All i want for christmas....

I cant type that title without singing, what in my opinion is...Mariahs best song ever ;)

Heres my little Christmas wish list...

1. No7 illuminating mirror- Im sick of dull rubbish light to apply my make up- this is a must this year!

2. Rodriguez Narciso- I smelt this on someone and I have to have it immediately- preferably as part of a gift set ;)

3. Glazed apple body butter- I have asked for a few of these as no doubt this will only be about for the festive season :(

4. Tom Ford lipstick- in any shade...i just want one...and its so pretty and pricey i will probably never use it :/

5. Red apple wreath Yankee Candle- This smells lush- christmassy but not sickly :)

6. Laura ashley pineapple lamp- I have wanted this since the summer- cant bear the hideous price tag!

7. Nars sheer glow foundation- Still cant believe i have never owned a bottle of this yet!

8. Tripod- like the above i still cant believe i do not own one of these- blogger fail!

Whats on your wish list- send me your links :) i love a good snoop!

T xxx

The Christmas tag...

So I tagged myself as i LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!  Nothing wrong with that right? Lets get festive...

What's your favourite Christmas movie/s?

Muppet's Christmas carol and The Grinch...both childish choices, but hey they make me smile and feel warm and fuzzy :)

Do you open presents on Christmas morning or Christmas evening?

Morning- however i have always wished my family would do table presents when we eat dinner too- like a little secret Santa type gig....maybe I'll do this when i have my own family one day.

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

Yes- I don't remember how old i was- but for some strange reason i decided to "sleep over" in my brothers room on Xmas eve..why do siblings do this..its across the hall lol!  We woke up (obvs hearing the parents rustling about) my dad came upstairs and told us if we didn't go back to sleep Santa wouldn't come...he told us to listen for the sleigh bells....we both fell asleep after listening for what seemed like forever lol!

Also being a child of the 80's that smell of tinsel as you opended the lounge door will never leave me ;)

What's your favourite festive food?

Stuffing balls, cheeselets and Cadburys roses!  Im not a huge Christmas food lover....now Easter -that's a different story...give me alllll of the mini eggs!

What's your favourite Christmas scent?

As mentioned above, tinsel lol and cinnamon.  I also love the Yankee candle Red apple wreath. I cant bear the sickly sweet candle scents like Christmas cookie and nutmeg- yick!!!!  

Do you have a Christmas Eve tradition?

Id love to say yes, however as a family we are just not that close :( i wish we could be but one day with my own little family i will make Christmas eve a huge deal.  when i used to work Christmas eve in a beauty salon we used to all go to the pub to get lots of goodies, exchange our secret Santa and share out our tips- those were fun times :).

What tops your tree?

A standard star...

As a child, what was the one (crazy, extravagant) gift you wanted but never got?

I remember these vividly as i always thought Santa had let me down lol...now it was quite clear i was just being an extravagant bratty child lol...I desperately wanted the Easy-bake cupcake oven...i find it funny that now im massively into baking...see mum i did REALLY want this!

I also remember yearning for a Mr frosty and being hideously disappointed when we got it and in essence it was crushed ice and ribena :(

What do you think is the best part of Christmas?

I love the lights and the markets...it just makes it feel magical.  The films transport you to a little happy place also :)

I would like to tag...Victoria, Jessica and Daniela

T xxx

L'oreal Colour Riche Collection, Blake's red and Eva's red...

I blame Vivianna for my discovery of these reds...I say blame as i did not NEED another red in my collection...but alas.

I was lucky to get my paws on these as they were the last ones on the stand and since then I've seen further stores completely empty.  I love these two shades and couldn't decide between them, so i naturally purchased both :/

The packaging is sleek and high end looking in my opinion which is helped along by the textured, matte bullet.  Application is smooth considering that they are matte shades and the stick is nicely pointed to allow great cupids bow application.

The scent reminds me of baby powder which, if I'm honest i like and the colour payoff is very impressive.  I wore these to work and only had to apply once more throughout the day, which i think is pretty impressive.

I hope that these are not limited edition as i can see myself doing a cheeky repurchase in the near future- once I've worn these down to the nub!

T xxx

Lush haul...

I treated myself to a big bagful of Lush last month...let me talk you through my goodies...

Sparkly Pumpkin-

I love Halloween, and i love this bubble bar!  I'm told the official ingredients are juniper berry, lime and grapefruit but to me it smells of iron-bru and that's not a bad thing at all :) I purchased five of these suckers as they wont be around for long.

