London Cocktail Week is upon us again, the time of year where you purchase a £10 wristband and for seven days flit around to the capital’s 200 best bars to enjoy their most fabulous cocktails for the low, low price of £4. With pop-ups, parties and tastings galore, it takes some serious strength to get through it all. With seven nights of parties stretched ahead, I also need a survival kit of products that are going to work hard for me – for my body, mind and soul. Cheers to that!
A range of supplements, skincare products and a nice candle are what get me through the hardest of times so in my kit of tricks, I present to you…
In no particular order:
1. NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer
http://www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/
This is the cool kid in the back of the class and the one you definitely want to be friends with. I have a love/hate relationship with primers but this one covers flaws and leaves an almost chalky substance on your skin that lays the perfect foundation for your well…foundation. I would highly recommend it. I will be using this to cover up the damage from too many late nights out.
2. Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Eye Shadow Quad in Posh Purples
http://www.elizabetharden.co.uk/
I have recently become a huge fan of crème eyeshadows because I got fed up with powders that creased or ran down my eyelids in a crumbly mess at the end of the day. This eye shadow quad from Elizabeth Arden, however, has made me believe in powder eyeshadows once more. With an image of an eye showing exactly where to place what colour, this takes the pain out of guessing what a smoky eye should really look like. The purples particularly make green eyes pop. Truly posh indeed and will look pretty in your party bag, no matter what the season.
3. Vitabiotics Perfectil Plus Hair Supplements
Vitabiotics Perfectil has been my go-to for a long time for hair, skin and nails supplements and this time they have created one that contains a ‘colourel blend’ with copper which contributes to normal hair pigmentation. I have always taken a skin supplement for as long as I remember and I think this, combined with healthy eating has really helped to slow down the ageing!
During your more youthful years, your body produces enough proteins for a healthy head of hair but as you get older, the rate is slowed at which your hair follicles replenish themselves. Key ingredients such as selenium and biotin contribute to healthy hair and skin. This supplement is also a multivitamin so everything is covered! A time saving little pill indeed. They can be picked up from Boots and are priced at £17.95 for 60 tablets.
4. NSPA Patchouli & Ylang Ylang Luxury Scented Candle
London Cocktail Week, with all the events, pop-ups and more will surely frazzle my mind. I always like to have a nice candle around to calm my nerves. It is also said that if you are meditating to use a candle to help you focus your thoughts and purify your mind. It does actually work! This candle has a light but lovely scent that isn’t too overpowering. And for £3.95 at ASDA, this is a small price to pay for sanity.
5. Aduna Moringa Green Superleaf Powder
This supercharged green powder comes all the way to us from Africa, from the Moringa tree, which has long been used for its medicinal properties. If you don’t like taking multivitamins you can switch it out for three to four teaspoons of this per day, because it contains 13 vitamins and minerals at RDA levels. It’s a great natural way to take a supplement and as I am a huge fan of green powders, juices, teas and anything health related in general, I was really excited to learn about this new superfood. It is similar to macha (the green tea powder) in the way that it is simply the entire leaf, dried and made into powder so you get all the nutrients. Another fun fact about Moringa? It actually contains significantly more nutrients than many of the popular superfoods at the moment such as chia, spirulina, chlorella and wheatgrass. It is chock full of antioxidants which help protect our cells from damage from free radicals. This is a must have for any busy bee out there – I will be using it on the front line during London Cocktail Week!
6. Bodhi & Burch Lime Blossom Protecting Hand Serum
https://www.bodhiandbirch.com/
I love the smell of this hand serum-it reminds me of a mixed drink and therefore it is perfect to include in my London Cocktail Week Survival Kit post! I am thinking…Mojito? This is an oil-based serum for your hands but it sinks in easily, containing Olive Squaline, Rosehip Oil, Plum Kernal and Safflower Seed Oils, among others. Another great benefit of this is that it is naturally antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic. This makes it a super winner in my books and is great for city folks. I will be keeping this in my bag to use as an alternative to antibacterial gel. And did I mention it smells like a Mojito?
7. Zoya Nail Polish in Pixie Dust
http://www.nailpolishdirect.co.uk/
Zoya is a natural nail brand from the U.S. and has over 500 colours, textures and varieties of nail polishes! And they are a natural brand, meaning the polish contains no nasty chemicals. I love Pixie Dust, a sparkly maroon colour. It’s perfect for the upcoming season and since it isn’t too cold yet, I can still rock it on my toes in open-toed heels. I know it’s not Christmas yet but this would make a perfect stocking stuffer!
