The Consequences of a Lost Passport | London Trip

So just lately, my boyfriend and I have been excitedly planning a sun-soaked trip to sunny Tenerife for a week of pure relaxation, and after weeks, no MONTHS of planning, just a fortnight ago we finally booked the holiday. 

Unfortunately, though I love him to bits, my lovely boyfriend is a bit of a disaster and he hadn't realised whilst booking the holiday that he had absolutely no idea where his passport was. Scouring his bedroom, and in fact his entire house the week before our flights, we had no success in finding the passport and therefore had to devastatingly give up on the idea of a perfect summer holiday. 

We were both feeling pretty blue and in an attempt to pick up the pieces, I spontaneously booked 3 nights in a nice hotel in central London for the both of us, as a consolation prize. Of course, London is no Tenerife but we couldn't afford much more and he was already having to grieve over the loss of £1000! 

We actually ended up having the loveliest time in London, and although the atmosphere is a world away from a relaxing, warm holiday, it was still so nice to get away! 

On the first full day we headed straight to Oxford Street to do a bit of naughty shopping (spending money I actually didn't have, oops), and even took a stroll down Regent Street, on constant celeb watch. Obviously these streets to most people aren't anything exciting, but for a country girl who rarely goes to big, amazing cities, a gander in Selfridges or a peep in Harrods is eye-opening! 

I made a cheeky purchase in the hustle and bustle of busy Selfridges, (nothing terribly exciting, just another MAC lipstick, will post a review and swatch up on my blog soon!) and bored my boyfriend to death as we trawled the makeup aisles. 

I didn't take many pictures and annoyingly, forgot to take any during our little visit to Westminster on the second day, but I figured I'd surely be visiting again soon and there are only so many identical pictures of Westminster Abbey, the Eye or Big Ben you can enjoy! 

These are some of the things I did take pictures of, although not terribly exciting, they remind me that no matter where you are, or what you're doing, concentrated time with the person that means more than anything in the world to you is the best (soppy). 

New Obsession || 'Depop'

Nearly everybody can shamefully admit they're accustomed to a little bit of indulgent shopping, and I for one need to reign myself in when I see new stock on Topshop's website. My downfall has to be the revolution of internet shopping. Around six years ago, I would have thought it was only possible to buy the odd 'necessary' household item on websites like Amazon and Ebay and it didn't even cross my mind that you could buy all manner of fashion items on the interwebs. 

I even remember the first thing I ever bought online and I was so nervous about giving away my details and parting with my money with a virtual sales assistant that I enlisted the help of my mum! Needless to say, I was mostly worried because it was an £80 hoodie from the Abercrombie & Fitch website (a purchase I am astounded a 16 year old girl would even dream of making!). 

Nowadays, around 60% of my wardrobe (and beauty products) were the result of naughty online purchases, and while online shopping has it's benefits (being able to grab something you have failed to find in-store, the ability to improve your mood by around 99% once you've found something you'd always dreamed of, and the excitement of imagining you'd look just like the model in the new dress you're about to buy), it's also a pain in the butt when you are stuck with something that looks much more crap than it did on the website and you have to battle with the postage costs to send the item back. As a result of my terrible online shopping addiction over the past 3 years I've been working, I have built up quite an impressive amount of clothing (half of which I dislike or am not even aware I own), and it dawned on me recently as I struggled to find enough money three days before payday to pay for the bus, that I needed to do something about it.

I have been putting the odd item here and there onto Ebay and Asos Marketplace and have always been pleased with the service they offer, but just the other day I found a brilliant new app called 'Depop' which is basically a shop in your pocket! It's just like instagram (another one of my obsessions, just thankfully not an expensive one!), only you create your profile with pictures of items you wish to sell. People will like your pictures, comment asking about your items, make you offers and even offer to swap your item with something they're selling! It's just like having a little market in your pocket, which you can buy, sell or trade with, wherever you are! 

I've added several items today and tried to make the items look as lovely as possible so people feel they're getting the best idea of just how lovely they are. I'm aiming to build up a little holiday fund for myself so any money I earn from selling is such a bonus! I recommend this app to anybody who's interested in selling unwanted items as it's just so so easy! 

