P is for...

Primer

I have to confess, until last Summer I had never touched primer before in my life.  I considered it a waste of money, a gimmick to make you invest in more potions to put in your make up bag.  How wrong I was...

I used to suffer from eyeshadow wearing off during the day.  Come lunchtime I'd have half of it missing, transferred to my brow bone area.  MAC's Paint Pots have changed all this.....a sweep of this magic means my eyeshadow stays put all day, and they come in such pretty colours you could wear the Paint Pot alone.  Although not technically a primer (I've learnt this upon noticing they're not listed under "primer" on MAC's site), I consider the aim of a primer to prep the skin and help your make up stay put.  Paint Pots certainly do this.

My primer knowledge stops there however, I've yet to try primer for my face.  Suggestions are welcomed though girls.....which primers do you use?  I have fairly normal skin, dry in places though - any primers you'd recommend?

Reason to Smile 25

Image taken from weheartit

Despite it being a liiittle bit dark when I got up at 6:20 this morning, without a doubt my Reason to Smile this week is the clocks going forward.  Driving home in bright light was a dream, and I cannot wait to be able to jump around in the sunshine like this.

What's your favourite thing about summer?

you're my perfect little punching bag

An outfit I literally threw on this morning; not much thought went into it as you can probably tell, but I'm liking it!  Sometimes "planned" outfits just don't work out, so it's always nice when you get an unexpectedly good combo!  I've been after a dreamcatcher necklace for ages after seeing Morven rock one and picked this one up in H&M yesterday....then found it matched my Primarni pumps exactly to make a great casual SS outfit.

Ed's been down lately with his health etc so I treated him to a trip to the cinema.  Yes, I am stingy so yes, a trip to the cinema is a "treat".  I nearly had a heart attack when I found out tickets now cost £8.90.  £8.90?!  I remember paying £6.90 and thinking that was fairly steep!  Seriously.....no wonder people download films illegally!  But then perhaps the price of cinema tickets is to combat the loss caused by illegal distribution?  I dunno.  We saw Limitless.  Ed really enjoyed it, it was a good concept with some eye-catching filming techniques but nothing unforgettable.  Worth a watch though.

Saturday morning I paid for someone else's electricity bill.  Yes, you read that right.  I found a letter addressed to mum (our landlord) and opened it to find that I had to pay £50 otherwise we'd get cut off.  Panicking I phoned and checked, and found that the total now stood at £83.  I paid it, only to find later that the £50 was from the previous tenants which the letting agents never paid....mine and Ed's bill was only £30.  Not happy about that one, the letting agents really screwed us over (changing electricity supplier without telling mum etc) and it's just one thing after another!  My day did get better though, I indulged in a little retail therapy and managed to get my hands on a Topshop jumper which lets me live out my Nicole Richie fantasies.  But more on that in another post....

I need to find something to spend my last groupon asos voucher on.  I have no idea what to get, and now that loads of things are 20% off my choices are limited cos you can't use the voucher on them.  Let me know if you've spotted anything amazing that you think I should have a look at.

How are you all spending this gorgeous Sunday afternoon?

- Vest: H&M - Jeans: Primark - Gilet: Topshop - Necklace: H&M - Pumps: H&M -

am I supposed to change?

A cheeky outfit post with snaps I took at the weekend using my new tripod.  I'm loving actually having the space to take decent photos in our new house, and the tripod means I can tweak the pics to my heart's content without Ed moaning at me for asking him to be my photographer.  I'm wearing my new skirt that I mentioned the other day, but I'm thinking this is one of those outfits that looks better irl.  Don't you just hate that?

For the first time in aaaaages I headed for Primark on Saturday.  I can only face going in there first thing in the morning to avoid the rush, and was really impressed this time around.  Ended up with two pairs of trousers, some jeans and four pairs of shoes.  I'd forgotten how bargainous Primarni can be....all that for under £40!

This post is bring written as a way of avoiding doing college work.  Reading the blogs of girls at uni/college makes me really miss my student days (except the deadlines of course!), so even though I only go to college once a month it does help give me a "student girl" fix.  I hate the workload though.  It's nothing compared to what I had to do for my law degree, but working 10 hours a day and running a house means I'm struggling to fit it all in!  I'm constantly tired....any tips you can recommend to wake me up?

