Kirstie's Travel Diaries #16 : San Fran Shopping & The Pretty Reckless Gig

Catch up with #15 here.

Day 16 (15/03/12)

Our first full day in San Francisco and unfortunately the weather was not in our favour (some of these photos were taken on other days, who wants to get their camera out in a down pour?!)
With an exciting evening ahead of us (keep reading) we thought a chilled day out exploring our surroundings and checking out the mounds of shops around us was a fab idea!


The night before we had mainly been looking for food outlets so fashion, beauty and other exciting things hadn't really caught our eye - so today when we actually saw what we were living by we couldn't believe it!
We headed out from our hotel and popped into the H&M which was just a few doors down - I swear H&M is always exactly the same no matter where you are in the world the stock is exactly the same!
Furthur down the hill we found an incredible Forever 21 store - it was literally 3 or 4 stories high - so beautiful!
Then over the road to Westfields! Yup it's not the England that has those, there is one in San Fran too and it is bloomin' well awesome!

This mall had everything and I mean everything! I could have spent days and millions in here - loves it!
As we were strolling round one of the department stores we got into a conversation with some of the workers who told us that BRITNEY had been in there just a few days before - I cannot believe we missed her by just a few hours!!

A place I fell totally in love in Westfield's was - Yoppi! A DIY frozen yogurt place - I am dead serious when I say I was full-on addicted to fro-yo! Some many flavours to choose from and incredible selection of toppings, yum!

The one thing I didn't like about shopping in the mall was the amount of people trying to sell you stuff - ahhh leave me alone! Although a woman sitting my friend down and starting to straighten her hair did make me laugh.... alot.

Daytime coming to an end we decided to head back to our hotel and get ready because - we were off to see The Pretty Reckless!

A couple of months previous when we were back in England, they had announced their tour and the fact they were playing in San Fran the day after we got there was just fate so my friend bought me tickets for my 22nd birthday (what a babe!) and we had been so excited for it ever since!

Now the day was here, so I headed to the off lincense - got some vodka and we headed back to our room to get ready!

 Back at the room we had the genius idea of ordering Dominos to our hotel via their website - and yes it worked and it was amazing! (we were turning into pro hotel regulars!)

Ready - we called a taxi and were on our way to the Bottom Of The Hill club! It wasn't that far away and we were a little nervous as we weren't sure what to expect - but I was so excited it wasn't long before I didn't care where we were and we were in the queue outside chatting away to everyone!

There were a few support acts (who of course we had never heard of) and then it was time for Taylor and her guys to hit the stage! The club was super small - so we had an amazing view - I loved how intimate it was in there!

The were amazing - and my love for them grew even more! I felt so lucky to have seen them live and so close aswell - best birthday present ever!

Now we were exhausted so it was time to call a taxi home (after going outside to spot Taylor strolling upstairs after a smoke of course!) - we had a seriously early morning so it we went back to our hotel, ate the leftover pizza and hit the hay!

NEXT TIME : Tour of San Fran, The Golden Gate Bridge & Alcatraz! 

Product Of The Week #7

Another week, another bargain product (or in this week's case 'products') that I have been loving!

A couple of newbies in my life that have been incorporated into my grueling daily/weekly beauty routine are this week's Product Of The Week. 

Introducing Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash & All Bright Purifying Face Scrub.

A fab duo that have made themselves at home in my bath/shower and have been there every morning waiting for me!

"Hibiscus is nature's brightness booster." - and these two are full of it!

The soap-free foam wash is something I've been using every morning in the shower! This is great for waking up my skin and prepping it for all that slap I like to add to my face daily! 

My skin feels detoxed and super cleansed after every wash and I'm starting to notice the brightening qualities aswell!

The scrub is something for once maybe twice a week - a great way to buff the skin and has kept it looking and feeling funky fresh! I love how smooth it leaves my face feeling and works so well with the matching wash to give a deep clean!

I've only used a few product from Botanics but I've been really impressed ... and they aren't that expensive either - especially with all the offers Boots always seem to have on! 

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Seventeen Instant Glow Pink Bronze Shimmer Brick Review

A shimmering glow is a look I go for on a daily basis. I love any product which can give me a gorgeous dewy look and I am constantly adding these products to my make-up collection!

Shimmer bricks are something I have used for years and I don't feel like my face is complete without it! With my current shimmer brick coming to an end I knew it was time to invest in a new one and this was the perfect bargain price for my current budget!

This is the Seventeen Instant Glow Pink Bronze Shimmer Brick.

With my holy grail fake bake shimmer brick (mentioned in many a post) being on it's last legs I knew that it was time to hit the shops and find a replacement. Although I needed  cheaper replacement - and this beaut from Seventeen fit the bill perfectly!

Seventeen are a brand that since I started my blog back up again last May I have mentioned countless times! They have really upted their game and alot of their products at the moment are up there in my favourites!

This shimmer brick comes in 2 fab shades - a pink shade and a bronzed shade! I've had trouble before with over bronzing myself (sometimes when intoxicated) with my shimmer brick so I thought Id try out the pink shade which hopefully would just give me a lovely pink shimmer!

These are such a great range of shades which when blended together make a gorgeous shimmering glow!

This is the last product I use on my face when doing my make-up - after my concealer, my foundation -  everything - I pop this onto a blush brush and just add it to the apples of my cheeks and a little down my nose!

I love the subtle shine it gives me for both day and night, my make-up doesn't feel complete without it!

Even though this is only £4.99, half the price of my Fake Bake brick that I have been using for years and years - it works just aswell, you can hardly tell the difference apart from the fact this is has a slightly pinker tone!

