April Favourites| 2015

It's that time again, here's a mixed bag of things I've really being giving a lot of love to this month!

Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation
Irecently purchased a new bottle of this and fell back in love, I hadn't really used it for a few weeks and I'm now back on board with it! It's so glowy, light weight and build-able. This is my most moisturising foundation I own so for anyone with de-hydrated/dry skin will probably like this.

Kiko Long Lasting Eye Shadow Stick Shade 25
I only got this at the end of March and I've used it so much!This is a metallic light Taupe, that once on, doesn't budge. I think this colour could work for anyone, alone or as a base. I've been using this under powder shadows as it keeps them on for hours which for me is completely unheard on!

Clippers Apple and Elderflower Tea
I'm a huge tea drinker. but as I'm on a mission to get healthy I'm cutting out unnecessary sugar and dairy (although I don't use sugar...) I also hate caffeine, sends me very panicky so I've been replacing most cups of regular tea with this and good lord it's delicious! I just have this as is, and leave to brew for ages, sometimes add a tiny bit of honey if I'm having a real sweet craving.

Essie 'Go Ginza'
I've had this on my nails nearly every weekend now, as the weather in the UK has heated up, this is just perfect. It's a really gorgeous pale lilac (but described as pink) this is really opaque so 2 coats is enough and extenuates a tan (fake in my case) fantastically. I know this is going to be great throughout Spring and Summer.

Daredevil
Taking a sharp left turn here from nails to Marvel TV shows! This is new to Netflix, it's Marvel, it's amazing. I think there's only 12 or 13 episodes on Season 1, so I'm really taking my time watching this as it's just too good. 100% worth a watch!


Catfish and the Bottlemen
Do I need to say anything about this? Just an amazing band, so unique and relatable. I love putting their Album 'The Balcony' on, on my drive home from work and singing my little heart out to it. Favourite song at the moment is Homesick!

The Spring Tag!

I saw this over on my friend Ruth's Blog recently and thought I'd have myself a little go- as I haven't done a tag on my blog yet I thought it would be a bit different!

Would love to see some of you lot do this :)

What three colours remind you of Spring?

Surprisingly I'm liking muted pinks, unsurprisingly  orange and a lovely Mint green- so predictable! 

What is the first thing you add to your Spring wardrobe?

I don't change my wardrobe up that dramatically, but I've been loving patterned shirts and Kimonos so far this spring! (not worn together *god forbid*)

What is the first item that you ditch from your wardrobe to make it more Spring-like?

Anything really dark, within reason! I've put a lot of burgundies and dark greens into the spare room for the next few months... Trying to freshen things up a little!

What are your ultimate nude and bright lipsticks?

Currently loving L'Oreal Colour Riche in 302, perfect semi matte pinky/nude (very Kylie Jenner) or Revlon Lip butter in Juicy Papaya 

What is your signature Spring fragrance?

I'm an all year round Chloe wearer I'm afraid- unless something new comes along to tear me away! 

What do you add or drop from your skin care routine?

I boost the moisture up a notch usually- this month I've broken out like a mother ****** so combating that... will post up something if I ever get rid of the craters on my chin! 

Do you change your hair up in Spring?

I'm keeping it a lot more relaxed, with lose waves and relaxed plaits to keep it out of the way... I also took the blonde out the ends recently but miss it like hell so might go a bit lighter for the warmer weather! 

Are there any exciting beauty releases that you can’t wait for?

I've seen a hell of a lot of contour kits coming to the high street which I love,  also of new highlighters on top of that to get my hands on!

What are your three favourite nail colours for Spring?

Essie Go Ginza is my favourite at the moment, also Maybelline in Divine Wine (not very spring-y) and Barry M High Jelly Shine in Almond- as usual! 

M x

10 Simple Things That Make Me Happy!

I thought I'd keep this simple, and share a few things that really pick up my mood no matter how simple they are.

I don't see many posts like this on my Bloglovin' feed that just share simple pleasures, so thought I'd get going... in case anyone cares!

