Life Lately #77

 

Evening lovelies!

 

Aren't you just loving the Spring weather? Here in the UK it's been beautiful (minus a few rainy & blustery days) I've been making the most of it by pondering through the woods, taking endless photos of the flowers. You just have to, right?

 

My girl Charlotte came home for a few days last week, so we met up for lunch with our friend Mils. We went to our local pub, which serves the most lovely food & at a totally affordable price. All of us had the same; gammon, chips & peas.

 

It was Gemma's 24th birthday last week, so we hit the town wearing pretty dresses & drank outrageous cocktails. Was a lovely night catching up with everyone.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to have a '3 day weekend' like most people. I had work on Saturday & Sunday, but was off Monday. Myself, Cathy & Elisa hit the town for some serious shopping. We made a pit stop at Costa, where I re-discovered the lemon & raspberry sponge cake, along side a iced lemonade. So delicious.

 

After a 3 hour look around the shops, we headed back to Cathy's for dinner, which was garlic bread alongside pasta, with peas, sweetcorn, chicken, bacon & Philadelphia. A meal none of us had had since our holiday to the Isle Of White last year! The rest of our girl group joined us in the evening, for some games & tea drinking.

 

Also, I managed to squeeze in a pamper hour last week, where I ran the hottest bath & used a face mask. I always forget how happy I feel after taking time to myself, I really should try to do it at least once a week!

 

On a side note, I can't do this update post without mentioning voting in the election yesterday. I still hadn't really made up my mind completely but when I was given the paper & scanned down the list of names, I just put what I felt was right. It felt empowering & when I came out of the village hall, I felt a sense of pride that I'd taken part & voted. I did get to vote 5 years ago, but don't ever remember feeling this happy with making my voice heard.

 

How have you been lovelies?

What did you get up to over the bank holiday weekend?

 

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What I've Been Lovin' This Week

Hello lovelies,

 

I wanted to share with you a few things that have made me smile this week. As Friday was International Day Of Happiness, I thought it was a perfect time to share this post with you : )

 

 

Ways to feel happier right this second

Lily's post about how to feel happier right this second was an eye opener. I happened to stumble across her post on a down day & it instantly lifted my mood. Worth a read when you're struggling to find ways to get out of a rut.

Salted caramel mug cake

I found this mug cake recipe & it instantly made me feel happy. I like things like that. I've mentioned before that I'm hopeless at cooking & finding a recipe that I read & think 'I could probably do that' is a rare thing, but just the look of this makes me want to try it!

Baths

I'm addicted to baths. When I'm stressing out, I instantly try to think of a way to plan a bath into my schedule. Not always possible, but when it is, my brain & body completely relax & I feel happy. I managed to squeeze a few in this week & they made such a difference.

 

Saving money on makeup

Reading Becca's blog the other day, I came across this website called Save On Makeup. Oh my lord, I don't think my bank balance is going to like me after a purchase.. or two..

 

YouTube

Yes, as simple as that. I have discovered some gems this month & some favourites that I'll follow as long as they make videos. There's just something fascinating about vlogs of people's every day lives that I can't get enough of.

 

What are you loving this week? : )

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E.L.F Haul #2

You might remember me doing a previous haul from ELF back at the beginning of the month. I love ELF, I can't stress enough how amazing there products are. So here's what I purchased in my last order. : )

Brushes.

Eyeshadow brush.

Foundation brush.

I haven't used either of these brushes yet, but both my eyeshadow & foundation brushes needed replacing so I thought I'd give these a go. Anybody tried the ELF brushes?

Eyeshadow.

Butter Pecan.

Love this product. The browns blend so well together. Make sure you use an eyelid primer underneath as it is a cream eyeshadow. This will stop the colour creasing through-out the day.

Lipsticks.

Posh.

Charming.

Fantasy.

I think Charming has to be my favourite of these three shades. It's a pinky / red that applies so easily to your lips.

Nail Varnishes.

Obviously this matte one didn't need a swatch as it's a clear varnish.

Matte Finisher.

