New Year and No Diet

Hello everyone :)

Sorry in advance about today's post! It's basically just me having a little rant.

It seems like almost everyone around me is on a new years diet! I mean, good luck to them all, and I hope they do well, but it's starting to make me feel like I'm wrong for not caring about my weight?! Isn't that kind of the opposite of what normally happens?!

I'm 5ft 7 and a size 10. I've been a size 6/8 for years but have spent the last 8 months or so being seriously ill, in and out of hospital, and on various different medications and treatments. Yes, I've put weight on as a result of a mixture of bed rest, tablets and hormone treatments. I've finally got to a place where the doctors are happy with my progress and I can finally get on with the rest of my life, so to be completely honest, my weight is the last thing on my mind. I just want to claim my life back and enjoy myself!

For those of you who don't know, I had sarcoidosis.. which basically means your immune system attacks all the healthy cells in your body. I had fluid in my lungs, kidney damage, fluid on my spine, cycts in my joints, nerve damage, decreased eye sight and was deaf in one ear. It was horrible.

Now, I'm happy to be a bit bigger than normal if that means I can be healthy, go out and see my friends, and not have to spend time in hospital anymore.

I'm sorry for the rant, and I do honestly wish all the best to those of you on a diet, I just feel wrong for not caring about my weight, and I wondered if I was alone in this?!

As normal, all comments welcomed :)

Love to you all x

MUA vs W7: Naked Palette Dupe

Hello everyone :)

Hope you're all ok and having a lovely week! Today, I have a little comparison post for you. I am comparing the MUA Undressed Palette with the W7 In The Buff Palette to see which is a better dupe for the infamous Naked Palettes! I have tried both out over the last week or two, and am now ready to tell you what I think...

(Shade 1 - 12 from bottom to top)

Firstly we will start with the MUA Palette. A bargain at only £4, and I read so many good reviews about this that I was very excited to try it! The shades are well pigmented, and they do blend together, but this takes a bit of work I find. I don't know if it's just to do with the colours I like to use together, but I find that the colours are quite powdery and crumbley so tend to get a bit all over the place sometimes. I use my own brushes, but it still takes a steady hand and quite a bit of patience to get the look I'm after from these colours. Also, I find that the lighter colours (hardly visible on the pics) don't show at all on my skin, even as a highlighter! I do like this palette, and I don't regret buying it for the price, but there are only around 5 shades in here that I like to use, so there isn't a huge amount of versatility for me personally. I'd give it 5/10. 

Next, the W7 In the Buff Palette....

(Shade 1 - 12 from bottom to top)

This palette was also a bargain at £4.99. Personally, I like this palette A LOT more. As you can see from the swatches, the colours are well pigmented and are also a lot smoother to apply, plus they last all day without really fading which I love! Since buying this only a few days ago, I have played about with it a lot and have honestly found a use for every shade. It is also quite a bit bigger than the MUA palette. To be completely honest, the main reason I bought this was because the name made me giggle in the shop! But I'm very glad I did buy it, and as much as I'm a huge fan of MUA, I can see me getting a lot more use out of these shades! I'd give this one 8/10!

In terms of the applicators that you get with them both, I wouldn't personally use either. I always like to use my own brushes to apply my makeup, but I did try both of them a couple of times to test, and neither of them are that bad to be honest. They would be handy for a quick application if you were out and about, but then again who takes a full palette out with them? 

I do like both, but as a dupe for the wonderful Naked palettes, I would have to go with W7! Great value for money, lovely shades, and long lasting wear. What more could you ask for?! 

Have any of you used these, and if so what do you think? 

Love to you all x

Argan Oil Night Repair Serum Review

Hello everyone :)

Hope you're all trying to take part in Treat Yourself Tuesdays! Today, I have a bargain review post for you. Those who read my blog will know that in the past I have raved about Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, and said how amazing it was for jut £1 each (review of them here). Well about 2 weeks ago, I went shopping and wanted to pick some more of it up, when I noticed that they also do a night repair serum, also for only £1! I wasn't too hopeful for that price, but because I love their hair products (have also talked about my love for their hair oil) I decided to try it. Well... I've used it every night for 2 weeks now and I LOVE it!

For just £1 you get 50 ml of the product, which I can see lasting me ages. It smells clean and quite similar to the hair care range. It has a glass bottle which is a nice touch for the price and makes it seem a lot more expensive. You squeeze out a couple of drops, which is more than enough, and it massages into the skin easily and doesn't feel greasy at all. 