1) Foggy, Sunny Mornings. When I drive to work- living in the countryside makes everything look beautiful on these days. I constantly expect Colin Firth Dressed as Mr Darcy to come swanning across a field

2) Organising my food for the next day- self explanatory; I love knowing I'm going to be healthy and ready for the day ahead! (loser)

3) Facial Oils! My face is about as dehydrated as they come, taking off make up and massaging in oil is simply heaven to me

4) Family Time- Being 22, with a 25 year old brother who no longer lives at home means we don't get a lot 'family time'. So I now appreciate every Sunday with the 4 of us sat round the dinning table talking rubbish!

5) Tidy Dresser- tidy dresser, tidy mind right?? No? You can't tell me you don't feel compelled to photograph your dressing table every time it's tidy and organized?

6) Fig Bleedin' Candles. There's a very unhealthy obsession here, lets move past it, quickly!

7) New Mascaras, can't beat a brand new Max Factor Mascara!

8) Friday Afternoons. I work a long week, with a long commute and Friday at 5:30pm sends me into a frenzy for 2 days without stress and driving 35 miles a day!

9) Baking. I'm a keen baker, I love trying new things and exploring with flavours! Especially love making things that my family can enjoy and know they aren't eating sugary, fat laden shop bought goodies! 

10) Being Anxiety Free. I suffer a great deal with anxiety and being a very panicky person. I don't know what's changed (possibly getting back into the gym) but the last month has been great, not a panic attack in sight and no anxious feelings to report! 

Feel free to list your 10 happy things! 

M x

Lush: Creamy Candy Bubble Bar

For me, bath time without anything from Lush isn't great... A bottle of bubble bath, to me, doesn't quite cut it; the smells aren't as strong, the formula doesn't leave the water as silky and I just don't feel pampered.

I constantly go back for 2 bubble bars at Lush, first is always 'The Comforter' does what it says on the tin! Second is this, Creamy Candy Bubble Bar; which just smells divine- sweet like candy floss but not sickly, it smells to me like Vanilla and candy. The smell alone is enough for me, but this is so rich and moisturising that it feels like a real treat!

It contains cocoa butter which is great for softening the skin (think nasty elbows and knees) and Almond Oil, which is just fantastic for hair and skin! I actually have a bottle of pure almond oil that I use in the bath on occasions, always leaves my skin feeling super soft and not greasy at all.

This bubbles up amazingly, like most lush bath products. it is quite small so I can get 2 uses maximum out of this- or just the one if I'm in need of a real pamper! It is quite soft to crumble, I find it needs to be crushed really well to get it to dissolve properly, otherwise you have chunks floating in the bath which no one wants!

I just think this is such an underrated product from Lush, if you want a really inexpensive, deliciously sweet bath then head over to your local Lush and pick this up for £2.75

What's your favourite Lush product?

M x

Soap and Glory Lid Stuff in 'Whats Nude'

So it looks as if I'm back after a few weeks of being very busy (and sick with Laryngitis) and kicking things off with a little mid week review!

I love playing around with eye shadow, but I always go for something frosty or shimmery, so naturally headed out in my lunch break to pick up something matte and neutral!

I've had my eyes on these pallets from Soap and Glory for sometime- but never got round to actually purchasing one, so boots having their lovely 3 for 2 offer on sealed the deal for me.

This quad contains three matte shades, a white/cream, a light, flesh toned pink, a cool mid toned brown and one frosty, very lightly shimmered, purple toned brown. I'm a sucker for a neutral eye-shadow pallet, and always on the  look for something small and travel friendly as I'm always moving from one place to the next. The packaging isn't my favourite- I think it looks a little cheap and I could have done with a small mirror but that's personal prefere
nce! 

In terms of the texture, these are really soft, highly pigmented and don't crease- coming from me this is a huge deal! The only issue I've had with these is the fallout- with the white/cream shade I did end up with white powder under my eyes which needed tidying up- again, not a huge deal but irritating nevertheless! These are really effortless to blend, I haven't gone full smoky with them yet but for a small touch of colour through the crease or something slightly stronger they blend out like a dream!

I love the shade 'Aubersheen' it's just frosty enough to add much needed dimension to a matte eye look and also looks great on the lower lash line! 

