Happy New Year!

life

Just a wee post to wish everyone a happy new year! 
I wish everyone the best for 2014.
 I have a few plans and resolutions for next year so will probably share them in a few posts time (I'm working the 31st and the 1st boohoo, so won't be posting too much until the 2nd!)

Hope everyone welcomes in the new year in style!

See you all next year
♥

My Christmas 2013

personal

This was Liam and I's second Christmas away from our families, so I think we're getting used to it by now. Bit sad we could't   get to see our families, but we had a lovely day none the less. We spent the day eating lots, playing lots of xbox and generally  just enjoying each others, and the dog's, company. Will definitely be needing to use my new trainers to burn off all the 'pigs in blankets' I ate!



I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, and will have an even better New year!
♥

My November (also, I'm back!)

First off, sorry! University completely took over my life for the whole of November/ beginning of December, so I kinda had to forget about blogging completely. But, I've finished now! So I'm back, and will be blogging regularly hopefully. 

 As a wee step back into blogging, here's a look at my November/ beginning of December;

My ebook // super late night hot chocolates // shooting cheerleaders for uni
It's Christmmaaasss! // First draft of my 'transparent' book // Desperate attempt at some energy for work

Third year is so much more stressful than I ever thought it would be. The workload jump from second to third is unreal, I can only imagine how much I'm going to struggle with fourth year! There was a time when I spent just over 24 full hours at uni- how ridiculous!

Anyway, I hope everyone's November's were lovely and Decembers are even better so far!

I'll be back with real content again soon, promise. 

Merry Christmas!
♥

Halloween!

life
I love halloween. I don't really have the body for a sexy cat, so I tend to go all out scary. I didm't do anything huge for halloween, just went to a few friends house party. It was really fun to be honest, I'm not the biggest social butterfly so usually wimp out of house parties and stuff but as I tipsily said to my taxi driver on the way home; "any excuse to put latex on my face" (what was I thinking saying that?!)

Here's a few photo's of my efforts:



I created this look by mish-mashing a few YouTube tutorials together:
I know it's a bit late to help anyone come up with a costume, but I was quite proud of how it turned out and wanted to share!
What did you do for halloween?
♥

REVIEW | Dove Hair Therapy Damage Solutions Shampoo & Conditioner

beauty

This stuff is amazing. I bleach my hair to high hell, so it's usually dry and unruly, but this duo seems to almost fix it. I've stopped using as much heat on my hair recently, so that also may have aided to the improvement, but I'd honestly say it's about 80% this. My hair feels silky, smooth and looks shiny for the first time in months.

As you can see, Dove Hair Therapy Damage Solutions Shampoo & Conditioner claims to "reconstruct hair from the inside", which to me say "we're not just coating your hair in gunk to make it feel nice, we're actually doing some good". Now whether or not thats true, I don't know, all I know is that my hair as now super soft and shiny, and doesn't get half as tangled. It feels stronger and I've noticed a little less shedding. It just feels healthier.

I got these two in a "2 for £4" deal from ASDA (which still seems to be running according to their online shopping website). I could only find the smaller sizes in Boots, which are £2.65 each, so it's well worth popping down to ASDA if you have one close.  I go through a big bottle of the conditioner in maybe 2 weeks, and the shampoo in 3 or 4, so they're alright value for money, but I'd still always search for the best deal. 

This shampoo and conditioner doesn't have a very strong scent, so won't leave your hair smelling of anything, but rather just very fresh. I also find it doesn't wash my lilac colour out too fast either, which is always a plus. 

I already have very dry hair, and in winter it just becomes a nightmare, but I think this may just be my winter saviour, yippee! 

Dove Hair Therapy Damage Solutions Shampoo & Conditioner: Boots £2.65 each


What's your favourite shampoo/conditioner?
♥

New Glasses!

fashion
So I'm officially part of the glasses gang.

 I've suffered with headaches all my life really, but for the last two years is slowly been getting worse and worse so I decided I would finally get my eyes checked. I probably should have gone a while back, but I'm a huge procrastinator.

 Turns out one eye focuses a fair bit less than the other, so one is constantly trying to make up for the not-so-good one, and so giving me headaches. I know I get a lot of stress headaches too, but they feel different to the ones I have on a daily basis. Since getting my glasses (and actually remembering to wear them) I've had considerably less headaches. Brilliant.

 I'm not going to lie, I've wanted glasses for a fair while now. I considered getting a non-prescription pair a while ago but never got around to it.

 I went for a Specsavers own-brand glasses with a free anti-glare coating, as I spend the majority of my life looking at some form of screen (and thats when I'm to wear them the most). I umm'ed and aahh'ed over going for the classic over-sized, thick rimmed glasses, but couldn't find any I liked (however I did get a 50% off voucher when I picked up my glasses, so will be on the hunt for a pair) so went for this more cat-eye shaped pair.

