Its time again for another YouTuber round up post but with a twist. Normally I talk about beauty bloggers 90% of the time but most of my time now on YouTube is spent watching vlogs and families on the site. I thought it was about time I gave them a shout out since I haven't done a round up since February last year!
Starting off with my new favourite mummy vlogger who I have been obsessed with for the last few months. I first found Rebecca from Rebecca Lamb, a mum of two who lives in the dales, when I was searching aldi food haul videos, I am not ashamed to say I am obsessed (dont judge me...) I love watching her family vlogs and her day in the life videos, I feel like I know the family and if I was ever in the Dales I would hope I would have the courage to go over and say hi. Her two boys are so cute, Steve is so down to earth and their house is a big old fashioned cottage style house which I love. I will leave a speed cleaning video of hers below which I am obsessed with watching at the moment.
Next up I have another mummy vlogger who I found after becoming obsessed with cleaning videos and family vlogs. Lucy from Lucy Jessica Carter is a mum of two who uploads everything from cleaning videos, food hauls and makeup and clothing hauls. Her two boys are absolutely gorgeous and I love her grey stylish home. I love watching her weekend vlogs with her family and seeing what they have been up too. She has a great photo gallery wall in her living room which I have so copied! I will leave her day in the life of mum video.
Lastly for this post I have the ever cool Emma Hill. I originally found her YouTube through her blog website and fell in love with her style and manors. I love her style of clothing and I wish I could pull off the light denim jeans and blazer look. Later on in life I hope I can adopt that style and look as cool as she does. Her seasonal wardrobe clear outs are one of my favourites to watch purely to see how many pairs of jeans she actually owns goals and I will leave my favourite below. Emma is originally from Cornwall but now lives in London with her husband Simon who is hilariously unimpressed with Emma most of the time. Her style of home furniture is so chic as well, I need her bathroom and plant area!!
Starting off with my new favourite mummy vlogger who I have been obsessed with for the last few months. I first found Rebecca from Rebecca Lamb, a mum of two who lives in the dales, when I was searching aldi food haul videos, I am not ashamed to say I am obsessed (dont judge me...) I love watching her family vlogs and her day in the life videos, I feel like I know the family and if I was ever in the Dales I would hope I would have the courage to go over and say hi. Her two boys are so cute, Steve is so down to earth and their house is a big old fashioned cottage style house which I love. I will leave a speed cleaning video of hers below which I am obsessed with watching at the moment.
Next up I have another mummy vlogger who I found after becoming obsessed with cleaning videos and family vlogs. Lucy from Lucy Jessica Carter is a mum of two who uploads everything from cleaning videos, food hauls and makeup and clothing hauls. Her two boys are absolutely gorgeous and I love her grey stylish home. I love watching her weekend vlogs with her family and seeing what they have been up too. She has a great photo gallery wall in her living room which I have so copied! I will leave her day in the life of mum video.
Next up is the last of my favourite mums of YouTube and that is Rebecca from Mrs Meldrum, Rebecca is a mum of three girls and living in Scotland. I love Rebecca's ascent, her style and her husbands love of golf. She has the ability to make any clothing look amazing on her which means her hauls are lethal to my bank balance. I will leave her supermarket autumn look book which I love everything in. I also love watching her speed cleaning videos because she has a great kitchen to watch being cleaned, does anyone understand that or am I just being weird?
Lastly for this post I have the ever cool Emma Hill. I originally found her YouTube through her blog website and fell in love with her style and manors. I love her style of clothing and I wish I could pull off the light denim jeans and blazer look. Later on in life I hope I can adopt that style and look as cool as she does. Her seasonal wardrobe clear outs are one of my favourites to watch purely to see how many pairs of jeans she actually owns goals and I will leave my favourite below. Emma is originally from Cornwall but now lives in London with her husband Simon who is hilariously unimpressed with Emma most of the time. Her style of home furniture is so chic as well, I need her bathroom and plant area!!
Make sure you take a look at all four ladies channels and subscribe if they are your kind of people! If you have anyone else who you think I may like leave their channels below! :)
This week I decided to spontaneously take myself down to my local retail park to treat myself to a few new bits since I hadn't in a long while and I wanted to have a look round at all the knitwear in shops right now.
On my travels I picked up a few new skincare bits to try since I am currently trying to combat a hormonal breakout that still wants to stick around a week after my period. First up I picked up the Loreal Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask to try and combat that problem. I had recently ran out of my Pure Clay Charcoal Detox Mask so I wanted to try another mask in the range. I tried it the first night I bought it and left it on while I cooked and eat my dinner and after removing it, my kin definitely felt more clean. It might be TMI but my giant spot that I have been hiding for the last couple of days was soft after my face mask so hopefully that means all the gunk has been removed! I shall keep you updated.
I also picked up two products from the Botanics range at Boots which were the All Bright Cleansing Toner and the All Bright Radiance Concentrate Serum. I have a love hate relationship with toners which you might have noticed on the blog before. Some times I am obsessed with them and other times, I totally forget about them for months. I wanted to change up my skincare and wake up my skin so I thought this toner would do the trick.
I picked up the Radiance Concentrate Serum because I have recently finished my Glossier Super Bounce Serum which I frigging loved! The only problem is I don't have any Glossier shops near me so I thought instead of ordering a bottle online I would try something new. I picked up this serum because it claims to make your skin more radiant and bright which is what I am looking for moving into autumn. Also the prices of these products are amazing, I will be sure to do a post just on these after I have given them a good run.
Lastly from Boots I picked up another old trusty Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 101 Classic Ivory. I don't know how many bottles I have used of this foundation over the years but most people understand the obsession. This is my summer shade and since I still have quite tanned arms and chest area I still can't get away with my many other foundation so I knew once I had finished my original bottle, I needed to stock up. This is a non fuss perfect everyday kind of foundation which is where I like it, I don't have to worry about it going oxidizing or going patchy, with this foundation I am good for the whole day.
Now onto the fun bit, the clothing!