Candy mountain-

This smells like creamy candy bubble bar and is probably exactly the same but give me a gimmicky new product and ill have it ;) This is super sweet and only those with a sweet tooth need purchase.

Granny takes a dip- 

After seeing this on numerous vlogs i had to have a psychedelic, colourful bath.  This smells fruity and looks too pretty to use.  I intend to cut it up into very small chunks to make it last!

Sakura-

My favourite scents in a bath bomb- cherry blossom and jasmine.  This is the most subtle smelling product of the bunch but really lingers on my skin after my soak.

Have you tried any of these?

T xxx

Lush cupcake mask...

Hands up who loves mint choc chip ice cream?! If so then this product will have you wanting to lick your own face...yes i really did just say that!

It looks like i have poop smeared on my face but works like a charm.  Cupcake has a slightly grainy texture which doubles up as an exfoliator when washed off with a flannel.  My skin felt smooth, refined and calmed after a ten minute wait.

The mask contains rhassoul mud, linseed, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, mint and vanilla.

I would definitely repurchase this, of all the lush masks i find its the easiest and most enjoyable to apply.  Have you tried this...what is your favourite lush mask- any more that i desperately must try?

T xxx

Camping pods...

So a few weeks back Gary and I went "glamping" in Lincolnshire and stayed in an eco pod.  Its something we had wanted to do for a while but never got round to doing.  We found a very cheap last minute deal and headed off to literally what felt like the middle of nowhere!

The roads around Boston are some of the worst I've ever driven on and we had to go down a very long and bumpy road to get to the site.  When we got there the scenery definitely made up for it.

The pod is situated around a pretty pond which, as i found out was a haven for mosquito's ;) and the thing i liked the most was that the bathroom facilities were really modern which is rare for an off the grid experience!  there was a bell tent on site which was empty and i took a peak inside its cath kidston adorned room and was most regretful that we hadn't booked that!

The first night we had a mini BBQ and stuffed our faces with veggie sausages and chicken and then watched homelands on the macbook :)

Day two we headed to Skegness which was an experience shall we say- if you enjoy people watching as i do..this is a must visit place :/ 

On the plus side the chips and ice cream were yummy as you'd expect from the seaside and we were lucky enough to have very hot weather for September.

That night we continued our off the grid experience by having a pizza hut :)) haha...and then it was back to the pod for another round of homelands and chocolate scoffing.

Id definitely recommend this kind of weekend away if you want to completely chill- i hate to admit it but it was lovely to not have Internet access for a day or two- its surprising how long a day feels without it which is a good thing!

I made a little vlog of our trip which i will get round to uploading at some point!

Have you been glamping- did you love or loath?

T xxx

The lipstick chronicles...Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte - Nude Beige...

I cant even photograph the product as im scraping the innards out of it right now with a lip brush...this lipstick is worth every penny of its hefty £25 price tag and has been well and truly loved!

Its super creamy which is both a yay and a neigh...yes- it keeps my lips moisturised but the down side is it runs out...rapidly :(

I have this in two other colours as i just adore the formula and the colour payoff this range brings.

Have you tried any of these?

T xxx

The lipstick chronicles...Revlon Audacious

 

Firstly, thank you Daniella for introducing me to this fab colour!  I have never tried a colourburst before this one and i am now tempted to try a few more!

This colour is different from any other in my collection and i find i can only wear it when suitably tanned :) as its so bright.

The colour payoff is great and it has a lovely minty smell, however my only issue with this is after a few hours of wear i feel like it becomes chalky and feels quite "bitty" or almost grainy when i press my lips together...anyone else noticed this?

Have you tried these- any colours you could recommend?

T xxx

Blogger/Youtube depression...

Hmmm, perhaps a little too dramatic with the blog post title there...however after talking about this topic with a few fellow bloggers I'm starting to see that i am not the only one who feels this strange emotion.

I am not ashamed to admit that i am obsessed with watching vlogs, look books and generally snooping around others lives...and the reason for this is...well their lives are quite simply more interesting than my own.  That is a sad, but true statement.

As much as these vloggers give me great enjoyment, after the seven or so minutes of footage are over, i am left with an overwhelming feeling that my life is, well, a little pants in comparison.

Now, i know that this is just a small snippet of their daily life, but am i the only one who feels this way?...i cant imagine so.

I have started vlogs on my channel recently and to be honest i could never commit to daily, or even weekly ones, as, lets be honest...who wants to see my adventures to tesco....I'm really not exciting enough to fill daily content.  Knowing this fact however does make me feel a little insignificant and again leaves me thinking "why isn't my life that exciting"?