 I'm still a bit unsure about them looks wise, but they are definetly doing me good health wise, so they will be glued to my face as much as possible! Less headaches ahoy!
Glasses seem to be a bit of a trend as of late, love or hate them?
♥

REVIEW | Garnier Moisture Match: Goodbye Dry

beauty

I have fallen in-love. Garnier Moisture Match: Goodbye Dry is the best thing that has ever been on my face ever...ever.

I have very dry skin, my nose is flaky if I don't keep on top of it. I have tried hundreds of high street moisturisers, and a few higher end ones and nothing compares to this. I have been struggling with my skin, especially my nose area, really badly for about a year now and this is the only thing that has helped.


It's very thick so you don't need all that much. I apply this in the morning and at night and currently have no flakes! It's brilliant. You get 50ml per tube, which doesn't seem like much when compared to the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser that I was using before, especially when it's more expensive and less than half the product- but it has lasted me twice as long. I've been using this tube for around 3 months now, and I am only just having to re-buy it. 

I got this for £3 from Asda, and I know it was on offer at Superdrug recently, so you can definetly get it for cheaper than it's RRP of £5.99

For me, this feels like the perfect all year moisturiser, but for the more "normal' skin types I feel this could be the perfect winter moisturiser for keeping the winter dryness and flakes at bay. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a new moisturiser!

Garnier Moisture Match: Goodbye Dry: £5.99 (28.10.13)


What's your holy grail moisturiser?
♥


New Blog Design!


Just thought I'd do a little post on my new blog design. I had been doing all my own blog design but I couldn't help but think it looked a bit.. naff? I'm not a graphic designer and cannot code for the life of me, so I finally caved and bought a design.
bit naff


The lovely Grace over at urbanhypecreative was who I chose to do my design, and I don't think I could have made a better choice. I love it! It's pastel, muted and not too over the top- which is exactly what I was after. She made a design better than I could have thought of.

If you're looking for a new blog design, I thoroughly recommend Grace. She was lovely to work with, and she doesn't charge outrageous prices.

What does everyone think of my new design?


www.urbanhypecreative.com
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Mallzee's Top Scottish Blogger



I've been using Mallzee's app for a wee while now, and I absolutely love it so when I heard about Mallzee's Top Scottish Blogger competition, I knew I had to join in.  I'm a total train-wreck when it comes to fashion. I literally look like I've opened my wardrobe and thrown on the first few items I could find most of the time. This app lets me scroll through current fashion and has given me so many good outfit ideas (I almost look like I know what I'm doing these days...almost). And the best thing? It's not just for ladies!



The app is easy peasy to use, and the more you use it, the more it gets a sense of what kind of items you're into- Smarty pants!  There's a nice wee tutorial when you start off, so you always know what you're doing. You can double tap to like, pinch to get rid off and hold to share- and like I said, the more you do this with the items you find, the more it understands your style!

I think the app has a sense of humour too:

You can search for the kind of items you want, making it a perfect app to download for this time of year to find your perfect festive dress/etc!. You can filter between dresses, skirts, coats, tops, knitwear, jeans, shorts, swimwear, trousers, tailored, shirts and hoodies (phew) plus a whole bunch of colours and brands. Mallzee has some big brands on board (Urban Outfitters, Cath Kidson, Ted Baker, plus loads more) which is super impressive considering how young the company is!


As a curvy creature, I'd love to see some plus-size options within the search panel sometime in the future. The only bad thing I can say about the app at all, is that it can sometimes be a little bit laggy- But it's a new app it's to be expected! It's nothing major, and won't effect your app experience at all in my opinion. 

Honestly, I think the Mallzee team have done an A+ job. If you're into fashion (and especially if you're as useless as me) then I definitely recommend this app! Well done team Mallzee!.



You can get the official Mallzee app from the iTunes store Here. Or give it a wee search on your app store app.







REVIEW | Hydraluron Moisture Booster

beauty

I'm going to say something that may shock a lot of beauty bloggers/readers; I'm not keen.
Hydraluron is said to "over time, increases skin's hydration level and minimises the need for frequent topical moisturising. This increase in moisture levels has been shown to increase skin elasticity and reduce surface roughness" Which I'm sure it does, It's just not very noticeable. I've been using this stuff for over 2 months now, and while I feel it probably is doing something good for me, I can't see it.

I suffer from very-very dry/flaky skin around and on my nose, and the rest of my face is normal to dry, so this seems like the perfect product for me. However, I find that when I use it, it makes my face feel stiff and almost dry-er. I read somewhere that applying it while your face is still slightly damp helps, which it does, but I feel I am diluting the product when I do that. at almost £25 quid a pop, I shouldn't have to faff about with pre-wetting my face to apply it. My skin condition around my nose has improved, but it only started to do so when I began using Garnier Moisture Match and St Ives Apricot Gentle Scrub every day. 

