Sunday 29 March 2015

Vintage Inspired Beauty


I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I flipping well love Bourjois.  After over-looking the brand for so long, now I can't get enough and is definitely my favourite 'durgstore' brand.  Another firm favourite product of theirs is the Java Rice Powder, or the 'Poudre de Rize de Java'. I'm sure you've seen this blogged about a million times already, and if you've not given in and gone out and bought it, then WHY??!  This is actually a re-release of one of Bourjois' original products that has been reformulated to celebrate their 150th anniversary.  I didn't realise Bourjois had been around that long, it's pretty amazing when you think about it, and almost worth a purchase based on that fact alone!

The powder is quite heavily scented, so if you have sensitive skin it could be something to bare in mind.  Once applied to the skin though the smell pretty much disappears so even if you're not a fan of heavily perfumed products, it's not really an issue.  It's rather glittery in the pot but this disappears on application so no disco-ball effect here. Instead, it just brightens the skin, while helping to blur out an fine lines or imperfections.  If you prefer a more matte finish, then this probably isn't for you.  However, I find something a little more luminous suits me better and this fits the bill perfectly.

I really do like the packaging too, it pays homage to the original with a vintage feel.  It's made of a sturdy plastic, with a twist mechanism inside to stop too much powder being distributed.  This certainly help things to stop getting too messy, although it's easy to still spill a little on your dressing table.  I'd be a little dubious of travelling with this, and do wish Bourjois would bring out a compact version too.  I've heard the powder is comparable to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders so, in theory, a compact version would certainly be possible.  I can only hope!

What do you think of this powder?
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Thursday 26 March 2015

Deployment Diaries #1




As some of you will already know, my boyfriend Steven is in the Army.  A couple of weeks ago, he left for a six month deployment. Since he went, I've been toying with the idea of doing a sort of 'deployment diary' on here, with little updates on how we're getting on, what I've been doing to keep busy and so on.  I'm not sure how much interest it'd be to the majority, but here goes anyway!

So far, things haven't been too bad. They've been a hell of a lot better than I'd anticipated. Obviously I had a little cry the first day he went, but after a mahoosive bar of chocolate and a good nights sleep, I woke up feeling pretty good all things considered! I've been working pretty much full time every week and we've been super busy so that's helped to keep my mind occupied.  By the time I'm home from work, got changed and had my tea, I'm shattered so all I want to do is curl up in bed and binge watch Netflix, my current favourite being Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. (That show is all kinds of awesome...)  I thought I'd be a complete wreck, and while I've certainly had my moments, on the whole I've been my usual (mostly!) positive self.

Decent contact between us has certainly contributed to that I think.  He warned me before he went that he couldn't guarantee how often we'd be in touch as the Internet signal isn't particularly great, and obviously phone calls are pretty much a no-go unless we want massive bills.  But as it turns out, contact has been pretty great.  He gets 45 free minutes of Internet use in the computer room each day. Although this isn't a huge amount, it's enough for a quick chat via Facebook each evening.  As we expected, the signal isn't great so there's a slight delay in him getting my messages so there's not a great deal of chat, but more than enough to catch up on eachothers' day and what we're up to that evening etc.  There's also Skype booths which we used for the first time this week.  It's a bit tricky for him to get a slot though as you have to book in first thing on a morning and once all the slots have gone, that's it.  It's a bit like trying to phone your doctors' for an appointment when they open on a morning! He also gets a 100 minute Internet card for his room, which comes in handy for the odd message during the day, or if he can't get to the computer room for whatever reason.  