During winter I tend to get quite dry skin, especially around my nose, and have tried a lot of different products to help solve this. Some of the more high end brands such as Murad, REN, and Clinique all work wonders on my skin, but as a cheaper alternative I can't fault this. I honestly think it works almost as well as the high end stuff! 

As I said, it's non greasy, so feels nice and clean to apply before bed, and in the morning my skin feels smooth, soft and well hydrated. Most of the time I use my Murad eye cream too but that's just personal preference, and when I tried it on its own it still did a great job. 

It is a tad runny, but still easy to apply, and soaks in quickly so your skin doesn't feel wet, as mine can do sometimes when I use a serum. I'm not sure how well this would work as a healing night serum on someone with oily skin as it does add a lot of moisture to the skin, but for anyone with dry to normal skin, I can't recommend it highly enough. Especially for just £1! I love a bargain :) 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this product! I can see it becoming part of my daily skin regime quite happily! 

Have any of you tried this, or any other products in their range? 

Love to you all x

End of January Wishlist

Hello everyone!

Are you all as happy as I am that the weekend is here?! I'm not doing much, but still, it hits Friday night and you just seem to relax and let your mind wonder a bit more than you do in the week. In the theme of letting your mind wander, today I have a little wishlist post for you! There are so many things that I want right now and I could easily spend a fortune, but I've told myself no, and instead had to narrow it down to 6 things (was supposed to be 5 but I couldn't get that far... Oops!).

1. New Look Contrast Collar Tea Dress - £22.99

I don't own many things from New Look, but when I saw this on the ASOS website I loved it. So simple, yet elegant with the detailing in the collar. The cut looks like it would be flattering on my body shape too, so I think its a bargain at £22.99. 

2. ASOS Parish High Heels - £45 

I noticed the other day that most of my heels are black or bright colours, so I wanted something to fill the gap.... Smart, but not all black. I think these look a tad more sophisticated than most of the heels I own, so I would probably wear them more. That's the plan anyway, I just think they're lovely! 

3. Topshop Turnlock Satchel - £28 

To be honest, I don't own many things from Topshop either. I used to like their shoes and bags but then seemed to drift away from them. In terms of clothing the only items I own from there are a couple of pairs of jeans. I just think this satchel looks so unbelievably sweet! I'm also loving the pastel colour for spring! 

4. Illamasqua Concealer - (RRP £13) £5 in the Sale! 

I absolutely love Illamasqua makeup. Mainly their foundation and concealer. I've used this before and loved it, but can't always afford to spend £13 on a concealer, but for £5 in the Sale, count me in! The other night I may have made a sneaky purchase of their cream foundation too... 

5. MUA Undress Me Too Palette - £4

I bought my first MUA palette earlier this week, and am absolutely in love with it! I just can't believe the quality you get for only £4! I bought the Undressed palette and so am already looking forward to trying the Undress Me Too palette as soon as possible. Such great pigmentation and a lovely variations of shades. 

6. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - £7.99

I've read so many reviews on this product, and although opinions tend to be mixed, I still want to give it a go for myself anyway. I never really jumped on the Baby Lips bandwagon, but this looks like it's more up my street. I love a good primer, and have been using the Porefessional for a while now. It's about to run out, so I'm looking for an alternative (and if it's a cheaper alternative that would be a bonus) to try, and I think this might be it! 

So that's my current thinned down wishlist! What are you all lusting after at the minute? 

Thank you for reading, and comments are always loved and appreciated :)

Love to you all x

Pantene Pro-V 1 Min Wonder Ampoules

Hello everyone :)

Today I have a little hair care review post!

I picked these Pantene Pro-V 1 Min Wonder Ampules up in my local Tesco a week or so ago as they were on offer for around £2.35. I don't normally use too many products on my hair, just the normal shampoo, conditioner, and then either my Tresemme Platinum Strength Leave in Conditioner or my Argan Oil. But lately, probably because of the cold weather and the constant drying effects of central heating, my hair has been feeling a bit dry. I was browsing the shelves, and thought I'd give these a go. For the price, they were definitely worth a try. 

