Life Lately

Morning All

I'm having one of those mornings where I've got up early as I had a few things to sort before work after a rather lazy weekend. I'm so excited for the next week and can't wait for Friday to hurry up and come. On Saturday I'm travelling back to Somerset as I'm off on a family holiday to Cyprus to watch my brother get married. Then two days after I land I'm off to Glastonbury. L and I have only mentioned it a few times but we're mega excited as it's our first festival! Yesterday I said buy to L till the 25th! It always seems weird when I know I won't see her for a few weeks. I've got an amazing two and a half weeks coming up and I just want it here now!

My Glastonbury clashlist so far! Everyone keeps telling my I won't see half of them but there are some I will be at no matter what!

I thought I'd share some bit's I've been up to lately. It's easy for me to do these at the moment as I am still doing my 100 happy days. I've stuck at it for 72 days now. Some days it is a real struggle to find something happy but it does make you appreciate the small things.

Last Sunday I was up early and headed off to London to meet up with some old friends and do The Color Run. Branded the happiest 5k in the world. The London one is one of the original but it has started a reaction of other color runs for different charities in cities all over the UK. I was concerned as I've not been running really at all lately but saw it as a run chance to catch up with the guys from back home that I don't see often. We agreed we'd take it easy and stop if we needed to. At every km powder paint if thrown at you. We actually managed to do it without stopping and finished in 29 minutes! One of my friends I was running with managed to win a free pair of trainers on the day and kindly donated them to me! How Lush of her. The running was painful on my knee but we ended up having such a laugh doing it. We are looking for more run 5k runs now!

Jumping photos look run till you get smacked in the hand with a phone! Ouch! ha

My parents came down last week for a catch up as I've not seen them for over a month now. I do miss my family but with exams and lots of stuff going on it's not been possible to go home. We decided this time we'd try somewhere a little out of town. Since starting seeing the guy I've been spending more time at the other end of town and have been pleasantly surprised with the restaurants. I love going to small privately owned places as opposed to chains so took my parents to a turkish I've been loving. For our welsh readers it's Istanbul restaurant on City Road. The food is amazing and my dad was eyeing up lots of other places he wants to try there.

I was actually such a pig I ate one and half of these as my dad has been dieting a lot his appetite isn't very big. 

For ages I've wanted my own herb garden. I love to cook and love the idea of being able to walk into my garden and pick fresh herbs. I bought a mint plant from asda a few weeks ago that has been growing well. I love having mint and lemon infused water! Infused waters are meant to be good for you. I can't say I notice a difference but they taste good. My housemate also gave me a kit she had to plant but they are from seed so we'll soon see if I actually have green fingers!

If you follow my instagram this is usually a happy day! A phone call from Gabon. The guy I'm seeing if currently working away and has been for almost 4 weeks. So whenever I get a call it's usually my happy day for that day! 

Cocktails or evenings out always seem to appear in my happy days. I love catching up with friends and when it's over a cocktail or two it's always better! I'm a big mojito fan! L and I always went out for my brother's fiancée's hen do on Friday. We ended up having a buffet in a local tapas bar. Note to self never eat that late on a night out. It just made the food not settle well. The Hen had a great night though so that's all that matters!

This week is going to be a busy one for me. I need to pack for Cyprus and Glastonbury and figure out what to take. I really want new clothes and sunglasses and I'm really trying to tell myself  I don't need these beautiful Topshop sunglasses and trousers!

L is also in love with them now! What beautiful shades!

Happy Monday all!

Love M

xxx

Michael Kors Handbag

Morning!

We all have those lusts in life that just seem so unattainable. The Christian Louboutins, the diamonds, the big house, the unlimited Chanel make up....the list goes on.

Handbags feature on my list quite considerably. You can never be without one as not only as they functional but they're an essential part of bringing your entire look together. Some bags are iconic and their tags and labels are exactly what makes them so addictively beautiful. Cue my love for Michael Kors.

