March Favourites!

Shocker I know, I'm on time this month!

So this month I've been loving practically all new things! I had a bit of a spending spree throughout Feb and the start of March so I've had the joy of discovering new loves!

To start I'll dive straight into brows! I've never been one for brows much before as mine are reasonably ok and I saw it as an extra chore in the mornings and unneeded money spending; however when I saw boots had a 3 for 2 on I picked Maybelline's Browdrama up as I'd seen quite a few reviews about it. I intend to do a review of this myself so won't go into too much depth but I've been loving it!

Another newbie in my makeup stash is Bourjois's 123 Perfect CC eye cream concealer, similarly I had never really bothered with under eye concealer as I don't have awful dark circles, yet I do have quite tired bags underneath and boy did I not realise the difference concealer made until I discovered this! Essie (yet again) raved about this, so I felt safe picking it up as it's quite expensive to me, as someone who doesn't bother with her under eyes. Wow, let's just say I love it and it has changed my face! My eyes look so much brighter and more awake when I've used this, I would definitely recommend!

Next onto La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo[+], I bought this on Escentual when it had an offer on french pharmaceutical brands as it was a third off and I hadn't been able to find it in stock near me. This has become part of my daily skincare routine, I use it day and night and I have definitely noticed a difference, especially in redness (my worst skin issue) however I am going to review this separately also so I'll leave my debate about it until then.

A not so new addition but new to use is Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, I got this for my birthday from my sister along with two others, and surprisingly this is the one I have used the most! It is uber long lasting and super pigmented! It's great for a quick swipe of colour that doesn't take to long to put on and stays all day. Love love.

For my cheeks this month I have gravitated towards this little gem, MUA's powder blush in Lolly, it had it's moment late last year when everyone and their mother was raving about it and it's cheap price tag. Well I picked it up then and just forgot about it! It remained untouched until around Feb when I tried it out, and since then I have been obsessed. 

Last but not least, E.L.F's Bronzing Brush has returned to the love list! I use this along side MUA's blush and it just makes it so much easier to get the right amount of product in the right place! It's so cheap and does the job perfectly, thinking of grabbing another one of these.

So don't forget to check back here soon to see those reviews I mentioned above and you can also enter my giveaway right here. Have a nice Sunday lovelys!

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No7 Haul- Including a Gift Box!

*Warning this is a bit of a long one!*

Top to Bottom- Iridescent Purple Duo lighter shade, darker shade, cool mink shadow stick

So I was in Boots the other day whilst searching for items to go in my mystery bundle...oooh mystery. Anyway, so I was browsing the No7 counter when I saw there was an offer on, where if you buy two No7 cosmetic products you get a free gift box worth £20!! I was sold, I mean immediately. 

So I straight away picked up the eyeshadow duo in Iridescent Purple, my much researched dupe for the discontinued Estee Lauder Raisins Duo *cries at the fact I never got to even try it* which I have been dying to buy for ages now. And then I spotted this shadow stick in Cool Mink, which may I say stay for a bloody long time! I only swatched it on my hand and it took a bit of scrubbing to get off, which I'm hoping means it is a stick version of Maybelline's Colour Tattoo's which stay alllll day, without fail! It is a lovely brown-y, taupe-y colour and I think will be one of those that you can just slap on when you're in a rush, to make it look like you've tried with your makeup, even if you don't have time. I will hopefully do a post on the eyeshadow duo soon as I am so excited to use it, I think it will be a FOTD as I don't think I'm good enough to do a tutorial yet. 

So with those two products I received a cute little box with four mini products in. I received:

•  a mini Skin Illuminator Radiance Boosting Beauty Fluid in Peach
• a mini High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink
• a single Stay Perfect Eye Shadow-the middle shade from the Cappuccino Trio 
• a mini Exceptional Definition Mascara in Black

I'm really happy about what I got in this little gift box, two of the things (mascara and lip crayon) I have really wanted to try for a while as i have heard a lot about No7 products but not really delved into the brand before. I think this type of promo is a really great way to try out a brand and see if you like their products and what the quality is like. 