I was quite restraint walking round the retail park and I only bought two jumpers which I don't think is bad at all. First up is this super cute cropped mid pink roll neck jumper which I got in a side medium so that I could roll up the sleeves to match the neck. I love cropped tops and jumpers in winter with high waist jeans so I know I will get a lot of wear out of this jumper. Plus oddly I don't have any pink in my wardrobe which I never noticed before.
Lastly I picked up this mustard yellow flared sleeve jumper which like the pink one, is the really soft chenille style material so it feels lovely on your skin. Although it is a flared jumper I plan to wear it with the sleeves rolled up again and some plain black skinny jeans. You really can't go wrong.
Back in May I wrote a list of objectives I wanted to achieved over the summer, a little summer to do list and I thought It would be a good idea to look back over the list and see if I actually achieved anything because yes, I'm sorry to say... Summer is over in my eyes. Bring on the blankets, fairy lights and hot chocolates.
#Get a new job
The most important goal of the summer was to get a new job and thankfully I have achieved that. If you haven't read a few of my more personal posts lately you might be questioning this goal but I don't want to bore you with the topic anymore so head over to a previous post to find out all the details. Anywho I am now in a new job, with amazing work friends and a much better work life balance. I really couldn't have found a better place to work at and I am so thankful it all worked out in the end.
#Become more fit
This was always going to be the up in the air idea, would I start working out or would I forget or just not be bothered. Annoyingly right now I am not signed to any gym BUT i do have plans to join one with Callum in October so watch this space!
#Grow my hair
I am proud to say I haven't caved and chopped all my hair off yet, I have even had a trimmed and the dip dye taken higher to balance out the length of my hair. I have even invested in a hair oil so hopefully that will encourage my hair to grow even faster. I am aiming to have my long bum touching hair by the start of next year so wish me luck!
#Finish off the bedrooms
Even though no physical progress has been made in the bedrooms, we do have plans in place. A colleague at work has agreed to make and fit my wardrobes since he is a carpenter which is amazing. Having someone I already know come over to make my wardrobes takes a load off my mind and makes me excited about the process. Once they are in my blogging/beauty room can really take shape. I have already made plans of how I want my space to look so I will definitely make a post about it when it happens.
#Fill up my cooking book with recipes
Do you know where the best place is to get dinner recipes? Pinterest of all places. There is a whole community of food lovers on it who share all their favourite recipes and I get most of my dinner ideas from there. My book is filling up but I definitely have room for more!
#Get the garden started
This ambition was a bit ambitious for myself really... I bought some lovely plants and painted my garden table and chairs to make the place feel homely and then all my plants died in the crazy heatwave we had. I have since replaced the plants and so far they are still alive, just. My plan is to spend more time in the garden now it is cooling down so hopefully by next summer the garden will look like a jungle.
#Visit another country
It's been a long time coming but I am finally going on holiday! After the year I have had this holiday can't come quick enough. Cal and I are going to Majorca at the end of the month and I can't wait to spend a whole week sitting by the pool reading hundreds of books and exploring the island. Hopefully being on holiday will spark some new ideas since there is nothing better than letting your mind run wild with no distractions.
What have you done this summer?
Isn't it great when you receive a free gift?! I recently went into Boots to purchase my current favourite Clinique moisturiser and was told that if you bought two or more products you got to pick a choice of 5 free gifts. Never one to turn down a good deal I bought right into it and picked up another product so I could get the gifts.
I originally went into Boots to pick up another of the Moisture Surge Moisturizer which is one of my favourites and I had just ran out of it. I love this moisturizer because it is so nourishing on the skin, it almost gives the effect of a moisturising mask afterwards. I know a lot of people like to take this traveling with them as it is great to counter out the downfall of flying and dry skin. This moisturizer isn't the cheapest product to purchase but it also isn't anywhere near the price of some products alike. I tend to spend more money on my skincare and stick to drugstore makeup as I believe if you get your base right then your makeup will always look good.
The second item I purchased to receive my free gift was the Take the day off makeup Remover which I had previously tried in cleaning balm form. This was £17 in boots and I chose this because I have had my eye on it for a long while but was always out off by the price. When you are used to buying Simple micellor water for a couple of quid £17 seems crazy. Any i loved the cleaning balm version a lot as you know from my previous posts so I was intrigued to tried this version. It is definitely more luxurious and feels like it benefits my skin a lot, but I do have a few things I don't like about it. Firstly it leaves a residue on my skin which I end up washing off with water afterwards so it takes more time and effort than my Micellor water and secondly, you have to shake it well before you use it to mix the product together but me being me, I forget 9/10 times. Let me tell you rubbing oil over your face on a cotton wool pad isn't as comfy as you would imagine. Apart from them two things I do like how it leaves my skin and I am glad I have tried it out.
Now onto the goodies.... there were about 7 items to choice from and the two I didn't pick were products I already had so it worked out quite nicely. The first product I picked was the Superdefence Night Recovery moisturizer which I have just realised is a newer version of a product I used to use. I am excited to test this properly but so far I like how moisturized and healthy it is leaving my skin in the morning. Next we have the 2 in 1 micellor gel make up remover which is a great travel size and perfect to take on holiday with me. I've finally booked a holiday btw thank god! Then I've got a True Bronzed Pressed Powder in Sun Kissed which is a great summer bronzer shade which isn't too pigmented, so it makes the dark shade much more wearable. I chose to get another High Impact Mascara which I have been using a long while now and it again is a great mascara to take away with you and on a night out. Lastly I chose two Pop Splash Lip Gloss + Hydrators in the shades Adore and Watermelon Pop. Adore is definitely my kind of shade because shock I love nudes but Watermelon Pop will be great to take on holiday with me.
I can't find this offer being advertised anywhere on the Boots website now but if you live anywhere near one i would definitely pop in and take a look. I'll let you know how I get on with these goodies!
Thanks to my sister I have the eBay buying bug!
I have been a fan of eBay fashion for years now and recently I have forgotten how good the fashion actually is. I deleted the app off my phone in the last year or so because I was getting addicted and surprise surprise i'm addicted again!
I find the summer time is the best time to buy fashion on eBay because you can get away with cheaper fabrics and designs because you live in dresses, whereas a rubbish jumper is more noticeable and annoying to wear.
