Update & Organising ♥

Happy Monday lovers! Can Happy and Monday be in the same sentence? Ermm...Possibly not with 5 days until the weekend.

Today is going to be a wiffly waffly post, just giving an update on what's cracking on in my world. It may be painstakingly snoring, so feel free to press that little 'X' at any time! 

Work has been pretty busy, so Ed and I haven't really seen much of each other over the last week, but we are going on holiday to Cyprus on the 5th of July for 8 days, so that will be a nice break. We return on the 13th, and then it's my birthday on the 16th! I wish it wasn't a Monday, I can't get excited for it really because everyone is at work and such, so I'll just sit in a dark corner eating cake all day. Also, on my birthday it will be the year anniversary of our engagement! I can't believe how quick it's gone, it was one of the best times of my life going up that Eiffel Tower <3. Anyway, enough of the soppies.

Another bit of exciting news, that has all come about very quickly really, is that we may be moving into a house! We found one that we really liked pretty much straight away, granted it needs working on, but it's perfectly liveable at the moment. We live in a two story flat at the moment, with no garden or anything, so it will be so lovely to be able to have BBQ's (if the sun ever comes out), parties, BOUNCY CASTLES! Exciting! So everything is in the motions at the minute, and things look hunky dory, but I'm not getting excited until the keys are in our hands. You know how it goes with house buying, it's all a bit touch and go. Fingers crossed!

Just briefly, I started organising my dressing table yesterday. As you can see, not quite done yet!

I love this dressing table, Ed got it for me when we first moved in so I absolutely love it, it's just my style! However, with the move and everything, it seemed to just get bombarded with stuff and have no actual purpose because I didn't have a stool with it. But now I do! I have been using Ed's beside table to house a lot of my make up, and I always do my make up there because the light is good, but it isn't very fair on him really! So I spent some time tidying it all up yesterday, and it's starting to take shape.

The Dressing Table/Vanity is from Ikea, as well as the wire baskets next to it which are full of skincare, nail varnishes loads more when I'm done. I sat at it this morning and it was great to have everything organised within easy reach. If you want to know where anything else was from just leave a comment and I'll be sure to let you know.

If you can see the candle at the bottom there, that was from John Lewis and is called Fairy Dust. If you have a John Lewis near by, please go and smell it. It's blummin' AMAZING! It's so sweet and fills the room with the gorgeous scent after a few minutes. 

So there's my little rambly post, Operation Wedding Dress is in Operation Fail mode at the minute too, we have been eating far too much crap. So after our holiday, it's back down to the nitty gritty! 

Ciao for now! XxX

Previous Week Update ♥

Hello Everyone! Hope you are all well, it's been a while. I have been doing all sorts over the last week with the Jubilee and going down to London etc, which is why I haven't been continuously blogging. However I am back, and although this post isn't beauty related, I'm just going to put it up anyway, and that should be it for non beauty posts this week!

I went down to see my Grandad in London this week, who is a Chelsea Pensioner. Once a year Founders Day happens at the Royal Hospital Chelsea and it's a big old bash with a parade. Read more about it HERE. It is a special event where a member of the Royal family comes to the Hospital and reviews each in-pensioner. I felt really grateful to be able to attend such an event, and here are a few pictures of my time there.

My Grandad and I...I don't think he was expecting a picture somehow!

This was on the actual Founders Day, with some of my family.

Me and my Dad thinking he's a dude with his shades on!

Nails for the day (slightly beauty related =D )

Beginning of the Parade with Chelsea Pensioners, Sergeant Majors and Generals. 

Royal Family - Sophie Countess of Wessex.

My Dad and Grandad.

Me and my Grandad.

Quick snap of the London Eye while I was in a taxi!

So it was a nice few days and something different to do. It was a great experience and hope to go back with Ed next year. He couldn't come this year, so as a nice surprise he booked a night away at Coombe Abbey Hotel, which is one of my favourite places to go ever! He really is so sweet! The food is to die for and the rooms are amazing! What a treat! It was a lovely end to the week, and then we went shopping in Birmingham and took Peanut to the vets for a check up. So it was a busy busy week, but a good one. 

So that was a different blog, slightly picture heavy but never mind, I actually prefer blogs that are because I love looking at images!

Ciao for now XxX

Mini Haul & Update ♥

Oh my life it's been ages since I've managed to do a blog. It just shows you how much the hours at work buggers up my day. I'm so tired, and feel so sluggish compared to when I was off, all I want to do is get into bed. I was planning to do that after work today, but I ended up going for a little mooch around the shops, when I really shouldn't have because I'm fully skint, but oh well! So first I have a few pics to put up which I have been meaning to do.

