BEAUTY// LIBERTY X SHU UEMURA

In London, as I said in my previous posts, I popped into Liberty. A store which is famous for its outside as much as the inside.

The products I bought were all from Shu Uemura, a brand which I am acquainted with after visiting a brilliant store in Tokyo. I was helped by a lady decked head to toe in Vivienne Westwood, I was quite envious but that aside she was very pleasant and despite the fact it was very dark even around the cosmetic counters I tried some foundation and a primer/base. I'm quite picky with foundation as my skin is combination and often dislikes most drugstore brand though I am partial to Maxfactor's 3-in-1.

The foundation 'face architect' has a wonderful smooth consistency, applies with ease and alongside the POREraser it requires very little to give amazing coverage. Something of note was the soft airy lightness of this foundation, far from the feel of other brands such as MAC that I've tried in the past. The assistant advised me the base is great for neutralising any redness which my skin sometimes suffers from, a real bonus. I haven't been using these very long so may do a retrospect review in the near future.

Lastly this lip gloss is a new essential in my handbag. I stopped using them quite so much when my hair was longer as England is fairly windy at times, well to be honest most of the time. Lip gloss would make my hair stick when blown in my face, awkward. Now reunited with many girls favourite cosmetic, I chose a bright pink 'Laque Supreme' in Dreamy Pink 02. Being that my skin is a very pale olive/ivory I didn't want to go too plum or shocking red for Spring as I'm wearing quite a neutral palette clothing wise.

BEAUTY// BE HAPPY & LUSH STASH

Finished a unit at University this week with my hand in deadline over with yesterday it was time to try and relax, enjoy not stressing out. Treated myself to a pair of wooly socks and a few LUSH products for a little relaxation.

At LUSH they seem to have a great selection of Christmas seasonal bath bombs but I went for the Butterbear bath bomb, it has a delightfully sweet scent and after dispersing it left a slightly oily film on the top of the water which seems to moisturise your skin as you soak in the tub.

9 to 5 is a cleansing lotion I always seem to go back to even after trying new products, my skin definitely needs it after stressful weeks of work. This cleanser has a fairly long use by date which is great for me since I am known to switch up my routine a fair bit.

So for now it feels good to have a little time to write on the blog and chill out before starting some more projects.

BEAUTY// L'OREAL RICHE LIPS

For a while I've been after some new lipsticks as my old ones are, well, old. I'm really fond of bold reds, usually with an orange tone but this time I went with something a bit pinker and of course with Autumn you can't go wrong with plum-like nude shades. Boots had a 3 for 2 on L'Oreal Paris cosmetics, leaving me with little choice but to pick up three hehe. These shades were Julienne's Pure Red, Eva's Nude and 233 Taffeta. The red is a stunning bright shade which works so well with cat eyeliner for a gorgeous vintage aesthetic, I wore it today and felt like a million bucks. The consistency is so perfect with these, very creamy and far from shiny. I always feel like a gloss should be the shine and not the lipstick so these giving minimal shine is ideal. They're very much value for money, I'd say the Pure Red is on par with MAC cosmetics for sure. These were £6.99 each.

Left - Right Julianne's Red, Eva's Nude, 233 Taffeta

BEAUTY// MARGARITA TIME

Fresh, Fruity & Tangy

It has been a little while since I posted one of my candle a week posts as I haven't really used one much. This is one of the Spring/Summer candles, it is a light lime green colour and has a zesty fragrance which is quite strong. The sweet scent is of lime and sugary sweet, it feels quite uplifting to have lit in the evening if you're feeling sluggish. I wasn't feeling great this week and this is definitely making me feel better, it is clearing my head a little I think. 

BEAUTY&LIFESTYLE// LOOK DAY

Today's make up, sorry it isn't very clear took the photo with my Macbook. It was inspired by Laura Shynn's Fall Copper 2014 look. I met up with my friend of many years today, Katie, to give her some books I was clearing out and to catch up over coffee.

I found some adorable cards in an independent store on Upper Goat Lane. I'm smitten with cute cat characters and woodland creature decorative art so I bought these lovely cards which I might keep in some clip frames for now. You can find these on sale at Ella Goodwin's site. We did plenty of window shopping including looking at so many nice pairs of shoes, the brown boots below are from FLY, a gorgeous footwear range that are made from leather and at a high standard of tailoring. The cat pair are by irregular choice, I love their eclectic decor in the store too with a giant tiger head display and loads of faux flower arrangements.

Norwich has some amazing stores, with unique and quite eccentric interiors. I adore The Book Hive, a brilliant treasure hidden not so subtly on London Street. Their window display seems to change on a weekly basis and is full of strange paraphernalia, beautiful books and sometimes elaborate illustrations, like a gallery in its own right. The hanging sculpture below is from the top floor of their store, I recommend highly you visiting them if you are ever in Norwich. Finally the bottom photo is from White Stuff's window, I love their current experimentation of type used in their displays. The type is created in collaboration with Olivia Whitworth.