There are so many nice dresses and playsuits on the site at the moment so today I am showing you some of the pieces that have caught my eye, with links of course.
Starting off with these gorgeous dresses we have this red wine bardot maxi dress with the floral print (link) . What I really like about this dress is the ribbed material over the bust because hopefully that will mean it doesn't fall down. Then we have this super cute yellow pokadot jumpsuit (link) which looks like a bardot but it has has tiny straps. The legs look cropped which is perfect for me because I am so short so hopefully it will fit my legs. Then we have this cute short bardot button up red dress (link) which would look really nice during this heat wave we are currently having with some tan accessories.
So far I have bought 4 items off eBay so I have restrained myself! Everything else is currently sitting in my watching feed waiting for payday to come back around.
I have been a fan of eBay fashion for years now and recently I have forgotten how good the fashion actually is. I deleted the app off my phone in the last year or so because I was getting addicted and surprise surprise i'm addicted again!
I find the summer time is the best time to buy fashion on eBay because you can get away with cheaper fabrics and designs because you live in dresses, whereas a rubbish jumper is more noticeable and annoying to wear.
There are so many nice dresses and playsuits on the site at the moment so today I am showing you some of the pieces that have caught my eye, with links of course.
Next up I have this sunflower two piece which I am obsessed with (link) . Both the top and the skirt are a ribbed material so it is guaranteed to fit you and not fall down. I find dresses/skirts like this are the comfiest things to wear especially when it is this hot. Then we have this thin simple button down midi dress (link) which is all over Instagram at the moment. I have a few of this style of dress already and they are really easy to just throw on and go. Next we have the first of many white and blue pin strip dresses (link) , you will see after this post how obsessed I am with them! This one has a nice slit on the front making this dress perfect for holiday, which reminds me I really need a holiday! Lastly for this photo is this super cute short white button down dress top which has a cute peplum flare at the bottom (link) . I can see myself wearing this as a house dress when I want to feel comfy but cute.
Last but not least we have these four great outfits. First up is this thin button down dress with pockets (link) , which I already have in black, pink and mint green. They do come up big for their size so I would size down if it takes your fancy. I wore the pink one for a day out walking round Sandringham House in Norfolk one sunny weekend and it was the perfect outfit with a brown bag and sandals.
Next up we have this white and blue striped jumpsuit with a tie on the back (link) . Blue and white patterns are my favourite colour combo as you can see, I just think they suit everyone and they can look smart and casual at the same time. Sticking with the stripe theme we next have this baggy stripe jumpsuit in a jersey material (link) . This would be the perfect lazy Sunday or traveling outfit wouldn't it? Most of the time my style is all about comfort so you would normally see me in this rather than something sexy and smart. The last item I have for you today is this blue and white stripe (shock) jumpsuit with a bow on the front (Link) I know I have an obsession I am seeking help I promise. What I like about this jumpsuit is it has elastic on the back so I know which ever size jumpsuit I go for it will most likely fit me.
So far I have bought 4 items off eBay so I have restrained myself! Everything else is currently sitting in my watching feed waiting for payday to come back around.
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| The W7 palette is much more darker in real life I not sure why it looks so pale.... |
Since the heat wave started in England I have been living my best sun kissed life (apart from when I'm drenched in sweat...) and I have been returning to the same five products every day to help me keep my glow.
The first is the Revolution Vivid Baked Bronzer in the shade Golden Days which if you have been around for a while you will know this was my favourite bronzer back when I started this blog in 2014. I like bronzers that are warmed toned without being too dark because although I have olive skin not all bronzers suit me, this bronzer is really easy to blend and it is a steal at just £4.
Now I'm going to do that horrible thing where I talk about a product that isn't available anymore I'm sorry! It's currently sold out on the website but it may still be in shops I hope! The bronzer in question is the Fall 2.0 Baked Bronzer in 01 Warm Melange which was a bit more expensive at £22.90 but it is an amazing bronzer especially during this heat wave. It has the same effect as the Revolution baked bronzer so it doesn't give your face a flat colour when you apply it. It it also huge so for that size I don't mind spending a little more money on it. It also smells like chocolate I thought you might want to know. Since I can't link the actual bronzer here is Fall Bronzer Blush Duo which is currently only £3.80!! and the current Gold Waves bronzer which is very similar to my one.
The only highlighter I've been reaching for recently is the PS Glow Palette from Primark which is actually bloody amazing and is only £5!! I didn't expect too much from this palette when I bought it but I have been wearing this palette all over my face. I normally only wear highlighter on my cheeks on a day to day basis but with this highlighter I have gone to ham. My favourite shade has to be the bottom right which goes with any makeup look. As my tan has developed I have branched out to the dark top left shade which looks amazing. If you want to see swatches of this palette then head over my New In Primark Makeup post.
Now onto eye palettes I have two which are my favourite to wear during the summer. Starting with the cheaper of the two again I have the W7 In The Nude palette which is a great dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette but a fraction of the price. I have had this palette since 2016 and two years on I am still living it, especially when it is sunny. It just has a lovely array of pinks and light browns with shimmers mixed in, anything you would need for a cute summer eye look. All the shades are easy to wear which is why I like it so much, you know I am a max two shade kind of eye so these shades all work well together. My favourite combo from this palette is the fourth shade called Marilyn with the eighth shade called Bad Manners on top. The other palette I have been loving this summer is the Naked Heat palette which of course is perfected for summer. Callum bought me this palette for my birthday as he is a keeper so I have this beauty in my collection. I tend to stay down the bottom end of the palette especially at this time but when we get into the winter time I know I will be using that beautiful ashes shade. My favourite combo at the moment from this palette is to place Dirty Talk on top of Low Blow for a brown/red glitter.
Whats your favourite makeup product this summer? I haven't bought anything new in so long!
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| This is me walking into the weekend with my big girl pants on ready to live my life. |
Lets go back to the end of May. I had been care free living off my last pay for a month and a bit and loving life, I had kept myself busy not worrying too much about finding a job because I knew I wanted to find somewhere prefect for me, not just a place to stay with until something better came along.
