The First Favourites One- March Favourites.

 Hello there, I hope you all had an amazing Easter and have maxed out on chocolate and eggs like me over here- the diet was definitely on hold for the weekend. Now I had planned to do hauls from MAC and Charlotte Tilbury buuuuut, in typical me style I forgot this weekend was Easter weekend so there's no post/deliveries so that'll be on hold until things are back to normal on that front. Instead we shall do a March favourites. So there's a range of things on here so let's crack on.

Fashion:

 Everything from my fashion favourites this month are from Boohoo, and there's only a few but I am oh so in love with them. First up we have two pairs of sunglasses I've purchased. I don't know where this began or why but I have a serious addiction to sunglasses. I have a trusty pair of Raybans that I stick on if I'm in a rush but this year I have really tried to branch out and go for something different. Enter the mirrored aviators. Now it seems everyone and anyone has a pair of these or a different pair but in the mirrored style, but I am totally bought by them, I love the mirrored tint and the aviator style, the only thing is they sometimes slip down or don't sit right (I have a small head so getting sunglasses to fit is a bitch.) However, I give them a little squeeze and it does the trick (don't squeeze too hard, they'll break.) They're also really cheap at £5.00 so head here to grab them. But everywhere sells them because they're so popular so pretty much any high street store will sell them.

Modelled on my pea head.

Mirrored aviators

 The second pair I got were a black cat eye pair. I love these but have to be wary when I buy cat eyes because I have a small head they can takeover my face and make me look ridiculous. I did have a trusty tortoise shade pair but long story short I had a battle with the sea and the sea won, RIP beloved cat eye sunglasses. But I digress, I have finally found a pair that make up for that loss and they're beautiful, they have a black outer rim with gold at the sides. They are still quite big, but if I pull them a bit further down my nose I can get away with them. These are also cheap and affordable at £8.00 and you can get them here.

 Next up we have shoes, and this month is a pair of heels in a nude colour. Now I love heels but normally stick to a black colour because when I go out I have been known to fall down and totally wreck my shoes, I have a pair of suede nude heels that I wore out once and didn't survive. These however are leather so I'm hoping that they'll be easier to clean if I do get them dirty. These are platforms so are easier to walk in than stilettos in my opinion and they have a strap that goes just above the ankle so helps to elongate the leg rather than cut them off and make you look stumpy which I find sometimes happens when you get straps on shoes. Another thing I absolutely love about these is that at the bit where the ball of your foots goes there's a cushioned bit for comfort, I'm sure we've all felt that pain when you've been walking/dancing/stumbling around in heels all night and your poor feet suffer in the process so I'm hoping these will do the trick, I've only worn them for a short time but haven't had any pain in that time so fingers crosses. Again they're relatively cheap as far as prices for heels go at £25.00 and you can find them here.

I've only just noticed this has cut off half a shoe,
I will go back and take another photo.

 My final and favourite fashion bit is this khaki waterfall belted coat which you can find here for £20.00. I am literally in love with this coat. I love the fact you can dress it up with a dress and heels for a meal or for drinks at a bar, or you can dress it down with jeans and boots/trainers. It's so versatile. You can tie it up which I sometimes do as it emphasises my waist which is my favourite part of my body, but most of the time I keep it undone and casual. It does come down quite long so if you're on the shorter side like me then you might not like it but if I'm going casual I team it with my black skinnies and boots that have a slight heel and make me look taller and then it doesn't totally drown me out. But there isn't one thing I don't love about this coat and I can already tell I'm going to wear it to death.

Shit lighting (I'm having a nightmare.) Better photo on the website.

Makeup:

 Ahh, where to begin with makeup? Buckle in we could be here a while, I have so many favourites when it comes to makeup.

 When it comes to mascara I have had the same two for donkeys years it seems but I love them so much I always stock up on them every payday. The two in question are Benefits Roller Lash and They're Real, and I wear them together. I start with benefits Roller Lash to curl them and I put two coats of that on then leave them for a minute. After that I go over them with They're Real which adds length and I'm not just saying this, it really works. Since I've started wearing these together I get so many compliments on how long my lashes are looking. They're Real is normally £19.50 but right now I have the limited edition swarovski one which is priced at £21.50, there is no difference between the products only the packaging, and although it may seem a bit steep paying more simply for packaging, once your swarovski one has run out they'll swap over the wand into your new one. But it's up to you, the limited edition one is here and the normal one is here. Roller Lash is priced at £19.50 and you can get that here. It may seem steep paying £39.00 or if you get the limited edition £41.00 but it genuinely is worth it, there definitely is a difference in the way my eyelashes look when I wear these two together. However I do have two mascaras that are just as good but cheaper so may do another blog post on that.

