Beauty Rehab

So far this year I have made a bit of progress using up oold products and attempting not to buy many more.

I've been charting my progress with my Beauty Rehab series which you can catch up on here.

The latest update is as follows:

Tigi CatWalk Fast Fixx Leave In Conditioner Spray - Have been spraying this on for months and hoping for an improvement. I usually use this after the gym and it's so easy to apply and never greasy.

I bought it from TK Maxx so wasn't full price and I think I'd pay for it again, but not at full price.

Molton Brown Indian Cress Conditioner - I am always bought Molton Brown products at Christmas by my auntie, I enjoy using them but I'd never buy them for myself as I just don't feel they're worth the money...

Batiste - Probably my 20th can. Will buy forever!

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash - I am aware this is from the baby range but even so, it came as a set with the lotion and I absolutely loved it. No tears from me in the shower and it's super natural and helps save the bees which EVERYONE should be doing by the way.

Bees are amazing and without them we'll die, so go buy some bee products!

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - Bought many times! Will buy for the forseeable future/forever

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturiser - Picked this up in America as I was told it was better than Dove/Johnsons. I can't say the colour was better/streaked less but the smell was gorgeous and it would be a contender to the market if only they'd bring it over to the UK!

Avene Gel Cleanser - Was sent this to try and it really was gentle on my skin and removed the majority of my make up. It was quite runny so I would have preferred a pump a la Liz Earle so I could control it more, but lovely all the same.

Origins Eye Doctor - Saved up my Boots points since purchasing this in March time ready for when it ran out, and so have already bought a replacement!

My super sensitive eyes love me for it and I will buy this for a loooooooooooong time.

Botanics Eye Make Up Remover - I thought this would be great as it's organic etc but this gel cleanser made my eyes fog up for a few minutes after use meaning it was actually getting in my eyes and although it did remove eye make up, I had to use it a few times to get it all.

However it was really gentle and did feel soft on the skin. 

My tube broke in my wash bag so I'm having to throw it out anyway!

Etat Pur Actives - A01 is a anti wrinkle treatment, loved the feel of the serum but didn't notice much long term benefit aside from the instant smoothing of applying a serum

After attempting to use A22 without success the lovely Etat Pur sent me A20 to review alongside it to maximise the effects.

Sadly as my skin problems seem to now be caused by stress and not oiliness these products unfortunately didn't work as a permanent solution for me, but I can 100% recommend them to fellow oily skin sufferers as combined they did make a difference.

Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream - This isn't a patch on Origins Eye Doctor I'm afraid. It felt a bit too heavy and greasy on the skin around my eyes and I wouldn't buy again

Technically this isn't an 'empty' but I was far too excited to share with you my new Real Techniques purchases.

I absolutely love all of the brushes in the range and just needed these two to complete the face brushes collection!

How have you gotten on with using up products this year?

I think over Christmas i will have to have a clear out of products I just know I won't use.

I NEED to stop as my obsession is massively out of control.

Would you like to join me in my quest to rid my room of retail therapy ridiculousness??

Let me know via twitter or email if you'd like to join in from January :)

L xxx

Review: Chloe Perfume

The other day while casually browser twitter I noticed on the Escentual Twitter account were asking if any bloggers would like to review Chloe perfume. Being someone who loves perfumes and smelling new ones I emailed across my details and I was so pleased when I got a reply back saying they'd love to send me one.

Escentual is an online store selling premimum beauty brands at very reasonable prices. They offer free delivery for orders over £30. I for one always hate pay for delivery so was very pleased to see this. Free gift wrapping on orders which is a brilliant touch especially now we are in the fesitive season. Anything that stops me having to wrap presents is a bonus. They also offer priority dispatch which I can confirm. Firstly I can't believe how quick the delivery was. Escentual provided an excellent service. I emailed my details on Monday afternoon and by Tuesday there was a package on my doorstep when I got home from work. Nothing like a speedy delivery!

Apologies the photos aren't the best. It's the standard it's winter excuse. I leave for work and it's dark and I return and it's dark. Bring on spring!

