F*ck Monday: Pick Yourself Up

If I'm happy with my friends, family and boyfriend, along with being happy with my job and myself, why do I always need to strive for more? I personally think that we are brought up in a society where we have to do better and have to be the best that we can be. And that isn't always as easy as it sounds. Sometimes we can get ourselves into ruts where we aren't happy and struggle to get out of. I have too found myself in this horrible place more than once and in frequent months it has been due to my pill change which has effected the hormone balance and sent me a wee bit off the crazy spectrum. Ya de ya. I have put together my top 10 things to do when I'm in such a low/bad mood which can pick me up no doubt :)

1. Arrange to meet or phone a friend - Basically we spend so much of our time these days on the internet or texting people that we forget we need physically contact with others to make us happy. Even hearing someones voice on the phone and physically speaking can lift your mood. 

2. Dancing around to my iPod - There is nothing that quite beats sticking your earphones in and blocking out of the world with my music up really loud. I love to pretend I am Jessie J or out of a rock band and party it up.

3. Doing a chore - It is probably the last thing that you want to do when you are feeling down and but if you force yourself to do the first one... everything else will fall naturally in to place and you will feel better after for achieving something. 

4. Blogging - Blogging for me is my little world and escapist. The community is such a positive and caring one that it makes me feel instantly great to know that even just one person has read my post for the day :) 

5. Apologising - The hardest thing to do! Though if there is something in the back of your head which is preventing you from moving on with your life and you find yourself continuously worrying about it. Then sometimes if "you be the bigger person" (excuse the cliche) then it can take the burden of what you have done and stop you worrying. No matter how big or small :)

6. Exercise - I have been with my gym for over a year and I go in stages of going and liking it. But that usually last about 2 weeks or so. Luckily my friend has just joined the same gym as me so we're on a motivational boom to get out arses to the gym. Not to get skinny but to have a good balance in our lives.

7. De-Cluttering - Tidy room, tidy mind. It is one of those chores that I always seem to put off for ages but once I start or finish de-cluttering my room I feel like I have spent the day at the spa. I have that "i'm tired but refreshed" feel about myself. There is nothing like being out with the old and in with the new. 

8. Pampering - I don't really have to say much about this apart from the fact that it would just make you feel great, because lets face it who doesn't like a good pampering session. I tend to find that if I feel good about the way I physically feel then I feel like a much positive person. 

9. Cuddling - For me the greatest hugs in the world are the ones from my boyfriend, my dad or my brother. I think there is nothing like a big man hug. Don't get me wrong a little cuddle from my mum or a girly mate makes me feel better but a big man hug and sob... you instantly feel relieved after. :)

10. Painting - This is pure relaxation for me, I love to paint. I draw but I get really frustrated with drawing because it annoys me if my mental image doesn't go right on the paper. Whereas with painting you just let yourself go it is easy and super relaxing :) 

How do you pick yourself up?

Barry M Nail Paint in 134 Yellow

This is what I call a any-mani. My friend Annie is a nail fanatic and she paints her nails and files and buffs them ALL the time. Though I have to admit that she does have sexy nails. Anyway the other day we were reminiscing our 17 year old selves and we ended up spending the day watching One Tree Hill and painting nails and eat. Nommm! 

Our 17 year old selves - ahhh blissful

The AniMani Kit: (My camera refused to focus)

Barry M - Nail Paint in 134
Star Gazer - White
Rimmel 5 in 1 Base & Top Coat Total Care
The Body Shop - Nail Buffer
Nail Clippers

Cutex Nail Varnish Remover
Boots Double Thick Pads

Coat 1:

Coat 2/3: (finished look)

This is the Barry M Nail Paint in 134 Yellow £2.99, I don't find the yellow as bright as it looks in the bottle.When it dries it has mustardy yellow undertones which personally I really love. Annie put a white primer underneath the yellow to make the colour seem brighter. I have never worn yellow on my nails... I didn't think I would be brave enough or quirky enough to pull it off but as it is my FAVOURITE colour ever, I thought I might as well give it a try. And I love it :) 


What's your favourite nail colour?

Liebster Award

Hey, so this is another tag I got tagged in by Eleanor from Porcelain Eleanor which I love because I always find these things fun to do. The award is basically about "discovering new blogs and helping those with less than 200 followers to get recognised." and here are the Rules:  1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
                 2. They must also answer the 11 questions the ' tagger ' has set for them.
                 3. Create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.
                 4. Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and tag them in this post.
                 5. These lucky bloggers must then be told.
                 6. There's no tag backs.

