My fabulous day in Cardiff

So I went to Cardiff on Saturday and I had a fantastic day!!

I got an early train, and arrived about 1pm. My first port of call, before I did anything else, was the Illamasqua counter in Debenhams. On the way, I wandered down an arcade and stumbled upon a store with the most amazing necklaces in the window. I nearly walked on by thinking that they would be super expensive, but decided as I couldn't see a price to ask. I couldn't believe it when I was told that the one I wanted (that was exactly the kind of necklace I have been looking for) was only £20! Take a look in the picture at the bottom - isn't it fabulous?

After that impulsive splurge I headed off to find Debenhams. I was so excited to get to the Illamasqua counter and to try the Skin Base. The lovely Felix was free and sat me down to colour match me. We started off with shade no 2, which was too pale. Jump to number 5 (too dark), number 4 (almost there...) and finally, shade number 3. So I can confidentally say that I am 3.

I was absolutely astounded at the lightness of this foundation, and how well it covers!! My skin looked amazingly flawless. And Felix, and all the other MUAs at Illamasqua Cardiff were so lovely, they kept complimenting my hair (even though it was in dire need of redyeing!).

So when my make up was complete, I had a nosey around the counter - I felt like a kid in a sweet shop!! The colours... omigod... I ended up picking up eyeshadows in Intense (a gorgeous peacock blue/green) and Stalk (a tealy sage colour), and Liquid Metal in Surge. I could have bought so much more, but I was feeling the need to be restrained. I wanted to test the cream eyeshadows but they didn't have any testers, so I'll have to have a look on the website and see if there are any I want to order.

I had a fab time at Illamasqua, and I can see myself falling in love with their products hook line and sinker. I'll put a review of the products up later in the week, but suffice to say, I love them already.

The fabulous Felix @ Illamasqua Cardiff

Following my trip to Illamasqua, I wondered around Queen Street a little bit, before deciding to head back to the arcade where I bought the necklace, to have some lunch in The New York Deli. I opted for a Sinatra, which was salami and Provolone with gherkins and sweet chilli sauce. Deeeeelicious!!

My final stop before I met my family was the Castle - I have a National Art Pass and entry is free. It provided an excellent way to spend a couple of hours, just wandering around the place, listening to Huw Edwards telling me about the history. The climb to the top of the keep is a bit steep but the view at the top is so so worth it!

The evening was spent watching some fantastic speedway with my family, and eating hot dogs. I managed to get an earlier train home, which saved me a bit of time.

So here is the necklace, and my first day of using the Skin Base myself. I'm not sure my regular foundation brush is going to cut it with this foundation, but I need to figure out which one will work best. I have the Liquid Metal on my eyes, and MAC's Boy Bait Cremesheen gloss on my lips. My new hair is SFX Burgundy Wine, freshly done (4 hours!) and beautifully shiny.