A few days before the end of May I decided I had taken enough time to refresh myself and decided it was time to start properly looking. The first thing I did was message a load of recruitment agencies in my area with my CV hoping they would contact me back to meet them. I don't know how but I managed to email one agency and get an immediate response to meet them the next day. That was on the Wednesday and by Friday I was having my first trail shift in a office down the road from me. How the hell did that happen??
I never thought I would find something as quick as that and it all seemed a little fast to me so I didn't get my hopes up that they would like me or if I would even like it. When you are used to managing a floor and running around after staff and customers, sitting at a desk for 7 hours a day can be a shock to the system.
Much to my surprise the company I joined were absolutely lovely and so nice to me right from the start. Because they are a relativity small firm office wise I only share an office with a few people, I get my own desk (which I have taken over completely) and it is such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere I couldn't be happier.
I have now been with the company three weeks and I have just been asked to stay permanently working full time which I am over the moon about. It was initially suppose to be a six week temp contract but they have told me that they like me so much and that I have fitted in with them so quickly, they would love me to stay with them. You don't understand what this means to me after a month of feeling completely unmotivated and useless.
As far as working in an office goes, I get to sit at my desk and eat chocolate biscuits all day what girl doesn't love that? But seriously it is so nice to sit down and not get pulled from pillar to post every five minutes. In retail I never really got a lunch break and I almost always got texts or phone calls on my days off so it is so nice to finish work and leave it in that space. The lack of stress attached to this job is heavenly and the weekends with Cal and my family are great. This weekend Cal and I went to Bourton on the Water and it was just lovely.
Anyway the moral of the story is don't ever be too scared to make a change if you are unhappy, yes I could have stayed at my old job where I got more money, was in a higher position and got half price clothes for life but I wasn't happy. You never know what is round the corner and yes I could still be looking for a job right now if I hadn't have found this company through the agency, but that is fine too.
Happiness is the most important thing in life.Yes I know that sounds cliche like it should be on some kind of greeting card but I have been on the other side and know what it feels. Never be too scared to take control of your life if you aren't happy.
This summer I am on a mission to have banging skin and so far, the skin gods have been nice to me. I have very dry skin as I have told you all before so I get flare ups of dry skin in both the cold and the heat so I'm quite unlucky. I have a bunch of products that are really working with my skin in this heat wave we are currently having so I thought I'd share them with you.
F A C E
For my face I am currently loving a simple skincare routine of three products, which all have pastel pink packaging which pleases me greatly. First up I have my Loreal Fine Flowers Gel Crea Wash in Rose and Jasmine which sadly doesn't smell as amazing as you would think from the name. I really like this cleaner in the mornings because it doesn't stripe my skin or dry it out after ward but it still leaves my skin clean and clear for my next products.
Once I have washed my face I use the Glossier Super Bounce serum which has really mad me feel in love with these types of products. I have never used a serum before this and now I want to try every product going. I used to think that serums would clog my skin and make me feel like I have too many layers on my face but this serum just sinks into my skin and leaves it with this super dewy moisturised glow.
When I then layer on top my Clinique Moisture surge moisturizer then I am living my best life and have no dry patches in sight. I know a lot of people use this moisturizer for long haul flights and travelling because it is so luxurious on the skin and that is what first attracted my to this product. I am at the stage now where I am scrapping the bottom of the tub to get any product out so I will definitely need to repurchase this soon!
On the days when it is just too hot to even think about putting any makeup on I like to use face mists and sprays to give me a little glow, keep me refreshed and to stop a sun burn. I love using the Newlook refresh and prep spray which I are only £4.99 and you can use them on days when you aren't wearing makeup to refresh your skin and underneath your makeup to prime your skin. Sometimes you just need a little spritz of something to cool you down and this spray is perfect for that.
B O D Y
Once my face is all ready for the sun its time to sort my body out! I have a lot of shower gels and creams in my bathroom because I always get them for birthdays and Christmas so I have a lot to choose from but my favourite have to be the Lush shower gels. I am currently using Snow Fairy which is my second bottle now and I love the smell of it. It is great to use in the summer because it is a time when you have more or your flesh out so you want your skin to smell nice. Plus you tend to sweat more so when I shower I like to use something that has a really powerful smell so that I feel more clean afterwards. If I use a shower products with no smell I don't feel that clean afterwards, anyone agree?
I also need to show some love to my feet during this time of year because I suffer from the worst dry feet in the world. Sad but true. So I like to use the Soap and Glory Heel Genius foot cream most nights before I go bed so that I can wake up with some what softer feet. The tub is huge I think so I know it will last me for a long time and I like to keep this on my night stand to remind myself to use it. I'll be honest... I don't always remember and then I really regret it the next day when I have to get my feet out.
H A I R
Lastly we have hair but not hair on your head, no hair removal. Not a lot of people talk about hair removal because it is not a glamours topic but we all suffer from it and if any of you are dark haired like me then you will know the constant struggle!
Starting with the typical hair removal I still, after how many years now, use Lush's D'Fluff strawberry shaving cream to shave my armpits and legs. During the summer I tend to shave my legs and armpits every couple of days because I like to feel comfortable and free when it is hot. This can be quite grooling on your skin but with this shaving cream, i have never hurt myself or caused a rash and my skin is always smooth and soft afterwards. Plus a tub lasts me so long considering I used this product up to 3 times a week so it clear how much I love this.
For the more unconventional hair removal, I like to use Veet sensitive hair removal cream and I have been using this since my teens. Having dark hair and Italian heritage I have dark hairs allllll over my body which used to really get me down but now I've learned to get over it. Some of the places I use Veet cream is mainly around my belly button and on my chest. As embarrassing as it is to say... we are all girls here. The cream is really easy to use, the process is quick and it doesn't leave me any red patches or rashes after wards so I can go out straight afterwards. Please tell me I'm not the only one???
Once I have sorted out my unwanted hair I am set to put on my dress, get my legs, arms and chest out and catch that sun.
Do you have any tips or tricks to get your skin really for summer?
