Car Boot Sale Haul #2

As mentioned in my previous post, once I get back into 'car-booting' I really do get drawn in. The

main perk of car boot sales for me are how cheap they are, I believe that's one of the main excuses I have for buying so much every time I go. However I have been trying to only purchase items that will be put to good use e.g. storage, but obviously along the way I can't help but notice a few good bargains here and there! 

For the first time me and Kathryn actually decided to visit a different car boot, still local, but maybe had a few different sales going on. Sadly I didn't prefer the layout as much and we couldn't seem to find 'the one' (what we call a good find when at car boots). But as you can see, I did seem to find a few good bargains - as well as a really good hot chocolate! 

 NYX glitter creme palette | £1

Rimmel eyeshadow quad | 50p

The Body Shop bronzer in 01 Golden Bronze | £1

Vase | £1

Fake flowers | £1/50p per stem (...and yes I bought more flowers)

Cutex hand & nail cream | 50p (I'm not sure it gives you '50% stronger nails', but I mainly picked this up because it was pocket size and easy to slide into my handbag!)

A pretty little trinket to put my hair clips in... | £1

I did manage to also pick up a circular wicker basket (featured in the first post), which I've used to store a few shower/bath products. That was also only 50p! But until next time... because I know there will be one, as I went to another car boot again today. Have an amazing week and enjoy the last few moments of sunshine, because before long we'll be well into Autumn and then it will be Christmas (yes, I'm already thinking about the festive season). I also can't wait to sport some autumnal outfits, so keep an eye out for some fashion posts soon hopefully...

What do you like about Autumn? 

Car Boot Sales Are Back

When last years car boot season came to an end I was longing for next summer to begin. However saying that, I've only just in the past few weeks started going to them again. I'm not sure why I didn't jump to the chance of attending one again, I may be due to the fact my most local one sadly wasn't open throughout the whole of July! But having finally found a date when I'm free to go, I actually managed to potter around and unintentionally find some great bargains. Though you do have to work up some good haggling skills to get the best deal, it's hard to get the hang of it again having not been to a car boot in over a year. 

So I thought, considering I didn't actually have a blog this time last year, it would be a perfect idea to share with you some car boot purchases! 

Barry M Gelly Nail polish | 75p

 Estee Lauder creme lipstick in Crystal Coral | £2 

A lovely finish, more on the orange side for a coral, but still wearable and perfect for everyday. I assume it's limited edition

Small makeup mirror | £1

Mac Zoom Black mascara | 75p 

Sadly when I opened this at home it was dried up, however it can contribute to a new lipstick as this is one 

of the products that mac allows their customers to use on their 'back to mac' deal.

Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick in 06 egerie | £3.50 

And no... this isn't real sadly, the packaging looks very realistic but once I opened it I knew straight away. It smells fairly odd, and the finish of it doesn't look the best. But at least I didn't waste £6, as that was the price the lady originally wanted it for!

The flowers featured in this post are actually another one of my purchases, I hope you thought they were real because they're not! They were only 50p per stem, a few larger were £1, but altogether it only came to around £4 for the whole bunch. 

I hope you found this post interesting, as much as I find reading posts concerning car boot sales. I'd also like to apologise for lack of content on my blog, a whole summer without blogging... I know that's pretty bad. I did have time. But I chose not to as I believe a break from even hobbies once in a while is never a bad thing, I also didn't want my blog to become chore which I must complete/post for the sake of it. But I managed to find my way to an alternative car boot sale today, as my usual one wasn't running, therefore another haul is most definitely on its way... Have a lovely week back at school! I know school isn't 'lovely', but after a long break, I find myself remembering the perks school includes.


Have you discovered any good buys this summer?

An Update & Something I've Been Enjoying...

It's been over a month, and almost 2 weeks after my final (but only 2nd) exam. Devoting my time to blogging has decreased a lot recently, I no longer find myself participating in blogger chats or drafting posts. But summer is almost around the corner, and writing this now actually makes me realise how much I've missed blogging over the past month. There are so many things to talk about, so many things I want to share. However I sometimes question whether I have enough commitment for future blogging. I won't stop blogging any time soon, I know that for sure. But I do wonder why I find it hard to keep up with something I enjoy... Do you ever feel that way? Anyway, I'm not going to blame this on exams, because this years are done (except for some mocks). But instead be truly and say it how it is; I just haven't felt the need to blog, or want to. But that doesn't mean I won't in the future.

