Everything Erin

In contrast to January, February has seemed to have absolutey flown by, so much so I have hardly had time to even notice what products I have been loving lately. However, what I have been loving this month are some real gems that I can't wait to share!

B E A U T Y /

 I've never really been one for eyeliner, however this month I picked up Soap & Glory's The Supercat eyeliner and have been really excited to try it out. Although I love their body products, I've actually never tried any of their makeup until now - which I am really impressed by, it makes applying eyeliner really easy, perfect for a newbie like myself.


I also love Barry M's Under The Sea nail polish in the shade Angelfish, the lightest of the four in the range. It's such a unique nail polish because the two-toned formula looks really different in different lights. I'm also really impressed by how long-lasting it is so I really want to try some other shades now too!


M U S I C /

This month I went to see The Script's Freedom Child tour, which was such an incredible concert. Although it was right at the beginning of the month, seeing them really reminded me how good their latest album is so I've gone and listened to it more lately.


I'm also loving Want You Back by 5 Seconds Of Summer, as I mentioned in my last post. I've been awaiting new music from them for such a long time, but I'm so glad they took their time to make it the best possible because I can tell when their third album comes it's going to be a really good one.

T V /

This month I discovered the show The Bold Type, about three girls working in the magazine industry in New York and really enjoyed it. The storylines were amazing and I loved watching the girls grow in their careers and their confidence. I only wish there was more than ten episodes so I can't wait for season 2!


L I F E /

Because I've barely had time to blink in Feburary, it has gone so quick, I can't say I have a lot to report on in the life section, but trying out the dessert place 'Kaspa's' with my friends was a highlight - their chocolate fudge cake was to die for!

EG x

If I've noticed anything different about how I listen to music lately, I know I've definitely not been keeping up with the chart music like I used to. Although I used to worship Spotify's 'Hot Hits UK' playlist, when I played it the other day I realised I hardly knew any of it, and in fact it all sounded a bit... boring and samey. I'm not saying it's all bad, but what exactly have I been listening to at the moment?

One of the music releases I have been anticipating for a really long time now is from 5 Seconds Of Summer. I was definitely a little worried they would conform to everyone's electronic style of the moment but they have stayed true to themselves and their style with their amazing new single Want You Back. I have had it on repeat since it came out, I'm not even exaggerating! I love the lyrics and cannot wait for more new music from them.


Coincidentally, another song I have been loving lately is also called Want You Back, by the band HAIM who I have started to listen to quite a bit lately. I'm really glad I started listening to them - I'm not too sure how I stumbled on their music, I think I just saw someone on Twitter mention them a bit back and (remembering what a tune their collab Pray To God with Calvin Harris was) thought they looked like my sort of music? But, I really like their style of music and Want You Back is currently my favourite of theirs, I really need to go and listen to some more though!

Of course, because I receieved Niall Horan's album Flicker on vinyl I have been loving that a lot lately. I think on his solo album Niall's style has really shone through and I'm so excited about that. My favourite song on the album is On The Loose, also his latest single and it really sold his album to me straight away! It's a song that sounds even better when played on a record player as well, I've realised certain songs sound so much better and it's definitely one of them.


I have also loved James Bay's new single Wild Love, I had a listen when it came out and noticed how good his vocals really are! It's actually such a shame it hasn't charted better, I was really expecting it to be like his first single Hold Back The River - which I went and relistened to recently because it was so good! I love the accoustic sound and it's definitely something the current music is missing right now.

EG x

Mother's Day is only around the corner now, 11th March in the UK, so today I thought I'd provide some inspiration as to what you should treat your mother to this Mother's Day. I'm going to include ideas for all budgets and price ranges so there really is something for everyone!

A perfect way to treat your mother for Mother's Day is a Luxury Perfume Gift Set. Perfume is always a lovely gift to give because it feels like such a treat to receive some new perfume - you might even find their new signature scent!


Something that mums always seem to love is candles so a Personalised Candle from Yankee Candle would be an amazing gift for any mum. I love how you can choose the perfect scent and size and add a really cute photo and message. It really adds a personal touch to the candles we all seem to go and automatically buy for our mums at this time of year.


Bath and body products are always perfect to give your mum a pampered treat - Soap and Glory products are one of my favourites to give because their scents are always so lovely that it's a real win-win situation.

Another brand whose products are perfect for Mother's Day has to be Lush, especially with their mother's day range now on sale. They do the cutest range for Mother's Day in a selection of prices - you could go for one of the bigger sets alone or get one of their singular products such as the new Mother Of Pearl Bubbleroon, which makes the bath a gorgeous blue and you can tell would be such a relaxing product.