They're Real & Roller Lash.

 I always team those with another one of my favourites which is also from Benefit. This is the Brow Zings eyebrow palette. This is priced £24.50 and can get here. Again it seems a bit steep and I also thought this when I first bought it but I have definitely been converted as it's so simple to use, there's no faffing about. It comes with instructions so if you're not sure how to use it that's there to help you but it's relatively simple. It includes a wax and a powder, you use the wax to outline your brows with the angled brush that's included which makes it easier and it follows the shape of your eyebrow completely. Then with the blending brush you fill in the rest of your eyebrow and that's it, simple. It also comes with tweezers to pluck any stray hairs, I tend to stay away from this as I get my eyebrows waxed and the woman that does it says it's harder to get an even brow when your eyebrow hairs are all growing at different rates, so bare that in mind. It also has a mirror included so you can really see what you're doing. It comes in different shades, I use the dark one as I have brunette hair at the moment. If you're blonde go for the light but it all depends on what shade you like your eyebrows.

Angled Brush, Blending Brush &
Tweezers Included.

Brow Zings- Dark.

  The next item is also from Benefit, and although it does seem this is turning into a bit of a Benefit haul I will move on to other brands don't worry. We are however moving away from eyes onto highlighters. I literally have so many highlighters it's ridiculous, I will do a Blog post on this aswell. The one that's earned a spot in my favourites is the Watts Up highlighter. This is a cream highlighter stick that turns to powder once applied and blended. I apply it on my cheekbones and my brow bones to accentuate them. I also apply it around my lips as it give the appearance of fuller lips. It has a sponge blender on the other end of it to blend it so then I go over it with that just to make sure it's all rubbed in. It's in a champagne shade and is a shimmer finish. I apply it after my foundation and before my blusher and bronzer. It is again on the higher price range at £24.50 but if you're looking to treat yourself or you want to splash out you can find it here. The last thing I will say about this is it lasts for ages, the last time I bought this was before Christmas, I use it pretty much every day and it hasn't run out yet which is always a bonus, but when you're applying it don't press down to hard or it will snap (which I found out the hard way.)

The actual highlighter stick.

Watts Up! Highlighter.

Highlighter with flash.

Blending sponge included. 

 We will FINALLY move away from Benefit so you can all breathe a sigh of relief. Plus my next item is cheap and I am totally in love with it from the way it looks to the way it applies. This would be Max Factors Creme Puff Blush in the shade Seductive Pink. I have to admit, I bought this for the way it looks, it literally looks gorgeous, it's a light pink and dark pink marbled powder and as soon as I saw it I was hooked. It applies so well aswell. I hate blushers that are overly pink,and I would say I am definitely more of a bronzer person rather than a blusher person but now I use this every day. It leaves a subtle hint of pink and I think you could almost class it as a highlighter, as I find it really highlights my cheek bones. There are a range of shades so if you aren't like me and do like your bronzer to be obvious check them out but this one is my absolute favourite and has definitely converted me from a "sometimes uses a bit of blusher" to an "everyday blusher" person. Like I said it's cheap which is always a bonus. It's £8.99 and if you get it here at Boots then there's 3 for 2 on selected Max Factor products, so if you use that range often take full advantage of this offer and give this a try. Alternatively get it here at Superdrug where they have the same offer on as Boots but they're also giving away a free tote bag if you spend £15 on cosmetics, so in my eyes it's a win win situation either way.

With flash on.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush-
Seductive Pink.

