Looking back...

Now all the festivities of Christmas are over and I finally have time to sit back and relax, I thought I'd do a summary of 2014. This year certainly has been such a roller coaster ride for me, I'd say this has been on par with the year my Nan died. There have been so many things that have happened for me, this year seems to have gone by in a flash.

January - I celebrated my 21st birthday, I got horrendously drunk and had a very bad hangover the next day. Also, my gorgeous little Jack sadly passed away after having him for about 13 years. RIP buddy <3

February - I received letters for two things that'd change my life. Jury service and an appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed. 

March - Quite possibly the busiest month of my life this year...early in March I had Jury Service for 2 weeks. The week after that, I finally signed the paperwork to move out of our old house to move into our new house. 

April - A week after moving house, I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. I've never been knocked out before nor have I ever had an operation but I certainly would never want to go through having teeth removed again! 

May - My parents celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary, we had a lovely family meal with my Aunties and Uncles. I also looked after my sisters cats for 3 weeks whilst she was in Florida, possibly the most gorgeous cats I've ever laid eyes on. This was also the month my Nan told me I could have one of her friends kittens.

June - This is always a busy month for me, I have 2 birthdays and Fathers day all to celebrate in this month. This was also the month I got my gorgeous Bonnie cat! 

July - I celebrated my 2 year anniversary with my Boyfriend this year, we had a lovely day out shopping and we also went to Nandos for dinner. My nephews 2nd birthday was celebrated in July with a lovely party thrown by my sister, unfortunately there were very bad thunder storms so we couldn't enjoy the warm weather but I certainly took my Auntie duties seriously that day when it came to having cake thrown at me! 

August - This was the month everything went downhill for me...I became very ill in August, after having multiple trips to hospital, I had my appendix out and didn't recover very well. I really don't remember much of this month other than I accepted a new job and spent a lot of time in bed. A lot of time. 

September - I started my new job at the beginning of September, for a couple of weeks I was in training which I really enjoyed. My Boyfriend's birthday is also in September, so as a joint present for both of us we went to see Lee Evans at the NIA, possibly one of the best experiences of my life.

October -  I didn't eat take away food for the whole of October. Nothing else really interesting happened in October... there's nothing that stands out to me anyway! Apart from the fact I finally got my name on a Coke bottle thanks to my job!

November - I finally had a week off work to chill out and do absolutely nothing after having such a busy month in October. I literally did nothing but have lie ins, lazy days and kitty snuggles. I finally got referral to hospital for my IBS which hopefully means it'll be under control soon. Oh, and I finally began eating vegetables...

December - Ahh, the lovely month of December. Christmas shopping, endless parties and obviously, Christmas day. I've really enjoyed December this year, for some reason I looked forward to Christmas and I also enjoyed seeing all my family in one place. Also, this was the month I FINALLY purchased genuine Ugg boots and safe to say...I'm in love! 

Writing all of this down makes me realise just how much I've actually done this year and how eventful it's actually been. I'm hoping next year will be a lot less eventful...in some ways. I have a couple of plans for next year, lets hope I actually get them in to action.

Here's to an eventful and memorable 2014, I hope you all stay happy and healthy over the festive period and all enjoy your new year whatever you'll be doing for it! 

♥

Where have I been?

First of all I'm going to apologise for my absence these past couple of weeks, I've had quite a rough time. I thought I'd give you all a bit of an update as to where I've been and what I've been doing. 

Work became extremely busy and after spending all day in front of a computer, the last thing I wanted to do was come home and sit in front of my laptop. This meant my blog has been neglected. 

I've also been backwards and forwards to the doctors again...my IBS has come back with a vengeance and I've been quite poorly from it. I was constantly tired, nauseous and I frequently needed to take extended breaks at work. My appetite the last couple of weeks has grown less and less too. I'm finally being referred back to the hospital to get help controlling it as it's effecting the way I live now, which is the one thing I always said it'd never do. Until you've had IBS or have had symptoms, you will never know what it's like. I've literally wanted to hide away from everyone, I've found it incredibly difficult to get out of bed, go to work and face civilization. 

I hope to get back in to the swing of things soon, we all know the next week will be a busy one so hopefully I'll have lots to blog about, with it being Christmas, new year and then my birthday all within two weeks of each other! 

I know I don't have many followers but the ones who I have, thank you for sticking around even though I'm very much in and out of blogging!




♥

November favourites.

We're in December already?! Where the hell did last month go? We all know what that means, November favourites! 


Lets kick this off with my absolute makeup favourite, rediscovery and...re-staple...? in my makeup collection. Revlon Colorstay foundation in Ivory. 

