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