Get Ready WIth Me - Night Out

Hey All

Hope you had a good weekend. I've had a really busy week last week and the weekend was rather busy too. I went out on Friday night and thought I'd do a type of get ready with me post. I love watching these on YouTube and love FOTDs that show you the look step by step so it's easily re-creatable. The lighting and photos aren't great as it was night time!

After showing and washing my hair these are my current go to products! I have to use a lip scrub and I couldn't be without my breath of fresh air toner. As I've got a few big spots at the moment I use my Effaclar Duo before my moisturiser. As It was for a night out I used the Label.M volume foam to add some extra volume to my hair.

I was soooo impressed with the volume the label.m foam gave and it didn't make it sticky either or feel caked in product! Hello night out must have!

For a flawless night out for me there are four products I have to use! Benefit Porefessional, Illamasqua Skin Base applied with a beauty blender type sponge and Nars Creamy Concealor. They all just make my skin flawless. Illamasqua skin base was definitely a foundation I fell in love with only after using a beauty blender type sponge. It was all I found worked for me application wise! I then set all my base using my HD brows powder!! I'm really loving this for oil control and setting make up.

At the moment I'm totally in love with the make believe bronzer. It's a perfect matte shade and comes with the softest brush. I contour my cheek bones, nose and around my forehead and temples.

As I was going out it had to be Benefit Dandelion blush. No matter how much I wear other blushes none are as beautiful as this. I love the soft pink. I then used Mac MSF in soft and gentle. It really adds a shimmer to the cheeks.

To primer my eyes I blended constructivist Mac paint pot all over the lids up to the crease using a real techniques crease brush.

I then applied Mac naked lunch (a soft nude shimmer) all over the top of constructivist to set it.

To the crease I blended out a mid brown matte shade. This one is from a Lancome palette I have but is similar to UD tease in the naked 2 palette.

As it's been a while since I wore it I blended Mac Cranberry through the crease and under the eye. To smoke it out and to softer the redness I blended a matte black shade through the outer v and half way across the under eye.

For me it's all about the Eylure 116. They are one of my favourite lashes as they are subtle and just lenghten. I applied these and lashings of Maybelline Colossal Volume.

For my brows I used my Benefit browzings. I use a combination of the wax and powder and set with a Collection clear mascara. I think used my Laura Mercier Secret Concealer to line around my brows to highlight the brow bone and sharpen the brow line.

I then lined the eyes using my Maybelline gel liner in black and a real techniques liner blush. As I didn't want my eyes to be too black I used Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in nude to line my waterline.

For my hair I straightened it and add slight shape to the front by turn the straighteners. I hate it when my hair just sits flat.

For the lips I went with Mac Fanfare. It's such an easy to wear colour and looks soft and subtle on the lips without looking OTT when wearing a bolder eye.

Finally for my outfit I wore nude sparkly shorts bought in the New Look sale last year, New Look black vest with lace detail, New Look blazer, Primark fleece lined tights (I'm getting so old I wear tights on nights out!) and finished the look off with my Primark boots, Ollie and Nic clutch purse and my sphere of life heart necklace!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Do you mind photo heavy posts?

Love M

xxx

   

Happy Second Blogiversary!

Happy Sunday!

Today we thought we'd write a post on our 2 years of blogging. It came as a shock to us when we realised the other day that we'd completely missed our own 2nd blogiversary as it was on the 14th of January, so we thought we'd have a little celebration post!

Time has FLOWN since starting this blog and it has been a whirlwind of fun.

We've both been through so much in the last two years we thought it would be nice to have a quick recap and point out our favourite bits.

There has been so much going on in the past two years that it seems strange to think of it all. In that time I completed my masters and although at the time writing a blog and finishing my dissertation was a long task I am so glad I finally finished it and kept up the blog writing too.

I also went to university in America for a few months and that definitely hit my bank statement hard when stocking up on all the extras that I couldn't leave the country without!

