April Favourites 2015

Hey! Here's my April favourites. If you'd like to watch them instead, just click on the photo above :)

First up, is the Aloe Moisturizing Lotion. I love this stuff! It's definitely a product that I reach for everyday. It applies well and a little bit certainly goes a long way. It makes a perfect base for my foundation and sinks into the skin straight away! (I can't stand those sticky moisturisers!) Also contains collagen and elastin...every girl's best friends! :P

The next one has been such a lifesaver over the past week! After teaching children for just 2 days, I sadly invited in some germs! Charming! Anyhow, keen to soothe a painful sore throat I reached for the Aloe Vera Gelly. Within minutes of swallowing a bit of the gel, I felt the aloe working it's magic and helping with the soreness. It doesn't really taste of much either in my opinion so it wasn't difficult to use. Winner!

Next up is my FAVOURITE blush palette. I'm a big lover of Benefit anyway but their blushers smell so good they make me want to eat them! This is part of the Sweetie range and I got this for Christmas. I love them all but my favourites are Rockateur and Bella Bamba!

My go to lipgloss in April has been Dior's Dior Addict in shade Princess. Perfect for adding a bit of sparkle to your lips! It applies nicely and it remains on the lips for a fairly long time in terms of gloss. Pretty :)

My next favourite is a book! Yes, I don't usually include reading material but I feel this is worth a mention. It's definitely for the deep thinkers! It's based around mindset and the law of attraction. What you put out into the world, you attract more of the same back. Positivity is key! Since last summer I'd already been thinking along these lines anyway and this book is confirming it for me. LOVE IT!

Last but not least, haircare! The Aloe Jojoba Shampoo and Conditioner are amazing! I've been using these for several months now and the results have been brilliant.

The condition of my hair is the best it's ever been and the length is longer than ever before too! I haven't had a haircut for ages (definitely overdue) yet the ends of my hair are fine! The shampoo lasts a really long time as you only need the tiniest bit to create some serious foaming! And the conditioner smells great and leaves hair silky smooth. Big thumbs up for these two! :)


Link in your favourites bloggers...I'd like to see!

x

Mid-week mini haul!

Hi everyone. If you follow my blog or Youtube channel you'll know I love a good haul (a haul being where you reveal what you've been buying) and here's another! All be it mini.

Like many, I love to shop and will often take myself on random retail therapy sessions! It still feels a bit naughty to be out and about on say a Monday afternoon or a Thursday morning enjoying myself whilst others are at work. My typical week has so drastically changed since I left teaching full-time.

Anyhow, sometimes, just sometimes, I get bored of my own company (sarcasm detected) so I was thrilled when one of my best friends said that she had this week off work. YES! Someone to shop with me! 

So on Wednesday me and Gina naturally decided to indulge in a bit of retail therapy in Nottingham. We of course started our shopping trip with a Nando's. You just have to! :) Standard. 

Here's me literally bursting with excitement over anticipated chicken!!! :D

After demolishing our Nando's and adjusting my waistbelt...we hit the shops!

I cannot remember a running order so I'll just talk about my purchases from left to right of the haul picture...

Katie Piper's Beautiful Ever after. I have so so much admiration for this girl! She is truly one of the bravest people I've ever witnessed and I find her very inspirational. I loved her first book, despite it being a true tear-jerker and I'm sure this one will be just as great. WHSmith's were doing a offer where if you bought any magazine you could get the book for £2.99. Gina was buying a magazine anyway and so I simply couldn't resist :) 

Cotton pads and wash cloths. I actually bought 3x cotton pads and 2 wash cloths (pink and cream) for the above reason. I'm giving friends/family/local people the chance to try some of our great skincare products for a few days in the form of this Pamper Box. <3

Elemis Tan Accelerator. I've talked about this product many times and it's been a favourite of mine for around 5 years now. It does as it says and accelerates a tan like nobodies business! Also helps prevent prickly heat and sunburn. And have I mentioned it's scent?! Wow does this smell good! I purchased mine from John Lewis and a offer in store meant it was £20.70. It's usually not far off that pricemark anyway.

Plasters. How exciting! I've been trying to get my feet used to dolly shoes and the likes again now that summer's approaching. They do the job. Boots £1.79. Bargain.

White pumps. I wasn't actually planning to buy any shoes but whilst at the till in Select I happened to see these on the side. My feet are pretty delicate so the first thing I do when looking at shoes is feel the back of the heel to see if they are soft. These particular pumps felt amazing and I could tell they'd be a comfy wear. As luck would have it they had my size out of the only two pairs left in the store...I took this as a sign. They were also only £10.99.