 As I said I am more of a bronzer person and I was using Benefits Hoola bronzer (which I absolutely adore.) But then I bought this and made the switch to Nars Bronzer in the shade Laguna. Which you can find here for the price of £27.50. Now if you aren't into bronzer this probably seems a ridiculous price for a product. But if you're like me and love nothing more than looking tanned and bronzed this is totally worth the price. I bought this just before Christmas and as you can see I still have product (albeit it not alot now) left, so it does last considering I use it everyday, sometimes applying it more than once. It leaves a lovely shimmer so unlike my Hoola bronzer it isn't matte. But you get used to it quickly and it leaves such a smooth finish it's easy to get over. I apply it to my cheekbones and then get a little bit more product and apply it along my nose and forehead in a T shape before finishing with my jawline and blending it down my neck for that all over sun kissed look.

Nars Bronzer- Laguna

I have literally saved the last of
this product for this post.

 My final two makeup favourites are both MAC lipsticks, in two different shades, one is a nude and one is a dark shade. The first one is Velvet Teddy and as you can see it's been worn alot. I love this natural shade so I wear this if I'm travelling somewhere or just hanging at someones house. Basically if I'm wearing a minimalist makeup look I team it with this. Also if I'm at work and hungover so therefore I'm looking rough I wear this lipstick because it's subtle enough to wear even if you don't want to wear makeup in my opinion. The next shade is MACs Whirl and I team it with the lip liner again in the shade Whirl to make my lips look fuller. Although this looks barely used it's because I had to buy a new one after losing my last one of a night out (I am aware I need to take better care of my things.) I tend to wear this when I'm doing a dramatic look like on a night out or if I'm doing a look with dark eyes. But you can also keep it casual as I'll also wear it if I'm wearing dark jeans and I find dark shades bring out the best in this colour. Both these shades are matte which are my favourite type of lipsticks, they're also really pigmented so have a really good colour and are long lasting and can last all day/night without reapplying. However I do like to reapply both once in the middle of the day/night to make them really bright. As with all MAC lipsticks they're £15.50 and you can get Velvet Teddy here and you can get Whirl here. You can get the Whirl lip liner for £12.50 here if you want to create the illusion of fuller lips or make it easier to apply.

Left- Whirl. Right- Velvet Teddy.

Left- Whirl. Right- Velvet Teddy.

 And just like that March is over and April will soon be upon us. Where has this year got to? It was only Christmas like 10 days ago. I'm definitely thinking of doing a highlighter post next as like I said I have so many, probably an unhealthy (especially for my bank balance) amount. I hope you enjoyed this and definitely recommend trying ALL these products (but that might be pushing it.) As always feel free to comment and follow. You can also follow me on Twitter here and Instagram here. Thankyou.
Xx

The First Skin One- My Evening Routine.

 I will hold my hands up, I have slept in my make-up after a night out. I have woken up the next morning false eyelashes stuck together, eye liner smudged everywhere, foundation and fake tan smeared around my face, I am not proud. I will admit to another thing aswell, I have used baby wipes to remove my make-up, no matter how rough they feel on my face and no matter that it feels like I am simply pushing make-up around my face until I feel I've made an acceptable attempt and can pass out in my bed. Both these things you may have guessed have resulted in my skin feeling dried out, rough and prone to break outs. Then something happened.

 I turned 21. I decided this was a time that I should behave like a proper adult and therefore do the adult thing and remove my make-up and let my skin breath, and so was born my night time routine. Now I won't lie, I have seen peoples night time routines that take about 79 hours, 5 million different lotions and potions and a singing bird or two to come and delicately wash their faces from the traces of shit that is left there from the day. (Kidding obviously, but you get my gist.) If however, you are one of those people I suggest you stop reading now as clearly I will be wasting your time.
 I am a lazy girl, there I said it. When I get into bed I want to hit play on One Tree Hill (or whatever I'm binging.) Then pass out into a peaceful sleep before my dreaded 5:30am alarm goes off. Therefore I want a quick and easy night time skin routine that still leaves good results, and I think I've finally found one that works. Plus an added bonus- it won't break your bank balance.