Not only that but the amazing trips me and M have both been on; namely trips to both LFW's of 2013 with Benefit and Label M, the meet ups in Cardiff and Bristol and the genuinely lovely people who have become a part of our daily lives just through starting up a thing about make up and products!

It is the BEST feeling in the world when you've written something and somebody from the company thanks you for writing a review on one of their products, we pay for the majority of the items featured on our blog and as I'm sure we all know it is not good for the bank balance at all (looking at you blogger hype!).

However a huge thank you must go to every company who has ever given us products to review and write about. Not only have most of them been exactly what we would have bought with our own money anyway but I don't think we've had many bad reviews which we are extremely lucky to have had.

All in all its been a massively fun two years and I can only hope that the next two years will be exactly the same. Some people might think that co-writing a blog with someone must be really annoying and mean you have to compromise all the time, but we're both very similar and have agreed on everything so far!

Thanks also to our readers; we wouldn't have got anywhere if you didn't want to read our opinions so thanks  so much and hopefully you'll still want to read them in the future too!

L xxx

I can't believe it was over two years ago when L and I were sat in her dining room making the background for our original background. The blog has come so far and it really has been amazing to write it. It's been great to be able to share it with L and it has definitely made it easier to co write it with your best friend. It's so helpful to have somewhere there to help you when it's needed.

The past two years have seen me go back to university part time and start to really work towards a career that will make me happy. Last summer I walked away from a relationship that had run it's course and it was the hardest thing but it was the best decision and the past six months have been amazing and have seen me start to plan things I wouldn't have done before. I'm so excited to go to Glastonbury with L.

My make up collection has grown a ridiculous amount in the 2 years and my tastes have definitely got much more expensive. Blogging is definitely an expensive hobby but it's great to have all of you around to share it with.

Blogging has been amazing, meeting so many amazing people and getting to work with some great brands. We both can't wait to continue the blog and watch it grow!

Here's to more years of blogging and having an excuse to buy more make up than anyone could need!!

Happy Sunday all. Thanks for reading for staying with us for the past two years.

Love M

xxx

Origins Sensory Therapy: Peace of Mind

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're looking forward to your Saturday nights! I think mine will be a quiet one as I'm awaiting the wonderful pay day to arrive...as soon as it does I will surely be out and boogying away with the rest of you!

Origins are a brand that I'm a big fan of, and we've featured it many times on our blog.

This purchase from them is a little different and I hope this is a wonder product for you as much as it has been for me.

Origins Sensory Therapy is a nifty little product to keep with you at all times. I'm one of those people that stress out over things. I'm not so bad as I used to be but when I was working full time and at university full time things sometimes got a little much, and I'd find myself with lots of headaches due to the amount of pressure I was putting on myself to get things done.

I'd often take paracetamol to get me through as it was an easy solution. Obviously taking paracetamol is perfectly ok to do...but not long term. Not all the time and after eating so healthily and working out so hard i didn't like the thought of putting chemicals into my body any more.

One day my mum turned up with this, I can't claim all the credit as she was the one who showed me it and after borrowing it during a headache have been back to get myself one!

This is a small round pot with a dispenser at the top to pump out a small amount at one time. The smell is amazing in itself but the way this just dissolves a headache is amazing!

You simply follow the instructions on the box to apply this to your temples, ear lobes and the base of your neck and sit back for a few minutes.

 

As with all Origins products the ingredients list is always displayed, reading this one I can see so many essential oils listed and this is why i always think Origins are a great brand. not only are they open and honest about their ingredients they also use natural products which are much better for you than chemically synthesised ones. 

This product contains peppermint oil, rose, sweet almond, rosemary and basil amongst others.
I cannot recommend it enough for taking a few minutes out to relax, de-stress and relieve yourself of tension as well as combat headaches and migraines.

I've also seen it suggested for travel sickness, trouble sleeping and if you are suffering from the dreaded flu.

It's a bit of a wonder product and at £13 it's a little expensive for such a small amount but I would imagine this would last a while, and through plenty of headaches for me throughout the year!

