Saturday 31 May 2014

I've Been A-Bargain Shopping


You've probably seen a few photos on my Instagram (if you follow me that is!) recently of things I've purchased over the past week or so, and I figured I'd take a few more snaps of them and pop them all into a little post to let you have a nose at exactly what I've (already) been spending my wage on.

First stop as usual - Primark.

I've wanted some printed trousers for a while now, but figured they wouldn't really suit me.
Regardless, I spotted these two lovelies and tried them on anyway.

Aren't I glad now that I did.

I love them - so naturally had to get them both.


The black and white pair were £11, and the pinky/bluey pair only £9 and they are super, super comfy.

I'm usually a size 10 but bought these in a size 14 - I would have preferred the black ones in a 12 to be honest, but there weren't any left in stock, so 14's it was.

I chose bigger sizes because I prefer things to fit loose and wanted these to be extra baggy without looking ridiculous (& therefore even more comfortable) and I think it works very well.

I then spotted these two bargainous basic vests at £4 which I had to have to go with the trousers.


The black one looks better loose, out of the monochrome trousers, over the top of waist band, whilst the navy one looks a lot better tucked into the pinky/blue trousers and then un-tucked and pulled back out a little bit.

It's just the way it seems to work.

Next up, this faux leather mint skirt made it's way into the basket too, but having been reduced to £5 and being something I've been after for a while I couldn't pass it up.


This one is a size 12 - they are quite a snug fit to say the least - it sits just above my knee and looks great with the black vest I bought tucked into it.

I fell in love with the bright, summary flamingo print of this dress as soon as I saw it, and for only £5 I had to have it.


Now the natural fit of this dress was for it to obviously be really bodycon - it was absolutely teeny tiny in my size - but I'm not into bodycon AT ALL.
I feel far too self-conscious in the tummy area to wear things too tight, so I delved into the rail and pulled out a size 20.

The fit is so much better -  it looks like a "normal", un-body-con-dress would now.

Also for £5 I picked up this Aztec design skater dress - again in a few sizes bigger just to improve the fit - this time in a size 14.


I figured, if we have a glorious summer (fingers crossed), this would be OK for work or a lazy day in the garden, hopefully enjoying some lovely BBQ food.

Shoe wise, these £6 lovelies will be perfect for work, or throwing on with some summer dresses.
(Can you see a "I'm hopeful for a hot summer" theme here!)


And then moving away from Primark, I spotted these lovelies in the Miss Selfridge on-line sale and after managing to get a bit more discount on top, of course I had to order them!



Aren't they just beautiful.

There was almost a disaster though after they arrived in store a tad damaged (EEEK!!!) but the Miss Selfrifge ladies sorted it all out for me so I didn't have to re-order and wait another week to get my mitts on them.

Thank goodness.

I originally wanted to wear these to the #leedsmaymeet today, organised by the wonderful Hayley, but heels and cake carrying through Leeds will only end in either my demise or a cakes demise, so I'm saving the heels for a few weddings I have coming up and popping on some much safer flats today.

...Hmmmm now what dresses can I possibly find to wear with them...
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Wednesday 28 May 2014

Copy-Cats


I find it really strange how nine or so months of blogging can change the way I view certain situations.

Of course, for me personally a lot of this revolves around really positive things.
There are all of the improvements that I have made to my beauty regime, to my make up bag and even to my wardrobe.

I am enabled so very, very easily.

But there's also the other side of things.

The side I'm sure we can all relate to - the side involving copying.

Or as I am calling it today - Copy-Cats.


I've been in Copy-Cat situations on a few occasions before - all of them before my blog was around, by people who are not apart of the "blogging world" at all, and in those days, the thought of being deliberately "copied" really used to annoy me.

Instances of wearing an outfit on a night out - quite an "out there" kind of an outfit too - one I had planned specifically knowing that it would be quite individual - only to see it on a friend a few weeks later, those kind of deliberately "copied" situations used to annoy me.

