Paralympic fever?

Bonjourno!

I'm not sure whether you feel the same or it's just me but it feels as though the Paralympics has been, pretty much, completely overlooked.
I really enjoyed watching the Olympics and avidly watched and waited for the finals of pretty much all of the events, however, I have watched hardly any of the Paralympics. Obviously I've seen the GB highlights on the news and stuff, but I haven't actively thought "oh, I know! I'll watch the Paralympics!"
I feel so sorry for all of the Paralympic athletes because they're not receiving anywhere near as much media coverage as the Olympic athletes did.
If any of you feel the same, it'd be good to know I'm not the only one...

Thank you for reading!

Skincare Routine

Bonjourno!

I thought I might do a skincare routine post because I'm really nosey and enjoy reading other people's so I'll just get started.

 

 

Morning

Left to right; Garnier Pure Active Fruit Energy Daily Energising Gel Scrub, Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Cream Wash, Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Oil-free Moisturiser

Evening

Left to right; L'Oreal Paris Perfect Clean Foaming Gentle Scrub, Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefrut Face Wash, Witch Blemish Stick, Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Oil-free Moisturiser, No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make up Remover

I don't use different moisturisers in the morning and evening, I've never seen much point but as soon as this moisturiser runs out I have a night and day cream waiting to be introduced to my skin.
I'd love to know if you notice a difference in your skin when using two different creams!

Thank you for reading!

Natural Collection Nudes

Bonjourno!

Now, we all know that Natural Collection aren't the most expensive brand, nor the most luxurious, and their nail polishes aren't known for being outrageous or overly exciting, but I've developed a bit of a liking for the more neutral colours that they have on offer.

I have three nail polishes by Natual Collection. From left to right; Peach Manicure, Pink Manicure and Champagne.
You can see that I've used Peach Manicure quite a bit (understatement of the year).
They're so lovely considering how much they cost (£3.95 I think?!), Champagne is the only real 'proper' nail polish out of the three. By 'proper' I mean the other two give a very light coverage so you can see your natural nail through them, but Champagne covers your nail completely. I absolutely love Pink and Peach Manicures but I'm not overly struck on Champagne. It looked a little.. Old ladyish. Oh well, I might need it one day.
If you're looking for really nice, sheer nail varnishes then take a look at Natural Collection! You never know, you may fall in love.

Thank you for reading!

Health kick

Bonjourno!

I thought I'd just do a bit of a chatty post today because I've discovered something about myself. Some of you may find this crazy but... I actually enjoy going to the gym. I know, I know. I am clinically mental.

I recently discovered an app called MyFitnessPal, it's not new or anything but I think it's brilliant! Basically, it's a food diary. You start the whole programme by entering your height, weight, desired weight, etc and it gives a total calorie number for the day. You have to enter everything you eat throughout the day and all the exercise you do, and it takes away or adds to your total number of calories that you have left.

However, if you just eat crisps and cake all day but stay in your calorific allowance you'll look back at your diary and think "hey, I'm such an idiot! Why don't I just eat healthily?!" Well, that's what happened to me...

I know I've described it horribly and I've made it seem like such a faff, but seriously, it's so easy to do and it takes literally seconds.

If you're looking to lose weight or generally change your lifestyle (to a healthier one!) then this could well be the app for you! Give it a go!

Thank you for reading!

7 aims; Chill out

Bonjourno!

This past week has been my final aim week.

Have I succeeded or have I failed?
Success!

I haven't been anywhere near as stressed as I was before and therefore my relationship with my boyfriend has been a lot less tense and argumentative.

Loving. Life.

Thank you for reading!

Went shopping part 5; Clothes

Bonjourno!

My apologies about the photos. I didn't really know how to photograph these things so you'll just have to bear with me.
Today's post is showing you the clothes I bought. Like yesterday, there isn't very much but... Oh well.

Okay, so this top is from New Look (surprise surprise!), and I really really like it. It's a lacy peplum top, and you have to wear a black cami underneath it. The sleeves hit at a really flattering point on my arms and the peplum effect really cinches in my waist. Ordinarily I would buy a size 8, but this material has literally no give in it and my breasticles are on the larger side, so I got a size 10, and thank God I did! It's not tight or pulling across my chest but getting the fitted waist part over them is a struggle... This was... I want to say £17.99, but I could be wrong.