Black leggings. You can never have too many black leggings right? Well recently my collection had dwindled down to one pair! So I had this purchase in mind from the start. I find Select ones really good value for money at 2 pairs for £8. 

The Veronica's new album. Although not pictured, I also bought this CD. This purchase was actually for my Dad. He loves the song 'You ruin me', as do I actually, and I planned to get him the album for his birthday way back in January! It was only recently released so it's been quite a wait...but finally got it! :)

As I said, it was just a mini haul! Hope you've all been having a great week too!

x

Promotion recognitions and celebrations!

Hey everyone! I'd thought I'd start today's blog post with a shameless Sunday SELFIE! :) I have no idea where to begin with this post, but I'm aware that if you've been following my blog for a little while then you'll know my "story". If you aren't familiar and are interested in a little more detail then have a read over some of my previous posts.

So here I am with the UK's Managing Director of the company which has come to mean so very much to me over the last 8 months.

And on stage receiving my third promotion in front of a mere 5000 people!

I honestly cannot tell you what a rollercoaster my life has been in recent months. Everything has gone so fast that I'm only just starting to catch my breath.

A long story short, made a little bit shorter... I trained as a primary school teacher. My dream job since I was 11. I became a full-time primary school teacher. I struggled to stay afloat of the workload and pressures.

I didn't know it at the time but a message from an acquaintance was about to change everything. In August 2014 I signed up to a company called Forever Living Products. Did I know what I was doing? No. Was I skeptical? Yes. Was I brave enough to take a chance? Yes.

In just 2 months, as my teaching job began to make my more and more miserable, I decided my business was good enough to allow me to drop a day in teaching and go part-time. I honestly believed at this point, and I must stress, that I thought this would be my perfect solution to my problems.

But by January I had already drowned as a teacher. The workload and pressures almost killed me, quite literally. Either I had to quit the job or my mind and body would quit on me!

Sounds perhaps a bit dramatic? I agree. But it's the truth.

It's been beyond tough. But I clung to the business and it has been my saving grace. Days when I felt lower than low I would receive a call from one of my team members or I'd get a big order or something...and I'd smile. It's the only thing that kept me going. And I wanted to get to Manager with everything I had.

It's amazing to say I DID IT! Above is a picture of me with one of my best and oldest friend's, Gina. It meant the world to me that she wanted to spend a precious Saturday watching me get recognised on stage as Manager. She didn't need to but she was there without question. I've realised that support really is everything.

My team have been incredible and I could not have done it without them! It hasn't been all plain sailing. People around me have been negative and told me that it wouldn't work. You can imagine how my family reacted to me packing in teaching. Granted some of them saw what it was doing to me and were initially quite supportive but even then I've had to soldier through the 'bad press'.

Let me tell you. Leaving something I'd trained so hard for. Worked towards for 4 years of my life...a lof of which was damn well HARD work aswell...all for what? It makes me feel sick. I get that kicked in the stomach feeling even whilst writing this. But, it wasn't meant to be!

I had the BEST day getting recognised and was so proud to see so many of my team receive theirs too!... I DID IT! And I think that it just goes to show that anybody can. Despite all the dramas and personal battles behind the scenes, I came through it.






And the celebrations didn't end there...

 





As an extra treat (as if the recognitions weren't enough!) a few of us were taken out to a gorgeous Indian restaurant! Upon arrival we received a special message from 2 amazing people in the team to say another big well done along with complimentary bottles of champagne!

 

The food was lovely and we then continued the fun with cocktails in a nearby bar!

I've never had a 'pornstar martini' before but it's certainly become my new favourite! YUM :)

It was such a great way to finish off celebrating achieving an important level in the company!...Now, to unlock all of the fabulous incentives the company offer!!!


Do more of what makes you happy  <3

March Beauty Favourites 2015

Here's my top 5 beauty picks from March. Click on the picture if you'd rather watch my favourites and see some of the products applied :)

Aloe BB Creme

It's really not like me to ditch the full coverage foundation for a BB creme, but this does a great job. With no heavy feeling on your skin this is great for the up and coming warm weather. Flawless natural looking skin with spf20. Did I mention it' a natural product, so no nasty chemicals included! Love love love :)

Sonya's Volumizing Mascara

Hello long volumized lashes!! Again a natural product, I have been reaching for this every day! I cannot believe the difference this has on your lashes. They're so full and long... Big thumbs up from me!

