Feel Good Friday #13



Today I’ve spoilt myself and had a lovely pamper session, I’ve done my tan, my nails, I currently have my hair in rollers and I am well and truly ready for the weekend. I always find that investing in my appearance makes me feel a whole lot better about myself, I can be having the crappiest day and the minute I hop in the bath with a few scented candles lit and take some time out for myself, I am a new woman.

Whether it’s girly pamper nights or something else, a hobby perhaps or a night on the sofa that takes your mind away from the stresses of everyday life, make sure you take time out for yourself. Everybody needs time to themselves to recharge their batteries and relax. Invest time into yourself, treat yourself regularly, it really does make the world of difference to your mood!

I’m off to dance the night away tonight, cue a whopping hangover tomorrow – I will definitely need some pampering then! I hope you enjoy your weekend.

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Sampling The Goods



Recently I’ve been on the hunt for some new skin care and instead of jumping in full force and blowing my pennies on products that I don’t know will work for me, I decided to visit a few beauty counters to pick up some samples. I’m always dubious when speaking to sales assistants as I always think they are going to give you any old spiel just to sell you their products, of course they are biased and I’m so easily seduced into buying beauty products that in my case their job is quite often done for them. That’s why this time I really wanted to try out various brands in my hunt for perfect skin, well all I can say is I’m glad I did because as it turns out I didn’t rate any of the products that I tried, bar one (more on that later).

When explaining my skin type I specified that I have combination skin (normal with an oily T zone) and that a lot of products that are formulated for this skin type can be drying on my face. Every counter that I visited claimed that their products would not do this...and guess what happened! This is why I believe trying before you buy is essential when it comes to skin care, everybody’s skin is different and you just can’t be sure of how your skin will react to the product, what works wonders for your best friend may bring you out in a horrendous spot fest (nice) or dry your skin to within an inch of its life!

The one product that I did like was the Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil for oily to combination skin. I patted this on at night after using the Clarins Extra-Comfort Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream which I thought was okay but no different to a lot of other cleansers that I’ve tried. After using the oil I would wake up with baby soft smooth skin in the morning, I love this stuff and I definitely need to purchase the 30ml bottle. I never would have thought to try an oil on my face due to the fact that I struggle with spots, however the product claims to have rebalancing qualities and this certainly seemed to be the case for me.

So those are my reasons for sampling the goods, you may find that you dislike a product that at first glance looks perfectly suited to your skin, or you may discover something that you never would have thought of trying. I’m still on the hunt for the perfect skin care regime, so do let me know if you have any suggestions for me to try out next!

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Filming On My 'Big Girl Camera'

Today on my Youtube Channel I uploaded my first video in four months. As I’ve mentioned before, the reason for my lack of content lately has been due to the fact that I’m not overly keen on the quality of my previous videos. However I now have my ‘big girl camera’, the Canon 600D to be exact and I put it to good use to record a Primark haul for you! I’ve fallen in love with my camera since getting it, I’ve wanted a DSLR for so long and I’m planning to upload regularly from now on (at least once a week) so be sure to look out for a lot more new content coming up on my channel, but for now I hope you enjoy this (long overdue) video.

My channel is only a baby in Youtube years so if you feel like being extra lovely, you can help it to grow by liking and sharing this video. If you’d like to be informed of when I post new videos be sure to subscribe! Cheeky little plug there, but I’ll love you forever *hugs*.

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My Week In Pictures #4

This week began in Dubai and is ending in the UK for little old me. I flew back home mid week and since being back I’ve enjoyed spending quality time with family, friends and of course my two babies (my cats). I’m still slightly jet lagged so I’ve been enjoying lots of pamper sessions followed by pyjamas and TV. Life is good.

 It’s pamp time!  //  Reunited with my baby  //  Kinda been loving this Caossack hat since I’ve been back

My face in a bag  //  Exited to be home! All wrapped up warm  //  My half eaten chocolate chip and cookie dough cheesecake from the cheesecake factory...mmm!

You can find me on Instagram here!

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Feel Good Friday #12

Home is certainly where my heart is. Quite literally, as I just flew back to the UK yesterday! I’m so happy to be back and my experience of being away for the past few months has really made me see my home in a whole new light. For as long I can remember I’ve wanted to travel, to see the world and to spend time away from my home comforts to experience a different way of life. Well although I haven’t exactly been roughing it lately, being so far away from my home and my loved ones has made me appreciate them so much more. Last night after a long day travelling and finally arriving home to my family, I lay down on the couch in my pyjamas, my big fluffy dressing gown on, cup of tea in one hand, TV remote in the other, cats sitting with us on the sofa and I’m going to sound like such a granny here, but it was pure bliss.

So this post is just a little reminder to appreciate your family, friends, pets and whatever it is that you hold dear to your heart, because those are the special things that really make your life what it is.

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Back To Basics: The Natural Look

Recently I’ve been opting for a much more natural look with my makeup. I’ve ditched my signature cat flick for a simple swipe of eyeshadow, a teensy bit of eyeliner on both my upper and lower lash line to thicken the appearance of my lashes and of course, a quick coat of mascara. I’ve really been trying to keep my skin clear lately so I’ve said goodbye to my foundation for a little while and only used concealer where I need it. A light dusting of bronzer, blush and a swipe of lipstick later and I’m good to go, quick and easy.