 

Finally, I bought this purpley-red midi skirt from River Island. I've never worn a midi skirt before but I really like the way it looks and where it hits on my leg. It's so basic, it's just elasticated at the top and it's almost a bodycon-ish material. It's so soft and really flattering. One thing I would say is, don't buy too small. I bought a size 10, when I would normally be a size 8 because if it clings, it'll really cling, all you want it to do is skim. This was £20.

 

Thank you for reading! I hope you've enjoyed seeing everything that I've bought!

 

Went shopping part 4; Footwear

Bonjourno!

Today's post is about the shoes I bought. There isn't very much, I hope you're not too disappointed.

First up are my new school shoes. These are just really simple ballet pumps with lace detail all over them. There's not really too much to say about these apart from I wear a size 6 (not that anyone cares), they're from New Look and they were £16.99.

 

Now, onto the more interesting ones. I saw these slippers as I was walking to the till in New Look. I pointed them out to my boyfriend and then walked off and said "if you're ever stuck for anything to buy me.. (meaning birthday/Christmas).. you know I love slippers." So what did he do? He bought them for me. What a lovely person he is. They were £10. Had they been more expensive I'd have told him not to. But they're so cute! And they're amazingly comfy.

 

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Went shopping part 3: Nails

Bonjourno!

Today's post is highlighting the nail varnishes I bought. I'm a bit of a nail addict but my nails have been so temperamental recently that it's all I can do not to rip them out, but that's a whole different blog post...

So, the most exciting new polish for me is this Essie one. I've never before owned an Essie polish but I've heard amazing things about them. I was going to get Mint Candy Apple but I thought that was a little bit too... Unoriginal, so I went for this really pretty pink nude called Not Just A Pretty Face (11). I own quite a few pink toned nudes but I love love love this one! It's so perfect. If my nails were this colour naturally I would cry with happiness. I've yet to use this so I can't comment on the formula, but I can tell you that the brush is lovely. It's really wide but I can tell it's going to be so easy to use. This was £7.99 from Boots.

 

Next are these Natural Collection polishes. I really like Natural Collection's nude nail polishes. I saw these two whilst picking out the tinted moisturiser and I had to have them. I know some people only like using higher end brands on their nails, but I don't think it makes a difference to the health of your nails either way. The one on the left is called Pink Manicure and the one on the right is called Champagne. I'm wearing Champagne as I type and it's such a lovely finish! It's a really lovely pearl effect, with the most gorgeous brown toned nude underneath. These were £1.99 from Boots (I think?!)

 

Finally, I picked up this Revlon Colorstay nail varnish in Bonsai (230). I love the colour green. Anything green. For some of you, this may be too gaudy or grotesque, but for me, this is my most favourite colour in the world. You can kind of see in the picture that it has tiny little specks of golden glitter suspended in it. I haven't used it so I can't comment on it as an actual product but the brush is lovely and I cannot wait to wear it! I hope the product is as lovely as the colour! This was £7.99 from Boots.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Went shopping part 2: Make up

Bonjourno!

Today's post is all about make up. I am a make up convert. I never used to wear anything at all, but now I'm so into it and I have no idea what I was thinking before.

 

I was in desperate need of a new Bourjois mascara. My one dried up many moons ago and I've only just got around to repurchasing it. I bought the Volume Glamour Ultra Curl in Black Curl. I love this mascara, it feels creamy (in a good way!) on the lashes and it really lifts them. It doesn't add too much volume but that's not what I want from a mascara. My lashes are super separated and curled without being clumpy and gross. It was either £7.99 or £8.99. I also bought MUA's clear mascara (shade 1) as a brow gel. I saw that Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter) used it as a brow gel and hers always look lovely so I thought I'd give it a go! This was only £1.

 

I can't go into Boots without looking at Natural Collection. If I'm being honest, I'm not made of money and Natural Collection's products aren't too bad. I've never bought a foundationy type product from there before, so I thought I'd give it a go. I went for a tinted moisturiser because it's (supposedly) summer here and it's much lighter than a foundation. I bought in in Fair, but I think I should have gone a shade lighter. As a product, I quite like it, but it does tend to sit on the skin for a while before sinking in properly, and it also hasn't helped the oil on my skin. I don't look overly oily, but it hasn't made it any better. I think this was about £3.59 in Boots.