F A C E
For my face I am currently loving a simple skincare routine of three products, which all have pastel pink packaging which pleases me greatly. First up I have my Loreal Fine Flowers Gel Crea Wash in Rose and Jasmine which sadly doesn't smell as amazing as you would think from the name. I really like this cleaner in the mornings because it doesn't stripe my skin or dry it out after ward but it still leaves my skin clean and clear for my next products.
Once I have washed my face I use the Glossier Super Bounce serum which has really mad me feel in love with these types of products. I have never used a serum before this and now I want to try every product going. I used to think that serums would clog my skin and make me feel like I have too many layers on my face but this serum just sinks into my skin and leaves it with this super dewy moisturised glow.
When I then layer on top my Clinique Moisture surge moisturizer then I am living my best life and have no dry patches in sight. I know a lot of people use this moisturizer for long haul flights and travelling because it is so luxurious on the skin and that is what first attracted my to this product. I am at the stage now where I am scrapping the bottom of the tub to get any product out so I will definitely need to repurchase this soon!
On the days when it is just too hot to even think about putting any makeup on I like to use face mists and sprays to give me a little glow, keep me refreshed and to stop a sun burn. I love using the Newlook refresh and prep spray which I are only £4.99 and you can use them on days when you aren't wearing makeup to refresh your skin and underneath your makeup to prime your skin. Sometimes you just need a little spritz of something to cool you down and this spray is perfect for that.
B O D Y
Once my face is all ready for the sun its time to sort my body out! I have a lot of shower gels and creams in my bathroom because I always get them for birthdays and Christmas so I have a lot to choose from but my favourite have to be the Lush shower gels. I am currently using Snow Fairy which is my second bottle now and I love the smell of it. It is great to use in the summer because it is a time when you have more or your flesh out so you want your skin to smell nice. Plus you tend to sweat more so when I shower I like to use something that has a really powerful smell so that I feel more clean afterwards. If I use a shower products with no smell I don't feel that clean afterwards, anyone agree?
I also need to show some love to my feet during this time of year because I suffer from the worst dry feet in the world. Sad but true. So I like to use the Soap and Glory Heel Genius foot cream most nights before I go bed so that I can wake up with some what softer feet. The tub is huge I think so I know it will last me for a long time and I like to keep this on my night stand to remind myself to use it. I'll be honest... I don't always remember and then I really regret it the next day when I have to get my feet out.
H A I R
Lastly we have hair but not hair on your head, no hair removal. Not a lot of people talk about hair removal because it is not a glamours topic but we all suffer from it and if any of you are dark haired like me then you will know the constant struggle!
Starting with the typical hair removal I still, after how many years now, use Lush's D'Fluff strawberry shaving cream to shave my armpits and legs. During the summer I tend to shave my legs and armpits every couple of days because I like to feel comfortable and free when it is hot. This can be quite grooling on your skin but with this shaving cream, i have never hurt myself or caused a rash and my skin is always smooth and soft afterwards. Plus a tub lasts me so long considering I used this product up to 3 times a week so it clear how much I love this.
For the more unconventional hair removal, I like to use Veet sensitive hair removal cream and I have been using this since my teens. Having dark hair and Italian heritage I have dark hairs allllll over my body which used to really get me down but now I've learned to get over it. Some of the places I use Veet cream is mainly around my belly button and on my chest. As embarrassing as it is to say... we are all girls here. The cream is really easy to use, the process is quick and it doesn't leave me any red patches or rashes after wards so I can go out straight afterwards. Please tell me I'm not the only one???
Once I have sorted out my unwanted hair I am set to put on my dress, get my legs, arms and chest out and catch that sun.
Do you have any tips or tricks to get your skin really for summer?
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| Swatches: 1. Insta Girl Iridescent Highlighter 2-5 Glow Palette |
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| Swatches: 1 Instant Radiance in Goddess, 2 Instant Radiance in Paradise, 3 Face and body highlighting cream in Rose Gold, 4 Face and Body highlighting cream in Oyster Rose |
I had a cheeky little shop in Primark last week and I thought i'd treat myself to some of their new makeup range. I haven't bought any Primark makeup in years, the last product I bought from them was the PS... 9 Shade palettes for £2.99. I really liked them at first but after a while I did realise how rubbish they were....
A few years later and I'm back at it giving them another go. I'll start with my bargain products!
On the clearance rack I noticed the PS...Insta Girl Banana Powder which I have heard a lot about when it first came out. I tend to stick to the same powders so I wanted to change it up a bit and give this a go since I have never tried a loose banana powder before. I've tried the powder once so far and I liked it but the packaging isn't great. I tap some powder into the cap of the bottle but once I had used enough powder I didn't know what to do with the excess powder. A part from the packaging flaw the powder is really finely milled so it doesn't feel like I am wearing anything no matter how much I apply. On first impressions I really like this powder but to be fair, I've never found a powder I haven't liked.
My second sale item is the PS... Insta Girl Iridescent Baked Highlighter which is a beautiful icey crystal tone. I find with baked products brands really can't go wrong in my opinion, every baked product I have tried has been really good and this highlighter is no exception. It isn't a shade I could wear on a daily basis as it is too light for me, I tend to go for more golden shades for highlighter but I thought in the winter when I don't have a tan I could make this highlighter really work for me. For £3 you can't say no.
Sticking with the highlighters I picked up two Strobe Face and Body Highlighting Creams in Oyster Pink and Rose Gold. Oyster Pink gives a light shimmer whereas Rose Gold comes out much more pigmented and acts like a fake tan. From first impressions I think these are a great product to have for a night out or in a travel bag to either mix in with your foundations or use underneath. I don't have anything like these in my collection and when I wore Rose Gold underneath my makeup for a BBQ a few days ago my skin looked sun kissed and flawless so I am a big fan so far!