I've only recently rediscovered my love for this foundation. I previously tried the normal/dry formula for this foundation, however the grease demons on my face are back so I decided to pick up the combination/oily formula this time. Oh my god, this is like a dream on my face. Personally, I love the smell of this foundation as it's not too overpowering and it's not too cakey on my skin. I get very high coverage from this foundation, I don't need to use a concealer. I also really really like the fact that this foundation almost dries powdery. I can easily wear this foundation all day at work and through the evening right up until I go to bed. Now that's about...15 hours wear! In that time, my face has never gotten shiney and it looks exactly like it had done when I applied it. This may retail for around £12.00 in good makeup stockists, but Revlon, you've found yourself firmly back into my makeup drawer.

Second favourite of the month is the Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss crayons. 

I'm an absolute sucker for anything from Soap and Glory, I absolutely love their retro inspired packaging. These caught my eye as I've always wanted to try their lip crayon range but never had the guts to at £8.00 a pop. This was retailing at £15.00 when I purchased it from Boots, which personally, I don't think was that bad. I actually used my points on my Advantage card to buy these. The colours on the picture are a little more vivid than the actual product, however the colour payoff on these crayons are so nice. They're subtle on first application but definitely build able. My favourite out of the three is the darkest shade called "Raplumzel", it's a really deep toned colour which suits my skin tone perfectly. These are super moisturising, don't need reapplying that often on my lips and are a nice chunky size. I definitely feel like I've gotten my money's worth with these and I'll certainly be purchasing more in the future. 

What would a monthly favourites from me be without a Lush product?

Now I'm not a huge fan of some of the Lush soaps as I find them quite sickly, but I purchased Rockstar soap with my last Lush purchase and I'm so happy I did. It's a sweet but not overpowering scent, lasts all day on my skin and makes my skin feel super soft. Lush describe this as "nostalgic seaside rock" and they certainly are right. I've been using this every day now for around...a month and I've barely used anything of the smallest block you can purchase. I'd definitely repurchase this again, however I'll more than likely be switching to a different soap so I don't get bored of the scent too easily! I'm pretty sure I paid around £3-4 for the smallest block which is going to last me forever!

I actually work for Vax, however in their recent Factory Sale I fancied myself a steamer.

I actually purchased a Steam Fresh Combi as the fact it's a 2 in 1 steamer really appealed to me. After having Bonnie, I like to keep the carpets fresh to keep away fleas and also so I can clean my kitchen easily. I'm not going to write too much on this as it sounds like I'm promoting products, however if you're looking for a multifunction steamer, I really do recommend this one. I'm so impressed, my bathroom has NEVER been so clean! 

The last favourite I'll write about this month is something I've been battling with for..as long as I can remember. 

Now you're probably thinking...why have you got a picture of vegetables there? Well, to be brutally honest, I haven't eaten vegetables since I was a tiny baby, and that's not even joking. I have always eaten fruit but vegetables just really worry me and I don't know why. I've tried several times to conquer my eating habits but have only just succeeded. It felt like the right time to try again and this time, because I was in the right mindset, I was finally able to get over my fear of eating vegetables and actually introduce them as a staple part of my diet. Now I'm not gunna say I love every single vegetable out there and I'm going to try every single one, but I'm so proud of myself for even putting a beansprout or a carrot or even a parsnip in my mouth. I've actually enjoyed trying new foods and this is why it's in my favourites. 

What have you enjoyed throughout November? What are you looking forward to in December? 

♥

My thoughts on....re-usable menstrual products.

Lets just get it out in the open... we all know what this post will be about. Womens parts, blood, tampons, pads and any other sort of period related issues out there. I'm not ashamed to talk about periods, I'm quite open when I have issues or even when someone asks me a question. I've never really been shy about talking about them from an early age (practically 12 years old), and I remember starting my periods around the age of 12-13. 

I only have a period roughly every other month due to my contraceptive pill, so really, I don't use a lot of menstrual products. I'm not going to lie, I tend to buy the cheapest I can find  for exactly that reason. I have a stash of pads and tampons waiting to be used, okay they didn't break the bank but I just wanted to know what else is available out there. Sometimes I just don't like the feeling of pantyliners or pads in my pants, they just feel uncomfortable. I wont go into much detail but yeh, sometimes I just don't like them. 

Please note, I realise that this post could be seen as controversial but trust me, in no way shape or form am I influencing people's decisions to wear re-usable, disposable or any form of products. This is purely my own opinion and my own exploration into what else is out there.