Smoky Brown.

Sunset.

Lilac.

Party Purple.

Mint Cream.

I'm currently wearing the Mint Cream, it's such a gorgeous colour. I painted it on 4 days previous to this photo being taken & look.. no chipping! I haven't touched it up at all! Amazing. : )

Happy Monday ladies!



E.L.F Haul

Hello ladies. How are you all?

First post of 2012.. how exciting. : )

Thought I'd show you a few bits I picked up from ELF - I'm sure you've all heard of them before & seen reviews on other blogs. I first heard about them through Becca's channel & knew I just had to make an order. I can't believe how fast they delivered the products! Nice early Christmas present I have to say. : )

So here's what I got. All the products I bought were £1.50.

Firstly, a standard Eyelid Primer:

I really wanted one of these for ages. My last one ran out & I just never bothered to get another. I wear eyeshadow every day so this helps it stay in place & not crease through out the day.

Next, two nail varnishes:

If you read my LBD post, you would have seen this nail varnish featured as one of my favs for Christmas. It is actually a gold topcoat, but I've been wearing it as just a standard nail polish. It's so gorgeous, I love the fact it has a mixture of glitter in it, some large sparkles & some fine ones. So glad I had this in time for Christmas day. : )

And the other nail varnish:

I haven't actually worn this one yet (saving it for my birthday I think!) It's a gorgeous glittery dark navy. Beautiful. : )

Next I thought I'd try the 'all over colour stick'. Again, I bought two colours. First is the Golden Peach:

I was un-sure of the colour sticks, mainly because they are designed for the eyes, lips & face. Waaay too much going on here I think! When I saw this colour, I instantly thought it would look lovely as a cheek tint. It's such a warm colour & smells delicious. I want to eat it..

Next was another colour stick, this time in the colour Persimmon:

This one is slightly pinker than the orangy peach shade. Again, I've been using it on my cheeks as a tint to highlight them. I'm not 100% sold on these two products - but they are quite good for nights out.

Next is a Plumping Lip Glaze. (You can tell I was testing products I've been curious about but never tried before can't you!?)

Two products in one! So this product was a little strange I have to say.. I didn't really know what to expect when I started using it. On the packaging, it says "Clear glaze instantly stimulates lips to create a fuller look & the tinted glaze continues to plump while intensely hydrating." You have to apply the clear gloss first - when I did this I never expected it to be so.. tingly. Silly I know.. it has to make your lips 'fuller' somehow, but it really shocked me. The pink goes on next, but it only adds a very small tint of pink to your lips, it's mostly just a clear gloss. It also smells so strong.. of.. wait for it.. mint. Yes mint. It was like applying a tingly clear toothpaste to my lips. Weird? Yes.

Finally my favourite product I purchased:

Now you all know I love my lippy, but when I saw this colour, I just had to get it. I have a lot of red lipsticks, but they are mostly 'hot' reds not dark ones. This is the most beautiful colour, it applies amazingly well to your lips, is long lasting, doesn't highlight the cracks in my lips & smells delicious! Nothing but praise for this gorgeous lipstick. Definitely going to buy some more from ELF.

So that's it. : )

ELF currently have a 50% off sale - so go check that out! I'm definitely ordering some more products either today or tomorrow.

Hope you're all well girls. Make sure you check out my sponsor page if you haven't already. : )

Barry M & MUA Haul

Hello lovelies. : )

Hope you're all ok. Thought I'd show you some more MUA products I picked up recently.

£4

 I love this palette, you can obviously see from the name it's full of glitter eye shadows which I'm a massive fan of. : )

£2.50

So many people have said this blusher is amazing, so I'm looking forward to trying it.

You probably remember the blue nail varnish from this post. I'm still wearing it from a week ago & it's only chipped a little. : ) These were all £1 each.

£1

This is quite a weird lipstick. I fell in love with the colour when I saw it but when it goes on your lips, it's very watery & if you have cracked lips like mine, it does highlight these instead of covering them like some other lipsticks.