 

Next I bought these two MUA lipsticks. I already had Shade 6 but I bought a really deep red (shade 13) and a baby pink (shade 5). I really like them both; shade 5 is extremely sheer and leaves tiny, light-catching flecks of glitter, whereas shade 13 is creamy and a flat colour (no glitter). It dries matte and lasts for ages. These were both £1 from Superdrug.

 

Then I bought Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. I've never tried this before but I know everyone loves it and all my friends have been telling me to get it. I bought it in Light (2), but I think I could have gone a shade lighter. My first impressions of it were pretty good, it's much thicker and creamier than the concealer I was using before, but it does cover every blemish and disguises your under-eye circles. This was... £4.39 or something, I can't remember.

 

Finally I bought these MUA eyeshadows. The colours aren't done anywhere near enough justice in the photo. The top left one is a really deep green, and it certainly isn't as dark as it looks, and the bottom right one is a mid-toned to light blue. They're both amazingly pigmented for such cheap eyeshadows (£1 each!). The green one is shade 7 and the blue one is shade 23, and they both have a pearl finish to them. They're so beautiful but I have blue eyes so I've picked entirely the wrong colours, I'll find a use for them!

 

Thank you for reading!

 

 

 

 

Went shopping part 1: Accessories

 

Bonjourno!

 

Today's post is Accessories! Whether you wear jewelery or not, every girl has a soft spot for buying that pair of earrings or that bangle! We just can't help ourselves!

 

 



So, first up is possibly the most outrageous piece of jewelery I have ever purchased. This necklace is made up of three panels which are hinged together, making it comfortable to wear. I bought it from New Look for £6.99, which I thought was a really good price for such a large piece. However, the chain is quite chunky and cheap feeling. I don't mean that it'll fall apart, it just doesn't feel special.

 

Next up is this star sign necklace. I obviously bought my star sign, Sagittarius, which I actually think is the nicest looking star sign. I'm not a particularly horoscopey person, I tend to skip the page in the magazine with all the horoscopes on. But I thought this necklace was quite cute and non-offensive. It was only £2.99 so you couldn't really go wrong. This was also from New Look.

 

So, this is a slightly different buy for me. I never normally wear scarves or even compute them, but I saw this one hanging on the stand by itself and instantly fell in love with the print. My boyfriend and I were standing in the queue and I sent him trotting off to grab the last one before someone else did. It was £7.99 from (again) New Look. I find this scarf quite difficult to wear because it's not overly long but I'm sure I'll get loads of wear out of it!

 

Lastly, for this post, are these earrings. The jewelery was on buy one get one free but I didn't realise so once the lady on the till enlightened me, I sent Scott trotting (again) off to pick something that he thinks I should wear. I was pleasantly surprised, these aren't something I'd usually go for but I'm definitely going to wear them loads! I really like the aztec type design and the spikes. They're perfect to toughen up an outfit, but they are really heavy so they can't be worn for too long in my little ears. Obviously, these were from New Look and were £3.99, I think.

 

 

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

 

 

 

 



Went shopping; disclaimer/intro

Bonjourno!

I went shopping yesterday, with my boyfriend, for school shoes. Did I only buy school shoes? Of course not.

I actually went slightly mental and bought loads. I've bought so much that I'm having to split this haul up into 5 parts. Yes, that's right, 5! I'm going to spread each post over the week, so there'll be five days of posts.

I thought I'd just write this little nothingy post to clarify that I'm not showing off that I bought loads, I just thought that I'd share what I bought with you.

I'm also hoping that doing this series of posts will get me back into the blogging mood; I've just been a little.. Meh about it recently but I think it's on the up!

I hope you enjoy reading about my little purchases!

7 aims; Drink More Water

Bonjourno!

This week's aim was to drink more water to stop headaches and premature tiredness.

Success or failure?
Success!!! Finally, I came up trumps!

I've found that filling up bottles of water and leaving them by my bed and on my desk encourages me to drink them. Also, I'll quite often pick one up on my way out because, when I go shopping, I don't drink enough water and end up getting a huge headache.

I recently had a rather large (hormonal) breakout around my chin, but apart from that, my skin is a lot less dull and feels softer.
My dark circles have reduced slightly... But not enough to make me happy with the appearance of them. Any tips for reducing dark circles are very very welcome!

Thank you for reading!

Sorry!

Bonjourno!

