RANDOM FAVOURITES FEB/MARCH

(A pretty random post, but I just wanted to share a few little things that I've been loving in the past month-or-so that are non-beauty related)

I don't know about you guys, but here in the UK (specifically Nottingham), the weather has been so unpreditably-crazy since returning from my holidays. To help combat this, I've been completely living in my khaki parker coat from last year. It's perfect for the transition from Winter into Spring as it's light enough to not be too stuffy but heavy enough to sheild you from the blustering winds that we have been getting. I love that there's a hood on it, as most of my coats don't sport one so it's great at keeping my little ears warm. Also, it's fantastic at making your outfits look a little 'casual' and not too 'done', which I love. I've also rekindled a love for my black Fiorelli shoulder bag. I sorted out my wardrobe in the week and rediscovered this cutie pie and I've donned it as my new work bag. It's big enough to fit all of my crap in (believe me, there's a lot of it- maybe I should do a 'what's in my bag?' post...) and the little sections keep everything somewhat organised- a nice change for me. I picked it up from T K Maxx for a snippett of the price towards the end of last year if you wondered.

For my cosy nights in that I enjoy sooo much, I bought myself a new pair of slippers as mine were falling apart and, embarrassingly, getting a little stinky. They're super-soft and comfy and a dream to slip on after a long day in heels and they just keep my tootsies very nice and toasty. Toasty tootsies. I have also discovered this Hope River Sparkling Rose Wine which you can pick up whilst doing your weekly shop at Aldi for, like, £3-4 which is nothing. I'm a massive fan of sparkling wine (I actually don't like normal wine at all at the mo) but it has to be on the sweeter side of the pallette, which this wine definitely is. It's so nice that I will (guiltily) drink the entire bottle whilst eating my new favourite chocolate and watching my new favourite show.. Yep, you can guess what my next chapter will be on.

These Milk Chocolate Mini Delights in Strawberry are divine. They're small enough to be satisfying, but very more-ish and I could easily sit and eat the whole box. Not good when I'm supposed to be on Slimming World. Again, very cheap and very accessible. If you've not got these in your trolley on your next trip to Aldi, consider me disappointed.

Another thing that I have been absolutely looovvvinngggg is Pretty Little Liars. Yep, you've probably heard me mention this before, but I am so hooked! Me and Luke have watched all 5 serious in the past month or two and I'm getting a little panick-y knowing that Series 5 is coming to an end- I'm spacing out my watching habbits so that I don't have to wait too long to see the final episode (coming out on the 24th March eeep!) Anyone that watches it will understand my pain when I say that I do NOT want it to end. Who do you all think the real 'A' is?! Place your bets now. My guess is Aria... or is it Mike? Caleb? Mya?! eeeep.. Kisses!

Speaking of fiction, I set myself a little reading challenge and so since New Year, I have tried to read at least a book a month. Last month (on holiday) I read 3 books, so I'm well on track (Gone Girl is a fantastic novel to read if you're looking for gripping drama that you can't put down!). I want to get out of my habbit of reading the same genre, but I can't resist a good romance/girly book. I picked these two up at a local book sale for 50p and I can't wait to get stuck in to them. Also on the subject of books, I've recently got back into keeping diary entries and these two little gems keep me on track; the One Line A Day and the Q & A a Day. The One Line a Day has 5 little sections on each date so that you can keep a five-year diary. I love that- it's like TimeHop but in written form. I'm kinda geeky and I love to see how my handwriting and the words that I use have changed, so this is a fantastic way of seeing that. The Q&A a day asks you a short question every day and again, it has enough space to answer over the course of 5 years. This one will be super fascinating to see how my answers change within the 1-5 years. e.g. "what is your nemesis?"

The last thing on my little list is this emergency phone charger by Kensington. There are so many of these out there now, but this is one that I've had for a while and I just love how compact it is. You can literally throw it in any bag and it doesn't take up any room, but you know it's there "just in case". I am forever letting my battery run down, so this is a must-have for me. It has one full charge in it, which is more than enough to save you from a boring meeting or a mundane commute from work or school.

Is there anything in particular that you've been loving recently?!

MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS 2015 - HOW AM I DOING?!

Okay, brace yourselves for what I am about to say.

