Sunday 29 June 2014

June Favourites


Whoah, I can't believe it's time again to write another favourites post. June has passed by so quickly.

It's been a good month. The weather has been gorgeous, which has meant the barbecues have come out and I've taken long strolls along the canal. It's been beautiful. There was even a lovely moment this month where we took a projector outside one evening and watched Frozen in the garden.

In June I tried out some new restaurants that opened in Nottingham, and I even had a night out at a casino. I'm really not a casino-person, and only really stayed for learning how to play roulette and blackjack. It was a really fun night though.

I'm hoping for July to be a further wonderful month. I have a lot planned, and I don't actually think I have a Saturday free. I'm definitely working towards making this an excellent summer.

But before we jump into July here is what I loved about June.

Favourite make-up

This month I have particularly been loving Benefit's Watt's Up. It is a beautiful highlighter and I love using it on my cheekbones every morning to give me a gorgeous glow. I think it looks great when it catches the light and it really brightens up my face. I absolutely love it. I may do a full post on it sometime soon.


Favourite skincare

In June I've really defined my skincare, and tried to get down to a really effective routine. I have been using the steam cream ever since I bought it. I wrote about it here. I just love how it easily it sinks into the skin and how soft it makes my face feel. It's quickly become a staple of my regime. It's helps that the packaging is so pretty too!


Favourite film

I didn't watch many films this month but I did enjoy The Way, Way Back. It stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Sam Rockwell. It's a typical coming of age film about a reclusive boy who's mum is dating a man he doesn't get along with. He is taken of holiday with them for the summer, but ends up meeting someone changing his world. I love Sam Rockwell, but the best thing about the film was seeing Steve Carell in a much darker role than the ones he usually plays.



Favourite Television

The television I have been enjoying this month is Mr. Sloane. Set in the 60's, it is about a struggling man who has separated from his wife, been fired from his job but gets a new spark into his life when he meets a young American. Alongside Nick Frost, it starts Peter Serafinowicz and the always wonderful Olivia Coleman (anyone who watched Horrible Histories will also recognise Lawry Lewin). It's been a very enjoyable comedy. Great for a Friday night.



Favourite music

The other month I saw Imelda May on the Graham Norton Show, and I really loved the performance. Ever since I have been listening to her. I particularly love this song. It's a great one to get dancing to.



What have you loved this month?

Sunday 22 June 2014

June Sunday Style


It's summer! I can not begin to tell you how happy I am that the sun is out in full force. It means I can eat ice cream daily, have walks in the evenings and just generally be content. There's nothing like warm weather to lift the spirits. It also means I can wear cute clothes.

This month I have bought a couple of crop tops. I have never been a crop top wearer before, but this month I'm really loving them. This one from Topshop in particular is great. I just love the cute little flower hem. They're also good for when I want to wear something light like I did today. It's a great option for such a hot day.




crop top - Topshop // shorts - New Look // flats - New Look (via ASOS) // necklace - Forever 21 // earings - Forever 21 // Watch - Urban Outfitters // Braclet - handmade // flower - old 

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Bourjois 1 seconde Mascara


I am on the hunt for the perfect mascara. It must give me good looking lashes, not run too much and not break the bank. So when I saw the 1 Seconde Mascara by Bourjois in Boots, I thought it looked perfect and had to give it a try.

There were two things that drew me to it; the big 'No Clumps' sign, and the weird looking bristles. They are something to behold. The wand is covered in alternating spiky bristles and little ball-shaped bristles. I love the packaging. It is silver and shiny. It is prone to fingermarks though, so I had to rub them off occasionally. It is also very light. It shocked me when I picked it up as it feels like there's nothing in it!


The application of it works nicely. It makes my lashes look bold and long which is the main thing for a mascara. The 'no clumps' claim is a bit misleading, as there is definitely clumpage (did I just make that up?). It straightens out with a brush, but when it's claimed there will be no clumps, it's expected to be so.