£1

Now I LOVE this one. It's beautifully sutle & gorgeous to wear on any skin tone.

Now I'm going to do a proper post on both these next two nail varnishes from Barry M, but for now, here's a sample.

£3.99

£3.99

These are the new Barry M nail varnishes, called 'Foil Effects'. Priced at £3.99, they are a pound more expensive than the regular colours. I haven't tried these on my nails yet, but hoping to wear the silver to a party this weekend, so I'd dead excited about it. : D They actually look amazing.

 If you want to check out me rambling on about these products, I have posted a video about them too.

& I'm still having problems commenting on some of your blogs. (Of course it's some of my favorites this is happening too) so I'm really sorry but I am still reading your posts!

& FINALLLLLY! Have you checked out my sponsor page yet? If not.. DO IT NOW! ; D



MUA Mini Haul

Afternooooon girls! : D

Thought I'd show you some of the recent cosmetic products I picked up from MUA recently. I used to be one of those people that thought because it's cheap, it's got to be rubbish, but after going into Superdrug one day, picking up a blusher from a cosmetic stand, seeing the price & digging in my purse to only find £1, I decided to give MUA a go. (I didn't really have much choice if I wanted to buy a blusher that day!)

So here are the products I got, 3 eye shadows, a blusher & a pressed powder. (total of £5!)

Shade 2 - Pearl

Shade 3 - Pearl

Shade 20 - Matt

Left to right - Shade 2 pearl, Shade 3 pearl, Shade 20 matt

When I go on nights out, I'm very into the 'smokey eye' look. In the day, I go for more neutral colours for eye shadows, usually a brown or a cream. But I love to make my eyes stand out at night with blacks, silvers & greys. These three colours I'll use together (starting from the corners of my eyes with the lighter colours & working my way out to the sides using the grey & black). If you'd like a tutorial on the way I do my 'smokey eye' look, let me know!

The blusher is just for an everyday look, just to highlight the cheekbones. I love blusher, I think it can really brighten up your face & make it almost more feminine.

The pressed power is just to go over my foundation. (I use a liquid one so it sets it & makes my face less shiny!)

I also bought three Pout Paints that I'll do a review on in the coming weeks. I've only worn the 'Pin Up' shade, which is a very dark red & I loved it but it totally shocked me how pigmented the colour actually is!

Sooo, I've got a pretty jam-packed week again. Work this afternoon / evening, same tomorrow in the day, off Wednesday (going shopping in Guildford to buy Pete a monkey onesie for the animal party we're going to on Saturday!) Thursday, Friday & Saturday daytime I have work, then Cathy & Mils' birthday party in the evening. I'm majorly excited about this, it's a fancy dress with the theme jungle & savanna. I'm going as a leopard, not the most original idea, but I bought a gorgeous leopard print dress the other day from Select, it's got a gorgeous peter pan collar & is really fitted. I would show you, but I'm 'show-casing' it on Saturday! I'm sure there will be tons of photos from the evening anyway!

Ahh yes! Last thing to say is, I'm still looking for guest bloggers to post while I'm away next month. If you want more details or are interested, read this post to get involved. : D

Benefit Lip And Cheek Tint And Complexion Enhancer

Hello girls. So today I made my first video! : ) If for some reason you don't get sound, click here, it should work.

What do you think? I thought I'd include some swatches as you can't really see the colours very well in the video and for those of you that don't want to watch it, here are the basic points I was rambling on about. : D

This month Glamour magazine are giving away these three products: Bene and Posie Tint. These are both lip and cheek stains and High Beam which is a complexion enhancer.

Swatches:

Posie Tint

Bene Tint

High Beam (not blended)

High Beam (blended)

I mentioned in my video about the High Beam appearing quite glittery on the skin. I like the effect it creates but I'd personally save it for evening looks.

Together, all the products add up to £28, so getting all three for £6 is a total bargain. I've only tried the Bene Tint so far, I find it's gorgeous on my lips & creates a beautiful sutle glow on my cheeks.

Have any of you picked up Glamour this month yet? And what do you think of the Benefits products?