So far I have tried the lip crayon and the eyeshadow and I really like both, the lip crayon has great pigmentation and staying power, yet feels light on the lips and the colour can be built up from sheer to quite bright. The shadow is quite a light colour therefore brilliant for all over the lid and has brilliant staying power even without primer, it doesn't crease and no fallout. I am yet to try the mascara but No7 is notorious for their reputation so am excited to give it a go and I've never used a skin illuminator before so that should be interesting.

I hope you liked seeing this and make sure you go out and pick up this offer before it runs out! I'll see you on Sunday and don't forget to enter my giveaway!

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Spring Nail Favourites

So considering Spring is on it's way, and today has been vaguely sunny I thought it was about time I cracked out the pastels and the spring colours for my nails.
I'm not a massive one for painting my nails as they are quite crappy to be quite honest, but I do have a thing about buying nail varnish, so this year I'm going to try and make an extra effort to give my nails a little loving.

Without further ado, I wanted to show you my favourites for this spring. 
I'm loving Rimmel's 60 second nail varnish in Pillow Talk from Rita Ora's collection and also Essie Bikini so teeny, I think these pale blues make even my pale skin look more tanned, breaking in for that lovely weather I'm praying for this summer.

A mint colour is always necessary for spring, it's a tell tale sign that the weather is clearing up and the days are getting longer, so I thought Revlon's Minted was the perfect choice for this. Along with this a peachy coral shade is also a definite step towards spring/summer, just building up to the bright oranges and neons that equal summer.

And finally a nude nail is a classic, but it will always a compliment a spring outfit by toning down the accessories and keeping the focus on the clothes. Very simple chic.

I hope you liked seeing my choices, sorry it's a bit late today, but while you're here why don't you go check out my giveaway here! :)

P.S did you like how I managed to pop in some daffodils in the background? Spring is coming baby!

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#2014BloggerChallenge Topic Six Food

So I know yet again this is late and I have all sorts of reasons I could give you but I won't cause I know you're not interested.

As I'm not the best at cooking and don't do it all that often I thought I would just show you one of my favourite foods. Tuna Steak!

Now I normally eat my mum's own and she doesn't really have a recipe for that so I found this one online which looks pretty similar and just as yummy!

*Just as a disclaimer, all credit of this recipe goes to foodrepublic.com and I in no way claim this as my own.*

Servings:8

Ingredients

For the tuna

3 pounds sushi-grade tuna

1/2 cup black pepper, coarsely ground

1/4 cup coarse sea salt

For the zucchini

8 zucchini

zucchini

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

coarse salt

coarsely ground black pepper

For the lemon caper butter

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons capers

2 lemons

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions: 

To prepare the tuna:

1. Slice the tuna into 8 equal steaks.
2. Combine the pepper and salt in a small bowl and pour onto a clean dinner plate.
3. Press each tuna steak into the mixture to coat evenly. Refrigerate until ready to grill.

To prepare the zucchini:

1. Preheat the grill to medium.
2. Cut each zucchini lengthwise into 5 or 6 strips.
3. Lay flat, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Grill for 1 for 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned. Set aside.

To make the lemon caper butter:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
2. Add the capers and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes to heat through.

To grill the tuna:

1. Add the tuna steaks to the grill and grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
2. To assemble, place 5 or 6 zucchini strips in the center of each plate.
3. Drizzle with lemon caper butter. Top each plate of zucchini with a tuna steak.

Level of Difficulty: 

Easy

Prep Time: 

10 minutes

Cooking Time: 

20 minutes

For the link click below:

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/06/15/grilled-salt-and-pepper-tuna-recipe

I absolutely adore tuna steak and don't think enough people know about it/ eat it! So if you're feeling adventurous go and try this recipe :) Let me know if you do and enjoy it, or if you love tuna steak too! I hope this was good enough as I'm not the best at food-y posts :) 

See you soon and whilst you're here why don't you check out my 50 followers giveaway in my last post! 