And I'm talking an outfit that I knew I would be hard pushed to find anyone else wearing, one that I had planned and searched for for ages to get just right, one that I wore for an outing and felt absolutely fantastic in...

Yep - that kind of outfit copying.

But of course, I didn't mention anything, why would I be so petty, it could have been a total coincidence...



Exactly.

Or there are those times that you offer up a piece of seemingly trivial information during a conversation, but something that is factual none the less and it really adds to the content of the discussion you're involved in.

Don't get me wrong - it's more likely to have something to do with hair washes with me, rather than be about anything political, but still - it is useful at that moment.

But then months, maybe even years later, during a similar conversation, that exact piece of advice you delivered is thrown into the mix, by someone else - but that someone else was there the last time round, but they are making sure they are taking all the credit for the knowledge and wisdom this time...

And now, as I'm getting older, there are tiny instances of Copy-Cats that steps a little into things like home decor - picking photo frames or even deciding upon different colour schemes for the bedroom.

You put an idea out there or add an opinion of choice to then find that two weeks later, others now have the exact same thing you talked about getting for yourself.

Is it fair to have been a bit miffed at this?


Either way these things used to grate on me so much.

I absolutely hated it.

But I'm finding that I don't hate it so much anymore.

Not now that I have my "blogging eyes" to look through anyway.

~ So what if someone finds my style Oh-So-Amazing (ha - yeah right!) that they want to borrow it?

~ So what if my ideas and "visions" are just that fantastic (!!) others want to follow?

~ So what?

I find it quite flattering.

I mean I have enough "oh that blogger has this amazing dress/pair of shoes/lipstick/primer I must have it" moments myself these days, and isn't that the same kind of thing.

It's not a bad thing really is it...

On occasion at least - we don't want any total lifestyle clones popping up out there.

So, I think I should view the whole thing with a "If I'm good enough to be copied then that's fine by me" kind of an attitude.


Blogging is certainly changing my perceptions that's for sure

*Featuring my very own two Copy-Cats: Mario & Peaches
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Monday 26 May 2014

Haworth And Rose & Co.


I thought I'd quickly throw a little bit of a post together to let you know how I spent my Bank Holiday Monday today.

Bank Holidays have sort of lost their "Oooh it's a day off work" novelty a little bit for me I must admit.

Not because I love my job so much that I want to spend every second there - oh no - just because bank holidays almost always seem to be tagged onto a half term holiday, and working in a school, I have them off of work anyway.

What does excite me though, is the fact that this bank holiday has an added four weekdays and two weekend days away from work tagged onto it for me.

~ Shall I just shut up now ~

Anyway, today we had my son's friend with us for the day, and we went along to a play gym in an attempt to keep them occupied for a while - we also made sure that we fed them there too, but we didn't stay long.

Who wants to stay inside on a lovely warm day like today?

None of us did anyway, so we decided to take a little trip to Haworth.

Now I haven't visited Haworth for so many years and was really looking forward to it.


It's just so pretty.


We had a little wander around "Oooh-ing" (just me!) at all the loveliness we saw and commenting at how nice it would be to actually live there (my son!).

Especially when it was discovered that there were brilliant rewards of bubblegum ice-cream waiting at the top of the hill in the fantastic, traditional sweetie shop.

Being as lovely as I am, I let the boys enjoy their ice-cream whilst I edged over the cobbles to have a peaceful wander around the fabulous Rose & Co. - somewhere I've never had the pleasure of visiting before.



I lingered over all of the beautiful vintage looking dresses, wishing my budget was higher and that I had the style to carry some of them off.

They were just beautiful.

I them wandered aimlessly around and around all of the wonderful smelling, very visually appealing soaps, bath bombs and beauty products.




The ice cream soap was just fantastic - it smelt as though it should be able to be eaten.

Y U M

I was completely and utterly spoilt for choice and wanted so many of the lovely things, that despite walking around the shop a few times, I didn't actually end up buying anything!