I also bought some PS... Bronze Instant Radiance Highlighting Drops in two shades, a light creamy shade called Paradise and a gold bronze shade called Goddess. From first impressions these seem amazing for adding a glow to your foundation to give you a super healthy glow. I have tried the more golden shade on top of my foundation on my cheekbones for that BBQ and the glow it gave me was amazing. It does look quite scary in the bottle but it blended out like a dream and didn't budge my foundation one bit. The lighter shade is definitely more suitable for everyday but the bronze shade is just to die for. I am definitely loving the bronzing shades this summer. The packaging of these drops is very fancy as well with the glass bottles with the pellet, Primark have upped their game with this packaging.
The last highlighter I picked up in Primark is the PS... Glow Palette Highlight and Sculpt Cheek Palette which is a perfect dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Palette. It was only £5 so since I don't have the original palette I thought this was a good start. The packaging is the exact same as the Beverly Hills version so it looks gorgeous and definitely stands out in my collection but it will get dirty very easily. The highlighters feel so creamy on the skin so they blend in really easily and can be built up depending on how much of an impact you want. The golden shade is my favourite of the four but they are all shades that I would wear and I have used it a lot already since I purchased it.
The last product I purchased in Primark is the PS Bronze Metallic cream eye shadow in this gorgeous metallic golden bronze shade which is just up my street. I love cream eye shadows because they are so easy to apply and they look like you have spent a lot of time on your makeup. During the last 3 months I have been growing my finger nails so now they are super long and healthy but it means getting product out of tub can be frustrating so I have adapted using a small brush to get the product onto my eye lid and then using my finger to blend it out. This cream eye shadow is as pigmented as the Maybelline and Loreal cream eye shadows I've been using for years so I've intrigued to try more shades.
So far I have been really impressed with the products I purchased and I've been using most of them on a daily basis. I'm excited to see what else they have in store next time I pop in to Rushden Lakes. Expect to see these mentioned a lot during the summer months when all I care about is having the best glow ever.
Sticking to a budget can be hard and when your a home owner and have bills to pay for you don't really get a choice. I've been living in my own home now for just over a two years now and I have found some ways that help me to stick to my budget and not go into my overdraft every month.
- Meal Plan
This can be a life safer if you are someone who ends up buying a bunch of food that you don't need. Cal and I like to sit down and plan what we are going to eat for dinner that week for many reasons, one is so we can get what we need on our weekly shop ahead of time and because it gives us something to look forward to.
- Stick to your list
I think it should be a known rule never to go food shopping while you are hungry otherwise I come back with 2 cinnamon swirls, 3 different biscuits and a box of microwave chips so stick to the items on your list. You made a list for a reason so only get the food that you need.
- Choose food with multiple uses
It's easy to buy food because you like it but it worked for one meal and then its done. I like to make meals which I can freeze for another night or pop in the fridge for my lunch tomorrow. It helps me save money and stops me using everything in my freezer in one go.
- Shop Around
Before I moved out I was a self confessed Tesco addict and if I needed anything whether it was food or random bits I would go to Tesco. When we moved out we didn't know how we would find balancing our mortgage, food shopping, petrol and such so we ended up trying the Aldi store which is 10 minutes down the street from our house. We've found we can get a full weekly shop with meat and chicken and the everyday bits for between £20-£30 which is really good considering how much we bring home so we are official Aldi converts now. I love the chicken and meat from Aldi so if you don't already shop there then you should try it once. I know down the line when we start to have a family it will really help with saving our money. Its easy to stick to a shop that you are familiar with but when you can save all this money you have to give it a go.
- Check your online banking daily
It sounds very silly but I am terrible for not checking my online banking for days and it has become Cals job to remind me to pay the bills. By checking it daily you know exactly what bills has already come out and what you still need to pay for, that way if you see something you want for the house you know what money you have left for the month.
- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Anyone else remember this saying up on every wall in your school?
It does still apply now in every day life so I have implemented it back into my life. When we first moved in we were still learning a rhythm and we ended up not using fresh food which meant it went off and we had to throw it away, which is such a waste. So when we plan our meals for the week now we also check what we still have in the fridge and freezer and what dates they go off. Then we make sure we use the food before the due date so that we don't waste the food anymore.
This doesn't just apply to food as well, we had lots of random house decorative bits which didn't have a home for a while and rather then getting rid of them we have rotated them round the house until we found a room where we liked them. Its so easy to chuck something away because it doesn't suit your theme only to need one a few months later and end up buying it again.
- Never impulse buy for the house
I love buying items for my house like most people and going into Home Sense or Dunelm can be really hurtful for my bank balance, I like to go home shopping with Cal because he does stop me going crazy for stuff that we don't need and don't have room for. Home stuff can be really expensive so I try and really think about what I want for the house and stop myself impulse buying. If I find something that I really like but it is super expensive, I like to sleep on the idea of spending that much money on one item. You can get into the hype of 'I need to buy this now, it won't be here tomorrow if I change my mind' but I have come to believe that if I return to the shop and the item is still there then I was meant to purchase it.
- Treat Yourself
This one may sound strange in this list but when you have been really good for a long period of time you deserve a treat. Me and Cal have the occasional take away when we have cooked dinner for the whole week because it gives me a night off from cooking and its something a bit different. If we don't have a take away we sometimes go out for date night instead and again its just a little treat for our hard work. Just watch they become too much of regular thing!
I recently brought back to life a old set of garden chairs and a garden table which my parents have had for quite a few years. It was unloved and a faded light brown colour which didn't look any good. Annoyingly I didn't take any photos of the table before I started work on it but alas I am not god...
I really wanted a garden table set for my royal wedding party as I knew it was going to be a lovely day and my parents had given us this set all the way back in summer last year so it was about time we got it looking up to scratch.
The set had been sitting in our garden since last summer so you can imagine how horrible it looked and felt so the first step was washing the chairs and getting rid of all the spiders and cobwebs. Not the most glamorous job but I had to make the wood ready for painting.
The second step was painting the set to make it look brand new and Cal and I decided to choose a dark brown colour which would wear well on the wood over time and cover up the light faded colour. The dark colour makes the set look brand new and the paint I used was the Dulux Woodsheen Stain and Vanish in Golden Teak. Because we used a stain and vanish the colour on the table should withstand any weather but we will be smart and house the set in the garage during the winter and when we aren't using it.
