Love From November

Hello there lovelies

So it’s now December and the countdown to Christmas begins (eeek!) here’s a roundup of the things I’ve been enjoying throughout November.

Lush Star Light, Star Bright Luxury Bath Melt. I wrote in a post a while ago that I’d never tried any Lush products before until this summer when I tried a bubble bar and now I’m a total Lush addict especially when it comes to their Christmas range. The product I’ve been enjoying most is the star light star bright luxury bath melt. I bought 4 of them at the end of October and I only have 1 left now. I really like the bath melts (actually I love everything I’ve used so far, cinders has to be my absolute favourite though) as they leave skin feeling lovely and conditioned. This one smells so fresh and zesty with lime and ginger it’s really invigorating teamed with my favourite cranberry shower gel (another Christmas product that I like to stock up on) makes for a super festive bath experience. I usually go into a bit of a coma after a bath and literally won’t move for the rest of the night because I’m so relaxed although I’m nicely chilled out after using this one I'm not tired, it really uplifts me. If you’re a bath in the morning sort of person then this is a great product to use I also think it would be a great one to use if you’ve got a cold with the smell of freshly grated ginger clearing the airways. Some people aren’t too keen on the glitter but I love it, I haven’t noticed that I look like a sparkly bauble when I get out the bath anyway.

Rimmel blush in Pink Rose this is a really great budget friendly blush. It has great colour pay off with slight highlighting properties in it, it gives a nice flushed look to the cheeks while remaining subtle and natural and it’s really affordable. Rubbish packaging but a great blush and really tiny for putting in your handbag.

Toni and Guy texturising spray. Recently I’ve been embracing the bed head look, my hair is styled in a short choppy bob but its also really fine and flat, I’ve been enjoying adding some texturising spray to define my layers and make my hair not look so sleek and “done” this is a great lightweight spray with a pleasant scent and doesn’t leave and residue in the hair. It gives just enough texture so hair is left looking like you’ve made the effort without over styling.

Boiron Homeoplasmine. I’ve been using this on my lips at night when they’ve been a bit chapped and I wake up in morning to silky smooth lips. It’s also soothing if lips are feeling a bit sore. This is a multi-purpose product that can be used all over to relieve irritated or dry skin so it’s a great product to have for this time of year.

One Tree Hill I love this series, if you haven’t seen it and you like things like The OC, Gossip Girl and Dawsons Creek then this should be right up your street. It has quite a few tear jerker moments and every time I watch it I fall in love with characters all over again. I was pretty devastated when the series ended but I think all the characters had been taken as far as they could be and it ended on a high rather than being subjected to over kill. This is the only T.V. series that I’ve watched from start to finish and then bought every box set and watched them repeatedly. I’m now on series six and I’ve switched to watching it on Amazon Instant video as it’s easier than faffing around turning the laptop on, finding the DVD and remembering what episode you’re up to.

Mac lipstick in Syrup. This is a really easy colour to wear and adds just that bit more than a neutral lip, it’s a lustre finish so doesn’t have the best staying power but teamed with a lip liner prolongs the wear and mattes it down a bit, it’s also easy to reapply as it’s not a bold colour that you have to be really precise with.

Seche Vite. Now I’m not the best person to comment on the longevity of nail varnishes as I don’t very often get more than two or three days off in a row therefore nail varnish isn’t on my nails very long before I have to remove it (I’m not allowed to wear it for work) but even then it chips but I do have quite “active” hands. I recently had a week off work and really wanted my nail varnish to last and when doing my research on top coats Seche Vite came up time and time again so I decided to go with that one (I’d also read all the bad stuff about it too). I was absolutely blown away by it, my nail varnish lasted a whole 7 days without a single chip and the only reason I took it off was because I was going back to work the following day, I’d love to see how long it lasts without me having to take it off. My nails remained really glossy for the full 7 days they looked liked they’d just been painted all the time. I was dreading removing it though as I was expecting my nails not to be great condition but they were fine and it was easy to remove too. I can’t rave enough about this product, I’m going to Rome at the end of this week so I’ll be painting my nails the day before I go and I have enough confidence that I’m not even going to take nail varnish remover or nail varnish to top up with me.