Now only recently have I come to discover RUMPs or more commonly known as reusable menstrual products. Okay from first impressions, most of you will more than likely be thinking "what, reusable?? that's weird." which was exactly the same as what I was thinking. But, doing more research on these, I'm actually coming round to the idea. 

My exploration into the RUMP world began after I stumbled upon a video on youtube. A young lady, Bree, has made a whole channel (link: Precious Star Pads) dedicated to educating ladies across the world about re-usable products, hosting her own views on cloth pads, menstrual cups etc and has even made her own business from her experiences. I really admire her, at the age of 17/18, she's one of the most inspiring people I've come across and I mean that. She's not  afraid to get into the nitty gritty of periods, in fact I feel like I've learned more from this inspiring young lady about periods than I ever did in school! 

So lets get some facts about why these things are becoming ever more popular.

1. Every woman in her lifetime will have on average 400 menstrual cycles. If you think about it, that'll be around 12,000 disposable products that you'll use in your life time. Each and every one of those has to go to landfill and will take many years to degrade, and surely we all realise the push to recycle and be economical! A reusable pad/menstrual cup should last around 5 to 10 years depending on how they have been cared for. 

2. When a menstrual cup is inserted into your body, you can barely feel it as it moulds to your vaginal muscles. A cloth pad will make you feel like you're wearing slightly thicker underwear. 

3. There's no nasty chemicals that will contaminate your blood...hence the sometimes horrible odour coming from your pad or tampon. Reusable pads are made out of cotton or specifically designed materials that are made to "breathe". 

4. You can make cloth pads/tampons yourself. Yes, you can design your own pads and tampons! You can even tailor them to your own desires if you're not too keen on manufactured pad shapes. 

Of course, there's so many other things I could pick out but I'd be going on forever. The thing that really got me thinking was...how much have I contributed to landfill with my pads and tampons? As I say, I've been having periods now for around 9 years, each time having used both pads and tampons. Not so much nowadays but certainly when I was younger and my periods were trying to regulate themselves, I would go through several packs of pads a week. 

What do these things actually look like? 

Tampon

Pad

Menstrual cup

As you can see, the pads can be made in such attractive fabrics! The menstrual cups intimidate me a little if I'm being honest...I want to have a go but I'm scared I'll do it wrong then never use it again. The tampons are something I'm 99% certain I'd never use as I'm not really keen on tampons anyway, I try and steer clear of them! 

Honestly, my curiosity will get the better of me when it comes to these things. I'm not totally grossed out but at the same time I'm worried about the effort of having to wash through cloth pads. I like the convenience of disposables but at the same time I am really conscious of my carbon footprint, I'm always finding ways to better myself. Maybe this will be my next venture...

I'll leave some links to some useful information if you want to have a further look into RUMPs , I'm pretty certain I'll be trying a cup and a pantyliner pad. If I do, I'll definitely be writing a review as I'm intrigued to see how I feel about these compared to disposable products.

Precious Star Pads, This website gives so much information on reusables and also allows you to purchase from the website.

Etsy. A search for "menstrual" on Etsy brings up so many different products, I've spent hours searching through them!

Feminine Wear. Huge selection of pads, tampons and cups. Again, really good website to have a look through.

What are your thoughts on reusables? 

♥

Lush R&B hair moisturiser

I know I know, I've been meaning to do this post for so long it's unreal! However, finally finding time to sit down and blog, here we go. 

This is yet another product from Lush I'm going to sing praises for...I first discovered this when one of the kind ladies in my local Lush convinced me to try it in my never ending quest to find a product which smooths out my curly, frizzy hair. If you didn't know, I've been slowly transitioning to only using Lush products on my hair (apart from straightening balms) and in all honesty, I can really see a difference in how my hair has been since doing so. Immediately after I'd picked up my first bar of Godiva and Jungle, I merrily went away clutching my bag of goodies, including a small sample pot of R&B.

Little did I know, I was about to find a product that will literally...and I mean, literally save my hair. 

On first impressions, this yellow tub, of what can only be described as slightly melted butter, smells quite strong. It's really hard to describe...however if it's from Lush, I'm gunna like the smell of it. It's light and melts really easily when you rub it into your hands. It doesn't feel gloopy or thick, which is quite nice as by the name it suggests it'd be quite...heavy on my hair.

From dying my hair month after month for the past 4/5 years, my hair was incredibly brittle and when straightened, still looked extremely damaged and frizzy. No amount of conditioner will smooth these ends down oh no...I need something a bit more taming for my hair. Returning home, I grabbed my pot of R&B and rubbed a small amount in my hands, then through the lengths and ends of my hair. What a difference this makes... even on the first application! It smells absolutely gorgeous and makes my hair look so much slicker and smooth without making it look greasy. Instantly being impressed with this product, I couldn't wait to really put it to the test. 