I was a bit worried that they would leave my hair feeling greasy, but they didn't. I noticed a difference as soon as my hair was dry. It felt softer and looked a bit shinier too. You only get a small amount of the product in each capsule, which isn't really enough for my long hair, so I ended up only putting on the very ends. There wasn't a dramatic difference, but enough for me to notice it.

The product smells clean and fresh, and for the price I was pleased with the results. I don't know if I will purchase them again, but I will be more than happy to use the rest of what I have left. 

Overall, I did like these little capsules, but I've tried ones from other brands before and noticed a much bigger difference than I did with these. If I had really damaged and dry hair then these would definitely not be enough to solve the problem, but for me, I suppose it was just what I needed. Plus you can't really argue for just over £2 can you!? 

Have any of you tried these, and if so what did you think? 

Thank you for taking the time to read, and all comments are, as always, loved and appreciated. 

Love to you all x

Leibster Award!

Hello my lovelies! 

Today's post is exciting for me as I have been nominated for a Leibster Award by the lovely Karun over at simplykarun.blogspot.co.uk :) This means so much to me and I'm so excited! I would highly recommend her blog too, it really is brilliant! 

The Rules: 

1. Mention the person who nominated you and link their blog. 

2. Answer the 11 questions set to you by the person who nominated you. 

3. Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 

4. Set them 11 questions that you want them to answer. 

I really do think the Leibster Award is a lovely idea, as it helps newer bloggers get more attention and recognition, and links bloggers with each other. So here we go! 

11 Questions given by Karun:

1) What's your favorite thing about blogging? 

-- Honestly, the amazing blogging community. When I started it was just a way for me to ramble on about my love for makeup and beauty, but the people I've started talking to are all lovely and supportive. It's improved my confidence hugely. 

2) Would you rather never be able to follow a trend again or give up makeup? 

-- Probably never follow a trend. I like to do my own thing a lot of the time anyway, and I honestly couldn't give up my makeup obsession now! Haha, it's past the point of no return! 

3)Give one interesting fact about yourself. 

-- Urm... I might have mentioned it before, but I don't only write about beauty, I'm trained as a fashion journalist, and have also had some philosophy essays published in national journals.

4)What is your all time favorite beauty brand?

-- This is a hard one... I love Benefit but can't always afford them, so my go-to high-street brand is probably Rimmel. 

5) what is your all time favorite beauty product?

-- Clinique's Take Off The Day Makeup Remover. I could not live without it! Removes makeup so easily, and leaves my skin feeling clean, fresh and hydrated at the same time. 

6) What trend are you loving at the moment? 

-- Like I said, I don't really tend to follow trends as such. I buy something new if I like the look of it, and over winter I guess I've been really into the bright red or deep plum coloured lipsticks. Don't know if you could call that a trend though... 

7)What is your favorite blog to read?

-- I've been sat thinking about this for about 5 mins now and can't come up with an answer. I love so many wonderful blogs, and my favorite changes daily.. sometimes even hourly! 

8)What is your favorite type of post to write?

-- Haul posts. But to do those I have to spend money and buy a lot of things, which is both good and bad! I like doing good honest reviews though as well. If I get blogger block my go-to is a wishlist post. 

9)What would your dream holiday be?

-- Probably a shopping trip to New York. Always wanted to go there. Am looking at Hawaii for my honeymoon too though and am hugely excited at that idea. We would just need to save a huge amount on top of what we already need for the wedding! 

10)What is your ideal pamper evening?

-- Treat Yourself Tuesdays haha! A quiet night in with a bubble bath, candles, face mask and nail painting. Probably with a glass of wine too :) 

11) What piece of advice would you tell your younger self?

-- Don't waste your time worrying about what you are going to do with your life! It's ok not to have a plan, and you can never predict where life is going to take you. Just make the most of every day and enjoy the ride! 

Now I Nominate:

taylorscollectionn.blogspot.co.uk

sallysaysbeauty.blogspot.com

rainbowsandpolkadots.wordpress.com

Bloggerhannah13.blogspot.com

helloemski.blogspot.com

theseasoffashion.blogspot.com

Mynameisjilly.blogspot.

beediesbeautyblog.blogspot.co.uk

hellomandyhello.blogspot.com.au

robynrantsandraves.com

myfairpixel.com/beautyblog.html

My 11 Questions....