So, I've been a bad blogger recently; I've not been posting very much, and when I do they're all bunched up on one day. I know I get frustrated when people aren't reliable in their posts, so I'm just as bad as them!

I feel rather disconnected from my blog at the moment. It's probably just because I've not had time to post; seriously though, I've been at work more than usual, I've been catching up with my friends  and I've been looking after dogs/children that live in my house...

However (there is hope!), I do have several posts lined up, and hopefully I'll write them in bulk and post them gradually because, although I'd like to be able to write whenever I like, I physically don't have time at the moment.

Hopefully, when I'm back at school, everything will settle down and I'll be able to be a little more in-touch with my blogging life.

Thank you for understanding!

July favourites

Bonjourno!

I've never written a "favourites" post before, but I really enjoy reading them so I thought I should give it a go!

I haven't really been enjoying too much this month, but what I'm going to mention are complete gems!

My first favourite is nothing very exciting, however, it is an excellent product! It's the Nivea Pure and Natural Body Lotion with Argan Oil. I love this body lotion. It smells fantastic, sinks in superbly and leaves your skin looking and feeling super smooth! I have no idea how much this cost or where you can get it because I "borrowed" it from my mum. It's for normal - dry skin so it's really moisturising and suitable for most people.

The next product that I've relied on this month is the Neutrogena Rapid Clear Treatment. This is basically a spot reducing gel, and has been a godsend this month due to a horrendous break out about 2 weeks ago. I just coat my spots with it and leave it over-night, it reduces the appearance of even the biggest spot. It's quite expensive at almost £5, considering you can by a Witch Stick for £2, but it does work and is worth the money. 

To be honest, I can't count this as a monthly favourite because I love it all the time! This is my second bottle of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle, and it's absolutely amazing. If you haven't smelt this (I'm sure most of you have), then you need to get your bottom to a Chanel counter and inhale it! The scent is indescribable: it smells sweet, but not sickly sweet; but it also smells sexy and grown up. This combination makes for a perfect perfume to take from day to night. I think it's suitable for any time of year; it's perfect for summer as a light fragrance but it's also brilliant for winter because it seems to warm you on the inside. I tend to get mine in the duty free every year when I come back from holiday so I can get it cheaper, but I believe it retails at around £40 for 50ml.

Oh my! I seem like a Chanel-aholic, I promise I'm not! I bought pressed powder in the duty free on my way back from holiday a while ago. Can I just express how pointless it is to buy a foundation-y product when you're tanned. Your tan will fade, my dears, as I found out. I bought it in Beige Clair (110), which is waaaay too dark for me. But, being the genius I am (I'm so not), I now use it as a bronzer. It's not as dark as most bronzers, but I'm not very dark skinned naturally so it's perfect for me now! This was about 35Euros.

Finally, I thought I'd chuck in the book I've just finished. It's called Brass Ring by Diane Chamberlain. This book is so enthralling and has so many twists and turns. You really don't want to put it down! I'm seriously considering buying a few more of Diane Chamberlain's books now, because this one blew my socks off, knocked the wind out of my sails. If you're looking for a super intellectual classic, don't buy this; you'll hate it. But it's perfect for anyone who just fancies a light-hearted but exciting novel. My nan let me borrow this, I don't know how much it cost or where she got it, but if you see it, please pick it up! It's fantastic!

So, that concludes my July favourites!

What have you been loving this month? Is there anything that you would recommend?

Thank you for reading!

Review: Rimmel 60 Seconds

Bonjourno!

I've been non-stop wearing the Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polishes recently!

Left to right: Instyle Coral (415) : Shocker (270) : Grey Matter (805) : Sky High (825)

Like I said before, I have literally worn these non-stop. I love them! They're so easy to just paint on and go!

The coverage from these varnishes is brilliant! You never have to apply more than two coats... Never! Most of the time I only have to apply one reasonably thick coat to achieve a solid block of colour, with no streaks.

Consistency-wise, they're quite.. Wet. However, they don't run after application and before drying, because they're designed to dry in one minute, meaning that the drying process begins instantly. Also, they're thick enough to leave an even coat, but thin enough to dry within the specified time.

Chipping: the four letter word of nail polishes. I'm not going to lie, they won't last a week. However, they do last for, on average, 4 - 5 days. Personally, that's the perfect amount of time, because I get bored after about a week of the same nail colour.

