Sunday 27 April 2014

What's In My Bag


I brought this bag in the recent mid-season sales from Urban Outfitters at £38 (I believe?) this is my new favourite! I like to think I'm quite organised and so this bag is perfect has it has many compartments for various sized articles.

In the back pocket I carry my car and house keys, this is so I always know exactly where they are and don't have to do the embarrassing hunt through the bottom of my handbag looking for them while someone's waiting for my parking space. On my keys I've just got a photo keyring of all my closest friends, a small 'bear' that my mum brought me, a flipflop keyring my cousins brought back from Costa Rica, a keyring with my name on, a plastic River Island logo from work and a Tesco's Clubcard.
In the middle inside compartment of my handbag I've got my MAC compact mirror and also my Sighh Designs pocket mirror (you can never have too many mirrors!) 
Then in the back zip pocket I've got a sachet of Ibuprofen - an essential - and two packets of chewing gum, I think I may be addicted to this stuff, like is that even normal?!
In the front pouch I carry my iPhone and my lip product for that day.
In the biggest compartment I carry my ted baker purse (review here) my ted baker make up bag, a handbag size Victoria Secret fragrance in Pure Seduction, my lanyard for work because if it's not in there I'll lose it and won't be able to go through any doors at work and my glasses so that I can see when I'm driving.
I know the bag doesn't look very big, but I feel like Mary Poppins pulling stuff out of it. They've clearly utilised all aspects of the bag as there are several pockets and pouches meaning I could possibly carry the kitchen sink, should I ever want to.

What handbag do you use? What do you carry in it?


Sunday 20 April 2014

Holiday Wishlist

Summer is nearly here halleujah, here in England we seem to be experiencing it early, however this does mean that it's less than 80 days until myself and 10 friends fly out to Mallorca. This means only one thing, holiday shopping!!! 
This is probably my favourite time of year to shop and with pay day being this Friday, there are several pieces I've had my eye on, that I personally feel I can't go on holiday without.
Items featured included:

I understand some of these products will either be loved or hated (I'll tell you decide your own preference) however I want them all. My wardrobe is greatly lacking in yellow and feel this co ordinates will be a staple piece that I'll probably where more than I should.
When I'm on holiday, at the top of my checklist is coming home not looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost, and I feel this is when the yellow will look so nice on, as I won't appear completely washed out. I've also been looking for a beach cover up for a while now, and just want something simple to throw on as I don't feel comfortable just walking around in a bikini, and because this one is white this blue floral bikini will look great under it!

Are you excited for summer? What's on your holiday wishlist?

Thursday 10 April 2014

Sighh Designs

I first heard about this 'small' business on Jemma's blog and after seeing the mirror she'd purchased I had to have a proper look through their website. 
Sighh Designs is a buisness run by Polly Vadasz, selling phone cases, pocket mirrors and nail transfers. Every design is hand drawn and unique and as soon as I saw them, I wanted every single one. At the time however I didn't purchase anything god knows why, however I'm glad I didn't because recently she added a new design to her collection. 
Selfie Case
This phone case was made for me. I'm a huge fan of a selfie and with around 2,000 pictures in my phone's camera roll 95% of them are selfies. At £14.00, I just couldn't say no. The quality of these phone cases are great, although I know it won't protect my phone from a fall, I can see the design lasting a long time and being pretty scratch resistant.
As I was already on the website, I went to look at the pocket mirrors also and found one that I'd almost purchased back in January when I first read Jemma's post. Then it fell into my online basket and that was that.
Lipstick on Teeth Syndrome Pocket Mirror
Although the mirrors aren't particularly large, they do the job and fit nicely into my make-up bag or the pocket of my handbag. If I'm wearing lipstick, you can bet it'll be on my teeth and so this mirror is just perfect. It's not large enough that it's embarrassing to pull out and check my teeth, but it is bold enough that it makes a statement if someone were to catch me.
Side Note: the way the mirrors are packaged and sent to the recipient is so cute and adds personality - giving that impression they could be a 'one off product' even though they aren't.
Sighh Designs is definitely worth checking out and is a business that deserves a lot more recognition.

Have you tried/purchased from Sighh Designs? What were your opinions?

Wednesday 9 April 2014

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

The talented and amazing Jemma over on ohsojem.blogspot.co.uk nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. You should have seen my face when I saw her comment, first the Liebster Award and now this, I'm so over the moon!
The rules of this award are:
1. Thank your nominator and link them.
2. List the rules and display your award.
3. Seven facts about yourself.
4. Nominate other amazing and inspirational blogs and comment to let them know, linking your post.
5. Optional - proudly display the award logo on your blog, for example the side bar and follow your nominator if you're not already.

7 facts about me:
1. I'm obsessed with buying clothes, particularly sleeveless shirts at the moment
2. I've seen Disney's Frozen countless times and could probably act it out backwards 
3. I've only ever been in hospital once, when I tore the ligaments in my ankle in 2011, tripping over myself in a game of netball
4. I think I'm hilarious
5. Alex Pettyfer and Ashton Irwin need I say more?
6. I always feel the need to be in charge or feel in control.
7. The only thing scaring me about university is moving away from my mum

I nominate:

Once again, thank you to Jemma for nominating me!