I've also realised that mud-honey- the cool toned brown is perfect for my brows, I tend map them out with the S&G Archery pencil in Hot Chocolate- another amazing product but slightly too ashy for me- another post about that soon though!

Have you tried this little pallet?
Any S&G reconsiderations for me?

M x

Shows You Should be Watching Right Now!

I'm a huge TV/Film junkie, I love disappearing into my room and amercing myself in another reality, it's my way of unwinding after a long day. I have a massive and still ever growing list of shows that I'm watching, so naturally I'm always forcing them upon friends and family members, so now it's your turn, lovely reader!

These are in no way in an order- I couldn't do that to myself!

The Walking  Dead

If you like apocalyptic worlds raise your hand! This show follows a group of survivors in a world now overrun by 'walkers' or zombies to you and I. Its follows Rick Grimes, leader of the group and ex-police officer who is balancing his family with young children and staying alive. The group is made up of people from all walks of life; I guess showing how when it comes down to it, we're all the same! I find every episode of this really intense so can't binge watch it, also if you don't like blood then possibly stay clear! Violence level is through the roof! I also have an irrational crush on Daryl Dixon.

Scandal 

I only got into this about 4 months ago and binge watched it until I was completely up to date. A quick low down- Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington, absolute goddess) is at the centre of this, she's a 'fixer' for high profile politicians etc. She helps them out of small charges all the way to murder... there's not a situation her team can't fix. She's connected romantically to the President (Tony Goldwyn) which always throws a spanner in the works. I didn't think any remotely political drama would be for me but this is one of my favourite shows at the moment and I'm always excite for the next episode! P.S Olivia had AMAZING clothes, hair and make up.

Game of Thrones

Confession: I have yet read the books. My dad got me into this series, if you like fantasy and a bit (a lot) of violence then you'll like this. It's pretty much War of Roses with magic, which is perfect for me. Game of Thrones isn't just a middle aged man's program, I think it's a really good place to start to introduce fantasy genre books and shows to a different audience, also John Snow isn't awful to look at. P.S. I 100% want Khaleesi's eyebrows...

Once Upon A Time 

If you hadn't guessed already I like shows that are miles away from my own reality. Once Upon A Time is basically ass fairy tale characters brought to life, stuck in the human world. It dives further into each characters back story and links them all, somehow! It's so light to watch, the visual FX are a little dodgy, but the acting is superb a lot of the time. I have to say the shows improved ten fold over the years, the current season contains Frozen, which I wasn't keen on but still love it, perfect easy watching! 

What are your favourite show? Any Recommendations? 

M x

#CambMeetUp and Getting My Writing Mojo Back!

I'm sure you're well aware that I tend to dip in and out of this blog- one week I'm posting regularly the next I'm silent. This just comes down to the fact I'm a busy person and enjoy down time when I get it... I've been searching for inspiration recently to get writing again and at the perfect time the lovely Pippa from Clashing Time, organised a meet up for bloggers and vloggers in the South East of the UK.

I'm a really anxious person, for the idea of walking into a room full of strangers made me feel a bit panicky, I'll be honest, I did feel like backing out multiple times! but I'm so glad I ended up going, it was a really good chance to meet bloggers in the area! 

I think being a blogger is a really hard thing to explain and discuss with family and friends who don't share this interest- there's a lot of  'why would people want to read about make up' etc. so being in a room of people who 'get it' and love it like I do was really amazing- I've met some lovely ladies who I can't wait to get to know better! 

I'll go into the meet up in detail in another post, there were some amazing products and companies there that deserve their own post! 

A topic that came up a lot at the meet up was content- how to individualise your blog from the mountain of beauty blogs online? The answer the majority gave- make it about you! The main reason I go off writing is because there's such a huge volume of the same thing for beauty bloggers, I feel like it's not enjoyable after a while and a post gets lost in a crowd! I've decided to just relax into this more and just post what I enjoy writing, but ultimately I started this blog to talk all things beauty, so beauty I shall chat- which a mish-mash of everything else! 

So in short, look out for a post about my first meet up experience, it was amazing- here's a little peak at the goodies that I was kindly given!

M x