THOUGHTS & FEELS: MAYBELLINE 24HR COLOR TATTOO IN CREAMY BEIGE

This product confuses me.

THOUGHTS & FEELS: MAKEUP REVOLUTION PRO FIX AMAZING MAKEUP FIXING SPRAY

The name of this product is so obnoxious. It's good but it's not amazing.

LIFE UPDATE!

Wow I feel so awkward writing this, so I'll keep it short and simple, haha.
Basically, I was on a roll with my blogging schedule and I was doing really well with social media networking, etc. and then I started a new job which has thrown my life into the spin cycle.
I'm now constantly busy all the time what with training and meetings and office trips, though as I'm getting used to my new lifestyle I'm hoping to have time for blogging again. Whenever I have time off I'll be scheduling posts so hopefully I'll be able to blog fairly regularly. I have a post scheduled for Wednesday and hopefully everything will be back to business pretty soon.

To everyone who is still here with me, you are awesome.
Thanks for your continued support!
xo

THOUGHTS & FEELS: BOOTS TEA TREE & WITCH HAZEL WITH ACTIVE CHARCOAL FACIAL MASK

Why does this product have such a long name? Boots, why?!

PRODUCTS I REGRET BUYING

I've never done a post like these but I was sorting through my makeup stash and there's a few products that I really can't stand. If you haven't already noticed I'm pretty real over here so I thought I'd share this with you, because while makeup is fun it's not always sunshine and rainbows.

THOUGHTS & FEELS: JACLYN HILL FAVORITES PALETTE + SWATCHES

I'm trying reeally hard not to freak out over this palette because it's just eye shadow. But oh my god I'm practically vibrating with excitement.

Jaclyn Hill collaborated with Morphe Brushes and created this beautiful palette of 28 warm eye shadows. I love warm-toned eyeshadows so this is right up my street! This palette is limited edition and I know it is being restocked this month (February 2015) because of hiccups with the initial release, though I'm not sure of the exact date. The shadows in this palette are available individually and they are identified numerically instead of by name, which is what all the numbers on the picture below mean. So if you want to avoid all the stress of trying to order a limited edition palette that is really, insanely popular, or if some of the shades in the palette aren't appealing to you than you can head over to Morphe Brushes (link) and pick and choose what you like. You will need to buy a Z Palette or a Mac Pro refill palette or something like that to store your shadows in if you choose to buy them individually as they are sold in the refill pan form.

On with the swatches!

(L-R)
19, 71, 48, 53, 38, 59, 11

(L-R)
74, 24, 61, 15, 16, 68, 33

(L-R)
66, 47, 20, 63, 62, 13, 67

(L-R)
75, 14, 64, 76, 6, 54, 4

Everything you've heard about this palette is true. These eye shadows are incredible. They're wonderfully soft, the pigmentation is insane, they blend so well together and with other eye shadows. and they look amazing on the eye. I was worried that Morphe may have sent the Youtubers the good stuff to get us all to buy this palette and then would have sold us duds, but this palette is honestly amazing. There's a mixture of shimmer, satin and matte finishes and trust me when I say the matte shades are to die for. The only shade that doesn't rock my boat is 56, because it's just not as pigmented or as soft of texture as the other shades. It's still good but it's not as great. As for the actual plastic palette itself, it does feel a bit flimsy but nothing that I'm too concerned with, I'll just have to be careful if I choose to travel with it.

Morphe Brushes is an American brand and I did have to get this shipped from California, which wasn't cheap or very fast but it did come very well packaged. A huge brown box was delivered and the box that the palette comes in was nestled in between packing stuffing. The box that the palette comes in was then wrapped in bubble wrap and inside that box the palette itself was also wrapped in bubble wrap. I'm not sure if this is protocol or just because the item was being shipped over seas they took extra precautions but I was really impressed with how well packaged the palette was. 

Morphe Brushes Jaclyn Hill Favorites Palette - $27.99 (about £18) plus shipping.
Pros: Amazing quality, good range of colours, arrived well packaged, the price.
Cons: Shipping is a little expensive and it's not available domestically in the UK.


This was a really long post but I hope it was informative!
Thanks for reading, xo.

Previous post: January Favourites
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CURRENT FAVOURITES | JANUARY 2015

I don't know about you guys but I am so glad that January is over! Hell to the yeeaaahhhh!

SKIN CARE ROUTINE - WINTER EDITION

I've become absolutely obsessed with skin care and it's because now I'm using the right products, I've seen crazy improvements with my skin. I have oily/combination skin and here's the products that I've been using lately to combat oil and clear my pores.

MUA MAKE UP BRUSHES | FIRST IMPRESSION

I've used the phrase "first impression" as although I've been using them for a few weeks, I haven't yet tried to the entire line and I don't want to review a line of brushes if I haven't tried them. Okay? Okay.

FAVOURITE PERFUMES

I've never really been the type to collect fragrances or perfumes, but as I'm getting older (lol) I really understand the merit of smelling good. There's no better compliment, in my opinion, than someone commenting on you smelling nice as it highlights that you take care of yourself and that you take pride in your personal hygiene. And obviously why wouldn't you want to smell great? I don't have many perfumes, but out of the handful or so that I own these are my go-to, die-hard favourites.