BEAUTY// IRRESISTIBLE REPURCHASE

Some products are so impressive they need to be bought again, for me there are very few but these two have stuck with me the past year. Unfortunately the foundation photographs pretty badly but as you can see both are Max Factor products.  In the past I had issues with foundation separating as I have such a mixed dry/oily complexion, especially when using separate primers, concealers and foundations. Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 is the perfect product for this problem, I use light ivory as it has a subtle olive tone to suit my pale skin. The foundation applies as a cream and I use my finger tips to put it on then a Real Techniques buffing brush to even it out. The Max Factor Creme Puff Pressed Powder (in transparent 05) comes with an applicator puff, allowing even application with light coverage, brilliant for setting the foundation and they really do complement each other.

BEAUTY// SLIMMING MY WORLD

Whatever I do with my day it always makes me happier if I have exercised and eaten as healthily as possible. I may mourn that cake I see some one else eat or miss having cheese with most meals but I genuinely feel more alive without all that. This week I have been 100% on plan with my eating and have really gone out of my way to do as much exercise as I can. Most of all I've found returning to my Slimming World eating has really helped, I'm not going to the club as such as I can't afford that right now but I have all the books and hope I can join a group when I have a bit of cash again.

Feel free to follow my food diary/progress over on my instagram here.

BEAUTY// YANKEE'S GINGER DUSK

Spice, Sweet Aniseed, Subtle

This week's candle is Ginger Dusk. I always associate ginger with a more beige or orange colour but this candle is more of a cream/off-white. When I opened the packaging there was a strong fragrance that felt really familiar, I believe it was a mixture of standing outside LUSH and that of aniseed sweets from my childhood. Candles certainly wield nostalgia well, I often feel at ease as they bring out happy memories. This candle didn't smell overly of ginger to me, as I said it has a tinge of aniseed and a touch of spice, though it still has that sweetness I'm so fond of. 

I'm not sure if it is because I am using the Samplers votives size but the fragrance when lit is subtle and maybe a little too much so. I am pleased with the burn time of these though as they seem to last me the week as I don't often get a chance to light them. The large Yankee jars seem to last forever so it is nice to try out these little ones to get a taste for your favourites. It feels like different flavours are appropriate to different rooms in the home too so I look forward to checking these posts when I move so I know where to put which ones!

If you have any recommendations, please comment below!

BEAUTY// YANKEE PINK SANDS

Floral, Sweet Candy, Subtle

One of my all time favourite scents in candles is Yankee Candle's Pink Sands. The fragrance is fairly subtle from this candle, a strong contrast from Honey Glow which I mentioned last week. This is more of a fresh smell that clears the head and is great for when you're wanting to think clearly or just relaxing. It smells of fresh roses, candies and a little of talcum powder in my opinion which may sound odd but it has a wonderful nostalgia to my mums make up box & drawers when I was little where she would keep perfumes and talc.

The baby pink colour is perfect for fans of all things feminine but isn't so girly that you'd not want it in your lounge shared with a male counterpart. I feel this would be wonderful in a little jar with a ribbon around as a gift for mothers day or for valentines.

You can find these in House of Fraser, Clinton's Cards and of course Yankee stores.

BEAUTY// YANKEE HONEY GLOW

Spice, sweet, warm.

My weekly candle this week is Yankee Candle's Honey Glow. I've been using Black Cherry for a while now so it feels good to have a change. Honey Glow has a warming scent, with essence of spices and the sweetness of honey. A perfect choice for Autumn, the colour is also good for those with very neutral decor as it is a dark orange/brown colour.

When burning the scent isn't overpowering it just lingers a little, perfect for a relaxing evening and perfect for dinner parties I feel. Would definitely recommend this as something for nights in when it is freezing outside and you want that Summer warmth to remind you of Summer evenings when it is lighter longer and BBQs are all about.

I've added a song that felt right with this candle.

LIFESTYLE&BEAUTY// FIT TOOLS

Getting fit can feel less than glamorous, with sweat and spandex coming to mind when thinking of exercise. Of course it doesn't have to be that way. I have found a great way to motivate myself by using the right tools, ensuring I can track every part of my progress. In this age of technology there are so many fitness monitoring gadgets and loading up the App Store you can hardly miss the amount of applications out there that offer advice, monitoring and logging abilities. I hope this post will inform any one curious about some fitness tools.

Personally I have two fitness watches, one is the Garmin F10 running watch and the other is the Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor watch. As you can see I like the pink look, it makes me feel more feminine and adds a pleasant brightness to working out. The Garmin F10 is great as it uses GPS to tell you how far you've run, how long for and keeps records of your previous runs, all of which can be uploaded onto a computer so I can check out my personal bests and where I need to work harder. The Polar FT4 is a very reasonably priced HRM watch, which comes with a band that tracks your heart rate as you work out. Inputting all your details it works out how many calories you burn and notifies you when you're in or out of your ideal heart rate range. 

Other tools I use are my barbell, dumbbells, kettle bells and non-slip mat. I love workout DVDs as it is a no excuse workout and there is a massive choice, especially with many being on Youtube now. Having my own dumbbells and mat makes anywhere my own personal gym. Free weights are such an affective method of building muscle which burns more calories when you aren't exercising, great if you're not keen on cardio (running etc.). Of course I recommend a few personal trainer sessions or help from a friend that knows what they're doing to keep tabs on your form as heavy weights may cause injury.