Besides my irregular intervals of content appearing on my blog, I wanted to come back with a positive post. A review on a skincare product that has become a part of my skin care routine daily, well, I say routine... I just seem to be using this and that's all. That may sound bad, but I think it shows my love for it.

Having never tried a micellar cleansing water, I was eager to... Especially where there are brilliant drugstore alternatives. The Garnier micellar cleansing water stands at only £5, and I got this on a deal for only £3.50! It really had become my daily routine, just this. Occasionally I will use a scrub/exfoliating face wash, when I feel my skin needs it. However once I used this, the convenience of it made me lazy and I've stopped using my other forms of skin care. Which I don't think is bad, because using so many chemicals on my skin slightly scares me (probably physiological... Even though I wear makeup every day). I am very impressed with this product, Garnier never seem to let me down with skincare. And the fact it takes off my makeup so quickly, leaving my face refreshed and clean, just encourages me to use it all the time an take advantage of how convenient and easy it is. The price really is worth what your purchasing, as you get 400ml of product (which claims to give 200 uses). Therefore, from a budgeting point of view, you can't really go wrong.  


So yes, I really did feel the need to talk about this product. As the amount I've been at using it really reflects my love for it, and I believe it will be a staple in my skincare routine for a while - which is strange for me, because I'm always changing the products I use to cleanse my face. Also, in the future I may be taking about some more skincare products I'm putting to the test; I'm trying to break this habit of just relaying on this one skincare product! 

I hope you found this post interesting, or it gave you a bit more information concerning this product.


Please tell me down below any skin care products you have been enjoying, or whether you've tried a micellar water before... I would love to know your thoughts! 

Seaside Photography and a casual outfit

I'm back, and back with something different to what I usually post. Most of the time I write about beauty, but only occasionally will include a lifestyle or fashion posts - so here is an fashion/lifestyle post! (Which I hope to be doing more of, especially the fashion side).

First of all I would like to apologise for the lack of content recently on my blog, exams and school never fail to get in the way. But I won't purely blame it on school, as I have felt uninspired and demotivated to produce anything 'blog wise'. But with that to a side, I really want to share with you a day when I went to the seaside in Easter. Therefore I decided to also show you what I wore (nothing special, just casual), as well as some photography on the beach.

 

Coat - Topshop | Jeans - Topshop | Boots - New Look | Jumper - TKMaxx (from Bravesoul)

Hope you've had a lovely bank holiday weekend, and if you have exams coming up... Good luck!


What have you been up to recently? 

Boots Natural Collection Body Sprays | A Cheaper Alternative

If you've been searching for a cheap and cheerful body spray, or an alternative to the £12 Hollister mists - then you've come to the right place. If not, then this post may just inspire you to try something new out! 

I've always thought carrying around a body spray was a great alternative to carrying around you most loved and expensive perfume. Just for on the go, when you want a quick splash of fresh fragrance. Obviously body sprays aren't less concentrated and definitely don't last as long as a perfume, but you can purchase a lot more product for an incredibly cheaper price. Yes, some body sprays *cough* Hollister's *cough* are expensive, but I've been questioning recently if they're really worth the price (£12 per 250ml bottle, or 3 for £24). 

Every time I walk past the Hollister store I can't help but smell their 'signature' scent - musky, but sweet and 'girly' too. Therefore a while ago I decided to purchase one of their body sprays, and opted for the scent 'crescent bay', one of their most popular scents and I can understand why. The pink liquid in contained within a clear plastic tall bottle, which is labelled with their pretty packaging. As mentioned before the bottle holds 250ml of product, and it really seems to last forever. But I knew I could find a product that was just as good, for a much more reasonable price. Which successfully, I have.  

I wouldn't say Boot's natural collection body sprays meet all the standards of Hollister's, but for me they do just fine. The Boot's sprays come at a price of £2 - but I happened to catch a 3 for 2 deal, and got 3 for £4. Whilst the Boot's sprays are significantly cheaper, I obviously wasn't expecting the quality to be as good as a £12 spray. So yes, the amount of product only came to 150ml and the packaging is pretty basic and not so luxurious. Other than that, the collection still contains at least 3 scents I really love (I chose mango & papaya, apple & lime and vanilla). Out of the three I wear the apple an lime the most, and the vanilla the least. As I can find the vanilla a bit too sweet at times, but it varies meaning having 3 to chose from is perfect really. 