Which I am greatly regretting now....

I was very taken by a teeny, cute little jar of hand cream in the most gorgeous smelling Lemon Bon Bon scent ever...unfortunately I could only find the tester pot on the shelf and the shop was so busy I didn't want to disturb anyone.

Next time though - this little jar of amazingness shall be mine!

I'll certainly not be leaving my next Haworth Visit so long next time
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Sunday 25 May 2014

A Few Boots Beauty Purchases


Ever had that urge where you just have to go shopping and buy EVERYTHING - even when you don't really actually need a single thing?

Silly Question - Of course you have.

Well this happened to me a few weeks ago and of course I had to oblige.

So into Boots I went to take advantage of their latest 3 for 2 offer.
And this is what I walked away with.


Everything I chose was totally justifiable though - of course.

They were all things I had never used before (apart from the eye kohl which was something I needed to replace) but had heard great things about through the fab blogging grapevine.

I thought that this Seventeen Matte Powder in Natural Beige would be a great way to finish off my make up to help it set and combat any shine, but it turns out that this was a little bit too light for my skin tone.

I had no complaints otherwise though - it was just what I was after - I just think I need to find a colour better suited to me.



Now usually, I only ever wear black pencil eyeliner - hence the Jet Black Rimmel Eye Kohl in my stash - but I really wanted to have a try at using a gel liner, so I picked up this Maybelline Lasting Drama one in Intense Black.



How cute is the little glass container - I just love it.

The brush allows the liner to be applied with total precision...although I need a LOT more practice before I can step out of the door wearing this.
But once I know what I am doing properly the finish will undoubtedly be fantastic.

I also put a Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil in Black Brown into my basket.

Having dark brows I had figured that I wouldn't ever really need to use one of these pencils - but how wrong was I.
Applied sparingly, this pencil really neatens my browns up and helps to add a really natural looking definition to them.
The little mini brush on the lid helps to neaten them up too.

It really helps to just finish off my make-up nicely.

Next up, the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Soft Beige and oh my goodness, why I haven't always had this in my make-up bag I will never know.


Whilst this can be used as a spot concealer, I tend to use it more to sort out my dark under eye bags.

I apply a little underneath my eyes before I apply my foundation and it has made such a difference to the darkness of the circles - those horrible things that are a product of my daily 5am weekday alarm calls.

Urgh.

So as you can imagine, I was in great need of the help, and this product certainly helped out.

The last of my Boots purchases was this Seventeen CC Cream in Medium.


When the sun was shining - obviously not this weekend I should add - I found that my usual foundation felt a little heavy and a tad too much, but there's no way I could have stepped out of the door without something on my face, especially with how my skin has been playing up recently.

This CC Cream sounded like a great alternative - good at covering, matte, but not as heavy as foundation.

I found that it maybe didn't cover my spots as well as I would have liked and I think that the colour was a tad too pale for my skin tone too - not much, just a little bit "off".

What I've found works best for me is that if I mix a small blob of this CC Cream on the back of my hand, with a small blob of my usual Clinique Foundation (see here) it gives a brilliantly matched colour that covers perfectly and isn't too heavy either.

Maybe mixing foundations isn't the way to go, but it seems to work for me and I'm going to stick with it.

Thank you Boots - Shopping Urge Passified For Another Day 
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Friday 23 May 2014

Natures Healthbox Skincare


Moaning and groaning about my increasingly spot infested skin won't improve it, so I must become pro-active in the spot fighting process and actually get something done about it.

I had a little moan on Twitter a while ago - so not like me I know (*ahem*) and some lovely ladies suggested that I try using more natural skincare products in a bid to help my skin.

Which is advice I 100% intended to take.

So just imagine how pleased I was when Natures Healthbox contacted me and offered to send me some goodies.

Very pleased indeed.