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50 Followers Giveaway! Sleek Blush + a Mystery

So I'm not sure if any of you noticed but yesterday I hit 50 followers on Bloglovin' and for me that is such a huge milestone! I actually can't believe that there are 50 people out there that follow my little blog and I just wanted to let you all know that I am so grateful and so proud of my little blog. I know in the grand scheme of things 50 people isn't that many especially compared to those with thousands but I just wanted to personally say that I am so happy and am so pleased that there are people out there who enjoy my ramblings and that people like to read the posts that I thoroughly enjoy writing.

So to thank you to all of you and I hope you choose to stick around :)
Just as a little gift from me to you, to show my appreciation, I thought I would do a little giveaway of one sleek blush of your choice + a couple other mystery prizes in there too! 

As usual with these things there are some conditions, just to keep it safe and fair. 

•    This giveaway is for 1 Sleek Blush of your choice, subject to availabilty and also a couple other beauty/skincare/cosmetic related items.
•      The giveaway will start on Tuesday 18th March and end Wednesday 2nd April.
•      The winner will be selected and contacted within 48 hours of the giveaway ending.
•      If I do not hear from the winner after 72 hours of contact then I shall pick another winner.
•     I will then post the blush to the winner within 2 weeks of them choosing their colour.
•      Unfortunately this giveaway is UK only.
•     You must be over 18 or have permission from an parent/guardian as I will need your address.
•     I will post Royal Mail 1st class recorded delivery.
•      No spam or fake accounts please.

*Just as a disclaimer, I will be buying this out of my own money, this has not been gifted to me*
Go enter and good luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Fashion Union Wishlist

So definitely time for some spring cleaning and I have a feeling that means my wardrobe especially! I really do need some new clothes and it's not exactly a chore to browse now, is it? I discovered this site and I actually love it! Its called Fashion Union and it's not the cheapest but I think its reasonable and the clothes definitely look good quality.
So I thought I'd share with you some of the items that have caught my eye.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

All the links are in the caption :)

I just love all of these pieces and am definitely going to have to make an order soon! Time to get those charity bags out and load up all those old clothes that haven't seen the light of day for way to long! I'm sorry bank account, you may have a dent until pay day.

Let me know which ones you like, or if you find anything else! 

 

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Relaxation and Meditation

Image found on google

Relaxing is an ever appealing yet ever decreasing part of people's days. The desire to sit and do nothing just for an hour is such a battle I face everyday, whether it's in the form of procrastination, exhaustion or boredom. Putting tasks and necessary jobs of for just that little bit longer is so tempting yet deep down we still know those things need to be done. After college or work and other activities that require our attention throughout the day it is understandable as to why we are exhausted a lot of he time, especially at times of high stress e.g around exams or deadlines, the need to complete these tasks can sometimes take away essential rest time, leading to less and less periods of free time. 

However I think that even with all the demanding aspects of life it is so so important to leave aside a bit of me time at the end of the day, at least half an hour where you can relax and do something you enjoy, whether it be catching up on your favourite tv program or sit down with a cuppa and a book, I think it is an essential part of the day. This should particularly be near your bedtime as it allows your body to wind down and prepare for a good night's sleep, allowing yourself the most restoring sleep possible.

Ideally you are supposed to turn all electrical items off around an hour before you go to sleep as this allows time for your brain to finish processing the information and also allows your brains chemicals to rebalance before your body prepares to shut down the the night and begin repairing itself. However in this day and age this is very unlikely, as people tend to go on their phones, tablets, e-readers or laptops whilst in bed before they go to sleep. This is actually shown to drop your melatonin levels, this affects your sleep quality, as this chemical that is actually largely responsible for helping your body wind down and mellow out. 

I have a really bad sleeping pattern and on most nights (with few exceptions) I rarely go to sleep or even to bed before midnight! This therefore only allows me a maximum of 7 and a half hours sleep a night, hardly enough to power me through the next day. This isn't down to choice mind you, I just struggle to fall asleep before this time, and it's not that I'm not tired, my sleeping pattern is just really out of sync and quite disrupted. Due to this I can generally get into quite bad/irritable moods which obviously isn't nice for me or anyone around me; however I have learnt to deal with my tiredness and my moods connected to this. Yet this shouldn't be the solution! 

