Lulu Guinness | Fashion

This is a belated Christmas present post. I didn't want to do a picture of all my gifts, personally I just feel it's a bit cringe, though actually I love looking at other peoples gifts and what they got etc. However I did want to share with you one of my favourite gift this year which was a Lulu Guninness card holder. 

Pretty cute huh?

Recently I have been using a very slim bag which means I can't put my purse in it, I know it sounds stupid but I just love the bag so much. This meant I had to carry my bank cards in a random pocket in the bag loosely which was starting to get annoying because I kept leaving my Boots point card at home *nightmare*. 

I was incredibly happy to receive this little card holder, it's literally perfect. I'm actually quite a fan of Lulu Guinness collections however I've never owned anything from her before. I really love the little lip shaped clutches and one day I will get one!

The card holder itself has 3 little slots in the back and a larger one just at the top, which is just perfect for me. I love all the little details of it, it has "Lulu Guinness" in gold written on the back and it's a patent leather look holder and it always looks nice. I really like that it's so subtle, classic black and red design with the lips in the corner it's part of the Abstract Lip range. I really like the little box it came in too. It's perfect for what I wanted it for, now I don't have to go hunting around my bag to find my cards. 

Have you got anything from Lulu Guinness? 

January Birchbox | Beauty

I know, I'm a little late to the party this month, however in my defense my box arrived whilst I was in New York! What's a gal to do? 

I was so excited when I received mine, I have read loads of spoilers online and thought it sounded like one of the best boxes yet. This one was a collab with Women's Health and I adore that magazine. I was so happy when they actually started doing the mag because I used to read parts of my dad's Men's Health one. I just like the layout of these there are no tacky "celebrity diets" it's about genuine health tips and exercise tips, love it. 

Shall we take a look?

Loads of little lotions and potions all to help us get healthy skin and hair, whilst adding a dash of Glamour with the Stila Lip Glaze. I must admit I am pretty happy with the contents. 

So let's get started with...

Caudalie - Vinoperfect Radience Serum

I'll be honest with you I have never tried anything from Caudalie before and I haven't really read that many reviews on their products either so I'm pretty open minded with this one. Its a Complexion Correcting lotion that you are supposed to use day and night, as you probably know by now, I break out into a cold sweat every time I receive any creams for my face. I have a very simple routine and temperamental skin. 

Saying that, I am always happy to try out new things but my hopes are never very high because I know what works for my skin. One thing that I kinda like about this product is that the scent is so subtle I can't even really tell you what it smells like. It's very fresh though and quite pleasant. 

Matcha - Green Tea

I always love getting teas in these boxes, it's just a nice touch. Personally I am a fan of green tea, I quite like it with cranberry or lemon though. It's very refreshing and it's pretty good for you. The difference with the Matcha tea is that this one is a powder, I've never had a green tea powder before so I am looking forward to trying it. The Birchbox card that comes with each box suggests just adding half of the packet in hot water or with smoothies, however the back of the packet says to add the entire contents so we'll see. 

Activbod - Cooling Finish Lotion

I really like the smell of this Activbod lotion, it has a strong menthol scent which you know will feel amazing once on your skin. I've been working out a lot recently and this lotion is to be used after you've had your little workout, once you've showered because it has a cooling action with it. I think this is going to feel amazing after a work out, so I'm really keen to try it.

Philip Kingsley - Body Building Conditioner

This is one product I'm probably least excited about, I mean I have fine hair and I don't really believe a conditioner alone will help make it thicker but of course, I'm always going to try it out. It smells really nice and I like the fact it's kept with the theme because it's a "body building" product. I have heard quite a lot of good things about Philip Kingsley products but haven't tried anything myself so I am looking forward to giving it ago. 

Healgel - Intensive

I have heard a lot about Healgel, there are a lot of fans so I'm quite happy that I received a sample from this brand. I was a little confused to start with, it's a tiny tube but where do I use it? My face or just random patches on my body? Having investigated a bit further I think I can use this anywhere I have concerns with my skin. There is very limited information on the sample, which I understand because you can only put a small amount of writing on it but I just would have liked a little more, I mean the back of the product had plenty of space to add something. 