To complete the garden set I wanted to buy some bright seat cushions to make the set really stand out in the garden and I was originally looking for bright green cushions and then one day my mum found this crank handle parasol and cushions separately in our local B&M and rang me to tell me she had a surprise.
So herself and my dad came round one Friday with this parasol and cushions and set it all up for me ready for my party the following day and I think it looks banging all together.
This DIY job was incredibly cheap (for me hehe) since the vanish only cost £15.99 from B&M but I have found it cheaper on eBay and a parasol and cushions aren't a necessity for this garden set so the total for this DIY can be £15.99.
For reference the garden parasol was £29.99 and the cushions were £6.99 for a set of two. Trying to find anything you have bought from b&m on their website is a struggle so I have found some similar alternatives.
The total for this DIY project including the gifts from my parents totals at £59.96 which is still cheaper from most good garden tables right now so still a bargain of a DIY, especially when it means you have recycled something that would have just gone in the bin.
I recently felt like a robot living my life day by day and not enjoying my life. This has made me want to change my outlook on life and be more present in my everyday.
I am trying to stick to these 6 things that will help me be more positive.
1. Leave your phone alone
My old work had a number of group chats which all took over my life and pinged all day every day, I am learning to leave my phone in my bag while I'm out so I can enjoy what is happening around me. I was always getting told to put my phone away so now I don't let it rule my life. Its much more peaceful.
2. Look for the positives in things
I've been letting my bad mood ruin my days off and now I am starting to think positive about everything. Its easy to focus on the negatives in life but its more important to focus on the positives around us.
3. Make plans for something to look forward to
Being too busy to life your life is the worst. Making plans, catching up with friend and enjoying life is what it is all about.
4. Get out in the fresh air every day
I love going on walks in the summer and the winter, it calms and relaxes me and iis great to do with another person or by yourself. It gets you out of the house and into the sunshine and that can make all the difference.
5. Every day is a brand new beginning
It doesn't matter what has happened yesterday every day is a new day. We have a chance for a new start 365 times a year so take that chance and make each day count.
6. Watch the world around you
Magical things happen everyday and everywhere so take in what is happening around you and live in that moment.
Wasn't the royal wedding just gorgeous? It was better than I expected and everything I wanted it to be. I have to honest I wasn't the biggest fan of Meghan before the wedding but seeing them two together and looking so in love, I'm a big fan now. She looked absolutely flawless.
As soon as the wedding was announced 6 months ago I decided I wanted to have a wedding party at my house because I missed William and Kate's wedding because of work so nothing was making me miss this one. Callum did make fun of me for all the effort I put into the food but it was my first party in my new house!
For food I over bought and stocked up on savory and sweet snacks. My savory side of the table included sausage rolls, cocktails sausages, scotch eggs, bread sticks and dips, hot cross buns and cherry scones. All the good food you can imagine! Then on the sweet side included jam tarts, chocolate fingers, cherry bakewells, viennese whirls, jammy dodgers, short bread and party rings. I did over buy on the food but you never want to run out of food, Callum is very happy with the left overs he has now for lunch.
Before the wedding started I prepared all the food for 11 which was when everyone was arriving and I think my spread looked pretty impressive if I do say so myself. Once everything was ready for the party I finally got ready and dressed, probably too dressed up to watch a wedding on the tv round my own house but any excuse to get dress up am I right?
Then it was wedding time! The girls all came round for 11 so we could watch all the guests arrive at the church and boy was David Beckham representing. Both Callum and I have a crush on him but his is probably bigger than mine! The girls from the Suits cast looked absolutely amazing and even though I have never watched an episode in my life, I knew exactly which girls they were because of their amazing outfits and presence. My favourite outfit of the day has to be Amal Clooney in her amazing yellow Stella McCartney dress, she was the embodiment of class.
Another dress which caught my eyes straight away and was totally up my street was Abigail Spencer from Suits who looked stunning in her blue and white polka dot timeless dress by Alessandra Rich.
When Meghan arrived she looked absolutely stunning and seeing her looking so beautiful and elegant made me fall in love with her. Her dress was so simple yet elegant and stunning at the same time, perfect for her. The ceremony was just absolutely perfect (except for the super long speech from the american priest) and I loved how untraditional it was. Watching the way Harry looked at Meghan throughout the whole thing was so spell bounding you could tell how in love they both are and it is so romantic.
Once the wedding was over it was time to get my shorts on and get them sun rays from my garden. We all ended up having a sun bathing sess in my garden and continued pigging out on food.
I am so happy for the couple and seeing their wedding is making me so excited to plan mine and Callum's big day whenever we end up having it.
Previous wedding posts
This summer I am planning on overhauling my life and basically sorting my shit out. This year has taken me on a roller coaster and it is only the fourth month in so I am expecting big changes this summer and I will make them happen.
# Get a new job
My work life has changed dramatically this year as you all know now and not for the good so my main aim this summer is to get a new job. As much as I love retail I really do think I need a change of environment and surroundings. Something closer to home with less stress would be the ideal situations so fingers cross something that ticks them boxes comes up.
# Become more fit
I don't really care about losing weight and going on a diet, my plan is to tone my body and become more fit in general. Although since moving out my eating has become so much better and I am learning to cook something new everyday, I still have weeks where my eating is terrible especially if I am working long hours. I am planning to join the local gym with Cal in the next month or so which will be really good for me, I used to go gym nearly every day when I first left school as a hobby so I can see myself getting really into it again.
# Grow my hair
I have had short hair since 2015 now and I think it is about time I went the other direction and grew my hair (if I can) I have been trying to grow my hair since I was 16 and it would never grow past my boobs so I ended up giving up and going for the chop. Now I am ready to try again and hopefully grow my hair long and put more bleach in the ends so my dip dye starts higher in my hair. This is how I hope to have my hair soon...
# Finish off the bedrooms
We are nearing a year in our house now and we still haven't finished everything we would like to because we aren't made of money and life gets in the way. We still need to get built in wardrobes in the master bedroom and once that is done we can get rid of all the rails of clothes in my little room and turn it into my blogging/beauty room. Once that is complete I think my blogging game will become stronger and more routined.