So far I was impressed. Inside my package was the perfume and a branded nail file. I love touches like this in parcels. Any little thing gets me happy. Nothing like opening a parcel and being greated with something extra. I love those little bags of sweets you sometimes get! This nail file has gone straight into my bag.

Onto the perfume before my mind drifts to sweets (I'm now thinking of going to grab cookies). I love the brand Chloe. Their bags are one of the times on the top of if I ever get rich lust list.

Packaging wise I think the perfume is perfect for the brand. It's classic, chic and a hit of Parisian. I love the addition of the ribbon and the simple Chloe embossed on the silver. This is the original Chloe frangrance and is an Eau De Parfum. This made me happy straight away as I find on me Eau De Toilette scents just disappear ridicously quick so I'm always happier to pay more for a Eau De Parfum.

Chloe is described as

a light and fresh yet seductively strong and self-posessed scent, capturing the creative, confident individuality of a free spirited woman with an utterly innate sense of chic and natural sexiness.

The fragrance playfully twists notions of femininity, taking the classic beautiful rose and translating it with modernity into a vibrant, powdery floral Eau de Parfum. It is translucent, turning warm and seductive, totally addictive.

Top Notes: Peony, Freesia, Litchi.

Heart Notes: Rose, Lily-of-the-Valley, Caribbean Magnolia.

Base Notes: Amber, Virginia Cedar.

I'm not great at describing perfumes so got that from the Escentual's website. I really like this perfume. It's really florally which I like and reminds me of a stronger, longer lasting version of Marc Jacobs Daisy. The fragrance is strong and one spritz will do you till the afternoon. It has great lasting power which I love.

I like to think of this is my new grown up scent. I'm trying to get away from Vera Wang Princess and have been trying lots of other perfumes lately and finding I prefer other scents. 

You can really smell the peony in the perfume and the cedar in it gives it a nice fresh edge so it isn't too over the top. I do think this is quite a strong fragrance on the skin so if you aren't a fan of strong smells it may be too much for you. I find it works best to do a bit of legally blonde style and spray it into the air and walk into it so it's a subtle spray all over as opposed to a shot of it on the neck.

I can imagine my mum loving this too and would make a great Christmas present for her.

Chloe is a surprisingly reasonable price for an Eau De Parfum. My recent purchase of Vicktor and Rolf was much more expensive. And as and added bonus Escentual currently have this on offer with 15% off making the 30ml bottle only £33.50. It also comes in 50ml and 75 ml. You can purchase it from here. 

I'm loving having a more grown up scent and will purchase this for my mum's birthday in January while it's on offer as I think she'll love it too.

I'm also eyeing up some bed head products. The dumb blonde shampoo and conditioner is currently 40% off which is too good to resist (or so I'm telling myself as I'm desperate to shop). You can find bed head deals here

Have you tried Chloe Perfume? Or used Escentual's to order from online? I'm very impressed with both and will be doing more online shopping with them. Do you find your perfume tastes change? I'm definitely moving away from sweet fragrance.

Love M

xxx

NOTD: Fair Isle

Good evening!

I've been trying to keep my nails in good condition whilst working with all manner of cardboard boxes and wooden palettes, which when stocking toys at Christmas is no easy feat.

However I have found that painting them helps a lot to stop the nail from flaking and breaking off.

I normally stick with a nude colour and then smother the tips in glitter nail varnish.

This can mean it lasts well over a week without additional top coats etc, but is also a NIGHTMARE to get back off.

But having said that, here's a design I've been rocking the past 2 days....

My favourite festive China Glaze, Ring in the Red.

I absolutely love this as it was my first Christmassy glitter jelly and its absolutely beautiful.

I think this was last year's Christmas range from China Glaze and it will last me a few years yet.

This time however I got out my trusty Models Own white nail varnish pen and attempted a fair isle pattern on the nails.

My original design idea was just the one print on the ring finger.

I just couldn't leave it at that though!!

I ended up covering all my nails with different patterns, some easier than others and some I regretted trying when I had to do them on the other hand with my non-writing hand!

All in all though it was fun to attempt something different and I would definitely try them again with different patterns and colours!

What do you think of my Fair Isle nails??

L xxx

A/W NOTD: Nails Inc's Regents Palace

Another nail post in my A/W series!