Before he left, I came up with a plan. For each of the months that he's away, I was going to plan a little trip somewhere so every month I had one big thing to look forward too, along with lots of little things to look forward to of course! But I thought that if I just counted down to each of the 'big things' as opposed to counting down six whole months, it'd help the time go quicker.  The first of these things is coming up in just three more weeks... three weeks!! I'm going to see Wicked on tour in Sunderland.  I saw it in London over 5 years ago now and just fell in love with it, even though I was sat right near the back. I've been dying to see it again ever since, and am even guilty of searching YouTube for videos of it; I've actually watched the whole show online at least another three times! This time we're sat about four rows from the front so there will certainly be  a better view; I'm just worried I'll sing along as I know all the words now...! We're making a night of it and staying over, so we'll be going out for a few drinks and maybe a little dance (but not too much, we know how much I hate clubbing....) after the show. I can't wait! 

So basically, it's so far, so good! Obviously I miss him loads and it's early days but these last few weeks of told me that I can handle this deployment, and now that he's there, the countdown to him coming home begins!


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Wednesday 25 March 2015

Holy Grail Hair Product


I count myself lucky when it comes to my hair, it's generally in pretty good condition and I don't have to do too much to get it to look how I would like.  That said, like many of us, I get my hair coloured regularly and I'm perhaps a little too fond of heated appliances, so I am naturally drawn towards products that will counteract the damage these do, or prevent too much damage happening in the first place. This is the latest addition in my quest for healthier hair.  I was a bit dubious when I kept seeing it crop up here, there and everywhere;  I mean, what does a hair primer actually do?

Well... it comes with quite a hefty list of claims. Not only does is protect against heat and UV damage, but this blend of six featherlight oils also help to soften, de-tangle, de-frizz, tame flyaways, ease styling and protect against breakages... phew! Usually when I leave my freshly washed hair to dry on it's own, ALL of the above happen! It gets so frizzy and knotty and is just impossible to do anything with.  But after spritzing this onto towel dried hair and combing it through with my fingers, my hair dries to a much more manageable finish with a slight wave that's perfect for everyday.  I'll sometimes repeat this process as it's air-drying if I want to enhance this effect, but even just doing it the once is pretty miraculous and I actually feel I can leave the house with my hair looking like it does! It also smells gorgeous and doesn't weigh your hair down at all.

At £19 it's not exactly cheap, but with 250mls of product, it will last you a long time.  I've had mine over 3 months and still have absolutely loads left despite using it at least twice a week.

Have you tried any Bumble & Bumble products?




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Sunday 22 March 2015

Makeup Menu: Everyday Staples


These are probably the handful of procuts I currently couldn't live without. Everything else I switch up a lot; whether it be lipstick, eyeshadow, blush or mascara.  I might go for a smokey eye, or an eyeliner & bold lip look for a night out, or something quick and easy during the day.  Like anyone, it varies from day to day, depending where I'm going, what I'm doing, or how much time I have! But these are the things that, if I'm wearing a full face of makeup, I absolutely must use!  

While I don't have massive pores, they can be a bit bothersome on occastion, especially around my nose.  I find a thin layer of Porefessional keeps them under control and helps my foundation stay put for longer.  This is especially imporant when my foundation of choice isn't the longest wearing, but I find with a primer and the Bourjois powder, my Chanel Vita-Lumiere Aqua lasts as long as I need it to.  I've gone through so many tubes of the Collection concealer, and see no reason to try anything else; it does a great job of reducing my dark circles, and gives a bit of extra coverage in any areas I need it. I just wish they'd sort the packaging out -  I hate how the writing wears off; look at the state of it!  Urban Decay Primer Potion is easily the makeup item I've been using the longest; I used it back in the day of the awful packaging, and no matter what other eye primers I've tried, I always go back to this.  The most staple-y of staples! Benefit's Hoola is a must; whether it's to just warm my complexion up a bit, or if I want a bit more of a contoured look.  I've used this every day for well over a year, and still have a decent amount left.  Lastly it's time to transform my non-existent brows with the help of a couple more Benefit products.  I'm no expert at brows, and I'm still on the lookout for the perfect brow products for me, but these two babies do a good enough job, I think I just need to work on my technique!