Natures Healthbox began it's life in August 2012 and now offer a whole host of completely natural, organic and ecologically friendly products suited to men, women and children alike.
From skincare and beauty items to food and cleaning products, Natures Healthbox are a real one stop shop for those looking to take control of their health; cater for a dietary requirement or become more conscious of the damage being done to the planet.

I contacted the company and asked for a little bit of their expert advice on my spotty face and they were so helpful and really lovely.

Lovely enough to send me this little lot


Now when I was younger I suffered with psoriasis quite badly - particularly on my elbows, knees, scalp and finger nails (I even lost a few - yak I know!)  but thank goodness that's not the case anymore.

However my skin does still get quite dry, especially the knees and elbows, and this could be a knock on effect from the condition.

My crammed hamper from Natures Healthbox contained lots to help me sort my scaly, drying skin out, including some Lovea Hand Cream, some Benecos Q10 Day Cream, some Barefoot SOS Face And Body Rescue Cream and some Salcura Body Hydrator.


Let's dig in.

I'm always on the search for amazing face moisturisers so was really keen to try this Benecos one out.


And lets just check out that packaging for a second - I mean come on - what's not to love about that.

Very Pretty

I found this cream really lightweight and easily absorbed.
It had a really subtle scent too - nothing too strong.

I applied it to my face and massaged it in, mainly on an evening after I had cleansed, and found that a real tiny amount left my face smooth and silky-feeling for the whole of the next day.

I did think it left a little bit of stickiness on my hands after using it though, but still, I loved it.
Plus it has anti-ageing properties...which made me love it a whole load more.

Now the Lovea Hand Cream, I must admit, I wasn't a fully fledged fan of.


The packaging was nice and bright and the cream moisturised brilliantly but I'm not a huge fan of the Shea Butter scent.
This side of the product didn't appeal to me personally at all - but if you like Shea butter, you'll love this.

I only needed to use a small amount and it rubbed into the skin really nice as it was so lightweight.

My hands felt soft for ages afterwards.

The Barefoot SOS Cream was an extremely handy size to just throw in my bag for a bit of "on the go" moisturising.


It is suitable for use on both the face and body, especially for people with severe skin conditions.

My scabby knees didn't stand a chance!

The cream was a lot heavier than the others but this allowed for some real hardcore moisturisation to occur.

I loved it's scent too - really strong, sweet and kind of natural smelling - if that makes any sense.

Now the Body Hydrator was just amazing - it smelt great...a really clean smell - it applied easily, was really rich and absorbed fantastically into the skin.


Most importantly, my knees and elbows were left without a patch of dryness.

Fab!

Now that's a whole lot of moisturiserisation crammed into one post - I really think I'm kitted out with soft supple skin for the next year or so with all of those.

However, none of them helped to tackle my spotty skin problems, which is why the fifth item sent to me is probably the one I was in most need of - the Salcura Antiac Activ Liquid Spray.


I noticed on the box that this product has featured on the TV show Embarrassing Bodies before, so I certainly had high hopes for it.

Following the instructions, I squirted a few sprays onto my hand and then rubbed it into the problem areas on my spotty face - being my cheek and chin.


I know these pictures are quite YAK but they really give an idea of what horribleness I was up against.

Now the spray coated the area really well and it dried almost instantly - no waiting for it to dry before the make up went on.

After a few weeks of using the spray, I could really see a difference.


Spots have reduced, redness has reduced and I feel a whole lot happier with my skin now than I did before.

Don't get me wrong, it is no miracle cure and my skin isn't perfect (yet), but a slow improvement is certainly better than no improvement at all.

Thanks again to Natures Healthbox for my lovely beauty goodies

www.natureshealthbox.co.uk

The website is really cute and pretty too - I really suggest you pop over for a look.

Fab Totally Natural Skincare


*products sent to me for an honest review - thoughts & photos are all my own
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Wednesday 21 May 2014

Oriflame & Gary Cockerill - Beauty Event


Most people are very aware that my love of make up only really got going after I began blogging.

I was constantly seeing beautiful ladies with their beautiful make-up collections applying it oh-so amazingly and I knew I had to up my very lazy game.