- T Shirt: H&M - Skirt: Zara - Ring: Disney Couture - Necklace: House of Harlow - Bracelet: Links of London -

Reason to Smile 24

My Reason to Smile is more of a personal one this week...I've been named one of Aussie's "honourary Angels"!!!  Very excited about that, and can't wait to see what my new post has in store for me!

Congratulations to the other girlies who won, check out the official list here.  I'm familiar with a couple of names, but if I don't know you yet and you're a follower - come say hi!

Light up my life?

The guys at Aussie Haircare have posed this question:

"How would you lighten up your life?"

Tricky, tricky question.  A truly enlightened life is a thing of fantasy, to my response to this question is to share with you my ultimate fantasy for a stress-free, enlightened day:

Wake up and enlist an array of woodland creatures to help me tidy my house....

...step into my walk-in wardrobe where my stylist, hairdresser and make up artist await to make me look fabulous for...

...zooming down to the shops in my Audi R8....

...to spend time & copious amounts of cash with BFF Nicole...

 ...then I'd hit the beach to soak up some sun (did I mention that in my ideal day I wouldn't be suffering the British weather?)....

...before finishing off with fun and giggles at an Ausome Aussie Tribe party (because in an ideal day I would be an Angel already)

Realistically though, the key to lighten-ing up my life is quite simple.  Work less, relax more, enjoy spending time with family, friends and all those I love.  Awwww, I'm easy to please at heart!

Image credits: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Concrete Trinkets

My latest favoured combination of silver rings.  I'm loving the Native American feel to jewellery atm, but thinking I need to step out of my turquoise comfort zone!  Just received the ring on the left from Lily's JWLRY yesterday; the metal surrounding the stone itself is super detailed and mega cute.  And dead cheap as well!  A definite bargain, you should all go have a look.

Picked up a gorgeous skirt from Zara yesterday.....tangerine with an exposed zip.  I wasn't all that excited about the colour block trend but I can safely say that seeing all the vibrant hues in stores is getting me in the mood for summer.  Now just bring on the warm weather so I can actually wear it! 

I attempted the spending ban, but as you can see.....I failed!  I'm awaiting delivery of some individual lashes that my beauty college student sister has offered to put on for me.  Very excited about that!  I was using The Falsies after my Extra Volume Collagene ran out, but it's seriously sticky and is ripping my eyelashes out the morning after when I curl them.  Not good - has anyone else experienced this?  I also just watched Zoe's Primark haul video and am itching to get in there and have a splurge!  My local Primarni isn't always so well stocked, so ideally I'd like to hit the bigger one about half an hour away but seriously cannot face the Saturday morning rush.  Arrrgh!

Nail varnish in the pic is Model's Own Concrete Mixer.  The perfect griege for me; most I've seen lean too far on the beige side.  This sits firmly in the grey category and is a lovely muted shade.

Rings L-R : JWLRY, H&M, asos, Tiffany

memories are made of this

Yummy yummy brownies I made for a friend's homecoming party last night.  As usual though, I was running late and managed to completely forget to take them, so now I'm left with a tray of ultra fattening brownies that I really shouldn't eat!  I am doing a good job of handing them out to my sisters though, and I'll be sharing them with the ladies at work tomorrow so hopefully they'll save me from myself!  If you guys are interested in knowing the incredibly easy recipe drop me a comment below.

I'm guessing you all got your hands on the groupon asos voucher.  I bought two and have spent one already on this bag.  Not sure what a lady bag is, but I've seen them cropping up a fair bit lately so I'm guessing they're the next big thing?  I had to return this bag which Ed bought me for Christmas as it literally just fell apart.  Bit disappointing considering the £85 price tag, and doubly upsetting cos it means I'm back on the lookout for a black bag.  Hopefully this one will tick my boxes IRL.

I really hoped to do an outfit post at some point over the weekend.  I want to become one of those girls who wears heels during the day, so this pair of wedges are the perfect way to get used to it.  I failed during the day and due to my lateness last night I didn't manage to take any snaps then either.  Today has been incredibly lazy, I haven't even got dressed so once again....FAIL.  I know I need to make more of an effort with this aspect of my blog, and I have been trying to branch out with my outfit choices during the week as well so bear with me.  I've invested in a tripod as well so hopefully once I'm back on track you'll have some better quality outfit pics to look at.

