February favourites.

This month has been such a bad month for me it's unreal. I won't go in to too much detail but yeh - I'm glad it's over. 

Less of the doom and gloom, here's my February favourites from 2015. 

Let's kick it off with this travel mirror from Lakeland. 

I've wanted a light up mirror for SO long, whilst trawling through my local Lakeland (link) I found this gem. It was £15.99 and is the perfect size for day to day use. It uses 3 AAA batteries, but the LED lights on this mirror can be dimmed. I find this so handy, I use this mirror literally every single day whether it's to put my makeup on, pluck my eyebrows, anything. I'm happy I purchased this mirror, I was going to go for one that was nearly 3 times as much! 

My next favourite from this month is of no surprise, it's the Death By Chocolate palette by Makeup Revolution (or I Heart Makeup, whichever you prefer!) 

I pined for this for literally months. I originally wanted the Naked version but it's been out of stock for ages! I finally gave in and purchased this one and oh good lord it is literally my favourite palette I've purchased in long time. This does not disappoint in terms of pigment, longevity and colour range. I won't go too much in to this as I've not long done a post on my MUR collection. Since then, I've purchased the Naked palette which is now on it's way to me but I'll surely still be using this one as much as I do now! I love the packaging, the shades, the brand, uhhh I just LOVE Makeup Revolution. End of. As always, this was £7.99 from Superdrug but is also the same price direct from their website. 

This might seem a bit of an odd one, but it's Homepride Mild Curry Sauce. 

I don't really know why I've included this in my favourites as I've been enjoying this for years...but this sauce really reminds me of living at my Mum and Dad's. It reminds me of all the home cooked meals my Mum made when I still lived there and I just love it. There's nothing better than that feeling for me. Something that I really needed this month, it's just a bit of a comfort food. 

My favourite body scent this month is an Impulse spray called "Secret Smile".

I only have the small tin of this as I received it in a Christmas gift set and took a whim on it but oh my god, this smells amazing! Really fruity, long lasting and very refreshing. I don't generally like body sprays because I don't find that they last too long on my clothes/skin but the Impulse brand is one that I've been going back to years on end. I really like this one so it's more than likely one that I'll go back to too. There's not really much to say...it's a body spray, it's really fruity but I really really like this one. Try it out if you want something a little bit different! 

My last favourite of this month is actually a re-discovery. 

The Real Techniques face sponge has been in my makeup kit for about half a year now and I've been having a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. Some months I prefer a brush to put my foundation on with but this has really helped my skin lately. For some reason I'd broken out really badly this month which led to me getting impetigo around the corners of my mouth but this sponge really helped me put my foundation on really thinly but still being able to cover my sore areas. If you're not familiar with this product, think Beauty Blender but a tiny bit better. I'm pretty sure I paid about £6.00 for this sponge from Superdrug. 

And there we have it, February has come and gone, I'm welcoming the spring in with open arms. It cannot come fast enough for me, bring on the dewy mornings and crisp nights! 

♥

Makeup Revolution collection.

First of all, let me apologise for the absence from this blog lately. I've had so much going on, I've left my job, I've been quite poorly, I've been doing Insanity and to be honest, my heart just hasn't been in blogging lately. However, I'm back! I'm back with a positive attitude.

So without further ado, let's actually get on with this post! Today I'm going to be showing you my Makeup Revolution collection. It's a small collection but I felt it was worthy of posting, and  I felt as MUR is firmly earning it's name in beauty, it's time to add my two pence. 

On the top row we have the Focus & Fix eyebrow palette, Conceal and Cover palette and the much sought after (well...not this one!) I Heart Makeup Death By Chocolate palette. 

On the bottom row we have the Flawless 32 eyeshadow palette, Iconic 1 eyeshadow pallette, as well as Iconic 2 and Iconic 3

I didn't actually take a single photo of the eyebrow palette as it's literally a standard trio of eyeshadow shades with a wax. I normally use the colour above the wax as I find this suits my skin tone the most, it lasts all day and yeh, it's a basic eyebrow palette!