Foundation Review

I've brought many, many tubes of foundation trying to find the one that suits me best and sits nicely on my face and is long lasting and wearable daily etc etc. It has taken what seems like forever and around September time I thought I'd found it, however the curiosity in me decided that I would try something different and this past weekend I think I may have found something even better.
I've seen loads of beauty bloggers and youtubers rave about this foundation and after a lot of deliberating in Boots on Monday afternoon I decided to purchase it and see if it was worth the hype. Let me tell you that it most certainly is! It's so easy to wear and so light on the skin, it's got an amazing coverage. It's also great wearing all day, I'm prone to shine on my t zone and give or take a few powder touch ups throughout the day, the foundation actually stays put.
I brought it in the shade 51 - Light Vanilla and this colour looks as if it was made for me. It retails at £8.99 so you can't really knock it on price was the quality of the product inside the bottle.
This foundation, in my honest opinion, is perfect for everyday wear, because it feels as though it's not even there. Not only this, it also smells amazing, like strawberries and fresh fruit, which just adds to my admiration for this product.
I would highly recommend this foundation.
I brought this after seeing many blogs highly praise this product, and as much as it pains me to say this, as I feel I'm the only one, but I disagree. This foundation just was not for me. It was very heavy on my skin and try as I might I found it incredibly difficult to blend to my skin tone. 
In hind sight, I should have been more willing to try a lighter shade in the beginning as this could have been the answer to all my questions. However I did as there's a slight shine to this foundation and one day my sister made a 'joke' comment about me looking like Edward Cullen and that was that I never went back. Which is a shame, because once it's on, it is long lasting with a good coverage that makes the face appear luminous with a flawless/airbrushed finish.
This foundation also retails at £8.99 and so the price isn't, however will probably take some patience to obtain the correct shade.



Up until Monday this was my 'go to' foundation, I wore it day in, day out. Swore by it, and still would. I love the way it sits on my skin and how blend-able it is, especially around the hairline and eyebrows, I don't know what it is within this product, but it's almost 'repelled' by hair and just sits nicely around it. It's also great at covering redness and blemishes, should you be short for time, there's minimal need for concealer. The coverage is also faultless. This is great for everyday wear as it's not heavy and looks quite subtle on the skin.
If I had to fault it somewhere it's be that I did notice, I'd have to touch up my powder a lot more frequently, however this is something my skin is prone to and so therefore something I'm going to have to learn to live with.
This foundation retails at £6.99 and so is therefore the cheapest so far and is completely worth every penny.



In January, whilst sale shopping, I made a visit to The Body Shop. I'd wanted to try some of their make-up for a while and this foundation was marked down from £13 to £6.50 and so I decide that now was probably a good opportunity.
I wanted so much to fall in love with this product, however as good as it's best features are, I just can't fall in love with it. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is because the colour match was perfect and it sat on my skin like it was just meant to be there. However, towards to end of the day it did begin to feel almost sticky and it wasn't just my t zone that need a re-application of powder. If I were to use this as an everyday make-up, I don't think I'd wear it if I knew I was going to have a long day and I probably use it on alternate days alongside a similar foundation that's not moisture based.
It's so devastating when a product you're so looking forward to sampling doesn't meet your expectations.







I'd just like to add that these are very personal views and I will rave on about my favourite products, however we are all different with different skin types, tones and opinions. I think all these foundations are well worth trying yourself!

Have you tried any of these foundations? What were your opinions? 

Easter Nests

It's that time of year again, and come on who can resist a chocolate shredded wheat Easter nest?!
Earlier today me and my sister decided that although it's not Easter quite yet, it being the Easter Holidays was a good enough excuse.
For this recipe (20 nests) you will need:
360g Milk Chocolate
75g Shredded Wheat
Mini Eggs
Firstly boil a kettle (you can also boil the water straight over the hop, however I've found boiling a kettle is a lot less time consuming) and pour the boiling water into a saucepan. Break the chocolate into chunks and place into a ceramic/Pyrex bowl (This can be any bowl as long as it's heat proof and sits just inside the rim of the saucepan, above the water). Place the bowl over the boiling water as a Bain Marie and stir at regular intervals to prevent the chocolate burning to the bottom of the bowl.
Once the chocolate has completely melted, remove from the heat and carefully take the bowl 'out' of the saucepan (this will be hotter than you think, I learnt the hard way!!). Now gradually add the shredded wheat, grumbling it as you go and then stir it into the mixture until it looks as if there's a even spread of both the chocolate and the shredded wheat.
Now into the cake cases add an even amount of the chocolate goodness to each and create a well in the middle for the mini eggs. I found in mine there was only really enough room for three mini eggs in each nest and so this meant there were mini eggs left over for me to just devour (this may have been planned..)
And what's a spring 'baking' session without some pink lemonade?!
Are you a fan of Easter Nests? Or is there a better alternative that I've yet to discover?

Sunday 6 April 2014

Bourjois Happy Light Concealer

Boujous Happy Light Concealer
Another make-up post today (I've become obsessed recently - more so that normal). I brought this not too long ago after realising that liquid concealer just wasn't doing it for me. A friend recommended to me the MAC Studio Finish Concealer, however I decided that since that was priced at £15 I'd try a cheaper alternative to test if a more 'mousse' concealer presented the benefits I was hoping it would.
The Boujous concealer comes in two shades 21 - Ivoire and 22 - Beige Rose. I opted for the slightly lighter shade as here in the UK we've seen very little sun and so my skin is extremely pale at the moment. It's priced around £8.99 and is available from Boots, Superdrug and other large beauty retailers.
I'm so happy with the way this blends with my skin and the way it covers blemishes so flawlessly. The packaging is so handy, what with a small mirror in the lid for on the go touch ups and it's summed up quite correctly on the outer packaging 'ultra-covering'. It's a very luminous finish, that gives my skin quite a natural glow, which is always good!
Although I haven't tried the MAC alternative, I feel I've already found my concealer and at £8.99, I think it's worth every penny.

Have you tried the Boujous Happy Light Concealer? What were your thoughts?