11 Things about me:

*** I have just graduate from university studying Journalism and Creative Writing

*** I have an unhealthy obsession with penguins

*** I love putting my headphones on and dancing around my bedroom

*** I am probably the clumsiest person you'll ever meet

*** I have over three years worth of Glamour magazine back issues

*** I used to go to theatre school up to the age of 14

*** I loving writing lists and making plans (but never seem to follow through with them)

*** I have a ginger boyfriend who I adore

*** I still live with my parents

*** I am addicted to Eastenders, One Tree Hill and Made In Chelsea

*** I love to eat... which isn't always a good thing.

Eleanor's 11 questions:

1. What is the one beauty product you couldn't leave the house without? Mascara, because I have fair lashes, I look weird without anything on them 

2. Where do you get your style inspiration? Lauren Conrad... she is my absolute idol

3. What is the number one beauty item and number 1 fashion item on your wish list? Beauty item -- would be the new YSL touché of éclat foundation and fashion item would 

be a Chanel handbag. 

4. Your favourite high street shop for accessories? River Island

5. What is/was your favourite subject at school? Art

6. Who is your favourite beauty/fashion you tuber/blogger? Blogger -- Lily from llymlrs.com and Youtuber -- Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup 

7. Your favourite magazine to read? Zest

8. Describe you style? I'm not sure... I'm a little bit of everything really. I would like to be more edgy and rocky. 

9. If you were to change your hair in any way, how would you have it? I would have it longer and lighter blonde with dip dyed in baby pink. 

10. Describe your signature make up look? Neutral, dewy skin, bronzer, eyeliner (little flick), long lashes and either nude or red lips. 

11. What colour lipstick are you always attracted to? Red... it is the Marilyn in me. 

My 11 tag questions:

1. Where do you get most of your style inspiration from?

2. What is your key holiday essential beauty product?

3. If you could have anyone's life who would it be?

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where and why?

5. What and where is your favourite restaurant?

6. How often do you exercise/ gym if at all?

7. How much water do you drink a day?

8. What beauty item makes you feel the best?

9. How do you do your hair if it's playing up?

10. What is your handbag beauty essential?

11. If you could own any possession what would it be?

The Beautiful Bloggers I'm tagging:

Kathryn from happykbo

Anette from livingtherepurposefullife
Lauren from laurenlovesmakeup
Emily from thebeautymist
India from howilikemypancakes
Georgia from Georgiabeee
Christy from anotherweekenedwithoutmakeup
Jennifer from thebigburd
Joanna from mintyessence 
Charlotte from j'adore
Laura from Iisforladybird

Enjoy the Tag girls :)

MUA Day to Night Lips

MUA Lipsticks In Shade 7 and 8 ( L-R) 

 Night (Shade 8) 

Day (Shade 7)

The make-up brand MUA from Superdrug, sell bargain products at around £1 for such great quality. These two lipsticks were both a £1 which is such a touch. I'm such a red lippy girl, but I find it hard to pull it off during the day because I tend to feel a little over done. I have this weird little thing at the moment of when I buy one nude/neutral lipstick, I have to buy a bright/bold lipstick in the same brand. 

MUA lipsticks tend to have a thick creamy consistency, shade 8 has glittery in it so on the lips can feel quite grainy and I tend to apply a clear lipgloss over the top. The colours are quite matte and the red tends to last longer than the pink (but that is probably because of the colour staining as most reds do. But for a £1 I can't complain.

What's your favourite MUA product? The concealer is still my dream product as it is a miracle - See Post 

Empties #3

Here is another empties post, this time on a few of my miniature samples that I have collected and a couple of mini travel products too. 

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser 5g Sample - I am a regular shopper in Lush as it is my favourite place to go shopping. On one trip, the sales assistant in there was so helpful and I must admit, I ended up buying a lot of products (shows how easy I am to sell too) but anyway she offered me a few samples particular with skincare as I told her I had only tried Lush's face masks. This is great, it works in a similar way to Liz Earle Hot Polish and Cleanse, it cleans off all my make-up even eyelash glue. It smells great too, I must admit that it does have a weird consistency as it is quite oily/greasy but it works so well. 

Will Repurchase - Once I have used up all my other skincare products, I will be definitely be purchasing this and hopefully it will become a staple in my collection.