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Wednesday 18 March 2015

Pandora Presents


I thought I'd share with you the latest addition to my growing Pandora collection.  I realise I may have done this backwards as being what Pandora are most famous for, the braclets tend to be what people buy first.  I started out with the rings, then receieved a beautiful necklace for Christmas, and have only just got round to being the owner of a Pandora bracelet.  I do already own a Chamilia one, but it's one of the black leather styles, and while I do still love it, I wanted a similar bracelet in silver for when I wanted something a bit more classic, or to wear alongside the leather one for a smart/casual look. With my boyfriend currently working away meaning he'd likely be away for both our birthdays, we decided to celebrate them early and do presents before he left.  While he opted for some new trainers (which happen to be the most expensive footwear I've ever bought!) I decided to finally get a Pandora bracelet.  

We spent ages looking on the website together to choose my first charm, and I was so dissapointed when the one I'd wanted originally wasn't in stock. My dissappointment as shortlived though as Alix, the super helpful sales assistant, brought out a selection of charms she thought I'd like based on my brief of  "heart shaped, sparkely and a bit different".  One of the charms she came back with was this black pavé charm, which I'd seen on the website but had over looked.  It looks so different up close.  It really does catch the light, and has just the right amout of sparkle.  I love the contrast of the black against the silver bracelet; I was toying with the idea of getting one of the oxidised bracelet but had decided agaist it, however with this charm I still have the dark/light contrast but just the opposite way round, which I think I prefer.  I then added some simple clips, to give a bit of structure to the bracelet, without detracting too much from the charm.

I'm not sure what to add to the bracelet yet; I don't want to add too much to it as I'm not keen on a bracelet filled with charms, but I definitely do want to build it up a little bit.  I really like the pavé charms, and there's a few that I want to have a look at in store.  Other than that, I'm not too sure!

What are your favourite Pandora charms?
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Sunday 15 March 2015

Another Winner for Bourjois...

 
I'm absolutely loving Bourjois lately. For so long, it was a brand I continuously overlooked in Boots, but after seeing them crop up in so many blog posts I decided to see what I'd been missing for so long. I'm so glad I did, I seem to have so many of their products now and it's the first stand I go to these days when I'm shopping.  One of their latest releases comes in the form of the Colorband Eyeshadow Crayons.  I'm sure you've heard of these by now; a collection of 2-in-1 eyeshadow/liner pencils in six natural, universally flattering shades.  I only have two of the collection so far, yet I'm sure I'll be picking up more very soon. 

Mauve Baroque is a lovely, dusky lavender shade, with silver shimmer.  This is a bit of a leap away from my usual choice of Naked-esque shades but with Spring on it's way I decided now was a good time to step outside my comfort zone and add a bit more colour to my lids.  While still very natural, it adds a lovely hint of purple to my lids without it being too in-your-face.  Brun Dadasite is a rich, brown coppery-bronze shade, with more of a golden shimmer.  Definitely more in line with my usual choice of eye colour, that's for sure! It actually has a very slight plum undertone, which I think makes it work really well with the mauve shade.  I didn't plan on wearing these together when I got them, but I find it really works!


Both shades are super pigmented, dead easy to apply, and stay put all day.  They are quite shimmery, which may put people off but I swear it's not over powering once on the lids, it's almost more of a sheen.  They do take a bit of effort to take off, but nothing a decent make up remover can't handle.  Like I said, I'll definitely be picking up more shades really soon!

Have you picked up any of these bad boys yet?

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Wednesday 11 March 2015

Makeup Menu: Springtime


Of all the new make up releases throughout the year, I always get most excited about what different brands are releasing in time for Spring.  Although I'm yet to properly check out this Springs new releases, now that the weather is slowly getting warmer I've been switching up my make up routine to incorporate a few past spring/summer releases as well as things that I've bought recently.