I've wanted one of his clean and simple looking bags for a long time, every time I walk past them in department stores there's always a 'mum look at THESE' before we ooh and aah and coo over them and their beautiful bold colours.

I was so surprised when my mum bought me one of his bags for my birthday in March!
She'd hidden it inside a pair of black leggings that I'd asked for, as soon as I opened it and I picked the leggings out the bag fell out the bottom! I was so shocked I couldn't stop smiling. Cheeeeeeesy grin all over my face for that day!

This black leather bag has become a 100% style staple in my life. Its beautifully made and the leather feels such high quality. I'm glad my mum chose me a black one as I know it will go with so much and I can wear it any time. I'm also glad she chose one with gold accents as I definitely wear more gold than silver, though I'm sure that I would still have worn it anyway!

I love the logo as it's so simple but you instantly know who it belongs too. I've seen many different styles of bags and some even have it attached as a key ring rather than on the bag itself. Regardless its so simple to put anywhere on it and it just looks GOOD!

One of my favourite things about the bag is the thick and sturdy strap. It is one of the first bags that I genuinely trust NOT to break. The material is thick, the stitching is impeccable and the rings are thick and don't seem to have a seam which is great for reliability! You do NOT want that link to give up when you're in the middle of a shopping trip, dancing in a bar or in the middle of a date!

One of my top tips? Always check the inside of a bag to check the quality and attention to detail:

Look at that lining, beautifully covered in Michael Kors print. 

I cant explain how amazing the quality of this bag is. I've never had a designer bag before so this was a lovely surprise from my mum and definitely a treat! It's my pride and joy and gets stored inside it's own dust bag when I'm not using it, another way you just know its a good un.

Do you have any designer bag lusts? Do you have a favourite MK bag?

L xxx

What I Couldn't Live Without

Hey!

I was thinking the other day about my rather large stash and how well I'm going through it. I've been doing good but could do better. Then it got me thinking about which products I really couldn't live without now that I've found them and as I've mentioned before, I'm a bit of a list lover. So basically, without any more babble, here's my list of the products I couldn't live without at the moment!

1) Coconut Oil

I love cooking with coconut oil but it is fast becoming a staple in my beauty regime too. Not only is it a great moisturiser for your skin, but its also useful as a cuticle oil, hair mask, for hands and feet and as a lip balm. I tend to smother it all over before bed as a treat but this can take some time to get the oil to warm up. Still worth it tho!

They're Real Dupe

Morning All

I'm sure most of us have tried or at least heard of the legendary They're Real. L and I are both fans of the mascara and Benefit in general. I'm so skint at the moment but so always after an alternative to my high end items work as well. As I was applying my Bourjois Fan-tastic Volume mascara the other day I realised it gave similar results. On the photos below TR is the eye with They're Real on and FV is the eye with Fan-tastic Volume on.

Here is one coat of each.

After one coat Fan-Tastic Volume hasn't added much volume but has really lengthened my lashes. They're Real has added more volume and darker the lash line more.

After two coats Fan-Tastic volume starts to add volume and really thicken the lashes. They're really has added more volume at the lash line.

This shows how messy the eyes get. I find I always get mascara along my lash line.

After three coat Fan-Tastic volume really looks great. It completely separates the lashes and adds volume without clumping. With They're Real I think three coats is too much for my taste persoanlly and looks clumpy.

This picture really shows the difference in the length they add to the lashes. It's not the best quality as it's from my front facing camera. Sorry

I will say I think my They're Real has only been open a few weeks so is still a little wet but I can say I now definitely prefer the Bourjois version. It adds so much length and volume to my lashes and doesn't clump. I do prefer it when it's been open a few weeks but for me this is the way with all mascaras. At £9.99 it's cheaper and it's a lot easier to remove!

Here is the original review of Fan-Tastic Volume. L has reviewed They're Real here. You can see They're Real on my lashes here and here.

Are you a They're Real fan? Would you consider this dupe?

Love M

xxx

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