I guess what I'm looking for is feedback, feedback that I'm not alone in this crazy thought pattern and that someone else's life is as ordinary as mine lol! Do you guys ever compare yourself to the mega successful bloggers/youtubers out there?

I guess I'm struggling with the change in blogging...i started my blog in 2008- when the blogging world was completely different.  Back then, there was only a handful of us with teeny, tiny, rubbish quality images showing blurry lipstick swatches...now it seems such a large community and the skills they possess now are on a professional level, I'm not sure i can keep up.  Also at 28, i have to admit i feel a little old *gulp*.

Anyway, rant over...wow thank you blogger for being my very own counselling session ;)

T xxx

Vlog...

So im braving the world of youtube...my first vlog which has been very delayed due to getting to grips with imovie, is now up- please be kind :)

I promise my next few are a little more interesting...i dont have a very exciting life like some vloggers you see :/ x

LINK!!!


T xxx

Kerastase cristalliste mask...a review...

So, its no secret I'm a huge fan of kerastase masks and i rely heavily on my much raved about nutritive mask in order to maintain my long locks.

Being a naturally curious person, when i noticed a new mask i naturally wanted to try it despite knowing that id already found the perfect treatment for my hair.  The lesson that can be learnt from this blog post is this..."if it ain't broke"....

This mask claims to leave hair feeling soft and supple with polished ends.  I wish this statement were true.  I can honestly say that this mask, despite the £26 price tag did absolutely nothing to wow me or my hair :(.

It did not nourish my locks half as much as my beloved nutritive, which, also may i add leaves my hair smelling lush for a few days after.  Nothing about this product is remarkable, nor does it warrant, in my opinion such a hefty price tag.

The product feels quite thin for a treatment mask and doesn't smell quite as nice as my old fave :)

All in all i would not recommend this mask if you have a similar hair type as me, extremely long, thirsty and thick...it will simply not cut it for you.

Has anyone else tried this?  Reviews and thoughts please :)

T xxx

Lush Oatifix...

I have never really delved into the world of lush masks, i am very guilty of buying way too many bath and body products..but facial bits and bobs..no.

I now feel slightly silly that i hadn't tried them before now.   After trying the amazing mask i am now converted.

Yes, my face looks like I've dunked my head in porridge Goldilocks and the three bears style..but it is worth it.  The oats and almonds within the mask soften and exfoliate..two birds with one stone ;) and the bananas (which smell scrumptious) soften and nourish.

Its hard for the high end product lover in me to believe that natural ingredients are, maybe, just maybe better, if not equal.

My skin felt super soft and almost matte..this is not a plumping, juicy feeling skin type mask FYI..more of a refining and calming.

I would definitely recommend this if you haven't already tried it- and oh, one more thing...i hope this product is edible as some may have maybe, no definitely fell into my mouth ;)..yum!

T xxx

The lipstick chronicles...Mac flat out fabulous

So on to the third lipstick of the chronicles...flat out fabulous.  I get a lot of comments on this colour as its neither purple or pink, so its quite an unusual shade- its kind of beetroot coloured on me :)

 












Like all great Mac lippys, it lasts all day...but yes it is a little drying..oh well somethings got to give i suppose.

Have you tried this shade?

T xxx

The lipstick chronicles...Mac Playing Koi and Rose Cashmere

So, moving on to this weeks lipstick...Playing Koi.

 

Now, I have had this lippy for quite some time- i grabbed it greedily when it was LE without really trying it.  Truth is, it is far too chalky and pale for my complexion.  I recently purchased Maybelline's sensational shine gloss in Cashmere Rose and when this is partnered with the oh so chalky Koi it makes for quite a handsome coupling!

(Indoor light)

(Natural daylight)

Have you tired either of these?

T xxx

The British tag...

I love a good tag don't you?...

photo via we heart it

How many cups of tea do you have and how many sugars?

I don't drink many hot drinks- so perhaps one a day at the most...and when i do..3 sugars :o...probably best i don't drink it often!

What is your favourite part of roast dinners?

Stuffing and Yorkshire puds :)

Whats your favourite dunking biscuit?

Custard creams and chocolate digestives!

Favourite British past time?

Theatre and Cream tea...there is something magical about mis-matched china and sugar cubes :)  My favourite is the Peacocks Tea Rooms in Ely..if you are in the are you must check it out, you wont be disappointed.