The brush is rather fantastic! It's wider than an ordinary brush, and it seems to hold more product than any of my other polishes. It also covers the majority of the nail in one go, however, that does make it difficult to paint the little fingernail without making a mess.

The main selling point to me is the price. They're only £3.69 each! I cannot believe how cheap (and amazing) they are! I don't tend to shop in any other drugstores than Boots, so I can't comment on prices elsewhere, but Boots stock them at £3.69.

I recommend buying these more than anything! They have, seven or eight colours (I think?!), I only have four, but I'm pacing myself so I can enjoy each one.

Have you tried these? What did you think of them?

Thank you for reading!

7 aims: snack less

Bonjourno!

This week's aim was to snack less.

Success or failure?
Ultimately, failure.

I just cannot help myself! I have severely cut down on my snack intake, however, I haven't achieved the goal that I set in my mind.
I think my problem is that I decided I just wasn't going to snack at all, leaving me an ultimatum that frightened the hell out of me. I should have replaced my bad snacks with good snacks, etc... But I didn't.
Have no fear! I shall persevere with my snacking (or not snacking!) adventure. One day... I shall succeed!

Thank you for reading!

50 Shades; yay or nay?

Bonjourno!

Yes, I have been sucked in by all the hype about 50 Shades of Grey. Although, the books were on a "2 for £7" deal in Tesco, so I couldn't really go wrong. I bought all three and my boyfriend was horrified.

I've yet to start the first one; reading shall commence tonight. So basically, this was a last minute attempt to get any opinions from you lovely readers about the saucy trilogy.

I have literally no experience of erotica (apart from when Izzy and myself thought it would be a laugh to give it a go: that was a short-lived phase), so any opinions that you may have on the whole genre would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for reading, your comments are most welcome!

Olympic fever

Bonjourno!

I know some of you are going to be completely fed up with hearing about the Olympics, but I feel it deserves some coverage on this blog.

Don't think that I'm going to cover every single event; quite frankly, I can't remember what's happened and what we're yet to see.
However, I just wanted to share my views on the whole Games.

I don't see how some people can be so adverse to the Olympics, especially considering it's in their own country! I know they think that it was a huge waste of money, but I feel that it's really brought everybody together.
Even if you're not interested in sport, it's still pretty good entertainment; the amount of tension that builds up inside me is ridiculous... But I love it!

Even if you really don't want to watch it, nobody's forcing you to! Obviously the News will cover major events, such as Chris Hoy winning gold earlier, but apart from that the News carries on as normal. I haven't seen many advertising mediums about London 2012, so it's not even as though it's being shoved down your throat via the media.

Also, nobody's forcing you to read this blog, so I'd appreciate no abuse directly at me for this positivity about the 2012 London Olympic Games.

What do you think about the Olympics? Are you bored of it or are you as enthralled as me?

Thank you for reading!

7 aims: Spend less

Bonjourno!

This week's aim was to spend less money, so I put myself on a spending ban.
Success or failure?
Both... ish.

My friend stayed at mine for a week, having been in Surrey for ages, so we went shopping. I bought a birthday present for one of my friends, however, I did spend £30 too much in Boots on myself.
Being reasonable though, I hadn't bought anything for myself for a while, so I thought I'd treat myself.

These coming months are going to be a bit of a struggle:

• Scott's birthday
• Izzy's birthday
• Kira's birthday
• Rachel's birthday
• Several family member's birthdays
• My father's birthday yesterday

That's an unbelievable amount of money to spend over the course of about a months and a half; I suppose it's a good job that I decided to treat myself now, instead of in September...

Thank you for reading!

Review: Neutrogena Visibly Clear Moisturiser

Bonjourno!

I was actually devastated when my previous moisturiser ran out. I had the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit (oil free) one, and it was amazing! So, logically, I bought the ordinary Visibly Clear moisturiser, thinking it would be the same just with a different smell. Oh, how wrong I was...

So, the main selling point of a moisturiser should be that it moisturises. Not any more! This one does pretty much no moisturising at all.

You get 50ml for £4.99, so it's not super expensive but it's definitely not worth the money.

The one  upside of this (non)moisturiser is that it's oil free, so doesn't make me look too shiny.

I can't even say that it smells nice; it doesn't! It smells like chemicals doused with bad smelling perfume to make it smell nice.