I have recently found that taking time out to relax and breathe has helped an awful lot with stress loads and mood swings, to do this I have found several different methods that work in different ways.

1)Calm.com

This is a site that I found through Tanya Burr who uses it for her anxiety. This also helps for just a quick (or long) wind down at the end of the day or when feeling stressed. It is a website that has a spoken guided routine that is essentially meditation, soothing music is played in the background and a calm voice gives instructions on how to relax your body. This is a physical exercise that also helps with your mind, and clears your head of thoughts of anything other than you and right now. It is crazy how helpful and effective this is, it really is a don't believe it till you try it kind of thing. 

2)The Quiet Place

This is another website that I have found useful, I actually found this about a year or 2 ago on tumblr and it has been so helpful ever since. This is what I went to if i ever needed to chill out before I found Calm.com. It is slightly different to calm though as it isn't quite meditation however in a sense it is; you are told to turn off any distractions e.g your phone, and put headphones in to listen to the music, you then read the phrases as it goes along, this is only a 90 second exercise. 

3)Reading

I know a lot of people don't like to read and find it boring or uninteresting but what I say to those people is, you haven't found the right book! To be quite honest, the thought of curling up in bed, with a warm drink of some kind and a really good book is the image of bliss to me. Getting lost in a story that you have no concerns with, getting involved in the story as if your there, or even an easy page turner that is simple to read, there are so many different types of books I don't know how anyone can dismiss the activity altogether (I'll stop rambling, honestly, I could write a whole post on this alone). Anyway reading is such a relaxing activity and really helps your body to wind down ready for sleep.

So these are a few ways that I have found mega helpful in winding down, de-stressing and just allowing myself a bit of time to stop. I really do think it is important to give yourself this opportunity, it shouldn't be a privilege or a  luxury to have a bit of down time, it should be a reward for all your hard work that day. 

So if your ever feeling like your super stressed, or really annoyed or even a bit down, I urge you to try one of these things just to centre yourself, have a bit of space and regain control. You never know you may even enjoy them and find yourself using them regularly as a part of your day to day routine.

I hope this post was insightful or helpful to any of you. 

I'll be sure to do a shorter post on Sunday, but I really wanted to talk about this properly :)

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February Favourites

I know this is a tad late yet again, sorry about that; but look at the gorgeous weather I managed to capture thanks to them being late! Ah i just love the sun, it puts me in such a good mood :)

So let's get going:
Tresemme Salon Sleek Smoothing Serum with Argan oil- I found this in the sale section in Tesco whilst looking for a serum, it was only £2 so I picked up two, logically. It's really nice and not greasy at all, it makes my hair feel soft and well nourished, I like to use this throughout my hair and then focusing on the ends. Well worth the money and would actually buy it full price too.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist- This is actually my mums however she doesn't use it so I stole it. I started using this after watching Estee's video about her skin care routine, and thought I'd give it a go in my routine as I have quite patchy dry skin that can get quite tight in the wind and cold. I have to say this combined with my new routine has really helped my skin and made it feel a lot more hydrated and plumper. As well as that you can use it help set your make up, I have tried it for this but not noticed a huge difference throughout the day.

Manuka Doctor SkinCare Trio- I ordered this set when Miss Budget Beauty mentioned that you could get it for free as long as you paid the £2.50 postage, so I jumped on that offer and got them straight away. However they did stay unopened on my desk for a little while as I was uncertain about them, this month my skin has been a bit tricky but boy has this stuff helped! They have cleared up my redness slightly and has definitely reduced my blemishes and scarring. I am so tempted to buy the full sized products when I run out of these, which won't be soon, with these little beauties a little goes a long way and they have a lot more in them than you'd think.

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide cream bush- This probably won't surprise you after my review post about it. I really is just lovely and not too much, whilst still bringing out your cheeks. It's a lovely blendable texture and a very versatile colour.

So I hope you guys are having a lovely weekend and are enjoying the sun!☼

I'll see you in the week sometime for another post, thanks for reading.