Let's have a look at the Conceal and Cover palette. I purchased this for £6 and I bought this thinking that yes, I'll use every shade and I'll love it and be converted to this. Sadly, this wasn't the case. I've only used 2, maximum 3 shades out of this palette because the staying power just isn't that great and the further down the palette, the more orange the tones get. Now I actually swatched these in the shop to see what the payoff was like and what the colours were like and I thought they were a good match. Maybe I just have a dud? I don't know. I'm more than likely going to pass this on to someone who has darker skin than me, but if you're someone with multi toned skin then this would be perfect for you. 

 The I Heart Makeup Death by Chocolate palette is the newest in my collection and I LOVE it. I've worn shades from this palette every single day since I bought it. I'm pretty sure this was £7.99? I wanted the white palette for so long and I've not been able to find it anywhere and it has been out of stock on the website for as long as I've been checking so I finally bit the bullet and bought the Death by Chocolate palette. Firstly, I love the packaging and I know this is one of the things that has caused a divide in the beauty world, some love it, some hate it. Personally, I love it. It makes the palette chunky, something that I really like. And a bonus with this palette is that is has a full size mirror in the lid which is actually very handy. When I opened this, I don't know if it's psychological but I actually thought it smelt quite...cocoa power...y? Please tell me I'm not going insane and other people have smelt it too? Either way, this palette has a gorgeous mixture of mattes and shimmers which are super wearable, the colour payoff as expected is absolutely amazing and the longevity again, as expected, is extremely good. I'm still on the lookout for the white palette but seriously don't over look this one, you'll be surprised. 

The Flawless palette is one of the largest palettes I have and for the money (£8) I thought the quality of these eyeshadows wasn't going to be so great. My god, wasn't I wrong! I love this palette, it's got such a large mixture of colours and again, it's between mattes and shimmers. I've created so many looks with this palette, it's a firm favourite right now. Colour payoff is to be expected, quite pigmented and long lasting. However, I find these shadows work best with an ever so slightly damp brush to really get that shimmer to show. The packaging is the standard MUR black, slimline palette with the full size mirror, which I really love. I'm surprised that such a budget brand has this type of packaging to be honest but I'm pretty sure it's not just me that likes it. The shades in this palette are such a warm tone, apart from the few at the top which I use as either a base colour or a transition shade. I especially love the second to last row, the colours make my eyes look so green when I use them. I'm pretty sure there's another palette called Eyes like Angels (or something along those lines) but I wasn't too keen on those colours but again, I'm not going to overlook it as I may change my mind in the future. 

 Ahhh, the Iconic palettes. These were the palettes which have lead to my obsession with MUR, as I found out they were a very very good dupe for the UD Naked palettes (which I refuse to part with my money for!). I'd never heard of the company before so after doing a little bit more investigating, I've grown to love them. Even though the packaging on these are a little different to the newer palettes, I still don't feel let down. I purchased these at £4 each which in my eyes, is SO cheap! These palettes are absolutely amazing payoff, again with most of the MUR palettes these are a mixture of shimmers and mattes but in the most gorgeous warm tones. These have taken a bit of a back seat in my collection as it's expanded but after looking at them this morning, I definitely need to start using them again. 

If you're one of these people like me who become addicted to Youtube, watching people buying all these new MUR palettes and raving about them, as soon as you get one you will understand why. I'm not sure just how long Makeup Revolution has been around for but their products are a firm favourite of mine and thousands of others. I don't know how they release so many new palettes so frequently (I've even heard that it's possibly MUA repackaged...I don't believe that!) but this company have certainly taken the beauty industry by storm and for good reason too. I'm slowly going over to the I Heart Makeup range too with their lip lavas (omggg!) but I thought I'd give you an insight in to my collection that I have at the moment. 

Have you tried anything from Makeup Revolution or from the I Heart Makeup range? If so, what are your opinions? 

♥

January favourites.

Now January has flown by in a flash for me, I literally cannot believe it's already over. This month has been eventful, but now as the end of the month is looming, this can only mean one thing, favourites post time! 

Let's start with my absolute favourite thing this month, the Ted Baker body spray. 

Oh my god, this thing smells amazing. I don't even know what scent it is, it doesn't have any clue on the bottle either. I received this in a gift set my Boyfriend's mum bought me for my birthday and I've used to every single day since I got it. I love it, it lasts such a long time on my skin/clothes, I've barely used any of this considering how much I've used it. I'm really not sure how much this retails for as I've never seen it around but I'm pretty sure you'd be able to pick it up from Boots or something. 