La Prairie Cellular Time Release Moisturizer 5ml Sample - This is something that my Dad got from his flight to Abu Dhabi, and this brand is amazing. I have previous raved about their lip balm which I would repurchase no matter of the price. However, this cream is good, I mean really good but I don't think it is quite worth the expense. It is quite a thick and heavy cream, which is perfect for the evening but would be far to heavy for the day time. It smells expensive... now I can't quite describe what that smells like but it smells good. 

Won't Repurchase - Just because it is so expensive, it won't be until I am really rich when I can afford this. 

Estee Lauder Idealist 7ml Sample - This product kissed my skin, I wished I never had brought the Even Skin tone version and I regretted it massively. It just didn't have the same softness on my skin nor did it make my skin look any better which I was gutted about. Mainly because even in this 7ml pot I noticed such a visible difference in my skin; its texture, its tone and its radiance. 

Will Repurchase - After using this I brought the new Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skin tone, which I have been disappointed with so after that is finished I will be snapping this back up. 

Lush Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser 5g Sample - This product was a thick grainy exfoliating cleanser, it is green and has seeds in it which automatically makes it look fresh/natural to me. It feels as though you need more product than you actually do on your skin and you have to make sure your face is wet enough for it to work well. I was overly struck on the smell and typically I couldn't say what it smelt like because I'm rubbish at describing them. 

Maybe Repurchase - I probably will purchase this in the future, I did like it but I don't know if it stood out enough or if i just need to use it a few more times.

Chanel Hydramax + Active Serum 5ml Sample - I had high expectations of this product, mainly because it is Chanel and it has a super high price tag. I have taken into consideration that I only had 5ml to sample this but I didn't notice any difference between using this and not using this... which always makes me worry especially when spending stupid amounts of money on a product like this. On the plus it smelt nice and have a good texture but just no visible difference after the little tube. 

Won't Repurchase - I didn't think it was that good of quality serum for the price that it is. 

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel 60ml £4 - My favourite scents ever are either citrus ones or coconut ones.The best thing about citrus smells are that they seem to wake me up and give me that boost for the day. I tend to pick citrus ones for the shower and coconutty/creamy smells for the bath. The body shop always do great shower gels amongst their collections, they lather up well and the scent lasts on your body all day. 

Will Repurchase - I love the smell. Enough Said. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush 50ml £1.49 - Dry shampoo is such a life saver and back in the day when the only dry shampoo that you could really buy was Batiste and yeah it was good, but as it became more popular they brought out different styles, Blush seemed like a great idea because it blended out the musky smell it used to have. But the rose scent isn't something that I particularly like anyway and the I find with the spray nozzle that I just spray way to much product on at one time. 

Won't Repurchase - I didn't like the smell and find Batiste builds up on my scalp and makes it a clumpy mess.

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour Conditioner 50ml £6.99 (as part of a set) - I have a love conditioners which come with hair dye particularly blonde hair dyes. I find the conditioners are super nourishing and always leave my hair feel silky soft and now if I could buy this conditioner on its own then I definitely would snap it up. But I'm trying to steer clear of home kitting my roots. 

Won't Repurchase - I'm trying to get into the routine of getting my hair dyed at the hairdressers because it is better for your hair and then also making that my one splurge of the month. 

What empties have you used up recently? Also if anyone has used that Chanel serum and thinks differently please let me know? :)

F*ck Monday: The Hangover

Hola, so this week has been pretty grim for me, in short I basically had a lump in/on my boob... had a biopsy they didn't like the look of it so they chopped it out and now waiting for my results... ya de ya.

Therefore today I've decided to take inspiration from my boyfriend and focus this topical post on hangover cures especially in the summer. Now I know we haven't had much of a summer this year but these last fews days it has been pretty muggy in London. And last week my boyfriend and I ended up in Hyde Park watching Feeder (big love) and we both over indulged on our poison of choice. I woke up full of beans unlike him on the other hand, to his annoyance I rarely have hangovers where he has only to drink a few pints and that will guarantee a hangover. 

So here are my top tips (aimed more for us ladies):

*** Stock up on water next your bed before you go out so you are prepared for the morning after.

*** Take a cool shower especially in the summer as this will just wake you up and make you feel fresh. 

*** Even if you are on a diet... healthy salads never cure a hangover. Wack the bacon on and have a sarnie if you can't stomach a full fry up (or its calories).