# Fill up my cooking book with recipes
Like I said my cooking skills are getting better with every Mary Berry cookbook I read (she is my gal) and everything that I really like to make I write up in my own little cooking diary. It has four different colours on the pages so I can separate my cooking lists, slow cooker recipes, recipes for dinner and baking recipes. I love filling in this book (because I have no life apparently) and get wait for it to be full.
# Get the garden started
My garden is a blank space at the minute and I really want to make the space into something beautiful and relaxing so in the summer I can sit in my quite place and read a book or do some gardening. I plan to dig out all the plants in my front garden and start from scratch and decide what me and cal want to have.
# Visit another country
Lastly I really want to go on a holiday aboard this year and get out of England. I have some ideas in the pipe line with my family to have a big group holiday but if that doesn't work out, Cal and I will definitely go somewhere by ourselves. Maybe a weekend in a city or a week by a pool in a cheap hotel in Spain. My ideal holiday would be Benidorm but no one shares my love of it :(
I never talk about anything too heavy on my blog because I want this space to be filled with happy content, nobody likes a debbie downer do they. This is how I have been living my life recently, going along with the bad stuff and hoping it will work out in the end so that my life doesn't look like a pile of rubbish to anyone on the outside.
I should have known I would crack after a while. I lasted a good month of ignoring the bad and focusing in on the good areas of my life. Then the bad started to effect my home life and that's when it all had to stop.
I made the biggest decision of my life this week and took redundancy from my job. It was a hard decision to make and it took a lot for me to finally do it. If I didn't have the support of Callum or my family I wouldn't have had the courage to it.
A lot has changed in my work life in the last 6-8 months, some for the good some for the bad and it has taken a lot out of me. I have always been a laid back person who just got on with life and had fun doing it, recently I became emotional about the smallest of things and wasn't myself anymore. My work life took over my home life and I wasn't okay with that. It also didn’t help that my new store was an hour away from my home so it made my days even longer and when I did 12 hours days, I just became a zombie.
It all came to a head when I visited an old friend of mine who I used to work with, this person had help me get to where I wanted to be before it all went wrong. I got so emotional talking to this person about how I was feeling, this was the wake up call I needed to get out.
Luckily because I was in a new role I still had the opportunity to take redundancy, I now have time to properly look for a new job that makes me happy and gives me a decent work/life balance.
I haven't seen my friends or spent time with my family in what feels like months and I'm sad that I let it get to that stage. I was too wrapped up in trying to sort out my work life that I ignored my personal life, I couldn't split myself enough to be everywhere I wanted.
I have been working since I was 16 and worked so hard to climb the ladder at work to become management, so talking about taking redundancy was a no brainier for me. I love to work and with a new house to pay for I wasn't going to let myself be jobless for any amount of time but I have had to be a little selfish and put my happiness first this time around.
Right now I am enjoying the sunshine, spending time with friends and family and doing things that I enjoy. I have dug out my book I kept putting off finishing because I didn't have any time and I am full of ideas for my blog because my head is free.
I am on every job site that exists right now and I am going to go to my local agency to meet with recruiters who might have a new path for me to down. I have loads of experience in retail management but I think I want to move into office work now with a Monday to Friday week so I can spend proper time with Cal and my family who all work Monday to Friday.
While I am looking for my new job I am going to spend a lot of time getting myself back on track and try to figure out what I want to do with my life. I've never felt so unimportant and unaccomplished in my life but I did what I had to do and I already feel so much better.
Now I've had my rabble and got my feelings out it time to get back to happy posts! I have a lot planned in the next few weeks which I'm excited about including a Royal Wedding party at my house next Saturday!
I should have known I would crack after a while. I lasted a good month of ignoring the bad and focusing in on the good areas of my life. Then the bad started to effect my home life and that's when it all had to stop.
I made the biggest decision of my life this week and took redundancy from my job. It was a hard decision to make and it took a lot for me to finally do it. If I didn't have the support of Callum or my family I wouldn't have had the courage to it.
A lot has changed in my work life in the last 6-8 months, some for the good some for the bad and it has taken a lot out of me. I have always been a laid back person who just got on with life and had fun doing it, recently I became emotional about the smallest of things and wasn't myself anymore. My work life took over my home life and I wasn't okay with that. It also didn’t help that my new store was an hour away from my home so it made my days even longer and when I did 12 hours days, I just became a zombie.
It all came to a head when I visited an old friend of mine who I used to work with, this person had help me get to where I wanted to be before it all went wrong. I got so emotional talking to this person about how I was feeling, this was the wake up call I needed to get out.
Luckily because I was in a new role I still had the opportunity to take redundancy, I now have time to properly look for a new job that makes me happy and gives me a decent work/life balance.
I haven't seen my friends or spent time with my family in what feels like months and I'm sad that I let it get to that stage. I was too wrapped up in trying to sort out my work life that I ignored my personal life, I couldn't split myself enough to be everywhere I wanted.
I have been working since I was 16 and worked so hard to climb the ladder at work to become management, so talking about taking redundancy was a no brainier for me. I love to work and with a new house to pay for I wasn't going to let myself be jobless for any amount of time but I have had to be a little selfish and put my happiness first this time around.
Right now I am enjoying the sunshine, spending time with friends and family and doing things that I enjoy. I have dug out my book I kept putting off finishing because I didn't have any time and I am full of ideas for my blog because my head is free.
I am on every job site that exists right now and I am going to go to my local agency to meet with recruiters who might have a new path for me to down. I have loads of experience in retail management but I think I want to move into office work now with a Monday to Friday week so I can spend proper time with Cal and my family who all work Monday to Friday.
While I am looking for my new job I am going to spend a lot of time getting myself back on track and try to figure out what I want to do with my life. I've never felt so unimportant and unaccomplished in my life but I did what I had to do and I already feel so much better.
Now I've had my rabble and got my feelings out it time to get back to happy posts! I have a lot planned in the next few weeks which I'm excited about including a Royal Wedding party at my house next Saturday!
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