I picked up the Boots No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter last summer, along with one of the cream blush sticks, and later a lovely bronzing highlighter.  I definitely reach for this one most often though. The subtle nude/pink with a slight shimmer really does perk up my complexion without it being too much, and it stays put all day.  I love teaming this with Benefit's Lollitint for a fresh, natural look that's perfect for spring.  The Bourjois Happy Light serum is a relatively new edition, but something I've really been enjoying using.  I like to mix a bit with my foundation to add a very slight glow to my skin making me look more awake; perfect for those early starts at work! I'm a big fan of cream eyeshadows and Maybelline's On and On Bronze is the latest addition to my collection.  This really pretty golden bronze shade works really well as a base for other shadows, but works just as well on it's on for a hint of colour on the lids when you haven't got time to go all out with different colours. This Bourjois Shine Edition lipstick in Rose Xoxo is a lovely lilacy pink shade that's still very wearable and natural, yet just that bit different from my usual nude/pink shades.  Finally, Benefit's latest release, Roller Lash has quickly become a firm favourite amongst many a blogger, and I'm no exception. I find it gives me lovely, curly, fluttery lashes without the dreaded 'spider lashes' look and comes off easily enough at the end of the day.

What products will you be adding to your makeup routine this Spring?


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Sunday 8 March 2015

A Cosy Little Cottage


Our thoughtful welcome treats!

A guide to the cottage and the surrouning area. So nicely put together.
Super comfy bed!
 
Last weekend, my boyfriend and I headed off to the countryside to stay in a little cottage. With his impending deployment we thought a cosy weekend away would be ideal to allow us to spend some quality time together before he goes.  We normally stay in hotels when we go away, so a whole cottage to ourselves felt like just the change we needed.  I just wish we'd done this before; it was so nice to come back after a busy day to our own little space, instead of the four walls of a hotel room.  The cottage was absolutely beautiful; even nicer than it looked on the website! The little welcome treats were greatly appreciated, the cupcakes were amazing and the bottle of Prosecco in the fridge was a lovely surprise!  Our original plan was to be out and about during the day (Liverpool and Chester were pretty close so we visited those!), head back, get changed and venture out to a nearby pub.  It turned out that the pubs weren't as close as we anticipated and as we both were wanting a tipple, driving to the pubs wasn't much of an option! Instead we made notes of pubs we passed en route, and went for supper as we headed back.  This ended up being a much better option; snuggling up in front of the fire with a glass of wine was heavenly - so cosy and romantic! Definitely just what we needed ahead of what will be a difficult few months.  We're already planning a return visit later in the year! Can't wait!

So cosy!!
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Thursday 5 March 2015

The Beauty Addictions Tag


Image courtesy of Georgina @ Makeup-Pixi3.com
While scrolling through my Twitter feed this morning, I spotted a rather interesting Tag post. I love a good tag post, especially one I haven't seen before. The lovely Georgina has started the 'beauty Addictions Tag', where basically you list what 5 beauty related items you're most addicted to; you can check hers out here. I was already thinking of mine as I was reading hers! We're all tagged so here we go with mine!
1. Mascara.
No matter how good I think a mascara is, there's no guarantee that I'll buy it again. I'm always convinced I'll find are more lengthening one, a more volumising one, a less clumpy one or one that's all three. I can tell you my favourite mascara is Max Factor False Lash Effect, but I couldn't tell you when I last bought it. I often have 2 or 3 mascaras on the go at once too.

2. Nail Polish
I reckon I have nearing on 100 bottles of the stuff. I'm sure many of you will have more, but I'm sure the fact that I rarely wear it makes my collection a bit excessive! I work with food, so nail polish is a big no-no which SUCKS. Yet whenever I'm buying things I don't need  browsing  in Boots I'll almost always pick up at least one bottle to add to my collection. 

3. Hair Products
Shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, heat protectant, texturising spray, you name it and I've probably got at least two bottles of it on the go! I get bored easily so hardly ever finish a bottle of something before wanting to try out a different brand. I've recently discovered the wonders of bumble & bumble products though, so trying to curb this addiction a little as their stuff isn't cheap!

