Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar

Morning all!

I have a lovely quiet weekend planned, as a single girl Valentine's Day isn't high on my priorities so I will be spending my weekend catching up with everything I need to. I have so much to do and am really looking forward to doing everything I want to, and probably continuing pancake day well into the weekend too!

Without further ado, let's get onto the main reason for the post: Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar.

I tried this lipstick after receiving a tester sachet when repurchasing my favourite liquid liner from UD. I think these testers are awesome, they give you such a great opportunity to try new colours and see if you like them or not.
On this occasion I have only tried the one so far but it's having a 100% success rate - I've bought it!

The Revolution Lipsticks are defined by UD as 'Creamy, Badass Luxury' and I would have to agree. The packaging is badass and the range of colours are too, the lipstick is super luxurious and leaves your lips covered with pigment and hydrated.
Their Pigment Infusion System helps to deliver the super colours they have available, and in this range there are 20 - I want (NEED) them all!

The composition of the lipsticks includes jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter and it shows, they barely touch your lips and the colour is there without any effort. This also stops your lips from drying out and the colour lasts so much longer.

So what colour is Liar? It's a pinky-brown nude, its very warm in colour and has a creamy and luminous finish.

It's really wearable and is perfect for work, weekends and anything in between. I've been wearing it a lot and it seems to work for every occasion. You can see it on me in the images below:

I really like the finish, it's polished and has a good sheen but it looks natural. I feel like it warms my face up too and is so easy to slick on it and lasts so well that I find myself using it often.

So what do you think? Have you seen Liar, have you tried it?

What do you think of Urban Decay;s Revolution lipsticks?

I've been really impressed with the colour range, the pigmentation and the lasting power. You can pick up one of these lipsticks for £15.50, which is a pretty good deal I think!

L xxx

Whirlwind Trip: Italy - Reggio Emilia

Good morning!

It's been a little while since I've posted last - things are always busy but they have been particularly crazy recently. I've been thrown back into the deep end at work after the Christmas holidays and I've been trying to exercise, eat well and keep up with a social life as well as travelling as part of my job. It's been mental!

My latest trip was a pretty last minute one to Italy - it was a whole new experience where I had to give a training course to people who didn't speak much English and I had to drive a left hand drive car on Italian roads, I was terrified!

The work part was pretty boring so I'll leave that out - but as ever with trips abroad my first stop off was breakfast and duty free at the airport!

I stopped off for some poached eggs and a pot of tea - knowing I was likely to be eating some pretty unhealthy dishes over the next few days I tried to keep away from the pancakes....

I had a very short browse around duty free and picked up my favourite Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and a new lipstick from Urban Decay - post coming very soon!

Then it was time to get on board, the weather was absolutely beautiful and I had clear skies all the way from Heathrow to Bologna. This has never happened before and as I haven't been on many flights I still absolutely love planes - my face is practically glued to the window the entire times and being able to see the coast on the South of England followed by the Alps in the image below was something I won't forget for a while.

This picture doesn't do them justice at all - the amount of snow was stunning and I wish I'd taken more photos as this was just at the beginning!

I was quite proud of my plane snaps until I saw that Tim Peake had taken a photo on the exact same day of the exact same place, his is without question so much more amazing than mine! I would 100% recommend following him on Facebook even if you're not bothered about space, his photos are beautiful and awe inspiring. Just look at his image below!

But let's get back to my trip - I'm in Italy, what's the first thing I want to eat?

OF COURSE IT'S PIZZA!!!

Pizza is my favourite food, but as I'm intolerant to bread and dairy it's one of those things that I have to limit and save for a treat. However in Italy the base is so thin and the cheese is proper mozzarella and it doesn't affect me at all - HOORAY!!!!!

In celebration I ate the entire 12 inch pizza for lunch and then ordered the same again the next day. The work was a challenge but this pizza single handedly sent me to my happy place and I didn't leave that cloud nine for at least 12 hours.

Another evening I had a beautiful hazelnut dessert, I couldn't tell you what it was to be honest (my Italian is limited to hello, goodbye and thank you) so I saw the 'cioccolato' and knew it would be good. I wasn't disappointed and the warm melted centre was amazing.

I also wanted to eat pasta whilst I was in Italy. I mean let's be honest my priorities were pizza, pasta and gelato. I went with my aim and I ticked them off one by one!

The pasta below doesn't look like much. It arrived and I wondered what on earth I'd ordered, it looked boring, bland and dry.I could not have been more wrong and the parcels were stuffed with pumpkin and so absolutely wonderful I find them hard to describe.



I didn't talk for the full 20 minutes that I was eating them and I was torn between stuffing my face and savouring every mouthful - I need to find somewhere in the UK that makes this and I will spend allllllllllllllllllllllll of the money to eat this again.....and again....

The pasta was followed up with a dish that is particular to the region that I was visiting; Beef in Balsamic Vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is from the region that I was visiting, there are two different styles; one from Modena and the second from Reggio Emilia where I was staying.



It doesn't look anything special but the beef was perfectly cooked and on the rare side, and marinated in the balsamic sauce. I'm not sure I would have chosen it but it was advised to me by my Italian colleague and it was very good.