What is your favourite sweet?

Strawberry laces, sherbet spaceships and haribo strawbs.

Who is your favourite British person?

Sir David Attenborough...if you like animals you're alright by me...this man has done so much to educate us...true national treasure!

What is your favourite shop and restaurant?

Cau in Cambridge- although i don't eat steak i love the chicken dish and the atmosphere in general.  Shop wise, i love Paperchase, homesense and ikea...my boyfriend...not so much ha!

What British song pops into your head?

Babybird, your gorgeous...what a tune!

Marmite?

Yes please, with lots of butter ;p

I tag you all...and Dani in particular!!

T xxx

Skincare routine...

Ill admit it- I've been a little lazy with my skin care regime as of late and have resorted to face wipes on more than one occasion during 2014!

Now don't get me wrong, I've always invested heavily in Elemis, Decleor and Clarins cleansers previously- but as my skin has got less and less oily/troublesome i, at the time did not really felt the need for expensive and faffy skincare routines.  Fast forward a few months and my "glow" and healthy texture has definitely disappeared- and since i have had no radical lifestyle changes, I'm putting this down to my lack of love for my face!

So step forward my new skincare routine...  Only a few days in and my skin feels bouncy, fresh and much softer.  My makeup even applies better...just shows what a good skincare regime can do for a girl ;).

The cleanser is on the rich and creamy side, which to be honest if you suffer from oily skin you may not like the feeling of.  I personally find milky, thin cleansers no longer cut it for me, so this suits me just fine.  I apply it and remove with the Kleenex facial cloths which are super soft.

I then tone using Matis Pure Lotion- also on the facial cloths.

When it comes to moisturising i use the shine control Matis lotion as i don't like anything too heavy under my make up.  This gel is really cooling and dries extremely quick.

For the evening i repeat the process but use Neal Yards power berry moisturiser.

Have you tried any of these, and what are your thoughts?

P.s whilst writing this I've realised....I'm 28 ...and my skin must be producing less oil...the end is nigh people lol!

T xxx

The Lipstick Chronicles...Mac Relentlessly Red

So as i own SO many lip products I saw it fit to show a few of them off...enter the lipstick Chronicles.

Each week i will post a new colour...well until i run out..don't worry we should be good for a few months ;)

This week its the turn of Relentlessly Red..i love this matte pinky/red.  Its not too drying *ahem, yes i mean you, ruby woo*

 

The colour does last all day and has not transferred to my teeth to my knowledge lol..I always get compliments on this lip colour so id suggest a swatch when you're next in Mac.

Sorry for the pic quality, my DSLR was not to hand today so the photos were taken on my iphone!

Have you tried this colour..love or loathe?

Lippy link!!!

T xxx

Those who mind dont matter, and those who matter dont mind...

The title quote speaks volumes.

I'm pretty sure fellow bloggers must have felt like this at some point..i surely cant be the only one.

I'm going to make an admission- i was embarrassed about my blog.  I use the term was...as i no longer care what people think..well to some degree anyway.

I have kept my blog a secret since 2009 when i rubbed shoulders with the likes of Zoella.  I would go to events and keep all my goody bags, freebies and web friends separate and a secret from my "real life".  Why did i do this?? Well that's because i had no confidence in myself- don't get me wrong I'm still not 100% but then i think, who ever is!

I also live in an extremely small and clicky town in which people are very judgemental.

After a few friends and my boyfriend (yikes) finding my blog by accident in most cases- I've realised that their reaction was far more positive than i could have hoped for.  I guess my insecurities have stemmed from my feelings of always not feeling good enough- I'm constantly thinking, my blog isn't as good as such and such's blog so why bother.

Ive since learnt that people like different things.  Being a size 10 may be great to show off fabulous outfits but hey, maybe my size 14 readers enjoy my ootd as it gives them inspiration of what they could really wear?  I'm finally accepting that being me is OK- and that you don't have to be a certain type in order to have a successful blog.

I could kick myself for going quiet on the blogging scene as I've always really enjoyed it but felt i had to wait until my heart was really in it for me to start up properly again.

I want to know if anyone else has ever felt this way...please tell me I'm not alone lol!

P.s..my parents still don't know i have a blog...but then again they cant even use the net so it might be a loss cause ha :)

T xxx

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FOTD

Hi all,

This is a guest post that i did for the lovely Daniela's blog..go check her blog out its great.

