Goodbye GFC & Hello Blog Lovin'

Hello!

I'm guessing by now you'll have heard the news that GFC will soon be no more! I guess this is really sad news for so many of you bloggers with a huge following...!

I have very few followers at the moment and continue to write regardless because I enjoy it. However I'd like to think that if someone enjoys my blog(s) then they'll have the option to follow them.

This is where Blog Lovin' is going to become very popular. I know a lot of you already have it but from what I understand, it may take the place of GTF.

So, in prep, if you follow my blog(s) and would like to continue doing so, please go and follow me over at Blog Lovin'. Likewise, if you would like to become a new follower, head on over! :)

Rimmel 3 for 2 Haul

Hello :)

I've been fairly good since my Urban Decay splurge and have been fighting off the urge to try out the, much hyped about, Rimmel Apocalips. Yes I know, I'm fairly late to jump on the band wagon but nevermind...got there in the end!

Today was a day that deserved some celebration as I passed my QTS Literacy Skills Test,,,yayyy! Thank god! I said to myself, before taking the exam, that I would buy an Apocolips if I passed it...so with that I headed to the nearest Superdrug!

3 for 2 on makeup products is always a tempting one for me and with it being a happy day and all I thought why not...I'm going to take advantage of the offer :)

Starting off with the Apocolips I selected shade 101 Celestial. I had my eye on this from the beginning with it's subtle rose pink colour: a welcome new addition to my lipstick range. The bright pink shade, in Apocoliptic, also appealed to me but I'll see how I get on with the product before indulging in the more stand-out tone!

Pictured on the left, the gold nail polish in God Save The Queen (32) caught my eye. I liked that it has flickers of yellowy-green to it and I thought it might help curb my craving for Chanel's Peridot, which is truly beautiful but truly pricey for me!

I really liked the last of the two polishes, another of Rimmel's Metal Rush edition in Royal Blue (7). Although it has definite blue in it, I'd personally describe it as more of a tortoise shade and it has a lovely iridescent shimmer about it.

I'm really excited to try these things out...No doubt there'll be some NOTDs coming up, along with my thoughts on the Apocolips :)

Hangover from Hell!

Hi guys. Hope you are all well and feeling considerably healthier than me at this moment!

Saturday evening I get a text along the lines of...'We're thinking Rock City tonight? U up for it?' A night out! Well, I haven't been out in a while...so yeah, yeah why not?!

Because you can't handle your alcohol!

Whoever in God's name thought it was a sensible idea to shot neat Malibu after already drinking a standard 4 bottles of beer?! Oh that's right...me!

I knew it was bad when I woke up to my bin which had been turned into a sick bucket, a trail of toilet paper and lots of water and sprite beside my bed. Luckily I have such good and caring friends who looked after me really well.

It's one of those nights where my memory has decided to fail on me and although I was promised we all had a good time up until the point I was sick...I cannot remember a bloody thing! Well, there are glimpses that flashback to me but to be honest it's possibly for the best!

So sadly, this is not the first night that has ended in sick. I say it time and again that I will never get in such a state but unfortunately I have indeed lost count. All I know is, the last time something similar but way worse happened was in summer 2012.

Losing weight has definitely impacted on my ability to handle alcohol. I forget that my body mass is  much smaller. I drank about the same as my friends apparently but I just don't have the stomach for it. Literally I reckon a few beers and I should stop drinking!

At home I very rarely drink and like I've said before (maybe over at my other blog) I don't even particularly enjoy it. I don't mind a casual beer or cider but I hate spirits...so why I decided to shot Malibu, god knows! The M word still makes me feel a little sick!

Yesterday I spent the whole day lay horizontally in bed. Literally my worst hangover EVER. I couldn't sit up for longer than 2 minutes and despite napping several times throughout the day I couldn't shake off the fuzzy head or moments of nausea.

As for food, I'm generally ravenous after a night of drinking but I couldn't keep anything down. Even my usual dry cracker remedy wasn't all that successful. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my hangover was a definite 10! I couldn't even take a much needed shower! Ewww gross.

This morning I awoke fairly early for me, around 9:30, and was pleased to feel a lot better. So I got my life in order with a wash, put on some fresh bedding and tided and hoovered my room. I also rinsed and washed my sick stained clothes...lovely!