*** Have a mid morning/afternoon nap and if you have to work try and sneak some minutes in on your lunch break. 

*** Just remember your oversized sunglasses, stop that blinding sun and hide those big old bags hanging from under your eyes. 

*** Summer recovery; go for a picnic with your friends... a couple of nibbles, copious amounts of water and sleeping in the shade = bliss.

*** If it is a super bad hangover blend up some bananas for a rich potassium smoothie to replace your body with the goodness it is lacking. 

*** Want to exercise but can't handle the gym? Go swimming as it is all-over body thirst replenishment. 

*** Don't plan too much for the day after the night before, you won't be up for shopping or doing the house work.

*** Finally have painkillers, a mini fan, vitamins and mouth spray at hand all day you don't want to be hunting for the essentials. 

Ardell Lashes - Demi Wispies

I adore these Ardell Eyelashes, they are my favourite ones for going out for a night in. As I have quite little eyes, thick chunky lashes don't look good on me at all and if they have a thick lash line I find they tend to come off before the night is over. 

Ardell Lashes are available at Boots and Superdrug, the ones I am wearing in this post are for £5.49. 

The only downside to this product is that I'm not a massive fan of the glue because I don't find it sticky enough. Though on a big positive which doesn't come with many of the high street eyelashes is that it comes with this little box that you can pop your eyelashes back in once you have used them and that means you're not wasting £5.49 every time you wear them. Overall, I just love them. :)

Can anyone recommend any lashes?? I'm an addict!

Lust Haves

As my frequent readers know at this moment in time, I'm not as flourished as I normally am. And for some reason this is making me want more and more things, so I have built a list of my top 10 lust haves.

1. Black Lace Insert Peplum Top - River Island - £32 

 2. Plaited Shopper in Dark Red - Zara - £79.99

3. Limited Collection Strap Ankle Boots - Marks And Spencers - £35

3. Faith Open Shoulder Slinky Dress - BooHoo - £20

4. Fur Collar Quilted Biker Jacket - Topshop - £58

6. Sequin Mesh Body - Miss Selfridge - £28 

7. Black Chunky Love Waist Belt - New Look - £7.99 

 8. Animal Skater Skirt - Miss Selfridge - £24

 9. Multi Ombre Twist Jumper - Dorothy Perkins - £28

 10. Tillie French Maid Babydoll and Knickers - Boux Avenue - £35

Ooops... notice the theme of black in this post. But I really want all of those bits... hopefully I can save up for a couple of the bits. :)

What are your Lust Haves??

Liz Earle vs No.7 Dupe

 So I am running low on my Liz Earle cleanser and times are a tad tight at the moment so I wanted to see if there was anything out there which was as good or within the league of Liz Earle. I had seen this No7 cleanser on a few peoples blogs and most people said that it was as good as Liz Earle and I wanted to test it out myself. Luckily I had a No7 voucher for £5 off which Boots tend to give away sporadically throughout the year. 

Right down to the nitty gritty...

                                       LIZ EARLE                 vs                           NO7

Price:                                 £14.25                                                 £9.95

Quantity:                            100ml                                                  200ml 

No. of Muslin Cloths:              2                                                         1

Quality of Clothes:      Good, thick and soft                          Poor, thin and coarse 

Packaging:                         Zip up bag                                           Card box 

Smell:                         Spa - Herbal scents                                   Soapy scent 

Formula:              Thick and creamy consistency               Thick and creamy consistency

Results:                 Fresh, clear and super clean                     Soft, bright and clean

Score:                                   5/5                                                       3/5

Comments: 

LIZ EARLE: It has naturally active ingredients containing rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus essential oils. It cleanses and gently exfoliates which removes make-up even clears my Benefit They're Real Mascara (which is a bugger to remove). I have quite sensitive skin and it doesn't irritate me even my eyes are fine which are my worst areas.

NO7: It contains cocoa seed butter. It is hypo-allergenic which is why I went for this because I have sensitive skin. It is suitable for all skin types. I find that is doesn't particularly clear all my eye make up and I tend to find that I use my Liz Earle Muslin cloth as the one which they supply is too harsh on my skin and it leaves it too red for my liking. I will continue to use up this bottle but not 100% sure if I will repurchase. 

Liz Earle is my overall favourite at the moment, I have recently purchased the Nspa Hot Polish and Cleanse and I am excited to try that one out and will keep you posted on how it competes. :)

What are you opinions? Have you tried any other dupes??