Face – Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer – Shade 3 Medium

Bare Minerals Warmth

MAC Blush – Fleur Power

Eyes – MAC E/S – Woodwinked (lid)

MAC E/S – Handwritten (crease & brows)

Avon Super Shock Eyeliner

Maybelline Rocket Volum’ Express Mascara

Lips – MAC Lipstick – Crème Cup

 

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Review: Bioderma Sebium Masque

 

I do love to indulge in a good ‘pamp sesh’ as I like to call it and this mask has wriggled its way into my weekly beauty regime. It is specifically formulated for use on combination/oily skin and contains ingredients that regulate sebum. I’m particularly enjoying this product due to the fact that although it feels as though it is providing me with a deep and thorough cleanse, it is also very gentle and doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin.

The consistency is not heavy like that of a clay mask, it’s a lot thinner and it feels lovely on my skin when I’m relaxing after a nice hot bubble bath. What makes it even better is that it has such a lovely clean scent, the kind that a spa has, which is always a bonus as I find it adds to the whole pamper experience. It washes off extremely easily with a splash of water and leaves my skin clean and soft without feeling stripped of its natural oils which a lot of sebum controlling products can do. All in all, this is yet another great product from Bioderma.

 

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Back To Basics: My Everyday Eye Makeup Essentials

When it comes to the topic of eye makeup, I’m the same as a lot of other ladies out there in that I own a multitude of different eyeshadows, liners, etc, however I always find myself reaching for the same few items on an everyday basis. These are the basics of my eye makeup kit if you will, the products that I’d be safe with if all my other makeup were to be taken away (let’s pray that never happens) and here I shall explain why I couldn’t possibly do without them.

Let’s begin with my MAC quad palette, this is one of MAC’s customizable palettes and I love it for travelling as well as for everyday use. In it I have Arena, a soft peach which I use most days as a natural looking base all over my lid. I then like to add some depth to my crease which I achieve by using Cork, a soft matte brown. For a more made up day look or for my favourite nighttime look (a bronze smokey eye) I have Woodwinked and Amber Lights which I also think are both perfect for day to night transitional makeup if you’re a busy bee on the go. When doing a smoky eye I (sparingly) use MAC’s Handwritten eyeshadow which is an extremely pigmented dark matte brown in my crease, I also use this everyday to fill in my eyebrows.

No matter which look I’m going for I always top it off with a flick of eyeliner over my top lid and a coat (or two) of mascara. I’m currently using Avon Super Shock Eyeliner and Maybelline Rocket volum’ express Mascara.

 

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My Week In Pictures #3

It’s another double whammy this week as I went away on holiday over Christmas and new year and my access to wifi was limited which unfortunately means I wasn’t able to Instagram as much as I would have liked to. However on the plus side, as of now all features on my blog are going to be regular (yay for weekly Instagram updates and lots more ‘Feel Good Fridays’).

Here’s a snippet of what I’ve been up to over the past couple of weeks.

  Ardell demi wispies are my fave lashes ever // Off shopping at Dubai Shopping Festival // Specks free day

  Hikkaduwa beach // Christmas on the beach in Sri Lanka // Chill time

Cocktails courtesy of Gav’s boss // Continuing with the cocktails // Chillsville by the pool

 

I hope you enjoyed this post, you can view and follow me on Instagram by clicking this link.

 

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Feel Good Friday #11

(I reblogged this lovely quote on tumblr recently)

 

Well hi there and welcome to our first ‘Feel Good Friday’ and indeed our first blog post of the year!

I really wanted my first post of 2014 to be all about my Christmas holiday to Sri Lanka which was without doubt one of the best and most insightful trips I have ever been on.  However as it turns out, whittling through the sheer amount of photo’s that we snapped is taking quite a while and as I couldn’t possibly share them all with you (we’d be here an age) I want to pick out my favourite ones to share in an up coming post.

‘What’s this got to do with inspirational quotes?!’ you may be wondering. Well while I was away I really enjoyed visiting some of the beautiful Buddhist temples. Just to point out, I’m not a Buddhist and I’m not religious, however I found the experience extremely calming and I love the philosophy that Buddhism promotes.

I chose this quote as it is one that I truly try to live my life by. If you are thinking a thought that is happy and positive and you dwell on it, it is near enough impossible to feel down in the dumps. Likewise if you are thinking negative thoughts about people and situations, it is impossible to feel happiness in that moment, you will just feel grumpy. It’s so easy to judge and criticize others as well as ourselves and all of us, myself included, are guilty of doing so. However it’s a well known fact that if your predominant thoughts are those of positivity, it will reflect in your general level of happiness. So although I would consider myself to be a fairly positive person anyway, this year I’m making an extra special effort to choose only happy thoughts. If a negative thought pops into my head, I’m going to push it right back out again and replace it with a positive one.

I wonder who will be joining me on this one?!

 

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