Spotlight: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I know, I am late to the party on this one. If I'm honest, I'd first heard of micellar water long before now. I've seen bloggers raving about it and giving it great reviews for a long time, but I passed it off as something I wouldn't really use.

Turns out though, this stuff is great! The Bioderma one gets mentioned quite often, but the market is full of different versions now. I purchased the Garnier one, as not only does it works great, but at under £4.99, it is also a really affordable choice.

Micellar water is simple as it works to gently cleanse the skin. Because it's so gentle it's suitable for any skin type and it's very effective at removing dirt and make-up, without having to do any rinsing.

I received a tip a couple of months ago, which changed my mind on buying the product. After going through a full cleansing routine the night before, micellar water is great to use in a morning to cut down the time it takes to get ready. All that is needed is to put some of the miceller water on a cotton pad and wipe across the face, then follow with moisturiser and eye cream.

For me, it's a great addition to my routine.

Have you tried micellar water yet?

Illamasqua

It seems a long time ago now, but back in January I took a trip down to London. It was a pretty cool weekend in itself - there was an amazing American-style diner - but the trip was primarily to go on my second Illamasqua make-up course.

I am really loving the courses Illamasqua put on. I'm even deciding which one to go on next! I still feel like a relative beginner to make-up, so I find having the guidance on how to apply my make-up really helpful. The course I went on this time, 'Mastering Rush Hour Make-up', was particularly great, as it gave me useful tips for doing my daily make-up quickly, as well as giving me a full work appropriate look. For example, did you know some lip colours are a no no, as they totally give the wrong impression, and stop you from being taken seriously? Interesting stuff!

Like last time, afterwards, I bought some of the products that we used in the lesson. If you want to see the products I bought after the last course I went on, the post is here. The course this time used some if those same products, like the Matte Veil and the Skin Base foundation, both of which I really love; the former in particular being a staple of my daily routine.

But this time I chose four of my favourite products from the lesson to take home with me:

Skin Base Lift; in Light 2 - Not only is this is a very creamy under eye concealer, but it also has a peach tone to it, so it doubles up as a corrector. This is great as it means putting on less product helping it look a little more natural. It's designed to compliment the Skin Base foundation, but I use it regularly without, and I still love the way it looks. It doesn't take much product, but it makes my eyes look much brighter, and I look so much more awake, even if I don't feel it!

Cream blusher; in Zygomatic - Before I discovered this product, I hadn't really used a cream blusher before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I ended up loving it. It's a very neutral shade so once blended it looks very natural, and it blends so easily. All I do is use my fingertips, and it gives a great finish.

Sculpting Powder Duo; in Lumos and Heliopolis - This powder is designed for highlighting and contouring. The highlighter, Lumos, has a buildable shimmer to it, whereas helios is a light brown matte shade, which is perfect for creating shadows. They compliment each other perfectly. For the lesson, we also used the product as eyeshadow, so it's great for multitasking in a morning.

Lipstick; in Climax - I still don't feel ready to wear a bold lip, so I was matched up to this neutral shade. It is actually close to my own lip colour, but it's a matte finish and actually helps my lip colour look much softer and even. We paired this with a lip pencil in Fantasy (which, unfortunately, they had sold out of) and together it just brought the look together.

Have you tried any Illamasqua products?

Spring Wishlist

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It's officially March! Even though it's not yet officially spring, in my mind March means the weather is finally on the up, and we are finally on the other side of winter's grasp. It may be obvious that I am really looking forward to the warmer months ahead.

So for me, this is the month to start adding bright colours and bold patterns to my outfits. There is nothing brighter than yellow, and this jacket is perfect for warding off the cold and the rain, as well giving me some cheer! Of course pastel colours feel very spring-like too, and so slipping on these mint shoes will just brighten up each step.

What is on your spring wishlist?

...Hello, 2015

It's a new year, and a new start. I have decided quite determinately that this will be my year.

I have quite a few plans for the year ahead, and things I want to concentrate developing on. They're not really resolutions, as really resolutions are changes that are made immediately, but these are areas I want to work on this year. I find it's much easier to complete goals by working on them gradually, rather than trying to do it all in one go. They're much likely to fail that way.

So below are the things I want to develop on in 2015.

Step up my blogging game - You probably don't realise this, but I actually have a schedule to my posts; Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. You'll be forgiven for not noticing because I've missed ones here and there, and in the last few months there has been no pattern at all. It's been an has-and-when sort of thing. So for 2015, I want to get organised and stick to my pattern. I bought the diary in the picture above to help me with staying on top of things (It's a lovely one from A Beautiful Mess). Not only do I just want to be able to post regularly, I want to begin getting a readership and get more involved in the blogging community. I don't have a plan for it yet, but I'm starting with taking my blog seriously, and putting in the hard work.