Benefit's Gimme Brow

For many years I was a huge fan of Benefit's Brow Zing (which is a like a wax/powder eyebrow kit), so when I saw this advertise I wasn't sure I'd bother trying it. However Benefit themselves said that the two can work well together so I decided to buy a Gimme Brow a few months ago. I originally went for the light shade and really liked how it set my brows after I'd used the Brow Zing. After I used up the light Gimme Brow I decided to opt for the medium/dark shade and I haven't looked back! Because I have HD brows done at my local salon I've found I only need to add a bit of colour to them and set them in place, so this product is perfect for me! I no longer reach for my Brow Zing! Very pleased I tried it!

w7 Pressed Powder

I love this product because it does the job and is so so cheap!! I apply it over the top of my BB Creme for a little more colour and to set my makeup and job done! I find it lasts a long time too :)

Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette

I've had this product a while (whenever it was first released) and it's definitely a easy go-to product. It provides everything you need for a nice neutral eye look. Winner.  

Invisalign Braces #2

Hi everyone. Just a quick update. As promised I said I'd keep you all up-to-date with my journey to better teeth!

In my first post I talked about why I wanted Invisalign braces and what they essentially were...so please see that if you're curious.

After having my moulds and x-rays taken it was a waiting game to see if I was indeed eligible for the braces. If you are, they then go about creating a digital version of your teeth. I was later invited to a free appointment showing my teeth on the computer. It was very strange to see them on the screen and my dentist then hit the 'play' button which showed how the braces would slowly move my teeth. The finished result was incredible and I knew right there that I HAD to have them!

However due to my situation at the time (the whole quitting my job saga!) I knew on paper I'd never get a loan with Medenta like I had previously planned. My dentist told me I had 100 days to decide whether to go ahead with them as after that time your teeth can move a bit and I'd have to have the moulds redone!

I went back to the dentist on 21st March (still within the time frame) and decided to pay in cash. It wasn't even a question of whether I wanted the braces but luckily my business has taken off and has allowed me go ahead!

If anyone is considering them, mine have cost me £3200 (yet I'd already paid £1000 for work prior, to then be given the green light to get them!) and generally all Invisalign are around the same pricemark.

The next available appointment isn't until the 23rd May so I have a bit of a wait! However I'm very excited to know that it's all finally going to be happening!!!

Soon I can do this> :D confidently!

I've been quoted that I'll have to wear the braces for 40 weeks to get the desired result which is less than I expected to be honest.

My next Invisalign post will be when I have them!!! Watch this space :)

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Trio: Limited Edition

Hi everyone. So I went shopping last weekend, for a dress actually, but ended up in the makeup and skincare department of John Lewis! Like you do! :)

I'm sure I don't need to go into how special Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish is and it's been a holy grail product for me for some time. However if you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing it then in a nutshell it literally melts off your makeup in such a sensitive fashion. It's the only thing I've ever found to remove my mascara and eye makeup successfully without any stinging whatsoever!

So, I knew I was running low on my Cleanse & Polish and planned on simply repurchasing my usual one. It's pretty decent and lasts me a fair few months. Yet when I got to the Liz Earle section the special edition ones immediately caught my eye. Unbeknowing to me, they are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary and have a special set as pictured above available for a limited time only.

Upon smelling the added flavours to the original Cleanse & Polish, I knew I had to have them! They're gorgeous! I'm yet to try them as I'm waiting until I run out of my normal one...but I'm in for a treat for sure!

The set retails at £50 which is a little more than I was looking to spend but I know they'll last me ages! Here's the link if you'd like to have a nosey :)

Does anyone else have these?

<3

2 months, 2 promotions!

As I'm sat writing this, I'm realising that I need to start back posting regularly again. Each day in my business we hear all too often how being consistent is so very important and I believe the same goes for blogging. 

I love how therapeutic it is to write your thoughts down.

So in my last post I talked about how things don't always go as planned but how important it is to remain positive and focus on the things that make you happy. This is what I've done.

Rewind to the end of February and I got my second promotion in my FLP business...

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I've never known recognition like what this business offers. The congratulations and well dones are endless and I had a great day being recognised at the Success Day event at the NEC in Birmingham on the 28th Feb...

But why stop at Assistant Manager?....

7 months ago I signed up to an opportunity. An opportunity that everyone around me was skeptical about and said wouldn't work. Even I wasn't sure. In my first planning meeting I chose Supervisor level to aim to get to. Not so ambitious! But I didn't believe I could get to Manager level. 

14th March 2015 I HIT MANAGER!!! 

I am still so overwhelmed by what this actually means to me!!! I'm learning everyday that anything you put your mind to is achievable. There are no short cuts. Hard work, self-discipline and motivation. A positive mindset. Whatever you think you can, you will! 

In all honesty though...I could not have done it without my AMAZING TEAM! Everyday they make me smile. I cannot thank them enough!

Now, I better get dress shopping (for the next recognition day!)... Your recommendations on sites/places that sells beaut dresses? :P