WE ARE MORE THAN A QUARTER WAY THROUGH 2015. ALREADY. eep.

This was a post that, originally, I never posted. Every year, I like to write a post about my New Years Resolutions, but this year I was a little late to do it and by the time that I had written them, I didn't really feel like posting them, so they have just sat there in my 'draft' section all sad and lonely. Anyway, I thought that it might be a good idea to see how far I've come and to remind myself what I have to work on, so here we go!

My 8 New Years resolutions:

1. the typical lose-more-weight promise; every year I'm all like yeaaaah, so gonna lose 3 stone this year and look like Lily Aldridge or Megan Fox yet every year I still look like this. So this year, I've made a more realistic res. & that is to lose 10% of my body weight. Sounds do-able, right? I damn hope so. 

Okay, nope I've not lost 10% of my body weight, however I have made a start on it. I joined Slimming World with my sister and friend at the beginning of the year and, up until holiday, I had lost half a stone. I've not weighed myself since holiday, but I am starting fresh tomorrow and hope to reach this goal by the end of April.

2. Get serious about a career; yeah, work is good but it's easy, it's simple and there is no challenge. Granted, I've recently taken turns in learning new skills, training up people and trying out new strategies, but all-in-all, it's not a career. I want to be that independent woman that everyone loves, I want to wear a pencil skirt, drive an audi and carry a folder. I want to not only be financially secure, but socially secure- happy and determined. 

So,so. I've not got an Audi, but I have bought a folder. I won a big award at work and had the pleasure of meeting some of the major managers of Boots and so I am counting this resolution as half done. No, I've not moved jobs (yet), but I am half way there, I promise!

3. Commit to my blog & social media platforms; I know that sometimes blogging can be pushed to the very bottom of your to-do list, especially if you're working full-time, running a household and trying to upkeep a social life, but this year, I am determined to make my blog up there in my top priorities (after eating and watching Pretty Little Liars, ok?). To start with, I'll look to post once a week and then we will go from there. Watch this space.

*the one that I desperately need to work on*

4. Stop buying products and use up all old things; I can't even tell you how many products I have in my bedroom, bathroom and spare room.. I would say that it's borderline obsession.. Boxes upon boxes of cleansers, toners, washes, moisturisers, body butters, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners... I could be here a while but you get my point. It's almost embarrassing to let people see! So this year, in a bid to make space and a race to use things whilst they're still in date, I am determined to use up at least a box-worth of things. 

Believe it or not, I have literally only bought ONE face wash, no nail polishes, no mascaras, two foundations, one primer and one lip stick in the past two months. Can someone please give me a 'hell yeah'?! ...thank you v.much!

5. Be a more positive person; I'm a girl, a young girl at that. I get jealous, I get bitchy, I can be mean, rude, nasty and at some points just down right out of order, but I want to leave 2014 where it is- in the past. Now, I'm not saying that I won't be a bitch (I mean c'mon, we can't make miracles), but I will think about what comes out of my mouth before I actually say it, which is definitely a first for me. I am going to find more positive vibes; relaxing and doing things that I love. I will compliment people more, I'll turn my head at negativity and try not to get caught up in drama. I will be that bigger person that I've never been able to be. 

I have steered clear of said drama (in the workplace and out), I am commenting more positive comments on girls' Instagrams and I am refraining from putting mean statuses on Facebook. So far so good.

6. Take a class in something that you love; I'm not sure what just yet, but I have such a passion for beauty and writing, so hopefully I will find something that I can delve into.

Not done this yet, but it's something that I've definitely looked into.

7. Visit somewhere new; Now, I actually don't have anything in mind here- for some reason, I really want to visit Blackpool illuminations and I also quite fancy Brighton, but those are the only two places on my list this year. We'll see how I get on!

This one I'm doing pretty well on- Just little things so far such as visiting new restaurants and shops, but I've also booked to go to Amsterdam in June. It looks beautiful and is somewhere that I've always wanted to see, so I'm verrry excited for this!

8. Learn a new skill; Lastly on my list is this little gem- it's something that I always say that I'm going to, but this year, I'm very determined to try something slightly different. Whether it's a style of dance, figure skating or even pole dancing, this year is the year of change! 