Another favourite this month has been the Makeup Revolution Focus & Fix eyebrow kit. 

I bought this because I wanted to define my eyebrows a little more than just using a pencil, as I find when I blend that in, it looks as if I've done nothing to my eyebrows. I purchased the medium to dark shades as I have naturally quite light eyebrows being a redhead and all, they're slightly brown but slightly blonde but I wanted to go a little darker because my hair is red and I wanted them to..stand out? After using this, I have really nice thick and defined eyebrows and to be honest, this actually lasts all day. I wasn't expecting it to last that long as it's only a powder and I've not actually used the wax that's in it, but my god this has serious staying power on my skin. I'm a huge fan of Makeup Revolution, every single product I've bought of theirs I have been seriously impressed with and this does not fail to impress like the others. I purchased this from Superdrug for £3.50, however you can also purchase this directly from their website for the same price. 

I've found my love for Innocent smoothies again this month! 

These smoothies were a regular in my lunchbox when I was about 13-14, but I hadn't drank them in years. When I took a trip to my local Sainsburys a couple of weeks ago I realised these were on offer at 2 for £5.00 and I really fancied them. Talk about impulse buying...however I'm so glad I did. I've taken one to work every morning with me since and it's been such a nice change to my morning break rather than having a brunch bar. I've found cheaper alternatives since I've done a bit of scouting around but seriously these little cartons pack such a punch of flavour, although I'm not too keen on the sugar content...I think they normally retail for around £2-3 per box in nearly every supermarket that I've been to. 

The next favourite this month is actually something I was bought for Christmas. 

I was bought this as a present from my Sister and my brother in law in a box set from Lush. This is the Mangnificent soap bar and needless to say, I loooove this. The smell is absolutely amazing. I wasn't too keen at first because it smelt quite sweet but once I'd used it, it smelt amazing. It makes my skin SO soft and leaves just the right amount of scent on my skin which lasts all day. I've used this a lot this month and the same as most Lush products, I haven't really used a lot of it. The bar I got I presume was the normal size which is 100g for £4.00 but this was actually in a box set called Tutti Frutti. 

And last but not least, my last favourite(s) this month are the Yankee candle wax tarts.

I friggen love these things. I've had my wax burner for about a year and a half now and I've had countless amount of these wax tarts. My absolute favourites are Sweet Pea and also Pink Honeysuckle. I've recently bought a few more such as Shea Butter and also Cassis, oh my god they smell amazing. I seriously would not be able to be without one of these any more. I've never been a huge fan of the candles because I find I like to chop and change between scents which this allows me to do. I've also recently found out that if you put the  solid wax in the freezer once the scent isn't as strong, it brings the strength back in the scent. This I'm sure will save me quit a bit of money over the next few months! These are available in a HUGE amount of scents, usually around the £1-2 mark. I've certainly got my own little stash of these....

Another month gone, another 5 of my favourites. What have you been enjoying in January? 

♥

How I deal with IBS.

Granted this isn't the nicest of blog posts I'll ever do, but I feel like I need to make awareness of IBS more out there. I'm one of the millions of people suffering with it, and I'm amongst the many that don't actually want to talk about it. I'm not posting this just for my benefit but so others can see exactly what my day to day life is like. 

Since being "diagnosed" (I hate that word...) my life has completely changed. I've known I've had stomach issues for around 4 years now - not long after a trip to Liverpool. I caught a very bad stomach bug and ever since, I catch nearly every stomach bug going. I only really became aware of it when it started to change how I live...meaning I now stay in a lot more than I go out because I can't be anywhere where I don't know the location of the nearest toilet. People think I'm joking when I say that, but I can barely make it to work which is 10 minutes away, without rushing straight to the toilet when I get there. 

