Life: 2016 In Review

Speaking in general terms 2016 has been a pretty rubbish year hasn't it? 

Aside from the general rubbish that 2016 brought us all, for me there has been some pretty damn good moments in my year. I had a lovely girly weekend in London with my Mum and we went to see our first ever West End show - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which was incredible. I did share a post about our weekend in London which you can find here. 

I met my lovely boyfriend early in 2016 and have been super duper happy ever since (look at me being soppy.. oops I'll grab the sick bucket now).

 I visited Paris for the first time and fell in love with the city and of course this lead me to create the cliche Natasha Paris in Paris blog post (I won't lie I'm still pretty proud of that post title.. I'm not even sorry haha). In September I went on holiday to Madeira (which is such a wonderful destination) and very much enjoyed a couple of days in Porto too.

Life: Harry Potter Studio Tour

This weekend I paid a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. I'm not ashamed to admit that this was my third time doing the tour (#Potterhead) although a lot had changed since my last visit a couple of years ago.

For those who don't know the studio tour gives fans an opportunity to see the original props (including the Hogwarts Express!) and some of the original film sets (including the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore's office and many more).There is also the chance to see a selection of original costumes and wigs used within the films (which is a part of the tour I was particularly interested in.) 

Different events are held throughout the year and my visit fell during the Hogwarts in the snow event, where some of the sets were dressed for the festive season. Now I don't want to ruin the magic (see what I did there?) by giving away too much about the tour, instead I'm going to share a few of my favourite photos from my trip.

Life: 2016 In Photos (#3)

Since my last life update post I've started my new job, which I'm really enjoying! Although I won't lie I do miss my ex work colleagues a little bit. 

I also attended the fabulous #BonPrixontherocks event at the Malmaison in Leeds, which was a great opportunity to meet lots of lovely bloggers and take part in a cocktail masterclass too. My full post on the event can be found here if you fancy reading more. 

I recently celebrated my 22nd Birthday (which I have blogged about here), discovered the joy that is mulled wine, enjoyed a winter walk in Whitby and done the obligitary Christmas market visit.

Review: Kat Von D Lock It Foundation Review

I've wanted to try the Kat Von D Lock It foundation for a long time and as it's now available to buy in the U.K (at Debenhams online and at selected stores) it was definitely time for me to give it a go. I purchased the Lock It foundation in the shade 'Light 48 Neutral'.

This is a highly pigmented, full coverage liquid foundation which helps to reduce shine and provides a matte finish. Here in the U.K. this foundation is available in a fairly wide range of shades (there are currently around 17 to choose from on Debenhams online) although there is a wider range of shades available on Sephora or from Kat Von D Beauty directly.

The packaging of this product is divine! I believe Kat actually designs the packaging herself, and personally I think that's really cool. The bottle comes with a pump built in, which is very handy as it delivers just the right amount of product. 

When it comes to applying this foundation a little product goes a long way. When it comes to application this product can be a little bit tricky to apply as it starts to dry pretty quickly. However, I've tried applying a small amount at a time and I've found this to work pretty well for me. I prefer to apply this foundation with a make up sponge (a Primark dupe of the Beauty Blender is my choice) rather than a foundation brush, no particular reason  other than because I've found this gives me a slightly better finish.

Life: I'm Feeling 22

If you follow me on social media then you might know that earlier this week I celebrated my 22nd Birthday. Even though I'm now 22 (and definitely into adulthood - arghh) I still get super excited about my birthday so in true Natasha tradition I took a few days off work for Birthday celebration purposes. 

I started my celebrations on Monday by heading out to a tea room with my Mum for hot chocolates and cake - yum! Then in the evening I went to Leeds with my boyfriend and I was treated to a meal at Pintura, a tapas restaurant/bar situated near to the Trinity shopping centre. The tapas and the service was fantastic and I'd definitely recommend heading to there if you're looking for yummy tapas in Leeds!