This week's is a GORGEOUS shimmery metallic purple which whenever I use am surprised why I don't use it more often.

Regent's Palace is beautiful in every light and perfect for the party season.

It looks amazing whether you're wearing it to work or out in the evenings, therefore making it perfect for day to night events!

I personally love the red/blue/purple shimmer running through this and it applies really easily with 2 coats.

Couldn't help myself but take looooooooooooooooooads of pictures, it really does look a treat in the light.

What do you think of Regent's Palace? Do you have a similar purple in your collection?

Also, did you pick up Motcomb Street after it was free in Glamour magazine?! Love it as much as me??

L xxx

All I want for Christmas... (6)

Having put up with Christmas songs for a month already due to Boots blasting out all manner of festive cheer I have firmly got Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas' playing in my head 24/7.

So because of this I am constantly thinking about what I want for Christmas (whilst stocking up Peppa Pig, Hello Kitty and Star Wars obviously!)

There are a few things I'd like in terms of make up, DVDs, clothes etc but there are others that I really would like that aren't so easy to come by.

1) I would do absolutely anything to get a job related to forensic science, analytical chemistry, toxicology etc.

I've quite frankly worked my butt off for 5 years, working up to 95 hours a week for a year just to get another qualification.

So far, it would seem that although my MSc has helped get me noticed more, my lack of experience is still holding me back, yet I can't get any unless I am employed due to the nature of forensic science (can't leave important samples in the hands of a temp!)

I've been so stressed out about it all that I've given myself IBS and now I have acne.

Please someone give me a job in a lab.

2) Follows on from number 1 really. My skin is absolutely awful at the moment.

When I got back from America after spending 7 weeks in the sun it was the best it has ever been.

Shortly afterwards for no particular reason I started getting loads of really painful red lump type spots, white heads and really attractive scars to go with it.
Lots of people seem to be having the same problems but at 24 and about to graduate you would hope your skin would be the last of your worries!

3) I have 2.5 weeks before I graduate and having luckily found my dress I am hoping to get a flatter stomach in time for it.
However having started a new job recently my meal times are all mixed up as I have to work over them being in a shop and often end up eating multiple meals.
I've so far stayed the same weight but this hasn't improved any further because its so hard to get to the gym when you've worked til 7/8/9pm.
So I'm looking for any tips to get a flatter stomach??
Any tea drinks or fat busting foods/fruits/snacks you can think of?!
I'm not looking for miracle weightloss, my dress is a smaller size already (a 10 woohoo!) but I would like a smoother silhouette at the front.
Ill also be planking and crunching every evening I can to help keep it more toned.


So that's my Christmas wish list.

Probably a little different to any others you've seen as there is for once not a single product or item of clothing on there!
But never the less, if I got these for Christmas I'd be the happiest person alive.

Any tips, ideas for far busting, skin clearing or scientific job hunting please feel free to leave a comment or get in touch!

L xxx

Review: Origins Clear Improvement

I picked this up over a month ago when L and I went to a beauty event at John Lewis. Lots of the counters were offering good deal when things were purchased. Origins was one of them. I wanted a new mask and had heard so many great things about Clear Improvement I decided to pick it up.

Clear Improvement is a mask aimed to deep clean skin and unclog pores. You get 100ml of product for £20 which I think is quite reasonable as it is a large tube and better than lush products as it lasts longer than a month. I've found lush counter staff are great to chat to about skin issues and are happy to give you samples of products to try.

I like the packaging. A tube for a mask is easy to just squeeze out when you are in the bath. My does look a bit dirty in some of the photos are the mask is black so that does stick around the lid.

I tend to use it after using my Liz Earle cleanse and polish so my skin is clean and the warmth of the muslim cloth means my pores are open. This mask dries onto the skin as it's a clay mask. I like to use it in the bath so I can really sit back and relax and keep my face really still. The addition of charcoal to this mask helps to draw out the impurities in the pores.

The ingredients contain nothing that stands out as immediately bad for the skin. As you may know both L have certain chemicals we try to avoid in products. Origins is a company both L and I love. It has such a great range of products that really work. We are both loving the enzyme pads we got free and will be reviewing them soon.