Now it's been around...4/5 months since I purchased my full size pot of R&B and I've used just under half the tub, considering I use this at least twice a day I really don't think that's too shabby! I do not get any build up in my hair, it never looks greasy and it never feels like it has a huge amount of product in it. This literally melts into the hair, leaving it feeling soft, supple and generally looking really nice. Since using this product, my hair seems a lot thicker and a lot healthier. I genuinely have less breakages and hair shedding since I've been using this, I don't know if that's psychological but I genuinely feel like my hair looks a million times better. A lot of people have said "isn't your hair in good condition considering how much you dye it?" well yes, it actually is! I really do notice a difference if I forget to put this in my hair, my hair feels much more...crispy and looks extremely dry if I don't run this amazing stuff through my hair. I've also noticed my hair colour tends to stay in a LOT longer since using this, and it makes it look a lot more vibrant too.

This is definitely going to be one of my re-purchases when I run out. I'm so impressed with this product, I've been recommending it to everyone who I hear say they have brittle or dry hair. I'm down to just above half way through this tub and it has a very generous "best before" date on it, which I definitely think is cost effective as I've been using it every single day since I bought it!  

I purchased this from my local Lush store for around £10 (or thereabouts) for the smallest pot, however I'd recommend trying a sample first if you're not too sure on what to expect. You never know...you might get addicted like I did! 

♥

About me: My piercings

This is quite possibly one of the most frequent things I get asked about...my piercings. So, I thought I'd do a blog post about my current piercings! 

Now, face on, you wouldn't actually guess that I've got 12 piercings. All you're able to see is my nose piercing! Until I wear my hair up, you don't realise I actually have 11 piercings in my ears. 

Here's some pictures of my ears: 

Helix, tragus, 2 x lobe, 6mm lobe.

Industrial, rook, conch, 2 x lobes, 6mm lobe.

Some of you may be thinking...why?

Well, I just really love the look of piercings. I love the comments I get from people when they realise I have them because you can't see them without my hair being tied up. I love the fact that most people would never think I'd be the sort of people to have piercings because I don't fit the typical stereotype of someone who has piercings. I don't believe in all of that, I like them because they add to my personality. I don't get them to fit in, I get them because... I like them.

Regarding my stretched lobes, I appreciate the fact that not everyone likes the look of stretched lobes, I've had some quite negative comments about them. Mainly "what will you do when you're older?"...well, quite frankly, I'm still going to have them. I've had them since I was 17, I'm now 21. I love them as much now as the day I started stretching, I may only go to around 8-10mm but I like the fact the size I'm at now hasn't changed the shape of my lobe. I love having a look at all the different types of jewellery I can get for my lobes, my plug collection at the moment may not be the biggest but I only buy quality items. No acrylic touches these ears...

Another question I get quite a lot is "did it hurt?" Of course it hurt, of course my ear swelled a little and yes there's normally a tiny bit of blood...but you know what, I've had most of these piercings for 5-6 years now, I can't even remember how it felt to get most of them pierced. I'd say I remember my rook being the most painful as my ears are quite small and it's an awkward place but honestly, I wouldn't be put off by other people's horror stories. Yes piercings hurt slightly but if you really want it, then you'll handle it. 

I've had my fair share of piercings that I've taken out too, I wont list them but of course piercings don't last forever. I generally heal very well when it comes to piercings but sometimes, they just aren't suited to your anatomy. I've got a scar on my bellybutton where I tried hanging onto my navel piercing but in all honesty, I really don't mind that it's there because it was the first real piercing that I had, it's a reminder of why I love getting them so much. 

I know this is quite a pointless post, but I love the fact that piercings are now becoming more accepted in general. I'd just like to point out the importance of safe piercing though...I cannot believe some of the botch jobs that are out there. If you really want a piercing, do your research into correct aftercare, decent piercings and studios. Please don't go to your local Claire's Accessories to get your piercings done, go and get them done properly with a needle in a sterile, safe environment.

♥

October favourites.

So it's that time of the month again where I share with you what I've been enjoying throughout this month. This blog has had some serious neglect the past couple of weeks and it's time to kick myself back into shape! 

As we all know, October will soon be over and Christmas will be soon be upon us, but today's post will share with you what I've been enjoying in October, quite possibly one of my favourite months as the transition into Autumn/Winter starts to happen! 

To start this post off, I've really been enjoying the Carex Fun Edition Bubblegum hand soap. 