This is a picture heavy post..well aren't all face of the days?!!!  And please excuse the background clutter and bingo wings...i haven't quite got the hang of heavy canon camera selfies yet :/ tripod needed *note to self*

It also features my new top from New Look which I'm a little bit in love with :)

What i used:

BASE- Mac studio sculpt NC37- YSL touche eclat- Benefit erase paste- Ben Nye Banana powder- Mac bronzer

CHEEKS- Mac harmony- Mac warm soul

EYES- Naked pallette; foxy and YDK on outer corners- liquid liner- Mac carbon smudged along lash line- Max factor mascara- Ardell demi wispies

LIPS- Topshop wave goodbye lip crayon 

NAILS-IBD tickeled pink :)

TOP-  link!

Hope you like it :)

T xxx

July favourites...

Hi,

Here are some of the products I'm loving so far in July.

Estee Lauder- Bronze Goddess- 

I have been a fan of this since it was first released.  As it is limited edition i find myself only using it now and again as i love it so much i don't want to waste it..anyone else like this lol..special occasion perfume.  However with the nice weather and holidays this month I've found myself over indulging in it...ooops!  If you haven't smelt it you must...i don't know anyone who hasn't commented on its scent whilst I'm wearing it- it just smells like holidays in a bottle..and who doesn't like holidays!


Toni and Guy- Classic gloss serum- 

I received this in a glossy box and after using my Moroccan hair oil up I've been using this and loving it.  Its lightweight and non-greasy which is a plus as some can leave my hair feeling dirty and lank.  I use this on wet hair before drying and also on dry when its feeling a little dry and frizzy on the ends.

Rimmel- Kate moss lipstick- 

I got this a while ago in shade 101 and found it quite drying so stopped using it.  Since then i apply to balmed lips and all is good.  I love this colour and have worn it to several weddings this month it also smells like parma violets- win, win.

Aussie- Aussome volume mousse- 

I got this whilst in the states- its great for volume- even on my heavy, lengthy hair and doesn't leave that yucky crispy feeling.  It smells like watermelon but I'm not entirely sure if this is available in the UK...*sob*

Koolaid- cherry!

Ok, so totally non beauty related, however i have been drinking this non stop so far this month.  I am obsessed with cherry flavours so grabbed a few bottles of this in Florida.  I have been trying to drink more at work so this has been helping...it says no calories..i don't know how as its so yummy but hey ill go with that :/

Please link me to your favourites :)

T xxx

Oh JoY in Brighton...

I visited Brighton on Saturday for the first time.

We were lucky enough to have had lovely weather as it seemed the rest of the country received oodles of rain. Now on to Brighton itself...I loved the lanes..just as i knew i would but the town centre wasn't as nice as id anticipated. We ate lunch close to the sea front at a place called The New Club which i can really recommend..i mean they served slaw in a mug...thumbs up from me! :)

  

 I am currently obsessed with watermelon and pineapple prints/ items...so was chuffed when i found a pineapple trinket and a salt and pepper shaker set from JoY...the boyfriend cannot wait for these to be a new addition to his home :/

I also visited Choccywoccydoodah..well it would be rude not to wouldn't it.  I don't know how..but i didn't end up purchasing anything..miracles do happen!

We ate our evening meal at Prezzo along the marina which was also lovely...all in all Brighton was good to us...the only bug bear was the 3 hr drive grrrr!

Have you been to Brighton...did you love or hate?

T xxx

Outfit of the eve...

Today the weather in my patch has been bloomin glorious!

My day started with a bike ride to waitrose to buy ingredients for copycat chicken crisper's...can you tell i miss Florida :(.

We then popped to Granchester orchard tea rooms- if you are ever in the area i urge you to visit as its such a great place to chill out..and the food is yummy :)

Now onto the outfit..I've debated about doing these posts....partly because I'm a size 14...gasp...in the blogging world of perfect size 8's that's large i suppose.  I'm not exactly confident with my shape but i am fed up of not being able to find great bloggers that are my size...it would be nice to imagine myself wearing some of the lovely clothes some of my favourite bloggers post...but alas it is just not going to happen.
So although i don't LOVE my size, i think i dress ok for my shape and hopefully you lovely lot might appreciate a slightly larger blogger sharing outfit ideas? Anyway let me know...but be nice :)
KIMONO- TOP-JEGGINGS-SHOES- ALL NEW LOOK

 

 

I should mention that i am a manager for New Look- therefore the majority of my clothes will inevitably be from my store...well it would be silly not to take full advantage of my discount ;)I'm now off to see Maleficent...I've heard great things so im really looking forward to it