Have you tried essential oils as a way to combat stress and headaches before? Are there any other products or essential oils you would recommend?

I wouldn't be without this now!

L xxx

How to: Make Your Hair Grow

Hello!

I've got a different kind of post for you today. I'm one of those people that always wants their hair to grow....but I can't resist having it trimmed regularly either because I hate having dead ends which always look worse on longer hair.

So I've been trying to grow that little bit longer each month and I think I've got some tips on how to make it grow longer and stay in better condition that i thought I'd share.

1) Condition, condition, condition! This isn't a new thing but its so important to keep your hair strong. My favourite products for this are Mane n Tail conditioner (post here), Aussie's 3 minute miracle and Macadamia's Deep Repair Masque. 

I use the Mane n Tail conditioner throughout the week and then the Aussie and Macadamia once per week depending on which I can afford!

2) Detangler, Heat Protection and Protein Sprays. Use as many as you like but all will help. I was never a fan for hair products as I never felt they did anything, but the detangler will help when you brush your hair and stop hair breaking as easily. I am currently using Ojon's Revitalising Mist. Heat protection sprays I have no idea about really, but apparently they do work and I think if a light covering over your hair prevents even a small percentage of it from heat  I'm all for it!

As for Protein Sprays there's only one for me and its the Label.M Protein Spray. It's lightweight and really does the job for adding an extra hit for your hair.

3) Tangle Teezer. I barely need to say any more, but I can assure you since getting one for Christmas I have never gone back and used my paddle brush since. 

It has stopped my hair breakage almost 100% and glides through my tangles without pulling or snapping any of them yet the miraculously disappear. This would be my number one tip for anyone wanting hair growth!

4) Give up the styling. For some people this is really hard. Unfortunately/fortunately for me I have to wear my hair tied up and in a bun every single day which has helped greatly with reducing my usage of heated styling. I seem to end up straightening or curling my hair twice a month now for special occasions but its made a huge difference to my hair.

Even if you could swap 2 days of beautifully styled hair for a neat bun it will help a lot. Bun rings are all the rage at the moment and for an extra bit of hydration I have covered the ends of my hair in oil before tying it up in a bun so it can hydrate itself all day long whilst I'm working!

I'm currently using Ojon's Rare Blend Oil.

5) Food. One of my favourite topics! I believe that a diet rich in protein, veg and good fats has made a huge difference to my skin and hair.

Not only is it better for yourself to eat a diet like this anyway but it will greatly improve your skin, hair, nails and general fitness and wellbeing.

Try adding in some extra oily fish like salmon, nuts, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, poultry and greek yogurt to your diet a few times a week and your hair will definitely improve from lank to full bodied and shiny.

I hope this has been helpful for you, it's made a massive difference for my hair and its now almost at waist level.....woohoo!

L xxx

Fitness Update

Morning everyone!

Hope you're having a great week so far. I am spending today with my mum at Swindon's Shopping outlet as we need to get a load of birthday presents for family members.....and I can't guarantee I won't pick up a little something for myself too! I need to be good though and hopefully not pick up any more than 1 product....

Anyway, my main reason for posting today is to give you an update on my fitness plans and goals so i hope I don't bore you too much with my waffling on but it's as big a part of my life now as blogging is and I'm sure I'll be mentioning it a lot in future.

I would imagine we've all been on a bit of a health kick after the gluttonous Christmas period and kicking up the exercise a notch was my first priority. I've put together a plan for myself to kick my metabolism back into action, drop the few (!) extra pounds I put on over Christmas and get myself fit and ready for the challenges I've set myself this year.

Let's list these first:

1) 10km run on March 1st
2) Dirty Dozen on June 22nd
3) Tough Mudder August 16th
4) Cardiff Half Marathon October 5th (this is provisional...depends on how TM goes!)

These are the physical tasks I've set myself this year. I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination but I've started on the treadmill so that I can force myself to learn! I need to increase my distance so that i can reach 10km by March, and increase this slowly to 20km for TM in August.