This thing smells like something directly descended from the Gods, it's so yummy. As you can see from the photo, it's really appealing to children due to it's bright colours and sweetie reference, but can I just say I was a little excited when I actually managed to find? I've used the strawberry lace and cola bottle versions of these and loved them but could never ever find this one! It leaves an absolutely gorgeous smell on your hands which isn't overpowering but you can definitely smell it. I love Carex hand soaps as they leave my hands super super soft and of course with this one, smelling absolutely delicious. I'm sure I picked this up in Sainsburys on offer for £1.00 but normally they're only around £1.50 anyway. 

The second thing I've been enjoying this month is the Essence Get Big Lashes mascara. 

I mentioned this mascara in my previous post as being one of my favourite mascaras, but this month has been the real "test drive" month for me. I've loved applying this mascara and have even been asked on a couple of occasions if I'm wearing false lashes. It makes them thick, long and it's one of the only mascaras I've used that doesn't flake off onto your face. Considering I've been using it for around 5 or so weeks now, it hasn't dried out which is also really good as normally my mascara would be nearly dried out by now. I've recommended this to a lot of people who have also said they love this mascara, so if your local Wilko has an Essence stand in it, grab this for £2.30 (ish) and get yourself an actual bargain. 

Another one of my favourites this month is quite an oldie but by no means forgotten. I'm extremely late in trying this foundation, but it's the Max Factor Facefinity Compact. 

I remember using this foundation years and years ago from one of my at the time friends, who absolutely loved it. I've been meaning to purchase this for quite a long time and I loved it, but have never felt the need to until now. Now I've begun using brushes and different tools to apply my foundation, I wanted something I could take along with me, should I need a touch up throughout the day. I picked this up in Porcelain, and me being a very pale girl, I'm extremely surprised at how well this matches my skin. In the pan, this product looks orange. I'm not even kidding, I swatched it in the shop and was like "great, it's a nice colour" but when I got it home I was shocked to find my product wasn't the same colour as the one in the pan in the shop. However, upon swatching mine, I was pleasantly surprised that it was so pale. It's an almost perfect match, if not a tiny tiny bit too dark. However, going into the winter months it'll be nice to have some sort of colour to my face! It's not a heavy coverage, I'd say more light to medium but definitely buildable. I wouldn't say it's extremely long lasting but I can definitely feel it on my face a couple of hours later. I managed to find this on offer for (I think) £7.00, but I think it normally retails for around the £15 mark. 

It's no shock to hear that I've also been enjoying yet another lip product this month. 

Again, the rosy lips vaseline is another tried and tested product but one I keep finding myself going back to time and time again. I won't go into to much detail about this as I'm sure I mentioned Vaseline in my top lip products, but I absolutely love the subtle pinky red colour this lip balm produces on my lips. These tins last me so long, at one point I'm sure I had two of these on the go as I lost one then rediscovered it! It's super moisturising, long lasting and to be honest, I wouldn't feel normal if I didn't have a tin of Vaseline hanging around on me somewhere! I picked this up for around £1.00 from Asda but I'm sure it's normally about £1.50.

Just to add to my Lush addiction, I have a new found love from there. 

I absolutely adore Lush hair products and I'm so glad I took the plunge into changing to using their shampoo, conditioner and hair moisturisers. However, this little gem seemed to pass my eyes for the past year or so. I have been using Jungle as a conditioner but felt like I needed something a bit heavier for my natural curly hair to feel "conditioned". After a good talk to one of the store assistants, I hurried away with a sample of this ready to use on my hair wash day. Can I just say, why the hell haven't I bought this before? It smells absolutely delicious, leaves my hair super soft in between washes and honestly is one of the best conditioners I have ever used. If you've ever seen a sample pot from Lush, you'll know they're tiny, however I managed to get 3 uses out of mine. This shocked me as I have really thick curly hair and usually would use SO MUCH conditioner but this is really easy to work into your hair, meaning for me, I actually used less but had extremely good results from it. After using this, I use R&B (another post I need to do...!) and my hair is left feeling silky smooth without looking or feeling greasy. I'm definitely going to be purchasing a full sized bottle of this when I get paid as I literally have fallen in love with yet ANOTHER Lush product! Kudos to you guys at Lush, you certainly know how to make your hair products. I'm sure this retails for around the £10.00 mark for one of the middle sized bottles but in my opinion, it's worth it as I say, I managed to get 3 uses out of my sample pot! 

And last but not least...I've found yet ANOTHER tool to put my foundation on with.