I love it and if it is anything like my other ones this thing is going to last for years!

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Wishlist : eBay #2

Necklace | Bag | Shoes | Blazer | Watch | Sunglasses

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Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Lips Collection Review

Barry M have been a favourite make-up brand of mine for years.

Not only do they have great quality products but their prices are always fantasticly affordable too! From lip colours to nail polishes I have raved about Barry M since I was a teen and whenever I hear of a new collection or a new product being released I am always itching to get my hands on them! 

Queue the new Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Lips.

Yes, Barry M have graced us with another great lip product in a fab range of colours! I can't express enough how much I love their lipstick and lipgloss collections so to see a new lip product come from this brand had me very excited!

Believe it or not I don't own a wide range of lip 'crayons' - in fact the only ones in my collection are from the Fearne Cotton collection that Boots have at Christmas. Saying that I LOVE them and have no idea how it has taken me this long to try out more versions, especially when there are SO many out there on the market!

(Early morning photos ... hence the dewy grass - they aren't randomly wet!)

There are 5 shades in the collection ... so obviously I had to buy 5! They range from a gorgeous dark plum right down to a baby dusty pink and I love each and every one of them!

1 Vega

2 Alpha

3 Electra

4 Sirius

5 Capella

These Gelly lips are gorgeous! Hi shine is the name and hi shine is what they give! I love how glossy these are as well as having great bold coour which lasts!

I feel like the scent varies with each shade some smell like a boring old product and some have a little fruity undertone which is so much nicer!

They are lovely and creamy and actually do feel slightly "gelly" like - great quality just like the gelly nail paints!

Now I had one little problem with these.... when I decided to do a nice swatch on my arm for you girls and boys - Shade 2 decided to brake! 

The top of the product full on just slid off which I was not impressed with although I'm not sure weather it was my fault for pressing a little too hard or weather I just had a dodgey one! Safe to say it is in the fridge now and I'm hoping I can mould it back together - it seems fixable!

This I have to say made me even more upset because shade 2 -Alpha is probably my favourite of the bunch! It is such a fab orangey red bright shade, completely different from the others and so gorgeous for summer!

(spot the broken product at the end! *cries*)

Overall I feel like these are another great product from Barry M and at only £4.99 each they are probably some of the cheapest lip crayon's on the market! (and don't forget Boots 3 for 2 offers!)

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Mother's Day Gift Guide

Not long now boys and girls - Mother's Day is literally round the corner so I thought I would lend a helping hand and give you some great ideas for gifts for those special ladies in your life! 

Weather its your mother, your grandmother, your mother-in-law or just a woman in your life that really deserves to be spoilt, mothers day is a great way to show those ladies how much they mean to us and how much we really do appreciate everything they do/have done for us!

I've choosen a range of gifts from smelly gifts to practical gifts - so hopefully there is something to suit all Mummy's out there and I've made sure everything is under £50!

Britain's Best Mum Travel Mug  : Who's Mum doesn't love a good cup of tea? or coffee? or even hot chocolate! I love these travel mugs, they are great for taking away and for in the work place - this is a great present and the writing says it all! 

Hotel Chocolat Chocolate H-Box : Stuff diamonds, chocolate is a girls best friend! I was lucky enough to try these chocolate's a few months ago and was overwhelmed by how amazing they are! These are such a luxury, amazing unique flavours and outstanding tastes - an amazing treat for that woman in your life!

Philosophy Thank You Raspberry Sorbet Gift Set : This is such a gorgeous looking present, two lovely products in a cute presentation box! The fact it is the "thank you" gift set really drew me too it - thank you is something we should all say to our mumma's! (although my Mum won't be getting this as she hates raspberries hahaha!)

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate : Liz Earle is a favourite with woman of all ages across the UK and the world and this is a popular product from the fabulous Superskin range! Maybe something not all Mum's would want to fork out on on a regular basis so treating them to this gorgeous facial oil could definitely put a smile on their face!

No7 Pop & Glow Cream Blush Stick : A fairly new product from No7 , give your Mum a new pop of colour for the upcoming spring and summer months - there are 3 colours available so hopefully something for everyone!

Thierry Mugler Alien Eau Extraordinaire Eau de Toilette 60ml : Angel and Alien have been best sellers for years and now Thierry Mugler have released a new scent! This is the new Alien scent called Alien Eau Extraordinaire and personally I love it! The most expensive gift I've included but a fabulous way to say Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Jackson Mumtastic Card : How cute is this card! I couldn't do a mother's dy gift guide without including at least one card! I am someone who spends age and ages in card shops looking through every single card they have until I find the perfect one! But looking online it took me only seconds to find a few cards I loved!

La Roche Posay Lipikar Hand Cream 50ml : A brand that is taking the beauty world by storm! If your Mum's are anything like mine then they love a good hand cream! This is a lovely indulgent hand cream which works like a dream and is under £5! A great little present!

With Love - Limited Edition Gift by Sanctuary Spa  : Total bargain alert! This is half price at the moment at Boots - so act fast if you want to get one for your Mum (or yourself) as this is bound to sell out! Sanctuary are lovely indulgent brand and this box contains so many products she won't know what to try first!

Yankee Candles : Candles, I find, are amazing gifts! Yankee have got to be one of the best candle makes in the world and with the crazy amount of different scents there is a candle (or twenty) for everyone!

Juliana Home Living Multi Aperture Photo Frame : Family photos are so precious - so why not find your favourite photos of you, your mum and your family and pop them in a gorgeous frame like this or even in an album!

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