I've deceided I'm going to try it out on my shins, I get quite dry legs in the winter so then I will be able to get a better idea of whether this product actually works as it supposed to soothe, repair and protect. I may do a review on it, so watch this space. 

Stila - Lip Glaze in Glamour

I'm going to do a proper review on this product so this is just my first impressions. Again I don't have anything from Stila so I'm very happy that this came, also I like the fact it adds a touch of glamour to the box. I'm pretty happy with the shade I received, it's like a berry red however it is very shimmery so if you don't like a bit of sparkle on the lips then it may not be for you. 

Pilates Band

Oh I just love a fun lifestyle product and this definitely is right up my street! Obviously, like everyone else, I am on a fitness buzz so I'm back going to the gym and this can definitely help with exercising. The leaflet suggests that you can put it around your ankles or put it around you knees. At first I laughed because it's a very small band, how the hell would it get around my mammoth legs but I had a little play with it and it does. I do want to see whether there are any arm workouts I can do with it as well so we'll see. 


I just wanted to add another thing I received in the box which was a booklet with 12 little challenges you should do, I thought this was a great insert. You can tear them out of the book and there are tips on the back of each one. 

There we have it, I bloody love this months box. 

What did you get in yours?

Nike Trainers | Lifestyle

With all the January sales the only thing I actually bought was some new Nike running trainers. All the make up, all the beauty products but no, the only thing I actually needed was some new trainers and this year I must be good with my money. 

Yeah they are pretty bright aren't they?

I absolutely love Nike, I genuinely think they do the best running trainers. For years I have only bought Nike, however normally I go for the more muted grey tones as opposed to this in your face bright orange/coral. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why I went for this bright colour I just liked it and thought why not? 

I'm finally sorting out my fitness regime which you may have seen my previous Fitness post so I thought that a new pair of trainers is something I'll actually need. My old Nike ones served me well but it was time for a change. The thing I really love about these trainers is that they are incredibly lightweight, there is nothing worse than going for a run with weighty trainers. 

When I went for my first run on the treadmill in them I really noticed a difference because the support my feet perfectly, you always know when you have a good pair of trainers because you feel the difference, it actually almost makes running easier - almost!

What's your favourite brand for running trainers?

Dove Essential Nourishing Lotion | Beauty

When it comes to moisturising daily, I'm somewhat lazy, I just can't be bothered. I've tried all new moisturisers and lose interest in them very quickly. I used to be good when I used one specific moisturiser because I actually felt like it made a difference to my skin which was...

Dove Essential Nourishing Lotion for Dry Skin

I used to use this stuff ages ago but after a year or so I wanted something different, I kinda got bored with the scent and started trying new stuff but oh yes, I came crawling back. 

This moisturiser works, end of. I have weird dry patches on my shins in the winter, lord knows why it's probably because I wear tights and dresses even on the coldest days and this lotion sorts it out almost over night. But the real bonus is that I don't have to use it every day because the smoothness lasts for 1-2 days which is perfect for lazy moisturisers like myself. This Dove product has a "DeepCare Complex" meaning that the lotion works down to some of the deeper layers of skin, normally I don't really believe in these types of formulas because they never really work. However I can honestly say that this lotion does work incredibly well because the smoothness lasts for a few days without having to reapply. 

The scent is pretty hard to describe, it's nice though. It's probably more floral than fruity but I wouldn't even say it smelled like flowers. The formula is quite thick which is great for dry skin as you want to make sure you skin is being nourished. 

I literally picked this product up on a whim when I was last in Boots but I'm so glad I did. 

What's your favourite moisturiser?

Sleek Make Up CC Cream | Beauty

Recently I have been looking for a foundation or a cream that would be light but give me good coverage. Sometimes I just don't want to use my everyday heavier foundations, so when I was taking a wander down the make up isle in Boots I thought I would check out Sleek Make up and found their CC Cream. 

I like Sleek Make Up, I have a lot of their eye shadow palettes and of course, the Face Form contouring palette but I didn't realise they do a liquid foundation range. I was tempted by their actual foundation, the packaging was gorgeous but I found the lightest shade was too dark for me, then I spotted their CC Cream.

I'll be honest with you I don't really know what the differences are between, CC Creams and BB Creams and which one is better than the other however all I know is I like the look of this product. I used one of the testers on the back of my hand, I always go for the lightest shade they have which so happened to be called "fair" and I was pretty impressed. 