If you don't know what Tough Mudder (TM) and Dirty Dozen races are then give them a quick google....basically they're both obstacle courses that require you to run a certain distance and then also tackle a number of obstacles. These range from climbing walls, swimming through ice, running through fire and getting electrocuted all before a free pint and a big party!
They sound very fun and a massive challenge for me as I'd never run further than 5km before let alone completed any obstacles like this.


My current plan is the following:

Monday - Body Combat. This will help with cardio as it burns around 750 calories per class and will help me strengthen my leg and core muscles without high impact like running does. Plus i really enjoy it!

Tuesday-Friday - Gym program. I have one at the moment which is great but I'm planning on meeting with my trainer to update my program and therefore get some new exercises related to TM training. I will need some serious upper body and core strength to get me through it! I plan on going to the gym to do this program with 20 minutes on the cross trainer or a run twice during the week.

Saturday - Body Pump. I love this class and it will hopefully help me increase the weights i can use and therefore get stronger, i just need to be committed enough to increase my weights each week!

Sunday - Run day! Sunday's will be dedicated to an outdoor run around the parks near my house. This means I will be running outside in daylight instead of on a treadmill as it's currently too dark to do this when I've finished work at the moment. As the nights get lighter again I'll be running outside in the evenings.


Having been doing this loose plan for 2 weeks I can say that it is hard but achievable to go 5 times a week if you plan your life and put the effort into it whilst you are there. It's hard to be motivated all the time especially when you don't see any results. I've been trying to eat more veg than fruit recently and have been having soup instead of fruit on my morning breaks to fill me up. That combined with increasing my water intake and I've been feeling like a beached whale!

Luckily my body has got used to it not and hopefully I'll start seeing some results soon.


Aside from these challenges I am hoping that it will help me lose about 1 stone (14lbs) and tone up my arms and core where I could do with being a bit less wobbly! I'd like to be comfortable in a bikini in case the situation where I need to wear one arises!

If any of you have some tips for my diet or exercise plans, or anything that will help me in my quest to survive TM then I'd be grateful. If you have any challenges you've set yourself this year please share them with me below, I'd love to know of any others and of your plans :)

L xxx

Ollie & Nic Spencer Retro Bag

Evening all!

A late post from me tonight. I've enjoyed an evening with L tonight pigging out on sushi! We definitely ate more than we should, but at least it's reasonably healthy!

Next week it's my mum's birthday so we decided to get her a nice handbag, Ollie and Nic has an amazing sale and we managed to pick her up a real leather bag reduced from £169 to a bargain £50!!

The problem was there was a lot of temptation in the for me. The sale is amazing and is still currently on. I've needed a new decent sized bag for a while. My current one is really tatty with a broken lining etc.

I couldn't resist the bargain Spencer Retro across body bag. Reduced from £60 to an absolute bargain of £18!! I'm a massive ostrich print fan and the love the effect on bags so this on appealed to me straight away!

The burgundy colour is gorgeous and perfect for the winter months. I also love all the attention to detail on the bag such as the Ollie & Nic metal buttons on the handle and the studs on the bottom of the bag.

It feel quite a stiff material and like it will be durable and good quality. It's a really practical bag that's a decent size with lots of pockets. I like the two on the outside which will be perfect for keys and my phone when I'm listening to music. The zip pocket on the front is really handy for bus pass etc so I can easily grab them.

Inside is a large section with a zip pocket in the middle. I'm going to try and be organised and use this for make up! It also has zip pocket on the inside of the bag and separate pockets for phone and keys if I don't feel safe enough using outer pockets! Plus it has a gorgeous lining.

It's such a practical bag and for the bargain price I had to share with you all! If you are on the hunt for a new bag I'd suggest Ollie & Nic. The purses I've had I really like so I'm hoping the bag is as good!