1. When you're not studying/working/blogging, what is your favorite thing to do?

2. What would be your dream job? 

3. How old were you when you got into beauty/fashion? 

4. What made you start a blog? 

5. Be honest... How long did it take you to come up with your blog name? 

6. Favorite thing to watch on TV? 

7. Do you read many magazines, and if so which? 

8. Do you do most of your shopping in town or online?

9. Lipstick or mascara? 

10. Name one key item in your skin care routine that you couldn't live without? 

11. What would you say to someone reading this who is wondering whether to start a blog or not? 

So there we go! Just wanted to say another huge thank you to Karun for nominating me, her blog is linked at the top and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It's amazing to know that there are people out there who actually like my random ramblings! 

Thank you for reading! 

Love to you all x

Treat Yourself Tuesdays

Hello my lovelies!

Today, I'm just going to do a little post about my new idea... Treat Yourself Tuesdays! I mentioned it on twitter earlier, and basically all it is, is one night a week that you put aside to pamper yourself. Today, I had a pretty stressful hospital appointment, and as I was walking out I noticed a Superdrug next door. I could see the makeup and I knew it wasn't going to end well, but as I walked around swatching lipsticks, I had an idea. Tonight, I was going to treat myself to a night of pampering. The idea stopped me from focusing on what I was going to buy, and instead, what I was going to do. I mean obviously I purchased a couple of things, but I did pretty well. One of the things I bought was an MUA Palette, and one thing I will do tonight is have a play about with it, create a few looks, swatch all the shades, and then I will do a review post on it. I love doing things like that. I've also had a lovely bubble bath and gave my hair a little treat, and tonight I will be painting my nails, and giving myself a little glow with my first fake tan of the year. I'm excited about this :) It is definitely going to become a tradition!

Reviews on what I did buy, including the MUA Undressed Palette and a lovely lipstick will be up shortly. As well as the Pantene Pro-V Shots which I tried for the first time today. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all can get on board with Treat Yourself Tuesdays! 

What do you like to do to pamper yourself? 

Love to you all x

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

Hello everyone!

Hope your'e all having a lovely weekend :) Today is a review post on Rimmel's Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation (quite a mouth full!!) and I have to say it's a pretty good one!

I don't normally buy matte foundations, and love the slight glow that my Wake Me Up foundation gives me, but as I was standing in Boots looking for my usual, I decided to try something new. I've read a few good reviews on this one, so decided to put my skepticism to one side and buy it.

The main thing I was worried about with a matte finish foundation was that it would be too dry and cakey. But it wasn't. The formula is very thick and it gives a very full coverage. I like this in a foundation as I have quite an uneven skin tone on my cheeks that I like to be covered, but if you're a fan of the barely there look, this isn't really for you. Saying that, it doesn't feel too thick and heavy on your skin, so you get that rare balance of coverage and a light weight feel. It's not as light as, say, a BB cream, but it's better than I was expecting.

Because of the unusual texture, I do find you get a better result when applying with your fingers and blending rather than with a brush, but it would probably work well with a good sponge too. Also, as it gives such good coverage, you only need a small amount, so I'm expecting it to last pretty well too.

There didn't seem to be that many shades to choose from, so I was testing them for a while. The skin colour on my face is completely different to on my hand, that's why it doesn't look a good match in the pic but it is on my face, and in the end I went for 201 Classic Beige. It seemed to be one of the darkest in the range, but I don't know if that's true or if they didn't have many out (its only a tiny shop), but it suits my medium skin tone perfectly. I think if you had very light or dark skin you would struggle to find a good match.

The foundation lasts on my skin for ages which is good, and still looks reasonably fresh at the end of the day which is a huge positive for me.

Overall I love this foundation. I think I paid £5.99 for it too which is a very reasonable price for a foundation that looks like it's going to last me a while. I wouldn't recommend it to someone with really dry skin, as it may exaggerate dry patches, but even then with a good thick moisturizer underneath I'm sure it would be ok.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this, and any comments are as always appreciated! Have you tried this foundation? If so what did you think?

Love to you all x

Leibster Award!

Hello :) Well, yesterday I was nominated for a Leibster Award by the lovely Beautiful Things. I am a huge fan of her blog lookinglovelyyy.blogspot.co.uk so was over the moon when she told me she had nominated me! I would definitely suggest you check out her blog! The Leibster Award, for those who don't know, is designed to help bloggers typically with less than 200 followers get more recognition and connect with each other. Such a brilliant idea! 