As much as I wanted to repurchase Hollister's sprays again, and take advantage of their 3 for £24 deal. I knew buying 3 boots sprays for £4 would save me £20 - and £20 at my age adds a lot to my purse. I'm just glad I opted for this alternative, as these body sprays do have less product, but actually work out fitting in my handbag better too. Meaning no regrets here, even though I'd love to try the rest of Hollister's range. But I did manage to get my hands on some of Hollister's body care for only £3 in the sale, so click here to see a full review of their hand and body cream. 

Hope you've had a lovely Easter and holiday off - the perfect time for hobbies like blogging, that's if you don't have exams... And sadly I do. Therefore I apologise for not posting for quite some time, as well as having limited time I feel uninspired. However once exams are over I will make a conscious effort, and remind myself how fun it is to share all my beauty and fashion thoughts with you all!

Have you tried any of Boots' natural collection body sprays? 

Spring Makeup

 Products used: Boots essentials moisturising cream, Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in 100 ivory, Lasting Perfection concealer in 01 fair, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 004 sandstorm, Eco Tools large powder brush, Sleek Face Form palette in light, MUA Undress Your Skin shimmer highlighter, Elf Eyebrow Kit in Light Ash, Natural Collection Lash care mascara (clear mascara used as a brow gel), Urban Decay Primer Potion, 17 Rose Quartz single eyeshadow, Urban Decay Naked & Virgin eyeshadows (from the Naked palette), NYX the curve eyeliner, Maybelline The Falsies mascara, Collection Cream Puff moisturising lip cream in fairy cake 03, 17 Mirror Shine lipstick in beehive (on top of Collection Cream Puff) and GOSH velvet touch waterproof eyeliner in 006 bananas. 

Buds of crocus and fresh yellow daffodils are the first sign of spring for me. As soon as the days start getting longer, and the evening are lighter I know summer is also soon to arrive. With 2014 already rushing by so fast, I couldn't not include a pretty spring makeup look. With the colder weather behind us and brighter days to come, all the elements of spring really inspired me to create this look. I had this idea in mind for a while, and already made one attempt a few weeks back. But the outcome just wasn't what I hoped, so I tried again this weekend spontaneously and the result is much preferred. 

I decided to use a few new products I had bought yesterday, one being a gorgeous Rose Quartz eyeshadow from the makeup brand 17. The eyeshadow wasn't something I thought would associate with spring as a colour, but once applied it turned out just perfect. The Rose Quartz eyeshadow blended into a slightly deeper purple, therefore I wanted to make the lips quite bright by using a fresh pink shade. As for the rest of my face, I make a conscious effort to apply some bronzer, blush and highlight - this is no longer something I would apply on a daily basis. To keep it simple as a base before this, I used a daily moisturiser and mixed a small amount of foundation with this to create a tinted moisturiser - which I applied with a stippling brush to give a more sheer coverage. To finish of the eyes I used my everyday mascara, then attempted a winged eyeliner... But failed so kept with the general swipe of black along the lash line. All the products I used for this look are listed above, some of which I may review in the future as I'm already really enjoying using them. Hope you liked this post as I don't do makeup looks very often, but I would love to do more. Have a lovely week! 

How does the season of spring inspire you? 

Ocean Salt

Skincare, an element of beauty that has grown upon me. Yes some days it becomes a chore, however a lot of the time I really enjoy washing, scrubbing and cleansing my face - it's just such a refreshing feeling to get rid of all the makeup and dirt hidden beneath your skin. When I received a lush box for christmas containing several products, I really was excited to try some of their skincare. I'm already fond of their bath bombs for sure, but for some reason had never chosen to try any of their skincare.  

Lush is a brand and a shop I really love. When you walk into the shop there's always that distinctive soapy scent lingering, and I can't forget to include their customer service as they're always so helpful! But after been given a few of their products for christmas and realising how much I love them, I think lush will be a shop I'll visit a lot more in the future. 