 I start by using Soap & Glory- Peaches And Clean. I want to begin by saying I LOVE the names S&G give to their products. Peaches And Clean (or P&C as I shall refer to them from now.) is a 4 in 1 wash off deep cleansing milk. It "purifies & clarifies" "dissolves makeup" and "energizes and smoothes." I totally, 100% back this up. I put two pumps onto my (clean) hands and rub it all round my face and down my neck and then remove that with a cotton pad, then I pump some more on to a cotton pads and get into stubborn areas such as the top of my forehead and around my nose and eyes and then rinse this off with water. Once I've done that I go over my face once more with a cotton pad just to be certain all my makeup is completely gone and what do you know? It's all gone.
 I also find that P&C lasts ages. I've had my bottle since December, I use it every night and I'm not even half way through it. What I will say is a little goes a long way. Sometimes I go a bit crazy with the pump and I'm leftover with excess lotion which is annoying. There is a fragrance to it which is (I'm sure you've guessed) peaches. If you don't like your moisturisers or lotions with an added fragrance then you probably won't like this but if you can bypass the smell, the results are worth it. If this sounds like something you want to try then head here, it's normally priced at £8.00 so it is affordable, however right now Boots have a sale on S&G products where you can save 1/3 on them so it's priced at £5.33 at the moment.

Soap And Glory- Peaches And Clean.

 Just a quick heads up, I am still working on the photo quality and set up; I realise the photos I'm currently taking are probably a cardinal sin in the blogging world.

 The next and final step, yes that's right my skin routine only involves two steps. Is to moisturise. I understand that the more expensive the product then maybe the better results. However I'm quite lucky with my skin that it's normally clear and I don't really get spots (but when I do get them, they take over my face they're so big.) Because of this I didn't want to spend loads on something I didn't need and I just wanted a light moisturiser. Enter Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser. 

 I love this. I love the fact that they have all the ingredients clearly on the bottles. For example on this one on the front it shows there are 2 vitamins, 2 skin loving ingredients and 0 artificial perfumes or colours. It then goes into detail on the back so I know exactly what I'm putting on my face. So just in case you're wondering in the light moisturiser the vitamins are: Pro vitamin B5 and vitamin E. And the skin loving ingredients are: glycerin and borage skin oil. Now I don't claim to know what they are but they leave your skin feeling super soft when you wake up in the morning. Plus it carries on working for 12 hours which is always an added bonus. If you're interested in this product it's super affordable at £4.19, however at Boots you can save a 1/3 on selected Simple products so it's £2.79, the same price if not cheaper than your average lunch. Even better head to Superdrug and get it for £2.65. There's also a 50ml bottle on the Superdrug website.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser.

  And for the nights where I go out out too late or I'm just too tired then I resort to my emergency wipes. However these are wipes with a difference. Low and behold the No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes. Now these don't come cheap (in wipes terms) they are £7 but in my opinion they're worth it. Even if I just use these without the moisturiser or cleanser and toner then I still wake up the next morning with soft skin. This would be thanks to the ingredients like Pro-vitamin B5 which moisturises and softens your skins and the witch hazel and fennel (fennel?!?! Who knew) which clears pores and "leaves skin feeling smooth and fresh." I for one have to agree. These are every lazy/tired/drunk/busy persons dream. If I was pushed to give a negative it would be that there aren't enough wipes in one packet so I find I go through them quite quickly but there always seem to be an offer on at Boots, for example right now they have 3 for 2 on No7 products so if you're buying something from there anyway, pick these up and give them a try. Go here if I have managed to persuade you to join the lazy girls dream.

No7 Beautiful Skin, Quick Thinking Wipes. (Yes that
is an empty packet, sorry!)

 So there you have it, an easy, Simple (Ha Ha..!) guide to my evening routine. Yes it's not the most sophisticated but you know what the results are amazing. My skin is definitely thankful for it aswell. A short but sweet Blog post, plus you're getting two this week to make up for the lack of Blogs from the weekend. Another bonus for me is that it's pay day weekend so I will be buying lots of new products to try out and review for you. Hurrah I hear you all cheer. I see a haul in the not so distant future.

 

 Don't forget to follow me on here, Twitter and Instagram (link is in the previous post.) Feel free to leave comments with your favourite skin products and any thoughts on how I'm doing/how I could improve, until then thank you and goodbye. 

Xx

The First Hair One.