In it's defence I think the packaging is fancy and a little goes a long way. I've been using it for over 2 months almost every day, and I'd say I still have a months worth of product left. If it last me a full 3 months, thats about £8.33 a month, which considering the price of products these days, isn't too outrageous. 

All this being said, I can find very few bad reviews, so I think it's a very personal thing. My skin seem to be quite fussy, so what doesn't work for me, may turn out to be your holy grail.

Hydraluron Moisture Booster - Boots £24.99 (16/10/13)











Cute Ebay Stationary Find!


I have two confessions: I'm an Ebay addict, and a stationary addict, So when I find cute-as-a-button stationary on Ebay, I get a little giddy. I found these while looking for a diary/planner type thing (if you know of any cute ones, please link me!) but couldn't just carry on scrolling!

They're so cute and small! They are brilliant quality too. I wouldn't go writing all my lecture notes in them, but they're brilliant for quick notes. I use one for blog-post planning, and one for jotting photographers names and photographic works down in. They fit in the front pocket of my rucksack (about A5 size?) so I  always have them handy (I find I think of blogposts at the strangest of times, and aallwayys forget them). Not sure what I'm going to do with the other two, but I'm sure I'll come up with something!



There are a fair few designs, so definitely something for everyone. I think my favorite is the tree design, as it has the sprouting tree on the back.  They're not too expensive either (although I think they've gone up in price since I bought them!)



I'm such a sucker for stationary, and even more-so for anything mini or small! Let me know if you've found any cute stationary recently.

Notebooks - Ebay £2.49 (9/Sep/2013)










REVIEW | Inglot Gel Eyeliner in "77"

beauty
I really wanted to love this gel eyeliner, but alas, I'm not sure. 

 I've been doing winged/cat eyeliner since I was about 13, so I've used a lot of eyeliner. I tend to lean towards liquid eyeliner, as it gives an opaque, clean line but it tends to flake off after an hour or so. This partly has to do with constantly touching my eyes (I'm tired a lot okay!) and partly because... well I don't know why, hence why I jumped onto the gel eyeliner bus. 

 I've heard fair few good reviews of this eyeliner, saying it has brilliant staying power etc, but I'm not so sure. When I first get it on- I love it. I've been using the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush to apply it, and it looks wonderful. It's easy to use. The formula is very creamy so goes on sooo smoothly. However, I feel this may actually be it's biggest weakness. It runs and smudges. It's not the worst, but it's not the best. (You can see on the photo below that it has transfered to my lower waterline and started seeping in the outer corners)

 I wore this eyeliner, while working in a kitchen area, during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (and anyone who has been to Edinburgh at that time of the year can tell you just how busy it is) and the actual wing part, sweated (TMI?) off within half an hour. During less sweaty times, it lasts maybe 2 hours. I've used it both with and without primer, and the longest I've managed to get it to stick to my face for is 2 hours (while consciously making myself not touch my face/eyes)

 I don't think I have particularly oily lids, I have very dry skin on the rest of my face, so I can't imagine oily-lids being the issue. 

 Like I said, I've heard a load of lovely things about this, but I'd say unless you can get a sample/ a trial run of a friends pot, before you buy it. Don't go for it. For me £10 is a lot of money to waste on something I'm probably going to use once a month, or as an eyeshadow base every now and again.

 And so, the search for the holy-grail of eyeliners continue...

Whats your go-to eyeliner? Give me some suggestions!

October goals

I'm on a mission of self improvement at the moment.

I tend to find if I make long-term goals with an end-point/finishing like/etc like 'new years resolutions' I end up only sticking to them for a few months. So I'm going to try to make a list every month of some stuff I want to improve. They 
won't be big things, but a few little things that will add up and hopefully improve my life.

So here goes, as of October I would like to:

Drink more water.
- I don't drink nearly enough water. I've recently stopped drinking fizzy drinks as much as possible, but instead of replacing the litres of Vanilla Coke I was drinking, I've just stopped drinking. I drink a bit more fruit juice, but not nearly enough water. I got a new water bottle (as you may have seen in my Monthly Favourites) to try and encourage me to drink more, and so far it's working. Let's hope it carrys on.

Read more.
- I love to read, but I find as soon as I go back to university I end swapping books I love for books I have to read. I want to make some time for both. University reading is important, and I cannot pass my course without it, but I miss getting lost between the pages of beautiful literature. Between last term and this term, I moved further away from university so I now have a 45+ minute bus ride every morning, so I'm going to make the most of those 45 minuets I would normally scroll Instagram or brows The Metro and get stuck into a book instead. (If anyone has any reccomendations, let me know!)