Today's post will feature one of the products from the gift set I got, which is Lush's Ocean Salt face and body scrub. I think there was a slight blue theme in the gift set, apart from a happy hippy shower gel (be expecting some more posts concerning some of these other lush products soon!). When it comes to scrubs they're not a skincare product I would use daily as I think it can become harsh on the skin. Therefore I would normally use the desired scrub every other day, however this scrub not even that. It's very harsh on the skin. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, as this product really does it's job. Meaning I normally use this weekly, if not every other week when I really feel my skin needs it. I have combination skin, and can experience dry patches whilst also having oily skin throughout the day. So when my skin really needs exfoliating I instantly reach for this product.

This scrub can be used on the face and body, but as I got a separate body scrub from the set I thought if designate this for exfoliating my face instead. With lashings of 'fine sea salt', organic limes to brighten and avocado butter to soften the skin - the scrub really does leave your skin feeling super soft. It says 'fine sea salt' but I'm not sure I would call it fine, as it's quite abrasive on the skin. The 100% recycled plastic tub holds 70g of product, which can then be sent back to the store with 4 other finished tubs or tubes - so you can then receive one fresh mask for free! All Lush products also support fighting animal testing, which is a great bonus.

Concentrating more on the product itself... I really have been enjoying using it and don't want to finish the tub. I'm not sure what price it retails at, but the only mishap when walking into the store is that I know Lush can be fairly pricey (well for me, and what my purse contains). But after using this several times, I don't think i'll be able to find another product like it. Yes I own quite a few scrubs which I really enjoy using, however non of which really preform as well as this one.  

In a nutshell. It smells, looks and feels divine - containing natural elements such as salt, which really help the skin recover and keep healthy. I just hope when I finish the product and pop into Lush for a repurchase, that it's not too pricey for my pocket.  

I hope you enjoyed this post and apologies for the lack on content on my blog recently. Sadly the light sensor in my camera has gone, and went a while ago - meaning the problem is only getting worse. So I'm currently finding it hard to picture any products without the outcome being a white blur, and this means I can't post as regularly; a bloggers worst nightmare. So with a hope to get that sorted, any help below about digital cameras (I own and use Nikon L310) and a bust light sensor would be appreciated. 

After not composing nor posting much, writing this made me realise how much I enjoy blogging as a whole - I've always tried to keep in mind it's a hobby and not a chore! Have a lovely week, and I really hope I can post again next Sunday. 




Have you tried Lush's skincare? 

P.S Love Brow Pencil | A Quick Review

P.S Love Brow Pencil in Light | £1

I wasn’t intending on sharing my brow ‘routine’/what products I use on my brows, to then write a negative review on a brow product straight afterwards. Yes, this will be a negative post. But we can’t not be negative once in a while, when sharing how we feel about particular products. As much as I enjoy sharing what I love, sometimes I feel the need to also talk about what hasn’t pleased me so much.

When I heard Primark (a clothing store, if you didn’t already know), were bringing out a makeup range, I was suddenly intrigued. In the past Primark have supplied the basic cosmetics, and still do, but how now established a makeup range called P.S Love. I instinctively knew this range was going to be far from over priced, as its Primark. But was unsure if the quality would in any way surprise me. I didn’t actually purchase much from the range, only a few products – one of which I shall be sharing with you today!

As mentioned previously in my ‘Eyebrows’ post, I was on a hunt to find an affordable new brow product. With my current e.l.f. brow product virtually gone, I felt pushed for time. Filling in my brows is a step I rarely miss out, and having nothing to fill them in with wouldn’t be great. But even after purchasing a new brow product, I’m sadly still searching. 

Having three shades to chose from - light, medium and dark - I opted for the light shade hoping it was a cool toned brown. Annoyingly it wasn’t. When swatched and also applied to the brows it becomes even more obvious that this ‘light’ brown pencil is very warm toned – the one thing I avoid. I have blonde hair and dark blonde eyebrows – therefore I need a cool toned light brown to match. I’m obviously not expecting a £1 brow pencil to be the perfect shade, but it also had a negative element which I didn’t even know could occur.