Please do not buy this moisturiser, it's terrible and I literally cannot deal with it any more.

Have you had a different experience with this moisturiser?

Am I being stupid for thinking that there shouldn't be too much difference between the ordinary and grapefruit ones?

Hope you've enjoyed reading! Thank you. 

Review: Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2-in-1 wash/mask

Bonjourno!
I went a little mad in Tesco the other day. My mother and I went shopping, but it was only on the way home, when we stopped to buy dinner, that I actually bought anything.



My skincare routine is pretty concrete at the moment, so I mainly bought this as a mask. I haven't used it as a wash, but as a mask, I love it.
It's clay based so it absorbs excess oil and unclogs pores, leaving your skin looking clear and fresh.
It's recommended that you keep it on your skin for 5 minutes, however, if you have dry skin, that may be slightly too long. It's not an overly drying mask, but I did have to exfoliate some dry skin away afterwards (I have combination skin).
It was £3.00 for 150ml (it was on some kind of offer), which is really affordable, so I'd definitely recommend getting this if you can! I got mine from Tesco, but it'll be in most drugstores.

Have you already tried this? What did you think?

Hope you've enjoyed reading! Thank you.

7 aims: Have breakfast every day

Bonjourno! 


This week's aim was to have breakfast every day.


Success or failure?


Complete success! I'm so proud of myself. I've always been the one that doesn't have anything for breakfast, and I truly believe that I gained so much weight because of it. 


I feel so much better for having 3 meals a day; before I felt so tired and... Undernourished, but now I feel more alive. 


I'm pretty sure it's helped my metabolism, and I don't get as bloated when I eat my lunch or dinner.


If you don't have breakfast every day, make an effort to! You'll feel much better for it. Let me know if you try it, and if it makes a difference to your mood and wellbeing. 


Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

7 aims: Exercise

Bonjourno!

So, this week's main aim was to exercise more, whilst concentrating on all 7 aims too. 

Success or failure?

Failure. I have to be honest.

I've done no recreational exercise at all. To be fair, I've been at work pretty much all week, and I have walked my dog most days, but that's no more than I usually do.

I'm going to vow to try harder with this one next week, but I'm not making any promises. However, I'm planning on starting morning/evening running, and I may re-join the gym. 

Motivational comments are most welcome!

Thank you for reading, wish me luck! 

Small haul.

Bonjourno!

Scott and I went to the cinema yesterday, but there was no way I could be in Norwich without going shopping!

This isn't a large haul or anything, I only went to a few shops but I'll get started.

First I went to Topshop, like always. All of my flats have worn out and were definitely past their best. I was in desperate need of some new ones so I just picked up these. I bought the black and the salmon coloured pair, merely because they both go with loads and were only £16 each.

Also in Topshop, I bought these sunglasses. They're tortoiseshell and huge. I love them. They were £16 as well, and they also come with a free fabric case thing. Anyway, Topshop have some really nice sunglasses in at the moment so I definitely recommend checking them out. They're quite reasonably priced too.

Next, I popped into Accessorize. It's not really a shop that I go into very often, and when I do go, I hardly ever buy anything. However, this bracelet was on sail; 70% off! Making it £4.50. I really couldn't say no. It's really pretty, but they also had loads of other really nice pieces on sale so go and have a look!

Lastly, in Accessorize, I bought this belt-looking bracelet. It was £12, and therefore not in the sale. I'm not entirely sure why I gravitated towards this because it's nothing overly special, but I suppose it'll go with a lot and it's quite a simple way to extend the look of your outfit.

So, thank you for reading! It's not very interesting but...

See you soon!

7 aims for 7 weeks

Bonjourno!

I just read Louise (SprinkleOfGlitter)'s blog post about her 7 aims for 7 days, and I thought it was a great idea! I really liked the sound of it, but I didn't want to outright copy her. Solution: my aims will be carried out over 7 weeks.

Chances are, I'll forget about them entirely, however, post-it notes stuck to my mirror seem to remind me about most things so...

I think I'll post about my progress on each of the aims each week. So, say one of my aims is to exercise more, I'll write about that one week. Then the next week I'll update on a different aim, and ultimately, at the end, I'll decide whether I've succeeded or not.