The Rules: 

You must link back to the person who nominated you 

You must answer the 11 questions given to you by the nominee before you

You must 11 pick nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions 

You cannot nominate the person who nominated you 

You must let the people you nominate know they have been nominated 

The Questions Given To Me: 

1.What is your favourite magazine?

-- Vogue! I love reading Vogue, and am always excited when it comes through my letter box every month. 

2. Does anyone know you blog?

-- My other half knows (as I am always taking the laptop to blog/read blogs or taking pics in the middle of the room) and a couple of friends know from twitter. My family don't though. 

3. What do you most like to read on other peoples blogs?

-- I love wishlist posts, although that means I'm always adding new things to my wishlist! 

4. What do you like to watch on telly?

-- I don't watch that much TV to be honest. If I do, I'm not hugely into girly programs and prefer detective shows like Dexter, Elementary, Hannibal and The Following.

5. Do you support any sports team?

-- Not into watching sport at all. I'm often subjected to football by the other half, but I wouldn't choose to watch it. The only thing I watch are the England games, and that's just because I feel like I should! 

6. How often do you blog?

-- I try to blog as often as I can, but life often gets in the way. I aim for 3 posts a week, but it's usually more like 2. 

7. What is the proudest moment of your life so far?

-- The happiest and most proud I have ever felt was when my best friend gave birth to her beautiful daughter :) Can't believe that's nearly 2 years ago now! 

8. Do you have any pets?

-- No not anymore :( Often look after my sisters little dog, but would love my own. Either a puppy or a house bunny.

9. If you could change one thing about your self what would it be?

-- The fact that I struggle to completely relax. I'm stressed out most of the time, which doesn't benefit anything! If I took a deep breath and relaxed more I'd probably get more done. 

10. Favourite make up brand?

-- This is a tricky one! I LOVE Clinique and Benefit, but can't always afford to shop there. So my go-to drugstore brand is probably Rimmel. Love their Wake Me Up foundation and the Appocalips range is amazing. 

11. Do you prefer a bath or shower?

-- A lovely bubble bath :) 

I Nominate: 

forvanityssake

lifeandbeauty94

lovelaceybeauty

cazmosworld

youfounderin

pinkfrenzymissl

lillymint

surelychar

lusciouslane

whyhellobeauty

the-wallflowerrr

My Questions To You:

1. What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?

2. When shopping, where do you normally head to first? 

3. Name one item in your make up bag that you own way too many of? 

4. Who, if anyone, is your style inspiration?

5. How much time a week would you say you put into your blog?

6. What made you start blogging?

7. What is the most expensive impulse purchase you've ever made? 

8. What is your favourite type of music?

9. How did you meet your best friend? 

10. Where in the world do you most want to visit? 

11. What would you say is your best feature? 

Thank you so much again to Beautiful Things for the nomination, and to all those nominated, I can't wait to read your replies :)

Love to you all x

Murad Gift Set Review

Hello everyone :)

Well, its nearly the weekend, and I know that I'm not the only one who is stupidly excited about this!

Tonight, I thought I'd give my skin a little treat to say sorry for the late nights and makeup filled days that have come from being back in my normal routine. Way back in October last year, I bought this little set from feelunique.com containing sample products by Murad. The set contained a 3.7 ml tube of Rejuvenating Lift for neck and decollete, a 3.5 ml pot of Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate cream for eyes, a 10 ml tube of Oil-Free Sunscreen and a small sachet of Pomegranate Exfoliating Face Mask. All these 4 products also came in the cutest little cosmetics bag which has now become my travel makeup bag :)

(image from feelunique.com)

This is sold as the summer gift set (shows how long ago I bought it and have only just got round to trying it), and is now only £6.99 in the sale! I only paid £9.99 for it though so that's not too bad. The reason I bought the little gift set version is because I have never tried any products from Murad before, so wanted to give them a test before I plunged for the full price versions. 

I only got round to testing them a week or two ago, as they somehow slipped into my 'to test' pile and its taken me this long to get round to it. Oops! However, I am loving them! I haven't had much use from the Rejuvenating Lift Serum, but as I don't yet have a problem with loose skin so I don't think it's targeted at someone my age anyway, however it is a lovely thick non-greasy formula.