Now, I've seen these brushes floating around for a while and love the way foundation looks when applied with one of these so really, I had to have a go for myself. I didn't want to break the bank by spending over £10 on one from Real Techniques so I picked this one up from my local Wilkinsons for around £3-4 I think. I love how flawless this makes my foundation look when I've applied it, it doesn't cake it on and it doesn't leave streaks where I've buffed it into my skin. The bristles on this brush are really soft and delicate, and as of yet, mine hasn't even lost any bristles! It really surprised me because I was expecting for some to fall out as soon as I used it, but nothing has fallen out yet. I'm glad I've tried this out, I'm definitely converted. I love using this brush, it's really easy to clean too and dried out in literally half an hour. 

This brings my post to an end, yet another month has (nearly) passed us by! I cannot believe we're at the end of October already, this year has gone SO fast. 

What products have you been loving this month? 

♥

Top 3: Mascaras.

The last few months have been a huge change for me regarding my makeup. I've been more adventurous with both applying and purchasing makeup I necessarily wouldn't have done beforehand. One thing I'm quite...anal (shush!) about is my mascara. I like big, thick, dramatic lashes. My natural lashes are quite dark, long and thick anyway but I like serious lashes! The only downside is the price of most of the mascaras I like is normally over £10 and I'm sorry but I'm just not okay with spending that amount on a mascara. This is why I shop around and try out mascaras people normally would pass their eyes over. 

My top 3 mascaras price range is from £2.30 to £7.99, but each of these have topped it as my favourite because they all do the same thing, which is making my lashes thick, long and dramatic. 

The first mascara is Essence Get Big Lashes volume curl mascara.

Essence has taken the beauty world by storm and for quite a good reason too. I've tried a couple of their products and have been seriously impressed with them. This mascara is a good, thick formula and even though I've been using it for a couple of weeks, it doesn't seem like it's dried out at all which is a good thing because 99% of mascaras I've owned in the past have dried out in a couple of weeks! The tube itself is quite large, so it's easily to hold whilst you're applying the product. The brush itself is a classic bristle brush, but it's quite large which means it can cover more lashes in one swipe. It's also curved, which obviously means (or is supposed to...) it changes the shape of your lashes. And yes, this mascara costs £2.30. An absolute BARGAIN. This, for me, has taken over a firm favourite of mine because it does exactly the same as the more expensive mascara I will mention in this post. It makes my lashes long and thick in one swipe and is easily buildable for more dramatic lashes. I love the formula of this mascara, I love the brush, it doesn't flake off on my face and doesn't clump easily either. Did I mention it was only £2.30? This mascara retails at Wilkinsons both in store and online. 

The next mascara is Rimmel Extra Super Lash.

This was one I had been using for years as it was the cheapest I could find. Again, this mascara has a curved brush but I didn't actually realise you could get just a straight brush in this mascara too. To me, this has quite a wet formula so you have to be careful when you're applying it because if you blink it'll go everywhere! I found this was better after the first week or so of use as it had dried out a little. You definitely have to build layers with this if you want thick lashes but it definitely gives you long lashes in one swipe. The tube itself is quite thin so it doesn't feel like you get a lot of product but my last tube lasted me quite a while. I'm not sure I'd repurchase this mascara now I've found better ones, but it was one I had repurchased time and time again, normally for around £4.99. It's widely available with Rimmel retailers and online too. 

The last and possibly the most popular mascara, Maybelline "The Falsies" mascara.

This mascara is just amazing. I've used this on and off for YEARS and something just keeps bringing me back to it. This mascara gives you thick, dramatic lashes in one swipe but again is easily buildable for even more out-there lashes. The brush is almost flat and curved, it's really odd but it gets lashes I didn't even know I had. I found this mascara would crumble quite easily which was rather annoying as I'd end up with black flecks on my face throughout the day. The only problem I have is that it dries out REALLY quickly, its fine for about the first couple of weeks then it goes dry and crumbly. I love the brush on this mascara, I have tried the "flared" version of this and wasn't so keen as they seemed to have changed the shape of the brush and found it a little more difficult to reach my corner lashes. Honestly, this would be my staple if it wasn't so expensive too! It retails for around £8 in almost every drugstore, so it's easily available. 

So, there we have it, my top 3 mascaras. Which mascaras are your favourites?

♥

September favourites.

I knowwww I know, we're already 5 days into October but I've been so busy with my new job I just haven't had time to sit and blog. However, I'm not doing anything today so lets get on with the show! I thought I'd do my first "favourites" post. I'm forever reading them on other blogs and always watching videos on youtube so hey, lets give it a go. 