Love M

xxx

Recipe: Easy Oreo Cake Pops

Hey all

Hope you've not got the Monday blues! I thought I'd share an easy recipe, I've been struggling to resist cake lately. One of my work colleagues gave me it but I'm not sure where it is from originally.

It's an easy one, all you need is 

• Two packs of oreos
• Nutella
• White Chocolate (I used one pack of white cooking chocolate, think it's about 200g)
• Lollipop sticks (ebay is great for these)

These are really easy to make and taste amazing! Firstly you need to separate the oreo's and remove the cream bit and put them in a food processor (I don't have one so my blender did the job). Apologies for some of the photos, my camera wouldn't focus due to the silver and my hands were dirty!

Whizz them up till they are a smooth crumb. I found I need to keep scraping the sides and freeing the mixture up, as when it got smoother it got stuck a bit.

Once it's too a fine breadcrumb mixture add the nutella. I find it works best to add it a teaspoon at a time and stir well after each addition. Too much nutella made the soft. You want the mixture to just bind.

When the mixture is bound, roll into balls. I placed mine onto a tin foil tray to save them sticking. This part gets you very messy!! Lots of hand washing is needed as your hands will get very sticky.

When you've made it into balls pop in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. While they are in the freezer melt the chocolate. 

Pull out of the freezer and dip the lolly sticks into the chocolate, then press into the balls. The chocolate will work as glue for the sticks. Again freeze for 10 minutes so the chocolate sets.

Pull out of the freezer and dip each of the cake pops in chocolate. As it's white chocolate and dark mixture, I double dipped the cake pops so they looked white. It also makes a firmer shell. 

They can be decorated in a variety of ways. For my niece I made them into cookie monsters by colouring dessicated coconut and adding the features with icing. With these while the second coat of chocolate is still wet sprinkle with coconut. I also used fondant icing cut into shapes for a grown up version.

They are sooo tasty and super easy to whip up! Will you be trying these?

Love M

xxx  

Tangle Teezer

Hi all!

I don't know about you, but as well as healthy shiny hair I also want long hair. Mine is pretty long and I'm lucky to have it so long naturally but it does break easily after it gets to a certain length and with exercising and washing it so much I do get worried it will make it worse.

My hairdresser suggested I purchase a Tangle Teezer. I have to admit I've heard of them for a while and thought they were a fad but I have heard lots of rave reviews.

My brother told me he needed an idea for an extra present for Christmas so I asked him to get me one of these to try!

He got me the original one, obviously in bright pink! It was the obvious choice, but there are also aqua blue/pink, navy/pink, black, and orange/yellow.

To look at it, quite honestly I'd describe it as a female alien hedgehog. You heard.

I wondered how something like this could brush through my knotted and tangled long hair as easily as I've seen it go through others.

On first use I was actually amazed, whoever came up with this design is a GENIUS.

You can read the blurb on the insert from the product above; basically the teeth are the clever little things that help the brush glide through your hair and deliver 'speedy and gentle results'.

I took a few close up photos below where you can see how the sizes differ, some are longer and some are shorter. I don't quite understand how this has such a massive impact on how it moves through your hair but trust me, this glided through each strand without getting tangled on a knot....not even once.

It was really a revolutionary thing for me!

I've wanted to help my hair stop from breaking and getting knotted together for a while as I just want it to grow a little bit more and felt it was stopping it. However this will definitely help my hair and fingers crossed over time it will grow that extra 2 inches I was hoping for!

In the range there are also Aqua Splash for use in the shower, Salon Elite which is curved for a more professional brushstroke (is this even real?), a Compact Styler in a smaller size for your handbag which can be pushed in/pulled out when needed and comes in a range of colours including chrome and funky leopard print patterns.

They also have a childs range which is really cute and perfect for those who hate having knots in their hair!

I'm super impressed with the Tangle Teezer and would definitely consider another purchase of one for my gym bag and a miniature for my handbag. Everyone should have one! I would fully recommend this for anyone who wants to help the condition of their hair, full thumbs up for me!

L xxx