The sunscreen I've put on a couple of times in the morning underneath my makeup, but again, it is a product I'd get a lot more use out of in summer, however this again is a lovely light formula with a light floral scent, so is actually working quite well as a day cream underneath my makeup. 

The mask and the under eye cream however, are amazing! The sachet of face mask came with around 2 uses in it, so both me and a friend tried it together. That way I got to see how it reacted on her slightly oily skin, as well as my sensitive skin. It is marked as an exfoliating mask, however it is super smooth in texture with no bits which I wasn't expecting. It's clear, rather thin and liquidy and you rub it into your skin like moisturiser. Leave it to dry for 10 - 15 mins and then wash off. It leaves skin smooth, hydrated and feeling really clean. It worked just as well on her skin too. What more could you ask for? 

The under eye cream (which comes in the cutest little pot, which would be perfect to keep and re-use for home made lip balms) is also brilliant. It's thick but not greasy, and leaves skin feeling really healthy and well nourished. After a couple of uses, I also noticed that the skin around my eyes was a lot brighter and firmer. However the full sized product is around £50, which is more than I normally choose to spend.  But now I've seen the gift sets in the sale, I might buy a couple and stock up on my samples! It will also be going on my birthday wish list :)

The link to the set is here.

I am loving using this set, and even though it is branded as the summer essentials kit, it is helping to keep my skin bright and well hydrated in the cold months of winter, so I'd say it is perfect for all year round. 

Have any of you tried any Murad products? If so what did you think? 

Thank you for reading, and as always all comments are hugely appreciated. 

Love to you all x

Lush Haul

Hello my lovelies!

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, just been trying to settle back into life after the holidays.

Earlier I posted a picture on twitter of my Lush online order, and it was such a good order that I thought I'd do a little haul post on it! When they get delivered I will do a couple of review posts as there's 2 things in there that I've actually never tried before!

The items I ordered were:

•  Blackberry Bath Bomb - £2.46
• The Comforter Bubble Bar - £3.75
• Amandopondo Bubble Bar - £2.29
• 100g Small Flying Fox Shower Gel - £4.13 
• Bubblegum Lip Scrub - £4.58
• The Sacred Truth Fresh Face Mask - £4.96 

Is it me, or do the prices seem really random? Or have I just never noticed this before? Anyway, the Blackberry Bath bombs are a favorite of mine, and I've even tried them and loved them from other brands! This one smells amazing, and is really good at helping me to unwind. Very relaxing. I usually save them for a Friday night after a very busy week.

Again, the Comforter Bubble Bar is a popular favorite. Sweet smelling and extremely pretty. There's not much I can say about this, other than it's great, and if you haven't tried it yet, you should!

The Amandopondo Bubble Bar is one I never really hear people talk about. It's got a very light fragrance of rose and lemon, and just smells really clean. It's also VERY pretty (like most things from Lush) with a little rose bud on the top of it. I only tried it for the first time a week or so ago after getting one as a gift, and am already back to buy another one (it hasn't run out yet, I just thought I'd stock up).

Next, the Flying Fox Shower Gel is one of the things I've never tried, that's why I only bought a small one. I've loved every shower gel I've tried from Lush, so I doubt I'll be too disappointed. Plus , I do love anything with honey in it! Will review when I've tried it :)

The Bubblegum Lip Scrub is another popular item, along with the Popcorn one. I have to say, I prefer the Bubblegum to the Popcorn, as I prefer the sweet sugary smell and the bright colour.

The Sacred Truth Face Mask is another one that I have never tried. To be honest, I've never tried any of their face mask range. I don't know why, but I always just seem to go straight for the bath and shower products and that's it really. I love a good face mask, and I'm really excited to give this a go! It contains wheatgrass and fresh papaya, so I'm pretty sure my skin is going to love it. I hope it smells as good as it sounds.... nice and fruity!

So that's my recent Lush haul, and I can't wait for it to come! Will post pictures and reviews as soon as it arrives and I've tried my new items! Ordering this was the perfect little mid week pick-me-up after a stressful and rainy few days.

Have any of you tried these, and if so what do you think? All comments welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you for reading...

Love to you all x

My 2014 Goals

Hello my lovelies :)

The plan was to upload a review post today on some of the things I got for Christmas. Today has been a very dark day and I struggled for ages to get the lighting right in the pics, only for them to appear even darker when uploaded to blogger. I don't want to do a half-hearted attempt at a post, so it has been drafted for another day when I can spend more time working on my pictures.