8. Onika by Nicki Minaj
http://www.boots.com/en/Nicki-Minaj-Onika-Eau-de-Parfum-30ml_1507869/
This is my perfect scent for London Cocktail Week. Onika by Nicki Minaj embodies everything London Cocktail Week should be; fun, flirty with a bit of confidence and sexy thrown in for good measure. The bottle alone is simply stunning and puts me in the party mood ASAP. I like to look at it, gaze at it…in fact, just looking at the bottle makes me feel like I want to kick some ass…in a good way. It’s sexy and fearless in a bottle.
9.Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Luminous Lip Gloss
http://www.elizabetharden.co.uk/
This lip gloss (in below photo…scroll down) begs to be noticed and it is. It comes in gorgeous gold packaging and looks good both on and off your lips. By off I mean it looks great in your bag and is a perfect party accessory. It’s flashy but understated and the gloss can go over lipstick or used on its own for a perfectly kissable pout. Again, this would make a perfect Christmas gift. Now, where’s the mistletoe?
10. Antipodes Translucent Powder and Kabuki Brush
http://www.antipodesnature.com/
I fell in love with Antipodes after I used their Hosanna H2O Intensive Plumping Serum and then went on a New Zealand beauty products hunt, finding Trilogy (one of my great loves) in the process. But did you know that Antipodes did make-up? I didn’t either and when I found out they did, it had to be mine. I love their Skin Brightening Finishing Powder, applied with their Kabuki brush. I am pretty fair-skinned so found that because this powder is translucent, it was great because it didn’t leave any dark spots on my face and set my foundation really well. It also contains skin brightening ingredients so I know that by putting it on, I am actually doing something good for my skin (which isn’t how I usually feel with make-up!). The Kabuki Brush is also wonderful and feels like a whisper on the cheek. It’s the only way to describe it!
11. Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
I have always loved the simplicity and no nonsense of Burt’s Bees. I also like that it was started at an actual bee farm in Maine by Burt. First it was their Carrot Body Lotion that I received one year from my brother for Christmas. Since then I realised that what you put on your body is as important as what you put in it and Burt’s Bees philosophy of using all-natural products is something that resonates with me. And as it has been shown in scientific studies in the past, our bodies can absorb what we put on it so it’s important to use the best products out there. I love the simplicity of a Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. It’s simple and effective which is really all you need!
12. Flutter Nail Files
I snag my nails. A lot. Recently I snagged my nails on a brand new sweater that I had just purchased. This didn’t make me very happy. What does make me happy is regular filing of the nails to keep them snag-free. Because I don’t need to snag any more of my clothes…ever. Flutter Nail Files are also pretty to use which makes them another necessity for the handbag.
13. W7 Night Glow Highlight and Illuminate
W7 is a very affordable brand that has very similar products to Benefit. I have recently tried their Highlight and Illuminate Illuminator, which I blended into my foundation on the cheekbones for a glowy look. As you can ‘paint’ this on it makes it really easy to apply. I also used it on the top of my nose, by drawing a long line down the top of it and blended in to make it look slimmer.
14. W7 A Touch of Tahiti Lip and Cheek Stain
Again, this product is very similar to Benefit’s Lip and Cheek Tints and it does the same job at a fraction of the price. I loved the Touch of Tahiti. It blends well and leaves a lovely pink faced glow, like someone has either pinched your cheeks or you have just stepped out of a steamy shower. Great for looking alive when you don’t feel it!
15. The Primal Kitchen Brazil Nut and Cherry Paleo Bar and Almond, Cashew, Coconut and Macadamia
I need snacks and lots of them. If I don’t have a snack in my bag I feel a little bit panicked. I’ve always been like that and it’s important to keep your strength up, especially during the 7-day marathon of London Cocktail Week. These fabulous little bars of energy will certainly keep you going and taste good too.
16. B. Vibrant Lip and Cheek Colour
I love using the back of my hand as an artist’s canvas. You can find below (in order), W7 A Touch of Tahiti Lip and Cheek Stain, W7 Highlight and Illuminator, Elizabeth Arden Lip Gloss, B. Vibrant Lip and Cheek Colour, Gosh Cosmetics Simply Red Velvet Touch Lip Liner and NYX Primer.
B. Vibrant is available at Superdrug and this lip and cheek colour is vibrant and fun-a coral red and is perfect for touching up on a night out on the town and eliminating the need to carry lip liner and blusher. That’s what I call winning.
17. Style Expertise Volume Plumping Powder
I love the size of this tiny handbag-sized plumping powder which can be thought of as a kind of dry powder that plumps up your hair to go from lifeless to voluminous in a matter of seconds. Easy to carry and perfect for the bar scene.
18. Gosh Cosmetics Simply Red Velvet Touch Lip Liner
If you want to really wow with a red lip you need lip liner so you can really define your lips. It will certainly make you stand out from the crowd.