I then moved onto food and couldn't believe the effect not eating for a day could have on my stomach...almost washboard I tell you!! I started with some toast but an hour or so later I knew I'd moved onto the 'munchies' stage and devoured a full pepperoni pizza.

After doing a bit of Uni work, I took a turn for the worst and a woozy head reappeared and I had to return to bed and nap.

I've not long since been awake but already eaten a full bag of sweet popcorn in an attempt to curb my hunger and soak up some of this alcohol, which is evidently still very much in my system. As for fluids, I'm so thirsty ALL of the time...serious dry mouth. Tiredness, hunger and thirst are to be expected for me when I've been drinking...but this usually happens the day after the night, not on day 2!

:(

Serious hangover. I'll say it now. This is NOT happening again. EVER. Capisce?! Good.

Mother's Day

Hello. Hope you are all well!

So, Sunday is the day when Mums or Mothers are recognized for the super job they do! For being there when nobody else is. For always having your best interests at heart. For being truly selfless and giving you all the love in the world.

Me and my Mum- Christmas 2012

That is my understanding of Mums. I know I'm lucky to have a great one! And I know not everyone still has one... which upsets me, a lot! I mean personally I feel like my Mum is always going to be there and I guess sometimes I take that for granted.

Recently a friend of mine lost their Mum to cancer...the most awful of diseases! And I cannot imagine how hard Mothering Sunday with be for them. Likewise to anyone else who has lost their Mum or perhaps have never known what having a Mum is like. I cannot even begin to imagine how this must feel and I'm praying I won't have to know this for a very long time.

I am a mummy's girl...well a parent's girl I guess. I love being at home, even at the age of 23, and after 4 years at uni I still often get homesick and I ring home on a daily basis, sometimes a few times a day! If this makes me sad or immature or whatever then so be it...I wouldn't change it! :)

Anyway, being a Uni student, with the majority of my upkeep coming from my parents (student loans are not what everyone thinks they're cracked up to be!) I often get told not to bother with the likes of Mother's Day and Birthdays etc. "Save your money, I don't want anything" are the types of things my Mum will say. In the past I've listened, but I don't like not being able to treat the people I love.

So this year I decided I would surprise my Mum with a couple of gifts from two of my favourite shops.

Sadly I won't see my Mum on Sunday as I'm back at my Uni house, but I've already planted the gifts at home! I've been travelling back there quite a bit over the past couple of weeks for various visits around schools (job hunting has begun!) and I had the brainwave at the end of Feb.

My Mum is possibly lipstick obsessed. It's very rare you'll see her without her pink lippy on! However she's only ever had high street products and although I am a big fan of the likes of Rimmel and Max Factor etc, I believe everyone should have a least one Mac lipstick. They are just lovely! The smell, the texture, the finish...just FAB! So, I headed into my local Mac store and carefully selected one, after much deliberation!

Finally, I popped into the Lush store. My Mum is the queen of baths...she never takes showers but will have a daily soak. For Christmas I got her a selection of bubble bars which she really enjoyed, so I had to pick her one of these up! Couldn't resist!

So...hidden away in my drawers at home are my Mum's surprise gifts! She literally has no idea! :D She works nights so as soon as I know she's awake on Sunday, I'm going to direct her to her presents over the phone. I'm quite excited ha!

Want to know what I selected? Ok...here's a sneak peak... :)


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Mac's Frost in Bombshell & Lush's Creamy Candy Bubble Bar

What did you get your Mum? :)

x

New Urban Decay Palettes Haul!

Hello. So if you saw my recent beauty wishlist you'll know that I firmly had my eye on the Urban Decay Flushed palette. As soon as I heard about it I knew I had to have it, being a big fan of the Naked palettes. However when I wrote the wishlist I never expected that the next day I would end up purchasing it!

Going shopping with my best friend is always dangerous. We both love makeup and we have a habit of encouraging each other to buy more! So, when we went into Debenhams I knew I was in trouble. I saw so many things I'd like to own, but when I saw the two newest Naked palettes wrapped together in a bargain bundle I couldn't resist!