BEAUTY&LIFESTYLE// SMALL STEPS DON'T COMPARE

It is difficult sometimes to be confident when you're surrounded by people that are successful, beautiful or happier than you feel. After all if you're struggling away to get a job or find someone special, seeing someone achieve that with ease can make it seem you're not good enough. Well this week's small steps is about combatting that. Far too often I'll see people losing weight faster than me or getting better grades and I'll feel low about my own achievements but truly am I ever seeing the full picture? These people are on their own journeys with their own struggles. They might be cramming in studies until the early hours of the morning and then exercising like crazy in the few hours in the evening.

The point is every one has their own journey, so try and separate your own. Don't compare, just support those around you and keep taking little steps to improve your own efforts. My small step will be to look at what I have achieved already and work towards making my own life that bit better. I'm blessed with a supportive family and friends that I can ask for help and offer help to in return.

If you're ever needing a little pick up that won't set you back then watch a feel good movie, go for a walk to clear your head and remember every day is a chance to make your life better. Sorry if this was a preachy post, it felt good to put down in writing something close to heart.

BEAUTY // GIFT BAGS JARROLD'S EVENT

Rather than overloading the previous post with pictures from the goody bags I received at the Jarrold's (http://www.jarrold.co.uk) event I wanted to share them in a separate post so I could go a little more in detail about the products. In the Jarrolds bag there was; a selection of leaflets with information on products and prices available from them, a handy foldable tote bag and an Esprit notebook.

One of the ladies at Jarrold's had made these beautiful cupcakes for us too, it was scrummy! The little butterfly and glitter details were so cute and reflected the Le Jardin element.

Aveda hair treatments were included in the bag, which appeals to me as it is always tough to try new hair products when they come in such large containers at often high price tags. I'm excited to see just how well this revitalises my hair, if you've tried this I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Another product I was chuffed to find in there was this Ren radiance mask and the cleansing milk, I'd heard so many good remarks about it and even got to try a little bit at the event. Ren has gorgeous packaging with minimal detail and colour coding for simplicity.

The second bag was from Jo Malone at Jarrold's. Inside the luxuriously presented bag, hidden beneath a large piece of tissue paper were; an invitation to have an arm and hand massage with a friend, two little cards about the perfume samples, a booklet of their products (so dangerous as now I can't help but dote over the collection) and the samples in this beautifully delicate box containing my samples.

So looking forward to trying all these out and maybe buying the full size products. Thank you again to Jarrold's for these lovely treats.

BEAUTY // L'OREAL PARIS CASTING CREME GLOSS

This week I received a pack I was very excited about, some L'Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss. This was courtesy of BzzAgent and I'm totally grateful as my hair was all kinds of colour and needed some oomph. Unboxing the parcel I found a sheet explaining how to use the product safely, including a 48 hour allergy pre-test, also some vouchers for £1 off and of course the product itself wrapped in bright pink tissue paper. Inside the box; colourant, developer creme, precision tip applicator, Shine Enhancing Conditioner with Royal Jelly, professional quality gloves and the instructions.

I was offered a choice of colours, picking Dark Chocolate (323) since I've been considering having my hair darker for ages, bit of a risk for me as I don't get much sun (forever pale sigh). My sister kindly said she would help me dye it, the application was simple and fast, without the smell I usually consider hair dye to have (maybe as there is no ammonia). It only took 20 minutes to wait until it could be rinsed out and then I used my John Frieda shampoo and conditioner when rinsing it out. 

I couldn't quite believe how healthy and soft my hair felt after using this, the Royal Jelly conditioner was clearly something brilliant for my poor drying hair. The colour outcome was a deep chocolate brown, darker than I'd imagined but I am very pleased, it has drawn out the natural tones of my hair with out leaving it a flat and dull colour. I feel it looks very natural and most definitely at a salon standard. There is no doubt, I will be using this product again! My sister got one of my vouchers, ready to get her own pack of L'Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss.

You can find this product in Boots and in most supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, etc.)

Please excuse my tired look in these photos, taken late after a run and busy day.

Before.

After. 

My sister with her voucher.

BEAUTY // LUSH MAY DAY

One of the products I bought whilst at the LUSH event recently was this bath ballistic, May Day. It is designed to look like a little badger face (as much as a bath ballistic can) and the idea is that the proceeds (minus VAT) go to projects protecting badgers from culls. I am not a big activist but this cause seems worthy, it is sad that they are blamed completely for something beyond their control. The fragrance is a strong and like liquorice, I loved the sweetness of it and it filled the bathroom when I dropped it into the running water. When it has dispersed there was a cute little note, 'keep those badgers alive' a lovely reminder of how you've helped the cause in a small way.

This is a new favourite of mine, if you get a chance you should bag yourself one, though I hear they are selling out quickly! To find out more about the cause click - SAVE THE BADGERS