My 7 aims:

1. Exercise more. I like to think that I'm fitter than I actually am.
2. Have breakfast every day. I think I'd be healthier for it, and my metabolism will be boosted.
3. Try not to spend money on unnecessary things, such as; make up, clothes and handbags. However, I do need some new shoes, most of mine are falling apart. Things I can spend money on: my boyfriend, my family, listerine, general toiletries.
4. Snack less. I eat healthily, until you factor in how much chocolate and how many packets of crisps I eat.
5. Eat more fruit, especially apples. They fill you up so you feel the need to snack less.
6. Drink more water. I have a feeling that I'm quite dehydrated; I get lots of headaches, especially on days that I haven't had much to drink.
7. Chill out. I tend to get wound up about things that don't really matter. I won't go into that too much.

My end date is 2nd september...

So, wish me luck!

No7 Eye Make Up Remover

Bonjourno!

I've been on the hunt for a decent eye make up remover for a while, and I think I may have found one!

I think it's fair to say that I'm pretty much in love with this. It's so amazingly wonderful, I can't put into words how much I love it.

I suppose I shouldn't expect less from a more expensive high-street brand, but I really was surprised!

It has two layers: there's a top layer, which is a water-like consistency; then there's the bottom layer, which is more like a jelly. You have to shake it up before use, which I think is a bit of a downfall, especially considering it takes a while to get it fully mixed. That'll teach them for mixing oil with water!

Also, it has little specks of glitter in, which I find a little odd, considering you're removing your make up, not adding to your face.

However, it really does work! I just apply it to a cotton wool pad, then swipe over closed eyes. All it takes is two or three swipes and all of your mascara, eye-liner and shadow comes off onto the pad.

It's £7.75 for 100ml, which I don't think is too unreasonably priced, especially considering Boots are forever giving away £5 No7 vouchers.

I'd definitely recommend this, so get your bottoms down to Boots and give it a whirl!

I hope this has been of use to you, thank you for reading!

OOTD

Bonjourno!
I've never done an outfit of the day before. It was pretty difficult to find places to take pictures with decent(ish!) lighting. Apologies for any poor quality photos, I hope you enjoy!

I couldn't get a full shot of the outfit without me looking like I was standing about a mile away, you can probably get the idea though.

Watch - Toy Watch

Dress - New Look

Sleeveless denim jacket - New Look

Sandals - New Look

Necklace - New Look

Wow, that's a lot from New Look, I didn't even realise...

I hope you've enjoyed my first OOTD!

Favourite nail varnishes

Bonjorno!
I really enjoy doing my nails, so I thought I would share my most treasured nail varnishes with you.

I don't really have designated summer or winter colours, I just wear what I fancy.

Moving left to right:

First up is my 17 High Gloss nail varnish in "Risky Red." I really love this colour on me, I think it really suits my skin tone. It's a fairly dark red, but not too over the top. It's really affordable; I think it was about the £4 mark.

Next, my L'Oreal nail varnish from the Colour Riche collection, in "Dating Coral" (305). I love this colour, I wear it all the time, especially in the warmer months, but I enjoy it all year round. It was more expensive than the one above, but it was still only about £6 - 7.

I love this nail varnish. It's by Urban Decay and it's from their Summer of Love collection, I have it in "Magic Bus." It's such a bright orange, perfect for when you feel like dressing down, but want a bit of... Pazzaz!  I have the sample size because my mum bought me loads of the smaller sized bottles because she knows I change my nail varnish so regularly that one bottle lasts for ever. I have no idea how much this was because my mum bought it for me.

Next is my favourite green. It's a beautiful, scented nail varnish by Revlon, in "Beach" (310). I only have one Revlon nail varnish, and that's this one. I must say, I'm not overly impressed by the coverage it gives; I don't know if it's the colour that I have or whether it's the formula, but it most definitely has made me more hesitant to go further with my Revlon purcahsing. Once I've layered on coat after coat, the colour is amazing though, such a lovely gold/green! I think it was probably around £7 - 8.

Now for my second favourite green. This one is by Barry M, and is a gorgeous mint green colour that is very similar to one that Chanel brought out a while ago. I have it in "Mint Green" (imaginative!) (304). I love this nail varnish, the colour is great, the coverage is great and it lasts for ages! I don't know how much it was, but it definitely wasn't very expensive.