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The Blogger Made Me But It Tag

So I saw this tag created by Famous In Japan and then I also saw MakeupSavvy do it too, I've had this in the run up off posts for a while now but have just never got round to doing it so, here we go!

1) Who are your most influential bloggers?  Who are the ones that you really rely on for reviews and swatches?

EssieButton is like the PR's dream advertiser! Literally everything she owns, I want. And also she really does recommend brilliant products, I've never been disappointed by anything she has recommend, and she also puts a lot of time into each product and really sells it. Also the regulars like Zoella, SprinkleOfGlitter and VDM.

2) Do you buy a product solely as a result from one review from your favourite bloggers, or do you look for more reviews from others?

I tend to start wanting a product if I trust the blogger I read, however I rarely buy a product without reading even a few reviews as I can't really afford to waste money on products I either won't like or won't use.

3) What is your most favourite item that you have ever bought as a consequence of blogs?

Cream blushes. I know that's vague, but the whole idea of cream blushes didn't appeal to me before blogging, actually I don't think I knew what a cream blush was before I started blogging, and now i really do love them! Check out my review of Elizabeth Arden's here.

.

4) What is your least favourite item that you have ever bought as a consequence of blogs?

I would say it had to be Maybelline the Rocket mascara, there had been so many rave reviews, but I just can't get along with it which really sucks :(

5) Name 5 products you have bought recently as a result of blogs.

1) Maybelline Baby skin primer 2) Nivea Express Hydration Primer 3) Maybelline the Rocket mascara 4)Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr 5)Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder 

6) Have you ever given into blogger hype?  If so, which hype?

Baby Lips was definitely a super hyped up product that I fell for, and I don't mind cause I actually quite like them! But that was definitely something I wanted waay before it was in the shops!

7) Have you ever avoided blogger hype?  If so, which hype?

I actually avoided the Bourjois chocolate bronzer hype for a really long time and only recently purchased it, but one I've completely avoided so far is the Bioderma Micellar Water, mainly because I can't really justify buying it when there are highstreet versions that are much more affordable and do the same job.

8) Is everything you buy based on blogger reviews or are there some items you buy without checking out a review?

There are quite a few things I have bought without consulting reviews or even products I've bought before it has been raved about *cough Rimmel Match Perfect Foundation cough*, so even though I do buy a lot down to blogging, I do still like to experiment and try things out for myself.

I really liked this tag and think it is very relevant for the blogging world as, I definitely have bought a hell of a lot more since blogging! 

Well done if you got this far and stuck to it! I hope you all have a go at this tag, leave a link in the comments if you do so I can check out your answers.

See you on Sunday for my February Favourites post! 

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#2014BloggerChallenge Topic Five Nails

So I'm not all that into nails, I do them but am absolutely dreadful at it and somehow manage to either smudge it or get it everywhere or something. I just find it a huge faff especially as nail varnish chips mega quick on me. I went through a stage of having acrylics, which really got me into nail varnish and putting the time into my nails, however I'm back to my crappy nails so it's a bit more effort now.

However as you can see, the majority of my nail varnishes are dark purple-y/red-y/blue-y or black colours. It started as a kind of autumn/winter thing however, I have noticed that I much prefer wearing darker colours on my nails, no matter what the weather. Granted I prefer lighter or brighter ones on my toes and I do switch it up a bit from time to time, but for the majority of the time I really loves those darker ones. 

This is just a selection of my collection, so I thought I would show you them and let you know which ones they are. 

•  Maybelline Forever Strong pro- 05 Extreme Blackcurrant
• NYC In a New York color Minute- 004 Wild with Passion
• Barry M- 115 Red Black
• Barry M- 47 Black
• Seventeen Rock Hard Nail Effects- Blue
• Barry M- 356 Berry Cosmo
• Tanya Burr- New York Night
• Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay gel nail color- 287 Midnight Red
• Barry M- 273 Raspberry
• Barry M- 312 Indigo
• Barry M- 355 Gold Mine Glitter

I wanted to keep this short and sweet so I'll leave it there :) Hope you enjoyed seeing my favourite colours, and I'll see you soon!

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