One evening after the pizza I was so full I couldn't have dealt with eating a meal - instead I went for a walk at a shopping centre and conveniently found a gelato store...

It would have been rude not to have a bowl with three scoops right? So I chose chocolate (obviously!), pistachio and the stracciatella which is a milk based ice cream sometimes flavoured with vanilla that contains shavings of chocolate. It didn't disappoint and I was super happy I'd managed to eat everything from my list.

With all of the food I needed to sample, I thought it was about time I went for a walk! So I drove into the centre of Reggio Nell Emilia and had a wander around, not really knowing where I was going.

A favourite thing of mine about Italy is that there are so many beautiful buildings everywhere, the images above and below show a random church that I walked past and it was beautiful. So good to see parts of it being restored too.

I finally made my way over to the main star of the show, the Reggio Emilia Cathedral. This was also beautiful and had all the details lit up, the Piazza itself was busy with so many people wandering through - and of course a few statues to balance it out!

Considering the work part was pretty busy, the food and the sight seeing was really good. And I picked up a few bottles of genuine balsamic vinegar straight from the region itself! With the red label it means it has been matured for a minimum of 12 years before selling - at 8 euros per bottle my family had better be grateful too!

Where have you been lately? Have you been to Italy, or anywhere near Reggio Emilia recently?

I have never been to Italy and not enjoyed myself, the food alone would put it top of my list!


L xxx

Meet Harry Hopper and Dumbledore - Tips For Getting Rabbits

Hey All

I think I've mentioned before that I moved in with C last October, since moving in I've really wanted a pet, C was as convinced but I finally persuaded him to allow me to get a rabbit on one condition. I read a book he bought me on looking after rabbits and we didn't rush into it. To be honest I'm glad he was like that as it meant we really thought things through before jumping into it. I thought I'd share a few of the tips for first getting a rabbit on here in case anyone is considering it!

I'd had rabbits as a child but don't remember a lot about caring for them (pretty sure mum did that) and what they ate etc. C bought me Rabbit and Me by Emi Lau from amazon (link here) and made me read it before we got one. It was actually a really good book and if you're considering getting a rabbit I'd fully recommend it. It includes information on indoor and outdoor, how to get rabbits, adoption, feeding, bonding and more and has definitely helped us with them. 

After reading the book we decided if we were getting one we may as well get two as our landlady said they needed to be outdoor rabbits but could be in with us in an evening. We've heard a lot rabbits can be lonely so we wanted to get them a buddy and we opted for two bonded boys so we wouldn't have to go through bonding them and not have baby rabbits. We are going to get our boys neutered. We decided that if they'll be happier for it we should and with boys it can help prevent them fighting. 

So here are Dumbledore and Harry Hopper, Dumbledore is a lionhead rabbit and Harry is a crossbread.

So here are our boys in there new home on the first day. After a few hours in there we covered the whole bottom with hay for them now too. We got them the feelgoodUK bunny ark hutch as it has an extension you can add on to it which we loved the idea of for when they get bigger. We also liked that the upstairs is totally sheltered and a hideaway for them in the winter. We've raised them on palettes now as well so they are totally off the ground.

One thing we were glad we had the book for was bonding with the rabbits and there first few days. We decided to leave our rabbits for 3 days in there hutch so they could get used to there new surroundings and chill out. We plan to train ours to use a litter train so they can freely have the run of the downstairs but it's all about baby steps. As our hutch is quite large it came in a big box which we kept and used for their first indoor introduction. We put there toys in it and some food and let them enjoy the space. We then left them for another two days in the hutch and put them back in the box to play as before. The third time we decided to let one side down. We both thought they'd hop right out but them didn't. We could tempt them out with food but not very fair. We since think they don't like our floor tiles. The fourth time we built a fort of boxes in our lounge and covered the floor with towels but still used the big box they were used to as it feels like a safe place to them. After a while they were hopping all over the place and have come to explore us now. One thing we took from the book was not to push rabbits. They will come to you when interested. We pick ours up to let them in the house but then let them come to us.

We feed our boys timothy hay, pellets and fresh veg. They get 25g per kg of weight of pellets in the morning and a selection of fresh veg in the evening and fresh hay added morning and night. The book mentioned above has a great list of foods they can and can't have. Ours love broccoli!

Here's dumbldore debating if that piece of broccoli is worth leaving the box for. Something we didn't reaslise they'd go through so quickly is toys. We buy them lots of wooden and willow toys (I refuse to buy them animal treat stick sweet things as they aren't good for them, we opt for carrot as a treat) as they are great for them to chew on and help keep there teeth in shape and prevent boredom.

The last thing we got for them was an animal heatpad. You pop it in the microwave and it can stay warm upto 10 hours. As it's awful weather at the moment we wanted to give them something extra. They're also only £14.99 on amazon.

They run around like crazy, binky all over the place (this is scary to see for the first time as they run around like a lunatic then bounce up and down but apparently it means they're happy!!) then collapse down to chill.