Nope, not done this one either- maybe I'll find something next month?

I guess that I still have a little way to go, but hey- there's still another 9 months to go!

How are your resolutions coming along? xxx

ANASTASIA BEVERLEY HILLS DIPBROW POMADE

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade in shade 'Dark Brown'

£15 from Cult Beauty

Okay, so this is a product that everyone and their mum's have raved about, but I wanted to give it a fair go before deciding on my final verdict. I've been using this since the day that I received it (I got it for Christmas off my boyfriend), so it's given me a good 2 and a half months of daily usage and, as you can see, it has barely put a dent in the pot.

First impressions:

After first hearing about this, I spent so much time watching Youtube and Instagram videos and reading blog post after blog post, trying to figure out if this product was something that I would use or not. By the time that I got my hands on it, I was sure that I'd be an expert and have fantastic brows in a swish. No. This was NOT the case.

 

So, Christmas day, I sat on the bed along with all of my new makeup, with the intention of making myself look like a beauty godess, and the only thing that I was interested in was this. Grabbing it first, I decided to use my every-day eyebrow brush (Real Techniques angled eyeliner brush) which is fantastic, may I just add. As all of the reviews said, you only need a tiny bit on your brush and so that's what I did. I put the tiniest bit on my brush.

 

Error #1: Listening to other bloggers about how much you need on the brush. I find that I need a normal amount of eyebrow product to get this to work wonders for my brows- just a quick heavy-handed swipe will be more than enough, but a slight 'dab' into the pot is not going to work for you.

 

Error #2: Using this product heavy-handedly with the intention of cleaning it up and using a concealer to cover the damage. Nope. Well, technically yes but there's alot of scrubbing to be done, leaving a nice, red mess. Not very Kim Kardashian at all.

 

Price & shades:

At £15, it's not exactly expensive if we compare it to the infamous Benefit Brow Zings, however it is slightly more expensive than, say, the Collection palette that you can pick up for just under £4.

My only gripe with paying this price is that here in the UK, the only way of getting your mitts on it is to order online (Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay stock it) meaning that there aren't any samples and you kinda have to guess what shade you are. Obviously, if it comes and you see it and you think that it's the wrong shade, then of course you can send it back, but I am very lazy and get too excited for the delivery, so that's a no-go for me. I spent a while looking at pictures of people using it and guessing what shade- I quite like dark brows anyway, so I went for Dark Brown, however I think a lighter one would have been better suited, especially as I'm trying not to wear so much fake tan.

Cult Beauty offer 11 shades, ranging from blondes to brunettes to auburns, so there really is something for everyone, however it really is just a guessing game as to which one you will need.

 

Longevity:

In terms of how long the actual pot of product will last, as you can see from the photos above, it's had almost 3 months worth of daily useage and that is all that I've used, so I can see this lasting a good 6-9 months, which is fantastic. The only thing that I was slightly worried about is that gel/cream products tend to dry up after short lengths of time, but it's been three months and the further down I'm getting, the better the product seems to be getting, which is fantastic!

In terms of the longevity on the face, this product lasts all day. No budging, no slipping, no smudging. Once it's there, it's there until you cleanse it off. Usually when using any other brand of brow product, I find that I touch my face throughout the day and come lunchtime, I'll have one patchy brow and the other will be smudged down my face, but this has stopped all of that.

 

Removal:

Now, I'm sure that we have all read about how hard this product is to remove, however the only time that I've stuggled with this was when it was on bare skin. There was one day that I was in a major rush, put no foundation on *shock horror* but (of course) had to have my brows on, duhhh. That was pretty hard to get off- however with just a couple of swipes of my trusty oil-based eye remover, I was brow-free in a short space of time, but yeah, on a daily basis, I think the oil in my foundation helps to budge this off so there is minimal scrubbing around the eye area.. I don't want saggy eyes, thanks!

 

Overall:

I'd probably give this 8/10.

 

There aren't many negatives for me, but here are a couple that just knock it off the top spot;

 

- There are no samples. No stores that we can visit and get colour-matched, so it's a guessing game as to which shade to purchase.

 

- I can see it drying out before I get a chance to use it up.