Bit of a random one.....but thoughts on Chris Brown?  Champion is playing on the tv as I write this; me and Ed always have the same debate.  What he did to Rihanna was disgusting, but I can't deny he's a great entertainer.  I refused to buy his music at first but it's just too catchy!  What are your thoughts?  Is what happens in a celebrity's personal life enough to make you avoid them as an artist?

Colour Block: Pink

Pink's a fairly easy one to shop for with under £10 as so many make up items are in this shade.  The Accessorize blusher is merged and has gorgeous blue-purple veins running through it, whilst the opaque Topshop lipgloss is sure to make an impact.  Dress up your locks with Crown & Glory's jersey headband, or try one of Westwood Rocks' peals on organza; it's multi-functional so you can wear it however you can imagine!  I wear mine wrapped around my wrist as an extra splash of colour.

Pink can be a tricky one to style without ending up looking like Paris Hilton.  This season, steer away from baby pinks and go for these dusty shades instead.  The Illamasqua lipgloss is for those who like to wear their pinks with attitude.

The Miss Selfridge poncho is my favourite featured item; I love the sequins and the laid back bohemian feel to it.  I've had my eye on a Dogeared Make A Wish bracelet for a while, but just can't justify spending £28 on a bracelet which will eventually wear away!

Reason to Smile 23

Image taken from weheartit
Pancake Day!!!

I love it, and tomorrow out of sheer laziness (I can't be bothered to cook two courses) I'll be having that controversial mix of a savoury topping for dinner, followed by the obligatory sweet for afters.

What's your dream topping?

Celebrity Sunday

Rachel Bilson:

Image taken from Look

T-shirt
Hoodie (on page 4)
Blazer
Leggings
Boots
Sunglasses
Bag

chase you down until you love me

Not a particularly original post by any means, but seeing as we've now settled in our new house I thought I'd give you all a little tour of my boudoir.

I'm no interior designer but I'm pretty damn proud of my efforts!  In particular I love the shelving unit (from Ikea's bathroom department) which I'm using to display my perfume collection, and the solid wood ottoman which was being given away for free(!) at the end of our road.  Such a bargain and I'm chuffed the boy spotted it for me :)

After years of having to do my make up either in the bathroom mirror or cramped at the end of my bed, I'm truly in love with my new dressing room.  It's such a relaxing space which feels so calming to be in.

Where do you guys do your make up?  What are your thoughts on my boudoir?

Book Review: Room

I'm back!  The internet is now up and running in our new house, so normal blogging will resume soon.  Hello to all my new Friendly Faces, I'm hoping to take some pics in the daylight tomorrow and get back on track asap.   For now, I'll leave you with a post I drafted a while back.

Image taken from Waterstones

This is a book like no other; thought-provoking, shocking, unforgettable and extremely clever.

Jack has spent his life in inside 11 foot square Room but his world is turned upside down when his Ma tells him on his fifth birthday that there is world outside of Room.

I had a true sense of horror at points reading this book; when Ma's kidnapper (and Jack's father) visits Room, and when Jack makes his escape my heart was genuinely pounding.  At the same time, the love and devotion Ma and Jack have for each other is truly beautiful.

This book really made me think about the lives of people who have lived in these horrifying circumstances once they are free and have to try and make their way into the world.  Jack finds this incredibly difficult and it made me wonder how the victims in cases such as Elisabeth Fritzl's cope with adapting to what everyone else would call normality.  And not just emotionally.  On a physical level Jack had trouble judging distances and space, while his eyes couldn't cope with natural light.  These are all part of the aftermath of such an imprisonment which had never even crossed my mind as a possibility.

My one bug-bear with this book is that you don't get to find out what happens to the kidnapper.  In reality the story is a tale of the love between a mother and son which has the power to conquer horrific circumstances, but the Law Student in me is dying to know that justice has been served.

A dark, disturbing book that has to be read to be appreciated.  I've heard it mentioned on the twitter circuit and I know it's being read for Gem's Book Club.....what are your thoughts on it?