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

Christmas 2013

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, filled with food, family and presents :)

Sorry for the lack of posts recently... it's been majorly hectic over the holidays and I haven't had a moment to myself to get on the laptop and write. I now have a free night before New Years Eve to sit and catch up with all things blog related!

Firstly tonight, I wanted to do a quick Christmas post. I have been so lucky this year, and feel so privileged to have the most amazing family and friends. Here are a few pics of our day...

Sorry about the quality of the pics, I may have had a bit too much wine with dinner and the pics I took got progressively more blurry as the day went on! But over all I had a lovely day, and am planning to do a few review posts over the next couple of weeks of a few of the things I got (book/outfit/make up posts), so I promise the pics in them posts will be a lot better! 

Thank you for reading, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I would love to know how all of you spent your day? 

Comments always appreciated! 

Love to you all x

2013's Beauty Loves

Hello everyone!

As those who follow me on twitter might have seen, the other day I was reading Grazia, and they had a section all about their 2013 beauty awards, listing all of their favorite products from this year. It got me thinking about what mine are, and I decided to do a post about it. Sorry in advance for the lack of photos, a lot of the stuff I decided on has either run out and needs to be re-bought, or is in such a well used state that it would NOT look it's best in a picture!

So here we go :)

1. Clinique Take Off The Day Make Up Remover 

I know I go on and on about Clinique's makeup remover, but I honestly think its the best out there. I've tried a lot of different ones, and this is the only one that makes me feel like I'm doing something really nourishing to my skin by taking makeup off. It feels like moisturising. The one I buy (and I'm running out... please bring me some Santa!) is £17 for 125ml, and that lasts me ages! The last one I got was for my birthday in June, which makes it value for money as well as a really good product.

2. Balance Me Balancing Face Moisturiser

I've talked about Balance Me's moisturiser before when I got a small free sample in a magazine a while ago. I talked about its light floral scent, it's thick creamy texture, and the way that it manages to deeply hydrate your skin without feeling greasy. I loved it. So when it ran out, I went and bought myself the full sized version! It was £24 for 50ml. I bought it last month and have used less than a quarter, so I can see this product lasting me a long time. You don't need a lot to really feel the benefits!

3. Benefit Full Finish Lipstick in Slow Zone

This lipstick is a light pink, and makes my complexion look so much lighter and fresher. Its well pigmented and doesn't seem to dry my lips out like a lot of lipstick tend to do. I bought it for £14 a while ago, but when I looked on the benefit website earlier, I see its now £7. I may have cheekily ordered myself another when I saw that!

4. Barry M Foil Effect in Gold 

Now I know I talked about this in my post for #TheWinterProject, so I won't say too much about it, but it has been my go to nail polish ever since I bought it. Whenever I'm stuck on what to do with my nails, this is what I choose. You do have to buff them beforehand as the foil effect means it picks up any ridges, but one coat and it gives you a feeling of instant glamour. Was perfect in the sunshine, and its perfect for the party season. All for just £3.99. LOVE it :)

5. Redken Colour Extend Rich Recovery Protective Treatment

I love Redken. When I buy their products though, I do tend to buy the gift sets which include little bits of everything in them, and I always go for the colour protect range. I dye my hair a lot, and this is the best product I've found for helping to keep my colour looking bright and my hair feeling healthy. It's the only full size product I buy, and 250ml is £17.50 from feelunique.com. It smells lovely, and this treatment is my go to product to keep my hair looking bright and healthy. The perfect treat for your hair! Also, the pot lasts quite a long time (depending on hair length and how often you use it of course). I have quite long hair but only use the product when I feel my hair needs a boost, and it lasts me a couple of months. 

6. Chanel Chance 

Now I'm not one to usually do a fragrance post, as I'm not a huge lover of perfume. I use it, but tend to stick to what I like and don't try many new ones. This is my favorite of all time though. I buy it over and over, and never get tired of the light, fresh scent that it gives. I cant go into what the various tones are as I will admit I know nothing about all that, but I can say it smells lovely, and I never get bored of it. Prices vary from place to place, but the last bottle I bought was from thefragranceshop, and I got 35ml for £47.50. It is a bit pricey, but in my opinion, completely worth it, as its the only one I wear.

My Best Discovery of 2013 
What I thought I'd do, is also give a mention to the best brand that I've come across this year, and all things considered, it has to be the VERY reasonably prices MUA. With a lot of products for just £1, they are exceptional value for money, and everything I've tried from them, including eyeshadows, lipsticks, nail polishes, powder and eyeliner has been brilliant. Well pigmented, long lasting, and good for my skin. Why would you not love all that for such low prices!? I cant wait to try their highlighter, as I've read some rave reviews about it.

Well, they are my top beauty loves of this year. Sorry this post has been a tad wordy, will do a lighter post next time :) As always, all comments are appreciated, and thank you for reading!

Love to you all x