Quiz up app. This is such a fun app to test your knowledge on different subjects, my speciality is One Tree Hill- yes I’m that sad and that much of a fan but it's so addictive, you think you’ll just have a quick game and before you know it an hour has passed by.

Black Converse. I got these as my white ones aren’t very practical this time of year but I wanted some kind of footwear for when I don’t want to wear boots but still want black shoes, they’re Converse I don’t need to go into detail.

I can’t end this post without addressing the poor quality of my photos, I literally chose the darkest day ever to take photos and had to use my flash for some of them so apologies for that but other than that I hope you enjoyed this post.

Until next time

Getting Back to Blogging

Hello there lovelies

Well it’s certainly been a while since I last sat at my laptop and wrote a post. It’s not through want of trying, I was feeling particularly uninspired so decided not to force myself to write so took some time off, although the duration of this time off was A LOT longer than intended. Life kind of took over and before I knew it summer was over and now autumn is coming to an end too (this makes me sad as autumn is my favourite time of year) and I’m ready to get back to blogging a bit more regularly. Blogging is a great winter hobby for me as I’m always so busy in the summer, I’m very rarely in the house in summer but in the winter I opt to stay in and stay warm. I can’t think of any better way to spend my winter evenings than curled up on the sofa with a fluffy blanket, cup of tea and chocolates and biscuits healthy snacks and a great way to pass the time is to write blog posts. So I’m hoping to blog a bit more often now as I only leave the house to go to work, stock up on chocolates and biscuits healthy snacks and take the dog to the woods or beach (the beach is getting a bit cold though). So what have I been up to the last few months well not much to be honest, nothing that exciting, I just enjoyed the summer (I managed to get most of August off work) spending lots of time at the beach with my family. I got a new job, which is actually my dream job, I still can’t quite believe that I got it, more money better hours etc so a real win there. And of course lots of purchases have been made. So that’s about it really, I’m hoping to post my November favourites tomorrow so be sure to check back in for that. I’m also over on twitter (@Beauty_full14) and Instagram (@a_beauty_full_life) where I’ve posted a bit more often. Oh and thankyou to anyone that reads this.

Until next time

Festival Essentials

Hello there lovelies

As festival season is upon us I thought I’d share with you a few things that I couldn’t be without when being part of the festival experience. I love festivals the vibe is amazing and you get to see really great bands all in one place. It’s a tough job trying to pack though, the things you want to take might not be the things you absolutely need, these are the items that are guaranteed a place in my oversized back pack.

0.Pac a Mac. Thanks to the unpredictability of the great British weather some kind of protection from the rain is a must. You don’t care that its pouring with rain when your singing along to a really great band but once the set has finished and all that’s left is soggy paper cups and you in soggy clothes is not a great feeling (and your hair goes mental). Pac a macs are great as they fold really small and are contained in their own little pouch so fit easily into your handbag readily available should the heavens open.

1.Wellies. Because if it does rain there will be an abundance of mud. Wellies are no longer just for farmers, with so many fun designs and colours out there now they really are a fashion item that you can’t be without.

2.Denim shorts. A must have fashion item, they’re really cute with long socks and wellies and you can sun your legs without any embarrassing knicker flashing situations.

 3.Sun protection. Again due to the great British weather you never can tell if it’s going to be a scorcher or a wash out either way its better to be safe and have sun protection as you don’t want to be going home from a great weekend with great memories accompanied by sun burn.

4.Makeup wipes. Yes I know they’re the root of all evil but one weekend without your entire skincare stash won’t kill you and after a long day partying it’s better to use a wipe than to leave your makeup on. If you get scented ones they could also double up as a quick body wipe too for a quick freshen up.

5.Sunglasses. As you don’t want to be blinded by the sun if it makes an appearance and not be able to see the stage properly. I love Ray Ban aviators they are the most classically cool glasses for me. Also great in the morning when you first step out your tent after a long night and haven’t yet done makeup. Slip your sunnies on and pop your hood up and you’ll soon be nailing the rockstar image first thing in the morning.