I also have to cheekily add that there's a search bar to see if anybody happens to be selling anything in particular you've been looking for. I am literally having to tear myself away from staring at the screen when I find something super super nice that somebody's selling! Ha ha.

xoxo

Mini Mani Monday

I'm well aware I have been away from the blogging scene for a little too long just lately, and am feeling deeply ashamed of myself! I adore blogging and feel sad that life can just get on top of someone so much that they neglect doing something they love. I've created myself a little plan of action, (or as I like to call it - a 'plaction') to get myself blogging regularly again. For every day of this week that I happen to have off work, I'm going to do a little blogpost! Whether it be a teeny paragraph reflecting on a piece of my day, or reams of waffling about something I'm really loving at the moment, I will post it for you to read :)

So to kickstart this very grim monday (It's been raining and thundering and even HAILING where I am today - boo!), and to cheer myself up from this blue mood, I decided to give myself a well overdue manicure. I'm no nail artist and I should definitely be ashamed to say I've actually never had my nails done by a professional before, but I thought I'd give it a go. My poor, unhealthy nails are unfortunately so used to having a fleeting lick of polish before I head to work or bed (exciting life I lead), as I simply don't have the time to sit down and give them a little pamper. So I grabbed my nail file, filled a bowl of hot, soapy water and doused my hands and nails in as many nourishing products as I could find. I really enjoyed the feeling and my nails looked and felt great afterwards.

I went for a simple lilac-toned nude from Loreal and gave my nails an intense buff with my four-sided nail file from The Body Shop. They were super shiny even before I put the polish on which creates the illusion of gel nails! 

I'm super proud of my efforts and am fiercely fighting the urge to pick them, (a terrible habit of mine) so I can have them last a whole week! 

It's only a little act of pampering but sometimes a little is all you need for a pick-me-up and I felt a little less blue afterwards. Of course, selfless acts of kindness are much better than selfish ones, but everybody is entitled to make themselves feel a bit better every now and again, and what's the shame in a little Monday mani? :)

xoxo

Review | Revlon Colorburst matte balm sticks

As it's been said before (many times), I'm a big fan of lip products and think they're my favourite make-up item to buy. However, I rarely stray out of my MAC comfort zone and have found just lately that I'm stuck in a bit of a rut! 

I am a big fan of matte lip products at the moment and am forever reaching for my MAC 'flat out fabulous' for the comfort of knowing it'll pretty much stay on my lips for my eight hour shift at work. I find it rare to find a matte effect high street lipstick and was quite surprised to stumble across these at the Revlon counter in Boots.

I'm a huge Revlon fan, and go to them for nearly everything from my nail polish to my foundation, but rarely buy their lip products. I have one or two of the Revlon Colorstay balm stains, which are the shiny version of these, and find they're very similar to the beautiful Clinique Chubby Sticks (however not so similar in price!)

Knowing how much I liked the balm stains, I had every faith in Revlon not to let me down with the matte balms, and alas, they did not!

I bought three different shades, for three separate occasions. The red balm is called ‘standout’ and is my favourite of the three. It's an incredibly vibrant red - perfect for a night out with a super winged eyeliner. The pink balm, called ‘elusive’ is a pretty pink, ideal for an everyday face, good to team with a delicate brown smokey eye, while the nude, ‘complex’ , the least pigmented of the three is a soft, natural and versatile colour to work with a dramatic smokey eye or a pretty natural eye for any occasion.

All three have great staying power and create a dramatic but classy look, even intensifying the size of your lips to make them look plump and voluptuous. 

One thing I was fairly surprised about was the cool minty flavour of the balms and the slight tingling sensation they left on the lips once applied. It felt, to me, as though I had just applied a lip-plumping gloss on my lips, although I didn't notice it'd had any 'plumping' effect! Overall, I would recommend these balms to anyone, with a fantastic colour range there's plenty of choice and without the glossy sheen they're a subtle but sultry way to add long-lasting colour to your lips!

xoxo

Goodbye dark brown, hello blonde (sort of)

bye bye dark brown locks!

Since the day I was born I have had thick dark brown hair, and despite a few dubious 'experiments' during my teens, it has pretty much remained the same colour throughout my life.

I adore my brunette hair, and after attempting all over bleach blonde when I was 17 (cringing at the thought of those blotchy yellow/bronze highlights), I was more than happy to go back to my comfort zone and my glossy chocolate brown locks.