Be healthier - I know, this is one which everyone includes in their lists. It's one that's often started, but then swiftly abandoned in a matter of weeks. This is why, for me, it is more of an ongoing achievement rather than a straight up resolution. I plan to add things into my routine one step of time. Starting with drinking more water and adding more fruit and vegetables in to my diet, to picking up running and exercising more regularly when the weather starts to get warmer. I'm much likely to keep it going that way.

Save money - This is quite a big one for me as there are a couple of big purchases I'm planning to make in 2015. Namely, as I am getting closer to taking my driving test, I will want a car. Obviously, on top of buying the car it will be insurance and the rest which goes with it. As well as this, I want to move into a flat this year so I will need money saving up to be able to do that. It's going to be abig task, but doable. My plan is to change little things like making lunch for the week, rather than buying a sandwich everyday, as well as resisting those impulse buys! That may be hardest thing to do...

Meet more people - I will be completely honest with you, I am not the world's biggest social butterfly. In fact, I am much further on the other side of the scale. So meeting people can be difficult. I began to meet more people in 2014, and it is something I want to build on this year.

Be involved - This links into the above one, really, and it's part of my plan as to how I'm going to meet more people. I have a habit of avoiding situations, as I'm happy to keep myself to myself and spend my time catching up on TV and games. So this year I am determined to get involved more and say 'yes' when offers come up.

Work on my photography skills - This is a very practical goal. I bought a bridge camera last year, and I still don't know my way around it. I think it is time to learn. I also want to try and get better with my composition, especially for my blog pictures as they do get a bit boring. I want to be able to inject a bit of excitement into them. Look out for that in 2015!

So there we have it. I am definitely looking forward to this year. I hope in a year's time I will be able to announce that I am well into my goals.

What are your goals for 2015?  

Goodbye, 2014...

So 2014 is officially over, and we are beginning our journey into 2015. Before I get down into my goals and resolutions for 2015, I wanted to take a quick look over the best bits of 2014.

2014 has been a decent year for me. Naturally, it has had its ups and downs, but sitting here and reflecting all the things I have done, I think the year has been more in the way of ups for me.

2014 was the year I got into all things make-up and beauty, and has meant that this blog exists as as it is today. As I said in my previous post, I don't know what changed towards my view on make-up, but I am glad it did, as I've really enjoyed looking at and trying out new products and new looks, and then writing about them. I have enjoyed keeping a blog too (even if it has been a struggle sometimes with working full time), and I have found that it is starting to help me with being creative, something which my job doesn't really allow me to be. I hoping to step up my game in 2015.

In other areas of my life, there have been a lot of great happenings in 2014. I spent an amazing week taking part in activities in Holland, like canoeing, cycling and visiting theme parks. I took some exciting trips down to London, in which I visited the Sherlock Holmes museum, had a fun and informative Illamasqua make-up course as well as doing lots of shopping along Oxford Street, of course.

I saw some amazing plays, not least the Matilda musical which is brilliant, and everyone needs to see! I saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake for the first time in about 15 years, and it is still as wonderful asI remembered. I also saw stand-up comedian Dave Gorman live, and met him afterwards. It was an incredibly funny evening.

As well as all this, it seemed to be a year of extra-curricular activities. I spent a lot of my time learning to dive and I passed my theory test. I even took up fencing which has been a lot of fun and I have met some truly wonderful people because of it. I cemented a few friendships this year, but also seemed to grow further apart from others.

Because I love film and television I wanted to take a moment to point out some of the best of 2014.

I am undecided on my favourite film as there were some really fantastic ones; but I think Pride wins out because it is just so witty and poignant. It is most definitely worth a watch. Wes Anderson's wonderful Grand Budapest Hotel is a close second, and honourable mentions go to Guardians Of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie for just being a lot of fun.

One of of my favourite new televisions shows of 2014 was Inside Number 9 which was a little disturbing in places (what more would you expect from two of the creators of The League Of Gentlemen?) but incredibly well written. I also really enjoyed The Musketeers (the second series starts tomorrow!) and I have to mention The Great British Bake-Off and The Apprentice as being really good reality TV. Other honourable mentions are Moone Boy and Only Connect as they are both brilliant.

What are your best bits of 2014?