I had never owned a properly colour-matched foundation, had never visited MAC and I certainly had never worn lipstick during the day.

Shock horror eh.

But now things have changed, and I was so excited to be invited along to a very swanky venue - The Living Room in Leeds - last Saturday to have my poor make up knowledge brushed up on by "Make Up Artist To The Celebs" Gary Cockerill.

I love Gary and have seen him many a time on the TV working his magic on Katie Price's show, so I was uber giddy to meet him in the flesh.

And Gary's main reason for visiting us in Leeds was to talk us through and then showcase some of Oriflame's brand new The One collection.


Until the event, I must admit, I had never come across Oriflame before - and now I think I been massively missing out.

Oriflame are a Swedish brand who were founded in 1967 and have success in more than sixty countries worldwide with around 3.6 million consultants generating 1.5 billion Euros in annual sales.

Quite a large success then!

I was more than eager to delve deeper into the brand.

And once all of our blogger mingling had subsided and we all had a glass of yummy bubbly in hand, we were settled and treated to a little bit of an introduction into Gary's life and his beginnings into the make up world.


I was amazed to find out that Gary has totally self taught himself his art and he started his career painting mannequins for shop windows.

What a brilliant "follow your dream" story.

Gary allowed us to peek into his amazing make up case and oh how I'd love a little rummage through this beauty.


Then it was straight onto some hints, tips and tricks from Gary to help aid us all in our search for make up perfection.

Gary chose three models and illustrated a different look on each of them.

Yuna was first up and she was treated to a long-lasting, fuller, 3D lip effect.
As a lady who usually avoids lip colour, this tutorial was definitely suited to her.


The orangey colour really suited Yuna, and she looked totally pout-a-licious.

For his next tutorial, Gary used a set of fab lashes from his very own collection (which come on a brilliant invisible strip) and created a very fluttery eye on the lovely Ellie.



He finished the look using The One Volume Blast Mascara and The One Eyeliner and this will certainly be something I'll try to recreate very soon that's for sure.

My favourite "Gary Tip" came from this demonstration too.

The "How Best To Use Eyelash Curlers".
I've never been able to use them properly before so this was a fab bit of information for me:

~ Use ten tiny squeezes at the root of the lash
~ Use ten tiny squeezes in the middle of the lash
~ Use ten tiny squeezes towards the tip of the lash
~ Result: Lash Perfection

Gary's very last tutorial was created using Oriflame's The One Colour Impact Cream Eye Shadow on the very beautiful Steph.


We were told the best way to avoid that dreaded eye shadow creasing and how to prolong cream shadow colour for as long as possible.



More brilliant usefulness.

And that wasn't all we were treated to either.

The Living Room fed us an array of delicious warm snacks - from fish and chips to mini burgers, and our drinks were constantly re-filled, cool and fizzy.

Y U M


Dessert consisted of some absolutely delicious "The One" cupcakes from The Box Bakery, and I must admit that I stole an extra two of them - one for my son and one the Hubby...which were wolfed down without a crumb left.


Throughout the day, Gary was really friendly, helpful and just lovely.
He answered questions, posed for pictures and even sent us home with signed Oriflame pictures.

To accompany our pictures, we were also given the most brilliant make up goody bag crammed with lots of Oriflame goodies to enjoy.



Y A Y

So far, I've only managed to trial the brilliant The One Long Wear Nail Polish in "Night Orchid" and it is really fantastic - easy to apply, fast drying, vibrant colour...and apparently will last a fair while with no chipping...

...which we shall be testing out...


It is a pritty fantastic colour.

I'll make sure I let you know my thoughts on all of the other goodies in a future post too.

Massive THANKS to Gary for sharing his secrets with us, and to Oriflame for introducing themselves to me.

I have my eyes on this fab looking foundation and concealer already...among other things too...of course...


My bank account is not too pleased with my Oriflame discovery though...
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