6.Bold eyeshadow palette. This one from Urban Decay would be great for creating some bright festival makeup looks but just consider what application tools you’ll need to take along with you.

7.A hat. Again to keep you protected from the sun but they also look pretty cool. Yes it will get on your nerves when people keep taking it off you as you walk past them but the mix of sun and possible alcohol consumption could lead to sun stroke which is not fun. Also by day 3 your hair will be looking rubbish so you can hide it under a hat.

8.A good neutral eye palette as you can create different looks with the right palette and a plus to taking a palette is they often contain a mirror aswell.

9.Gas curling tongs. These are fab, they don’t need electricity and get really hot using the little gas canister inside. I love these for festivals as they’re so easy to use, you can get up add a few more curls to your hair, tie it up in a messy bun and you’re good to go. They are the best for bed head chic on the go.

10.A hoody. Because it can get quite chilly at times and you don’t want to take anything too bulky. They’re also great for slipping on first thing in the morning when you have to endure the 2 mile hike to the toilet and tea van.

And lastly some kind of hand sanitizer because everything you touch will be pretty disgusting and you will probably be using your hands to eat.

What festivals have you been to or are going to? What are your essentials?

Until next time

First Impressions

Hello there lovelies

Firstly I need to apologise for my absence the last week or so, its not been for any particular reason I’ve just been quite limited on time and the posts I had planned I didn’t really feel like writing. I have to write about what I feel like writing about rather than forcing it if that makes sense. But I’m back now and I have a few posts planned that I’m looking forward to writing. Thankyou to anyone that reads my little blog, you have no idea how much it means to me, I will get round to replying to comments soon.

So I’ve been using a few new products lately, none of which are new to being featured in a blog post or ten but I thought I’d share my first impressions of a couple of items.

Maybelline Baby Skin. Now this has probably been mentioned on most people’s blogs and is an item that I’ve been wanting to try mainly out of curiosity to see if it actually works. It’s a soft clear fragrance free gel that’s quite thick in consistency. It does feel quite silicone-y when its first applied but I’ve found that once its absorbed a bit it leaves the skin feeling quite soft and velvet like. I did go on a bit heavy handed the first couple of applications but now I just put it in the areas I want it to work on rather than applying all over my face. I haven’t used this with foundation yet only with powder over the top and I really like the results, my skin looks pretty good and like it’s in good condition. As far as its use for being a primer I cant really say as I’ve only used it with powder and it doesn’t claim to be a super duper heavy duty your makeup won’t budge for 3 days primer, I think the main emphasis of this product is on covering up crater like pores or at least giving the impression that they are non existent. It certainly does reduce the appearance of pores and once its absorbed a bit it feels nicer on the skin it doesn’t erase them though and I think that would be silly to expect but it acts almost as a polyfilla type product, filling them to give the impression that they aren’t actually there. It will be interesting to see what the results are when used under foundation.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream. I’m looking at lighter bases now and this one seemed to tick my requirement boxes hence a purchase was made. It claims to give 24 hours hydration which is a good start if you have dry skin. The colour correcting properties were another feature that secured the purchase. I get a lot of redness around my nose so anything with green in is a plus along with apricot for anti fatigue (always needed) and white to cover dark spots. The colour selection is rather limited and in all honesty I should go a shade lighter but I got it in the same shade as the eye cream, which is perfect, but this seems to be touch darker. I applied this with a brush and for a CC cream the coverage is really good and you can build it up if you feel the need for a bit of extra coverage. It blends seamlessly and feels lightweight and provides a really good base for other makeup products. It feels moisturising and doesn’t cling to any dry patches. The colour correcting properties in this seem to work well, any redness I had was well concealed, any dark spots were covered and it left my skin looking bright thanks to the apricot in it.

My first impressions of these products are that they are good and they do pretty much what they claim to do and I’m glad I got them, I don’t feel I’ve used either to their full potential yet but will continue to use them, they’re hardly budget busting and if they provide noticeable results then it’s a gold star from me.

Have you tried either of these products?

Until next time