So for now, I thought I might as well get on with my goals for 2014 post. This is one I've been meaning to write since New Years Eve really, but wasn't 100% sure on what it was exactly that I wanted to achieve this year. 2013 was a mixed bag for me. On the downside, I spent a large part of the year really ill and being treated by a bunch of different doctors at the hospital, but on the plus side, it was also the year that me and my fiance got our own place, and the year I started my blog. These two things have made me so happy that I'll still class the year as a success.

As for 2014, I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to make it perfect and amazing. As long as me and my family are healthy and happy, I am happy to face whatever it throws at me. But I do think it's a good idea to have something to work towards, so here goes:

Personal Goals: 

1. Try and eat healthier. Not a diet or anything, just try to eat more fruit instead of living off cookies. Also drink more water.
2. Write a book. I've always wanted to do this, but it's seemed too big a task to face. This is the year I will finally attempt it.
3. Take more pictures of family moments. My photo taking is often limited to blogging or nights out, and I want more of the time I spend with my parents, sisters and nephew to be captured in photos.
4. Set a date for my wedding. Me and the other half have so many ideas on what we want, but haven't got round to picking a day. It will be picked this year, hopefully for next year :)

Blogging Goals:

1. Have more variation with my posts. Try to include some OOTD posts, or even some tutorial posts.
2. Leave more comments on other peoples blogs. I read so many and LOVE them all so much, but I often forget to comment, and I know how much it means to me when people take the time to comment on mine.
3. Greatly improve my photos. Should be a bit better now I have my new camera and I'm not relying on my iPad camera!!!

So there we go, that's what I hope to achieve in the year to come. I've read a few peoples blog posts about their goals for 2014, but love reading them, so feel free to leave links :) and.... i'll take the time to comment :P

Love to you all x

2013 Beauty Favorites...

Hello everyone, and happy New Year!!

Hope everyone had a great NYE and are now having a good start to 2014.

I can't believe how quickly 2013 went. It was such a busy year, and the year in which I started my little blog! It was also the year that I really got into trying a testing a lot of different beauty and make up products, and there were definitely a few that really stood out to me. I did a post on this at the end of Nov, and will put the link to that (here) however since then, I've been thinking about it a bit more, and have a couple more products that I feel deserve a special mention from the past year.


1. JASON soothing 98% Aloe Vera gel 

This is a really light weight moisturising gel, which I find perfect for those times when you just need a light touch of moisture to your skin. For those good skin days, I use this, and it helps my skin feel fresh and clean. It's also great in summer to help combat the effects of the heat. It costs between £4 and £7 depending on where you buy it from. I bought mine from feelunique.com a while a ago, and they have a great range of other JASON products too. It's been a staple of mine since I bought it a few months ago. 

2. Tresemme Platinum Strength Leave In Conditioner 

I bought this product around Sept/Oct time when it was on offer in my local Tesco store. It retails at between the £5 and £6 mark, which is pretty standard for Tresemme products, and for that you get 125ml of the product. It is a leave in treatment that you use after you've washed your hair, and it is supposed to make hair look healthier, claiming to revive up to 2 years worth of damage. My hair is in pretty good condition anyway, but I definitely noticed a difference in shine after a couple of uses. The product smells lovely, and is thick and creamy but doesn't make hair greasy. You also only need a little bit of the product (I have long hair and run it through 2 thirds, and I use 2 pumps at a time) so it lasts for ages. I love it. 

3. Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliating Cream 

I first tried this last January when I got a small tube of it in a sample kit containing 4 or 5 skin products. After trying it, I had to go out and purchase the full sized version. It's an all over body exfoliating cream, great for elbows and knees, that not only leaves skin feeling smooth, but also cool and clean. You get a light tingling feeling after using it which I love. It's great to use for a quick brighten up in the shower when skin feels dull, and I also found it brilliant to use before using fake tan, as it really does leave skin perfectly smooth. It costs £22.50 from Clinique, which does sound a tad pricey, but it's so concentrated with beads and works so well that it lasts a long time. Mine lasted around 6 - 7 months. 

So there we go, I just wanted to add those few products onto my already existing list of 2013 beauty loves. Hope the new year has started well for you all, and if any of you have done any best of 2013 posts, please link them in a comment as I'd love to check them out. 

Thank you for reading. 

Love to you all x