A typical gift but always a winner is some luxurious chocolates - is there really a better way to treat your mum? Thorntons chocolates are always a good choice, and I love how you can personalise their favourite box of chocolates, or write a cute message in some of their alphabet truffles.

Stationery can always be a great gift to buy for your mum too - Paperchase has a gorgeous selection of mum inspired stationery this season, ranging from notebooks to pens to mugs. You know if you went into Paperchase you'd end up finding the perfect gift for your mum, and then probably end up buying way too much for yourself too! Why are Paperchase's products just all so gorgeous?


If you are looking to spend some time instead of money on your mum's present this year, what I actually did last year was bake her some cupcakes! This is definitely a better idea if you are good at baking (unlike me), but it's a really affordable way of treating your mum because you know she will be honoured at the time and effort you put into them - even if they turn out a mess like mine did!


At the end of the day, no matter what your price range is, the most important thing on Mother's Day is to treat your mum to a lovely day spent with yourself! What are you planning on treating your mum to this year?

EG x

*sponsored links were used in this post, but all opinions are honest and my own :) x

When I heard that Urban Decay's Naked Smoky palette was becoming discontinued, I immediately realised how much I needed it in my collection. It seems you never notice how much you need something until it's almost unavailable! Luckily, after a few hints about how I needed it now before it was too late, my mum managed to get me it for Christmas and I have loved staring at the shades excitedly ever since.

As a warm-toned eyeshadow addict (the Naked Heat is seriously my best friend), it's definitely a bit of a wonder why I'm so excited about this palette that is packed full of blue and grey hues. I was certainly looking forward to branching out of my comfort zone and trying something completely new. The Naked Smoky is so different to all my other eyeshadow palettes and this definitely made me feel a bit less guilty about getting yet another palette.


Opening up the palette you are greeted with twelve gorgeous shades, which range from shimmer to satin to matte - in that order, I love how the palette is organised because it makes it a bit easier to put together a look when they're all grouped in formulas. The first three: High, Dirtysweet and Radar, are really gold/brown toned, so of course on first use, these were the shades I opted for, as I was used to shades like these so particularly drawn to them. The formula of the shimmers is lovely, they're plenty pigmented and have a lovely sheen to them. I especially love the shade High because it's a gorgeous highlight - I may have even used it on the cheekbones once or twice because of the amazing glow it gives.


I then started branching out to the cooler shades in the middle of the palette. Armour is a really pretty silver shimmer that works really well all over the lid for a sparkly cool look. I also really like the satin shades Black Market and Smoulder - Smoulder is really quite purple toned and I think it makes it quite unique, and workable with any plum shades I have too in the rest of my collection. Black Market is quite blue toned and blends out really nicely.

The palette includes four mattes which are really the perfect amount for this palette I think. Password and Whiskey are really lovely to blend out in the crease for a smoky look. Of course, the name of the palette is smoky so that's the aim of the game with this one, and with those two shades, it couldn't be any easier. Combust would also work well as a transition shade, then finally Thirteen is a perfect matte highlight. The only thing missing I think, is a real grey toned matte like Magnet in the Naked Ultimate Basics - but I suppose if you have that palette too, that shade in particular works very well with the smoky.


I love the brush the palette comes with, a bit different to the other Naked palettes with an end perfect for creating smoky looks. I find especially useful the little guide the palette comes with as well, making it the perfect palette for smoky beginners or anyone who needs a little inspiration.


When it comes to lip shades to pair the palette with, I like to save all my warm-brown tones for when doing a warm look and get out the more cool, purple toned lip options. Something nude and subtle is perfect when you've got so much going on with the eyes, so I find Stila's Baci liquid lipstick the perfect finish to the look.


Make sure to pick up your Naked Smoky palette before they're all gone from stores forever! There's a few left in some shops such as Feel Unique and Debenhams - you'll regret it if you don't have this smoky selection in your collection! Are you a cool toned eyeshadow lover, or do you prefer to stick to warm tones?

EG x

The Script are definitely one of the best live bands I have ever seen - I certainly had the time of my life last year when I went to see them at Blackpool, so of course when they announced an arena tour I jumped at the chance to go and see them again in Manchester, on the 3rd February.

As usual for The Script's support acts, they were joined by someone I had actually heard of - Ella Eyre. I've liked some of her songs like Waiting All Night and Came Here For Love for ages so it was really fun to see them live. Support acts are definitely better when they sing a few songs you do actually know because that's what makes the crowd going, so it was really enjoyable.