Once I applied the product (considering I didn’t apply much), I then went in with the spoulie it had on the other end. Assuming this would brush through the brows to give a natural finish, instead it made it look a whole lot worse. The consistency of the product must have been so blend-able, because half the product I applied wasn’t on my eyebrows anymore, and was around them. It left my eyebrows surrounded by a brown pigment, but all due to blending it out with the spouile. However I think the consistency of the pencil was to blame here, not the spoulie. Meaning this product did let me down, but considering it was only £1, my expectations weren’t initially too high.

This has left me still searching for another brow product, which I hope works out better for me than this one did. But if you have any suggestions or recommendations, please leave them below! I’m also sorry about not posting last Sunday; I’ve had quite a few MOC’s and tests at school, which I prioritise over blogging. I would love to share my thoughts more than once a week, but somehow I don’t see that happening any time soon (except from the summer holidays…no work for 6 weeks!).

Have a lovely week and be expecting another review on another product from the P.S love range soon (hopefully a bit more positive).  

                                                                                                                              

Have you tried Primark’s P.S Love makeup range? What do you think? 

Eyebrows

I didn't actually intend on writing and sharing a blog post about what products I use on my eyebrows. However, when photographing a lot of products at once for future posts, the idea suddenly came to me. I actually find it quite interesting to see how others shape/fill their brows, as a lot of the time I’m envious of those who have perfected brows, haha.

Especially with being blonde, finding the right shade is pretty hard. As for being a brunette, normally a simple dark brown works perfectly. But with blonde hair, yes my brows would be darker (and are naturally), but I’m always on the hunt for a ‘good’ light brown. I always find when I purchase a ‘light brown’ eyebrow pencil, the colour once applied is way too warm. But I then realised what I was looking for, was an ash toned light brown, but sadly out of the entire ‘light brown’ brow products I've bought all have been too warm toned. Except one, the e.l.f. eyebrow kit in ‘Ash’. The only sad thing is that e.l.f' isn't very easily accessible, as if I was to order from e.l.f. I would have to do a ‘big shop’ to make it worth it – and I can’t justify doing so. So as much as I love this product, its running low and I would really appreciate suggestions of what other accessible (UK) ash toned eyebrow products there are out there!  

Despite the fact I probably won’t repurchase this, I’m still obviously going to talk about how much I've loved the product. Therefore this weeks post will include what products I currently use to shape and fill my brows!

e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit in Ash | £3.95

Before using my e.l.f. eyebrow kit in the morning, I reach for a brow brush (spoulie), which I use to brush my brows with into a good shape for filling. Once brushed I apply the gel side of the kit through my brows lightly, sometimes I will also use the lighter powder over the top.

Nanshy Angled Detailer brush | (Gift) 

To apply the brow gel/powder I use this Nanshy angled detailer brush as it works wonders for a precise brow. I actually own the Real Techniques brow brush but hardly use it as its very thick, therefore making it hard to apply a precise amount of product. But I do occasionally use this to apply concealer around the eyebrow which gives a more defined look, however I normally miss this step.

Natural Collection LashCare Mascara in Clear | £1.99 

To finish off I use Natural Collections clear Lash care mascara, which yes I know it’s a mascara but works just as well as any clear brow gel to set and keep my brows in place!

Hopefully this helped, as all the products I use are definite recommendations. Especially the e.l.f. eyebrow kit which comes in many colours, ranging from dark to light. Have a lovely week, and definitely leave recommendations for any good ‘ashy light brown’ brow products below!

What do you use to fill/shape your eyebrows?

15th Birthday | Outfit & Update

Hello everyone! If you are a regular reader on my blog, you will know I don't normally post on Wednesday. But as its half term, giving me more free time, why not? I'm hoping to post twice a week every now and then; however most weeks it will only be once. This week’s post (I will still post on Sunday as usual) will be a fairly small 'chatty' post, about some updates and a birthday outfit! 

The reason this post will include some 'updates', is because the past few days have included achievements and events I would like to share with you. Last Friday I reached 100 bloglovin' followers, which is actually quite strange if I'm honest. When I first started writing on my blog I felt I was writing to nobody, I still feel this way now. However when I realised 100 people follow me, I was suddenly assured people actually do. As well as this, I hit my 3 month milestone last Monday - so I've gained around 100 followers within 3 months! 