In total the two ended up costing a pretty sweet £30 because I had £5 to spend on my Debenhams' beauty card. Get in! The palettes are just adorable...so tiny!

The Flushed palette is beautiful. I love how it allows you to carry around a bronzer, highlight and blush all in one. It's so compact which would make it ideal for travel purposes. I was also impressed to find that the fastening is magnetic. Not sure why, but this instantly appeals to me...I love magnetic things!

On first impressions the products seem really good. I was a little worried that the bronzer would be too dark and a little harsh on my skin tone but actually I'd say this is the most build-able of the three. It doesn't come on really strong and took a few swatches to get the colour in the photo.

As for the highlight colour, I think it's really pretty and everything you'd require in a highlight. It applies to the skin really well and leaves a nice shimmery soft finish.

The blush is possibly the most pigmented of the three and a little bit appears to go a long way. Keeping to it's title, it gives a nice 'flushed' pink look. Love it!

The Basics palette, for me, is a nice bonus at essentially £10. Don't get me wrong, I liked the look of it when it first came out but I wasn't sure if there was much point in me buying it because I already have the two Naked palettes. However when I saw just how small it was, and super cute, I gave it more than a second glance. I was pleased to see that it only had one of the same shades as the other Naked palettes, 'Foxy', yet on comparing the two back at home they do seem to differ in colour? Odd.

I always love Urban Decay's eye shadows and these are no exception to the rule. I like that this palette offers 5 matte shades, with the only shimmer being 'Venus', because the bigger Naked palettes are a little skimpy on their mattes. The practicality of this palettle is a traveller's dream. Being a uni student I'm always packing a travel makeup bag to head home etc and I think I'd be pretty happy with just taking this little guy as my only eye shadows. I reckon it possesses the potential to create a fair few decent eye looks...including a nice smoky eye among it!

All in all I've really excited about owning these!

I'm sure that full reviews will follow once I've become accustomed to using them! In the meantime, let me know if you have these? What do you think? Or, are they on your wishlist?

Battling the junk food

Hello :)

What I don't understand is why on earth it is so hard to be healthy whilst in student digs?! I go from being the most motivated fit person at home to a health disaster at my uni house.

A typical example was half term last week... I went home, temporarily signed up to my local gym and got back into loosely following the Weight Watchers plan. Piece of cake! Or shall I say no cake!

I felt motivated, in good shape, healthy and I still was able to enjoy a big meal out at the end of the week. In fact I ended up losing a lb or 2, just from cleaning myself back up.

 

I head back to uni, determined to carry on a good regime and what not, and even bring back a new exercise mat that I bought whilst home. I get back on the Saturday and do pretty well. Sunday I didn't make the gym but I do some floor workouts so all is well. Monday I'm doing really well and attend a Zumba class plus a short gym sess...

And then it takes a downhill path!

After a large meal on Tuesday, I decide to head down to my local Tesco's and buy a large tub of cookie dough ice cream. And if that wasn't enough, I then grab a bar of galaxy chocolate for good measure!

Funny thing is, I don't reckon to have a massive sweet tooth but obviously I did on this night. I eat a quarter of the tub, feel like that is enough but then piece by piece devour the galaxy bar and then return to the freezer for another quarter helping of ice cream. Then of course I feel sick and think why did I do that?! Was there any need?

The next day my stomach feels gross, it isn't used to such crap I guess, and I tell my housemate she can eat the remainder of my cookie dough ice cream...I did not what that screaming at me to finish it!

At this point I'm annoyed at myself because I've woke up feeling guilty and yucky on a day that is supposed to be a treat.

It was my friend's birthday and we were heading to Nando's for tea, watching Dirty Dancing the musical and then grabbing drinks at a local Wetherspoons. Thankfully I felt OK by the time she arrived and I was relieved that I was actually hungry for chicken, rice and creamy mash (my standard there), instead of feeling sick!

But I have to think to myself...why did I still binge on junk knowing full well I would be eating something yummy the following day? Failed on self control for sure!

I guess there's still that little part of me that has the junk food addiction! Sure, I've come a long way from being known as the 'Takeaway Queen' in second and third years of uni, but I still have many moments of weakness.

