Marriage.

I've never been one to think about marriage. For me, marriage is a long long LONG way off. Im not even thinking about children yet let alone marriage. Now I know its not some sort of individuality write off, its a vow between two people who love each other eternally. Or are meant to. I understand that some marriages don't work out, I understand circumstances change. However, my Mum and Dad have managed to defy that. 

Throughout school, my friend's parents were splitting up or already had done. I used to find the situation a bit..odd as I'd never known any different to my family life. I could never imagine having two families. Some people love the idea because of having two Christmases, two birthdays, two of every occasion. Ive always seen marriage as something which lasts forever, which is why I feel its so far away for me. My life is not stable enough to have the privilege of marriage.

My Mum and Dad have been married 30 years tomorrow. 30 years containing love, arguments, tragedy, you name it. But somehow, they've managed to come out on top. I'm so incredibly proud of my parents, which is something I wouldn't usually say. They've had some really tough times, and I mean to the point where I genuinely thought my Dad was going to die. Even after that, my parents are still as in love as they day they took those vows. Yes they argue, yes they say they hate each other but they still go to bed together and wake up next to each other every single day. They have been together since my Mum was 14 and my Dad 16, to think of being with someone for that long fills my heart with emotions  that I cant even explain. I thought being with someone for 2 years feels like an  eternity but for over 30? That must be love.

I want to thank my parents for being there for me every step of my life. For every bad choice I've made, you've both been there to pick me up and tell me to move on. For every heartbreak, every sad moment, every bad situation I've been in, you've always told me life can only get better. I want to also thank them for showing me what true love is, and for showing me that two people can coincide for many years and still be very much in love. Thank you for giving me the family I have, past, present and future. I love you both so very much, and I wish you many more happy years together as husband and wife.

          

All my love always.

♥

Zumba fitness (wii) review.

When it comes to Wii fitness games, I have them all. Wii fit, Wii fit plus, my fitness coach. You name it, I've tried it. And before I get a load of messages saying "Wii wont get you fit" blah blah, this is how I want to actually try and maintain a healthy fitness level. And in actual fact, I did lose weight from using Wii Fit but I literally went on it every single day. 

However, I have always been interested in Zumba classes, although never actually having attended one, I have no idea what to expect. I saw a couple of years ago that a game was released for the Wii and after watching video after video on youtube of people "reviewing" it, I decided to go and see if my local CEX had it in stock. To my surprise, they had one with the belt included which I instantly picked up. And for only £10, it was hardly breaking the bank and they still buy it back for a decent amount if I didn't like it. After walking round town for a while, I made my way home. 

I didn't know what to expect when I hooked the Wii up to the tv and put the game in. For starters, the music reminds me of Nando's...literally. I don't know why either! After creating a game profile, learning how to use the interface etc, I was ready to start learning the moves. Now it doesn't actually tell you this (from what I can remember, but if it does hey ho!) but the belt has to have the Wii remote on your right hip. I quite liked the look of the game at this stage as it's pretty similar to Just Dance, i.e you have a trainer to follow who indicates whether you're doing the steps right or not by turning red or green. Along the bottom of the screen, it has a progression bar (not what it's called but it's what I'll refer to it as!) which, as you perform more perfect moves, fills up and you can move onto the next level. I quite like this as some of the steps can initially be quite tricky so it allows you to go over them a couple of times. 

After learning the steps, I decided to create a workout calendar. For now, I've stuck to the pre-made workout schedule as I didn't really have time to faff about planning when I wanted to "work out". And before I knew it, I was beginning my first workout class. 20 minutes of a wii fitness game. That was my initial thought, but I was totally wrong. Good god the sweat was soon pouring off me. I can see why people go to Zumba classes, if I'm sweating this much by just using the Wii then I dread to think what it'd be like in an actual class! I naturally have quite good rhythm so I found it quite easy to keep in time with the music, but again, if you're struggling the instructor will soon tell you and won't progress to the next level without filling more of the progression bar. But the difference in all the other fitness games for me, with this, is that you actually have to move. It takes you through a couple of routines selected for your level, which you can keep track of by the timer in the bottom left hand corner. For me, I like knowing how much time I have left to see how much I can push myself, but you do have the option to hide it. What I particularly like is that you get a little break inbetween routines, or you can pause the game yourself. Coming to the end of the workout, the last routine was a cool down. I quite liked this idea after jigging about for 15 or so odd minutes, and it actually did help as I wasn't sore or achey the following day. 

My personal thoughts on this game is that I could actually see it working. I'm not one for a health fitness craze but this is something I have genuinely enjoyed, I feel myself wanting to go on the workout mode more and more. That, and I've found it insanely addictive. I actually felt as if I've had a proper workout after this, as I said before, you actually have to move otherwise you won't go to the next level. I'm going to continue using this game for a couple of months (alongside my normal fitness regime) to see if I notice any difference, but I can genuinely say I felt so much better the day after using this. I never thought I'd say that about a Wii game. 

Even if Wii fitness games aren't your thing, go ahead, give it a go. You might even surprise yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope you will too if you try it out. 

♥

Gosh x-ceptional wear makeup (foundation)

Shade 11 Porcelain. 

Now, if you were to know me in person, you'll know I'm on a never ending mission to find a foundation that actually matches my skin tone. Being a natural redhead, I have extremely fair and freckly skin. Throughout the years of wearing makeup, I've tried endless brands of foundation hoping that they'll be "the one" for me. Up to now, I've only found one other that even comes close. Until I discovered this foundation. 