My Birthday took place on the Sunday, and I turned 15. I had a lovely day ice skating with my friends (two of which are also bloggers, Kathryn and Laura), also a lovely meal later that night. So I thought this post could include what I wore too, with some clothes I received for my Birthday! 

Navy Parka - Topshop | Snood - New Look | Joni Jeans - Topshop | Short Sleeve Jumper - Miss Selfridge | Boots - New Look 

This coat was actually one of my main Birthday gifts; it's unbelievably warm for the chilly days, as was the jumper! I already own a parka style coat from Topshop (as seem in this post) but it wasn't lined and didn’t keep me warm enough. Therefore this thick shorter parka with a fur hood comes in useful for days like these. 

After having a skate on the ice, we warmed ourselves up with some hot drinks and snacks! I had such a lovely Birthday and received some lovely gifts. I have actually made some purchases with money I had also been given, one of which was an impulse buy today at Zara (whoops!). So you might be seeing them in future posts. Have a lovely rest of the week and see you on Sunday!

What have you been up to this past week? 

A New Discovery | Hand Creams

Hollister's Solana Beach hand and body cream | £12 (I purchased this on sale for £2.99)

Body Shop's Hemp hand protector | £5 (I purchased this for free with a voucher)

It is really disappointing when you may buy a high end product, for it to then not to deliver the 'high-end quality' you expected. But on the other hand, very pleasing when you get the quality you want in a product you wouldn't expect.

This week’s post I will share with you two moisturisers which I use on my hands - one is a hand and body cream, the other a 'hand protector'. These two products I use together and I've really been enjoying them.

If you've ever bought a product from Hollister's body care range, you'll know their pricing can be high. Well... Compared to a high-end price it's probably cheap. However, I'm not so sure what category you would put a brand like Hollister in, as it's a clothing shop. Anyway (let's get to the point), I wasn't really expecting much - in terms of scent I already knew there was no problem in that region. Hollister's scents are just divine. So when I bought the hand and body cream I knew that aspect wouldn't let me down. But the main reason I actually bought this product was because it was on sale, like I say, I wasn't expecting much. Therefore for £12 I wouldn't have bothered. But seeing a 75% discount I couldn't really go wrong!

The one element of moisturisers and creams for the skin that I always consider, is how fast they are absorbed into the skin. The feeling of sticky, greasy hands that just won't go away can be very irritating when completing day to day tasks. So when I realised the Hollister hand and body cream was fast absorbing I was immediately impressed. As well as this, I realised after only 2 or 3 uses my hands were unbelievably soft. For me, dry hands are something I experience all year round and finding a good hand cream is great. When I realised how well Hollister's hand (and body) cream performs I couldn't stop using it.

The main area on my hands that will become dry easily are my knuckles. The only downside to using this hand cream was it didn't completely solve this problem. So I knew I maybe have needed a stronger hand cream for this particular area - this is where the body shop hand protector comes in. Quite a while ago I came across a voucher on an app, which allowed me to receive some free body shop hand cream. When choosing the scent/intensity of the hand cream, I went for the hemp hand protector for 'very dry skin'. The scent wasn't something I particularly liked, but the fact it was for 'very dry skin' made that element less important for me. This hand cream has a very thick consistency, which takes a while to absorb into the skin - the complete opposite to Hollister's hand cream. 

However, over time I realised these two products work well together. I had found that the Hollister hand cream was great for all over the hands, so I could then use body shops hand protector directly on some dry flaky patches (my knuckles mostly). Even though the body shop hand protector takes a while to absorb, using it only on specific small areas, this doesn't matter so much - but I definitely couldn't use this all over the hands, also due to its thick consistency.

Next time I will try not to assume, as certain products may perform better/worse than you think. Therefore I've mainly focused this post on the Hollister hand cream, as I really didn't expect the result that this product gave. But as well, adding an additional few paragraphs about the body shop hand protector, because this helped recover the dry patches that Hollister hand cream couldn't do alone.

Hopefully you enjoyed this post - I wouldn't call it a review as such but just a discovery I would like to share. So I definitely recommend you give Hollister's body care a go, I also own their body lotion which I love too! Have a lovely week (if you’re at school, have a lovely half term too). Be prepared for a 'birthday post' mid-week, as today is my 15th Birthday! 

Have you tried any of Hollister's body care?