Attractive mask shot. I love this mask it really cleans out my pores and leaves my skin looking much better. I really want to try out of trouble and modern friction soon as L raves about both of these.

What's your favourite mask? Are you an origins fan?

Love M

xxx

Healthy diet recipe.

Last week we posted for the Sophia and Sandra on there bloggers go skinny blog. 

Its a great blog with weight loss tips,  progress and tasty recipes. The perfect motivation to get into shape.

Last week we blogged our top 10 weight loss tips. 

This week we posted one of our favourite recipes on there. It's a tasty one.

Hope you enjoy it. I know L has some updates on her fitness and health regime this week.

Love M

Xxx

Seche VIte

When I went to America Seche Vite was one of the things I picked up. When I spotted it in target it went straight in the trolley. I'd heard so many good things about it I couldn't resist it. I love my No7 top coat and have mentioned my love for it loads on this blog.

Excuse my slightly battered box. It has been on a long flight. The bottle seems large and this will definitely last a while.

Seche Vite has a unique formula which allows it to be put on wet nails. Something I found my No7 one wasn't allowing. Lately when I was using it, it would streak the wet polish on my nail. Seche Vite is truly amazing. A drop on the nail does spread really well.

This topcoat really deserves all the good reviews it gets and I now wouldn't use another. It drys really quickly, leaves nails looking glossy and doesn't smudge wet polish. What more could you want. The brush is also very good. The way it holds the perfect amount of topcoat allows the nail to be covered easily and quickly.

You can pick it up readily on eBay it's a bargain £6.25 from this seller and they have 100% feedback. I cannot recommend this top coat enough and will be ordering some of their treatment base coats.

Have you tried Seche Vite? What's your favourite top and base coat?

Love M

xxx

Review: Avene Eau Thermale Mineral Cream SPF 50

Following on from yesterday's post, this is another product I picked up at the same time as the Liquid Gold. 

I've heard (obviously) many times about wearing SPF to prevent skin from aging and protect it from UV rays etc and I completely agree especially after the fabulous Joan Collins has amazing skin, apparently down to no skin exposure to the sun since she was 16.

With that and the fact that using products such as Liquid Gold containing glycolic acid I was adamant I needed to pick up a separate SPF just for face with a high factor but that could be used on my currently sensitive and unpredictable skin.
It used to be oily and nowadays it leans more to the dry side...confusing!

With all my skin woes in mind I headed to Boots to pick up a facial SPF from a skincare brand I knew I shouldn't react to, and so I picked up this one from Avene.
I wasn't bothered if it was from Vichy, La Roche Posay etc as long as it was a well respected brand catering to skins needs.

So I added this to my skin care routine without any negative effects to my skin whatsoever.
This was a HUGE relief to me and I would be happy to keep this in my routine forever more because of this!

You can see in the photo below the colour and consistency of the cream.
It's a pinky colour and quite thick, when rubbed into the face this does take a bit of effort to blend as it turns white on application.
The white can make you look a little pale but does match your skin tone after a few minutes.
I do wonder though, I'm very pale and can have trouble looking a bit ill and washed out after using it, so if anyone with a darker skin colour used this would it rub in and blend any easier?

If you've used it I would love to know what you think!




On a pale day this blends in easily enough and could give me the option of just wearing the SPF without make up as it does somewhat cover up some blemishes.
If you only had a few this would be perfect!
However I have a few more and so need to apply make up still, but this does create a nice base to apply make up on.

I believe this was a good addition to my skin care regime, it's had no negative effects and as my moisturiser has either a low SPF or none at all this is the perfect way of ensuring I'm protected from the pesky UV rays that are there even though there's no sun!

What do you think of using an SPF? Do you wear it every day? What number do you use?

I chose 50 as it was the only one there, I might have chosen 30 if it was there though!

L xxx

Don't forget our Christmas Giveaway!

Review: Alpha H Liquid Gold

I've been waiting to write this for a very long time.

I was filled with lots of hope when I got my hands on some Alpha H Liquid Gold.

I'd heard lots of things about the results and after spending so long with skin problems over the summer I couldn't resist.