So far so good, but it was really let down by the wear time. I purchased the waterproof version, and I still found I had panda eyes by the end of the day. I do find that mascara generally runs for me, but this is one of the worst.

At £9.99 it's not a bad price, but it's a shame that it runs so much or I would probably use it more.


Sunday 15 June 2014

Birch Box June 2014


It's that time of the month again when I receive my little surprises through the post.

This month, Birch Box have jumped into the World Cup theme and have produced a Brazil and beyond inspired box. The pouch that it came in is particularly cute. It is green with yellow text and just looks so apt. Each product this month is either in, or represents a different country. I don't care for football at all, but I have to admit I love this.

Without further ado, here is the contents of this month's box:


Beauty Blender - This is something I  have seen quite a lot around the internet. It seems to be the favourite of a lot of bloggers. I've never really looked twice at it before as I don't usually like sponges, but I am looking forward to see how this works out. I especially like how it comes with a solid soap to enable to clean it easily.

Yves Rocher Sheer Botanical Lipstick - I think calling this a lipstick is not quite right. I received mine in the shade Litchi but the colour pay-off in this is barely noticeable. It does make the lips glossier and it gives a tint to the lips. This is also supposed to moisturise the lips, and I definitely agree with that. It felts soft on my lips and I think I'll definitely be wearing this more as a tinted lipbalm, rather than a lipstick.


OPI Nail Lacquer - This is from OPI's Brazilian Collection. I can't find a name to the shade, but it's a lovely shimmery, pink/red shade. Now, as I mentioned before, I'm not really a fan of red or pink nail shades but my mum convinced me this will look good, so I'm going to give it a try.


Naobay Body Radiance Lotion - This is a lovely moisturiser, but nothing I'm excited about. It's made using natural and organic products and it sinks well into the skin. The formula is quite thick, and it has a lemon scent that is a little odd. It doesn't seem a stand-out to other moisturisers on the market so I don't think I'd buy a full sized product, but I will continue to use this one up.



Embryolisse Lait-creme Concentre - This is a deeper moisturiser and it looks like it'll be a good one for dry skin. The sample of this is quite small, but as my skin seems to be the complete opposite of dry, I may end up giving this one away.


Brazil Inspired-Keyring - This is a little bit of fun in the box. I love the colours. It's just very cute.
I may be hanging my keys on this over the World Cup period.

It was a good box this month. It certainly wasn't as exciting as last month's, but I still enjoyed it.

Friday 13 June 2014

Steam Cream


I bought Steam Cream on a whim. As usual, I was suckered in by the cute packaging, so I just had to try it. But this is a bit different to other creams in the market, as it is made using steam. I don't know all the details, but their website states that all the natural ingredients are fused together using steam, and this makes for a lighter and more absorbent cream. It sounds exciting!

I have been using the cream for the past few weeks and I am liking it so far. I use it as a night cream for my face, but it is versatile enough to use anywhere. After about three weeks, I am still using the product off the lid of the tin, so this really does last.


I really love how light the cream is on my skin. I don't find it sticky or anything like that, I find it rubs in really well and feels really good on the skin.

The one thing that is a off-putting for me is the smell. It is a natural, creamy smell, but for me it is too strong and not a scent I like.

Like I said, it was the packaging that drew me to it. There are so many different styles of tin. I got mine in Ume Ni Uguisu, as it's so pretty. The tin is even reusable for trinkets afterwards.

The test for me is whether I would repurchase it again. I think I would buy this again. It makes a great addition to my bedside table.

Sunday 8 June 2014

3 things: books


For me, Sunday is a day for a leisure and relaxing. On Sunday's I like to go on a hike or on a bike ride. I like to go climbing or just have a leisurely stroll along the canal. I most certainly love my activities, but I also like to spend to relax. Sunday is the day I like to catch-up on my shows (I'm finally up-to-date with GoT) and watching a light afternoon movie is always.

One thing I really love to do is to read. I love literature and as you'll see from my picks below, Sci-Fi and Fantasy is my thing.