When I search for a new bottle of foundation, I'm not expecting to find much. I'm fed up of reading reviews on miracle products that claim to do everything under the sun, which in reality turn out to do...nothing. I've tried high end foundation, high street foundation, I've even tried makeup artist foundation. All of which have either been too orange, too low coverage or end up sliding off my face. So, after trawling the internet for what seemed like the thousandth time, I ended up looking at GOSH cosmetics. I found a product called "x-ceptional wear makeup" with mixed reviews, but the price instantly had drawn me in. £5.99 for a product that claims to give me a beautifully matte finish with exceptional coverage which lasts for hours.  I started to think well,how good could this actually be? I wanted to try it, and I wanted to try it NOW! So I decided to take a trip to my local Superdrug and find a shade that fit my skin. 

The shade selection isn't that vast in this range, so I imagine if you have an "inbetween" skin tone you might have to mix two together. In my case, shade 11 Porcelain ended up being a perfect match for my skin tone. I made my way to the checkout, handed over the product along with some others and made my way back to my car. 

I was SO excited to try this product out, so I immediately removed my makeup I was previously wearing and started the whole application process again. I applied my Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser to my skin (which, may I add is now my holy grail moisturiser since my sister converted me..!) and let it sink in. I then began to apply the Gosh foundation. 

First impression? Well the packaging isn't that interesting and the dispensor isn't that great. You'd easily use more product than needed if you're not careful whilst squeezing it out. The product itself is very, very thick. I mean, I applied a tiny dot on my cheek, blended it in and it instantly covered my freckles. Wow. I was seriously impressed even at this stage. So, I continued to apply the foundation to my face, ensuring my jawline was fully blended and all areas were covered as I feel it'd be easy to spot any non covered areas. I let the foundation sit on my skin for a couple of minutes then set it with a powder. Hallelujah, a foundation that actually matches my pale redhead skin tone! My skin looks flawless, in a non-porcelain doll way. 

I decided to test drive this product for a couple of days before I was fully converted. One of these days included a very hot (and muggy!) day at work, which involves a lot of lifting and moving about. This foundation seriously lasts all day. Not even a tiny bit sliding off my face. The only thing I'd say is that the area around my nose became a bit...powderless? after about 6 hours but I would have expected that on that day as it was seriously humid. 

All in all, I am immensely impressed with this product. I'd recommend it to anyone to try. It's definitely proven what it's promised and for me, that's what's going to make me repurchase this when I run out. I'd even go as far as saying it's taken over my love for Revlon Colorstay and for one hell of a saving too!...so I'd just like to say a huge thank you to GOSH for finally making a product that is pale enough for us extra-pale girls and actually provides what the packaging says it does! (Well, for me anyway.)

♥

New arrivals.

Since leaving home, I've missed my Winnie cat terribly. She is literally like my child. Yes, I know that's sad to say because she's a cat and only a pet but to me, she's a hell of a lot more. Now me and my partner have moved into our new flat, we are allowed small pets (including cats) so I decided that maybe getting a kitten would be an excellent idea as it'd sort of...fill the hole where Winnie once completely filled.

A couple of Sundays ago, my Nan rang me saying one of her friend's cats has given birth to a litter of kittens. I was instantly overjoyed, especially as the lady said I'd have first pick of the kittens. I arranged to go see them the following Thursday. 

The kitten were absolutely tiny seeming as the litter was only a week old. Tiny little paws, ears and a button nose. I thought I was going to die of a cute-ness overload. The kitten I had picked up first seemed the smallest of the litter, but it also looked the most lovable. I was thrilled as this kitten instantly took a liking to me, which made my decision final. It'd snuggled into my scarf and was meowing whilst plonking it's little bum onto my lap. I made acquaintance with the kitten, but soon after I had to leave as I had work. So, with my heart filled with joy over finding a kitten, I left. 

I went to visit my Nan again today and decided to go and pay the kitten a visit. Oh my GOD, I can't believe how much my little fluffball has grown in two weeks! I instantly fell in love with the kitten once again, had a fuss for about half an hour and once again, left filled with a feeling of absolute love. 

I've got to wait another 4 weeks before I can bring this gorgeous little fluffball home, I've already got everything sorted for my new arrival. I genuinely cannot wait. 

♥

The first post.

I'm thrilled to be starting this blog. I've wanted to do something like this for SO long, but never had the guts to start it. I never thought I'd be a serious blogger. Well, here's my attempt. 

Let me introduce myself.

I'm Philly and I'm 21. I'm a bubbly redhead, I'm a piercing and stretching enthusiast. (Which I know, isn't to everyone's taste!)  I'm in full time employment, however I make the most of my free time by either taking up hobbies such as sewing or even trawling the internet for things to buy that I don't really need. I've been with my lovely boyfriend now for 2 years, our life isn't perfect but then again, who really has a perfect life?

So, what will this blog contain? Well, the answer is: anything I fancy! 

I'm highly passionate about my interests, mainly sewing, crochet and anything crafty really. My other big love in life is beauty which can mean anything from makeup, hair care and even feet. Maybe not feet as I don't really like them. So basically expect a bit of a mixture from me! 

I'm hoping this blog will be of interest to at least some people. This is my little space in the universe to share my life experiences, interests and hopefully to make some friends along the way. 

♥