I was sat in Block 108, row C, which is the block right at the back of the arena, facing the stage. Although it's far back it provides a great straight-on view of the stage and is always a great view if the band have a B-Stage. Which, luckily The Script did! Just before they were due to come on, a huge curtain came down around the B-Stage, which made us think they must be starting the concert on the second stage. Otherwise, us lot in the back blocks wouldn't have been able to see the main stage!


That they did, and they burst onto the B-Stage, beginning the set with Superheroes, the brilliant single off the fourth album, No Sound Without Silence. I had such a great view of them at this point and wished they would stay on that stage for the entire show. They continued to play some of their fast-paced songs that really get their crowd going, Rock The World and Paint The Town Green, before moving onto the main stage to play more of their classic back-catalogue.


One of the songs that really stood out to me was The Man Who Can't Be Moved. It's a real oldie but a classic of The Script's, and I love how Danny gets the crowd to sing it before they join in with the instruments. The atmosphere feels really electric in the arena. Other favourites included Six Degrees Of Separation, If You Could See Me Now and new song No Man Is An Island. It's such a fun one to dance to!


Another amazing moment was when Danny went out into the crowd. He was stood in the middle of block 103 and some very lucky fans got to choose the song he would play that hasn't been selected for this year's setlist already. Never Seen Anything Quite Like You was the choice, one of my personal favourites so it was really lovely. It's one that doesn't need a lot of production because it has the most beautiful melody so it was perfect to sing in the crowd.


It was also so funny in Rain, the hit song off Freedom Child, a lot of the crowd put their umbrellas up in the air! They then went off before the encore which consisted of No Good In Goodbye, Breakeven and finally, Hall of Fame. I love the beginning of the encore of No Good In Goodbye because the guitar intro is absolutely insane. Breakeven is always a classic live, and although I think Hall Of Fame is getting a bit old now to finish on, when they brought the Manchester choir who appeared in One Love Manchester on was a really lovely touch.


My only disappointment was that the title track of the new album, Freedom Child, wasn't on the setlist! The tour is called Freedom Child, it's only right to play that song when, since the album has been released, it has definitely become one of my all-time favourite songs from The Script already. Hopefully one day I'll hear it live!

EG x

MAC lipsticks have always been my favourite and lately, I've expanded my collection by a couple more. I've been really excited to try a formula I never have from their selection, and also picked up a shade lately that's a bit darker and different than the rest of my MAC lipsticks.


The first of the two I actually bought a few months back, when I was at the airport on my way to my holiday, but never found a chance to write about it on my blog. The shade I chose was Cosmo, which I was really excited to try because its formula is an Amplified Creme. I would best describe that as the creamy feel a cremesheen has while also having the pigmentation of a satin or even matte formula would. It's a really lovely formula and I'm really glad to have added one to my collection.


The shade itself, Cosmo is a really pretty pink nude. It's perfect to wear everyday, especially because the formula means it is long-lasting and a gorgeous shade without drying out your lips. It's lovely to switch up from the mattes every so often and go for a cream finish so this is perfect for that. I can't say I've worn it loads yet because I tended to stick to brown-tones throughout autumn but I know it will be an essential for me come spring-summer.


My second addition to my collection I purchased while in Chester, where their MAC counter inside Debenhams had 15% off. It was an offer I just had to take advantage of, and the shade Retro was one I had been eyeing up for a while. It's my second of MAC's lipsticks in their satin formula, which is definitely my favourite of all their formulas, so I was so excited to get another one.


When I swatched Retro in store, I'm sure it looked browner than it actually is, but that's not neccessarily a bad thing! Their website describes it as a peachy-pinky brown, whereas for me I'd say it's a bit more red toned, but maybe that's just me?! It's actually good it's a bit different because it's so unlike the rest of my MAC lipsticks, and even all my lipsticks for that matter. I've already worn it twice since I got it only a week or so ago and I know I'll be wearing it a lot. Because it's a bit darker it's probably more of an evening or with a less-smoky-eye look, but I have liked wearing it during the day too.


As I mentioned before, the satin finish is my absolute favourite and it's perfect for a shade like Retro. It's really pigmented, doesn't feel at all sticky like a cream lipstick may do, but there are no drying worries like you might have with a matte. Plus, it can often be a bit more flattering to have a slight-sheen to your lips which is why satin has to be my favourite.

EG x