To start off this favourites post, I'm going to show you my favourite food for this month. It's no secret that I do my weekly food shopping at Lidl, I just cannot get enough of it. The thing I've been consistently purchasing has been hazelnut spread filled croissants. They're so yummy, I know they're a bit indulgent for breakfast but they're really nice if warmed up slightly as the middle goes gooey. They're £1.29 (I think? Or there abouts...) for 5, so if you're ever in Lidl and see these about, grab some as they're so nice! 

My second favourite for this month is the Neutrogena Visibly Clear pink grapefruit facial wash. Recently I've been suffering with really oily skin and this seems to do the trick for me. As instructed on the packaging, I've been using this once in the morning (before I apply my makeup) and at night (once I've removed my makeup). It leaves my face feeling super clean without making my skin feel tight, if you know what I mean? It smells so nice too which is a bonus! I think I bought this from Tesco (I had a mini haul from there the start of the month) for around £3.00 and even though I use it twice daily, I've barely used any of this product. 

Now I had to jump on the bandwagon of using micellar water to remove my makeup and I'm 

really glad I have. I've been using Garnier Micellar Water to remove my makeup daily and it's really improved the look and feel of my skin. It's a lot more gentle on the skin and doesn't cause me to have any sort of dry patches or irritated patches. It's really cheap too, I bought this when it was on offer in Tesco for £2.00 and it's lasted me absolutely ages, I've been using it daily for around a month now and I'm not even half way through the bottle! Now before people go "it's just normal water" it's really not, it feels really weird when it's on your skin. I can't describe it, it makes my skin feel really silky...definitely buy some if you're thinking about it! 

I'm a sucker for dry shampoo as I've stated before, I only wash my hair twice a week. I've been accustomed to Superdrug own brand dry shampoo for years, then moving on to "Girls Only" even Wilkinsons own. I then finally tried several different ranges in Batiste. My favourite so far has to be the one with cherry packaging, however when I went to my local Superdrug they didn't seem to have any in so I picked up one with really pretty floral packaging. It smells absolutely amazing and definitely makes my hair feel cleaner when I've used it. I think this was around £1.49 on offer when I purchased it, it's a pretty basic dry shampoo and I definitely love it! 

And my final favourite of the month has to be The Sims 4. This was a total surprise present from my boyfriend, I'd been hassling him for ages saying how much I wanted to buy it but couldn't afford it (£50 was a lot at the time as I recently changed jobs and had no money coming in until recently..!) so one Friday when I came home from work, he asked me to make him a cup of coffee and  there it was, in the cutlery drawer! I was so happy I literally did a little dance in the kitchen and screamed! I instantly installed it on my laptop and have been hooked ever since. Okay, at the moment I don't think it's as good as TS3, but hey, it's only just been released, let's give it time! I'll more than likely do a separate post on TS4 but for now I'll keep it brief, it's actually okay despite so many negative reviews. 

Sorry this post has been so brief but I just felt like sharing a couple of my favourites from September 2014 as I hadn't updated my blog in a while. I've got a couple of posts in mind that I'd like to do, so when I've planned those out properly I'll have them up in no time!

Hopefully I'll be back up and will be updating regularly again when I have more spare time and when I have structured rotas from work, so I look forward to updating you guys then! 

♥

The A-Z of me

I've seen a post like this on one of the blogs I follow and it looked quite interesting so I thought I'd give it a go myself. 

So here goes, the A-Z of me! 

• A - Aunty. Becoming an Aunty has changed my life so much, I didn't even realise it would. When my sister told me she was pregnant, my heart filled with so many emotions and going through the pregnancy with her was a rollercoaster ride. I remember the day he was born, I couldn't help but cry happy tears! I love my nephew more than anything and now he's getting older and is able to say things to you it makes it even more enjoyable being around him. He's adorable and I looooove him. 

• B - Boyfriend. I've been with my other half now for 2 years and 2 months, it's gone so fast I can't even believe it! We've been through so much and we've certainly had our ups and downs but we're still together after it all. <3

• C  - Cats. I am completely and utterly obsessed with cats. I have my own kitten called Bonnie who is just over 6 months old and she's GORGEOUS. I also have two cats back at my Parent's house called Winnie and Beau and I love it when I see them because they still love me despite me leaving them!

• D - Driving. I cannot stand driving. I passed my test just over 4 years ago now and at first I loved it, the sense of freedom was amazing. Dont get me wrong, I love my car, I love being able to drive but now I just find it annoying at times. I don't deal with traffic well, I get terrible road rage and I cannot park to save my life...

• E - Education. I actually really liked the last year of school. I don't know why but I just did. All the other years I absolutely hated it but year 11 was a good year for me. I didn't enjoy sixth form though, hence why I left half way through. I have pondered going back into education but it'd cost me a lot now...