However, over the past two years, I've been contemplating doing the hair fashion must-have and bleaching the ends of my hair to create the 'dip dye' or 'ombre' effect.

I adore this look and think it's incredibly classy and pretty (if done correctly, it is SO easy for it to go horribly wrong, I've seen a few prime examples), but feeling nervy about the dreaded bleach on my ends has left me saying no at the very last minute.

Speaking to a friend who is a hairdresser, she's given me many tips on where to get it done, how much to pay, what to ask for and what to expect and I'm feeling a little bit better about it. I've been doing my research and trying to find as many pictures as I can of girls with long dark hair like mine, with ombred ends. The pictures I saw the most, were lovely, long, dark brown hair with subtle golden highlights stretching from the mid-lengths of the hair and splashing out onto the ends. This gives a golden glow and blonde effect to the hair without the ends having to be totally doused in bleach and without the awful blonde to brown line that would stretch across the mid-length of my hair. I fear it'll be a tricky thing to ask for, but hopefully with the correct care and dedication from professional hairdressers, I'll come out with the barnet I've always dreamed of!

The gorgeous Camilla Alves with the look I want to ask for!

google images

Sometimes you need a little change to brighten things up!

xoxo

Review | Vaseline 'spray & go' body moisturiser

I've heard a definite mixture of good and bad reviews about this product, and honestly didn't know what to expect when I first tried it. I bought the cream coloured one first, which is the 'essential moisture' version, which is a light, fresh scent you'd typically expect from a moisturiser. Obviously their novelty isn't the scent of the product, but rather the thing they're advertised to do - 'moisturise in seconds'. The idea is that if you're in a hurry to get ready, but your body skin needs a little pick-me-up, you give a quick spray, wait a matter of seconds and the product will have sunk in, leaving you ready to put on your clothes without that sticky feeling. 

I was under the impression that you wouldn't need to get your hands messy either, as you'd just spray and go, but the nozzle sprays the product into a sort of splatter onto the skin which you then have to rub in yourself. Not a problem, just my own mis-judgement!

The product did sink in pretty quickly and definitely didn't feel sticky once dressed, however I felt no matter how thickly I applied the spray, it still only gave a light, hour-long feeling of being moisturised and didn't seem to last long enough to leave a lasting feeling of soft skin.

Out of all three sprays, my favourite is the 'cocoa radiant' as it smells divine, but all three seem to work in the exact same way and leave the same feeling.

Overall, I enjoyed trying the products and will probably bring them out of my beauty drawers in summer time when I want a light skin pick-me-up during the day or just before a night out. Not the best product for night-time moisturising as I like a thick, long lasting softness cream, however I can fundamentally say they're a very good idea and are still on my daily beauty agenda!

I'd love to know if anyone else has tried them and what they thought about them, but for now, take care and expect another post from me soon! :)

xoxo

Big, voluminous hair

Last Sunday I tried something a little different with my hair and was so impressed by how it turned out I've decided to share it with you.

I have very naturally straight hair and usually I would curl it every day and brush it out into loose, bouncy waves. Although my hair is quite long and thick, I've never been able to achieve the correct level of volume with it, and despite trying numerous products, nothing has worked as well as this little trio.

I've been a big fan of Toni&Guy sea salt texturising spray for a while now and particularly like to use it in the summer when I want my hair to look effortlessly styled. I used it with two new products I've been trying recently in the hope that each one would do their little bit to build up the volume in not only the lengths but also the roots of my hair. 

I'm sure nearly every girl uses her fair share of dry shampoo - it's a god-send for those days where you just can't be bothered or you've spent too much time doing your makeup and haven't allowed enough time to wash your hair. However, I'm not the biggest fan of Batiste as I find it far too chalky and it dries my hair out. So in a bid to try more brands, I gave this slightly pricier dry shampoo out. This is the Charles Worthington salon at home dry shampoo. It's brilliant as the formula is light and not powdery at all, it settles in the roots and once worked in lifts the roots so effortlessly to create amazing volume. 

I finally finished the look with the brilliant Loreal studio line texture spray which I think is like a mixture between a sea spray and a hairspray to create a perfect mattifying spray which inspires a tousled look to any hair. It even works on my boring dead-straight hair (believe it or not!).

