I could be without this product. It helps disguise any discoloration, brightens up your whole eye area, and acts as an excellent base for any concealer - I find my NARS creamy concealer works just as well as Rimmel Wake Me Up when layered over this corrector! True, it can be prone to creasing as the formula is so creamy; however I combat this by lightly dusting a layer of powder over the corrector, then applying concealer on top. It stays in place all day with a bit of powder and is the first item I throw in my travel make up bag these days.

I've snapped the different stages of my routine so you can see the change the corrector makes! First my bare face, followed with foundation only. Next I've applied the corrector unblended, then blended, then finally with a dot of concealer and a smidgen of powder!


If you suffer with dark circles too, I would really recommend getting matched for this at a Bobbi Brown counter. I couldn't believe the difference when they first used it on me, I couldn't stop staring at my reflection! I use the shades Extra Light Bisque and Light Bisque depending on the time of year and the shade of my skin, but they have so many shades, it can be quite overwhelming when trying to find the right colour for you. The assistants I've encountered have all been super helpful and knowledgeable about the product, and they'll even try the concealers on for you as well... (this may explain how I accidentally purchased the concealer to match).

Have you tried the Bobbi Brown Corrector? Or have you found a similar wonder product? Let me know in the comments!

Love Dani
xoxo

Summer in London oscillates between two extremes - the desperately hot, picnic-lunch, sweaty-Tube days, where people eat outside and make exclamations about how lovely/awful the weather is; or the cold, windy, dreary "summer" days, where people spend as little time as possible outdoors and make exclamations about how awful the weather is for June.
Right now we're experiencing a delightful mix of the two in which the mornings are absolutely freezing and the afternoons are scorching and deserving of an ice cream or two. I'm struggling with appropriate clothing for such weather, piling on layer after layer, then peeling them off as the day progresses. So when House of Fraser contacted me to see if I would be interested in styling up this spring jumper from Linea Weekend, I instantly began plotting how well this would fit into my current wardrobe!

To those of you who live in warmer, sunnier climes, a jumper in June may sound ludicrous but trust me it's not. This jumper, with its ladder insert and short sleeves, is practically perfect for chilly mornings or cooler evenings when the Pimms has been drunk and you're left reclining on the grass as the sun fades away. It was around this time six years ago that Jon and I got together over a late night barbecue, during which we drank Bacardi Breezers, debated the merits of Britney Spears' music, and Jon offered me his jacket to keep me warm. Just think, that touching gesture may never have occurred, had I only thought to keep a few summer knits on hand!

I chose to style it with a simple lace vest, my favourite warm-weather trousers (comfy as PJs, work appropriate, and covered in a pony print - perfection!) and my new sandals from New Look. A few choice pieces of jewellery, topped off by a flower crown for a touch of whimsy, and I was off, prancing around the field like the horses adorning my trousers.

I quite like the contrasts this outfit presents, with the cosy jumper offset by the flowers and sandals. Perfectly suitable for our unpredictable UK summers! I also adore the hazy sunny evenings we've been having lately - here's hoping they stick around for a bit! How are you styling yourself through this transitional weather?

Love Dani
xoxo


*this post contains an item sent for review

Hi lovelies,

New Look
Brown wedge gladiator sandals

Now this may seem like a pretty paltry haul when compared to others, but for me buying more than three items at any one time constitutes a spending spree and therefore a haul!

If there's one thing guaranteed to put a smile on my face, it's a blogger meet-up! Hours of chatting with likeminded people, the sort who don't judge when you whip out your camera for that must-have Instagram post, who happily debate Google Analytics and who understand your all-consuming obsession with Youtubers. Throw in a dash of frozen yoghurt, a splash of blogging advice, topped with a fun internet quiz and you have the recipe for a perfect Saturday, in my opinion!

The Southbank Centre was hosting the Web We Want Festival - three days dedicated to the powers of the internet, coupled with panel discussions, workshops and all sorts of fab activities. Becky, Charlotte, Emma and I met up beforehand so no one was sitting on their onesies and then piled into the very first seminar, aimed at people looking to take their blog to the next level. One of the speakers was Hayley of London Beauty Queen, one of my idols, so I was super excited! The other panellists were Sarah of the Prosecco Diaries, Evan Edinger, Corinne of Skinnedcartree and Samantha of Thoroughly English. It was such an informative chat, I made copious notes on my phone (forgot my notebook - so ill-prepared!) and came out feeling super inspired!

We were going to stick around for the next panel, but it transpired none of us had eaten so off we marched to Wahaca. I love the food there, I don't know why I don't go more often! Once we had eaten our fill of tacos, we headed back to the Southbank Centre for a panel called "Why Blog?"

Why indeed? It was a theme that continued into the evening, but first we listened to a few bloggers discuss their inspiration and what propels them to blog. It gave me so much food for thought, I've touched upon the topic briefly before in this post but it was fascinating listening to others and recognising elements of my own inspiration too!

We ended the evening aboard the amazing Snog Bus on the riverbank - hosted by the lovely Hannah and Talissa from the Southbank Centre - with a fun blogging quiz and heaps of frozen yoghurt! I'm happy to announce my fabulous team (named Blog Marry Avoid) won the quiz by a hairsbreadth! So exciting!

I really hope they host another festival in this vein as it was so much fun and definitely worth visiting if you spend any amount of time online. They also had a bunch of little workshops aimed at children which looked so much fun! And of course no visit to the Southbank Centre is complete without a trip or too in the singing lift - trust me, it's worth it...

Love Dani
xoxo