I hate the stigma that surrounds my IBS, a lot of people think I fake it because one day I can be absolutely fine and the next, I could be a blithering wreck. This is just how it is. I never know how I'm going to be one day to the next, however lately it's taken a toll for the worst. A lot of people think I'm overthinking this but I'm simply not.  Every single day I wake up feeling extremely nauseous and within half an hour of being awake, the stomach cramps start. I can go to the toilet about 5-6 times before I even leave for work and when I do, I start getting hot and I get cold sweats, then I start to panic. Not because something bad will happen, but because the cramps are so intense that I can't do anything but simply let my body do what it wants to do. 

For example, this weekend is my full weekend off from work and I've done nothing but stay in my pyjamas and watch tv on the sofa under the duvet because I cannot face going out. Today I've been to the toilet around 10 times and it's only 1pm. My stomach is bloated, I feel nauseous and I cannot eat anything due to this. Is this really how I should be living my life? Shouldn't I be going out, doing the things that I really want to without thinking "Where's the nearest toilet?"...

I have to be extremely careful which foods I eat as literally anything can set my IBS off. Pasta, cheese, potato, chicken, anything. I cannot pinpoint one thing that makes my stomach churn. Like I said before, I can eat something one day and be fine, then eat it the next and become very poorly from it. I've had to keep a food diary for the last 6 months or so and there isn't any sort of definite pattern. I cannot eat breakfast because it makes me feel so sick, no matter what I try. The only thing that works for me in the morning is peppermint tea, I find that really helps my stomach to settle. I generally don't eat until around 10-11am, where I find my stomach starts to calm down. 

I've been backwards and forwards to the doctors numerous times about my stomach and each time they've told me to try different things. I've now been told I have to take a similar product to Imodium every single day, alongside buscopan. Failing this, I'll be moved on to something else. I'm now waiting for my hospital appointment to come around so I can have more tests done to find out exactly what's happening but I'm starting to worry. Not because I'm scared of getting a diagnosis of something, but I'm worried about how I'll feel about having this for the rest of my life. I can't explain it...

I constantly feel like there's a huge weight on my shoulders, I'm always thinking about where the nearest toilet is no matter where I go. I dread having to go out in case I get caught short, I even try to make myself think I'm okay but in reality all that does it make it worse for me. I find myself getting upset with myself on a regular basis because there's nothing I can do at the minute to help myself. Now to look at me, you wouldn't think that all of this is a daily occurrence for me but it really is. Every single day I wake up wondering how I'm going to feel, if I'll even make it to work and how I'll feel so the rest of the day. When I wake up I feel so bloated, I avoid wearing certain items of clothing now just so other people can't notice it. 

For all the people that make jokes about toilets, stomach issues and the embarrassment around them, just remember someone is actually having to deal with this every single day of their life. Not just me, but many people around you. Just have some consideration for those people even if they don't make it known to you that they have stomach troubles. 

The real reason I'm writing this post is because I just want to make myself aware how much IBS has really changed my life and how much people tell me it shouldn't. It's difficult living every single day not being able to eat the foods I want to and drink whatever I want to. If you have a stomach issue, just remember there are so many people around you that potentially have one too, it's better to talk about it than to keep it to yourself. 

♥

Things I have planned for 2015.

I've never been one to make New Years resolutions because I just simply don't keep to them. I don't see why one day of a year should change who or what I am for the next 365 days. However, this year I've made a pact with myself to achieve some targets and I'm not going to beat myself up over if it I don't reach them to the full extent. 

I need to learn that it's okay to say no and keep to it. I'm a nightmare for saying no to something and then giving in, it's probably my worst trait. I aim to please other people as much as I can but I learned last year that it did more harm than good. 

Buy less, use more. I have a serious makeup addiction, I cannot go to town without going in to Superdrug or Boots and walk out without buying something. It's impossible for me. But after re-organising my makeup collection, I realised that I need to use more of what I'm actually buying rather than use it once and never again. My lip product drawer is just ridiculous, I have some things in there I haven't even opened! 

I aim to eat at least 4 healthy dinners a week. This for me is a huge thing as I've only recently started eating vegetables. I've really been enjoying stir fry lately and it's really filling which is a good thing because I find myself searching less for sugary snacks to fill the gaps. I find it especially hard too as my partner can eat anything and never feel bad for doing so, but due to my IBS I have to be extremely careful with what I eat...unless I fancy suffering the consequences in the following hours! 