4. Body Lotion. 
After hair products, this is my next biggest stash. I'm rather lazy when it comes to using it too, which is something I'm trying to get better at now that spring is on its way and the weather will hopefully be getting warmer; we're due a decent summer, surely!  I go through phases of using it, but I soon fall back into my habits of skipping it after my bath or shower. Despite this laziness, I still buy it and I've more than enough tubs to last me the rest of the decade year.

5. Anything Benefit! 
Benefit was the first high-end brand I tried, probably about 10 years ago. I used to use their Non-Fiction foundation  (anyone remember that? It came in a little box that looked like a book!) religiously and was gutted when they discontinued it. There was a time when everything on my face was Benefit and scoff in the face of any other brand, let alone use anything drugstore. Although my collection is much more balanced these days, Benefit will always hold a special place in my heart; Benefit got me into makeup in the first place. They're still the brand that I get most excited over new releases from, it's the first counter I'll go to in a department store and if it wasn't for Benefit, I dare say I may never have got into blogging.

So there's my Beauty Addictions! If you're reading this then consider yourself tagged and leave your link below if you do it! Oh and if you use the image above, please remember to credit Georgina, ta!
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Monday 2 March 2015

Three Years On...




Today marks three years since my boyfriend passed out from Basic Training for the Army. Three Years. Wow. I can't believe it's actually been that long. Three years since myself and a few of our closest friends & members of his family made the long journey down to Bassingbourn Barracks, near Stevenage, to see the culmination of 12 weeks long hard slog, and I couldn't even put into words how proud I was to see him in his uniform, officially becoming a solider.  I was literally bursting with pride, and as soon as I saw him after the ceremony I burst into tears. 

Three years down the line and life as a 'military wag' is tough going.  We're not living together currently, so time together is limited.  But we manage; we make the most of the time we do have together and take comfort in the fact that it won't be forever.  Things are about to get harder though as in a little over a week, he's off on his first deployment meaning he'll be away for 6 whole months. Yes, 6 months. Gulp.  I'm telling you, it's scary how fast it's coming around; I've known since September he was going, but immediately put it to the back of mind as it was after Christmas, and therefore ages away.  But before we knew it, Christmas came and went and with the speed this year as being going, March has soon come around.

It may sound crazy, but in a lot of ways, this build up to him actually going is actually worse than the fact that he's going to be away.  We're used to spending time apart, okay we're not used to spending months and months apart, but time away from each other is normal for us.  Him being away isn't bothering me too much... yet, that could change and I know some days are just going to bloody suck, but in a way I just want him to hurry up and bloody go so I can get the initial 'goodbye' over with and focus on him coming home for his R&R.  I'm assured by other military partners that this feeling is completely normal and the main thing to do while he's away is just to keep busy.  I've a few things in the pipeline to keep me going, including a trip to see Wicked next month, and a weekend away with my best friend.  Counting down to these will hopefully be much better than having a wacking great six month countdown, and hopefully will make those weeks go by that bit quicker.

This is also partly why I've made a return to blogging. There's no real reason why I stopped to be honest; I'd had a bit of a tough time in the second half of last year so I guess my heart wasn't really into it.  I still read blogs, and had the occasional nosey on Twitter, but as time went on I realised how much I actually missed it. So here we go again, I can't wait to get chatting to other bloggers again and I'm hoping that by blogging again, it'll help these next few months just fly by!

It's good to be back!
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Sunday 1 March 2015

The "Me Time" Tag




What do you like to watch or read during me-time?
Aside from watching YouTube videos or reading other blogs, I'll usually find something to watch on Netflix.  I'm currently watching Community and have recently discovered another show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Another recent Netflix discovery is their documentaries; I've just added a bunch to my watch list, including one on the history of Napster (oh the memories!) and one on the founder of Burts Bees.  Defnitely worth looking through their documentaries section if you haven't already.  I also really love watching stand up comedy, both on Netflix and DVD.  I love Sarah Millican, Ross Noble, Micheal McIntyre and so many more. Can't beat a good giggle!