This CC Cream blends incredibly well and gives a light amount of coverage, it almost has a blurring effect on my pores as well, which I'm not sure whether it's supposed to but it looks nice. I have quite badly scarred acne skin and my heavier foundations do well to cover the majority of the scars but I will say this does not cover them. To be honest though I wasn't expecting the CC Cream to do so. I literally just wanted this foundation to give me a little bit of coverage for when I'm not going anywhere important or popping to the shops. It seems to even everything out as well, it really does do the job I was hoping it would. 

Have tried this CC Cream?

Fitness | Lifestyle

Today I'm going to share with you my fitness plan for this year, but none of this "new year, new me" crap, no! I just need to get my butt into gear. 

I know there is a lot of Nike stuff here but it's just my favourite brand for gym wear. 

I'll give you a bit of back ground, I used to be incredibly fit about 2-3 years ago I was a regular gym member and went 2 times a day 5-6 times a week, I loved it. However when I started working in London I found it very hard to keep up with attending the gym and found that memberships in London were more expensive than what I was currently paying so I didn't want to swap my gym. So obviously the less I went to the gym the fatter I got and I became actually quite unfit and I cancelled my membership, it was just embarrassing to turn up at the gym in the state I am in quite frankly. 

Don't get me wrong I have on numerous occasions tried to increase my fitness even last year I was running regularly but I just found it very hard to keep up with, because once the dark nights started drawing in or it was raining I just didn't want to go back outside.  This year I've decided I would join the gym again and you know what, I didn't realise how much I had actually missed it. As soon as I walked into my local Virgin Active gym, I smelled the chlorine of the pool and felt the warmth of the heaters and oh my god, I missed all of it, I felt so happy to be there again. 

Knowing that I can be incredibly committed, I have to literally throw myself back into it again, which means getting to the gym at 6AM to get a morning work out and on my way back home getting into the gym about 7:30PM to get my evening work out. I need to go twice a day for a while just to develop my routine and to fully get back into the swing of things. Of course I will be changing my diet along with this but that will all fall into place once I have my gym routine. I will be focusing my workouts so that I do my weights in the morning when it is quietest and do cardio after work.

I'm not going to be shouting about it with my pals or work colleague because I always find that the more you talk about it the harder it is to commit, if I just keep my head down and focus on what I want to do then I will do it. Once you start telling everyone, people want to talk and want to give you advice and some are actually waiting for you to fail. So I'll keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully by the end of this year I'll be happier with my physique. I'm not looking for a quick short term fix, I don't care if it takes me all year to feel good as long as everyday I'm getting one step closer that's all that matters. 

 What are your health/fitness plans this year? 

Benefit Highbeam | Beauty

Today I thought I would share with you my thoughts on Benefit's Highbeam that I recieved in the December Birchbox. 

I must admit is was quite excited to receive this little sample because I haven't tried any liquid highlighters before, I tend to love my Sleek makeup powder highlighter from my Face Form palette but still wanted to give it a go. 

As far as sample sizes got I'm pretty happy with this one, though it is tiny you do actually get a lot of product in it. I quite like the applicator too, it's a little brush that you can just sweep over your face. 

Now, I love the subtlety of this product. At first I wasn't sure how much to use, whether less is more, in almost all cases that's true. However when I first tried this on my face I used the smallest amount and couldn't really see a difference so when I added more I started to notice the highlight and really loved it. It's far less shimmery than my powder which works really nicely. 

Recently I have found myself using this highlighter when I am going for a more natural look, so when I've only lightly contoured and no eye shadow, my most simplistic make up, this works really well. I think if I was to go for a more "fierce" look or just a full face of make up, this highlighter may not work as well as my powder. 

I'm super impressed with this highlighter and can definitely see me buying the full sized product. 

Have you tried Highbeam?

Lush Haul | Beauty

So I'm back! I know I have been somewhat quiet and not posted for a little while, this is for two main reasons. The first was because I have been so incredibly ill that the thought of trying to construct sentences was just too much. The second was because, well it's Christmas, I don't believe that many people would read my posts. 