Next is another Barry M nail varnish, except this one is a really creamy yellow. This is another one that needs quite a few coats to reach the desired colour, but once you're there, it's amazing! It doesn't chip very easily, like the previous one, and it's just gorgeous. It was probably the same price as the last one, helpful! I have it in "Lemon" (307).

This one is quite a boring colour, but I really like it for when I can't be bothered to do my nails properly. This one is by Natural Collection and is called "Peach Manicure." If you have longer nails, it really enhances the whiteness if your tips, however, if you have short nails it merely gives you quite a peachy/neutral colour. It's a really quick way to French manicure your nails, if they're long, without all the messing about. This wasn't very expensive because it's by Natural Collection, it was around £2.

Finally, this was quite a spur of the moment purchase and my boyfriend thought I was mad. However, everyone has said how much the colour suits me! It's called "Grey Matter" by Rimmel, from the 60 second range. I really like it; I would never normally buy a nail varnish that colour but... I did! I think it was around £4.

Okay, so those are my favourite nail varnishes, whether it be winter or summer.

I hope you've enjoyed reading and I'll speak to you soon!

Getting ready for summer

As I am sitting in my garden, on a very humid day in June, sipping on apple juice, I have an idea for a blog post. I haven't really seen very many summer essentials blogs or watched very many summer essentials videos so I thought I'd just go for it.

So, first up are a pair of wedges. Everyone needs at least one pair of wedges in their summer wardrobe. They can transform an entire outfit in seconds and make you feel 10 times more confident. I've been having a look around recently and I personally think that New Look have a great range of wedges out at the moment, and they're very reasonably priced.

Moisturiser is a must have for summer. The sun damages your skin even when you wear sun cream so it's really important to keep your skin hydrated. For summer I like to buy oil free ones to avoid shiny patches, especially around the nose, chin and forehead. The Neutrogena pink grapefruit facial moisturiser is probably the best one I've tried.

I would also invest in a shine control facial scrub, just to keep the oil production under control. When your skin gets dried out, it produces more oil, so it's important to cleanse thoroughly as well as keep oil at bay. Clean and Clear is a good brand to have a go with.

One of my definite must haves is a perfectly summery perfume. I have a really lovely DKNY one, but I don't know the name of it. It smells floral and fruity without being too sweet or strong. Subtle scents, for me, are 100% essential this summer.

Everyone needs a decent heat defence spray. The sun really dries out your hair and can leave you with really bad split ends, but I find that the Toni & Guy heat defence spray does the job perfectly. I use this before blow drying, straightening, curling and going out in the sun. It keeps my hair in great condition, and it's super affordable.

Instead of using sun cream on my face, I like to use an SPF foundation or moisturiser. One of my favourites at the moment is the Maybelline BB Cream. It's the 8 in 1, but I'll let you find those out for yourself, if you're interested. I'd definitely reccomend some form of SPF make up just because you don't necessarily have to worry about sun cream.

Like I said before, the sun really dries your skin out, so having a good moisturiser is key. Everybody wants that beautiful, glowing skin and moisturising will definitely do the trick. Also, getting one with a lovely scent will give you an incentive to want to apply it every day. Because, as we all know, applying moisturiser is... Boring!

I am totally in love with Revlon Lip Butters. They're so good for your lips but also give you amazing colour. They're great to put on in the morning, when you're running late, and they leave your lips feeling and looking great. They also really nourish your lips in the sun and heat. The one above is in Tutti Frutti.

Possibly one of the most important products for summer is waterproof mascara. Especially for days spent by the pool or at the beach. I especially like wearing brown mascaras in summer, just because it looks more natural, and personally I think natural is best.

I use hand cream most of the time, but I think it's especially important in summer when your hands are dry and irritable. It may be a good idea to buy a hand cream with bactericide in it, just for any picnics and such like.

A non-beauty product that is totally essential is a big, chunky necklace. My favourite is a three-coloured, different sized bead nexklace. It's so gorgeous, and completely transforms any outfit. Most necklaces like this are super affordable, depending on where you buy yours.

Eyebrow pencils are part of my make up all year round. However, when you don't want to wear loads of make up, if you have well groomed eyebrows, your face will look instantly more made up and perfect.

Finally, crosses are so in at the moment. I have these huge cross earrings from Topshop, but there are varying sizes and types on the high street. They're so gorgeous and make any outfit look instantly chic.

So, thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed! If you have any requests, please let me know and I'll happily oblige.

Speak to you soon!