Altogether, these products make for the perfect stay-all-day volume treat for dull-looking hair and give that effortless 'oh look how gorgeously big and windswept my natural hair is' look, with only a few sprays of each!

not the best picture, but you get the idea!

What hair products have you been loving lately? Let me know!

xoxo

Cute disney socks

On my little visit to good ol' Primark the other day, I fell completely in love with these adorable Disney print socks. Just lately, Primark seem to have teamed up with Disney to incorporate the iconic Disney prints and styles in many of their products at very reasonable prices. Just 50p more than other printed socks in Primark, these cute, retro socks are definitely worth the pricetag - £2.50!

Sadly, there were only two different types in my local store, although I know there were some Little Mermaid ones recently as my friend bought some just before Christmas. The only two I could get hold of were the Minnie Mouse and the Snow White print. I'll keep a lookout to see if they bring in more but for now I'll be loving life as a die-hard Disney fan in my Minnie Mouse socks watching Tangled, The Little Mermaid and all my favourite Disney movies! :)

Youtube...

My blog has existed for about a year and a half now and although my posts haven't been very regular, I feel as though my life has opened up enough to give me sufficient time to blog and share my passion for beauty with people who feel the same. This means I plan to write many more blogposts, with ideas flying around my head every day I'm confident I won't ever run out of things to say!

For a while now I've been a keen follower of certain beauty and fashion Youtubers and have been considering setting myself up with my own channel.

I've finally gathered up the confidence to try and make my own videos and see if people are interested in what I have to say. I'm not entirely sure when, but I plan to post a video soon and see how it goes. At the moment I'm trying to think up some ideas of what my first post is going to be, and until I do, nothing will be posted. 

It's quite a challenging and intimidating thing to do, but I want to be sure I am confident and positive enough to do it and feel good about it. 

I will be sure to post my first video on my blog when it's ready and hope to receive only kind words of encouragement so I'm not too afraid to do more!

A MAC for every mood

My MAC Collection

A MAC lipstick is possibly the staple product of every beauty bloggers' makeup collection and is a product which never goes out of fashion. With their sturdy packaging and beautiful colour pigments, MAC is definitely my favourite brand for lip products.

With only five to my name, I don't have as many as some people, but as you can tell from my picture, they're all very well loved!

#1 Nicki Minaj Limited Edition 'Viva Glam'

Starting with the 1st lipstick in the left hand corner, my Viva Glam lipstick is one of my definite favourites. It's a beautifully soft and creamy hot pink, with lighter undertones than that of the very popular (and much lusted after by me) 'Candy Yum Yum'. It's a good lipstick for everyday, as it's not too bright but adds a lovely pop of colour.

#2 'Flat Out Fabulous'

A new addition to my collection and a new favourite, 'Flat Out Fabulous' is everything it says in the name. I hinted to my boyfriend a little while back just how much I loved it after trying it in my local MAC store and the little gem he is, he bought it for me for christmas! :D It's a gorgeous deep purple/pink shade which can be built up depending on how many layers you apply. It's my only matte shade but I can safely say, after trying matte, I will definitely try more!

#3 'Costa Chic'

This is the second MAC I ever bought and is a very pretty coral pink. It's definitely more on the pink side of coral rather than orange, and is perfect to wear with a soft brown smokey eye. It's a creamsheen so packs loads of creamyness and colour.

#4 'Sunny Seoul'

Definitely a stay-safe shade if you're more a lipgloss girl than a lipstick girl and you're willing to try something new. It's a pretty light pink which can be slightly sheer when first applied but built up into more of a pink colour. It's a lovely everyday lip colour and perfect for summer time. I did a fuller review of this lipstick here.

#5 'Creme Cup'

My absolute, all-time favourite, go-to colour which never lets me down. When I can't be bothered with fancy eye makeup or meticulously applied bold lip colour, I reach for my 'Creme Cup'. It's a creamsheen so very very creamy and soft and easy to apply, it's a less daring nude with pink undertones so creates a softer lip than brown-based nudes. One of the first MAC's I ever bought, and my most-used, I bought this one without much knowledge of how many different nude shades there were. I plan to branch out and try a more beige nude soon as I've become a bit more daring, but this one will always be a firm favourite everyday colour.

Below is a little swatch picture for you to see what they look like when applied. Sorry they're not on the lips, it was just easier this way!

xoxo