The worst part is that I don't even particularly enjoy the junk food. I mean sure it tastes nice at the time but often it upsets my stomach and I feel sick more times than not afterwards...either from eating too much or just from pure grease!

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully curb my junk food cravings, but I do take solace in the fact I associate home with being healthy.

I think the environment in which you're in makes a massive difference. At home, for example, most of my immediate family are pretty health conscious and this means the food shopping usually consists of fruit, veg and the likes. At uni, on the other hand, takeaways can be a regular occurrence... I mean at home I'd never dream of getting a menu out and ordering food randomly (for perhaps just me), but at uni it's a easy option...which is a dangerous thing!

Then there's the alcohol. At home I rarely touch a drop...To be honest I don't massively like the taste of it and drinking at home seems a bit odd to me if I'm not going out. There's also the issue of it bringing on insane hunger. Alcohol always equals food for me, no matter what.

Uni, of course, usually means big nights out at least every fortnight. I can never get drunk without following it with food...McDonalds, burgers, chips, pizza...standard. Unfortunately this usually carries on into the next day and a takeaway is my hangover cure.

At home I'm also quite lucky in that I seem to have inadvertently passed on the fitness bug to my  sister, who is now an avid gym go-er. This is good for me because it generates the motivation that I sometimes lack in actually getting up and going to workout.

Gym buddies are a good thing! But make sure it's someone you work well with...no point just going for a chat! At uni I have a few friends that occasionally go to the gym but it's not often enough to make an impact on my motivation :P

It's just hard to be healthy at uni...whereas at home, it's almost handed on a plate...a healthy one! Junk food is too easily obtained at uni...It's true what they say, if you remove all temptation then you won't be tempted.

I guess I'll just try my best for now and then go home in summer and live as I really want to live...healthily!

I reckon a takeaway is on the cards this evening...so I think a good gym session might be called for this afternoon...you know, in an attempt to limit the damage!

February Favourites 2013

Wow, is it March already?!

So, February was a pretty average month for me and to be honest I haven't been trying many new products. Poor student and all! I've pretty much been loving the same things from my January favourites, so have a look at those if you haven't already!

However a few things did stand out from the crowd this past month...

As always you can watch my favourites on YouTube if you prefer!

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I love my Paper Plane make-up bag! I think the design is so cute and the material feels of good quality. However, it is on the rather small side, especially if you don't travel light like me, so I keep my pills and potions in there instead :) I use it all the time when I'm 'to-ing and fro-ing' between my home and student digs.

One of the things I keep inside the "make-up" bag is a prescription gel I got from the doctor for my recent bout of acne. It's called Duac and I've found it's working wonders on my skin.

I've been reaching for my bareMinerals Matte foundation a lot lately. I did a full product review here, in case you're interested. Definitely a favourite over the past month though!

As for February lips, I've been liking the bolder choices and reaching for L'Oreal Paris' Caresse lipstick in Impulsive Fuchsia quite a bit. The pigmentation in this lipstick is great, whilst doing a grand old job in moisturising your lips and making them feel all nourished and soft! Love it!

Keeping with the bright fuchsias, I've been wearing my Miss Sporty nail polish a lot lately. I can't seem to find the shade's name but it's a hot pink all the same. I have a few of their polishes and I've always been impressed with their application. They're cheap too at £1.99!

I've probably spoken about this before but I love Lady GaGa's Fame perfume. It has a sweet fruity scent about it and the I think the bottle is just lovely. True to Lady Gaga, it has a touch of difference in that the fluid is actually black...but this turns clear when sprayed...luckily! :)

Bobbi Brown's Slopes has been my go to blush of choice this past month. It has great pigmentation so a little dab goes a long way and the dusty rose pink colour looks really nice on the apples of your cheeks. Lovely.

Last, but by no means least, is Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide on eye pencil in Perversion. This has everything you'd want in a black eyeliner! It's smooth and easy to apply, it's the blackest of black, and it has some serious staying power- pretty much lasting all day even on the waterline. Well worth the money!

There we go...they're my beauty favourites for Feb but I'd like to hear yours! Please leave a comment with a link to your Feb faves if you've done a post or alternatively list a few in your message :) I love reading/hearing about what everyone else has been enjoying.