What do you wear during me-time?
Usually some sort of leggings and a t-shirt (plus hoodie if it's cold!) or pyjamas.  The leggings in the picture are my current favourite for lazing around in.  I picked them up, along with another pair, from Primark around Christmas.  While the other pair are a bit more festive with Christmas trees on, I think I can still get away with these penguin print ones even though the festive season is a distant memory!  Primark always have a great selection of printed tees which I'll usually wear too.

What are your favourite me-time beauty products?
When I'm in the mood for a good pamper, I'll use a really luxurious bubble bath, such as a Champneys one, or a bubble bar from Lush, the comforter is my favourite. I'll also give my hair a treat with a good hair mask, like this Charles Worthington one.  I like how you apply this to dry hair then just wash it as normal whenever you're ready. A good body scrub is a must if you're going all out on the pampering, and Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush is my all time favourite, you can read my review of it hereIt just smells amazing and does a really good job of getting rid of dry skin.  I'll usually do my nails too, following the routine I talked about earlier in the week (see my nails routine here) and apply some of my Soap and Glory's Heel Genuis to soften my feet a bit; they take a right battering from being on them all day at work! 

Current Favourite Nail Polish?
This is definitely a tricky one! I tend to go for quite pale, pastely sort of colours then add a bit of an accent with a glitter polish on one nail.  I love Essie's Mint Candy Apple; mine came in a duo with their Sparkle on Top topcoat and I love how these two work together.  I'm also really loving OPI's  Matte Nail Envy, mainly because I can get away with wearing that one for work and it has really made a difference to the state of my nails.

What do you eat or drink during me time?
Definitely chocolate! Dairy Milk, Galaxy, Milka... I'm honestly not fussy.  Aldi's chocolate is also deliecious! The bar in the picture is my last remaining bar of Irish Dairy Milk my friend brought me back from Dublin.  Believe it or not, Irish Dairy Milk tastes different to ours in the UK, it's creamier and I actually prefer it. Think I need a trip across the Irish Sea to stock up again!

Current Favourite Candle?
I'm currently burning Fireside Treats by Yankee Candles quite a lot.  It's delevious smell of toasted marshmallows is making me yearn for long summer nights, barbeques and, well, toasted marshmallows! I absolutely love toasting marshmallows and sandwiching them between two chocolate digestive biscuit... delecious! Although those summer nights are still a long way off, this secent works just as well in these cooler months and I'm sure the size of this thing will last me til summer anyway!

Do you ever have outdoor me-time?
Does shopping count...?! Aside from that, then no, not really! I do like walking though, especially having a walk around somewhere a bit different. York is one of my favourite places to have a walk around; the pretty scenery and quaint little shopping streets make it perfect for a day of exploring... and shopping!

Would you ever go and watch a film alone?
I don't think I would in all honesty.  For me, going to the cinema is a social event, maybe a bit of shopping beforehand,  and always food either before or after; my local cinema has a Nando's right next door... perfect! It's a perfect opportunity to catch up with friends I've not seen in a while.  I know I could still do all of these things alone but in all honesty I'm too much of a wuss!

Favourite  Online Shop?
For me it's probably any beauty related ones; I find online clothes shopping too much of a hassle, especially if you need to return something.  I love scouring through Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and Love Make-Up, they all have brilliant offers and my basket always ends up at least twice as full as it should be!  I have to give Amazon a mention too, they have pretty much everything on there, and my Prime subscription is a God-send... when they deliver on time that is!

Anthing to add? What else do you like to do during me-time?
One of my favourite things do do when I have some spare time is to bake.  I'm a bit out of practice lately, but I do make some pretty good cupcakes! I made delicious lemon cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream quite recently and they went down a  treat! Definitely need to make those ones again! I also could happily spend hours scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin' and of course Pinterest.  Bit obsessed with that one!
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