MINI HAUL | JANUARY 2015

I can't believe this is my first post of the year and it's pretty much mid-month. I've never been stressed out by blogging before but I've been working on a few things and to be honest they've all been a complete joke. I try not to be a perfectionist but there's a difference between "a few imperfections" and "a train wreck", so I've just deleted them all and I'm starting again because I'm over all the headache. So the first post of the year is  this little haul, which I couldn't have predicted but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. 

NYE 2014 MAKE UP: GLITTER GLITTER & MORE GLITTER

Another year has flown by so fast; I can't believe that it's almost 2015! Y'all know that I don't post  this late at night, but I was suddenly inspired to make this post and I'm trying to get it up as quickly as possible so anyone who is interested in these bargain items can run out and grab them in time for their New Year's Eve celebrations! 

QUICK LIFE UPDATE: I'VE BEEN ILL

Did ya miss me? I bet you didn't.

So I was doing a crappy job of blogmas, let's be honest, but I completely intended to post a few more times before Christmas. Then a week before Christmas I woke up with a terrible headche, achy limbs, stuffy nose, swollen sinuses; the whole nine yards. It's been awful. I'm still pretty ill; less of the achy limbs and more of everything else; but I'm trying to power through it as this is ridiculous! I've been neglecting my blog and basically everything in my life. I've left my house twice in nearly two weeks and I'm starting to get cabin fever so I need to do something about that. Whenever I get even a slight sniffle I swaddle myself up in bed with copious amounts of Lemsip, but nothing has worked this time round and as I said earlier it's been nearly two weeks of feeling like I've been hit by a bus. 

I'm not sure how frequently I'll be posting until I'm 100% better though I do have a few things planned such as announcing the winner of my giveaway and what I got for Christmas, etc.

Thanks to everyone who's still here with me, and I hope you had an amazing Christmas!

Lots of love

xo.

PREVIOUS: Favourite Christmassy Scented Candles

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FAVOURITE CHRISTMASSY SCENTED CANDLES

I love burning candles, especially at this festive time of year, so here's my handful of favourite scents. They're all from Yankee Candle, surprise!

(heavy sarcasm, in case ya didn't know).

BLOGMAS | DAY 16: TODAY'S MAC EXPERIENCE

I find there's a stigma that Mac girls are all rude and obnoxious, and whilst some of them are, I had quite a pleasant experience today. I went in looking for concealer and the lovely lady, whose name I'm drawing complete blanks at, asked me what foundation I was wearing. I told her: Studio Sculpt. She asked me all sorts of questions about how I apply my make up and how I like my foundation to look, etc. I let her know that I don't even like concealer, not really, and we had a jolly good chat. She popped me in the chair, and discussed different foundations with me and then suggested I that try something with a little more coverage, or change the way I apply my make up. She did a few little demonstrations on me; always asking if what she was about to was okay. She was friendly, approachable yet still professional and I was really pleasantly surprised. Needless to say, I didn't even sample any concealer, but I did leave with 3 samples of different foundations, and much better understanding of Mac products.

So if you want to head into a Mac store but you'll need advice when you get there and you're a little intimidated by the staff, they might not be as scary as you think. A tiny word of warning though, don't let anyone convince you to buy something before you've tried it. Always, always ask for a sample first. But I'd say that about any make up product or brand.

Have you had an interesting experience in a make up store lately?

Thanks for reading, xo.

PREVIOUS: Blogmas | Day 15: Motivation

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BLOGMAS | DAY 15: MOTIVATION

It's difficult for a lot of us to even get out of bed some days, and it can sometimes take a lot to feel motivated to do anything. Christmas is 10 days away and I haven't even been able to find the time to be excited because this year the holiday season has been so stressful for me and my family. So if anyone else is feeling the pressure, from whatever source, and you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed; you're not alone. If you're suffering badly from anxiety or depression or anything that makes you feel isolated or lonely; you're not alone. I felt like utter shit today, but after a scroll on Tumblr and listening to a surprisingly uplifting and motivating song I feel a bit better. Here's the song:

There's something that's just so empowering about this song that really brightened me up, so I figured I'd share it. I hope it helps. If it doesn't, I hope you find something that does. Keep fighting, keep working on your masterpiece.

Thanks for reading, xo.

PREVIOUS: First Impressions - The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE BODY SHOP VITAMIN E INTENSE MOISTURE CREAM

I've said before that The Body Shop does phenomenal deals, and if ya didn't believe me then let me tell ya something; I got this face cream for free. And it's worth £13. It's the bargain of all bargains, the bargain to rule them all. Obviously my first thought was; "oh they're fobbing this off on us because it's a load of shit", but so far I've been completely wrong. I started using it because even though I have notoriously oily skin, my skin has been so damn dry for the past maybe 10 days. It's insane; the skin on one of the oiliest parts of my face, the sides of my nose, has been peeling. I've not used this loads because my skin is all over the place at the moment and I'm trying to figure out exactly how to combat the oil and the dryness all at once, but so far I'm really enjoying using this, especially at night. It's non-greasy, non-sticky and sinks into the skin really quickly, which ticks a lot of boxes for me. I'm not entirely sure how well it works just yet, but upon first glance it's pretty decent. I'll have a full review up in a few more weeks, probably, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Thanks for reading, xo.