So here are three books which make perfect Sunday reading:



 Name Of The Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

This is a brilliant fantasy book and it is such an intriguing and layered story. It is about a man named Kvothe, a simple innkeeper, who, as times are getting darker, tells the story of his life to a chronicler. Kvothe is a man of legend and his story is very far from being boring. It involves mysteries, death and hard times. I don't want to say any more as I don't want to give any plot points away, but it is a fantastic book and do much is packed into the one volume. It is wonderfully written and all of it kept my attention. I am currently reading the second book in the series. It is just as good, but I am taking my time, as there is no release date for the third part yet!


Boneshaker - Cherie Priest

This book has it all.It's Steam Punk, with zombies. Let me say that again: It's Steam Punk with zombies. If that doesn't sell it I don't know what will.

It is part of a series of books called Clockwork Century, and this one follows Briar and her son Ezekiel years after a deadly gas began turning people into zombies, supposedly caused by Briar's husband drilling into the ground. The gas was walled off before it could do too much damage, but in a bid to clear his father's name Ezekiel heads into the wall to find out the truth, and Briar has no choice but to follow to save her son.

It is beautifully written, and is both witty and gripping. Plus it is great to have a strong woman forefront of the action. I love the book, and can't recommend it enough. I have started reading the next books in the series too and so far I'm loving them just as much.


The Ocean At the End Of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I read this book very quickly, it was that engaging. In fact, it was only a matter of days that I completed it in. It is such a beautiful story. It is about a man, who, on his way to a funeral, visits an old house from his past. There he is reminded of his childhood and of the events which began with the lodger crashing the family car and set into motion dark and powerful spirits.

It was such a wonderful read. I love Gaiman's style of writing, as it's so easy to read but so captivating. It is not my favourite Gaiman book but I fell in love with it, and it makes such a wonderful story for a Sunday afternoon.

What books are you reading?

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Garnier BB Cream


Last month I went to look for a new base for my face. With the weather getting warmer I wanted to find something that would be light and easy to wear. I was looking primarily for tinted moisturiser, but I saw the Garnier BB cream and, remembering somewhere in the back of my mind that I'd heard good things, I decided to purchase it.

The particular product in the range I purchased was the Skin Perfector for combination to oily skin in light (which costs £9.99). It claims to do a number of things, these being: Anti-shine, blurs pores and imperfections, evens tones and boosts glow, moisturises and has SPF 20 UV protection.

That's a lot for a little bottle to do!

The one that really stuck out to me is that I find that it does even the skin tone and boosts glow. That is the main thing I love about the product as well as it's lightweight, silky, moisturising texture which glides on my skin very easily. I use my fingers to apply it over a primer. At the moment I am using Benefits Porefessional or L'Oreal's Blur. For me, this seems to be the most effective way of getting an even coverage.

I really do love how my skin looks afterwards, but I wouldn't say it was is anti-shine as i still feel like my skin has shine after using it. I also don't find that it lasts the entire day. Long-lasting is important to me as I spend over 8 hours in an office everyday.

It does however, give my skin a gorgeous glow. It is light so it doesn't have an amazing coverage, but it is buildable and it is great for just giving me an even tone so I can even wear it on it's own, and then cover up my blemishes and dark circles with concealers.

Since I've bought it I've not used any other base or foundation on my skin, and I'll probably use it all summer.

Sunday 1 June 2014

Summer Wishlist

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8//9

It's June which means Summer is officially here, right? Today the sun was shining bright, and I thought it was time to think about my style for the summer. 

This summer I am feeling crop tops and high waisted shorts. For me, this summer is all about bright colours, and I picked out this dress as a great one for work. It will really bring some colour into the office. I'm also looking for shorts with bold prints to wear with plain t-shirts. With the weather getting warmer, nobody wants to be under a douvet, so sleeping in shorts and a t-shirt is a must, and nothing is cuter than the Mr. Burns one I picked out. I don't think I'll be able to resist buying it!

I realise there is a lot of shorts of my summer list. Let' hope the weather stays lovely enough!

Contact

Name

Email *

Message *