We are loving having them and they have been health checked, vaccinated and insured. (all part of the deal in me getting them, C hasn't had a pet before and wants all things covered which I agree with!). We have had some issues with humping (dumbledore once humped harry's face!! poor boy!) but we've been assured it's normal and they are establishing dominance. They don't fight so it should also all calm down a bit once neutered too!

So there's a quick introduction to my little guys! Do you have any pets?

Love M

xxx

Period Talk: My experience with the Implant(implanon/nexplanon) and Injection (depo-provera)

Hey All

So this post has been sat in our drafts for over 3 years. After seeing Lucy Writes post on the implant (you can read these here) I decided I'd share my experiences as lets face it we've all heard of that friend of a friend horror story and when I was making the decision I couldn't find information on real people talking about experiences.

So here are my pros, cons and experiences with long term contraception, Implanon and Nexplanon are implants and the Depo-Provera Injection. For me I'd been on the pill (microgynon) since I was about 19. I'd had no issues with my periods being unbearable but I was in a long term relationship and didn't want to entirely rely on condoms. I stayed on microgynon for around 5 Years. I had no issues with it and the way it worked but I'm really bad at remembering to take it so I decided to have a chat with my Dr to see what other options I had. I heard lots about the implant but wanted more information. 

The implant works by having a small rod (it's around 40mm and flexible) inserted under the skin in the arm. The implant then slowly releases the hormone (progestogen)to control the menstrual cycle. This is shown to be over 99% effective. For every 1,000 people with an implant fewer than one will get pregnant in the three years it can be in. Implanon has been replaced with Nexplanon after some pregnancies with users of implanon. It was shown these were due to insertion error rather than failure of the implant. Nexplanon has been designed to reduce the risk of insertion errors and also contains barium so it can be easily located on x-rays and CT scans. 

image from NHS.UK

Pros

• It provides contraception for up to 3 years.
• You don't have to remember to take a pill everyday or book in every 12 weeks for injections.
• It can be used up until the menopause.
• It's safe for breastfeeding.
• It's good for people who can't use other options of contraception such as combined contraceptive pill.
• Fertility should return to normal as soon as the implant is removed.
• It can help reduce heavy or painful periods after the first year.

Cons

• It can stop periods all together (some people this may be a problem for, some people see it as a pro).
• It can give you irregular periods.
• You have to had a rod in your arm.
• It's hard to track when you're hormal
• It has other side effects but these can also commonly be seen on other contraception such as headaches, breast tenderness and mood changes.

The injection works by injecting a dose of progestogen into the body either in the buttock or the arm. It lasts for 12 to 13 weeks depending on the injection you have. It is shown to be more than 99% effective with less than one wmone in 100 who use it becoming pregnant in a year. 

Pros

• Can last up to 13 weeks depending on injection type.
• Is an option for people who can't use other contraception such as combined contraceptive pill.
• You don't have to remember to take the pill everyday.
• It's safe for breastfeeding.
• It can help reduce heavy or painful periods.

Cons

• It can stop periods all together.
• It can take a while for periods and natural fertility to return to normal after stopping the injection.
• It has side effects of other contraception such as weight gain, headaches and changes in mood.
• It effects your natural oestrogen levels which can cause thinning of bones. This isn't a problem for most women as it returns to normal after use of the injection but is therefore not suitable for people with a history of osteoporosis and under 18s without thought from a Dr. It's also not recommended as a long term contraception. My Dr told me it was good to stay on for around 2-3 years then assess it.

My Story

When I saw the nurse first to discuss it she recommended having two doses of the injection 10 weeks apart to get my body use to progestogen and hopefully stop my periods (this wasn't a con for me) then have the implant fitted around 10 weeks after the second injection. I followed her advice and did this. After the second injection it was time to have the implant fitted. I was kind of nervous but they apply a local anaesthetic so you really don't feel any pain. A small incision is made and it's almost injected into the arm. Some butterfly stitches and a bandage are applied and it's good to go. The combination of the injection and the implant stopped my periods totally for over 2 years. Just over two years into my implant I started to get periods back. They were extremely light but lasted a good few weeks. My doctor decided to change my implant to see if it would improve it. This part I was concerned about but again the arm is numb so you can feel a thing. For me my implant had slightly embedded into the muscle so it wasn't as easy as just pulling it out it had to be cut a bit and was trickier to remove but this was all done in my GP surgery and caused me no pain. After it was removed the new one was immediately placed in. I've had my new on for around 1 and a half year now and still get regular light periods but it's not too bad. I've decided for the time being I'll stick with it as I'd rather have light periods and the highest safety against pregnancy than change contraception again. 

This was after my implant was removed and replaced!

I'd definitely recommend trying the implant if you're considering it. The rod doesn't bother me and I don't notice it's there at all. I was concerned about knocking it and stuff from horror stories I've heard but I regularly exercise and I do kickboxing and it's never caused me any problems in these activities. I did have photos from my first implant but I can't find them and as I said at the beginning of this post that was over 4 years ago now so I have no idea where they've disappeared too! The arm does tend to look bruised at first but it does go down pretty quickly!

Hope this helps if you're deciding about getting a new form of contraception!

Love M

xxx