Following on from that, I aim to get out and about for at least 45 minutes, 3 times a week. This isn't just for exercise but for my own sanity! I spend a lot of my time indoors, I work in a busy office then come home and spend all night on the sofa. I need to get out and do something, even if it's just for a walk down the road to see my parents. I also want to kickstart my Zumba again as I've really been slacking with that. I plan on getting back down to a healthier weight, also so I can feel a lot better about myself.

This year, I plan on going to see my sister in London. Now that seems like an odd thing to achieve, but I really don't travel well. I can barely make it to work (10 minutes away...) without feeling sick and that anxious to the point where I make myself have panic attacks. Not only do I want to get better at travelling, I also want to go and spend time with my sister, walk about London and actually do something! 

I also plan on taking time to appreciate things that really matter to me. This sounds so obvious, but last year I felt like I took a lot for granted. I want to look back on 2015 and remember the good things that happened, rather than the bad. I really want to make a memory jar this year just to see if I can actually stick to it, and to be able to read back on all the good things that have happened this year. 

I won't list all of the things I plan on doing this year because I'd be sat here typing for ages! I felt like writing these down would help me actually achieve them rather than me just thinking I'd be able to. You might be reading this and thinking that some are extremely cliche, but for me, they're personal targets which I aim to fulfil. 

What are you going to do this year, have you got any resolutions?

♥

December favourites.

Another month down, another post showing you my favourite things. This month I didn't particularly have many makeup items as I'm on a buying ban, but here's some of my favourite things from December.

First of all, let's just accept the fact I have become horribly addicted to Netflix. One show in particular being American Horror Story. 

I have no idea why I like this programme, if anything I didn't really understand what was going on but it certainly had me hooked from the first episode. 

Another thing I'm extremely late on the bandwagon with is Breaking Bad. Again, I owe this to my addiction with netflix!

Now I'm not going to lie, this programme has taken me a while to get into because I just didn't get what everyone was raving about. However, I've been hooked since the second series and it's constantly on my TV, I cannot wait to watch the next episode. Maybe this is telling me I need to get a social life...

In December, I was able to renew my phone contract. I'd had a Samsung Galaxy s3 for around 2 years but it rapidly went downhill when the battery would only last an hour or so before dropping to 20% and the screen would frequently turn purple and green. 

So, off I went to carphone warehouse to get me a new shiney phone! I opted for the Nokia Lumia 930. Now before you all go "why?!" let me tell you something. I hate iPhones, I just cannot get my head around them, Samsung I genuinely didn't want to go with again and anything else was far too expensive. Now this little beauty is £31.50 a month for unlimited texts and calls with 4gb of internet. Now I really cannot complain about that as it's cheaper than what I was paying before and I get heaps more! I'm really happy with this phone and if anything, I enjoy using it. It's really easy to use and I can keep it hooked up with my windows 8 laptop. 

Now my next favourite was actually my main Christmas present from my Boyfriend. 

I've wanted a food mixer for as long as I can remember and he totally surprised me with this one. You can't really tell but on the picture it's a baby pink colour but let me tell you, it's even better in real life. It's very much a bubblegum pink which looks amazing. The top part detaches so you can use it as a hand mixer too which is a bonus as mine broke! I've only used it a couple of times as I've really not had much time to go and buy ingredients to cook with but oh my god I'm totally in love. 

It may have taken me nearly 4 years to invest in my next favourite but I am SO glad I did! 

I finally treat myself to a real pair of Ugg boots. My ex had bought me a fake pair years ago and tried making me believe they were real....they've been faithful to me in respect that they've never had a stain on them, they're still in pretty good shape and to be honest I will continue to wear them when I don't want to get my real Uggs messy on rainy days or if I'm going somewhere I know will be muddy. But my god, you can definitely tell the difference and I'm so glad I waited this long as I really appreciate these ones even though they were purchased with my own money. I've worn them countless amounts of times already and they're yet to misshape, get dirty or even feel gross inside. I loooove them. 

Now I realise December isn't a month really for treating myself so this favourites post isn't the most exciting one I'll ever do. But at the end of this month I'll have more to post as it's been my birthday and also new year.

Until next time! 

♥

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! 

♥