PREVIOUS: Blogmas | Day 12: How do people daily blog/vlog?

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BLOGMAS | DAY 12: HOW DO PEOPLE DAILY BLOG/VLOG?!

So I didn't blog yesterday, mostly because I didn't feel like it. Daily blogging is exhausting. I have so much new-found respect for people who write and publish a blog post every single day, and for those who film, edit and publish a video every single day. It's different if you schedule your posts or videos so you can spend a whole day, for example, taking photos and writing up 7 blog posts, and then schedule them to be published over the month. But for those who publish daily content, every single day, you are marvellous. My thumbnail today is highlighting that I'm not keeping up with my advent calendar, either. I haven't opened the windows from the 10th or 11th either. Oops.

This is verging on not even being a blog post. I hate it when bloggers who "blog daily" publish a post that's like "it snowed today, here's a picture, thanks for reading!". That's not a blog post, that's an Instagram post on the wrong platform. So I'll try and add something interesting for the sake of my own pet peeves.

Erm..

Oh I know!

I spend a lot of time, probably too much time, watching Youtube videos and wishing I wasn't such a lazy coward and could make Youtube videos myself. I watch so many different people, who showcase everything from Minecraft videos to Makeup tutorials. So, here's a few of my favourite Youtubers, in no particular order.

1. SHEP689

The sweetest and funniest gay couple ever who daily vlog. I've been subscribed to them for over 2 years and they're great. They have the cutest dog called Dobby and aery8wofiuwuadhgfgh relationship goals.

2. JACLYN HILL

If ya don't know who Jaclyn Hill is, get out from whatever rock you've been living under. She's an incredible and hilarious MUA from Florida. I wished she uploaded more because her content is amazing. Did I mention she's stunning? There's literally no need.

3. JARMAINE/JLOVESMAC1

Jarmaine is a beauty guru and I wasn't going to include her because I don't watch her videos that often, but I just watched her latest video and she's bloody hilarious. 

4. FUNGBROSCOMEDY

David and Andrew Fung are Chinese-American brothers who make videos about what it means to be Asian including the most delicious food you have ever seen in your life. I subscribed for the food; I want it all.

5. PATRICIA BRIGHT

Patricia is a beautiful and hilarious beauty blogger from London. She's so pretty and her videos are so informative and she's based in Britain so she often talks about and uses products that are available in the UK. Yay for that!!!!!

Okay before this list gets suuuper long, I'm going to stop. In fact, I may publish a series of blog posts detailing all of my favourite Youtubers, and organise them buy category. Maybe.

Anyway I'm out, PEACE.

Thanks for reading, xo.

PREVIOUS: Natural Curly/Kinky Hair Care Routine

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NATURAL CURLY/KINKY HAIR CARE ROUTINE

I've had my fair share of experimentation with chemicals and bleach and I literally destroyed my hair in the process. So in March of this year I shaved it all off. Well, the vast majority of it anyway. I've been trying to take good care of my hair since then, and trust me when I say natural hair is not at all what I expected it to be. But I'm enjoying learning my textures and curl patterns and these are the products that I use pretty much every wash day. 

BLOGMAS | DAY 9: CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

This afternoon I went to see my the Christmas play at the school that my little brother goes to. He's only 7 and in year 2 so it was sweet and heart-warming more than anything. Children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 all took part in reading their lines, singing songs and doing little dance routines, and I actually enjoyed myself. As I went to the same Primary school that my brother goes to I felt a little nostalgic about the Christmas plays I did at that school, and I really wish I had a nice embarrassing picture of me dressed up as an Angel to slap on my blog. However, as I don't even think I have any photos of a 7 year old me sparkling on stage, I have nothing but memories to share. The play that my brother took part in was nothing like the traditional nativity plays that we did when I was his age, and it's really highlighted how much has changed over the past decade (and a half, crikey). I've used a photo from an old blog post, back when my blog was even more of a baby than it is now. A fetus, maybe. And I thought I'd share a couple of the carols that I used to sing when I was barely out of nappies, braving the icy winds with the rest of the Brownies to sing at the Old People's Homes, or when I was singing in the school choir at assembly, or of course in the Christmas play. I was a good little brown-noser!

Little Donkey

It Was on A Starry Night


Away in a Manger


I only picked three because I'm trying to keep things short and sweet around here, because you know me I could ramble for weeks. I hoped you enjoyed my selection of Christmas carols and if you're old enough, I hope they brought a little nostalgia to you, too.
It's probably still too early, but Merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading, xo.

PREVIOUS: Blogmas | Day 8: Life Behind the Screen
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