I purchased it asap and followed everyone's guidelines on using it, cleansed my face and then used a cotton wool pad to apply the solution to the entire of my face before bed without applying moisturiser (just my normal eye cream and lip balm!)

I felt a slight tingle on my face sometimes, but as I expected this to happen I'm not sure if it was my imagination as initially I was worried my skin would react to it.

I have sensitive skin sometimes and as it has been a problem for the past couple of months I was worried it would make it worse.

After my first use, the very next day I saw an improvement.

My spots has shrunk, some of them looked a bit weird like they were yellowy but didn't feel pussy or painful at all and the swelling had been reduced by a huge extent.

However this effect was short lived.

As I was using it every other day, by the time it came to my next use the spots had come back, and so began a vicious cycle!

Better skin for a day before the spots returned.

The Liquid Gold did help my scarring and this was improved by the use of another product which will be in an upcoming post as I used it on the alternate days I didn't use the Liquid Gold.

I continued using it this way for a few weeks to see if it got any better but unfortunately all my spots were just the same, if not a little worse.

I decided to try using it every day for a bit to see if this had any better effect.

This luckily didn't make my skin worse as I was worried that it would dry it out or just generally burn off my skin with that much acid use!

It didn't make it any better either.

Eventually I have stopped using it as I have used almost all of the bottle without any positive effect on my blemishes and spots.

However.....

The skin that is unaffected by my spots (around my nose and forehead) seemed to have a much better look about it.

It seemed more even in tone, my pores looked smaller and there were no blemishes to speak of at all.

It also seemed to have the 'glowy' look that makes you look a lot younger and I have been trying to get back for ages!

But I think after all my best efforts that Liquid Gold may not be for me.

I would be willing to try it again when whatever seems to be unbalancing my skin has been sorted out as i think it would improve the overall look of my skin, but unfortunately for me has not solved my skin woes.

I think this may largely be down to reviews on skin care from other blogs.

I know almost all have disclaimer that obviously what works for them may not work for you and that is very true. But a lot of bloggers who review skincare have never had skin problems in the first place to know whether the products work on ridding you of blemishes, which is something that I've noticed recently having bought and tried so many products deemed to help that actually haven't at all.

So just beware, as I've spent a LOT of money trying and failing over the past few months.

I have a second part to this post as it's related to the use of glycolic acid and also 'should' feature in everyone's skin care anyway....

Don't forget to enter our Christmas Giveaway for the chance to win a £20 voucher!

L xxx

YSL Shocking

When I went to America at the end of September YSL Shocking Mascara was something I really wanted. I'd seen so many positive reviews I just had to have it. You can see my full haul here.

The first thing that caught my attention is the gorgeous YSL packaging. All the products feel so luxurious in their gold packaging. I'm personally a fan and I love the black writing on them. I like that they are heavy to as it makes me think I've got my monies worth (stupid I know)

Look how pretty. When I was in duty free unfortunately they didn't have the mascara so I picked up Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes instead. Review coming soon. But luckily they had this on the plane. I paid £20 for it. Which is a lot for mascara but after picking up this one and the Lancome one I'm converted to high end. You can pick it up for £23 here.

When I first opened it I was instantly disappointed  I judge this one straight away. After loving my Maybelline Colossal Volume for so long for something to give me volume I assumed the brush would be bigger. It's average size and I have just assumed it would be huge. It also just looked average, I expected something different to it.

As I tried it the first time my disappointment continued. My lashes clumped together and the formula felt too wet. Having had this with a mascara before I left it for a few weeks before trying again. That was when it all changed. The brush also picks up a lot of product and is very highly scented (warning incase you aren't a fan) I'm used to a scented mascara as my Maybelline one is.

After giving it a second chance all changed. Here is my eye with no make up on at all above. This mascara separates and lengthens my lashes amazingly.

Please ignore my ungroomed eyebrows (if you saw my brow post last week you can see what my natural brows look like in this post, here if you want to read it) This is after just one coat. I love how black this mascara is and how my lashes appear. I always like to apply two of more coats of mascara.

After two coats you can see there is a lot more volume to my lashes. I think this mascara is perfect for days when you only want to wear mascara as it leaves your lashes looking amazing. It's also perfect for nights out and this would make me consider ditching false lashes.