 Hi everybody and anybody, I hope you're still with me as I have an embarrassing confession, I wrote my "First Hello." I read it over and was so pleased with it, yes that was the perfect way (I say with fingers crossed and my hopes high) to introduce myself. Then I was like "oh God how do I publish it so it goes live?! I like to think I am down with technology (do people even say "down" any more?) But it took me multiple tries to get it up. But I succeeded- Hurrah! I hear you cry. More likely you're like "stop rambling AGAIN and get on with it!" OkOk I get the message.
 I've decided to start with a hair post. I should probably tell you a bit about my hair I guess. I wear it straight 98% of the time, this probably doesn't seem that unusual but naturally my hair is suuuuper curly, like tight curls- finding a picture of me with curls was so difficult, so you'll have to settle with old ones and one fairly recent one.

Ahh yes, younger me stroking a strange dog, looking oh so cool with her
little BlackBerry Bold. But take note of curls.

Me rebelling against my curls by tying them in oh so cool cowgirl style plaits.
Note the Blackberry makes another appearance. you're on holiday you fool. Get offline.

Discovered the art (albeit it, not well) of eyebrows by now.

 So, as you may be able to tell this takes so much time and effort and I've been doing it since I was around 13 so it's about 8(?!) years and countless hours of my life.

It can take a while to get from above to way I like it- straight.
What a lovely mess in the background. Apologies!

 Add onto this I've been dying my hair since it seems the land before time my hair can feel quite dry and brittle so finding good, affordable products to make it feel soft and look shiny can be a hassle, but fear not fellow curl tamers and hair dyers, I have at last found some that work and some that I will be giving a swerve in the future, I want to keep this post quite short and sweet to give you a taster of what I'm like when writing, so I'll focus on two products- both conditioners (sorry!) I also want to apologise for the quality of photos and the layout, I'm working on getting a proper camera and photo taking set-up! So let's crack on...

 I'll start with the one I least enjoyed and have to admit I probably won't be repurchasing this again. Lee Stafford Poker Straight Conditioner. I have to admit I bought this simply because it said poker straight on the front, and whilst not left disappointed per say-it does what it says on the bottle, there were some things that bugged me.

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Conditioner.

 The reason for my disappointment is probably my fault. I built it up to be something that would miraculously get rid of my curls- let's not kids ourselves it's not going to do that. Let's start with the positives. It's reasonably priced- I got it at Boots for £5.99 so it's completely affordable. I also happen to know there's an offer on at Boots at the moment where you can get two selected Lee Stafford products for £10, so if you want to try out his products head here or alternatively head to his website.

I also agree with the fact that as it says it fights frizz, my hair is alot easier to manage and straighten so that's always a bonus. They've also added P2IFTY Complex to help fight the damage from the heat of styling it. I have to say my hair certainly feels in much better condition after straightening, it no longer feels straw-like but I find this wears off very quickly. Another thing it says it does is battle static and this is where I fall out with this product. Because I blow dry and then straight away straighten my hair it can end up that my hair has alot of fly aways and static. This product has had no difference on that, I still find myself annoyingly with static hair which means I end up going over the roots with a comb spritzed with hairspray to try and tame them,

 It also says it has a great fragrance and this is my biggest pet peeve about the products I've used so far. I can't stand the smell. It reminds me of nit lotion (if you live with kids or remember the scent from your younger days you'll know what I mean, if not lucky you.) I honestly can't say that I enjoy walking around and every so often getting a faint whiff of nit lotion. For me this is the biggest turn off and the reason I won't be repurchasing. If scent doesn't bother you and you don't suffer with the almighty annoyance of static then this conditioner is perfect. Pair it with the Shampoo and Flat Iron Protection Shine Mist which I also have and you're good to go. For me it's not bad enough for me to stop using it but it will be a one time buy.

 Onto a more positive note, I have found a conditioner which I absolutely love. I don't have one fault with it. This product is OGX Hydrate + Defrizz Kukui Oil Conditioner.

Hydrate + Defrizz Kukui Oil Conditioner.