• F - Facebook. I do not have facebook and I'm sick of people going on about it. I've not had it for about 2.5 years now and I don't even miss it. 

• G - Gardening. I really love gardening as sad as that sounds. I used to work in the Garden Center at Homebase and I absolutely loved it. 

• H - Hair dye. I am completely obsessed with hair dye and dying my hair. I love the smell of dying my hair, the end result and the comments I get. I'm thinking about changing my hair to pink rather than red (just for a change!) but I don't think I'd ever stop dying my hair.

• I - Insecurities. I have days where I'm really insecure about everything, especially my stomach. I hated it before I had my appendix out but since then I have hated it even more. I just wish I could wear all the baggy clothes in the world to hide it. 

• J - Jogging. I recently took up jogging as a way to keep myself fit and healthy and I really enjoy it. I had to give it up for a few weeks after I had my appendix out though as I was at risk of giving myself a hernia..I plan on getting back on track as soon as possible as I want to get back to feeling fit and healthy! 

• K - Knitting. I love anything knitted, crocheted, basically anything crafty. I have been crocheting and knitting for around 6 years now and I would love to pass the skill on to others.

• L - Leggings. You'll more than likely ever only see me in leggings as I HATE wearing jeans. I can't stand the thought of wearing them! I've recently started wearing skirts and dresses but jeans I just can't deal with. 

• M - Makeup. I have a really unhealthy obsession with makeup. Even if I don't need something, I'll buy it as the feeling of having new makeup makes me feel so happy. I'm particularly obsessed with buying lip balms, I literally have over 50...

• N - Nail biting. Urghhhh this is one of my pet hates! I haven't bitten my nails in years, I find it disgusting. I always have a nail file handy in case I have a broken nail. I hate seeing other people biting their nails! 

• O - Operations. Before this year, I had only ever had one "operation" which was when I had a lingual frenectomy when I was about 15. This year I've had two, one earlier on this year when I had all my wisdom teeth removed and one a couple of weeks ago when I had my appendix out. I have had general anesthetic for both and I can honestly say I never ever want to have an operation again. 

• P - Parents. I couldn't be without my parents, as ridiculous as that sounds. They have helped me through so much and have always been there for me when I need help, even if I have been a terror over the years. I definitely feel closer to them now than I ever have done, which is really odd as I feel like I need to see them more now I don't live at their house any more. 

• Q - Queen. I still listen to their music even to this day, thanks to my Dad. I have grown up listening to them and I can honestly say I'm not ashamed to admit I like their music. Freddie Mercury was an amazing man, it's such a shame he's not still around now as I'd love to take my Dad to see them in concert if it were to ever happen again. 

• R - Red hair. I looove my red hair, I've had it for about 5 years now and this is coming from someone who vowed to never dye their hair. I'm naturally ginger, but I would never go back to it! 

• S - The Sims. I am compleeetely obsessed with this game. I have been since I was little and I still am now I'm 21. I've bought the expansion packs on the day of their release even from the Sims original series. The only one I don't have is the Sims 4 but I'm not sure if I will get it as I've not read very good reviews on it! 

• T - Tomb Raider. This game has been one of my favourites for years. I remember playing these games with my Sister when we were younger and buying them on the release dates. We became absolutely obsessed with these games and I particularly remember me reading out the cheats to the games whilst my Sister played the games. I still have all the original 90's games too! 

• U - Understanding. I'm quite possibly one of the most understand people ever. I like having people tell me their problems as it makes me feel like a good person. 

• V - Vegetables. I don't eat vegetables and I'm not even kidding. Yes I eat potatoes but I do. not. eat. vegetables. They smell like feet and it offends me. End of. 

• W - Weekends. I don't like having Saturday and Sundays off together. Working in retail for just over 4 years, I'm used to not having my weekends off. I never get anything done on a weekend as I can't bare going out when it's busy...I really don't deal well with crowds of people. 

• X - X rays. This is a bit of a random one, but I really don't like having x rays done. I don't like seeing bones, or images of bones. Freaks me the F out. 

• Y  - Youtube. I am obsessed with youtube. I love watching "beauty gurus" and anything else that takes my fancy. My favourite youtubers are velvetgh0st (Gabby) and grav3yardgirl (Bunny). I love all of their videos and could literally spend hours watching them! 

• Z - Zoos. I don't really like zoos as I feel like animals don't belong there. I can't even remember the last time I went to a zoo...

There we have it! There's the a-z of me. A bit of a pointless post but I thought it'd be fun to do. 

♥