Here you can see with and without which I'm sure you'll agree is pretty amazing. This mascara is so good at making lashes look amazing. BUT don't go more than two coats. This is a mascara that easily goes clumpy as the wand is very much loaded with mascara. I think it will be a better mascara as it runs out more. This mascara made L stop me mid sentence to ask if I was wearing falsies. My sister in law also did the same thing. Pretty impressive right.

I'm so converted to high end now. Also I love high street mascaras and I think they are great but when I can afford to spend the extra I will now.

What do you think of high end mascaras? Have you tried YSL?

Love M

xxx

Save, Spend, Splurge Day Creams featuring Avon, Origins and Clinique

I've been meaning to write this post for a while after I got quite a few positive response on the one I did on eye make up removers (found here) I always wonder whether it really is worth paying more for things. I plan on doing posts on night creams and hot cloth cleansers too. Would you be interested in seeing posts like this on beauty products as well?

Anyway today's post is day creams. Let's start off with my skin type. I'm an oily combination skin type. While I used to sway away from moisturiser as I was oily skinned I used to not bother as I thought it was unnecessary to add more to my skin. How wrong was I. Since realising this I've been trying different ranges of skin care to find what's perfect for me.

In a day cream I like something that's light and sinks into my skin easily so I can apply my make up on a nice base and not have something heavy on my face as it doesn't need it.

SAVE

The first one I started using was the Avon Solutions Complete Balance Day Cream. This is an absolutely brilliant moisturiser for anyone with oily combination skin. It's a mattifier day cream which just leaves the face with a nice shine free finish. It's oil free which is always good and has SPF15 which is what I like day creams to have so I don't have to worry if my foundation doesn't. The cream has a great consistency which leaves my skin feeling suitably moisturised without being oily. It sinks in easily too which means you can apply your make up onto a nice base. The RRP for this is £7.50 for 50ml which in itself is a great price but you can usually get it on offers and in deals. It's currently £5.00 here or you can get a travel set with a mask, day cream, night cream and cleanser here which is also £5.00 and is a great way to try them out. I got this one for £3 when it was on offer.

Apologises for the tatty pot. I like the pot it's similar to the Clinique one and means you can get all the product out easily. It does mean if you have long nails you do get some product under your nails. This cream has a nice fresh fragrance that is very subtle and possibly a little floral.

SPEND

For if you want to spend a little more I have the Origins Balanced Diet Moisturiser.\This is also an oil free moisturiser. It uses Japanese seaweed and sodium hyaluronate which is apparently what makes it great for oily/combination skin types as these give moisturiser without weighing down the skin. This lotion blends easily into the skin and feels very light weight. It has an almost minty fresh fragrance. I find it pleasant. This one cost £23.00 for 50ml so is significantly more than the Avon one. You can find out more about the ingredients and how they work here. I like the brand Origins and a lot of their products. But this isn't a cream I'd repurchase and I prefer the Avon one over this. Mainly because they are very similar but the Avon one also has SPF.

I do prefer the packaging of the Origins though.

SPLURGE

Onto the Splurge. The Clinique Superdefense age Defense Moisturise SPF 25 for Combination oily to oily skin (with Clinique you can get the same moisturiser but for different skin types). I have previously done a full review on this day cream here. This moisturiser is brilliant. It's perfect for oily skin as it's lightweight and sinks into the skin easily. It feels fresh on the skin and sinks in well and has the highest SPF value of the three creams. I love that this cream is not only aimed at oily skin but is also Anti Ageing and while I'm only 23 I'm a firm believer of prevention is better than cure and it's best to start young. I find it hard to find anti ageing products that aren't heavy on this skin and this is brilliant. But it comes at a price. £37 for 50ml unfortunately. While it's pricey I really think it's worth every penny and would definitely repurchase. The product lasts a long time though. You can purchase here.

The packaging looks and feels luxurious and classic and is plastic which is handy if you are travelling. No one wants to spend £37 then drop it and it smash.

So overall this time for me SPLURGE wins. It's such a great all round cream to prevent anti ageing, sun damage and control oil. I love this. But when I'm skint I turn to my SAVE option as I think it's as good as SPLURGE so it's not worth spending the extra.