This is Rupert, giving me a big kiss! I love him he is my in laws dog, who is a Briard who is just like a big cuddly bear. Aww he's just so cute <3

This was Sunday lunch for this week at the in laws. We had a chinese themed dinner for chinese new year, which was really nice, but we had grapes in the fruit salad for pud... We were highly amused. Don't we all look hot?

This is a half eaten Lumpy Bumpy cake from work. It is like a toffee sponge, with cream in and a fudgey, caramel topping. Oh my god it's like heaven. My diet has literally gone down the pan, but for Lumpy Bumpy, man it's worth it. I won't be able to have this once I've left work, so I am fully making the most of it. I have decided I'm going to join weight watchers too once I move on, because the hours are normal, I'm going to be able to attend the meetings, so fingers crossed I follow that through, or no skydive for me =S

Lucy, doing her usual smiley with grub! Hilarious! Bit of a squished beef cob I think she called it, we were obviously busy at lunch time... =D Btw, like my pink ski jacket in the background? It's very sexy. Especially with the lovely blob of black paint it has down the front, just really adds to it.

This was a look of the day about 2 days ago that I wore to work. We can't really get away with heavy colours on our eyes, which is hard for me because I love my brights, so the only way of introducing them is to put colours on as a liner. I created this look with the Gosh Quad Pallette 32 Evergreen. I have had it for 2 years I think and still haven't quite ran out. The colours in it are gorgeous and I've used every one of them. They are highly pigmented so you don't need that much. I use a basic tube of lipbalm on my eyelids as a primer before eyeshadow. You can get like a trio of lipbalm tubes from Wilkinsons or bodycare for about a pound, and they really do make great primers. I find with liquid primers you get a lot of creases in the socketline, with the eyeshadow moving about, but with a more firmer base like lipbalm they stick really well - and it's a good moisturiser for your eyelids! ;) The Gosh quads are around £8.50 in Superdrug at the moment, I always find they hold all day too, so a good investment. Emeralds & Turquoises suit brown hair and/or brown eyes too I think, my eyes are hazely with squints of green so that's why I like to wear it. 

Here's my mini haul! It's mostly from Superdrug and Bodycare because I only got cheap things as I'm skint! From Bodycare I got the tail comb, because the two I previously had have gone walkies, and that was about 75p. I got some St. Moriz medium mousse tan, about £2.19 and the mitt was around the same. It is the best 'budget' fake tan I have ever used. My friend from Uni got me onto it, and I've never looked back. It's a really natural glow, instant, and not streaky in the slightest. You have to be quite quick with the application though otherwise it will streak because it works by clinging onto the skin rapidly. I tend to apply it in circular motions rather than up and down, always works a treat for me, so have a go. For 2 quid, it's hard to resist! I also got the 'Scandaleyes' mascara from Rimmel. It has been reduced everywhere to £4.99, so I am wondering why. I am yet to try it so I'll review it after I have, and see if there's a problem!

From Boots I just got a Barry M nailpaint in Grey. A lady came into work with the same colour on, and I just thought it looked really nice, and would be great with a glitter topcoat. Then I hit Superdrug, or I should say Superdrug hit me. The MUA range in there is the really cheap stuff, most of the things are all a pound. I have already got a couple of products, including a cream highlighter eyeshadow, which actually I swear by and it is really pigmented. I have bought a blue mascara before and it wasn't that great, so I think it's one of those ranges that have lucky finds in them. So I bought most of it...

I got 5 eyeliner pencils, which have the in-built sharpener in the lid a bit like the E.L.F ones, 5 eyeshadows, a lipstick and a lipgloss. I swatched the lipstick in the shop and it still stayed on my hand for a good while, so hopefully it's a winner. The lipgloss actually smells amazing too. Again, I am yet to try it all, but more than likely will do tomorrow, and will let you know which I think are the best products. I also got the accessorize 3D glitter nail polish in 'Dream'. This was £4.00 and I had seen some youtubers talking about the accessorize range so I thought I'd try it. I have put it over a No. 7 dark blue colour called 'Sing the blues', and it actually looks really nice. I shall take a picture to see what you all think, and put it up tomorrow!

I'm finally where I wanted to be all day, bed. So catch you guys later.

Ciao for now xxXxx

Waffle Waffle and review ♥

I am knackered. I tell you what I'm not going to miss. I'm not going to miss sitting on a desk until 11pm at night. I'm not going to miss coming home in the dark, and getting back up in the dark to be back on the desk for quarter to 7 in the morning. I'm not going to miss feeling knackered because of the inconsistency of my hours. Etcetera. There are certainly things - well, people, I will miss, but being back reminds me of the things I won't. I do feel quite detached now unfortunately, and I am counting down the last weeks. Wish I could just talk to the girls all day instead. We love a good gossip.