I also found myself trying to keep up with the "festive" theme by writing my December posts with a Christmas twist and I'll be honest with you, they frickin' sucked! So I'm back onto my beauty and fun lifestyle posts

Let's start with a wonderful Lush Haul, let's face it most girls probably got Lush items for Christmas and I'm not complaining at all, my parents got me a lovely selection of stuff. 

What a lovely bright collection! 

Let's dive straight in an take a closer look at each one, starting with...

The Comforter Bubble Bar

Oh.My.God! I know why everyone loves this one now, I see posts where blogger/vloggers always bang on about the Comforter Bubble Bar and never quite understood why. This bubble bar smells amazing, literally so yummy, I actually want to eat it. It smells like sweets, berry, chewy, sweets. I haven't tried this one out yet but I have tried the other bubble bar and I'm super impressed with both the scent and the bubbles. I also love that you don't use the whole thing, you just break 1/3 or 1/4 off and you get so many bubbles. 

Fizzbanger Bath Bomb

I haven't tried Fizzbanger before and to be honest I haven't seen many reviews of it so my mind is wonderfully open. What I do like about this bath bomb is that it smells very zesty and citrusy. Personally I love those kind of scents more than floral ones to bathe in because it just wakes me up a little and refreshes me. Not sure what kinds of wonderful colours this one will have once it starts fizzing but can't wait to find out. 

The Baked Alaska Soap

I'm a lover of shower gels and body washes to use as opposed to bars of soap, the bars are always massive and you can never use a full one and they just stay there getting wet and ugly then you just throw them away. So at first I wasn't that thrilled because it is a massive chunk, but what I did realise is that I could just cut bits off to use it. Genius right? This is another zesty fragrant one so you know I'm happy!  I really love the colours of it and can't wait to actually try this bad boy out. 

Brightside Bubble Bar

As you can see, I just had to use the Brightside Bubble Bar, so there is a little bit missing. This smells like oranges, are you sensing a theme? It is so yummy again, I just want to eat it, but I won't! I have never tried a bubble bar before and wondered whether they actually do give a good amount of bubbles. If i'm having a bubbly bath then I like there to be a copious amount of bubbles and this did not disappoint and the smell was still just as strong in the water. 

I broke some off then as the water was still running I just crumbled the bar in my hand under the water and watched the bubbles fill the tub. Love Love Love it!

So White Bath Bomb

And finally we have the So White bath bomb, now this scent is probably the more subtle of them all, it's quite a soft apple scented one. I can't really put my finger on what exactly it does smell like but it's still just as beautiful. It's very simplistic to look at, a little ball of white but I have seen that once it is in the bath it fizzes to reveal a pink centre which is cute. 

So there we have it, my Lush goodies. 

Have you tried out any of the above? What is your favourite lush bath item?

What I learned in 2014 | Lifestyle

Oh where to begin? I don't want this post to be too heavy but more just a series of thoughts that I want to share with you. I'd rather reflect on the year as a whole before setting my goals for next year. 

This year has gone so incredibly quick, it's amazing to think about everything that has happened in a relatively short space of time. 

What I am coming to realise is that sometimes you just have to keep your head down and continue to run up that metaphorical hill. Sometimes it's going to be a massive struggle but if it means anything to you at all, you'll do it. When you feel like you aren't being noticed, you'd be surprised at the amount of people who recognise your efforts and reward you for it. 

Life doesn't always pan out the way you expected it to and sometimes people aren't who they say they are, but everyone is just trying to get by in life the only way they know how. Be patient with people, everyone has their own demons that manifest in ways you wouldn't think possible.

Sometimes your past comes back when you think it's dead and buried but what it does make you realise is how far you've come, all the little decisions you have made that has impacted on your life. There will always be room for improvement and you should continue to keep striving for more, because what is life without ambition?

You can't always control things in life, so just focus on the things you can, such as being active, your career, your friendship groups, your hobbies, your passions. Everything else will fall into place if you just leave it and if it doesn't, don't dwell on it and don't let it drag you down, keep focused on the bigger picture.

In 2014 I have laughed too much, cried too much, drank too much, loved too much, thought too much, sang too much, written too much. But I would rather have regrets for doing too much of everything than not doing enough.  

Happy New Year guys!