Have you tried any of these? What's your go to day cream? Are you happy to spend on day creams?

Love M

xxx

Guest Post - ENDED

Hey all, if you've seen twitter you may have seen I've been sent home from work. I'm not too well at the moment. I'm hoping more sleep will help. It's all I've done for the past two days.

Anyway a while ago Sophia from Bloggers Go Skinny asked if anyone would like to do a guest post on the black. It's Run by Sophia (From Tattoed Tea Lady) and Sandra (From The Black Pearl). Both L and I are trying to live healthier lifestyles and try and blog about it on here on Thursdays.

This post is our top tips for weight loss. Hope you find them helpful!

Love M

xxx 

Xmas Wishlist

I've seen lots of these posts lately and I've not done one of my monthly wishlists lately so I thought I'd do a Christmas one. Plus I'm feeling ill at the moment so what better way to make myself feel better than day dream at pretty things online.

I've asked for a few things for Christmas but most other things on this list are more dream world to get not stuff I expect.

The things I know already are these boots from my Grandad. I usually get shoes from him. I'm lucky that he worked for Clarks most of his life so now gets 33% discount. I love Clarks boots. They are classic styles that really last and look great. I tend to sway towards brown or tan boots as I struggle to find nice black ones. This year I was determined to find some.

image from clarks

I really liked the simple style of these and they look great on. They are a sort of suede material so not completely black and shiny which I love. You can find them here for £79.99 I was lucky to get them for just under £50 as I had another discount.

I've also asked for Real Techniques brushes as I really want to have a good set of brushes and these are such a reasonable price and I love everything about them. I've got a lot of these coming from different family members as I couldn't think of anything else I really wanted.

image from Real Techniques

They are also currently on offer in boots.

I also really love the Vans/Converse/Toms style. I want some practical shoes that I can wear with my jeans for dress down days. I love my dolly shoes but want something a bit warmer for days I don't want to wear boots. I think I'm more swayed to Vans as I think they'd look better on my feet (I have big feet, a size 7 and worry converse would exaggerate this) Toms are probably more Summery but I like them and Imagine them being so comfy. Schuh have a great range of both.

image from Schuh

I love the floral girly version of these.

Image from Schuh

I think Burgandy version of these would be perfect for dry winter days.

I'm still yet to find a foundation that makes me want to stop trying others. I have lots at the moment I really like but I still think there is better. I'm loving Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and have heard great things about there make up range. I'd love to try the natural glow bronzer and signature foundation from this range.

image from John Lewis

I think this will be great for contouring as it's a matte shade.

image from here

I've seen lots of great reviews for the signature foundation and would love to try it out. I've seen good reviews for oily skin too which make me lean towards it more.

If you've seen any of my wishlist you'll probably know I've been lusting for coloured skinnies/jeggings. While getting my dine in for £10 deal the other day in M&S I was very surprised by there selection of coloured and patterned skinny jeggings and jeans. I can't wait to try some of these.

images from M&S

These three are my favourites. I love the zip detail on the purple ones and the subtle patterrn on the middle ones. I'd love to be brave enough to pull off the full on floral but I don't think I am. If you are on the look out for new jeans I say look in M&S you may be surprised. They seem reasonably prices too.

The Benefit Feeling Dandy is probably at the top of my wishlist. I recently purchased Erase Paste and the MUA put Dandelion blush on me and I loved the way it looks. 

image from John Lewis

The set is great, you get mini posie tine and high beam as well as a lip gloss to match. All the colours in the set compliment each other. They also have them with Coralista Blush and Sugar Bomb so there is a shade to suit everyone. I'm wanting to try more Benefit make up. I love all the gift sets. What's your recommendations?

Being winter I'm also eyeing up snuggley jumpers. George at Asda has a great range of jumpers for a reasonable price. These are some of the ones I'm loving.

And lastly and totally not something I'll own but I've been lusting over these for years so just thought I'd share these beautiful shoes! The Love Moschino Heart Studded Pump. I saw these a while ago and have been in love with them since.

What's on your Christmas Wishlist?

Love M

xxx