So this might be a bit of a long one, I have a few pictures! Probably not interesting but oh well, the little 'X' is in the right hand corner if you get bored :) 

I have been saying about a few different reviews for ages but haven't got round to doing them, so in this one they shall be! Firstly though, just some goings on...

This was tonight's dinner. Chicken and bacon risotto. Unappetizing picture I'm afraid, however, I have never in my life cooked risotto before but it was absolutely amazing!!! If one does say so herself... It was so tasty and filling, an all rounder. Find the recipe HERE so you can try it yourself. Good to Know is a great website for recipes and advice. It's the first place I look for either! It says use pudding rice but I actually did use aboria proper risotto rice, I also only used one stock cube because the bacon is salty enough as it is. I also put a dash of garlic salt, dried mix herbs and a splash of white wine in it, to give it my own kick. Mmm we have full bellies! 

(Sorry for out of focus pic, my camera is giving me major grief) This is what the risotto took however, a nice grated thumb! Grating the parmeraggiano into it, I thought a bit of thumb would be a nice, tasty, secret ingredient. Not recommended in the recipe for some reason though, funny that.

This is our new fire. It looks really cosy in our lounge now. I came home last night and Ed had put it all up and set it up for us. So cute <3 It's a bit warmer in here now! Just a quickie, does anyone else find that new Weight watchers advert profusely aggravating?! Ughh the song is the most irritating noise EVER! Rant over...

So, onto the beauty bit and finished with the first part of boredom...

I've been meaning to review this since Christmas so sorry it's been so long. It is Vera Wang's newest addition which is called LoveStruck. The bottle is gorgeous and is the same design for each size, which is great because with a lot of brands, smaller sizes have a simplified design. The scent is very light and floral, with a sweet hint at the top. I do like sweet perfumes such as Britney Spears midnight fantasy for a cheapish one. Gucci Guilty is a beaut too. I have a perfume  from Next actually that is £6.50 for a 30ml bottle and it is called Adore. Whenever I have it on, everyone seems to say something along the lines of 'Ooo that Gucci Guilty is lovely', and think it's that! So if you want to cheat, grab yourself a bottle of that. It hangs around too. I'm not sure if they do it in full Next stores, I personally get it from Next Clearance in Derby, but they may do!

This is the nail varnish I got the other day that I previously mentioned. I love the neutral shades that are coming in at the moment, and this was a cheap enough one to try. The shade is Werewolf and is from George at Asda. It's a pastel brown shade really, and paints on quite well. It does need 2 coats to really perfect it and dries pretty quickly. I've had it on about 3 days now and still hasn't chipped much. That maybe due to my genius top coat however! It is Sally Hansens Diamond shine. You can use it on it's own and it hardens brittle nails instantly and dries in about 10 seconds, or you can use it as a top coat and it is protective and makes any nail varnish look really shiny. It is quite pricey at about a tenner, but it's worth every penny. The George nail range is about £1.50 per pot, the quality of each colour actually does differ, but in this case it's a thumbs up from me for the price. Apologies for my fingers, they are guilty of a terrible biting habit!

I also explained about getting the Collection 2000 concealer in my previous blog. Everyone seriously raves about this on blogger and youtube, so I went out and got it! It was £4 and I got it in the shade '1 Fair'. It really is as good as you guys say! It brightens, covers, and sticks around. It's called Lasting perfection, so put that on your next haul list. On the picture I left part of the swatch as it was applied, and towards the right, I blended it a little to show you how good it is. It has an applicator the same as a lipgloss, nice and easy. Go buy! 

Underneath is the swatch of the warming powder by Bare Minerals. I got this as part of the starter kit set, which has an RRP of about £50, but I got it free as part of a scheme from work. Rather than a bronzer, it is more matte, and you only need the slightest bit on your brush. Too much though and you are left with a big block of colour on your face, so do watch that if you are considering the product. It's £19 on it's own, and I am a tight arse and known for not spending that sort of money on one make up item. I am obsessed with make up, and anyone that knows me would tell you the same, but I don't like to spend a lot when I am always determined to find something better and cheaper. On those terms, I don't know if I'd re-purchase, but I am actually yet to find something as good, so my theory may be beaten. 

I've never owned a Mac product in my life, and everyone raves about it. But I strongly believe it's half down to the application! If I ever get any, then I will fully make my mind up.

So that's it for now, if your still with me. If there's anything anyone wants reviewing let me know. Barry M is of course my forte, and I have pretty much every Dazzle Dust, so if you aren't sure on one, I can tell you about it!

Ciao for now guys xXx