Use less heat.
- I bleach my hair, so you can imagine how dry my hair is. Last few washes I've let my hair dry naturally, and it's been super soft and healthy looking, so I think that the winter is the perfect to experiment on how to make my natural curls work for me as I tend to wear a hat anytime I have to leave the house (perfect when I can't make it work for me!). So I've hidden the hairdryer for now, and the straighteners will soon be following it.

Take and print out more photographs.
- This may seem like a strange goal coming from a photography student/aspiring photographer (...and self confressed Instagram addict) but I don't mean it in a "take more photos of my feet in the bath" Or "this is what I'm having for dinner" way. I want to capture more moments in my family. At the moment my family (as in the ones I live with) only consists of Liam and I (and our doggy) but one day we do want to have children, and I know there is nothing I love more than routing through the giant box of photos at my Grandmas house and laughing at how silly my parents used to look. I'd love our kids to be able to do that.

Spend less.
- I'm getting a new camera soon, so in order to pay my lovely mother back what she's lending me, I need to stop buying random rubbish. I am a terrible impulse-buyer, so in order to combat it I'm forcing myself to think about buying something for a minimum of 3 days before I buy it (I also have to tell my partner everything I'm thinking of buying, and he is a lot more sensible when it comes to make-up than me hah!) 

I think that's more than enough for one month! Hopefully I'll be able to stick to at least some of them! Will hopefully let you guys know get a-long.

Are you guys trying to 'improve' yourself at all? I'm always up for motivating each other, so let me know!

REVIEW | Maybelline Baby Lips in "Cherry Me"

beauty




I feel I'm probably a little bit late to this party, but non-the-less I do rather like Maybeline's Baby Lips.
Essentially they are a tinted lip balm but to me they feel so much more glamorous. 

I'm not going to pretend that these have some magical lip-healing quality, but they're pretty. They feel nice on the lips, and they are hydrating, but if you're after a heavy-dubty lip balm, then go for something more like Burts Bees Beeswax Lipbalm or Blistex. However, if you want a moisturising hint of colour then these are truly wonderfull.


"Cherry Me" is, so far, the only one I own and is very pink when swatched, but shows up more "cherry" like when on the lips (at least in my case). I don't like to wear lipstick on a regular basis, as it's too much effort when I'm at uni or work all day so I think this is perfect. It takes a few swipes to build up colour so you could easily apply without a mirror, which is brilliant when I'm in lectures or photo-shoots all day.

From what I can see on the Boots website, there are 6 different scents/colours (although two seem to be clear) so you have a little bit of choice. The packaging is nice, I like how the colours of the tube and the writing 'pop' against each other. So far, the lid hasn't fallen off while it's been rolling around in the bottom of my bag, which tends to be my biggest issue with this type of packaging.


All in all, I like Maybelline's Baby Lips, and will be getting a few more colours. They'll be perfect over winter when the weather tends to dry out my lips whenever I even think of putting on lipstick. I'll still be keeping my beloved Carmex Cherry  in my bag for protection against the harsh Scottish weather, but will definitely be keeping a few of these around to add a pop of colour during the next few grey, rainy months.



My Ultimate Night-In

beauty
I'm going on a spending-ban (more on that later) so you will be getting a load more lifestyle posts from me.

My other half was away down in England this weekend, and I thought I would take full advantage of a while night to msyelf. While I think spending time with your partner is very important, a bit of 'me' time every now-and-again can make a big difference. So this is my guide for a brilliant night in;


I started by popping into Lush and picked up "The Comforter" bubble bar. I know you can say this about pretty much everything from Lush, but it smells amazing. It really is comforting, and it bubbles up brilliantly. So go ahead and treat yourself to something lovely from Lush, or some nice bubble bath or whatever takes your fancy.


While my bath was running, I slapped a self-heating face mask on, and lathered my hair in this Tony & Guy Nourish Reconstruction Mask. I'm not sure the face mask did anything, but it did feel nice and the self-heating element was rather relaxing. However, the hair mask made my hair feel amazing, and I didn't have to use too much either. Would recommend it to anyone with dry or damaged hair (Or both like me!) I'm sure this isn't essential to a brilliant bath, but I really do recommend making the most out of your bath time.


Now you just have to relax, make the most of your time alone. I took my Macbook in with me, popped it on the toilet seat and watched the latest episode of Americas Next Top Model (I've become addicted, no idea why!) If you don't have somewhere far enough away from your bath to pop your laptop, please do not take it in the bathroom with you. A relaxing night is not worth a broken laptop!

After my bath I lathered my skin in Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Buttercream and got into my PJ's (Primarks Love to Lounge range is brilliant at the moment)


Then you just need to put your feet up! I ordered myself a pizza, lit every candle I own, made a hot chocolate and lined up a load of films to watch on SkyGo. I did pan on finishing a book but Liam took the Kindle with him!

So thats my recipe for a perfect night of me-time. I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes a night to myself every now and again, what do you guys do for you me-time? Let me know!