 This is definitely one of the best conditioners I've ever bought. It literally does everything it says on the bottle. As soon as you take the top off the fragrance hits you and it literally smells like holidays and summer which I love. As soon as I put this in my hair I could feel it working, once I washed it off my hair instantly felt softer and it stays that way until you next wash it. It again, definitely helps fight the frizz I usually battle with when I'm straightening my hair. This is also the type of conditioner I'd take on holiday with me as this is the only time I leave my hair natural- even I don't have the patience to straighten it when I'm away. It leaves my natural curls looking alot more tame and easily manageable unlike the usual lions mane I'm normally left with. I like that it's humidity resistant aswell as I find when I go away or on those once a year days in England where it's hot and humid my hair is literally impossible to do anything with so normally it's just throw up into a topknot bun. So it will be interesting to see what it's like in those weather circumstances. If any of you know feel free to leave me a comment with your findings. It also leaves your hair looking super shiny (hurrah!) Which is hard to come by with me thanks to all the abuse I've put it through in the past.

 This conditioner is also very affordable, I actually ordered this one off Amazon for £9.16 plus postage and packaging but don't make my mistake because they're in high street stores for alot cheaper, in Boots it's £6.99 and again there's an offer on at the moment where you can get two OGX selected products for £10. There are also OGX products on Feel Unique where you get two free samples on orders over £30 and free shipping on orders over £15 so definitely have a browse on there.

This also lasts ages. I bought this at the same time as buying the Poker Straight Conditioner and where that's nearly all gone this one is still fighting strong. The only downside is it's not an opaque bottle so you can't see how much you have left. That is the only- and it's minor downside I've found, I would definitely 10/10 recommend. 

 Sorry for the short Blog Post with only two products but I hope you've found it useful. I would love to hear your feedback before I start writing my next Blog post. Also any recommendations you guys have. Especially for tackling curly hair in the heat. What are your guys' go to products? Any tips or tricks I should know? I'm hoping my next post will be up next weekend. I'm not entirely sure what it's on yet. I have an unhealthy amount of lipsticks at the moment so might do something to do with them? When I know I will let you all know. Don't forget to give me a follow so you can keep updated.

Speak Soon. X x

The First Hello...

I would say that 95% of my wage goes on beauty products. I should probably be saving up for a car or a flat but I can't help myself. I'm pulled in by the products, reviews, packaging. Everything about beauty products I love. 

 Whilst I'm at work, during the quiet periods I find myself writing my own views and reviews on old scraps of paper or anything that I can write them on and I've just recently found lots of these crumpled bits of paper and an idea hit me. Why not write my thoughts and ideas on a platform where they might actually come in useful to someone? Or where I, myself can go back and read my thoughts on a particular product instead of randomly stumbling across them and then losing them again time after time? So I'm not quite sure what this is going to be yet, I like the idea of giving my reviews on products where you can (and hopefully will) read them. I also like the idea of doing big hauls every month testing everything out and sharing my opinion so you can go out and make a more informed decision. 

I buy high street products so they are affordable for all, whether you be in school and trying to scrounge enough pocket money together to buy something or you be working and instead of being like me you are actually saving for your future and don't have that much to spare, the things I write about aren't that expensive and should hopefully be within everyone's budgets. 

I am also doing this for slightly selfish reasons as I'd love to know all your beauty recommendations. I love experimenting with everything from make-up to hair, nails and tan. However sometimes I find myself getting stuck in a style rut. When I'm running late for work or I have to pick up kids (not mine) from School. It's easy to just stick with what I know works and rush out the door. So I'd love to know your thoughts and ideas.

I work Monday to Friday and my home life is quite hectic but even typing this first introductory blog is seeming almost therapeutic. Sat here, music on writing down the words that I've been wanting to for so long. I feel genuinely excited to start this adventure and see where it takes me. I realise that there are so many wonderful Bloggers and Vloggers out there already and I am just a small voice in this huge beauty ocean but even if just one person reads this and finds it helpful then in my eyes I have succeeded in what I wanted to do. 

So my thought plan? I'm hoping to put up 1-2 detailed Blogs a week and see where we go from there, if you haven't already stopped reading then thank you for baring with me. I fear it may take a while for me to figure out how to work this properly and find my rhythm and style but I've started and that's the main thing. I'm hoping that my first proper post will be up before the weekend is out and the dreaded Monday blues hit us so I'll speak to you all (or anyone) again then. If you have any thoughts or suggestions already or anything you'd like me to write on then just let me know in the comments.

 Ahhhh, I've gone on a ramble and don't know how to end this. STOP TYPING. 

See you soon. Xx