 

- For some reason, I keep getting bobbly-bits in my brows upon application. Not a massive issue as a quick run of the finger and they're gone, but it looks a little messy. Maybe it's an error in technique on my behalf, so hopefully I'll find a way around it.

 

- It takes quite a long time to get used to it. In fact, it's been almost 3 months and I am still trying to use it to it's full potential.

 

- Quite frankly, this product was too hyped up. I hate it when something is raved about and then you get it and you're slightly disappointed and I just feel like that's what has happened here.

 

 

Have any of you tried this yet?

xxx

 

FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

So, I've spent the last couple of months trying to improve my skin by giving it a little break from liquid foundations and using only tinted moisturisers and Bare Minerals foundation and so I had forgotten how much I absolutely adore Estee Lauder Double Wear (in 'Ecru'). After my holiday, I noticed that the suncream had done me no favours in the blemish-department and so have returned to my old faithful high-coverage miracle and I can't see myself ever turning back. It dries upon application, leaving a flawless, matte base that does not budge all day.

So, so many times I have gotten a whiff of a beautiful scent, desperately seeking out the person in question to find out what it is that they are using, only to be (luckily) told that it's the low-priced bad boy that is the Lady Gaga EDT. This perfume lasts so much longer than perfumes that are triple the price and at this price, it's a wonderful bargain. Another scent that I have been absolutely loving this month is the Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist in Coconut Passion. If you have not smelt this, then you are seriously missing out. It is holiday in a bottle- by far the best day-scent that you could ever imagine. There's not a time when I've not got this in the bottom of my handbag, ready to spritz to give myself that holiday vibe.

I've been trying to rid myself of my blotchy, red face of late and so have been trying out a couple of new steps in my routine; 'what are your favourites?' I hear you ask.. Well it has to be the Aveeno Positively Radiant Serum and Eye Cream. I like to use the over the top of my Hydraluron serum and they just make my skin look and feel to fresh, hydrated and definitely much, much brighter. They sink in pretty quickly, so it's not too much hassle to wear underneath makeup too, pretty handy when you're in a rush. (um, is it just me that's always in a rush or?!)

As just said, I have constantly been in a rush to get to work since getting back off holiday (I blame the late-night cocktail sessions and the lazy morning that I got far too used to). This month, my go-to lip combo has to be Mac 'Please Me' & Maybelline Coloursensational Lip Liner in 'Velvet Beige'. I can see myself having to repurchase them asap because they are getting pretty used up. They are natural enough to make it kind of low-key for work, but they are enough to make me look like I have full, luscious lips.. (which I so dont). They are also very easy to apply whilst driving, which is a massive bonus but don't tell my mum that; she'll be wayyy angry. *Both hands on the wheel, eyes on the road*

Whilst on the subject of makeup, another favourite of mine is the Yves St Lauren Touche Eclat. This cult beauty product has always been high on my wish list, however I've never really needed it.. wait, is there ever really a makeup product that you need? Duh, of course there is. Anyway, since steering clear of the fake tan, I've realised that covering dark circles is a lot harder when you're pale, but this wonder product has really helped make me look more human- I'm not sure how I lived without this before. Also, the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette is another thing that I've found a liking for; at first I figured that the colours are, well, basic (obviously), but I found it hard to work with however I took it on holiday and wow, it's the best palette I've ever owned. 

The last thing on my list this month is the Malibu Miracle Tan, however I have totally forgotten to add it into this photo so I'll pop a link onto the end as to where you can get it. Being ghostly pale, it takes me a very long time to get an actual tan that's not from a bottle.. I burn easily and even when I do tan, it goes a very funny reddy-brown (not at all bronze-goddess, more burnt-lobster, sob). So when my sister gave me the this product to try, I figured that I didn't really have  much to lose. Quick info; you pop in on before and after sun exposure (it doesn't contain SPF) and it supposedly brings the melanin upwards, giving you a quicker, deeper, long-lasting tan. I used this morning and evening on a week's trip to Gran Canaria and I can assure you that I am actually brown. Real, proper tan-brown! So much so that I actually went out to town and everyone complimented me and asked which fake tan I was using as it looks so natural! Go and get one of these right now.. I will be stocking up, that's for sure! (you can get this here)

xxx